Day 158-Weigh-in Day: 316.8lbs

WEEK 22

Start Weight: 365.4

Last Week's Weight: 324.6

Current Weight: 316.8

This Week’s Weight Loss: 7.8lbs

Total Weight Loss: 48.6lbs

Miles Biked this Week: 124.02

Total Miles Biked: 1404.95

Miles to Go: 6095.05

GEOGRAPHY (Where I'd be on the map having started at my house in Salt Lake City, Utah, heading for Tokyo):

Pacific Ocean (700 miles off the west coast. I am heading for the Hawaiian Islands)

WEEK’S MILEAGE

Monday: 16.22

Tuesday: 25.42

Wednesday: 16.09

Thursday: 14.07

Friday: 36.18

Saturday: 16.04

TODAY:

I think this has been one of the hardest working weeks I’ve had. My legs have been pretty sore, but I’ve seen progress in many areas. One of the areas of improvement is mentally. I think I am willing to do more, that a few months ago I would have never have considered doing. These are only baby steps, but I am learning to push a little harder mentally.

I went on a bike ride this morning with 3 of my friends. On the steep hills they left me in the dust. On the steepest hill, I had to get off and walk. The bugger turns into 7-9% grade for a half mile. I made it about half way, but my legs wouldn’t do any more. It’s a good reminder that I still have a long ways to go! This challenge is 60% physical, 40% mental!

This is the mile-long steep hill in the middle of our ride. I had to walk up the last half of it. Humiliating! ;)

LEARNED:

I am learning how my body works, and how water plays an important role in things. I have seen that I don’t drink enough water, and that I am semi-dehydrated much of the time. I can tell by the color of my pee. (sorry to be so clinical, but we all do it, and it’s a good way to tell how well hydrated you are.) The other day I drank a lot of water, and rode a long ways. I still hadn’t downed enough water. So I need to remember…drink, drink, drink!

Also, I have a theory why I gained weight last week. During my vacation, I was a little more lax on what I was eating. I noticed I was eating more sweet and salty foods than usual. When you don’t delute that stuff with water, your body will retain it, and the result is seen on the scale. If you’re hydrating well, and eating more natural unprocessed foods, you won’t retain the water. At least as I’ve read, studied, and watched myself, I’ve seen that happen.

After a ride, you need to replenish your body with sodium that you lose in sweat, even if you don’t think you sweat that much. Eating, and including something salty after a ride, and again, hydrating well, is good maintenance.

Everyday I wonder why I took on this challenge. It isn’t easy. I’ve always been one that hated running back in my high school PE days. I wasn’t a big sports guy. Physical pain was something that I shunned, and still do! But I am getting up early in the mornings, riding, doing hill climbing, eating well, and trying to get to bed early. And I am almost at the 50lbs lost mark. I guess one reason I am doing the challenge is to lose weight. So I am accomplishing that. But building stamina, and hill climbing continues to frustrate me because I have all this weight that is slowing me down. Oh well, the work is to shed the weight! Lose the dang weight so I can climb a dang hill! Dang it!

EATING:

I have been a very good boy this week. I ate like I am in training, and stayed away from all temptations. I learned my lesson over the past few weeks. It’s just easier to be a good boy and eat the right stuff, rather than veer off track a little and then have to make up for lost time.

I am being very careful in feeding my body after rides to make sure that it is happy. Also, my wife makes killer Tuna Salads! That and some peanut butter and celery is great power food. It satisfies and primes the bod to ride well.

Again, Clif Bars have come in handy. I keep them in my drawer at work, and if I start to get hungry, I can down one of those in a pinch and it does the job.

FILM:

I am going to go up to Big Cottonwood Canyon hopefully this week and do a first attempt up on my bike. I know I am crazy, and that this is a mean climb, but it resembles Mount Fuji. It is my ride. And it’s the ride I get to learn to do over and over. So, stay tuned for a sample video of that fun.