I know I haven't updated in quite awhile. However, I'm going to go in a different direction and start a new blog that is dedicated to more than cycling.
My new blog is Fitness Isn't Easy, and it is dedicated to all things related to fitness, rather than a narrow topic like cycling. Future maintenance of this blog will be rare, but it will remain here to mirror some of my cycling posts.
Visit the new blog at http://fitnessisnteasy.blogspot.com
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Morning Glory Ride trip report
This past weekend I made a trip to Cincinnati for the annual Morning Glory Ride, that is held by the Sierra Club. The trip was far more fun and fulfilling than I ever would have imagined. The Morning Glory Ride was fantastic. It sounds pretty simple: Just a 25-mile ride through the downtown streets in the early-morning hours. But it was so much more than that.
I woke up Sunday morning shortly before 3 a.m. and was out the door by 3:15. The ride didn't start until 4:30, but I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to get there. I decided to ride my bike to the start, rather than load it up in the truck, drive over, hunt for a parking space, etc. And even though I was less than two miles away, I wasn't at all confident in my ability to find my way to the start by the Purple People Bridge. As it turned out, I had no trouble at all and arrived an hour early.
Funny thing: On my way out of the hotel, there was a drunk chick sitting on the curb outside. As I walked by pushing my bike, wearing my helmet, she took one look at me and, rather loudly, exclaimed, "You mean to tell me you're seriously going to go ride your bike at 3 in the morning!" After only four hours of sleep, I wasn't in any state of mind to offer any witty comeback, and just muttered something the Morning Glory Ride starting at 4:30. "Well, good luck with that, then," she replied, and away I went.
At the ride, as we lined up, the race organizer blared at us through a bullhorn, reminding us that Cincinnati cops would be at every street corner, operating the traffic lights, and that we had to follow all the same rules as cars and stop for every red light and stop sign. The a cop, who seemed like he might have been the chief or something, grabbed the bullhorn and went over the same spiel. Having been sufficiently warned, I was prepared to follow every letter of the law. And then, before I knew it, we were released out onto Pete Rose Way. We rode a block to Broadway, turned into town and then encountered our first red light and aforementioned police officer on the corner. I started to let off the pedals, but then watched as the entire group blew through the intersection without even slowing down. So much for the rules!
It was somewhere at this point that I realized I hadn't turned on my headlight. I pushed the button and nothing happened. Back before the race, when I got off my bike to get a drink from a water fountain, my bike fell over and the headlight fell off and came apart. After scrambling in the dark to find the batteries, bulb and other pieces, I put it back together, turned it on to make sure it worked (it did) and put it back on my bike. Now, however, it had stopped working completely, and I was forced to go the entire ride with no light. For the most part, I stuck around behind other riders and had no problems.
Back to the ride. Before I knew it, we were on Columbia Parkway. OH ... MY ... GOD! It was exhilarating! Imagine riding a bike 20-to-30 mph down a six-lane highway in the middle of the night. No cars, just you and about a thousand other cyclists. No sound but the whiz of a thousand bicycle chains spinning in the night, punctuated by the occasional clunk of changing gears. It was breathtaking, and by far the most enjoyable part of the ride. But after five miles, it was time to turn off of Columbia and head into town.
The day before, I had driven the route to get a preview. The thing that struck me most was ... Cincinnati is on a freaking hill! Once you turn onto Delta Ave., it seems like the ride is uphill the whole way. The same for Erie, the same for Madison. I was filled with dread, because although I'm getting better, the hills around home can give me trouble. Heck, gradual inclines kick my butt some days. I began imagining myself finishing dead last, perhaps several hours behind.
As it turned out, my worries were for naught. I don't know if it was the thrill of the ride, or if the hills in Cincy just seem bigger because of all the buildings around, but I had absolutely no trouble. I had begun the ride about one-third of the way from the front of the pack, and as time went on, I found myself passing more and more riders. Pretty soon, I was near the front, and felt like I could just soar on past everyone in front of me. I couldn't, of course. Instead, I had to stay on the tail of a couple in front of me (they had lights), but even then, I found myself sometimes applying the brakes GOING UPHILL to keep from zipping on past them and into the darkness.
We wound our way through the city streets and, before I knew it, I was riding across the Taylor Southgate Bridge, into Kentucky, for what was supposed to be the final 10 miles of the 25-mile ride. We turned onto Route 8 and made our way through Newport and Covington and on up the hill to Ludlow and Bromley. It was at this point that I seemed to be finding extra energy just as everybody else was tiring out, and I began passing everybody. There were a couple of guys who were obviously in a completely different league that everybody else, and they were about five miles ahead of me, but at one point I was all alone at the front of the main pack. A little later, on another hill, a couple of guys caught up to me, but we stuck together, each one taking turns leading the other two.
This was a huge boost to my confidence as a cyclist. Having been worried that I might be one of the last to finish, I now found myself among the leaders. And it was at this point that things took a turn.
You remember that Charlie Brown cartoon where he's running a race around a track and suddenly finds himself in the lead? He closes his eyes and begins thinking, "I can't believe it! I'm winning! I'm actually going to win!" But because his eyes are closed, he misses the turn in the track and runs straight out of the stadium and loses the race. Yeah, it was something like that.
As I said, I was riding with two other guys, and I just assumed they knew the route better than me. I had driven what I thought was the route the day before, but they changed it at the last minute, so instead of turning into Devou Park, we were to ride out Route 8, turn around and come back the way we came. I didn't know where the turnaround was, but I assumed the other two guys did.
But after awhile, as the sun began coming up and I could see my odometer again, it became evident that we missed the turn, because I was already into mile 29 of my 25-mile ride, and hadn't even begun heading back! I mentioned this to the other guys, but they kept going when I turned around to head back. For all I know, they could be in Tennessee by now.
All the way back, I cursed my stupidity, and the bad vibe I was feeling made every mile harder than the last. All I was worried about was getting back in time to get some of the breakfast they had planned for us, since I was running on empty after four hours of sleep and a 3 a.m. breakfast consisting of a Power Bar and half a Pepsi. But I did make it back for breakfast and celebrated my ride by completely blowing my diet with eggs, bacon, sausage, some sort of cheesy hash browns and, just to relieve some guilt, a banana. My only complaint with the entire ride would have to be that we could only get one four-ounce serving of orange juice with our meal. It would seem that they would provide a lot of fluids after such a ride, but oh well.
But despite the route hiccup, which was really my own fault, and the lack of sufficient breakfast beverages, I can't really complain about the ride. In fact, I'll probably make plans to attend every year from now on.
One other highlight of the weekend, though, was Saturday night's dinner at Pompilio's. This is a local Italian restaurant at the corner of 8th and Washington, in Newport. Think Olive Garden, but half the price, twice the portion size and much, much fresher and tastier. I had the Chicken and Cheese Tortellini San Luci with a side of meatballs and thought I was going to die of sheer bliss after the first bite. I stuffed myself and still could only finish half of my plate. My wife had the scallops and linguine, but similarly had to bail on the linguine halfway through just to have room for the scallops. My oldest son tried the Italian sampler, which included lasagna, eggplant parmigiana, Italian sausage and meatball, and though he is an extremely picky eater, he ate most of everything. My youngest had the kid's spaghetti and meatball (yes, singular) and couldn't have been happier, except perhaps when I gave him one of the meatballs I had ordered on the side. At the end of the night, our bill was only $56, which for the amount and quality of food we received, I thought was a bargain. The menu is vast and I look forward to making many more trips in the future to sample more of it. Pompilio's will definitely be on the agenda for every trip to Cincinnati from now on.
I woke up Sunday morning shortly before 3 a.m. and was out the door by 3:15. The ride didn't start until 4:30, but I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to get there. I decided to ride my bike to the start, rather than load it up in the truck, drive over, hunt for a parking space, etc. And even though I was less than two miles away, I wasn't at all confident in my ability to find my way to the start by the Purple People Bridge. As it turned out, I had no trouble at all and arrived an hour early.
Funny thing: On my way out of the hotel, there was a drunk chick sitting on the curb outside. As I walked by pushing my bike, wearing my helmet, she took one look at me and, rather loudly, exclaimed, "You mean to tell me you're seriously going to go ride your bike at 3 in the morning!" After only four hours of sleep, I wasn't in any state of mind to offer any witty comeback, and just muttered something the Morning Glory Ride starting at 4:30. "Well, good luck with that, then," she replied, and away I went.
At the ride, as we lined up, the race organizer blared at us through a bullhorn, reminding us that Cincinnati cops would be at every street corner, operating the traffic lights, and that we had to follow all the same rules as cars and stop for every red light and stop sign. The a cop, who seemed like he might have been the chief or something, grabbed the bullhorn and went over the same spiel. Having been sufficiently warned, I was prepared to follow every letter of the law. And then, before I knew it, we were released out onto Pete Rose Way. We rode a block to Broadway, turned into town and then encountered our first red light and aforementioned police officer on the corner. I started to let off the pedals, but then watched as the entire group blew through the intersection without even slowing down. So much for the rules!
It was somewhere at this point that I realized I hadn't turned on my headlight. I pushed the button and nothing happened. Back before the race, when I got off my bike to get a drink from a water fountain, my bike fell over and the headlight fell off and came apart. After scrambling in the dark to find the batteries, bulb and other pieces, I put it back together, turned it on to make sure it worked (it did) and put it back on my bike. Now, however, it had stopped working completely, and I was forced to go the entire ride with no light. For the most part, I stuck around behind other riders and had no problems.
Back to the ride. Before I knew it, we were on Columbia Parkway. OH ... MY ... GOD! It was exhilarating! Imagine riding a bike 20-to-30 mph down a six-lane highway in the middle of the night. No cars, just you and about a thousand other cyclists. No sound but the whiz of a thousand bicycle chains spinning in the night, punctuated by the occasional clunk of changing gears. It was breathtaking, and by far the most enjoyable part of the ride. But after five miles, it was time to turn off of Columbia and head into town.
The day before, I had driven the route to get a preview. The thing that struck me most was ... Cincinnati is on a freaking hill! Once you turn onto Delta Ave., it seems like the ride is uphill the whole way. The same for Erie, the same for Madison. I was filled with dread, because although I'm getting better, the hills around home can give me trouble. Heck, gradual inclines kick my butt some days. I began imagining myself finishing dead last, perhaps several hours behind.
As it turned out, my worries were for naught. I don't know if it was the thrill of the ride, or if the hills in Cincy just seem bigger because of all the buildings around, but I had absolutely no trouble. I had begun the ride about one-third of the way from the front of the pack, and as time went on, I found myself passing more and more riders. Pretty soon, I was near the front, and felt like I could just soar on past everyone in front of me. I couldn't, of course. Instead, I had to stay on the tail of a couple in front of me (they had lights), but even then, I found myself sometimes applying the brakes GOING UPHILL to keep from zipping on past them and into the darkness.
We wound our way through the city streets and, before I knew it, I was riding across the Taylor Southgate Bridge, into Kentucky, for what was supposed to be the final 10 miles of the 25-mile ride. We turned onto Route 8 and made our way through Newport and Covington and on up the hill to Ludlow and Bromley. It was at this point that I seemed to be finding extra energy just as everybody else was tiring out, and I began passing everybody. There were a couple of guys who were obviously in a completely different league that everybody else, and they were about five miles ahead of me, but at one point I was all alone at the front of the main pack. A little later, on another hill, a couple of guys caught up to me, but we stuck together, each one taking turns leading the other two.
This was a huge boost to my confidence as a cyclist. Having been worried that I might be one of the last to finish, I now found myself among the leaders. And it was at this point that things took a turn.
You remember that Charlie Brown cartoon where he's running a race around a track and suddenly finds himself in the lead? He closes his eyes and begins thinking, "I can't believe it! I'm winning! I'm actually going to win!" But because his eyes are closed, he misses the turn in the track and runs straight out of the stadium and loses the race. Yeah, it was something like that.
As I said, I was riding with two other guys, and I just assumed they knew the route better than me. I had driven what I thought was the route the day before, but they changed it at the last minute, so instead of turning into Devou Park, we were to ride out Route 8, turn around and come back the way we came. I didn't know where the turnaround was, but I assumed the other two guys did.
But after awhile, as the sun began coming up and I could see my odometer again, it became evident that we missed the turn, because I was already into mile 29 of my 25-mile ride, and hadn't even begun heading back! I mentioned this to the other guys, but they kept going when I turned around to head back. For all I know, they could be in Tennessee by now.
All the way back, I cursed my stupidity, and the bad vibe I was feeling made every mile harder than the last. All I was worried about was getting back in time to get some of the breakfast they had planned for us, since I was running on empty after four hours of sleep and a 3 a.m. breakfast consisting of a Power Bar and half a Pepsi. But I did make it back for breakfast and celebrated my ride by completely blowing my diet with eggs, bacon, sausage, some sort of cheesy hash browns and, just to relieve some guilt, a banana. My only complaint with the entire ride would have to be that we could only get one four-ounce serving of orange juice with our meal. It would seem that they would provide a lot of fluids after such a ride, but oh well.
But despite the route hiccup, which was really my own fault, and the lack of sufficient breakfast beverages, I can't really complain about the ride. In fact, I'll probably make plans to attend every year from now on.
One other highlight of the weekend, though, was Saturday night's dinner at Pompilio's. This is a local Italian restaurant at the corner of 8th and Washington, in Newport. Think Olive Garden, but half the price, twice the portion size and much, much fresher and tastier. I had the Chicken and Cheese Tortellini San Luci with a side of meatballs and thought I was going to die of sheer bliss after the first bite. I stuffed myself and still could only finish half of my plate. My wife had the scallops and linguine, but similarly had to bail on the linguine halfway through just to have room for the scallops. My oldest son tried the Italian sampler, which included lasagna, eggplant parmigiana, Italian sausage and meatball, and though he is an extremely picky eater, he ate most of everything. My youngest had the kid's spaghetti and meatball (yes, singular) and couldn't have been happier, except perhaps when I gave him one of the meatballs I had ordered on the side. At the end of the night, our bill was only $56, which for the amount and quality of food we received, I thought was a bargain. The menu is vast and I look forward to making many more trips in the future to sample more of it. Pompilio's will definitely be on the agenda for every trip to Cincinnati from now on.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Riding, if not writing
So, it's been awhile since I've updated this page, but it's not due to a lack of bike time.
Lately, I've been making an effort to step up my riding. After posting a personal best 208 miles in April, I managed 205 miles in May and 208 in June. In each case, I was on track to hit 250 or more, but weather, illness, work or some other thing always seemed to get in the way.
Having only been back on my bike for a little over a year now, I've purposely taken a very slow approach to my training. For awhile, 10 miles was my longest routine ride, then 20 miles. Lately, I've upped that figure to at least 25 miles, three times a week. And this past Sunday, I went all out (for me) and logged 41 miles by making the ride from my house to Salyersville and back.
As a result, my legs are still killing me, and it's Wednesday.
Weight loss has been another story altogether. After changing my diet earlier this year, I quickly dropped a bit of weight. Now, however, I have hit a plateau, even though the diet has remained the same and the workouts have intensified. So I'm going to try my best to get closer to 300 miles this month, although I'm probably certain to fall a little short of that mark, and this week, I've decided to add a 20-minute morning run to the mix.
And so that is what I've been up to lately. Hopefully, I'll remember to add a little more writing to my riding to keep this journal a little more up to date in the future.
Lately, I've been making an effort to step up my riding. After posting a personal best 208 miles in April, I managed 205 miles in May and 208 in June. In each case, I was on track to hit 250 or more, but weather, illness, work or some other thing always seemed to get in the way.
Having only been back on my bike for a little over a year now, I've purposely taken a very slow approach to my training. For awhile, 10 miles was my longest routine ride, then 20 miles. Lately, I've upped that figure to at least 25 miles, three times a week. And this past Sunday, I went all out (for me) and logged 41 miles by making the ride from my house to Salyersville and back.
As a result, my legs are still killing me, and it's Wednesday.
Weight loss has been another story altogether. After changing my diet earlier this year, I quickly dropped a bit of weight. Now, however, I have hit a plateau, even though the diet has remained the same and the workouts have intensified. So I'm going to try my best to get closer to 300 miles this month, although I'm probably certain to fall a little short of that mark, and this week, I've decided to add a 20-minute morning run to the mix.
And so that is what I've been up to lately. Hopefully, I'll remember to add a little more writing to my riding to keep this journal a little more up to date in the future.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Huffing, puffing and pedaling to work
This week is National Bike to Work Week, and this morning the rain finally subsided long enough for me to take part.
Riding my bike to work proved to be an interesting experience, as I am accustomed to riding after work. Getting on my bike and making the 18-mile trip to work first thing this morning was an exhilarating way to start the day, and a lot of fun besides.
Actually, the day was doubly fun, due to the fact that this was my first trip on my new bike. Yup, I've finally ditched the tank-like mountain bike I've been riding for the past year and bought myself a bike a little better suited to the type of riding I do.
I decided to go with the Trek 7000, an economical, entry-level hybrid. I had been weighing this decision for quite some time and had at first been leaning toward a Diamondback Insight, until I had a chance to actually see one live instead of online. Perhaps if I had ridden it, I would have felt differently, but something about the looks of the bike just didn't fit what I was looking for.
I then started looking at Trek and Cannondale, which are the two brands carried by the Prestonsburg bike shop, Pro-Fitness Multisports. Of course, I fell in love with the Cannondale name and mythology, and was prepared to buy one, until Don at Pro-Fitness assured me that, for my needs, the Trek would entirely suitable, and for half the price.
Well, it wouldn't take much of a bike to beat what I had before, but I was wholly impressed on this morning's ride. A much, much lighter bike, I was able to chug over all three mountains along the way without stopping to catch my breath -- something that was impossible before. Plus, I was able to trim about half an hour off of the commute.
It will take some time to get used to the skinnier tires, which means I'll probably have a scrape a knee or two during the learning process. But based on my first trip, the education is going to be a heck of a ride.
Riding my bike to work proved to be an interesting experience, as I am accustomed to riding after work. Getting on my bike and making the 18-mile trip to work first thing this morning was an exhilarating way to start the day, and a lot of fun besides.
Actually, the day was doubly fun, due to the fact that this was my first trip on my new bike. Yup, I've finally ditched the tank-like mountain bike I've been riding for the past year and bought myself a bike a little better suited to the type of riding I do.
I decided to go with the Trek 7000, an economical, entry-level hybrid. I had been weighing this decision for quite some time and had at first been leaning toward a Diamondback Insight, until I had a chance to actually see one live instead of online. Perhaps if I had ridden it, I would have felt differently, but something about the looks of the bike just didn't fit what I was looking for.
I then started looking at Trek and Cannondale, which are the two brands carried by the Prestonsburg bike shop, Pro-Fitness Multisports. Of course, I fell in love with the Cannondale name and mythology, and was prepared to buy one, until Don at Pro-Fitness assured me that, for my needs, the Trek would entirely suitable, and for half the price.
Well, it wouldn't take much of a bike to beat what I had before, but I was wholly impressed on this morning's ride. A much, much lighter bike, I was able to chug over all three mountains along the way without stopping to catch my breath -- something that was impossible before. Plus, I was able to trim about half an hour off of the commute.
It will take some time to get used to the skinnier tires, which means I'll probably have a scrape a knee or two during the learning process. But based on my first trip, the education is going to be a heck of a ride.
Monday, May 5, 2008
A time to ride, a time to rest; a time to eat, a time to cheat
After last week's frenetic last-minute push to break 200 miles for the month, I've not spent much time on the bike. I ended up tallying roughly 70 miles over the course of five days, which isn't a whole heck of a lot for some people, but it is for me. As a result, my legs were killing me, and my right leg would sometimes fail on me when I stood up or while I was just standing around.
So I've taken a break for a few days to rest and recuperate, which are essential to any fitness plan. After riding a mere nine miles last Thursday, I took the entire weekend off. For the most part, that has helped. My quads are no longer tender to the touch, although I can still feel a little pain if I exert myself.
Another tip, which I learned from watching last season's Biggest Loser, is "cheat days" are not only to be expected when you're dieting, but they're essential. If you are curbing your caloric intake, you can overdo it and stall your metabolism. That means you don't burn as much energy and you can actually gain weight even though you're eating less. The occasional cheat day, however, is not only good for your mind, preventing you from feeling like you are denying yourself, it can convince your body that you haven't suddenly found yourself in the middle of a famine and it's alright to burn some calories.
I say all that as prelude to my experiences this past weekend, when I finally decided it was time to reopen the toxic waste dump in my gullet. I had planned to have my cheat day this past Saturday to coincide with Free Comic Book Day and the opening of the Iron Man movie, so I could pig out and get my geek on all in one day.
The funny thing is, while I was cheating on my diet and eating all of those things I thought I wanted, I actually felt cheated because I'm finding that my tastes have really changed since I began all this. The day began with a sausage biscuit (no egg) from that evil trans-fat empire, McDonald's. I actually had to stifle a gag reflex or too as I ate it, and once I finished, I just felt greasy. My mouth felt like I'd just drunk a bottle of suntan lotion.
For lunch, I thought I was cheating by getting fettucine alfredo with peppery chicken at Fazoli's, but once I looked up the nutritional info for that dish, I was surprised to learn it was actually something I could incorporate into my diet. Those bread sticks, though, are delicious but evil little bastards.
At the movies I had the one treat I had been looking forward to all day -- buttered popcorn. Again, though, I felt cheated because while the first few bites were true heaven, the rest made me nauseous as I felt that oily goo slithering down my throat. Just a few months ago, I could have polished off a large bucket of corn all by myself. While I certainly gave it my best shot Saturday, I eventually had to set it aside.
When it came time for dinner, I was actually starting to crave whole grains and low-fat dishes, but I was determined to blow my diet in grand style. That explains why I found myself half-heartedly eating country fried steak and gravy. I won't lie -- it was pretty good. But I had already eaten so much junk during the day that I was really only eating for flavor by the time dinner rolled around, and I was having to overcome the pain of stuffing and overstuffed stomach to do it.
But in the end, cheat day wasn't nearly as enjoyable as I had anticipated. Most of the day, as I tried eating some of the foods I once loved, I was continually disappointed. And the after-effects were outright unpleasant. I constantly felt nauseous and bloated, and my whole body just felt greasy.
The lesson in all of this is quite simple. If you are trapped in a high-fat, deep-fried, fast-food diet and feel you cannot change, you can. Not only that, but once you truly make the change a healthy diet, you won't be able to go back to eating the way you once did. I know. I was once quite proud of having the world's worst eating habits. I knew I should eat healthier, but it seemed impossible. However, it was much easier to make the change than I ever thought it would be.
I won't lie: Starting a healthy diet can be a little difficult at first. The first three days, I felt like I was in pain. But I was committed, and it got easier after those first few days. One trick I've used is to eat healthier but not starve myself. By that, I mean I continue to eat hearty portions, but now they consist of food that is better for me. If you attempt to fast your way to a healthier weight, you'll eventually fall off of that wagon. But if you make wholesale changes in your diet, you can stay healthier for life.
Now, however, it's time to stop writing about my food and get on with life. It's also time to stop resting and start riding, so I'm going to get off here and get out on the road.
So I've taken a break for a few days to rest and recuperate, which are essential to any fitness plan. After riding a mere nine miles last Thursday, I took the entire weekend off. For the most part, that has helped. My quads are no longer tender to the touch, although I can still feel a little pain if I exert myself.
Another tip, which I learned from watching last season's Biggest Loser, is "cheat days" are not only to be expected when you're dieting, but they're essential. If you are curbing your caloric intake, you can overdo it and stall your metabolism. That means you don't burn as much energy and you can actually gain weight even though you're eating less. The occasional cheat day, however, is not only good for your mind, preventing you from feeling like you are denying yourself, it can convince your body that you haven't suddenly found yourself in the middle of a famine and it's alright to burn some calories.
I say all that as prelude to my experiences this past weekend, when I finally decided it was time to reopen the toxic waste dump in my gullet. I had planned to have my cheat day this past Saturday to coincide with Free Comic Book Day and the opening of the Iron Man movie, so I could pig out and get my geek on all in one day.
The funny thing is, while I was cheating on my diet and eating all of those things I thought I wanted, I actually felt cheated because I'm finding that my tastes have really changed since I began all this. The day began with a sausage biscuit (no egg) from that evil trans-fat empire, McDonald's. I actually had to stifle a gag reflex or too as I ate it, and once I finished, I just felt greasy. My mouth felt like I'd just drunk a bottle of suntan lotion.
For lunch, I thought I was cheating by getting fettucine alfredo with peppery chicken at Fazoli's, but once I looked up the nutritional info for that dish, I was surprised to learn it was actually something I could incorporate into my diet. Those bread sticks, though, are delicious but evil little bastards.
At the movies I had the one treat I had been looking forward to all day -- buttered popcorn. Again, though, I felt cheated because while the first few bites were true heaven, the rest made me nauseous as I felt that oily goo slithering down my throat. Just a few months ago, I could have polished off a large bucket of corn all by myself. While I certainly gave it my best shot Saturday, I eventually had to set it aside.
When it came time for dinner, I was actually starting to crave whole grains and low-fat dishes, but I was determined to blow my diet in grand style. That explains why I found myself half-heartedly eating country fried steak and gravy. I won't lie -- it was pretty good. But I had already eaten so much junk during the day that I was really only eating for flavor by the time dinner rolled around, and I was having to overcome the pain of stuffing and overstuffed stomach to do it.
But in the end, cheat day wasn't nearly as enjoyable as I had anticipated. Most of the day, as I tried eating some of the foods I once loved, I was continually disappointed. And the after-effects were outright unpleasant. I constantly felt nauseous and bloated, and my whole body just felt greasy.
The lesson in all of this is quite simple. If you are trapped in a high-fat, deep-fried, fast-food diet and feel you cannot change, you can. Not only that, but once you truly make the change a healthy diet, you won't be able to go back to eating the way you once did. I know. I was once quite proud of having the world's worst eating habits. I knew I should eat healthier, but it seemed impossible. However, it was much easier to make the change than I ever thought it would be.
I won't lie: Starting a healthy diet can be a little difficult at first. The first three days, I felt like I was in pain. But I was committed, and it got easier after those first few days. One trick I've used is to eat healthier but not starve myself. By that, I mean I continue to eat hearty portions, but now they consist of food that is better for me. If you attempt to fast your way to a healthier weight, you'll eventually fall off of that wagon. But if you make wholesale changes in your diet, you can stay healthier for life.
Now, however, it's time to stop writing about my food and get on with life. It's also time to stop resting and start riding, so I'm going to get off here and get out on the road.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Nearing a milestone
Today should be the day I finally reach a new goal. After the winter, I had hoped to reach at least 100 miles during March, and I was able to do that ... barely. With much better weather in April, I upped the ante to 200 miles, and with one day to go, I am 12 away.
Although I know there are plenty of guys who can crank out that many miles in a week, this is a pretty proud moment for me. I started cycling just a tad under a year ago and it has taken me quite awhile to get in better shape.
On Sunday, I went on what has been my longest single ride to date -- 31 miles. I am now healthy enough that the first 25 miles were a breeze. I had no trouble going that distance, and at a record pace, even though I was bothered by leg cramps the first five miles or so. Around mile 26, my legs started getting heavy and my energy level began dropping noticeably. At mile 30, it was all I could do to keep going long enough to get back to my office, where I keep my bike.
Funny thing, though. I thought I would have been starving at the end of such a ride, but I literally had to force myself to eat my dinner that night.
Anyway, today is the last day of the month, and with good health and an excellent weather forecast for today, it looks like I will be able to accomplish this goal. Eventually, I hope to get into a routine where I can get to 300 miles a month. Right now, though, it seems like that is a little out of reach. It has taken everything in me to get to 200.
The best part of upping my cycling, though, is that it is having a significant impact on my body. I feel happier and more energetic now than I have since I was a teenager. And it doesn't hurt that I've managed to shed 15 lbs. this month, bringing my total weight loss since I began cycling to 35 lbs. Woo-hoo!
By the way, I am now on Facebook, my first foray into social networking websites. I know most people use MySpace, but I really hate that place. It's just a great place for building crappy websites. If anyone would like to look me up, here's my badge:
Although I know there are plenty of guys who can crank out that many miles in a week, this is a pretty proud moment for me. I started cycling just a tad under a year ago and it has taken me quite awhile to get in better shape.
On Sunday, I went on what has been my longest single ride to date -- 31 miles. I am now healthy enough that the first 25 miles were a breeze. I had no trouble going that distance, and at a record pace, even though I was bothered by leg cramps the first five miles or so. Around mile 26, my legs started getting heavy and my energy level began dropping noticeably. At mile 30, it was all I could do to keep going long enough to get back to my office, where I keep my bike.
Funny thing, though. I thought I would have been starving at the end of such a ride, but I literally had to force myself to eat my dinner that night.
Anyway, today is the last day of the month, and with good health and an excellent weather forecast for today, it looks like I will be able to accomplish this goal. Eventually, I hope to get into a routine where I can get to 300 miles a month. Right now, though, it seems like that is a little out of reach. It has taken everything in me to get to 200.
The best part of upping my cycling, though, is that it is having a significant impact on my body. I feel happier and more energetic now than I have since I was a teenager. And it doesn't hurt that I've managed to shed 15 lbs. this month, bringing my total weight loss since I began cycling to 35 lbs. Woo-hoo!
By the way, I am now on Facebook, my first foray into social networking websites. I know most people use MySpace, but I really hate that place. It's just a great place for building crappy websites. If anyone would like to look me up, here's my badge:
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