Thursday, March 11, 2010

Another ride today

I went for a bit longer of a ride today. I spent a fair amount of time on hills. I rode west on 11400 Southunder the freeway through the construction. What a mess. I cut through the neighboorhood south of 11400 and picked up the Jordan River Parkway trail. I wanted to se what parts of the trail were open this early in the year. I rode north until the trail was closed due to construction at about 11400. It was a bit frustrating because I could see that the path continued past the construction but I could not access it.
I turned around and headed south, thinking I would ride to 13200 south. When I got to the underpass under 12300, the trail was closed yet again due to construction. I decided to take the western spur to see where that led. After going a couple of miles (and through several dirt sections), the trail terminated in a neighboorhood. I rode from there to the Tithing Hill neighboorhood. That was almost all uphill. About a miles worth. It was a good test for my legs. My lungs did great, but I felt the burn. I cut through Tithing hill and back down to the river trail. The road down was a steep surface street with no traffic. I let loose and picked up speed. I maxed out at nearly 35 mph. Fun, fun, fun.
From there I headed back home. Two more stretches of uphill rides before coming home.

Today:
Distance: 12.3 miles
Time in saddle: 1:18:00

2010:
Distance: 26.5 miles
Time in saddle: 2:36:55

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Weigh in today

Yesterday I went to the gym. Rode the Expresso for 36 minutes which was 9 miles. After the bike, I hopped on the treadmill for about 30 minutes. It was a pretty decent workout. I shot hoops for about 25 minutes after that. I was getting so frustrated. I did nothing but free throws. I could not seem to make more than 2 in a row. I made two in a row several times, but choked after that. I would like to get up to 10 in a row. Speaking of basketball, I am thinking about pursuing a goal I have had for 30 plus years. I want to slam dunk a basketball. I know that I need to lose a lot of weight and train the right muscles to make it happen. I'm thinking maybe in about a year or so.
I was ready to ride to work last night, but Amie talked me out of it. It was drizzling and she thought I would not be safe. Hopefully soon, I'll be able to start riding to work.
I went to Weight Watchers today to weigh in after following the plan for 1 week. I was down an incredible 8.6 pounds. It is still unbeleiveable to me. Amie told me that I should feel good about my accomplishments. I told her I would be happy when I started seeing results. She replied that clearly I was seeing results. She has no idea what "results" means to me. After nearly 20 years of marriage, I still find it hard to believe that she can be so clueless when it comes to what is important to me.
Anyway it was a good week with eating. I purposefully let myself get very very hungry on several occassions. I need to learn to be OK with what feeling hungry is. I think I can get used to it with some practice.
Looking forward to a nice long bike ride tomorrow. We cancelled our obligations to the boys' classrooms so, I should have plenty of time to pull it off. I am aiming for 15+ miles.

New weight: 272.6

Friday, March 5, 2010

2230
Sitting at work. Blah.
This morning we woke to a mild snowstorm. No bike riding for me today. I went to Dimple Dell instead. They have a new bike there called the expresso. It is hooked up to a screen with different courses to ride and other riders on the path. You are supposed to follow a pacer, but I blew past him and even lapped him. You need to create a user name and password for the bike. It supposedly connects to their internet site to track your workouts. When I got home, the website had no idea who I was.
I spent a total of 72 minutes on the machines. I felt it in my legs for a few hours afterwards. I won't count my "virtual miles" in my totals, but I rode about 7.5 today.
I didn't get much of a nap today. After Amie got home with the kids I woke up to celebrate Xan's birthday with him. It is hard to believe he is 8. Time flies. Tonight will be hard to stay awake.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

13:15

The weather was quite nice this morning. After volunteering in Nick's class, I came home and went for another short bike ride. I rode the Porter Rockwell trail south today. I rode from my house to 11400 South where I picked it up. I rode to where the trail meets up with Highline drive. I rode up Highline for a short distance before turning around. Shortly after I got home the weather turned to crap, high winds and cold. Glad I decided not to wait.

I wore the new workout pants that Amie got for me. They are awesome. Kept my legs just at the right temp and wicked away the sweat. I want a couple of more.

Today
Distance: 9.0 miles
Time in saddle: 50:05

2010
Distance: 14.2 miles
Time in saddle: 1:18:55

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

05:30
The weather is starting to warm a bit and it's time to dust the bicycle off. Amie and I are planning a short "warm up" ride later today. Last fall I decided to ride in the Lotoja bicycle race. It is time to start training. I plan on updating with all my rides this year leading up to Lotoja. Most of it will be boring, but then again, I do not expect anyone to ever read this, so who cares.

16:15
Today I joined Weight Watchers. I have done it in the past, but never joined a "meeting". Amie wants me to go to meetings. Studies show that those who attend have a much greater success rate. Today was the first meeting. Uugh I weighed in at a hefty 281.2 pounds. The heviest I have ever been.

I got the bikes down today and pumped up the tires. Amie and I were going to go on a short starter ride. After we changed clothes and got ready to ride, Amie discovered that her rear tire was flat again. I ended up going without her. My butt and thighs are a bit sore, but it was good to get out.

I went a short distance from my house along the Porter Rockwell trail to the Trax station at 10000 South. Out and back it was 5.2 miles and took 28:50 minutes. I have a long way to go before Lotoja in September. I will go on another short ride tomorrow if everything goes as planned.

Today:
Distance: 5.2 miles
Time in saddle: 28:50
Weight: 281.2