Day 214-Weigh-in Day: 316.2lbs

WEEK 29

Start Weight: 365.4

Last Week's Weight: 316.8

Current Weight: 316.2

This Week’s Weight Loss: .6lbs

Total Weight Loss: 49.2lbs

Miles Biked this Week: 39.19

Total Miles Biked: 1790.29

Miles to Go: 5709.71

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

Pacific Ocean (1082 miles off the west coast. I am heading for the Hawaiian Islands)

WEEK’S MILEAGE

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 11.74

Wednesday: 9.47

Thursday: 8.21

Friday: 9.77

Saturday: Rest

TODAY:

I think I still have a hangover from last week’s crazy sleep-deprived week. I’ve had a head cold, and have been very tired. I basically just rode my bike to work and back this week. It was hard to get back in the saddle on Tuesday and pedal. I felt a little rusty after not riding for only a week! I didn’t rack a lot of miles this week…but at least I’m on the bike.

I’ve had a few people ask me what I’m going to do over the winter. Here in Salt Lake City, Utah, up here in the Rocky Mountains, we have cold winters with snow. Right now the temperature is in the mid 70s during the day and creeping down in the low 50s at night. Fall is here and you can feel the crispness in the air in the mornings. My intention is to keep riding as much as I can, and just dress warm when the roads are clear. I know that will probably not always work when it’s super cold or it’s snowing. I also have my stationary bike, and/or I can get a lift for my regular bike to ride it stationary indoors.

I am not looking forward to winter. In fact, now more than ever, I can see why living in warmer climate would be a benefit to my health regime. I half joke that I will move to San Diego when I retire, but now I know I have another reason to do so ;)

I only came down about a half pound in weight loss this week. But again, at least I was on the bike, and being a conscious eater. We had a company luncheon this week with some really yummy looking pastries at the end of the table. The luncheon was a post “crazy schedule” wrap-party in effect. I think if I would have “treated” myself to some of those pastries that I wouldn’t be reporting a half- pound weight loss today.

LEARNED:

You know, I will be honest with you…It’s been 7 months since I started my challenge. I think the first five months were fun and exciting as I was discovering life on a bike. There were new bike routes, I was seeing quick progress, weight was for the most part consistently coming off, and everything was new. As you know, I’ve hit a bit of a plateau. Maybe this isn’t just a plateau of weight loss, but of interest in my day-to-day biking. I think I’ve gotten a little bored with things. I’m a little frustrated with my bike since it has these huge tires which introduce a lot of resistance to my riding (which is a good thing too.) I don’t have any proper clothing especially biking shorts which make for an uncomfortable fit in the saddle more often than not. I think there is a reason they add some padding there in the posterior area of the shorts.

My bike is a good bike, but it’s about 12 years old, and is a little clunky. The gears don’t work properly, meaning when I shift up one gear, one click doesn’t do it, I have to click up twice, and down once to get it to shift. Yes, I’ve had the gears looked at 3 times. Still not working right.

Also, I can do the pedaling. Yes, I’m still working on going on longer and longer rides, but I think my core is stale. Meaning, I need to work other parts of my body out. I need to do some resistance training with weights. I need to just get my physical activity off the bike up to the next level.

So what am I going to do about all of this?

Here are the 3 things that I want to do to help me through this little “mid ride” crisis I am having.

1.        Get a new road bike. I’m currently on an old mountain bike with road tires. I’ve never ridden a bike with road bike handlebars. I’m putting all this effort in with mountain bike handle bars, and will need to adjust to a lower position of riding when I switch. I’d rather switch sooner than later.

2.        Get the proper cycling garb and clip on cleats. I need to have a little more comfort in the saddle. Also, cleats will help power my ride with the upward motion of the pedal helping me.

3.        I want to join a gym. I hate having to be committed to going to a remote location to get a workout, but I think it is what is needed to take me to the next level.

I think if I had these 3 changes in my cycling life, it would introduce enough change to help me shift to the next level of riding.

Okay, I can join a gym easy enough. It will require tweaking my schedule to make it work. I can go and get some bike garb. I don’t have $1500 for the bike I want to buy. So, I guess I start saving! I approached a couple of Specialized bike dealers for a sponsorship, but I don’t think I’m considered a “real athlete” to them. Oh well. I will be soon.

EATING:

I’ve noticed that I’ve been eating a lot of cereal lately. It is so convenient in the morning, and is a great snack in the evening. I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing. My body always seems to crave it. I especially like the Shredded Mini wheats. I hear that cereal is a good thing for cyclists as it is carb-loaded. I haven’t been eating any oatmeal though. And veggies have been taking a back seat to my eating. I eat a lot more than I used to, but need to be consistently eating this stuff at each meal.

FILM:

Honestly, I am waiting to get a little chuck of cash to go do some more filming. Everything takes money!

Thanks for listening to my “blah blah bah!”

Don

P.S. These are the bikes I'm looking at. Which one do you like?