Biking to Live Week 4 Summary

This past week was pretty slow and wrought with ups and downs. I only got two days of riding in (mainly due to winds) so my mileage suffered pretty bad. Total mileage for the week was only 22 miles but they were 22 very good miles. I rode very good those two days and was happy with them. My happiness peaked on Saturday when I weighed myself and discovered I had lost some more weight and was finally in the 260s. That didn’t last long though, as I broke my own rule and weighed myself on Sunday. I had gained four pounds. Man, that sucked. To make matters worse, I have felt down all day. I feel like I had ridden a 100 miles in the morning and had bonked about 10 miles into it. I’m dragging big time. After church today I laid down for a short nap and that didn’t help. It’s 8:00 PM right now and I didn’t even feel like making this post but I needed to get it done.

I’ve been Biking to Live for a month now and my progress has been good in some areas and average in others. As far as riding it’s been good. My rides have been getting better with speeds increasing and me being able to push it a little more each time. My ultimate goal of weight loss has been average though. I’ve lost a little weight and that’s good. I have a bad habit of the weight just melting away which isn’t how it works. It needs to come off slowly and that’s how it’s working so far. Like I said in a previous post, though, I’ve seen significant changes in the fit of my clothes. I put on a suit coat this morning that fit better than it has in about a year. Shirts are fitting better as well as pants. I had no expectations that I was going to transform overnight though. I just need to keep my nose to the grindstone and the rubber on the road.

While looking around the net this week I found these great articles:

Bike Noob - Shoes: Worth the big bux?
Cycle Pig - Trophies of the Cycle Tourist
Adventures on a Bike - At the crossroads
KC Bike Commuting - KC Bike Week 2008 Day 5: The Wrap Up
Watch Dave Lose It - One Way Is Better Than No Way

Now that I’ve got this summary post done I’m glad I did it. I want to say thanks to those that have been visiting Biking to Live. Thanks for your encouragement.

Be safe.

Ride 14 - Windy but good

I got to bed very, very late last night mainly due to reading a book but I wanted to ride today. I wasn’t sure how far I would ride but I had to get out. I had only ridden on Wednesday this week so I knew I needed another bike ride. I slept in until 8:00 AM to get a little sleep and then rolled out. It was overcast outside but nice.

I rolled out of the driveway not know how I was going to ride. It took a couple of minutes to get across the big intersection coming out of my neighborhood but once I did I was able to settle in pretty good. After a few minutes of riding I checked my speed and I was cruising along at 14+ mph. It didn’t even feel like it. I checked my gearing and I was pushing a bigger gear than I normally do and I was doing so almost effortlessly. It felt good. I’ve noticed over the last couple of rides that I’ve been able to push bigger gears easier. Read more

Book Review: Heft On Wheels - A field guide to doing a 180

I heard about Heft On Wheels: A Field Guide to Doing a 180 over on Bike Forums and happened to run across it a few weeks at the local Borders bookstore. It’s written by Mike Magnuson and chronicles his physical, emotional, and mental transformation after turning to bicycling.

If the cover of this book doesn’t shock you then you need to take a look at it again. When I first saw it I could have sworn I was looking at a picture of myself with the exception of the hairstyle. For those of you that don’t know me that was probably a little too much info and you’ll probably be tramatized for life from the visual alone. When I took the book to the checkout the little old lady behind the counter gave me an odd look when she saw it. I was thinking, “Don’t say anything. Just ring it up.”

The book opens with Mike talking about a group ride he was on and where he was attacking the group on a hill. As he topped the hill and began the descent he was hit by a truck and thrown form his bike. After this incident Mike starts the story of his life and how he transformed himself from Heft On Wheels to a bike racer.

The book is a very good read. He goes into a lot of detail talking about work, family, his addictions to alcohol and smoking, and the destructive death spiral he was in. Mike was a chain smoker, was getting drunk several nights a week with his students (he was an English Professor), and weighed over 255 pounds before turning to bicycling. Even after hitting the bike he was still getting drunk and smoking and it wasn’t until later that he made a commitment to do his 180. I’m sure him continually getting dropped like a bad habit on the group rides had something to do with it. At least he had the courage to do a group ride. I haven’t taken that step yet.

Heft On Wheels is a quick read; I finished it in about three days. There are a few things I want to point out though:

1. The title is a bit of a misnomer. To call the book “A Field Guide to Doing a 180″ isn’t too accurate. The book is good at describing Mike’s 180 but I would hardly classify it as a field guide. It’s a story that’s inspirational, sad, and funny. If you’re looking for tips, meal plans, worksouts, etc., you would be better off purchasing The Cyclist’s Training Bible. If, on the other hand you want to read about one man’s struggle with his inner demons, and get inspired at the same time, then this is the book for you.
2. Being an English Professor, Mike is accustomed to writing and I think his style sometimes makes the book hard to read. He likes to use very long sentences and you’ll find yourself going back and re-reading paragraphs. I’m not kidding. In the first three pages of the book alone you can find sentences in excess of 50 words with one or two in excess of 80.
3. At times I thought he left me hanging off the back of the pack by not finishing some of the stories.

The verdict? A must read. I found this book at the right time and it has been an inspiration to me. As I read through the book I couldn’t help but reflect on my life and how I needed to do a 180. After finishing the book, not only did I admire Mike and what he did but I admired his wife just as much if not more. To be able to put up with, and deal with, everything Mike was must have taken a woman if unbelievable strength.

Have you read this book and have an opinon? If so, please leave a comment below.

Ride 13 - What a bike ride

After having three straight days off the bike I was ready to ride again. I wasn’t sure what to expect because of my short layoff but I was optimistic.

5:00 AM came bright and early and I was ready. I had a new set of bibs and a shirt come in the mail yesterday so I was eager to try them out. I’d also installed a new front light to increase my visibility to oncoming traffic. The air was a little chilly this morning but not bad. Once I got to spinning I warmed up quickly.

My first long straightaway I was cooking. I was averaging around 14 mph which is about what I saw on my last couple of bicycle rides. Traffic seemed rather light this morning and I wasn’t complaining. As I neared my first turn I couldn’t believe how good I felt. The bibs felt good, the legs felt good, and I was movin’. The rest must have done me some good. During this stretch I’m pushing along anywhere from 14 to 16 mph. As I neared my turnaround point I slowed down a bit due to a little uphill work and because I wanted to conserve my energy for the second half. Read more

Yesterday was LIVESTRONG Day

Yesterday was LIVESTRONG Day and I had no idea. LIVESTRONG is the foundation established in 1997 by Lance Armstrong to help and inspire those affected by cancer. Lance is a cancer survivor and 7-time winner of the Tour de France.

From the LIVESTRONG website, LIVESTRONG Day is:

“…the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s one-day initiative to raise awareness and funds for the cancer fight.”

Lance himself attended events in New York, Ohio State University, Denver, and Las Vegas. In addition to these events, many other events were held all over the country in support of LIVESTRONG Day. You can read about these events on the LIVESTRONG Blog.

Sadly, this is another significant bicycle related event that I knew nothing about. Some of you may think I live in the dark ages with no Internet or TV but that’s not the case. I just don’t think the information about these events is getting out in my city. I’m really beginning to think that bicycle awareness in my city is non-existent.

Did you attend a LIVESTRONG Day event? If so, post a comment and tell us about it.

Do you live in the city of Jacksonville, FL? I’d like to hear your opinion on bicycle awarenss in our city.

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