And so it goes...

Yes- for those keeping score, I fell asleep again last night before I could get on the rollers. There... I admit; I'm getting old. Time for dinner at 4:00, re-runs of Matlock and Murder She Wrote and bed by 9:00. I guess it's all down hill from here... well, until the baby is born.

So, umm, yeah... I was asleep by 9:00, but at least this time I managed to make it to my bedroom first. My neck was killing me, so I tried to lie on the bed with my head hanging to the side- turns out that was kinda comfortable. Oh well.

Today I took my daughter to her dance and guitar lessons- the punkin is too damned cute! Her mother is the one who has set up both the dance and guitar lessons, so I can not take any credit for being anything other than a chauffeur and bystander. Still, it's amazingly cute to watch a room full of 5-9yr old girls doing tap and jazz dance. How I don't get caught giggling is beyond me.

Ann went swimming before the classes, so after we got home from the lessons, I hopped on the bike for a 2hr-ish ride. The weather is starting to turn, since there are storms coming, so the wind was a little bit of a factor... though not that much. The skies were cool and grey, so the temp was beginning to drop as I headed out around 2:00. My legs felt ok- the power was there when I was trying to push the pedals, but I never felt very good overall. My heart rate was consistently too high and I always felt a bit short of breath. Just felt "off" the entire time. My neck and shoulders were unhappy, the cardio systems was wonky... but the legs didn't seem to mind the work. So, who knows... we'll see what happens tomorrow morning when I get out again. Stats; 1:56:32, 17.6av/33.9mx MPH, 34.33mi, 75av/128mx RPM- HR was somehow lost... but the numbers were not favorable anyway. It was nice that I didn't feel even worse after 2 days of not riding and the little bit of leg weights I did yesterday. Maybe I'll survive after all... maybe.

I began the day around 207lbs and was down to 203.8 after the ride. Still not close to my fighting weight... but closer than I was a few weeks ago!

Tim

How did this happen?

I hopped on one of my bikes yesterday and rode for a little over an hour for the first time in a month. I had been riding for only about a week before this last "hiatus" after coming off another 3 week ride stoppage, thanks to injury and sickness. I think in the past 3+ months, I've gotten a grand total of 2.5 to 3 weeks of riding in. Ugh...

Today, at work, I rode again for a little less than an hour... and it was easily one of the most painful rides I've had in a very long time. The combined loss of fitness from the past few months has really taken a toll. I dare say, I'm in worse shape than I was when I came back from my crash over a year ago. Granted, the night of the crash I was actually feeling quite fit... but I came back from near death in better shape than I am in right now! Again- ugh...

Thing is, these past two days of really lackluster riding have helped me realize how much I love my bikes and how much I have missed them. I hate being so out of shape and so overweight (by my standards), but I love to ride. I'm looking forward to losing weight, regaining fitness and then hopefully getting back to racing in 2010. It's time to get on the USA Cycling website and buy my racing license and try to figure out how I'm going to find enough time to train. The bruised ego is still smaller than the desire to get out there and race. It's humbling to now be pack fill, but I sure do spend a lot of time smiling at the back of the group.

I won't be fat and outta shape forever- that much I know. So here's a call to all my fellow "wanna get back in shape" friends; let's make it happen in 2010. We'll support each other, share our experiences, offer help, advice and encouragement... and we'll enjoy riding our bikes.

What say you?

Tim