Biking To Live » Motivation

2012 Cycling and Weight Loss Goals

Bryan — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:35:51 +0000

I’m not sure why I’ve put this post off but I have. I’ve actually been thinking about and planning my goals for 2012 for several weeks now but never got around to actually writing a post. Maybe it was the 10-12 hour days I’ve been working that has something to do with it. Maybe I was just lazy. My wife would say I was procrastinating. She knows me very well.

Originally this post was going to be very detailed to show you the plan behind the goals but a moment of sanity hit me and I decided to split into two posts. This one where I tell you what my goals for 2012 are and another to show you my training plan for 2012. If you follow me on Twitter you might have caught a sneak peek I posted.

There will be no long explanations here trying to describe my reasoning behind these goals other than the fact that in order for me to lose this freaking weight I need to ride. In no particular order, here are my 2012 cycling and weight loss goals:

Ride 5000 miles.
Lose 30 pounds.
Ride a century.
Ride 500 miles in a month.

As I said earlier, I have a more detailed post coming that will explain my 2012 training plan so look for it soon.

How many of you have set your goals for the year? If you have what are they? If not, what are you waiting for?

Photoc: angietorres

First Ride of 2012

Bryan — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:30:41 +0000

With the new year brings a renewed effort to try and set things right. To continue losing the pounds, to ride further and faster, or to try and hang with the group ride a little further than last year. Or maybe you (like me) just needed to get a ride under your belt in order to get started again. Today was my get started again ride.

I knew yesterday that I would ride today. No matter what. It was going to be cold and windy. But I had to ride. No matter what.

There was no plan today besides just riding. Dress warm, throw the leg over my trusty steed and ride. Knee and arm warmers, thermal skull cap, full-fingered gloves, toe covers and a vest did the trick. It kept me warm but the wind stunk. I already knew it would so it wasn’t too surprising to feel it pushing against me. I would not be deterred today.

The streets were quiet and the sun was low on the horizon. A few runners here and there and a couple cycling were the only other folks out braving the cold and wind. There was the guy walking his little ankle-biter dog that had a cute little dog sweater on. I didn’t ask him but I’m sure it was his wife’s (or girlfriend’s) dog. That’s what I would have said.

About an hour later the ride came to a close. It meant the 2012 riding season had started.

Everyman’s Everest

Bryan — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 16:34:11 +0000

A few weeks ago I interviewed David Mills as we discussed his new book, The Distance, and what drove him to complete his first Ironman Triathlon. He’s back with a guest post today where he talks about finishing his second Ironman this past weekend.

My favorite thing about Ironman triathlons is the simple fact that anybody can do one…seriously. It doesn’t take a unique skill or ability like throwing a 95 mph fastball or being able to dunk a basketball. You don’t have to be strong, tall, fast, smart, or even very coordinated. All it really takes is an attitude that says, “I will not quit.” Let’s face it, none of us are going to get called up to the major leagues. We’ll never play in the Super Bowl, or get drafted into the NBA. But there’s almost nothing keeping you from becoming an Ironman! I’ve personally seen a blind man, a woman in a wheelchair, an amputee, and a 74 year old man cross the Ironman finish line! It’s a larger-than-life moment that anyone can accomplish.

Last Sunday I crossed the Ironman finish line for my second time. It was a completely different experience in many ways from the first Ironman I completed in 2009. This time around there wasn’t any curiosity or sense of wonderment. I knew exactly how long and difficult the day would be. This time it wasn’t a question of “Can I do this?”. It was now a question of “Can I do this faster?”. And I knew that finishing the bike ride didn’t really mean that I was almost done. Being my second-time around didn’t make it any easier. My feet cramped up on the bike, my legs tried to quit on me during the run, and at times it took everything I had just to keep from throwing up.

David and family at the Louisville Ironman finish

But as I swam, biked, and ran through Louisville this year, the biggest and best difference was the fact that my wife, Kerry and our two sons were there to cheer me on. When I first became an Ironman in 2009 we lived in Okinawa, Japan, and they weren’t able to travel with me to Louisville for the race. They were such a huge part of my training and support that I knew something was missing as I crossed the finish line 9,000 miles away from them.

This year was different though; they were right there with me! Yelling and ringing those signature Ironman cowbells, my family encouraged and fueled me throughout the race with their cheers. The road trip, the race, and the room service brought us closer together as a family. I doubt that my kids will forget staying up way beyond their bedtime to stand in the streets with the cheering crowd and hear the announcer declare their dad an Ironman. But more importantly, I hope they learned that they don’t have to be the fastest, or the tallest, or become all-star athletes to accomplish something great. All they really have to do is never give up.

David Mills is the author of The Distance: An Average Joe’s Path to Balancing Family, Work & Triathlon. His book is now available on Amazon and you can follow David at www.Facebook.com/TheDistanceBook or visit The Distance Book for more information.

Time To Update My 2011 Mileage Goal

Bryan — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:15:33 +0000

Back in January I set some goals to help me stay motivated through the year. During today’s morning ride before work I broke my mileage goal for the year. It feels so good to be meeting my goals and hopefully it’ll inspire you to continue working towards yours.

The goal I broke today was riding 2000 miles for the year. After this mornings ride I’m currently sitting at 2014 miles for the year. When I set that 2000 mile goal back in January I took into account how much I had ridden last year and added some onto it. Knowing that I would be training for the Tour de Cure in the beginning part of the year I figured I would break 2000 but not quite so early in the year. August isn’t even over and I’ve got four more months of riding left thanks to the mild fall and winters here in Northern Florida.

2011 Mileage Jan-Aug

The year started off great when training for the Tour de Cure and it saw me put in quite a few miles during the first five months of the year. Over the last two months the mileage tapered off and really went into the toilet the last few weeks. Then the Just Ride post happened and I’ve started to see a resurgence in my riding and mileage over the last two weeks. Last week I put in 116 miles (with my best group ride ever last Saturday) and already have 44 miles logged this week after two days of riding. In other words, my riding is on the upswing, I’ve met my 2011 mileage goal, and I need to set a new target.

I’m still working on what my new mileage goal will be. In fact, I’ve been thinking about having two mileage goals I want to meet before the end of the year. One will be a total mileage for 2011 goal and another is a monthly mileage goal. Like I said, I’ll post about those two new goals very soon once I do some math and come up with something realistic.

Thanks to all my readers, followers, and fans for the support so far. I couldn’t have done it without your help.

I want to know how many of you have a mileage goal for the year and how you’re doing at meeting that goal.

PhotoC: Alex_Pink

Just Ride

Bryan — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:27:14 +0000

The last few weeks I’ve struggled both on and off the bike. I was in one of those down periods that we all experience from time-to-time and it was affecting my riding more than anything. Prior to this week my weekly riding mileage was on the decline with totals of 58, 45, and 35 over the last three weeks.

I knew I needed to ride more but was struggling to get out of bed in the morning to get it done. It seemed like I was tired each morning or was just too lazy to get my butt out of bed and get it done. It was becoming too easy to just try and get one or two weekday rides plus the Saturday group ride. I was in a downward spiral and I knew it.

This past weekend I got my weekly email from my nutritionist Kelli. I explained to her what was going on and she had this to say:

Sometimes, you have to force motivation by just taking action.

She had other things to say but that sentence really hit me. I was struggling to find the motivation to get going again. I was trying to find it but couldn’t. After reading the sentence above it made perfect sense. I just needed to take action to get started again. No detailed training plan, no motivational video, no pep talk.

Just ride.

So that’s what I did this week. I made a commitment to ride 100 total miles for the week.

Tuesday through Friday I rolled out of bed, got kitted up and rode. No worrying about what interval set I was going to do. No worrying about what time I got done.

Just ride.

I put in about 21 miles each morning before work this week. Tuesday and Wednesday weren’t great. Thursday was better. This morning was awesome!

It felt so good to get in the 85 miles I have as of this morning. Tomorrow’s group ride will put me over the 100 mile mark for the week. I’m hoping meeting this short-term goal will help kick start my training again.

Are you struggling to get your riding done? Having a hard time following the eating plan? If so, maybe you need to just take action.

Just ride.

PhotoC: Gorka Montiel

Interview with David Mills – Author of The Distance

Bryan — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:00:04 +0000

Today I have a special treat in the form of an interview. David Mills has written The Distance where he talks about his quest to complete an Ironman Triathlon after watching two friends accomplish this amazing feat. Most importantly, David isn’t a professional triathlete. He trained while balancing the demands of being a husband, father, and Officer in the military. In other words, he has a life like most of us do. His book is geared to help the Average Joe complete an Ironman. You can place a pre-order at The Distance Book.

BTL: Completing an endurance event like an Ironman Triathlon takes goals. Did you have a strategy involving short and long term goals in order to succeed?

David: It’s so extremely vital to set multiple small goals in your triathlon training, that I really can’t emphasize it enough. A 140.6 mile triathlon is far too daunting; it’s got to be broken down into smaller, more manageable goals.

For example, during the marathon, I viewed it as simply doing a one mile run – 26 times. I knew I could always run just one more mile. And with aid stations located at every mile marker, it was easy to mentally run to the next aid station.

BTL: I’ve written posts before about balancing training time and family time. How did you do it?

David: Balancing training with real life can be hectic and messy if not approached properly, and this is really the cornerstone of my new book. Most of us are not pro athletes with a masseuse and a chef and 30 hours a week to train. Most of us have already hectic lives that we’ll need to work our training around, but I promise it can be done. I bet we never ask how people find time to watch so many movies or take up scrapbooking, or how people find the time for Facebook and Playstation while having a family and a job, yet with every new invention we are somehow able to balance more and more. Truthfully, we have a lot more time than we realize once we get our priorities in order. I put my family first, job second, triathlon third. The only thing that might suffer during your training is Twitter and the latest season of Entourage.

My book talks more about the creative ways I found to balance family and training and make my first Ironman a fun experience for the whole family.

BTL: Do you have any tips in on learning to balance training and work?

David: Our job can certainly throw a lot of wrenches into our training. With long hours, coming in on weekends, and going on business trips we have to stay flexible in our training. Sometimes I had to get up early to workout. Other times I had to workout late or squeeze in a swim during lunchtime.

When our job sends us on the road it’s not the time to go for setting any new personal records, but rather to maintain what we’ve already got.

By packing your running shoes and by finding the hotel fitness room, we can get through these trips without suffering a setback.

BTL: Deciding to participate in an Ironman is a huge commitment. Did you have any fear or hesitation about signing up?

David: In my book I talk about the decision to sign up for an Ironman and the day you click “submit” on your online application being as anxiety producing as the race day itself. Deciding to take the plunge and embark on your Ironman journey is a life-changing moment. But if you have that gut feeling that you need to find out if you can do it or not, then you need to go for it. Like Teddy Roosevelt said, It’s better to fail while daring greatly than be one of those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

BTL: How did you find time to swim, bike and run every week?

David: One thing that separates my book from all the others is that I know you don’t have much time to train each week. Some weeks I was barely able to squeeze in two or three workouts. Most times I managed to do one bike, one swim, one run, and if there was time for a fourth workout, it would be a bike/run combination. Most of my swims took place on my lunch break and my long rides were always on the weekend. It can definitely be done. Tens of thousands of people do it every year – you can do it too!

BTL: I’m just a cyclist (and most of my readers are too), will your book help me?

David: The real bulk of an Ironman is spent on the bike, so as a cyclist, then you’ve already got the advantage and your transition to triathlons will be easier than for most people. The swim only takes 1 or 2 hours, the run will take most of us 4 to 6 hours, but the 112 mile bike ride can take up to 8 hours! But unlike swimming, biking, or running, triathlon is not three individual events. It’s one event that combines all three disciplines without a break in between so you cannot approach it simply as a bike ride with a swim and run surrounding it. You can’t ride the bike portion in the same all-out way you’d race a century. You’ve got to hold back and save something for the run. You’re nutrition and caloric intake while on the bike will also be different from regular cycling, because you don’t want to be on empty when you get off the bike. My book is definitely NOT written to triathletes. It’s written to folks who’ve maybe done a half or full marathon, or who bike on the weekends and are thinking about going for something new and big.

BTL: Since you’re in the military I’m sure you had some unique training challenges. Can you give us an example and what you did to over come it?

David: Oh boy, could I ever! I just returned this week from a 4-month deployment to the Middle East. When I found out I was deploying I registered for another Ironman and I packed my bike into a travel case to take with me. Training for an Ironman while deployed is one of the harder things I’ve attempted in life (I don’t discuss this in my book at all, because it just happened so recently). But I was living in a trailer park in the desert and flying long missions every other day. On my days off, I would cycle on my indoor trainer for 4,5 or 6 hours. It was brutal. I’m competing in the Louisville Ironman on August 28th, so I’ll find out then if all that indoor cycling paid off.

BTL: Your Christian faith plays a big role in your life. How did it help you train for and complete your first Ironman?

David: The funny thing about that is – my Christian faith and Ironman training both seemed to develop together. As a Christian, I tend to see God in everything, that is to say I see whatever happens (or doesn’t happen) as part of God’s will. It won’t always make sense to us because we don’t see the whole picture, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one.

One pivotal moment for me in the course of my training was when a friend recommended that I listen to an Andy Stanley podcast. Normally, I dismiss all such recommendations. But this advice came from the right person at just the right time, and so I started listening to Stanley’s North Point Ministries podcast whenever I went for a run. Ironman training with it’s long hours running and cycling on the road gives you plenty of time to think or listen to something productive. God used both the training and the podcasts to help me out both physically as well as spiritually.

BTL: What was your biggest source of inspiration to push through and complete the Ironman?

David: That’s a tough question because I had so many great sources of inspiration. There were family and friends who inspired me for sure. There were great inspirational quotes (like Al Pacino’s speech in Any Given Sunday). And there were my two little boys looking up to me saying, “You can do it, Daddy!” But I think that deep down in the heart of everyone competing in an Ironman triathlon the biggest source of inspiration is all the other Ironmen out there. I see a person cross the finish line and I think that if they can do it, then I can do it to. I love the quote, “What one man can do, another can do.” Before I ever even contemplated doing an Ironman I watched two friends compete in the Madison, Wisconsin Ironman. As I stood at the finish line watching all the people finish their race I was so deeply moved that I knew I had to test myself to see if I could do it too. Just knowing that others have done it – inspired me to do it too!

BTL: Was all the training and sacrifice worth it?

David: Ironman might be one of the few things in this life that is actually more than it’s cracked up to be. It’s a runner’s high that you never really come down from. I tried to get that euphoric sense of accomplishment by running a marathon, but at the end of the day I felt sort of let down. It was anticlimactic. After all, every celebrity, president, and talk show host has run a marathon it seems. But an Ironman is different. It’s completely insane, for starters. Just finishing the monster of a race earns you the title “Ironman.” And along with motorcycle gangs and military units, Ironman finishers get tattoos to mark their accomplishment. Taking that first, scary plunge to register for an Ironman is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! I can’t wait to cross the finish line again at the end of this month!

David Mills is the author of The Distance: An Average Joe’s Path to Balancing Family, Work & Triathlon (Coming this August!). Pre-order your copy at www.TheDistanceBook.com and follow David at www.Facebook.com/TheDistanceBook as he trains for his 2nd Ironman.

Can Bad Rides Be Good Rides?

Bryan — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:30:16 +0000

The last couple of weeks have seen me have Saturday shop rides at both ends of the spectrum. Good and bad. I detailed in on of my recent posts about how awesome of a ride I had Saturday before last. The ride this past Saturday wasn’t nearly as awesome. In fact, it downright sucked for a few miles. The stats at the end of the ride told the real story though.

A couple Saturdays ago I had one of my best experiences riding in the shop group ride. Everything seemed to click, I got a lot of pulling time in, and I had learned the route good enough to be able to rejoin the group after stopping to help someone. It was an awesome ride.

This past Saturday saw me doing the same shop ride with a lot of the same folks. Everything started out great and I got a good pull in within the first five or six miles. At about mile eight though things started to unravel. My energy levels dropped off and I couldn’t maintain the 19-20 mph pace anymore. In fact, I was struggling to keep it at 17. I wound up getting dropped but eventually was able to re-join three other riders at a stoplight. After another mile or two I decided to go ahead and suck down a Hammer Gel at the 50 minute point of the ride. My energy levels came back up and I was able to finish the ride strong. I didn’t feel too great though knowing that I had been dropped from the main group and knew my numbers were going to be worse than the week prior.

How did I know my numbers were bad? Because my mind and body told me so. A funny thing happened after I got home though. After logging my ride data on Dailymile I noticed that the number seemed familiar. I looked back at the previous weeks number and was surprised to find them very similar. Here they are:

Date	Distance	Time	Pace
4-Jun-11	26.98 miles	1:30:42	17.8 mph
11-Jun-11	24.27 miles	1:25:03	17.1 mph
% Difference	5 %	6 %	4 %

As you can see, the difference between the two rides isn’t that much but I expected the numbers for the second ride to be much, much worse. Yes, the second ride was slower but not by the factor I was expecting.

So, why did I expect that second ride to be worse? Here are a couple of ideas:

I got dropped. On the first ride I was able to stay with the group for the entire ride. That alone allowed me to ride further, and at a faster pace, because I was able to reap the benefits of drafting. The second ride I rode a decent chunk solo until i was able to re-group. That had me feeling that my numbers were going to be dismal.
I had to fuel early. I had gotten into a routine of not fueling until the one hour point of my rides so me sucking down that gel at the 50 minute mark was telling me that my body didn’t have it that day. I believe taking that gel is what helped me recover quicker and finish the ride strong and save a little face.

So, I guess you could say that our mind likes to play tricks on us. I was certain that my second ride was much worse but in actuality it wasn’t far off from the first. While I thought I was having a bad ride, I was actually still having a good one.

Have you experienced this in your riding?

PhotoC: Shayne July

Four Tips to Overcoming Group Ride Fears

Bryan — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:31:55 +0000

Saturday morning was kind of a big milestone for me in that I made myself go ride what I consider my first local bike shop group ride. I know that may sound crazy to some of you but I’ve been putting this off for a while and I’m not sure why. Actually, I do know and I’ll explain.

First, let me explain why I consider this my first local bike shop group ride. I did a group ride last year with one of the local bicycle clubs and we started from a restaurant vice at a local bike shop. About three weeks ago I did a group ride that started from a local bike shop but was actually a group training ride for the Tour de Cure. There was a big turnout for that ride so I don’t consider that a good example of a typical Saturday morning shop ride. Two days ago I got up the courage and showed up at one of the local stores to do the normal Saturday morning group ride. I’m glad I did.

The Fear of the Group Ride

I think showing up and riding with a group can be a big hurdle for newer cyclists to get over. Why? Because of the unknowns. Will you be welcomed? Will you get dropped by mile five? Can you handle riding in close proximity with others? Is it OK to not have carbon wheels or a full team kit? And so on. Not knowing stuff like that can be a big deterrent in not showing up.

There’s the social aspect too. Let’s face it, cyclists not only ride in packs but we socialize in packs as well. All the regulars know each other and easily form into groups to catch up or smack talk before the ride. When a new person shows up it can be a little overwhelming to try and break into those social groups because you don’t know anyone.

Then you take somebody like me. The overweight cyclist. I’m not a new cyclist but showing up to ride was still a problem for me because I felt my weight would be a hindrance to both me and the group. I didn’t want to slow down the group but didn’t want to get dropped early on either. I don’t fit the typical cyclists physical profile and Saturdays ride was the same. Are there heavy cyclists that do these rides? Sure, but I needed to get over letting my weight hold me back.

So, early last week I had decided I wasn’t going to let it hold me back anymore and I was going to show up for a Saturday morning ride at a local bike shop. And that’s what I did.

My LBS Group Ride Experience

I got up early and headed down to the shop and arrived around 7 AM. There were already a couple of cars there when I showed up but nobody was out getting their bikes ready so I decided to sit tight. A few minutes later a shop employee showed up, along with a few other folks, and he opened up the shop. More folks gradually arrived over the next 20 minutes and we departed at around 7:30 after it started to get lighter outside.

I rode with a small group that totaled four of us. Me, Jeff (a shop employee), and two women. One of the women was an experienced cyclist but had only ridden the trainer so far this year. She was in shape though. The other was on her second ride ever on her road bike. A larger group of about ten riders took off at a faster pace and I didn’t see them again.

The four of us rode the next 22 miles at a comfortable avg pace of 15 mph. The new rider needed lots of help and Jeff, the shop employee, stayed with her the entire time to help coach her along. The other lady and I rode at varying paces often pulling ahead of the other two and then easily spinning until they caught up. About 3/4 of the way complete the new rider settled in and we rode as a group the rest of the way.

Overall, I had a great time even though I didn’t ride as far or as fast as I wanted to. In hindsight, I probably should have tried to ride with the faster group but, this being my first ride with them, I wanted to see what I was getting myself into first and stayed with the slow group. I felt really, really good before and during the ride and think it had something to do with modifying my pre-ride routine slightly with regards to eating. I’m going to save that for a post later this week but wanted to give a big shout out to Kelli of Apex Nutrition for helping me fine tune it on Friday.

Seeing Improvement

One thing that I believe I can honestly say is that I may be stronger on the bike than I’m giving myself credit for. I know that sounds cheeky but let me explain. Since I started riding in January, and began the Tour de Cure trainig plan last month, I’ve continued to struggle with my weight loss. I’m seeing my weight go down just to bounce right back up. It does appear to be trending downward though. My clothes are certainly fitting better.

One area that I’ve seen vast improvement in is my cycling. I feel like I’m getting strong every week and seem to have better endurance. During the ride on Saturday I was easily able to pull our small group along at 18 or 19 mph. After the ride I didn’t feel like I had ridden at all. Below is a graph showing my average speeds since starting on January 4 through Saturday’s ride. The trend line shows how my average pace is trending up and has increased 2.0 mph since January. I’m seeing more rides in the 15 mph range with a couple above 16 (one of which was solo). I had always considered 15 mph a big average pace barrier for me but it looks like I might be breaking through it.

My Average Speed Trend since January 4, 2011

Four Tips to Completing Your First Group Ride

So, what can you do to get over the fear of riding with the local bike shop for the first time? Here’s some tips:

Talk to the shop. I called the shop this past week and spoke to the guys who lead the ride. They put me at ease and answered all of the questions I had with regards to pace, mileage, number of cyclists, and so on. I mentioned a shop guy by the name of Jeff earlier. The second time I called (yes, I called twice to discuss the ride) I spoke with him and he volunteered to ride with me for whatever distance and pace I was comfortable with. If you could visit the shop before showing up for the ride I’d recommend that too.
Find the right ride. If you’re new to group riding you can’t expect to go with the hammerheads on your first ride. You won’t have the endurance and will get dropped like a bad habit. If you don’t have group riding experience you’ll need to find a ride that caters to the beginner so you can learn. The one I rode on Saturday was such a ride which was perfect for the lady who was new.
Forget about the weight. I mean both bike weight and your weight. Sure, other riders will have carbon bikes, carbon rims, and probably crap carbon but you don’t need carbon to ride with them. Don’t worry about your weight. It may surprise you to find out how many others in the group were just like you at one point and getting out there to ride was what helped them get stronger and lose the weight.
Deal with the fear. Eventually, you’ll just have to face whatever fear you have and do it. If you’ve talked to the shop, found the right ride, and put your time in on the bike, you should have an easier time of dealing with it and getting out there. It’s all going to come down to you making the decision. What’s holding you back?

Anybody have some other tips for new or overweight cyclists wanting to try their first local bike shop group ride?

PhotoC: robohit

The Big Four Zero

Bryan — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 13:45:57 +0000

I don’t write this post for the Happy Birthday comments. Instead, I’m going to ramble a bit about turning the big four zero and what it really means to me. Turning 40 is, apparently, a big deal with a lot of people. Kinda like when you turn 13, 18, 21, and so on. At 13 you’re officially a teenager. At 18 you can vote. At 21 you can drink legally. What do you get at 40? Besides a dose of reality and tacky birthday cards?

I guess it’s not much of a coincidence that I just heard on the TV that by the age of 40 we could look like a road map of pain. I resemble that statement. Over the last 20 years I’ve treated my body like a virtual amusement park. It might be a better description to say that I treated it like I was on the roller coaster to hell and it was a one-way trip. Binge eating, little to no exercise except when I was forced to by the military, steadily rising body fat, weight, and blood pressure. Shortness of breath at even the slightest amount of exertion and so on. A wonderful recipe for somebody wanting to push daisies at an early age.

Today I turned 40 and, like many people my age, reality has set in. It actually set in a while ago but turning 40 just reinforces it. Aches and pains aren’t going away, I’m not in very good shape, my diet is terrible, I’m overweight, and I’m on the exact road that my dad was on when he had his first heart attack at 45. That puts into into perspective. I had to change.

I’ve known this for a while which is why I started this blog back in 2008. I’ve made attempts at cycling to lose weight and get healthy. I’ve had some success but have always failed to make it a lifetime commitment. A life changing commitment. The times I’ve failed weren’t without lessons though as I’ve learned many things along the way. Most importantly, I’ve learned that I can’t make this commitment without going all in in all aspects of my life be it nutrition, exercise, rest, family, or whatever.

I set some very specific goals this year and aim to carry them out. I see them as a stepping stone to completely altering my body, life and soul during this 40th year. I didn’t want this year to turn out just like every other year I’ve made commitments to get into better shape. It goes OK for a while then things slowly go back to the way they were – no exercise, bad diet, and so on. This year is going to be different.

That’s why I set the goals I did back in January and committed to making this the year. The year I got on the bike early, stayed on it all year, and reaped the rewards. The year I got off my fat butt and completed that first century, raised money for a charity, and get out there with the groups on Saturday (as soon as I get a little more fitness).

Over the last 1.5 months I’ve seen some great improvements in my cycling and health. My pace is slowly creeping up, I’ve seen numbers on the scale that I thought had been deleted, and I’m feeling better. My clothes are fitting better. I’m eating better everyday but can still tighten up in the diet area. I’ve tried very hard to get more sleep every night but it’s hard to break old habits where I got by on 4 or 5 hours (or less) a night. Getting more sleep means much less xbox in the evening or none at all. Which is hard for me because it’s kind of my outlet at the end of the day (and a way to escape the insanity of living with four women and two female cats). Overall it’s been a good 1.5 months of change for the better in order to get ready for this day. I didn’t want to lose out on the first 1.5 months of the year and wait to start all this when I turned 40. With January and most of February behind me, I’ve established a good base to launch myself into the rest of the year.

I have a lot of people who read this blog for support in their own weight loss and fitness goals. Thank you. If I could leave you with one piece of advice, it would be this. Don’t wait. Don’t wait for a big milestone to kick start your journey towards a better, healthier life. If you’re struggling to make it happen, examine your life, focus on what needs to be changed, set some realistic goals, talk with your spouse or significant other to get their support, and get help if you need it whether in the form of a training partner, coach, or mentor.

Let me leave you with a short story. This weekend my wife and girls headed down to visit her sister about 1.5 hours south of where we live. On Sunday morning my wife needed to go out to the store and came upon a group of cyclists who were taking a rest at the local supermarket. She described them as a group of cool guys out for their Sunday morning ride. One had a Wheaties jersey while another had Livestrong jersey (she could easily recognize those two). She talked to them and their ages ranged from early 30s to a guy who was around 60. She texted me all this and I told her that was cool. Then I told her I hope I’m still riding at the age of 60.

I really feel like I threw away the last 20 years of my life when it comes to my body and physical accomplishments. I don’t want the next 20 years to be the same. I want them to be better than the last 20. And you should too. Make the change. I did.

PhotoC: kathybragg

I’m Riding the Jax Tour de Cure

Bryan — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:43:33 +0000

I mentioned this the other day in my New Year, New Goals post (it’s goal #2). Why the Tour de Cure? I’m glad you asked.

Why the Tour de Cure?

For those of you that don’t know, the Tour de Cure is a series of fundraising cycling events held in 43 states nationwide to benefit the American Diabetes Association (ADA). It’s a ride, not a race, with events for every rider. Noob to seasoned veteran. The funds raised by the Tour de Cure go to support the mission of the ADA. From the Tour de Cure website:

Last year, more than 50,000 cyclists in 80 Tour events raised nearly $17 million to support the mission of the ADA: to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

Personally, I’m riding the Tour de Cure and raising money for the ADA because diabetes has impacted both mine and my wife’s families. My mother, sister, and an uncle all have Type 2. My wife has several family members on her side of the family that are impacted by this disease. With diabetes impacting our family so much, I thought riding to raise money to support the ADA would be a good thing to do. And it’ll be good for me.

What this will do for me

There are several benefits to riding the Tour de Cure. They are:

I’m doing a good thing. Raising money for a great cause is always good.

It helps me get into better shape. Signing up for this ride is going to force me to ride my bike. I’m going to have to train hard to get in shape by May 21, 2011; the day of the ride.

I’m going all-in and will ride the 100 mile Challenge Century. This will complete goal #3 on my 2011 goals so I’m getting a two-for-one. I’ve got 18 weeks to get my big butt in shape. Easily doable considering what I dd in 2009 when I was training for my first century.

The training will help me lose the weight which is goal #4.

As you can see, I’ve given this a lot of thought and planned my 2011 goals in order take advantage of events like this.

Call to Action

I registered for the Tour de Cure today. But registration only puts me on the hook to begin fundraising. To be able to ride I must raise $150. I think that’s a great goal but I’m setting the bar at $500. I think that’s an achievable goal plus, if I raise $500, I can get a commemorative white jersey. If I can get to $2400 there’s a commemorative yellow jersey in it for me.

So I need your help. If you can spare anything, I’d appreciate you clicking on the link below that will take you to my donation page and make a donation. Only donate what you think you can spare and don’t give anything if you can’t. No hard feelings if you can’t. I totally understand. If you can’t donate (or even if you did), I ask that you push this post to your social web (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, etc.) for maximum exposure. It would be very much appreciated. You can quickly share this post by clicking on the icons below.

Here’s the link to my fundraising page:

http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/JacksonvilleArea?px=6483232&pg=personal&fr_id=7572

Thank you.

P.S. – If I was a totally cool celebrity blogger, like Fat Cyclist, I’d have some awesome products to give away in order to get donations. I don’t have anything at the moment but you never know.