Tag Archives: biking

Chilly riding

I woke up all excited to bike to breakfast this morning.  The high today was supposed to be almost 70 degrees!  However, that doesn’t mean that it will be 70 degrees at 7:30 am.  More like half that, plus fog LOL.  It was a coooooold ride to breakfast:

That is 2 degrees warmer than when we left the house, too. I am okay above 40, but this was a bit chilly even for me.  I was ready for some coffee and a bagel.  They were out of wheat bagels (again), so I got poppyseed.

Not many seeds on this bagel.  John called it a Poppy Lite  :mrgreen:

The temp had warmed up into the low 40s by the time we left, but still somewhat foggy.  However, I will take a November bike ride anytime!  12 miles of biking today.

Yesterday’s literacy tutor training was good.  It is a little overwhelming and I have to read  4 chapters in this book for tomorrow!

Homework! Normally there would be a week between training sessions, but they are trying to cram all the training  in before Thanksgiving. Plus there are 8 people currently waiting for tutors right now! Definitely a need here.  I am really realizing how I take for granted being able to read and write with ease.

I got a late start with work, so I was just trying to plow my way through.  It was a tiring day.  I took my lunch break with some of the chicken I cooked up the other day.

Thank you for precooked stuff and planning ahead.

Both of us were busy today.  Wednesday truly was hump day.  And snack day.  I made up almond milk lattes:

and I had a piece of pumpkin fudge that I made over the weekend.  I haven’t had any since Sunday because it has some corn syrup and I was grain free Monday and Tuesday.  It’s good stuff, but time consuming to make.

Pixie is always interested in what I am doing – the nut.

I snacked a bit while cooking dinner.  Feeling a little tired and that got me snacking on some potato chips and Nut Thins.  I should have precooked lentils and it would have avoided that problem.  I did have brown rice that I had in the freezer along with some of my caramelized onion stash.  I pan sauteed the broccoli, then tossed in a scoop of onions, brown rice and lentils and heated through.

This was good and full of fiber LOL!

Today was just such a gorgeous day.  Like September.  I took a walk after dinner because it was so nice.  Dark, though.   I put John’s blinking bike light onto my jacket for safety.  I don’t know if that  that really works, but I felt safer at any rate – and I rocked out with Journey on my walk!

Someone in our house who is not a music lover is Pixie. She was sitting on the piano tonight when John sat down to play:

You can almost hear her thoughts –  “What the hell is that noise?”  She didn’t stay long.

Well, I have a date with some candy corn and my homework for tomorrow’s training class.

Back on the bike!

Happy Weekend!  It’s over now, but what a nice weekend it was  :mrgreen:

It was nice enough for a ride today, too!  When we can sneak in an outdoor ride at this time of year, it always feels like such a treat.  Temp was close to 50, so we bundled up and headed out.

Technical turtleneck, small jacket, fleece jacket on top.

Dork alert!  I borrowed a pair of John’s tube socks to pull up to keep my calves warm because my bike knickers are 3/4 length.

What this doesn’t show is how the heels of the socks come up over the top of my shoes. Why yes, I am a fashion plate.

It was sunny out and a tail wind to start.  We decided to take the path today.  Of course, a lot of the path was covered with leaves, which can be a bit of a hazard because you can’t see what is under the leaves.  We had to stop after John got a branch caught in his wheel.

Obviously this is not the really leafy section.

This is along the canal. This part of the path is all cinder and kind of slows down the ride.

We stopped at mile 8 to drop a layer of jacket.

Most leaves have now fallen except for a few stubborn trees.  We had decided on a trip to downtown Glens Falls to go to the Chocolate Mill.  We arrived downtown at mile 11.  Some of those stubborn trees in the middle of a traffic circle:

On to the Mill!

Check out the pastry case:

I chose a french macaroon:

 

It was not very big, but quite tasty when paired with a latte!

This was perfect for a chilly fall day.

We then headed on home.  I was feeling great!  It was not a hilly ride, thank goodness, because my hill legs are not quite there now.  It just felt so, so good to be riding.  We looped around so that we could get an even 20 miles today!

I had a big smile on my face most of the ride:

Ride stats:

Distance: 20 miles

Average speed: 12.8 mph

Ride time: 1 hour, 34 minutes

Calories burned: 606

A fabulous ride!  Looks like we might even be able to bike to breakfast on Wednesday if the overnight temps stay above freezing.  Yay!

I hope all of you had as wonderful a weekend as we did!

November Goals!

The end of 2011 is not far off.  Wow.  The older I get the faster time goes by.  I had a protein drink and headed off to the gym in the frigid weather.  Brrr….  I should wear something more than my workout pants on the way there as my calves were cold.  Or maybe I could warm up the car more.  There’s a thought…

Exercise Set/rep/weight Muscle worked
Wide Grip Lat Pulldown 3 sets of 10 at 60# bar Back
Straight Leg Deadlift 3 sets of 10 with 65# bar Lower body
Decline Sit-up 3 sets of 10 Core
Bench Press 3 sets of 10 with 55# bar Chest
Pliet Squat 3 sets of 10 with 40# DB Lower body
Seated Dumbbell Press 3 sets of 10 at with 10# DBs (20# total) Triceps
Incline Reverse Fly (on bench) 3 sets of 8 with 15# DBs (30# total) Shoulders
Lower Back Extension 3 sets of 10 at 70# Low back

I hopped on the treadmill and walked 1.5 miles before coming home to eat!  I wanted something warm in my tummy.  I chose a 1-minute muffin waffle style with apple cranberry topping:

Note I am doing  a grain-free day today.  This lasted me to lunch, along with 3 cups of coffee!  :mrgreen:

Speaking of lunch, this is another of the oopsie rolls.  Or really 2 of them as my bun for the turkey burger topped with laughing cow and some caramelized onions (from my freezer stash).

I hope to get the recipe post up for these tomorrow.  But first, let’s talk about my November goals.

1. Go grain-free 4 days a week. Since the eating season is now in full swing, this will help keep me in line without over indulging too much.  Oddly enough, I am actually looking forward to these days as I like the food choices I make and how I feel. (you would think I would do it more, then, eh?)

2. No eggnog lattes until Thanksgiving Day.  Every year I do this because I love the nog so much!  The nog lattes are available as of 11/01, but I think it should be reserved for between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I wonder how many people love both egg nog and candy corn?

3. Walk 3 miles a day 5 times a week. Biking season is winding down and this is the start of the walking program to get ready for our trip to Disney in January!  I will give a little leeway on this because I will be on the bike instead if the weather is right. (see below)

4.  At least 2 different vegetables a day. I was inspired by Marion and her fruit and veggie challenge last month.  I will count pumpkin and sweet potatoes as veggies.

5.  Spruce up the website.  I will organize the recipes a little better and do some updating.  Just to keep it fresh.  This has been an unwritten goal of mine since early this year, so I figured I have to write it down to get it done!

This should keep me plenty busy this month  :mrgreen:

So, I walked 1.5 miles on the treadmill and was going to do another 1.5 outside today, but 52 degrees beckoned to take the bike out!  I broke a guitar string last night, so John and I decided to bike to the guitar shop in the early afternoon.

I was wearing a technical turtleneck and a fleece jacket, which was almost a bit much, but not until near the end of the ride.  We headed a few miles away to the guitar store:

I got my string!

It was just about the perfect day for biking.  No wind and sunny.  If it was a little warmer, say 65 to 70 instead of 52, it would have been totally perfect!  Happy, happy lady on the bike.   We did 7 miles in about 32 minutes.

I came back and made up lattes to warm up:

That let me settle back in to work for the day. A very busy day, I might add.

I was really hungry by the time dinner rolled around, so I snacked on some nuts while I cooked up dinner.

I had to banish the cashews for a little while as I was cracking out on them.

Dinner is served!  Chicken thighs just pan fried with brussel sprouts and a pear.

I tend to eat rather simply, but it is really tasty to me!  I keep wanting to do more involved cooking during the week, but work gets in the way and I am too hungry to wait 😀

Tonight is practicing with my new string – yay!  Plus a nosh of cheese and fruit.

Question:  Any November goals you want to share – or care to join me in some grain-free living?

51 mile fab fall ride!

The weather this weekend was absolutely fabulous!  We knew that meant a bike  ride on Saturday – aka the Stuff part of Stuff and Cram weekend.

After lunch, we decided to head on down to Saratoga and partake in a cuppicake!

I was excited for a long ride:

John is all pumped up as well:

Grrrrrr…..

Temps were supposed to get into the mid 70s during the day. It was a little cooler to start, but we stopped around mile 8 to shed jackets just before the hill portion.

Hills are just around the bend.  We passed by the alpacas again. Say cheese!

I wasn’t feeling the hills today.  Not tired, per se, but no speed on the hills, which is pretty unusual.

We took a break around mile 15:

All the rain this year has made for late color.  Trees are just starting to turn.

We brought along the perfect ride fuel –

It’s baaa-aack!  :mrgreen:  My favorite candy!  And the Brach’s brand please – the best candy corn out there.

We arrived to the Bread Basket at mile 23.

It was so nice out the we got our cupcakes to go and went across the street to Congress Park.

John had a coconut cream cupcake.  I had a pumpkin spice.  His was bigger  – boooo!

Someone noticed us eating.

He came right over to our feet.  We did not feed him, but he obviously has been fed before.


The carousel was quite busy today.

Check out the beautiful sky.  It was soooooo nice today.

We then headed back home.  Days are shorter now, which means no dallying in the afternoon.

Around mile 30, my back was starting to bother me and flaring up my sciatica.  Luckily John had some ibuprofen.  We stopped by this horse farm so I could take a couple.

Saratoga is horse country.

We ended up taking some extra breaks today for pictures and for my back.  It took 4 miles for the ibuprofen to kick in and I felt much better.  We stopped for a bit of refreshment at mile 35.

This was slushy and cold because it had been in the freezer.  Icy cold coconut water is the best!  I enjoy this route so much.  It has so many beautiful views and I think by next weekend the colors will be beautiful.

You never know what farm animals will be out and about, and these guys were new:

There were 2 and they looked like twins  😀  This was around mile 43?

John and I were both started to get a little tired at this point.  We haven’t been able to bike as much with the rainy weather and the shorter days.  We pressed on and finished out 51 miles today!

Running doesn’t make me smile like this.  Even wiped out I was having a great time!

Ride stats:

Total miles: 51.2 miles

Ride time:  3 hours 45 minutes

Top speed: 31.6 mph

Average speed: 13.6 mph

Calories burned: 1586

I was surprised at the average speed with how many stops we took and just feeling slower in general.  It felt so good to get out in the sun today.  I love fall rides so much!

Pink picture of the day! Roses at the Bread Basket.

The Breast Cancer Site

Come back tomorrow for a Fright Fest recap!

Fall is here!

Yep – it’s fall around here.  The leaves haven’t really changed too much, but the temps sure have!  It was a chilly 46 degrees when we headed out for breakfast.  I did layer up too much though. I had on a technical turtleneck and 2 jackets.  I should have either not worn the turtleneck or ditched a jacket.  I was sweaty!  We arrived 6 miles later to our destination.

Happy to be on the bike after a week of rain!

I had a gluteny bagel today.  The last wheat bagel they had.  GF bagels just don’t really cut it.

After a nice brekkie, John headed a different way to get a flu shot and I went home.  I took the path back and then stopped in the little park where the mums are blooming.

So pretty! I love mums.  Well, really I love all flowers (as if you all didn’t know that…).  It was so nice to see the sun, too.  It has been too long.

It was hard to get into work today. You know those days.  Then I got my paycheck, which I was all excited about until I looked at it and it was missing a zero at the end.  They made a mistake with my check and now I have to wait for the new one to come.  🙄  At least they are right on it, though. I do like this company a lot.

Lunch time!  I had made some ricotta puffs this weekend, so I had those with blueberry sauce and a bit of coconut butter.

This was warm in my tummy for a cool day.  We are supposed to hit 30 degrees tonight! 😯  I might have to cover up a few flowers that don’t do well in the freeze.

More hints of fall – we have a pie pumpkin!

I might try canning some cooked pumpkin and see what happens. If Libby’s can do it, so can I, right?

John wasn’t so busy today, so he got up to fall cooking shenanigans with these little pumpkin cookies:

Most of them are going to his poker game tonight, but at least one ended up in my tummy  :mrgreen:

 

Dinner tonight was supposed to be teriyaki chicken thighs, but they were not thawed out.  So, clams it is!

Plus the worst.plum.ever.  Ever.  It was mealy and tasteless.  I threw it out, which is really rare for me.  I have 2 others and I hope they are better than this one.  Booo….

Pink picture of the day – my camera case!

Commence to clicking everyone!

The Breast Cancer Site

 

I decided I do need to get out there and cover up some plants – Happy Fall!

I loves me some efficiency!

I was up for a ride this morning. Quite a bit sore from lifting yesterday, I have to say. I was a bit slow on the bike at first, but then my lower body loosened up some.  It is darker out earlier now.  The daylight window for rides is waning. No more evening rides and the morning ones have to happen later.  I did stop after 20 minutes for this view.

Hello Vermont!

I did a nice 7 miles before breakfast.  And what was breakfast you ask?  Banana breakfast bread pudding topped with some peanut flour and apple butter.

I also tried some So Delicious coconut milk for my coffee instead of my almond milk.  I am not that fond of it.  Very bland and you know how I love all things coconut!

Can I brag for a minute?  Or maybe 2 minutes?  John and I try to be efficient in things, save energy, keep the environment healthy, etc.  Last year we put in the new energy efficient windows in our house and now I think we are really reaping the benefits of them.  Check out our electric/gas assessment that came today for August:

National Grid compares customers to each other. Nothing like a little friendly competition, eh?  :mrgreen:

We were #16 on the list.  Now to get to the other 15 and turn their lights on during the day so we can get to #1!  😈

I think this is really due to not needing the downstairs air conditioner very much with the new windows because it blocks the UV rays so even though sunlight comes in, the heat does not.  Of course, we don’t use any gas in the summer, but we did note savings last winter! I have decided on a little conservation challenge to myself for October, too, which will be part of the monthly goals.

Another warm day here, upper 70s. That meant more of a summertime lunch today, but in a candy corn bowl.

This is 2% Fage,  flax meal, strawberries and a drizzle of honey.

The day kind of went by fast. I was surprised when John popped in asking about me wanting a latte. Why he ever even asks is beyond me (although I do sometimes want it with almond milk instead of regular).  I wanted a more exciting picture, so John did the “latte wave.”

Exciting? Hmmmm…. maybe not.

I did have this latte with some dried pineapple, which has made it back into the snack rotation.  That’s exciting, right?

Okay – something that truly is exciting? I have been having some emails come in back and forth today coordinating an event. Here are the titles to be a tease: “Stylist Confirmed“, “Hair & Makeup Stylist confirmed“, “Photographer confirmed“. Now how to lose 10 pounds by Monday haha!

I started work early today and worked through to dinner to keep cushioning my line count for the week. Yay!  Now I don’t have to worry about this week’s events making me lose money 😀 I am on a roll this week.

I was ready for dinner!

Sauteed shredded brussel sprouts, cubed up mango and chicken with GF barbecue sauce. I had another GF day going on!  No cravings. Go figure.

 

I am posting early tonight becuase we have to go out shopping for my niece’s birthday. She is turning 8.  Totally lost on shopping for an 8 year old.  Thank goodness I have a list, but finding things like Squinkies (??), zoobies (??) and children’s clothing is waaaaay out of the normal shopping for me.  Please give me water softeners and tulip bulbs  :mrgreen:

 

Return of the cupcake ride!

Hooray for cupcakes!  That was the plan for Saturday.  I spent the morning puttering in the garden, which is always nice.  Very little traffic on the road, so it was nice and quiet!

I enjoyed some nice custard oats for breakfast with coconut butter and marmalade!

After lunch, it was time to head on down for a ride.  We took our new favorite way to go by the river.  This is also farm country.

This farm is around mile 10 or so.  They have a llama

And some sheep:

So cute.  The sheep were wearing blankets, although I am not sure why because the temps were starting to soar.  It was a hot and humid day.  I was totally soaked by the time we reached Saratoga at mile 23:

I was sticky with sunscreen, too, so I brought along these:

I am glad because it felt really good to clean off!

It was time for Cupcake Lab.  I wanted 2 things today.  The first was a pistachio french macaron:

Must recreate these at home. And for the cuppicake?  Raspberry:

Also had a big ice coffee, which was a little disappointing because it was on the weak side, which is unusual for here.  Don’t you love this flower that was at our table?

It’s called Celosia, or cockscomb.  The only flower that looks like a brain.

We were ready to get our sweat back on after walking around a bit so we saddled up and hit the road.

More animals! Alpacas:

More sheep:

We took a break around mile 36 for a rest and snack:

If you look in the distance in this picture, you can see the Green Mountains of Vermont.  It’s a little hazy from heat and humidity, though.

More farms.  Did not stop near the dairy farms because they were Stanky!  Then there was this one:

We took a long way around to get a few more miles, but we were starting to get tired.  It is almost hard to imagine I did about twice this distance in July in one day.

Ride stats:

Total distance: 52.4 miles

Ride time:  3 hours 54 minutes

Average speed: 13.4 mph

Top speed:  25.1 mph

Calories burned: 1612

All in all a good ride!

Ride before the storm

The sun was out on Saturday and no breeze at all.  The calm before the storm. I really wanted to get in a ride today to take advantage since that won’t be happening on Sunday!

Bike computer ready to go:

(I also am showcasing the sorry state of our driveway, which is slated for resurfacing next year. 😳 )

Biker set up and ready to go:

The sun was out, but it was a hazy sun.

We clipped along for the first part of the ride.  No wind and not too many hills for the first 10 miles or so.  We followed the river.  This is part of the dredging for PCBs going on in the Hudson.

Attractive, eh?  It needs to be done, though.  It went on too long with GE fighting having to clean up their mess.

At mile 13, we stopped for a bit of dried pineapple in the midst of a field of grain!

This ride is so beautiful.

John loves the dried pineapple, too:

We arrived in Saratoga for lunch at mile 22. We decided on Chipotle.

It’s easy to eat grain free there, surprisingly.

My salad with pork, cheese, salsa, and sour cream. This is really good!  I actually get this most times now.

We poked around a Barnes and Nobles for a while after eating.  Then biked another couple miles to get downtown.  Mile 24.

It’s the Travers this week.  Lots and lots of people.

Pretty dahlias on sale:

However, our mission was froyo:

I had a bowl with a mix of chocolate and vanilla nonfat yogurt topped with tapioca pearls (these are weird and I like them), toasted coconut, mini M&Ms, and some mini dark/white chocolate chips.

Oh, and a few nuts.

Nomf!


The skies started to cloud up, but still no wind.  So weird.  There is always at least some breeze.  The air just feels heavy.

It was time to head home.  We took a break at mile 35:

Yay- coconut water!

Then it was just 10 more miles to home.  I was booking home.  We lose a lot of average speed from stoplights and hills, and the last 10 miles is a nice fairly flat ride.

Ride stats:

Total miles:  46.2

Average speed:  13.6 mph

Top speed: 26.1 mph

Calories burned:  1452!

I loved my ride today!

We got the outside of the house ready for the storm.  At least it won’t be a hurricane when it moves over us (or it shouldn’t be), but still tropical force winds.  Our porch has never been so clean!  I removed all bird feeders, flags, solar lights and garden paraphernalia.  I hope my neighbors do the same 🙄

Clouds are rolling in.

Stay safe everyone!  I’ll see you all on the flip side of Irene.

Taking a tumble

The last non-bagel Bagel Wednesday.  Hooray!  It was really a nice morning out.  Cool enough that we needed jackets and longer pants for a ride!

Early on in the ride, I took a tumble.  We approached an intersection with no light or stop sign and I noticed a truck on my left that I thought was turning right.  I turned to make eye contact with the driver to make sure that they saw me.  When I looked ahead again, John had stopped short because of pedestrians crossing.  As I tried not to run into John, I ended up falling over.  The problem with falling over on a bike  is that you can’t grab anything to break the fall, so I fell on top of my bike. I ended up with the end of the handle bar jamming right into my upper chest where there is no padding.  Owie.  I also scraped up my knees and ankles.  I swore enough to give a sailor a run for the money because it hurt so bad, but I was also embarrassed.  We got back on after a few minutes and continued while  I tried to work out the hurt as we pedaled.

After about 6 miles, we stopped at the cafe to eat.  We ate outside.  I brought my ricotta puffs and strawberries and bought a cup of coffee.

Not good ambiance outside, but it was wonderfully cool to sit out there.

I viewed my right leg, which was still stinging quite a bit.

I think I am also going to end up with a big bruise on my chest.  I am lucky the handlebar didn’t hit up a few more inches or it would have hit my collarbone.

We did another loop and ended up with 11.5 miles this morning.  Other than the fall, it was quite a nice ride :mrgreen:

The rest of the morning went by pretty quickly.  I broke for lunch wanting an omelet.

This had cheddar cheese on it with some steamed broccoli inside.  Yum!

I had a couple questions about weight lifting as I haven’t posted a workout in a while.  This is my new taskmaster.

Or really the old taskmaster.   Our bowflex.  (And I type blowflex every time.  Every time!).

My gym membership expired this month and I decided to work out at home for a while.  I am debating on joining a different gym.  It’s the gym my mother goes to.  It is farther from home and biking there would be a little time consuming, but the membership is $99 a year versus my old gym at $275 per year.  Kind of a no-brainer, right?  I will wait a bit, though, until it gets cooler or I miss the barbell too much.

Time for the snack!

I love my afternoon snack.  Don’t you?  I did go get another pineapple slice, too.

I got a craving for a potato for dinner.  This was topped with chicken, laughing cow, and hot sauce.

Yukon gold.  That is my favorite kind of potato.  They have the perfect texture for me.

A quiet evening at home with a couple macaroons.  I need to stop watching the Weather Channel because I am going to obsess about this hurricane.

Question:  What is your favorite kind of potato?

Riding and family fun!

Another gorgeous Saturday in the Adirondacks!  After such a bad winter and crappy spring, this summer had more than made up for that with some wonderful weekend weather.  John and I decided to head to the lake today.  We had ice cream on our minds as it was going to be in the mid 80s, so we packed lunches and headed out.

It’s still so green along the path:

This picture is just to the left from this shot, which is 10 miles into the ride:

We arrived at mile 15 to our destination. Lake George was bumping on Saturday.  There was some sort of craft show going on.

We browsed around a little bit and then sat down for lunch.

I packed up some pineapple, a coconut biscuit, and some peanut butter.  I ended up not eating the cheese.

My lunch buddy:

We walked around in the bright sunshine.

Parasails were out today.

This would be a little scary for me.  You are tethered to a boat, but still scary.  We were going to have ice cream in Lake George, but we weren’t quite ready yet, so we decided to go ahead and ride back and stop at Cooper’s Cave at mile 25.

I was going to get ice cream, but then I decided I wanted toppings instead and got a mexican sundae, which is peanut butter sauce and chocolate fudge – a fabulous sweet/salty combo:

I had that over top of chocolate frozen yogurt.  I was so hot and sweaty.  I told John that the yogurt or ice cream just tastes so much better when we are active before getting it.  I think because my body is ready for the carb hit, plus how cool it feels going down.  I was loving this sundae!

I was so sweaty.  I always have a hat in my bike bag because it is scary when I take my helmet off. Even my forearms get a sheen of sweat on them.  Ewwww. I had to put sunscreen on 3 times in 3 hours.

While at ice cream, I texted my sister and decided to invade our parents’ house for dinner.  Don’t you love how we invite ourselves over?  With the offer of bringing takeout.  Once that was settled, John and I continued our ride.  We just decided to knock out another 13 miles and call it a day.

Ride stats:

Total miles: 38.5

Ride time:  2 hours 52 minutes

Average speed:  13.3 mph

Top speed: 29.1

Calories burned: 1251

A nice ride.  It was so hot, though, and humid.

After cleanup, John and I picked up Chinese for dinner.  I was worried being grain free about what I could eat, but found an awesome dish.  I got steamed shrimp with broccoli and carrots.  They make this without any sauce, so I didn’t have to worry about cornstarch or anything.  Or the sodium, although after this ride it wouldn’t really have hurt me to eat it.

I think they must have seasoned the water or something because these were not bland at all!  I would get this again and again.  I had another plate just like the one above.   I started to put a little brown sauce on there, but then left it off.  I wasn’t sure what was in it.

After dinner my dad  got the fire going:

Time for roasting.

This is such a nice back yard, isn’t it?

Who has the bigger mouth?

I think I win by a long shot.  After I ate 3 marshmallows, I realized they were probably made with corn syrup, so I had a small slip up with no grains there.  No biggie – it wasn’t intentional.

What a wonderful day.  Good ride, good food and family!