Do you really care what number day it is...just enjoy the post

I knew it would eventually happen. I realized that I am simply not drinking enough water. Plain and simple. I never intended for it to happen mind you. I load up all day at work. I know I am going to ride the bike that afternoon and I want to be prepared. My downfall is that I have never trained myself to drink water while I am exercising and it caught up with me. Wednesday I rode longer than usually and it was pretty humid…reflect back on the crashing incident. Anyways, Wednesday I was so tired. I couldn’t seem to get enough to drink and I was lethargic. My mind wanted to exercise and my muscles were not havin’ it. So, I started power drinking the water. Fortunately Crystal Light has a hydration on-the-go packet. I am drinking those today to see if I can re-hydrate. All in all that seems to be working because today I am not so tired and the energy is coming back. Another thought I was having, reflecting really. I have purchased all these books to learn how to pedal, and corner. What equipment I need, want and can wait for. I have learned a lot, but the one thing I have learned is that over training could be a killer, well that and if you are fat lose some damn weight because it is easier to ride when your ass isn’t a sidecar. So, I typed up my own 12-week beginner training plan. I won’t be riding every day. I will have days off. Mon-Wed-Fri and Sat and Sun. I will be on the bike, although I am thinking of ditching the Sunday bike ride in lieu of weight training, or maybe just for a relaxation day, at least for the first month. Tues-Thurs I will be “working on my fitness” to quote Fergie. I need to get a little muscle on this carcass if I intend to make any progress. Last but not least I have joined the Weight Watchers online program. I do not have time for meetings with all the other stuff I have to do every day, but I can do it online and in my iPhone. This way I can make sure I eat enough and drink enough. Yes, Carol Anne you have to eat to lose, which is good because I love eating. Still no beer, but that is ok. I am sure there will be plenty of time after the fact, but do I really need it. Survey says…NO. I promise I will add a couple of picture now and then so that you will no if I am actually doing what I am saying. Actually who am I talking to. I think I like to believe that others are reading my little journey. I guess if I think I am accountable I will keep pushing forward.

Day 9 - Wipe Out

I now know what it feels like to crash, and fall when attached to my pedals. It didn’t hurt as bad as I anticipated. They said make sure you disconnect your feet prior to coming to a complete stop. Ok, sounds easy and with practice it probably will be easy, but saying it and doing it at this point are 2 different things. I could feel the bike slowing. I was in a weird angle and could not start pedaling to prevent fall out. I couldn’t even lean to the left to put my left foot down, which was free. My right leg took me down like a drunk in a wife beater on a Saturday night. I knew I would have problems with my right foot. When I was 7 I went fishing with my dad, you see. On a dam...yeah because that is so safe for a 7-year old child! My dad said back up. So, I did and then went right over the dam. My little fishing pole line probably saved me from major carnage upon the body, but enough was done. They put a cast on the right leg. Broke that mother but good, but the elite hospital staff in Wolfeboro, NH failed to x-ray the hip, which was dislocated. And so now several years from my 7th birthday my right leg turns out. It re-grooved itself into a new position. Makes a neat party trick since I can actually turn my leg completely around and I had perfect drill team position since my foot automatically turns just enough out to be on point each and every time. However, for cycling I am having to train my leg muscles to point forward. My foot is forward because the shoes are buckled down. Imagine taking your foot and point it in completely like you were pigeon toed. That is what it feels like to me when my feet and knees are pointing straight. I am learning, but because it is an unnatural position for me I am having to really learn and concentrate to get that foot disconnected. I didn’t scrape myself up, or get any bruises that I could see last night. I told Tammye if I don’t get a bruise on my butt it proves my butt is big. It means that the veins lost the will to even try any harder to form in my big old butt, thus no bruising. NO BRUISE THIS MORNING. HA!!! I do have a couple on my shin and on the inside of my arm. What can you do? I am also tired. I mean seriously tired. I think I will not ride tonight, but go to the gym and 1) workout on the weight machine 2) sit in the sauna. I think I am going to have to create a plan for myself that for this next month involves alternating rides with the gym. I can leave to go over to the gym on gym days and work with the weights. When I get home I can have a ride around the neighborhood.

Day 8

Ok, so Saturday I got my a mother’s day present early. I won’t be here on Mother’s Day so it was all good. I got the new pedals and cleats for my bike. If you don’t know anything about cycling, at least cycling that is a tad more than a stroll with the family, then I will explain. You have these nifty pedals that you actually attach your foot to. The cleats are attached to special shoes, and then when you get on the bike you snap your foot into the pedal. I am sure there is a professional sounding name for that, but right now I do not know what it is. So, you are physically attached. You simply turn your heel out left and it disconnects you. Only thing you have to remember is to disconnect at least one foot before you come to a complete stop. I imagine if you don’t do that once it will be the only time you forget to do it. Thus far I have not eaten the ground. You ask is it really necessary to have these fancy shoes and pedals. I mean you have ridden and you never needed them. I asked myself the same thing, but still plunked the money down for them. YES…oh my yes. You definitely need them. Now, I didn’t get to test them out Saturday because the floodgates of hell opened up on us. Poor guys at the cycle shop had a waterfall down the back wall and a flood on the floor. Fortunately we had the handy dandy camera and pictures were snapped for the insurance company. I felt so bad for them. I just sat there. I was certainly not loading a bike on a rack in that down pour. Finally let up. Ok, back to the shoes. So, Sunday was my first day out. I chose to go on to the park and ride from there as opposed to traversing the hills from hell in my neighborhood. I did however decide that I would ride out of the park and down the side walk I had been on the day before to Randol Mill and back. Figured that would be a good ride, then ride around a path or two in the park. Even saw a bobcat while I was riding. Not sure who was more startled. Bottom-line those shoes and pedals make all the difference. I did an hour. It was far less effort with them. I didn’t have to work so hard to prevent my foot from slipping off when changing gears (yes I am learning how to use them although I am still not all that sure I am doing it right). I was able to get benefit from the down and the up motion of the pedaling so I was able to have momentum in each direction. It was awesome. And I may be slow, but I finally figured out why cycling shirts are longer in the back. So that when you ride through water and all that splashes up you don’t end up with a soaked butt. Figured that out the hard way

Day 7 - my first challenge accomplished

Saturday was a very eventful day. I had decided that I would ride from my house to River Legacy Park. When I first decided to do this I thought it was a really good idea. I would do it no problem. Then the day came. I had to get up and do it. I was very nervous. I am not sure about what. Riding from the house. On real roads. And then the no turning back issue. I mean you are pretty committed once you leave and get out there. Well, I did it. I rode. Of course at some point the bicycle computer fell off. I was a little irritated, but it isn’t like I ever got the stupid thing working. I will just have to guess how many miles I have ridden I guess. I kept going. Now the part where I almost died. Tammye said don’t ride down Cook’s since it is rather narrow. Go down Sandy. Ok, so I did and I turned on to the street I would take. The incline from hell! I thought I was going to die. The section of the road getting out of my neighborhood was up and down hills. I was either having a heart attack getting up the hill or flying so fast I thought I would crash into something. Eventually, I came out onto the road by Target. And now I knew I was going to go the rest of the way because there was no way I was going back up that hill. Oh, b the way thanks Tam great idea. I think my heart rate monitor said something like 237. Now I was on a major road. I was very intimidated with all the cars around me. Finally I got to the bike path that leads to the park. It seemed like it would never end. But I was going to do this. I kept pedaling. Then the turn to the park was right there. I have to admit I started to smile. I had done it. I had accomplished something that a week, a month or a year ago I would have said I could never do. I pedal to the parking lot because I had also decided that there was NO WAY IN FREAKIN HELL I WAS PEDALING BACK HOME. I couldn’t find my ride and all I could think was...oh my lord I am gonna have to do that again. I am not there at that point yet. I know that I will be. I won’t even think twice about that, but not after only 6 days of riding. No I am definitely not there yet. But screw all that I did it. I started it and I finished it. I rode bike, on the real road for almost 10 miles and I did it in 40 minutes. So, put that in your pipe and smoke it. I totally rock

Day 5

Ok, I have simply decided that the previous days blog will be done the following morning. Far easier, well far easier for me to think clearly. I thought exercise was supposed to make you feel energized. It makes me exhausted. I mean that kind of tired where you feel like you cannot do another thing, but you can’t fall asleep either. Let me tell you how bad that sucks. I need to get that beauty sleep every night and there I am staring at the television or the ceiling or whatever. Although I was awake last night to watch “Good Eats”. He was showing everyone how to make a yummy Shepard’s pie. Rock on for the pie. Might have to make that one of these days. Of course it won’t be anytime soon since I cannot have Shepard’s pie, at least not Food Network Shepard’s pie and it probably has a million calories in it. I am not eating anything even remotely as fattening or yummy as that.

Last night I was not able to go to the park. Oh well, it is what it is and since I had already had my day off due to mother nature’s PMS I had to go to the gym. I set a goal to do 60 minutes. It started slow. Having a timer on the bike is good to keep track of time and bad because you clock watch. After about 25 minutes you kind of lose track of time and I zoned out watching some stupid television show. I decided that riding a bike at the gym is not nearly as much fun as going outside with my bike. Yeah, ok I still hate nature but at least it is not boring. Plus you are committed. You roll away from your destination you have 2 choices go back, or sit your stranded ass there until someone comes and looks for you. The gym bike did give me something the other did not though. I could measure distance. I was able to do 11 miles in that hour. What did I learn from that? I learned that my ass is going to be pedaling for 10 hours if I choose to go the whole 100 miles on Sept 26th. Well, unless I speed the hell up considerably. I may have to set a target of like 50 or 60 miles. I do not want to be that lone pathetic rider rolling in after dark. And you know those crew members certainly do not want to wait on my ass to go back and eat and get some sleep. I am going to seriously have to consider this, but I have 5-months to make that decision.

Ok, so I really didn’t have anything good today. I have been thinking about potato salad. You will note a theme of my life. I agree to do huge jobs and then later realize the enormity of my promise. I am making potato salad for 200 people. 200 HUNDRED PEOPLE!!! Lord I thought there would be like 40 maybe 50, but no 200. Oh well I promised and like the ride I am keeping my promise and will do what I have to to get where I am going.

I am sure tomorrow will be a lot more interesting things. It is the first bigger ride. 2 hours tomorrow I can ride to the park and back in that time I think. Or maybe I will just get half way there and sit down on the sidewalk till someone comes looking for me