I did a sunrise ride this morning... sunrise was 5:27AM... but it's already light enough out at 5:15 to start riding. It's a beautiful time of day to ride, it's so peaceful, very little traffic and all you see out there are runners, walker's and a few other cyclists. I decided to do a loop ride to City Island... going through Mt. Vernon, Pelham and New Rochelle before hitting the Northern tip of the Bronx and out to the very end of City Island.
I stopped there for a few minutes to look out at the spot where my brothers ashes were placed into the water at one of his favorite fishing spots about 12 years ago. Then I headed back home going through the Bronx and back into Yonkers and home.
I made a stupid rookie mistake after my first rest stop... I had turned off the timer on my GPS for my break and I never turned it back on when I re-started my ride... the unit reminds me to turn it on at the beginning of a ride, but apparently not after a rest break. So I had to use maps to estimate my mileage, time, and average speed... I'm not even gonna try and estimate my ascent totals, even though the GPS sent me up some daunting hills... I'll have to do the same ride again some time.
See y'all tomorrow, enjoy your day.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Out 'N Back
I did my out 'n back ride today... after a 5 mile warm-up loop I took off to White Plains... I used the navigation on my GPS to get me there... it basically took me the same way that I always go, except for one hill it wanted me to take that I usually go around, I opted for going around it as per my normal route... when I get down to 180 lbs. I'll think about taking extra hills.
I found out that the screen dims itself when I have a long stretch on one street and it'll brighten up when a turn is coming up... a battery saving measure I guess... there's also an audible beep when a turn is coming up and a double beep when you're almost at the turn.... all good features I suppose.
The temperature according to the GPS is always on the high side also, but it might be hotter on the bike than the real air temperature, plus the sun beating down on it might account for that also... it said my min. temp was 77°F, the Max was 91.4° and the avg. was 82.8°... but according to the local weather it's just only hit 79°F right now.
Anyway, enough of this, I haven't eaten anything since 5:30AM and it's 12:30PM now... that's not good, even though I'm not hungry, I gotta go eat something.... have a great day all... see ya tomorrow.
I found out that the screen dims itself when I have a long stretch on one street and it'll brighten up when a turn is coming up... a battery saving measure I guess... there's also an audible beep when a turn is coming up and a double beep when you're almost at the turn.... all good features I suppose.
The temperature according to the GPS is always on the high side also, but it might be hotter on the bike than the real air temperature, plus the sun beating down on it might account for that also... it said my min. temp was 77°F, the Max was 91.4° and the avg. was 82.8°... but according to the local weather it's just only hit 79°F right now.
Anyway, enough of this, I haven't eaten anything since 5:30AM and it's 12:30PM now... that's not good, even though I'm not hungry, I gotta go eat something.... have a great day all... see ya tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Raindrops & Kittens
I wanted to go out on an "Out 'n Back" ride today, meaning to ride in one direction halfway and then come back to the start, but as soon as I started riding I felt a raindrop. I didn't think much of it because sometimes you get some dew falling off the leaves as you're passing under trees. But then I felt another, and another... which made me say "Uh, oh..." Then as quickly as it started, it stopped just as fast... and I got a hint of sunshine coming through the clouds... so I stayed out, but instead of the out'n back route I was going to do, I did loops around the 'hood.... round and round... 15.66 miles of loops... an hour of loops... no wonder I feel loopy. <rim shot>
Oh yea, I gotta tell you about the cat that's in the title up there... I was going down a hill at a good rate of speed, (btw my top speed today was only 32.2mph) when I see this cat (old kitten) crossing the street ahead of me... my brain is calculating it's rate of travel and my rate of travel and determines that the cat will be passed my line of travel before our paths would meet... so I stay the course and the speed.... don't you know the cat stops dead in its tracks and decides to stare me down... so I check behind me for any cars in case I have to take drastic actions and it's all clear... so I figure the cat is crossing the street for a reason (I know... to get to the other side) and will keep moving forward and not go back the other way, so I figure I'll ride behind her and hope for the best, because stopping was not an option, well not without swerving anyway, and possibly losing control... plus I've "Bunny-hopped" potholes bigger than a cat before, so that was an option also... anyway to make a long story shorter, we both made the right decision and we get to ride and cat-walk another day... of course the incident didn't last as long as this story did.
See y'all tomorrow.
Oh yea, I gotta tell you about the cat that's in the title up there... I was going down a hill at a good rate of speed, (btw my top speed today was only 32.2mph) when I see this cat (old kitten) crossing the street ahead of me... my brain is calculating it's rate of travel and my rate of travel and determines that the cat will be passed my line of travel before our paths would meet... so I stay the course and the speed.... don't you know the cat stops dead in its tracks and decides to stare me down... so I check behind me for any cars in case I have to take drastic actions and it's all clear... so I figure the cat is crossing the street for a reason (I know... to get to the other side) and will keep moving forward and not go back the other way, so I figure I'll ride behind her and hope for the best, because stopping was not an option, well not without swerving anyway, and possibly losing control... plus I've "Bunny-hopped" potholes bigger than a cat before, so that was an option also... anyway to make a long story shorter, we both made the right decision and we get to ride and cat-walk another day... of course the incident didn't last as long as this story did.
See y'all tomorrow.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Hot Fun Summer In The City
Another warm day, another ride in... I was out on the road 30 minutes after I got home from work... I get out there while the weather is still in the low 70's... just a nice short, easy ride in the 'hood... I stayed out for an hour and did 15 miles.
GPS is working fine... although the screen is readable in the sun, I think my last bike computer was a little easier to read in the bright sunlight... but I can read it... and all the data... and boy does it record a lot of info... I get Total time, time I was moving, time I was stopped, average speed, max speed, elevation gain & loss, cadence(avg. & max.), temperature (Min., Max, & avg.), Heart rate (avg & max)... what I had for breakfast... and that's just a small sampling... for heart rates I get the max, the avg. and how much time I spent in each heart rate zone... good to know because some zones are aerobic, and some anaerobic... and if the beats stop, ride right over the ER.
Luckily I'm a data junkie, so I can take these numbers and analyze 'em, scrutinize 'em, stack 'em all up high and then crunch 'em.
OK I gotta go replace some calories, have a great day all.
GPS is working fine... although the screen is readable in the sun, I think my last bike computer was a little easier to read in the bright sunlight... but I can read it... and all the data... and boy does it record a lot of info... I get Total time, time I was moving, time I was stopped, average speed, max speed, elevation gain & loss, cadence(avg. & max.), temperature (Min., Max, & avg.), Heart rate (avg & max)... what I had for breakfast... and that's just a small sampling... for heart rates I get the max, the avg. and how much time I spent in each heart rate zone... good to know because some zones are aerobic, and some anaerobic... and if the beats stop, ride right over the ER.
Luckily I'm a data junkie, so I can take these numbers and analyze 'em, scrutinize 'em, stack 'em all up high and then crunch 'em.
OK I gotta go replace some calories, have a great day all.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Sunny Day... Finally
I finally got to ride, it was a sunny day finally, after all these days with the fog and everything from misty rain to thunderstorms... I was so happy to be outside I stayed extra and did about 7 miles more than my usual Sunday ride... and I was so overjoyed that I hit a new personal average speed record of 15.8 mph for the ride... and that's not all, I hit a new maximum speed of 39.7 mph (going down a hill of course) that was a bit exciting (scary)... fortunately I didn't come up on any potholes... so it was all good. I'm running late, I still have to take care of a few things before bedtime, so I gotta cut this short... enjoy your sunny days, ciao.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Forecast This...
I got up last night and the first thing I did was check the weather to see if I could possibly get a ride in sometime during the morning... it looked good, for a 10 AM ride... temperatures in the 70's, cloudy but no rain until after noon... so that was the plan. I got the GPS set up just the way I wanted it and I was going to see if my configurations were OK on an actual ride.
Around 8:30 AM I looked outside and it was foggy, but visibility wasn't too bad. The street didn't look too wet from the dissipating fog, so I was thinking I might start my ride at 9:30 instead... I shave and brush my teeth and get presentable for the outside world... and I check the forecast one more time because the skies did look a little threatening, but they told me no rain before noon... sure enough them weathermen thought it was a good idea to move the rain ahead 2 hours, the rain was now scheduled to arrive sometime after 10 AM... grrrr... I wasn't going to waste my time with a half hour ride... Shave or no shave... oh well, we'll try again tomorrow.
...and it didn't rain until almost 11:00.
Around 8:30 AM I looked outside and it was foggy, but visibility wasn't too bad. The street didn't look too wet from the dissipating fog, so I was thinking I might start my ride at 9:30 instead... I shave and brush my teeth and get presentable for the outside world... and I check the forecast one more time because the skies did look a little threatening, but they told me no rain before noon... sure enough them weathermen thought it was a good idea to move the rain ahead 2 hours, the rain was now scheduled to arrive sometime after 10 AM... grrrr... I wasn't going to waste my time with a half hour ride... Shave or no shave... oh well, we'll try again tomorrow.
...and it didn't rain until almost 11:00.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Into Each Life...
...a little rain must fall.
But why on MY weekend? It's supposed to rain until Sunday when it'll be partly cloudy until Tuesday and then rain until July, which is a week from Friday... but forecasts change all the time, I might get some good weather and some good riding in there somewhere. There might even be a break on Friday morning... I'll keep an eye on it.
Meanwhile, it's a good time to catch up on some things that need catchin' up on... Like finding more things to do during my 4 weeks of stay-cation coming up in September and October. So far I got some Fairs & Festivals in my sights... plus the annual NYC German Day Parade (Steuben Day Parade) and an Oktoberfest also... but I'll keep my options open in case I find more stuff to do... there will definitely be bike riding in there... probably a lot of it to get closer to my mileage goal of 2,011 miles.
Other things I'll be doing this weekend is setting up my GPS the way I want it, that means reading the manual... ugh. I also have at least one movie I want to watch and I might watch a few more... and as I look around in front of me, my computer desk could use a little organizing... just gotta put all my little notes, various notepad scribblings, and other assorted pieces of important paper in an orderly pile and then, without looking back, dump 'em.
OK I gotta go, there's places to go and people to meet... but not for me, it's my weekend.
But why on MY weekend? It's supposed to rain until Sunday when it'll be partly cloudy until Tuesday and then rain until July, which is a week from Friday... but forecasts change all the time, I might get some good weather and some good riding in there somewhere. There might even be a break on Friday morning... I'll keep an eye on it.
Meanwhile, it's a good time to catch up on some things that need catchin' up on... Like finding more things to do during my 4 weeks of stay-cation coming up in September and October. So far I got some Fairs & Festivals in my sights... plus the annual NYC German Day Parade (Steuben Day Parade) and an Oktoberfest also... but I'll keep my options open in case I find more stuff to do... there will definitely be bike riding in there... probably a lot of it to get closer to my mileage goal of 2,011 miles.
Other things I'll be doing this weekend is setting up my GPS the way I want it, that means reading the manual... ugh. I also have at least one movie I want to watch and I might watch a few more... and as I look around in front of me, my computer desk could use a little organizing... just gotta put all my little notes, various notepad scribblings, and other assorted pieces of important paper in an orderly pile and then, without looking back, dump 'em.
OK I gotta go, there's places to go and people to meet... but not for me, it's my weekend.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
1st Impressions on the GPS
I took my first ride with my new GPS... I put in the Scarsdale train station as my destination, I figured that was far enough to get me home in an hour, I was off by about 5 minutes. The GPS put me on the same roads that I was already using on past rides. Now you might think that the GPS is useless then, but to the contrary, it showed me that it guides me on quiet roads with very little traffic and very little hills... the same roads it took me months to find. So therefore when I want to go somewhere new, I can somewhat trust it to put me on a bicycle friendly route... I say somewhat, because no system is perfect and nothing can replace common sense and street smarts.
A few things I need to fix before my next ride...
-I need to adjust the screen brightness to make it more readable in the sunlight.
-I need to have it stop scrolling from page to page when I'm rolling, because when you look down it's never on the page you want... although I noticed that when you need to make a turn ahead it stays on that page until you turn.
-I need to set up the data fields to put the information that's most important to me where I can view it easily.
They improved a few things over my last model... they have a more conservative estimate of how many calories you've spent, I'd say it's about 50% of what they used to estimate, I think it's more accurate now... and the same with the elevation data... it's also more conservative and probably more accurate.
One thing that went wrong, when I tried to set the navigation for the way back the screen froze and it stayed frozen all the way home... probably because of my impatient pressing on the screen... I didn't want to reset for fear of losing all the data, but when I uploaded the ride to the computer, it was all there.
So overall I'm pleased with the new toy... I just gotta configure it to my way of thinking... Gotta run, later all.
A few things I need to fix before my next ride...
-I need to adjust the screen brightness to make it more readable in the sunlight.
-I need to have it stop scrolling from page to page when I'm rolling, because when you look down it's never on the page you want... although I noticed that when you need to make a turn ahead it stays on that page until you turn.
-I need to set up the data fields to put the information that's most important to me where I can view it easily.
They improved a few things over my last model... they have a more conservative estimate of how many calories you've spent, I'd say it's about 50% of what they used to estimate, I think it's more accurate now... and the same with the elevation data... it's also more conservative and probably more accurate.
One thing that went wrong, when I tried to set the navigation for the way back the screen froze and it stayed frozen all the way home... probably because of my impatient pressing on the screen... I didn't want to reset for fear of losing all the data, but when I uploaded the ride to the computer, it was all there.
So overall I'm pleased with the new toy... I just gotta configure it to my way of thinking... Gotta run, later all.
Monday, June 20, 2011
T'was a Great Father's Day
I always knew I was a lucky man and had a great family, but they keep outdoing themselves over and over again... yesterday for Father's Day they all chipped in for a GPS unit for my bike with all the bells & whistles. I guess they wanted to make sure I would always find my way back home, LOL.
I didn't ride today because I wanted to set up everything with the bike, I had to take off all my old computer stuff and put on the new stuff, like the mount for the unit and the cadence sensor... I have to set up the unit itself also... but what I failed to realize is that it has to be charged first and that takes a few hours. So I'm waiting for it to be fully charged so that I can customize the screens that I will see while I'm riding.
I'll also have to set up an account at the GPS website so that I'll have somewhere to download all my ride data to... so I can analyze and crunch numbers and pat myself on the back for a ride well done. I'll check in tomorrow and give a report on how he first ride went. Good Day All.
I didn't ride today because I wanted to set up everything with the bike, I had to take off all my old computer stuff and put on the new stuff, like the mount for the unit and the cadence sensor... I have to set up the unit itself also... but what I failed to realize is that it has to be charged first and that takes a few hours. So I'm waiting for it to be fully charged so that I can customize the screens that I will see while I'm riding.
I'll also have to set up an account at the GPS website so that I'll have somewhere to download all my ride data to... so I can analyze and crunch numbers and pat myself on the back for a ride well done. I'll check in tomorrow and give a report on how he first ride went. Good Day All.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Happy Father's Day!!
It's a Beautiful Day, very befitting a Father's Day... an awesome day for a bike ride... I did 23 miles in an hour and a half... averaged 15.46 mph... pretty close to my personal best for this year, but not quite there... I blame it on the new shoes. LOL. I love my new shoes though.
Since it's Father's Day, I'm going to cut this update extremely short and wish you all a pleasant day. Ciao.
Since it's Father's Day, I'm going to cut this update extremely short and wish you all a pleasant day. Ciao.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
First Impressions
OK, so I took my new pedals out for their first ride and so far I like them very much. After I got used to clicking the cleats into the pedals, which didn't take but 2 clicks, I find it much easier than my last pair. These pedals have dual side entry, which means I can click in no matter which side is facing up, they're both the same. On my last set of pedals I had to make sure the pedal was right side up in order to click in. Also with the new pedals you seem to just step downward onto the pedal to click in, whereas with the last ones you had to push your foot forward into place first and then step down.
Now for the shoe... it sure is a pleasure to walk more normally once you step off your bike. No more making loud "tap-shoe" noises while walking, no more walking like you're on a sheet of ice, no more holding onto things while you're walking... ahhhh... it is so nice. I'm sure I lose some speed with the new shoes, because the soles are more flexible and not the stiff carbon soles of the last pair that are designed to transfer more power into the pedal strokes... but I can live with that.
One last thing, yesterday while I was laying in bed I realized that the pain in my shoulder is gone. I have no idea how long its been gone or when it left. Now the question is do I dare start weight training again or wait to make sure it's 100% healed. Whatever I decide, I'll make sure to start up again slowly... and with lighter weights... OK I gotta go, ciao everybody.
Now for the shoe... it sure is a pleasure to walk more normally once you step off your bike. No more making loud "tap-shoe" noises while walking, no more walking like you're on a sheet of ice, no more holding onto things while you're walking... ahhhh... it is so nice. I'm sure I lose some speed with the new shoes, because the soles are more flexible and not the stiff carbon soles of the last pair that are designed to transfer more power into the pedal strokes... but I can live with that.
One last thing, yesterday while I was laying in bed I realized that the pain in my shoulder is gone. I have no idea how long its been gone or when it left. Now the question is do I dare start weight training again or wait to make sure it's 100% healed. Whatever I decide, I'll make sure to start up again slowly... and with lighter weights... OK I gotta go, ciao everybody.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Stats Updated
It was raining all night and into this morning, so my inaugural ride on my new virgin pedals has to wait until tomorrow. The wet streets aren't very conducive to my style of riding, namely turning corners at a high rate of speed and at a 45° angle. My city slicker tires were made for speed not for traction, so there's very little tread on them. Apparently treads slow you down.
According to some cyclists, everything slows you down, they buy everything according to grams. The lightest bike, the lightest components, the lightest shoes and pedals, they buy the lightest tires and tubes all to save grams and make themselves faster. Save a gram here and save a gram there, it all adds up... but they always seem to ignore the extra 10 or 20 lbs. around their middle... and I'm just as guilty.
I'm slowly moving away from all this lightweight fragile stuff in favor of equipment that is durable and reliable... these carbon and titanium products are expensive and are so light you have to replace them more often... give me something that will last me awhile... I'm through trying to make my ride a few grams lighter, I think it's better and cheaper to make the engine a few pounds lighter.
Speaking of which... I updated my stats this morning... I lost 8 lbs. this week, don't get excited it was mostly water weight from all my partying and celebrations last week... so I'm down to 190.6 lbs. today. My body fat is still way too high at just over 20% and I need to get that closer to 10%... I'll be working on that until my next vacation in September, when I'll probably be loose with my diet once more, it's a vicious cycle.
It's back to work for me tonight, everybody else enjoy your weekend!!
According to some cyclists, everything slows you down, they buy everything according to grams. The lightest bike, the lightest components, the lightest shoes and pedals, they buy the lightest tires and tubes all to save grams and make themselves faster. Save a gram here and save a gram there, it all adds up... but they always seem to ignore the extra 10 or 20 lbs. around their middle... and I'm just as guilty.
I'm slowly moving away from all this lightweight fragile stuff in favor of equipment that is durable and reliable... these carbon and titanium products are expensive and are so light you have to replace them more often... give me something that will last me awhile... I'm through trying to make my ride a few grams lighter, I think it's better and cheaper to make the engine a few pounds lighter.
Speaking of which... I updated my stats this morning... I lost 8 lbs. this week, don't get excited it was mostly water weight from all my partying and celebrations last week... so I'm down to 190.6 lbs. today. My body fat is still way too high at just over 20% and I need to get that closer to 10%... I'll be working on that until my next vacation in September, when I'll probably be loose with my diet once more, it's a vicious cycle.
It's back to work for me tonight, everybody else enjoy your weekend!!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Pedal Shopping
After yesterdays mishap, I needed to buy new pedals for my bike... and if anybody knows me, they know I hate shopping... for anything. If I absolutely, positively need something I'll go in to the store, buy it and get out. I'd rather shop online and order through the mail, it's so much more convenient... but that doesn't work if you need something right away. So off I went.
I decided I wanted a new type of pedal, which means I needed to buy new shoes also. The cycling shoes I had were meant for riding only, you couldn't really walk in them, they had the protruding cleats on the bottom of the very stiff carbon soles, so walking in them made it sound like you were tap dancing and it looked even worse... So now I have the Mountain Bike type shoes with the recessed cleats which are a lot better for my needs.
I didn't go for a ride today as it was getting too late, but I did ride up and down the block to make sure I can click in and out of the pedals when I need to... they're a little bit different than the other ones, but it didn't take me long to get used to clicking in and out. I guess you could say me & my pedals clicked right away... well almost right away.
In other news, there was no change in my weight this morning, but that's ok... the 4 lbs. I lost yesterday will keep me motivated for a few more days. I'll do my measurements when I get up tonight and update the stats on the right... it's been a long time since I did that... I knew I was slipping and didn't want to know how far.
Ok that's all for today... enjoy
I decided I wanted a new type of pedal, which means I needed to buy new shoes also. The cycling shoes I had were meant for riding only, you couldn't really walk in them, they had the protruding cleats on the bottom of the very stiff carbon soles, so walking in them made it sound like you were tap dancing and it looked even worse... So now I have the Mountain Bike type shoes with the recessed cleats which are a lot better for my needs.
I didn't go for a ride today as it was getting too late, but I did ride up and down the block to make sure I can click in and out of the pedals when I need to... they're a little bit different than the other ones, but it didn't take me long to get used to clicking in and out. I guess you could say me & my pedals clicked right away... well almost right away.
In other news, there was no change in my weight this morning, but that's ok... the 4 lbs. I lost yesterday will keep me motivated for a few more days. I'll do my measurements when I get up tonight and update the stats on the right... it's been a long time since I did that... I knew I was slipping and didn't want to know how far.
Ok that's all for today... enjoy
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
What a Day!!
I went for a ride today... I was only going out for an hour... but it didn't even last that long. About 5 miles into my ride I snapped my right pedal and enough of it broke off that it was of no use... I couldn't clip back in and if I tried to pedal with what was left of it, my foot would just slide off... which it did anyway all the way home... the side of my right shin is all scraped up, but it's not bleeding, so it'll just be a little sore and raw for a day or two.
So basically I rode home using only my left leg and trying to keep my foot just resting on the stump of the pedal, so I wouldn't look silly riding with one leg pointing outwards. The hills were a challenge... I tried to find the flattest route back home, but in Yonkers that is all but impossible... but the couple of hills I had I just put it into the lowest gear and tried to keep a steady cadence. On one short hill of 6% grade (according to Garmin) I almost had to dismount, but a few shaky pedal strokes later I was over the crest and moving on. I need to buy new pedals now, this biking stuff is expensive.
On a brighter note, I finally dropped a large amount of the water weight from my week of decadence. This morning I weighed 192.4 lbs. down 4.4 lbs. from the previous day. I feel better already, I was really moving on that bike before I had my mishap... and so it goes.
So basically I rode home using only my left leg and trying to keep my foot just resting on the stump of the pedal, so I wouldn't look silly riding with one leg pointing outwards. The hills were a challenge... I tried to find the flattest route back home, but in Yonkers that is all but impossible... but the couple of hills I had I just put it into the lowest gear and tried to keep a steady cadence. On one short hill of 6% grade (according to Garmin) I almost had to dismount, but a few shaky pedal strokes later I was over the crest and moving on. I need to buy new pedals now, this biking stuff is expensive.
On a brighter note, I finally dropped a large amount of the water weight from my week of decadence. This morning I weighed 192.4 lbs. down 4.4 lbs. from the previous day. I feel better already, I was really moving on that bike before I had my mishap... and so it goes.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Post-Vacation Day 2
This morning I was down 1.8 lbs. to 196.8 lbs... so it's coming off slowly... but I did eat a lot of calories yesterday, even if they were healthy ones. Today I was a little more strict with my food consumption... by end of the day I should have around 500 calories fewer than yesterdays.
It's amazing how just a few pounds can make you lazy & lethargic. The weather has been a little cooler and there's been threatening clouds in the sky, but I haven't even thought about getting in a quick bike ride or even an indoor workout. But that will change tomorrow when I will definitely be out and about on my bike. I'll have no excuses, the weather looks to be good around 9 or 10AM or even a little later, it won't matter much because I'm off of work for the next 2 days.
A couple of good rides will be all I need to get me back into the swing of things. Burning calories, replacing some of them... getting my cardio in and building up my energy... I should be back to "normal" in no time at all.
Meanwhile, I still have one more night of work, so I gotta get going now... have a great day all.
It's amazing how just a few pounds can make you lazy & lethargic. The weather has been a little cooler and there's been threatening clouds in the sky, but I haven't even thought about getting in a quick bike ride or even an indoor workout. But that will change tomorrow when I will definitely be out and about on my bike. I'll have no excuses, the weather looks to be good around 9 or 10AM or even a little later, it won't matter much because I'm off of work for the next 2 days.
A couple of good rides will be all I need to get me back into the swing of things. Burning calories, replacing some of them... getting my cardio in and building up my energy... I should be back to "normal" in no time at all.
Meanwhile, I still have one more night of work, so I gotta get going now... have a great day all.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Vacation's Over
Hey everybody... my vacation is over and it's back to work, in more ways than one. I'm back at my job and I also need to get back to working on my health and wellness. I had almost 2 weeks of care-free eating and drinking and I feel it.
When I went to pick up my tux 2 days before my Daughters wedding I weighed 185.6 lbs. and this morning I was 198.6 lbs.... That's a 13 lb. gain in 2 weeks... and I feel it... on my 2 mile walks for the last couple of nights I felt sluggish and almost out of breath... and I feel bloated.
I know some of that is water weight... probably 5 - 8 pounds of it... that should come off pretty easily in the next few days, but the rest I'll have to work on... I've already started eating clean... back top my normal healthy food fare... but I'm still eating more than I should, so now I'll have to start cutting the calories. I'll have to keep eating the same foods, just less of everything... that means measuring and weighing everything I eat.
And I also need to get on the bike... the dark threatening clouds kept me inside this morning, but it's turning into a nicer day now... too little, too late for me. Tomorrow looks like rain also... so Wednesday might be the better day to ride. We shall see. Ciao for Now.
When I went to pick up my tux 2 days before my Daughters wedding I weighed 185.6 lbs. and this morning I was 198.6 lbs.... That's a 13 lb. gain in 2 weeks... and I feel it... on my 2 mile walks for the last couple of nights I felt sluggish and almost out of breath... and I feel bloated.
I know some of that is water weight... probably 5 - 8 pounds of it... that should come off pretty easily in the next few days, but the rest I'll have to work on... I've already started eating clean... back top my normal healthy food fare... but I'm still eating more than I should, so now I'll have to start cutting the calories. I'll have to keep eating the same foods, just less of everything... that means measuring and weighing everything I eat.
And I also need to get on the bike... the dark threatening clouds kept me inside this morning, but it's turning into a nicer day now... too little, too late for me. Tomorrow looks like rain also... so Wednesday might be the better day to ride. We shall see. Ciao for Now.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
It's Gonna Be A Scorcher!!
I went out early today, just a nice short ride... About 14.25 miles in an hour... I wanted to get out before it got too hot... it's supposed to be in the upper 90's today. I'm not complaining about it though, I love it much more than the cold... as I always say, the heat might be uncomfortable at times, but the cold is downright painful... I'll take the heat any day.
I'll tell you when I couldn't take the heat... when I was a smoker, I just couldn't breathe on high humidity days... but since I quit smoking, I enjoy every hot day there is. I can see a move down South in my future... that is if I can't swing a move to Europe, LOL.
Even though today's ride was leisurely again, I did have a higher average MPH for the whole ride, I blame the Police for that... I was riding down Yonkers Avenue when all of a sudden, because of road work, it was only one lane with no shoulder... so I look to see how traffic was behind me and I see there's a cop car right behind me... right on my tail... luckily for me it was a decline and I could keep up with traffic if I pedaled hard enough, which I did... even if I am in my rights to do so if I have to, I never want to hold up traffic and I definitely don't want to hold up the Police, I might need them if I have a traffic incident. So thanks to the Police my top speed for today was 32.2 MPH. Ironically, I think the Speed Limit for that street is 30 MPH, LOL.
I'll tell you when I couldn't take the heat... when I was a smoker, I just couldn't breathe on high humidity days... but since I quit smoking, I enjoy every hot day there is. I can see a move down South in my future... that is if I can't swing a move to Europe, LOL.
Even though today's ride was leisurely again, I did have a higher average MPH for the whole ride, I blame the Police for that... I was riding down Yonkers Avenue when all of a sudden, because of road work, it was only one lane with no shoulder... so I look to see how traffic was behind me and I see there's a cop car right behind me... right on my tail... luckily for me it was a decline and I could keep up with traffic if I pedaled hard enough, which I did... even if I am in my rights to do so if I have to, I never want to hold up traffic and I definitely don't want to hold up the Police, I might need them if I have a traffic incident. So thanks to the Police my top speed for today was 32.2 MPH. Ironically, I think the Speed Limit for that street is 30 MPH, LOL.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
I'm Back
Hey everybody, I'm sorry I haven't updated for a few days, but I've been a little busy... My daughter got married on Saturday and on Sunday we had a get-together with the in-laws, actually the grandparents. It was lots of fun... great company, great food and some great home-made wine. That wine wouldn't have let me write a blog update that made sense anyway... it was that good. And Monday I was recovering from Sunday... I didn't have a hangover or anything, but I didn't feel like doing anything but relaxing, which is what I did.
But I am on vacation this week, so I am a little lax, ok I'm a lot lax with my usual regimen, but that's what vacations are for... in fact I just came back from the distributor with a case of Franziskaner Hefe Weissbier (Wheat Beer) that I will enjoy as soon as I finish up here.
It's a nice day out so I wanted to spend some time outside while they were giving all that sun away for free, but instead of just sitting in the sun I went for a nice leisurely ride of 15 miles. It was so leisurely I recorded my lowest speed since my 2nd ride of the year way back in March... but that was fine with me... I was just out there to soak in some sun and enjoy the ride... Enjoy your day everyone and get outside.
But I am on vacation this week, so I am a little lax, ok I'm a lot lax with my usual regimen, but that's what vacations are for... in fact I just came back from the distributor with a case of Franziskaner Hefe Weissbier (Wheat Beer) that I will enjoy as soon as I finish up here.
It's a nice day out so I wanted to spend some time outside while they were giving all that sun away for free, but instead of just sitting in the sun I went for a nice leisurely ride of 15 miles. It was so leisurely I recorded my lowest speed since my 2nd ride of the year way back in March... but that was fine with me... I was just out there to soak in some sun and enjoy the ride... Enjoy your day everyone and get outside.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Vacation
Yay, I'm on vacation... only a week, but I'll take it... I still have to take 4 more weeks before the end of the year. But anyway, I'm off this week and to celebrate I rode 30 miles. I can catch up on a lotta miles this week, hopefully... you know what happens when you plan things, Life Happens.
I'm gonna do my darnedest to get out there as often as possible... and I'm gonna try and stay safe at least until my daughters wedding on Saturday... so no risky maneuvers in traffic, no 40mph downhills, none of that exciting heart-pounding stuff that lets you know you're still alive... I'm gonna do my best to keep the rubber side down.
Oh well, let me go replenish my calorie stores, it says I used 2292 cals... I'm guessing in real life that's about 1000 calories... but I'll just eat normal, nothing extra... unless I get hungry later.
OK Ciao, See Ya
I'm gonna do my darnedest to get out there as often as possible... and I'm gonna try and stay safe at least until my daughters wedding on Saturday... so no risky maneuvers in traffic, no 40mph downhills, none of that exciting heart-pounding stuff that lets you know you're still alive... I'm gonna do my best to keep the rubber side down.
Oh well, let me go replenish my calorie stores, it says I used 2292 cals... I'm guessing in real life that's about 1000 calories... but I'll just eat normal, nothing extra... unless I get hungry later.
OK Ciao, See Ya
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