Category Archives: biking

Another Sunday

Not doing too much tonight. Kind of getting antsy for Sunday Night Football! Or any football. Preseason just wets my taste buds LOL! Go Broncos!

Had a nice relaxing day today. Went out for bagels for breakfast, then knocked around the house a while. Took a bike ride for Only8 yogurt. It’s about 15 miles there and back. John left me to go somewhere else from the yogurt place, so I got to pedal home and see how fast I could really go. I tend to go much faster than John, and have to slow myself down when we bike together. It’s a little hard to say what MPH I did, since there were some traffic lights and had to wait for some cars, but at least 14 miles an hour. I just love biking! I think this is as relaxed as I can get. I don’t seem to be able to take a whole day off from movement.

I was thinking today, it seems like me getting to goal is inevitable. I never viewed it that way before, but it really seems like it’s going to happen. Don’t know when, but sometime this year, I would think. Or at least the original goal of 135 that I have set. I’m trying to be patient and not get the urge to do crazy stuff to finish out faster, like dropping calories or doing something stupid. That’s not the goal here. I’m feeling calm and confident. Can someone please remind me of this post if I get funny in a couple months??? 🙂

Finally – a bike ride!

A couple dry days in a row, so we got out for a bike ride today. Yay! Felt good. I also did a 2 mile jog this morning, since I knew I would be having a big cupcake later in the day, so wanted some extra cardio.

Had to go down and feed my sister’s chickens today, so we stayed around Saratoga for a while. There is a new shop there that sells cupcakes only (Spa City Cupcakes). Saw it last time I was down, but didn’t get anything. I have been wanting one, and I said to myself on Thursday that I could have one on Saturday if I wanted, and if I ate well during the week. Both of those were applicable today, so I got one. It was really, really sweet. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but not sure how soon I would get another one. Talk about a sugar high! I could feel my muscles thrumming about 10 minutes after I finished it. John didn’t finish his, and it was all I could do not to eat the frosting he had left! LOL! Definitely not used to food like that anymore at all. Really glad I did both bike and jog today.

Also, I jogged yesterday and had a new PB!! did 3 miles and finished in 35:45, so less than a 12 minute mile! I downloaded a new set of tunes from http://jogtunes.com – called ‘around the world’, and I think the tempo of that really got me moving.

The scale continues to inch downward, which is a good feeling. Seems to be a little faster in August than it was in July, but that’s not saying much 🙂
I kind of like the daily checking now, as I can see how I can maintain what I am doing and be successful. Even when I have days where I eat too much, it really isn’t more than 2000 calories, which is barely a blip on the scale (as long as I don’t do that multiple days in a row, knock on wood).

Furnace finally done!

We had a new furnace installed, and it has taken a few weeks while they do various parts of the install, which has been quite annoying. We had to get all new duct work done as well. So, today was the final day of work, and they were here until almost 8pm! I had wanted to go bike riding tonight, but it was going to get dark before I got enough of a ride in. So, I ended up doing a WATP workout.

When am I going to get a bike ride in??? Grrrr…….
I am hoping for at least one long ride this weekend, if not 2 🙂

Wanting to munch a bit today, but have managed not to go above 1500 calories. I wish I could afford one of those bodybuggs, would be nice to see if I am eating enough. That’s my biggest worry, that I will mess up my metabolism by not eating enough.

Went shopping last night for new sneakers! I am so hard on my shoes, and always have been. I would have thought that losing 100 pounds would give me more time with my shoes, but apparently not. My new running shoes I got in May – toast. The soles are worn down and have a rip in the side. Anyway, I got a new pair of running shoes and a new jog bra. Kind of excited about that! Will test it out tomorrow LOL!

Feeling blah today.

One of those days where I just feel kind of tired and blah. You know the type. Days like this I tend to struggle with food as well, and today is no exception. I made some zuchinni bread on Friday, and I forgot what trouble I have with sweet bread. Even though I added protein powder and oat fiber to the recipe, that doesn’t make this bread a free-for-all to eat. I really have had too much of it this weekend.

Today has been rainy, so the planned bike ride is off, which I am pretty bummed about. I do love my biking. Even if it stops raining enough to bike, the trails will be too sloppy to ride. So that means I either need to do a dvd tonight, or I might sneak out if the rain breaks this evening for a jog. No matter what else I do today, I must get in some cardio.

My parents should be closing on their house at the end of the week. They currently live about 3.5 hours away from us, and will now be moving about 5 *miles* away. So that will be nice to be able to see them more often. And I can bike to their house LOL!

Inspiration and general musings

Over this past week (for whatever reason) I have received quite a few comments and emails about how I am an inspiration. That is very flattering and terrifying at the same time. More and more people view this blog every day, which I truly appreciate.

When I started this blog, it was more of an online journal for myself and my ramblings, so John didn’t have to hear them all LOL! I really never expected a lot of people to find it, let alone follow my journey. But then, I read other blogs myself to get motivation, so why wouldn’t mine do the same for others? It does add pressure, and I feel even more accountable to this blog to be honest with my weight loss progress and how I am feeling about it. Right now I just happen to be on a real roll with things, and maybe that is where the inspiration to others is stemming from.

Today I had a personal best with my jogging. Did 3 miles in 37:30 !! The intervals really help with that. I think I will do my next official 5K with intervals as well. Guess I don’t need to save them for training! FYI, I just signed up for another 5K in September. The goal I am shooting for for that one is a 12 minute mile. Not sure if I will get there, but I should be close.

Got my new bike tire today (obviously I haven’t biked all week). Took it into the shop and had them give me the new tube and put on a new pedal. My bike looks so beat up and dirty compared to the shiny new $500+ bikes in the shop. My poor bike that is my very favorite piece of equipment that I own! John said I should think about a new road bike, but I don’t want another one. Mine is so comfy and fits me perfectly. I might paint it, though. I was thinking gold.

As I promised earlier this week – here is one of my new strength workouts. These were all free weights. You can find videos of most of these at http://trainwithmeonline.com

Upper body:

dumbbell shoulder press: 3X10 18lb
dumbbell front raise: 3×10 11 pounds
hammer curl 3×10 13 pounds
triceps extension 3×10 13 pounds
dumbbell chest fly 3×10 13 pounds
dumbbell chest press 3×10 18 pounds

Oh, and food was pretty good today as well.

Flat tire!!

Well, we played hooky this afternoon and went for a bike ride. It was a 15 mile ride, and on the way back I got a flat tire about 2 or 3 miles from home! Ugh. I was going to walk the bike home, but it would have taken longer than I wanted dragging the bike, so John continued home and then got the car to pick me (and the bike) up. Good thing it wasn’t really far from home!

So, have to shop for a new tube this weekend. I need to pick up a couple more bday presents for John, so I’ll just get it then.

My butt and thighs are sore from my new strength training routine I did yesterday! I did squats, lunges, frogs-on-a-bench, bridges, lat rows and side planks. Major DOMS today, which is kind of surprising given how I already train those areas. Guess just a new way of doing it is enough to trigger new muscle fiber activity. Yay, though! I don’t really mind muscle soreness too much.

So, for the month of August I am concentrating on two things: my abs and getting my jog time down. Whatever happens with the scale, happens.

Oh, and the Oopsie Rolls. I found that recipe on a forum, and here is whom I believe to be the originator, so I would like to credit her! She also has a ton of other ways to use these creatively, and is quite a funny writer to boot.

5K Monday!

Now through the end of July my goal is to run three 5K a week. So – today I did the first one! I actually did 3.25 miles, since I want to make sure I actually am able to finish the race on the 26th LOL! It took me 46 minutes to do the 5K. About a 15 minute mile. I am quite pleased with that.

I am starting to learn my body patterns during the runs now. The first 1/2 mile feels tiring. Then I get into a groove until 1.5 miles. The I feel tired for 1/2 mile. From 2 miles out I get back on autopilot. I am going to try to create my own mix mp3 to jog to. I like the mindless techno stuff because I don’t pay too much attention to it. My own favorite music I tend to want to hum along or sing with. Problematic while jogging!

Today was a good food day. I checked my weight this morning and I was up 1.5 pounds from last week, but I am sure it is water retention from the 30 mile bike ride. That happened when we went to VT about a month ago as well with that long biking day.

The bulletin boards are becoming very quiet now. I think many people are busy or giving up! I keep posting because those boards are my lifeline a lot of the time. While accountability lies solely within my own self, the external support is much needed.

Today’s stats:
Calorie goal: 1,400 • Consumed: 1,416 • Burned: 440
Net calories: 976
C/P/F ratio: 51/26/23 (yay me!!)

Long bike ride!!

Okay, today DH and I decided to go for a long bike ride. We wanted to bike to Lake George from our house on the bike trail. Round trip it was a little over 30 miles!!
There were some intense hills in the middle of the trip. I wasn’t sure I would make it up all the hills, but I did. Had to rest a couple times.

The lake was beautiful today. Breezy, not too hot. We had lunch looking over the lake, then walked around for awhile. There was a craft show going on, so that was kind of fun! Would have bought stuff, but we only had the back pack.

Stopped at my favorite ice cream shop on the way home to get my Only 8 frozen yogurt. Yay!! Then it started to sprinkle, and we were about 6 miles from home. Too tired to really speed home, and about 1 mile from home, the skies opened up and poured on us. Yuck! Was soaked through when we got home, and my shoes are going to take days to dry out!

Overall, pretty fun. Not sure what my thighs will feel like tomorrow. So, did 3 hours of biking. I used ‘moderate’ as the activity level (even though it was pretty intense for a lot of it). And it said I burned 1600 calories! Even if I am very conservative with that, I think 1000 is pretty close.

Might take a day off of cardio tomorrow 🙂

Weekend is almost over.

Yesterday was a really nice day. We took a long bike ride along the bike path. Went a bit further than before (past the ice cream shops LOL)! The trip was probably around 17 miles.
On the way back we stopped at the ice cream shop so I could get my Only8 Frozen yogurt. Had it with cheesecake and pistachio flavor. Yum!!! Only 175 calories. Love, love this stuff.

Today has been rainy on and off, so no ride. I decided to pull out the pilates tapes. Did 50 minutes. Ow!! My abs!! I can do some of the moves more easily now, like the jackknife and the rollover. Feels awesome.

Foodwise was a pretty good weekend. I did have 1/2 of a cannoli yesterday. It was okay, but I don’t think I want another one. I would rather have a baked good 🙂

It's Friday!

Yay!! The weekend is here!! I so look forward to the long bike rides with DH, and we are going to the farmer’s market tomorrow. Love that.

Doing really well on plan. I am surprised because my new tenants are driving me nuts and they just moved in! Constantly calling with questions like “How big are the windows?”. Well, gee – why don’t you measure them???
Or, this one today “I need to hide the anniversary cake from my husband, can we store it in your fridge for the weekend?”. No, not a good idea. I don’t think they get it. I am their landlord, not their friend. It has to be a business relationship, and that is it. They are nice and all – but it just has to be that way. Don’t want to open up any doors that would lead to them trying to take advantage of me. Sigh…. only 2 years to go LOL! Not gonna make me eat, though!

Today I jogged 2.5 miles in 37 minutes. Getting pretty consistent at that. Also walked a mile later, and then a short bike ride. Plus did upper body bowflex. My legs are tired.

Today’s stats:
Calorie goal: 1,400 • Consumed: 1,435 • Burned: 498
Net calories: 937
C/P/F ratio: 49/26/25 (yay me!!)