My Rides

Radagast the Beige-and-Black, visiting the Soviet-era diesel sub Scorpion and the Queen Mary, in Long Beach CA, 11-23-08:


Orion, at the Corral Rest Area on the Santa Ana River Trail (SART), 12-28-08:
ETA: Orion is a Bianchi Premio, in a luscious dark green that could be called "Bottle Green."

N+1

On BikeForums.net, N= the number of bicycles a person owns. N+1, then, is a new acquisition. I achieved that today when one of the BFers gave me a bike his wife no longer rides. It's a road bike, complete with drop bars (those curved handlebars that have you hunched over and looking like Igor from Young Frankenstein), and a fancier computer than I had put on Radagast the Beige-and-Black. It's a dark green, somewhere around a '97 or '98, they think, and I'm not sure which model it is. Pics to follow later, after I download them out of the camera. I'd give you a link to the BF threads where the bike is shown, but you have to log in to see any pics. No name yet, though "Kermit," "Vulcan," and "Spock" are under consideration. Please don't even think "Green Monster" in this Angels fan's direction!!! Or maybe "Orion." The test ride ended up being nearly 28 miles, and if it hadn't been for the cold wind coming down the canyon, it might well have been longer. The next step will be more comfortable handlebars (which means new brake levers and cables), a frame pump (and I really should have some kind of portable pump for Radagast), a tail light (at the minimum), a handlebar bag, and another bottle cage. At least some of that will use up the rest of the GC from the bike store. And, of course, a Rat Fink bell.

Another Catch-Up Post

2008, Week 47
Monday, November 17: Home treadmill for 1.8 miles.
Tuesday, November 18: Home treadmill for 1.81miles.
Wednesday, November 19: Home treadmill for 2.151 miles.
Thursday, November 20: Home treadmill for 1.801 miles.
Friday, November 21: Rest day.
Saturday, November 22: Home treadmill for 2.029 miles.
Sunday, November 23: Home treadmill for 1.0 mile; bike ride for 35.5 miles.

2008, Week 48
Monday, November 24: Home treadmill for 1.282 miles.
Tuesday, November 25: Nothing. Karma cold.
Wednesday, November 26: Nothing.
Thursday, November 27: Nothing.
Friday, November 28: Nothing.
Saturday, November 29: Bike ride for 3.67 miles.
Sunday, November 30: Bike ride for 15.21 miles.

2008, Week 49
Monday, December 1: Nothing.
Tuesday, December 2: Home treadmill for .83 miles.
Wednesday, December 3: Nothing.
Thursday, December 4: Bike ride for 13.19 miles.
Friday, December 5: Nothing.
Saturday, December 6: Bike ride for 21.16 miles.
Sunday, December 7: Home treadmill for 1.505 miles; bike ride for 23.95 miles.

2008, Week 50
Monday, December 8: Home treadmill for 1.808 miles.
Tuesday, December 9: Home treadmill for 1.41 miles; bike ride for 5.23 miles.
Wednesday, December 10: Bike ride for 20.08 miles.
Thursday, December 11: Bike ride for 21.01 miles.
Friday, December 12: Home treadmill for 1.375 miles; elliptical for 3.88 miles.
Saturday, December 13: Nothing.
Sunday, December 14: Make Room for Santa 5K for 3.5 miles.

2008, Week 51
Monday, December 15: Elliptical for 3.63 miles.
Tuesday, December 16: Home treadmill for 1.276 miles.
Wednesday, December 17: Home treadmill for 1.414 miles; elliptical for 2.44 miles; full strength-training circuit.
Thursday, December 18: Home treadmill for 1.8 miles; 1 hour of Pilates; elliptical for 1.83 miles.
Friday, December 19: Home treadmill for 1.8 miles.
Saturday, December 20: Home treadmill for 1.756 miles.
Sunday, December 21: Combined home treadmill and walking a flatted bike: 3.118 miles; bike ride for 20.43 miles.

Total Distance since November 16: 234.51
Distance from Bag End: 3889.437
Distance to Minas Tirith: 139.563

Falling Behind Again

I had the Make Room for Santa 5K this morning, and while I didn't PR, I'm feeling pretty good about the event. After all, I spent something like 4 of the last 6 weeks sick and unable to do much training. It was freaking cold out there! When I turned on the windshield washer option on the wipers to clear the dew from the windshield, the washer fluid froze!

ETA: That 58:30 was "gun" time. Had I realized before the start of the event that it wasn't chip-timed, I might have tried to remember to take my HRM, which IIRC has a stop watch function. But then, I think my brain was frozen, since I remembered to grab a jacket but completely forgot my arm warmers!

Catch Up!

2008, Week Forty-Two
Monday, October 13: Rest day.
Tuesday, October 14: Home treadmill for 1.525 miles; no bike ride for; no after-work Y visit.
Wednesday, October 15: Home treadmill for 1.801 miles; no bike ride for; no after-work Y visit.
Thursday, October 16: Home treadmill for 1.851 miles; bike ride for 5.78 miles; no after-work Y visit.
Friday, October 17: Home treadmill for 2.003 miles; bike ride for 6.61 miles; no after-work Y visit on Friday.
Saturday, October 18: Home treadmill for 3.123 miles; no bike ride; no Y visit.
Sunday, October 19: No home treadmill; bike ride for 30.01 miles; no Y visit.

2008, Week Forty-Three
Monday, October 20: Sore throat.
Tuesday, October 21: Sore throat.
Wednesday, October 22: Sore throat.
Thursday, October 23: Sore throat.
Friday, October 24: Snotty nose.
Saturday, October 25: Snotty nose.
Sunday, October 26: Snotty nose.

2008, Week Forty-Four
Monday, October 27: Snotty nose.
Tuesday, October 28: Snotty nose.
Wednesday, October 29: Snotty nose recovery.
Thursday, October 30: Snotty nose recovery.
Friday, October 31: Snotty nose recovery.
Saturday, November 1: Errands.
Sunday, November 2: No home treadmill; bike ride for 17.26 miles; no Y visit.

2008, Week Forty-Five
Monday, November 3: Home treadmill for 1.531 miles; no bike ride; no after-work Y visit.
Tuesday, November 4: Home treadmill for 2.214 miles; no bike ride because I had to vote for Obama and against h8; no after-work Y visit because I was watching the returns.
Wednesday, November 5: Home treadmill for 1.9 miles; bike ride for 5.18 miles; no after-work Y visit.
Thursday, November 6: Home treadmill for 1.832 miles; no bike ride; no after-work Y visit.
Friday, November 7: Home treadmill for 2.001 miles; bike ride for 5.22 miles; no after-work Y visit on Friday.
Saturday, November 8: no home treadmill; no bike ride; no Y visit.
Sunday, November 9: no home treadmill; bike ride for 44.40 miles; no Y visit.

2008, Week Forty-Six
Monday, November 10: no home treadmill; no bike ride; no after-work Y visit.
Tuesday, November 11: no home treadmill; no bike ride; no after-work Y visit.
Wednesday, November 12: no home treadmill; no bike ride; no after-work Y visit.
Thursday, November 13: no home treadmill; no bike ride; no after-work Y visit.
Friday, November 14: Home treadmill for 1.806 miles; bike ride for 5.23 miles; no after-work Y visit on Friday.
Saturday, November 15: no home treadmill; no bike ride; no Y visit.
Sunday, November 16: no home treadmill; bike ride for 43.15 miles; no Y visit.

Total distance since October 12: 184.427
Distance from Bag End: 3654.927
Distance to Minas Tirith: 374.073
Last Friday morning's weigh-in showed a three-pound (!!!!) drop from the previous week. In spite of a total slugitude week!

2008, Week Forty-One

Monday, October 6: Home treadmill for 1.601 miles; bike ride for 2.61 miles; no after-work Y visit.
Tuesday, October 7: No walk today because I had to be at work really early. After-work bike ride for 10.18 miles; no after-work Y visit
Wednesday, October 8: Home treadmill for 1.917 miles; bike ride for 6.14 miles; no after-work Y visit.
Thursday, October 9: Home treadmill for 2.003 miles; bike ride for 6.21 miles; no after-work Y visit.
Friday, October 10: Home treadmill for 2.010 miles; bike ride for 5.44 miles; no Y visit.
Saturday, October 11: Home treadmill for 3.302 miles; no bike ride; no Y visit.
Sunday, October 12: No walk today; bike ride for 40.62 miles; no Y visit.

Total distance for the week: 82.033
Distance from Bag End: 3470.5
Arrived in Minas Tirith with Gandalf and Pippin, then popped back to Isengard to journey to Minas Tirith with Merry.
Distance to Minas Tirith: 558.5

Left work earlier than usual on Monday because I had to be at work 5+ hours earlier than usual on Tuesday, so that's why no Y visit on Monday and no walk on Tuesday. Having my schedule whomped like that threw me off the whole week, and I just kept going straight home from work and hitting the sack earlier than usual. It's also been really windy these last few days, and that's made the rides less than their usual pleasure, which is the reason I skipped the Saturday ride. At least I did well for the Kick the Couch 5K, going a bit past 5K, although the time isn't all that great. But then, I wasn't doing it for the time, just the distance. The wind has been pretty cold, so this morning I pulled on my cycle tights and discovered the fit isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I wore them for the whole ride today, although I did finally take off my windbreaker. I think I'll be able to use them for the Surf City 5K, too, if it's cold like this year's was.

It's also looking like we won't be doing that Tri after all.

Obligated Now

I registered for the Surf City 5K this morning. I hope it doesn't rain this time.

2008, Week Forty, September Recap

Monday, September 29: Home treadmill for 1.411 miles; no bike ride; no after-work Y visit.
Tuesday, September 30: Home treadmill for 1.665 miles; bike ride for 6.18 miles; no after-work Y visit.
Wednesday, October 1: Home treadmill for 1.516 miles; bike ride for 5.23 miles; no after-work Y visit.
Thursday, October 2: Home treadmill for 1.613 miles; no bike ride; no after-work Y visit.
Friday, October 3: Home treadmill for 1.751 miles; bike ride for 6.21 miles; no after-work Y visit because it’s Friday.
Saturday, October 4: Home treadmill for 3.3 miles; no bike ride or Y visit today because it was All-Day Open Stitch Class at the LNS.
Sunday, October 5: Today turned into a rest day, and that’s probably a good thing, since I haven’t had a full rest day since September 22.

Total distance for the week: 28.846
Distance from Bag End: 3388.467
Distance to Minas Tirith: 62.533

September Recap:
Walk: 46.898 (August: 43.165) +3.733
Bike: 198.80 (August: 256.92) -58.12 (7 days in a row off the bike during my FanFest vacation really shows here!)
Elliptical: 7.39 (August: 11.41) -4.02 (and the only times I hit the elliptical were on my FanFest vacation!)
Strength-Training: 3 times (August: 6 times) -3 times

October Goals: Improve each category—which should be fairly easy since I don’t have any vacations planned for October!

I bought a scale on Thursday morning (when I skipped the morning bike ride) for use at home. I've decided on weekly weigh-ins, and getting to the gym doesn't always work out. Also, having a scale at home allows me to not only weigh myself consistently on a particular day, but also a consistent time of the day, under more or less nearly identical circumstances. I've opted for Fridays after my morning treadmill time. Since I don't know how this one compares with the one at the gym (a $30 Taylor "Biggest Loser" model with digital display v a "doctor's office" type), I don't know how much my September loss was. But I've reached my first milestone of Under 250, and by enough that the scale at the Y would also be "Under 250"; I just don't know how much difference that one would show. So I'm keeping weekly records from this point on.

Next weekend is the Kick the Couch 5K, and I still haven't decided where I'm going to do mine. Probably here at home on the treadmill, since going outside always makes me want to ride and not walk or walk/jog.

2008, Weeks 37, 38, 39

Monday, September 8: Home treadmill for 1.751 miles; no bike; no after-work Y visit.
Tuesday, September 9: Home treadmill for 1.901 miles; no bike; no after-work Y visit.
Wednesday, September 10: Home treadmill for 1.176 miles; bike ride for 6.32 miles; no after-work Y visit.
Thursday, September 11: Home treadmill for 1.763 miles; bike ride for 6.25 miles; no after-work Y visit.
Friday, September 12: Rest day.
Saturday, September 13: Home treadmill for 3.334 miles no bike; no Y visit.
Sunday, September 14: Spent the morning preparing for NCIS FanFest later in the week. No home treadmill; bike ride for 25.08 miles; no Y visit.
Monday, September 15: Home treadmill for 3.3 miles; bike ride for 5.98 miles; no Y visit.
Tuesday, September 16: Home treadmill for 3.252 miles. Spent the rest of the day preparing to spend the next four days at FanFest, so no bike ride and no visit to the Y.
Wednesday, September 17: Errands to run on the way to the hotel, so no exercise time except for the walking around the hotel. I could give myself about a mile for that, because my roomie and I walked about that far to pick up some stuff at the store down the street from the hotel.
Thursday, September 18: Elliptical in the hotel fitness room for 3.76 miles. Same brand as the ellipticals at the Y, but a newer, fancier model, complete with widescreen TV. FanFest activities.
Friday, September 19: Elliptical in the hotel fitness room for 3.63 miles. FanFest activities.
Saturday, September 20: FanFest activities.
Sunday, September 21: FanFest activities.
Monday, September 22: Recovering from FanFest and running errands.
Tuesday, September 23: Home treadmill for 2.524 miles; bike ride for 28.42 miles; no Y visit. I was going to ride up to Whittier-Narrows, but there's a work project which has a section of the San Gabriel River Trail closed just north of Beverly Blvd, and I don't know the area well enough to find my way through the detour, so I turned around and returned to Liberty Park.
Wednesday, September 24: Home treadmill for 1.26 miles; no bike; after-work Y visit for strength training. Four people at work mentioned my trimmer figure!
Thursday, September 25: no morning walk; bike ride for 5.14 miles; no after-work Y visit.
Friday, September 26: Home treadmill for 1.808 miles; bike ride for 5.51 miles; no after-work Y visit because it’s Friday. And a fifth person at work mentioned my trimmer figure! I guess it really is starting to show.
Saturday, September 27: Home treadmill for 3.53 miles; no bike ride; no Y visit.
Sunday, September 28: Home treadmill for 3.542 miles; bike ride for 30.12 miles; no Y visit. Decided I needed a little variety in my Sunday ride, so I headed north on SGRT to the Foster Rd bridge, then rode west on Foster/Gardendale to cruise by something I'd seen on the Tour de Sewer last spring. Then I continued on to Garfield, then to Imperial so I could cruise by the Columbia Memorial Science Center still under construction on a piece of former Rockwell Space Division (birthplace of the Apollo command modules and the shuttle orbiters) property to check on its status (I don't think it's going to be open by its advertised "mid 2008"!), then wound south and east and south and west and south and east and around El Dorado Regional Park and back north to Liberty Park. I once saw the earlier Columbia, the Apollo 11 command module, on display at Rockwell in Downey.

Total distance for the period: 149.371
Distance from Bag End: 3359.621
Distance to Minas Tirith: 91.379

If you've been following along with Melissa and Terri, you'll know that We Three Athenas will be participating in a sprint-distance tri on October 19, with Terri the water baby, Melissa the running bunny, and Yours Truly the wheel girl. Keep us in your thoughts, please!

2008, Week Thirty-Six

Monday, September 1: Home treadmill for 3.217 miles; bike ride for 26.56 miles; No Y visit because the Y was closed for the Labor Day holiday.
Tuesday, September 2: Home treadmill for 1.647 miles; no morning bike ride; after-work stop at the Y for strength training.
Wednesday, September 3: Home treadmill for 1.701 miles; morning bike ride for 6.27 miles; no after-work stop at the Y.
Thursday, September 4: Home treadmill for 1.753 miles; morning bike ride for 3.91 miles; no fter-work stop at the Y.
Friday, September 5: Rest day.
Saturday, September 6: Home treadmill for 3.201 miles; morning bike ride for 17.72 miles; no stop at the Y.
Sunday, September 7: Home treadmill for 3.252 miles; morning bike ride for 25.32 miles; stop at the Y for strength training.

Total distance for the week: 94.461
Distance from Bag End: 3210.25
Distance to Minas Tirith: 240.75

A good week for walking, but not so good for either bike or elliptical. And while I did get in two Y visits for strength training, it's still not so impressive.

2008, Week Thirty-Five

Monday, August 25: Home treadmill for 1.277 miles; morning bike ride for 8.32 miles; no after-work stop at the Y.
Tuesday, August 26: Became a rest day, although right now I don’t remember why.
Wednesday, August 27: Home treadmill for 1.345 miles; morning bike ride for 8.03 miles; after-work stop at the Y for an upper-body workout (plus, of course, the two hip machines).
Thursday, August 28: Home treadmill for 1.607 miles; morning bike ride for 6.54 miles; no after-work stop at the Y.
Friday, August 29: Home treadmill for 1.471 miles; morning bike ride for 7.86 miles; no after-work stop at the Y, which is normal for Friday.
Saturday, August 30: Home treadmill for 3.251 miles; no bike ride; no stop at the Y.
Sunday, August 31: No walk because I straightened out a book case in hopes of finding two of my Harry Potter books; bike ride for 23.00 miles; no stop at the Y, though I’d planned to, until my BFFs called mid-ride to tell me that our favorite English tea house was open today, so we met for afternoon tea, and the Y closes at 5 on Sunday. Which means I won’t get to the gym before Tuesday because of the Monday holiday, so no weigh-in yet for August.

Total distance for the week: 62.701
Distance from Bag End: 3178.490
Distance to Minas Tirith: 272.51

August Accomplishments:
I exceeded July’s mileage on the treadmill (43.165 for August v 35.045 for July), and squeaked past July’s mileage on the elliptical by a few hundredths (August 11.41; July 11.37). But I was down by one strength-training session from July. And, of course, the cycling mileage is down (256.92 in August v 315.35 in July) from July because it really is unreasonable to think I could increase my mileage when I have less time to ride! It’d take a lot of riding on weekends to make up the difference.

September Goals:
Increase the treadmill and elliptical mileages. Increase the number of strength-training sessions. At least meet August’s cycling mileage. The NCIS FanFest is this month, so I don't think I'll get much riding done between the 17th and the 21st, but the venue does have a gym.

High point of the week: One of my BikeForums.net cycling buds, Mr Beanz, PMed me to tell me that when he and his DW Gina saw me last week on SART, he hadn't been completely certain it was me and wanted to know if I'd lost some weight. Thank you, Fred; I needed that!!!!!.

2008, Week Thirty-Four

Monday, August 18: No walk this morning because I stayed up late watching the Olympics (and still didn’t get to see everything I wanted to see!), so I slept late; no morning bike ride; and stuck late at work, so no Y stop, either. I guess that makes it a "rest day."
Tuesday, August 19: Home treadmill for 1.164 miles; morning bike ride for 7.91 miles; after-work strength training at the Y.
Wednesday, August 20: Home treadmill for 1.701 miles; morning bike ride for 5.8 miles; after-work stop at the Y to ride the elliptical for 3.58 miles.
Thursday, August 21: Home treadmill for 1.501 miles; morning bike ride for 7.96 miles; after-work strength training at the Y.
Friday, August 22: Home treadmill for 1.256 miles; morning bike ride for 7.89 miles; no after-work stop at the Y because that just doesn’t happen on Fridays.
Saturday, August 23: Home treadmill for 3.251 miles; no bike ride; no Y visit.
Sunday, August 24: Slept late and lazed abed, so no morning walk; bike ride for 34.28 miles; no Y visit.

Total distance for the week: 76.293
Distance from Bag End: 3115.789
Distance to Minas Tirith: 335.211

2008, Week Thirty-Three

…and a brief nod to the Olympics.

Monday, August 11: Home treadmill for 1.415 miles; morning bike ride for 8.14 miles; post-work visit to the Y for the upper-body-plus-two-hip-machines workout.
Tuesday, August 12: Home treadmill for 1.306 miles; morning bike ride for 7.47 miles; post-work visit to the Y’s elliptical for 3.81 miles.
Wednesday, August 13: Home treadmill for 1.404 miles; morning bike ride for 8.12 miles; post-work visit to the Y for the upper-body-plus-two-hip-machines workout.
Thursday, August 14: Home treadmill for 1.481 miles; skipped the morning bike ride for reasons I forget now; post--work visit to the Y’s elliptical for 4.02 miles.
Friday, August 15: Skipped the morning walk; morning bike ride for 6.74 miles; and no post-work visit to the Y because it’s Friday.
Saturday, August 16: Home treadmill for 2.504 miles; no bike ride; no Y visit.
Sunday, August 17: Home treadmill for 2.752 miles; nice long bike ride down SGRT and into Long Beach (Naples) for 25.87 miles.

Total distance for the week: 75.032
Distance from Bag End: 3039.496
Distance to Minas Tirith: 411.504

I’ve been able to watch some of the Olympics, too. Congratulations to the USA men’s and women’s swim teams. And to Constantina Tomescu Dita of Romania in the Women’s Marathon.

I also bought the grocery panniers from REI and gave them their first trial today when I stopped at Whole Foods in Naples (a neighborhood of Long Beach across Alamitos Bay from SGRT) during my ride today.

2008, Week Thirty-Two

Monday, August 4: Home treadmill for 1.511 miles; no morning bike ride (took the desktop computer to shop because the USB ports went crazy); no post-work stop at the Y because of crisis control.
Tuesday, August 5: Home treadmill for 1.276 miles; morning bike ride for 7.95 miles; no post-work stop at the Y because of crisis control.
Wednesday, August 6: Home treadmill for 1.426 miles; morning bike ride for 7.97 miles; post-work stop at the Y for strength training: all upper-body machines plus the two hip machines.
Thursday, August 7: Home treadmill for 1.503 miles; morning bike ride for 7.97 miles; no post-work stop at the Y because of crisis control.
Friday, August 8: Rest day: the water heater went out and Jill got married.
Saturday, August 9: Home treadmill for 2.1 miles; bike ride for 21.84 miles.
Sunday, August 10: Home treadmill for 2.101 miles; all-day class at the LNS.

Total distance for the week: 55.647
Distance from Bag End: 2964.464
Reached Isengard with Merry and Pippin; continuing to Minas Tirith with Gandalf and Pippin. Distance to Minas Tirith: 486.536

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I really, really dislike these late-in-the-shift crises that keep me at work past 8! Two nights in a row I've had to skip the Y. Bleah.

2008, Week Thirty-One, and July Recap

Monday, July 28: Home treadmill for 1.257 miles; morning bike ride for 14.84 miles; post-work stop at the Y for the predominantly upper-body workout.
Tuesday, July 29: Skipped the home treadmill this morning; headed to the park for the morning bike ride, and had a flat about 6.25 miles into the ride. Walked about a mile total, between walking the bike out of the middle of El Dorado Regional Park to the nearest bus stop, rode a couple of buses back to Liberty Park, and walked a few hundred more feet to the van. And left the office too late to make it worth my while to stop at the Y.
Wednesday, July 30: Home treadmill for 1.177 miles; no ride today because the bike was in the shop, and no post-work stop at the Y. I was able to take a “dinner break” and get the bike from the shop.
Thursday, July 31: Home treadmill for 1.503 miles; morning bike ride for 9.92 miles, and a stop at the Y after work for the upper-body (and, of course, the two hip machines) strength training.
Friday, August 1: Home treadmill for 1.367 miles; morning bike ride for 6.94 miles. No visit to the Y because I don’t finish up at work early enough on Fridays to get there. Shorter bike rides before work because I’m officially back on the 10-8 schedule.
Saturday, August 2: BFF-J’s credit union is celebrating their 70th anniversary (and it turns out this credit union includes my former employer’s credit union, the one at the old Long Beach Naval Shipyard!), and so we all went to the Santa Ana Zoo, and then spent some time at her great-niece’s 1st birthday. About 1.188 miles of traipsing around.
Sunday, August 3: Home treadmill for 2.007 miles; nice long bike ride for 30.32 miles; skipped the Y because the banana-and-granola-bar breakfast just wasn’t enough after all of that.

Total distance for the week: 77.769
Distance from Bag End: 2908.817
Distance to Isengard: 25.183

July Recap:
Walking Distance: 35.045 miles (June: 11.9)
Elliptical Distance: 11.37 miles (June: 6.6)
Biking Distance: 315.35 miles (June 347.29)
Cybex Workouts: 7 (predominantly UBWO) (June: 2)
Weight Loss: 1.5 lbs

August Goals:
Increase all distances, especially walking and ellipticalling. Increase strength training occasions. Take better control of portion sizes and snacking. Today, August 3rd, marks the one-year anniversary of joining the Y.

Oh. My. God.

Another flat!!!! This one in the middle of El Dorado Regional Park in Long Beach, during my morning ride. So I hoofed it nearly half a mile out of the park, hoofed it another half a mile or so to the nearest bus stop, rode a bus to Del Amo and Norwalk, changed to a Cerritos bus, and took that to Liberty Park in Cerritos, where I park my van for my morning rides. Drove to my LBS, where Steve was utterly astonished to learn about the flat—remember, this is new tire, new tube, new liner, and new Slime! So Radagast the Beige-and-Black is in the shop again. I didn't even stop at the Y on the way home, just came straight home to blog about the earthquake (you'll have to head over to the Gathering Place for that account) and the flat.

2008, Week Thirty

Monday, July 21: Home treadmill for 1.301 miles; morning bike ride for 15.78 miles; post-work stop at the Y for 2.28 miles on the elliptical.
Tuesday, July 22: Home treadmill for 1.357 miles; but when I got to the park this morning for my ride, I discovered a very flat rear tire. Went to the gym and spent 40 minutes on the elliptical, for 2.52 miles; the post-work visit to the Y was spent on strength training.
Wednesday, July 23: Home treadmill for 1.40 miles; no ride today because the bike is in the shop (and things were so hectic in the afternoon that I couldn’t get away to pick it up); no pre-work visit to the Y because I had to be at work early because the morning guy had to take a day off for personal stuff; post-work trip to the Y was spent on the elliptical, for 2.88 miles.
Thursday, July 24: Home treadmill for 1.401 miles; picked up the bike from the shop, but not early enough to find a place to ride before work; post-work stop at the Y for strength training (UBWO, plus the two hip machines).
Friday, July 25: Home treadmill for 1.251 miles; morning bike ride (yay!!!!!!!!) for 14.88 miles. No visit to the Y because I don’t finish up at work early enough on Fridays to get there.
Saturday, July 26: City of Cypress 5K today with Melissa. And even with the early (7:30) start, the heat and humidity were nearly unbearable. While at the water stop, I chatted briefly with a family out on their front lawn, and jokingly asked one of them if they had “any more of that coffee.” He said they had plenty; was there anything in particular I wanted? I laughed and said the song I was listening to at the time was “Wildwood Weed,” and the whole family laughed. The Big Stick Popsicles were a wonderful “prize” and I was tempted to grab a second one. But I’d had to ask for help getting the wrapper off the first one—my hands were so slippery! Anyway, I came in 490 out of 492 listed on the results page, with a chip time of 57:05, and 17th in my Division. My pedometer said I covered a total of 3.9 miles, including all the walking before and after the actual event. That’s an improvement for me by a full minute. And congratulations to Melissa for her new PR!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, July 27: Home treadmill for 1.503 miles; no bike ride; no visit to the Y. Kept driving around to different stores and just never stopped for a ride nor got to the gym.

Total distance for the week: 50.282
Distance from Bag End: 2831.048
Distance to Isengard: 102.952

Halfway...

…to eleventy-one today. And what a day it's been so far. Got to Liberty Park in Cerritos, where I start my daily ride, opened the back of the van, and found a flat tire. This is the same tire (different tube) which went flat a couple of weeks ago. So I went to the Y instead and spent 40 minutes on the elliptical in my cycling clothes because I forgot to grab clean gym wear on my way out this morning. I also forgot to take my water bottle in with me. Then I took the bike to the shop, where they'll install a new tube and new rear tire, replace the broken spoke, true the rear wheel, clean the hub, and install the liner in the front tire. Happy Half-birthday to me.

City of Cypress 5K on Saturday.

2008, Week Twenty-Nine

Happy Moon Day! Has it really been thirty-nine years since Armstrong and Aldrin stepped out of the lander onto another celestial body?

A pretty good week for once, I think.

Monday, July 14: home treadmill for 1.175 miles; morning bike ride for 14.06 miles.
Tuesday, July 15: home treadmill for 1.351 miles; morning bike ride for 115.15 miles; and—finally!!!—an after-work visit to the Y, for an upper-body workout. I also used the two hip (adduction and abduction) machines.
Wednesday, July 16: rest day today, mostly, though I did stop at the Y after work to spend nearly an hour on the elliptical, for 3.69 miles. Hey, it was nearly 24 hours; that’s a day of rest!
Thursday, July 17: home treadmill for 1.155 miles; morning bike ride for 15.14 miles; and another post-work Y visit for more upper-body strength training (and the two hip machines).
Friday, July 18: home treadmill for 1.252 miles; morning bike ride for 14.59 miles.
Saturday, July 19: home treadmill for 1.502 miles, but never did manage to get in a bike ride.
Sunday, July 20: home treadmill for 2.112 miles; bike ride for 25.33 miles; upper-body workout at the Y (plus the hip machines).

Total distance for the week: 96.507
Distance from Bag End: 2780.766
Distance to Isengard: 153.234

I Can Already Hear...

… Melissa's virtual razzberries, but I did 3.85 uninterrupted hands-free miles today at El Dorado Regional Park. This is all the more impressive (or wacko!) given that the Santa Ana Riverbed effort was a level straightaway on concrete, while the El Dorado ride included both concrete and asphalt and was full of curves and not completely level.

2008, Week Twenty-Eight

What a week this was!

Monday, July 7: with the treadmill dead, it was just a bike ride today, 10.81 miles.
Tuesday, July 8: rest day today, unless you want to count muscling the old treadmill out into the alley by the garage before work (and it was gone by the time I got home!) and muscling the new one into the house and assembling it and shoving it into position, and no ride because I went treadmill shopping on the way to work.
Wednesday, July 9: the distance goes to three decimal places on this thing! On the new treadmill, 1.071 miles; morning bike ride, 12.90 miles. I also finished the audio version of the second Harry Potter book this morning, so there was a mad rush to get the next one ready to load into the MP3 player I use for audiobooks, then uninstall HP2 and load HP3. And not all of HP3 fits, so once I get through a few chapters, I’ll have to uninstall some early chapters so that I can load the last couple or three of chapters. Ah, the disadvantages of buying the 1G MP3 player!
Thursday, July 10: home treadmill for 1.005 miles; morning bike ride for 15.14 miles.
Friday, July 11: home treadmill for 1.200 miles; morning bike ride for 15.10 miles.
Saturday, July 12: home treadmill for 1.601 miles; morning bike ride for 5.54 miles until the rear tire went flat, then pushing the bike for 0.77 miles from the river bed to a grocery store to get cash, then to Bus Stop A, then from Bus Stop B to Bus Stop C, then from Bus Stop D to my BFFs’ home. Left the bike in their garage while we four went to our regular Saturday breakfast, then they took me to where I’d parked the van near SART’s Rampart access. BFF-N rode shotgun on the way back to the house, where I loaded up the bike, and then I went on to Performance down in Fountain Valley, where I left the bike for tire repair while I hoofed it over to A Snail’s Pace to pick up a couple of packages of Body Glide. A new tube, a liner to add a layer of protection between the tube and the tire, and another bottle of Slime now have me ready for a ride tomorrow morning before class at the LNS. The bad news is I have another broken spoke! I also need to replace that tire. I opted for the liner instead of a new tire because that particular shop didn’t have a tire in the same size. No trip to the Y today.
Sunday, July 13: home treadmill for 2.002 miles; no bike ride before class at the LNS, and it's the class at the LNS which kept me from the Y today, so no weight training at all this week.

Total distance for the week: 67.139
Distance from Bag End: 2684.259
Distance to Isengard: 249.741

The new treadmill is, of course, fancier than the old one, with a magnetic “key” and digital displays of time, distance, speed, and calories walked off. There’s a lap counter, an oval track a quarter mile long, and also a heart-rate monitor that’s activated by a light thumbprint (don’t press too hard or you’ll cut off the circulation and get an inaccurate reading!). It’s also bigger—longer, a bit wider, and taller—than the old one, so I had to move a cabinet several inches over to make it fit into the old one’s space. I also have to push the stop button; just removing the key wipes the display and there doesn’t seem to be a way to retrieve the information. I still have to install the locking devices for the "stored" position, and don't have the locking pins for the incline device in place.

New Treadmill

I took a rest day today so I could bite the bullet and buy a new treadmill. Ouch. It's the Weslo Cadence G40, and a good bit fancier than the old one, even though it's a "cheapy" model sold through discount houses. Now I wanna go home so I can put it together and put the bike back in the van.

2008 Week 27, June Recap, and 2008 The First Half

2008, Week Twenty-Seven
Monday, June 30: morning bike ride for 12.84 miles.
Tuesday, July 1: home treadmill for 1.01 miles; morning bike ride for 15.45 miles.
Wednesday, July 2: home treadmill for 0.46 mile (treadmill stopped and wouldn't start again); morning bike ride for 15.44 miles.
Thursday, July 3: home treadmill won’t start; morning bike ride for 15.12 miles.
Friday, July 4: morning bike ride for 18.48 miles; walking around 4th of July celebration venue for 0.5 mile.
Saturday, July 5: morning bike ride for 21.64 miles.
Sunday, July 6: morning bike ride for 23.79 miles; upper-body (and hip adduction and abduction machines) workout at Y.

Distance from Bag End: 2617.12
Arrived in Minas Tirith with Aragorn partway through Saturday’s ride and jumped back to Rauros to join Merry and Pippin.
Distance to Isengard with Merry and Pippin: 316.88
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June Recap
Walk: 11.90 miles (May: 7.19) (even discounting the Downtown Anaheim 5K the mileage increased slightly)
Elliptical: 6.60 miles (May: 1.25)
Bike: 347.29 miles (May: 421.26) (the bike was out of service for 3 days in June)
Weight Training: 2 Upper-Body workouts (May: 1 UBWO)

Goal for July: increase all distances, increase the weight training.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First Half of 2008
Walk: 82.02 miles
Elliptical: 46.16 miles
Bikes: 1,533.23 miles (7.29 miles of that on stationary bikes)
Weight Training: 17+ times (I don't have a count for January)

5 Things

Found this one on Melissa's blog:

TB posted this interesting twist on the Five Things meme on his blog in honor of his 1st anniversary of blogging. The rules are to post five things about yourself. The twist is that four of them should be true, but one should be false. I thought it sounded like fun, so I’ve decided to play along. Here is my list of five things about me. I’ll leave it up to you to guess which is the false one. Of course, those of you who know me well will immediately know.

As for me and my five things:
1. My first (and only) new new car was a 1975 Pontiac Trans Am.
2. I was at the 1967 All-Star Game.
3. I was at the only game the Angels won in the 1979 ALCS, the first post-season series in Angels history.
4. I'm an only child.
5. I've lost somewhere around 40 pounds since I started working out last August.

2008, Week Twenty-Six

Omigosh, are we really halfway through the year? I was tempted to leave this until tomorrow, since tomorrow's the last day of the month, but decided that I'd go ahead and do this now…in case things are so crazy at work that I fall behind in this.
Monday, June 23: home treadmill for 0.51 mile; morning bike ride for 16.01 miles.
Tuesday, June 24: home treadmill for 0.80 mile; morning bike ride for 14.41 miles.
Wednesday, June 25: spent the day with a visiting NCISer doing touristy stuff.
Thursday, June 26: home treadmill for 0.91 mile; morning bike ride for 15.45 miles.
Friday, June 27: home treadmill for 0.95 mile; morning bike ride for 16.50 miles.
Saturday, June 28: A good day: 1.08 miles on the home treadmill, then a 10.40 miles bike ride, then breakfast with the BFFs, then a visit to a store, then off to the Y for an upper-body workout (plus the hip adduction and hip abduction machines, but no other lower-body work), then an hour on the elliptical for 3.50 miles.
Sunday, June 29: home treadmill for 1.01 miles, but puttered around too much to get in a bike ride before the All-Day Open Stitch Class at my Local Needlework Shop.

Mileage for the week: 81.53
Distance from Bag End: 2492.39
Distance to Minas Tirith: 46.61

Looks like I'll be in Minas Tirith by midweek. Then it's back to Rauros to join Merry and Pippin.

Please keep my dear buddy Melissa in your thoughts: she's just having the darnedest time learning to ride her bike! And spare a thought for my home treadmill, which I suspect is trying to die, and which I really can't afford to replace right now.

2008, Weeks 23, 24, and 25

Finally taking the time to get caught up, since it's too darned hot for much of anything else.
Monday, June 2: home treadmill for 0.83 mile; morning bike ride for 14.34 miles.
Tuesday, June 3: home treadmill for 0.91 mile; morning bike ride for 13.03 miles.
Wednesday, June 4: morning bike ride for 14.35 miles.
Thursday, June 5: morning bike ride for 10.95 miles.
Friday, June 6: morning bike ride for 15.25 miles.
Saturday, June7: home treadmill for 0.5 mile; morning bike ride for 17.78 miles.
Sunday, June 8: walking around the LA River Ride venue for 0.75 mile; LA River Ride for 50.96 miles.
Monday, June 9: rest day.
Tuesday, June 10: went to the gym and used the upper-body machines.
Wednesday, June 11: bike in shop; went to the gym and did a 5K (3.10 miles) on the elliptical.
Thursday, June 12: morning bike ride for 10.19 miles.
Friday, June 13: morning bike ride for 15.55 miles.
Saturday, June 14: Downtown Anaheim 5K, 3.9 miles.
Sunday, June 15: morning bike ride for 18.46 miles.
Monday, June 16: morning bike ride for 10.74 miles.
Tuesday, June 17: morning bike ride for 13.35 miles.
Wednesday, June 18: morning bike ride for 16.086 miles.
Thursday, June 19: morning bike ride for 15.47 miles.
Friday, June 20: morning bike ride for 15.26 miles.
Saturday, June 21: morning bike ride for 10.12 miles.
Sunday, June 22: rest day.

Total miles for the 3 weeks: 271.67
Distance from Bag End: 2410.86
Distance to Minas Tirith: 168.14

Goals for the next week: get back on the home treadmill regularly! Gotta do this, because I've signed up for the City of Cypress 5K on July 26. Get the new guy at work ready to be turned loose so that I can get back to the gym!

Six Month Anniversary

Six months ago I purchased my bicycle. Today while riding through the parking lot to my van at the end of my morning ride, I let go of my handlebars. For about 75-100 feet I rode hands free, for the first time in over 40 years.

Race Update

I looked through all the results for several minutes, making sure I'd found the highest numbers in both Overall and Female listings. It's kinda hard to believe there were fewer than 800 people in this event, but 788 is the highest number I found. Anyway, 378 out of 388 females, 765 out of 772 Overall, and 6/6 out of Females 55-59. Melissa, who's been at this longer than I have, fared better. She also found, and forwarded to me, a really dreadful picture of me at the River Ride last Sunday. No, I'm not going to share that one; you'll have to hunt it down yourself. My Chip Time was 58:07.0, which is about 4.5 minutes faster than my Stubble Time. Which, I think, isn't too shabby for someone who doesn't really train for these events.

Well, I'm off for a ride before it gets too hot. I also have one more errand to run for a cross stitch project.

Nearly Two Weeks Behind!

Yikes! But my BFF-N spent last weekend in the hospital with some cardiac issues, so even though I didn't pass up any bike rides, I did decide that spending some time with her was more important than posting an update.

Briefly: last Sunday was the LA River Ride, so I now have completed an official Half-Century (50 miles) bike ride! Thank goodness it wasn't a race, because I'm just not a fast rider. I also had an extended break with 18 miles remaining when I had a couple of guys at one of the Pit Stops make some adjustments to my rear wheel and rear brake after I had a spoke break. Monday became a total rest day, then Tuesday I made it to the gym for some upper-body work before stopping at the bike shop. Wednesday, with the bike still in the shop, I again stopped at the gym for some cardio on the elliptical, which made me realize just how much I miss those after-work stops at the gym!! I sure hope the new new guy at work learns the job faster than the old new guy (the one who was—ahem—"released" from service Thursday). Do you realize that with the URI at the end of April/beginning of May and with training people at work, I went very nearly an entire month without getting anywhere near the Y!!

And today was the Downtown Anaheim 5K with my dear friend Melissa, who came close to her personal best in spite of the health hazards of holding an event on city streets only partly closed off to auto traffic. My own unofficial ("gun") time was a fraction under 59 minutes, a personal best for me and my first finish in under a full hour! I even got in a few seconds of what she calls "wogging," which is not quite jogging, but a bit beyond walking. Not too shabby, considering that I hadn't actually done any training for this event and have been quite the slacker with respect to getting out of bed and onto the treadmill!

LA River Ride

Because of a death in the family at my Local Needlework Shop, the Saturday night event there has been cancelled. So I signed up for the LA River Ride. I'll be doing the Half Century (50 miles), from Griffith Park to Paramount and back.

2008, Week Twenty-Two

I've had better weeks exercise wise, but I've had worse ones, too.
Monday, May 26: Home treadmill for 0.90 mile and morning bike ride for 13.78 miles.
Tuesday, May 27: Home treadmill for 0.90 mile and morning bike ride for 13.60 miles.
Wednesday, May 28: Home treadmill for 0.95 mile and morning bike ride for 15.69 miles.
Thursday, May 29: Home treadmill for 1.03 miles and morning bike ride for 13.62 miles.
Friday, May 30: Morning bike ride for 14.85 miles.
Saturday, May 31: Bike ride for 31.14 miles, and then a short stop at the Y for some upper-body exercises and 1.25 miles on a couple of different ellipticals.
Sunday, June 1: rest day.

Total miles for the week: 107.71
Miles from Bag End: 2139.19
Distance remaining to Minas Tirith: 439.81

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

…or, The May 2008 Recap.

The Good: 421.16 miles on the bike.
The Bad: Down only 3 pounds (and that's for the last two months, since I missed the May 1 weighin because I was sick!). Even so, I recently had a co-worker tell me she can see that there's less of me.
The Ugly: I did finally manage to get to the gym today, but mostly to kill time. But this time-killing visit meant the Ugly wasn't quite as ugly as I'd originally expected it to be, and that was zero trips to the gym! Since I was in Orange County and nearer the Fullerton Y than the Lakewood Y, I went there. This facility recently underwent (in fact, is still undergoing, since they're still working on the new gymnasium) a massive renovation, and it's just gorgeous! Looks like all new equipment, and I'm unfamiliar with the workings of the strength-training machines (these aren't built by Cybex—or at least, don't have the Cybex name showing anywhere on them), so my upper-body work wasn't my usual. And after a 31-mile bike ride, using the lower body equipment just seemed kinda redundant. I also spent a few minutes on two different kinds of ellipticals, and wouldn't mind the chance to become more familiar with both of them (and I'm allowed to use this Y up to three times per month). Didn't get a close look at the treadmills, but they look quite fancy, too.

Totals for the month:
Walking (outdoors and treadmill): 7.19 (April: 16.68)
Elliptical: 1.25 (April: 3.08)
Bike: 421.26 (no stationary bike time) (April: 215.36)
Strength Training: 1 day of upper body (April: 4 days of upper and lower body)

The biking distance rocks! But it's the schedule change at work which allows me more riding time in the morning. All the others suck out loud. But it's the schedule change at work which is keeping me from the Y. I sure will be glad when I can turn the new guy loose and get back to my old schedule, even though that will mean cutting back on the bike time. And there's just plain no excuse for the poor showing on the treadmill in May (except for the first week, when I was sick). I gotta get cracking on the treadmill, since the Downtown Anaheim 5K is less than two weeks away!

2008, Week Twenty-One

Of course, the work upheaval is still keeping me from the Y, but I did get in some treadmill time this week, as well as the bike rides.
Monday, May 19: 0.5 mile on the treadmill and 16.72 on the bike.
Tuesday, May 20: 0.65 on the treadmill and 16.26 on the bike.
Wednesday, May 21: 0.96 on the treadmill and 15.03 on the bike.
Thursday, May 22: 0.8 mile on the treadmill and 15.79 on the bike.
Friday, May 23: I decided to snooze a bit longer today because of so many work-related phone calls during the night, and the weather was just too ugly for riding, so this became a rest day (and allowed me to buy a new mouse for my desktop 'puter, since the old one died Wednesday morning without warning).
Saturday, May 24: the annual Strawberry Festival Parade in my childhood hometown of Garden Grove with the BFFs this morning, then lunch at our favorite Mexican place, then the new Indiana Jones movie (which rocked; damn, but that man's still good lookin'!!), and then some errands. But I did manage to squeeze in a chilly 10.27 miles up the Coyote Creek Bike Trail from Cerritos Regional Park (technically, only 5 miles up the trail, then return).
Sunday, May 25: personal best on the Santa Ana River Trail today, from the Lincoln and Batavia access in Orange all the way down to PCH in Huntington Beach…34.01 chilly, windy miles.

Total walking distance: 3.41
Total biking distance: 108.08
Distance from Bag End: 2047.08
Distance to Minas Tirith (with Aragorn): 531.92

Goals for the coming week: increase treadmill time, keep riding, try to get to the gym

2008, Week 20

Well, I never did make it onto the treadmill this week. What a deadbeat! And, of course, no gym time, what with training the new guy at work. But lots of bike time!
Monday, May 12: 14.14
Tuesday, May 13: 15.13
Wednesday, May 14: 14.01
Thursday, May 15: 16.44
Friday, May 16: 16.20
Saturday, May 17: turned into a rest day, what with the safety meeting at work, breakfast with the BFFs, and then the newest Narnia movie. And it's been unseasonably warm, or I might have taken a ride after the movie. And since I went 13 days between rest days, it's probably a good thing I chose to rest.
Sunday, May 18: 16.39. And would have ridden more, but it was All-Day Open Stitch Class at the LNS. We missed you, Melissa!!!!!!!

Total mileage for the week: 92.31
Distance from Bag End: 1935.59
Distance to Minas Tirith: 643.41

The goal for this week is to get in some treadmill time in addition to the bike time. Thankfully, it's supposed to cool down this week.

2008, Week Nineteen Recap

Bicycle only this week. No treadmill time, no gym time.
Monday, May 5: 10.57
Tuesday, May 6: 12.96
Wednesday, May 7: 15.39
Thursday, May 8: 15.07
Friday, May 9: 13.08
Saturday, May 10: 12.35
Sunday, May 11: 15.98
The good thing is that I'm leaving the house at pretty much the usual time, give or take a few minutes, but since I don't have to be at work until 11 (instead of 10) I'm taking advantage of the longer riding time available. The bad thing is that I know that the bike isn't enough, that I need to spend time on the elliptical, the treadmill, the sidewalks, and the strength-training circuit.

Total miles for the week: 95.40
Distance from Bag End: 1843.28
Distance to Minas Tirith: 735.72

I really need to get back on the treadmill, since the Downtown Anaheim 5K is only a month away!!

I found out...

…about a bike ride today that's about a month from now. I'd love to do the 50-miler. But right before I clicked on the active.com link to register, I checked my Yahoo calendar. Good thing, because the LA Bike Coalition's LA River Ride this year is the morning after the next all-night Stitch-Inn at the LNS. I don't think the two events would be a very good mix. Bummer.

Isengard!!

About halfway through my morning bike ride yesterday I made it to Isengard with Aragorn. That's 1793 miles from Bag End. On to Minas Tirith now!!

2008, Week Eighteen and April Recap

A bit better this week, though I've been taking it easy. Upheaval at work continues, so stops at the Y will continue few and far between this month.
Monday, April 28: Nothing today.
Tuesday, April 29: A short ride before work for 2.42 miles.
Wednesday, April 30: A slightly longer ride before work, 3.9 miles.
Thursday, May 1: And a little longer ride today before work, 4.5 miles.
Friday, May 2: And longer again, 6.29 miles.
Saturday, May 3: Ended up not riding anywhere today.
Sunday, May 4: My longest ride in two weeks, 12.96 miles.

Total mileage for the week: 30.07
Distance from Bag End: 1748.84
Distance to Isengard: 44.16

April Recap:
Walk: 16.68 (March: 18.41 miles)
Elliptical: 3.08 (March: 2.63 miles)
Bike: 215.36 (total miles on stationary bikes: 0) (March: 257.20; February miles on stationary bikes 0)
Total: 235.12 (March: 278.24)
Cybex Circuit: 4 (March: 6)
Well, at least the elliptical mileage improved a little, even though everything else fell short. But then, upper respiratory infections tend to make it hard to work out, so I suppose I should cut myself a little slack.

May Goals will be to increase everything as my work schedule allows. At least I'm feeling well enough to ride and to resume walking, even if work doesn't let me visit the Y very often this month.

2008, Week Seventeen

Well, as I said earlier this week: I hate being sick. One ride, Monday, for 11.48 miles, and absolutely nothing else all week long. At least I'm feeling better now, and will start easing back in tomorrow. We'll be going through some upheaval at work over the next several weeks—the guy working the morning shift will be leaving soon, so the guy working the late shift (my old shift) will be working the morning shift with him, getting additional training/experience on those duties, while PC and I train the new guy who is starting Monday at noon. My after-work stops at the Y are probably going to take the biggest hit for a time. That means reduced opportunities for strength training and time on the ellipticals.

Mileage: 11.48
Distance from Bag End: 1718.77
Distance to Isengard: 74.23

I Hate Being Sick

Been fighting off a cold since Sunday afternoon. Didn't feel up to the morning treadmill on Monday, but did get in a nice bike ride on the way to work. By Monday night, I knew there was no way I'd make it through either strength training or cardio, so it was just as well I'd forgotten to put clean workout clothes in the van. Stopped on the way home to buy some generic NyQuil and knocked myself out. Still felt crappy Tuesday morning, so I not only skipped the walk, but the bike ride, too!! I decided this would be a good time to take the bike in for service, and that worked out well, since Steve found a broken spoke! I'll pick the bike up tomorrow on the way to work. But for now, I'm gonna go knock back a couple more fingers of generic NyQuil.

2008, Week Sixteen

A big sluggish this week, I think.
Monday April 14: No home treadmill time at all; then I had to make a stop before work and that cut into my bike riding time, so only 3.51 miles; and then I failed to go to the Y on the way home.
Tuesday April 15: Again no home treadmill time at all; but a good bike ride, for 11.22 miles; but again no stop at the Y after work.
Wednesday April 16: Skipped the home treadmill again! And a shortened bike ride because I decided to go ahead and put the final stitches into a project before leaving for work, so only 8.3 miles on the bike; but I did at least partially make up for it all by actually making it to the Y and doing a full set of strength training on the Cybex machines!
Thursday April 17: Again skipped the home treadmill--what is it with that snooze alarm this week? Bike ride for 11.45 miles; and another stop at the Y on the way home, this time to spend 45 minutes on the elliptical, for 3.08 miles.
Friday April 18: Yet another day off the home treadmill; but the morning bike ride was for 11.44 miles; and no stop at the Y because it's Friday and I can't get away from the office early enough to get there.
Saturday April 19: The usual Saturday morning breakfast with my BFFs led to me going to their house to watch the Caps game, so this day became a rest day.
Sunday April 20: Again too lazy to get on the treadmill, but I did take a nice bike ride today down the Santa Ana River Trail, though I didn't get all the way to the beach. 22.97 miles.

Total mileage for the week: 71.97.
Distance from Bag End: 1707.29
Distance to Isengard: 85.71.

2008, Week Fifteen

A flop when it comes to the morning treadmill time, as well as elliptical time. But I did get in two weight training days and a couple of good walks on concrete after work. And while I probably should have spent time on the treadmill, I also felt it was important to try to get plenty of rest this week, too. I tried to make up, at least a little, for that with the longer walks outdoors on concrete and asphalt. The bike has also been more comfortable with the changes that were made—this latest saddle plus the raised handlebars and the smaller grips (even though my hands aren’t really all that small).
Monday, April 7: The only day this week with morning treadmill time, for 1.05 miles; then the morning bike ride, for 10.66 miles; and the Cybex circuit at the Y on the way home.
Tuesday, April 8: Morning bike ride for 10.87 miles, then a 1.81miles walk around the lake at Cerritos Regional Park on the way home from work.
Wednesday, April 9: Morning bike ride for 11.19 miles, then the Cybex circuit at the Y.
Thursday, April 10: Morning bike ride for 11.01 miles, then a 2.38 mile walk around Cerritos Regional Park after work.
Friday, April 11: Bike ride only, on the way to work, for 11.41 miles.
Saturday, April 12: This was my rest day. Not even a bike ride today!
Sunday, April 13: The Coaster Run 5K! This event wasn’t chip timed, but I did Shave My 5K, by around 5 minutes. My gun time at Surf City was 1:09:something IIRC and my time for this event was 1:04:37.

Total mileage this week: 63.88
Miles from Bag End: 1635.32
Miles to Isengard: 157.68

These last couple of weeks I’ve been gearing my exercise toward preparation for the 5K, but this week I’ll probably go back to the mixed efforts of the recent past: home treadmill, bike rides, and the after-work gym time alternating between strength training on the Cybex machines and time on the elliptical. And try to get in at least one good long (45-60 minutes) walk outdoors each week, too.

I'm Think...

…I'm ready. Picked up my packet and goodie bag (one of those nice reuseable bags like they sell at grocery stores, instead of the wasteful plastic things we got at Surf City*) at the mall today. Got the bib pinned to the shirt. Pants are hemmed up, so I won't be tripping over too-long pants. Alarm is set for plenty of time to get up, get dressed, and have a bit of breakfast (a granola bar and a glass of milk, and maybe a banana if I remember to buy one while I'm out later today). Still need to put a fresher (as in "nearer to fully charged") battery in the MP3 player. The tee-shirt is a regular cotton tee, not a tech shirt, but a nice one nonetheless. The only "exercise" I've had today is walking from the van into the mall for the packet pickup and back to the van and an errand to the local Orange Despot store. No exercise/workout/training type walking since Thursday night after work. Not even a bike ride today!


*which I'll admit came in handy for bagging up wet clothes!

2008, Week Fourteen

In some respects, it was a pretty good week; in others, it was really crappy.

Monday, March 31: No morning walk, no time on the elliptical, no Cybex circuit. But I did take a bike ride, for 8.39 miles.
Tuesday, April 1: At least I took a walk today, for a piddling 0.84 mile; morning bike ride for 9.18 miles; and a post-work stop at the Y, but I only got about halfway through the machines.
Wednesday, April 2: Home treadmill for 1.10 miles; morning bike ride for 9.46 miles; and finished up the Cybex circuit on the after-work stop at the Y.
Thursday, April 3: I didn't do a morning walk at home, but I did stop on the way home from work to get some outside-on-pavement walking, for 1.24 miles. I also did the morning bike ride as well as a short ride after work, before heading off to another park to do the aforementioned outside-on-pavement walking, for a total of 14.01 miles riding.
Friday, April 4: No morning walk, but the morning bike ride was 10.34 miles. And since it was Friday, there was no stop at the Y. And even though I got off work early enough for another outside walk at the park, there was a nasty cold wind blowing, so I went home, shut off my alarm, and slept late Saturday morning.
Saturday, April 5: Home treadmill for 2.25 miles and an afternoon bike ride in a cold wind on the Santa Ana River Trail for 10.54 miles.
Sunday, April 6: Home treadmill for 2.51 miles and a late morning/early afternoon bike ride on the Santa Ana River Trail for exactly 20 miles. This time I started at the Lincoln Av entry to the SART and thoroughly enjoyed the tailwind coming back. I also stopped at one of the LBSs and purchased new grips, had the handlebar raised, and a couple of other small adjustments. Could hardly wait to get out there Monday morning to try the changes!

Total distance travelled for the week: 89.82
And since I'm composing this at work, I don't have all my other data with me.

This Sunday: The Coaster Run!!

March Recap, April Goals

March recap:
Walk: 18.41 miles (February: 11.92)
Elliptical: 2.63 miles (February 11.64)
Bike: 257.20 (total miles on stationary bikes: 0) (February 186.17; February miles on stationary bikes 0)
Total: 278.24
Cybex Circuit: 6

How I did: Nice improvement in the walking and the biking, but a very poor showing indeed on the elliptical! In fact, the elliptical could be considered a complete flop! Improved performance on the Cybex circuit, too, but need more improvement in the form of making certain I get to the Y at least twice each week.

April Goals: Increase all three distances. At least twice weekly on the Cybex circuit. Increase sets on Cybex circuit.

And in the really good news dept: the monthly weigh-in showed a loss of 5.75 lbs for the month of March, which puts me below 260 for the first time in I haven't a clue how long.