Sore...

Whine alert -- wrist is sore today, knee aches a little and unmentionable parts are complaining. Took a break from the ride today and trying to not think the words "I might need a new bike..."

Keeping it going

So, I'm not a blogger -- I'll admit it but going back and seeing these old posts is good for the soul even if it does just prove that you struggle with some basic principles your entire life!

I've changed jobs and I'm trying to commute by bike a couple of days a week. It's 8 miles one way -- still on my favorite bike path. I'm back in WW again -- bouncing around the same weights I was almost 2 years ago -- but I'm not up... so that counts for a lot! I still struggle with emotions, being overwhelmed, not taking care of myself, etc., etc., etc., but I think I'm a little better at handling it now.

I think coming back to blogging occasionally will let me see some progress in myself. And seeing past successes or struggles makes me feel OK with today.

Back again (and again...)

Well, here I am back again. No matter where you go, there you are, right? Rejoined WW's last night. Since stopping back in April, I've put on about 10 pounds but that's not as bad as it could be if I didn't rein in now. Now, I just have to get back into the habit of exercising, eating right, getting enough rest -- all those things we all KNOW we have to do but never seem to get around to doing.

I remember commenting how exercise was like medicine to me -- making me feel happier and healthier -- as much as any antidepressant. So, I'm going to start the big-girl pills again -- making those small but important choices we make every day. Like, what's for lunch???

Got off the butt... on the bike

Since I moved at the beginning of April, I haven't had a scale at home. My last trip to WW (over a month ago) showed I was down to my lowest weight (since getting to the highest one) and I actually went out and bought 2 pairs of size 10 jeans that I really could fit into. Well, decided to step on the scale in the bathroom at work (donated by another WW lady) and I was up 10 pounds from that in a little over 6 weeks!!! And, of course, the size 10 jeans won't even zip. UGH! Why does it come on so much faster than it comes off???

With all the baseball (did I mention concession stand food) and graduation/end of year activities with my 3 kids, it's been IMPOSSIBLE to take care of myself (eating healthy and exercising regularly). So, last night I went to bed at a reasonable time and set the alarm for 5:15 this morning and went out on an early morning ride. I only rode 6 miles (which isn't a lot for me), but I did get out of bed, off the butt and onto the bike. It was a struggle -- how fast that fitness can decline, too, but I got out.

Don't be too impressed with the 5:15 part -- over the winter I faithfully got up and exercised at the gym at 5:30 or so in the morning 3-4 days a week. It's about the only time of day I'm guaranteed nobody will need my attention!

So, back on track (or the bike path) again ... getting back up one more time!

No rides for a while....

It's been unusually windy lately and I haven't ridden this week. I can really tell, too! Moody, irritable, no sleep ... I have to remember to treat riding and exercise like medicine ... It's good for the body!

I did try to start back counting points on WW's ... I really want to get to goal and summer's a better time for me to work at it than winter since I have a lot more activitity. It's just hard to eat healthy when 1/2 of my meals are fast food or ballpark hot dogs or chicken fingers. We spend so much time at baseball, I end up eating from the concession stand too much.

Anybody have any ideas for low-cal concessions food? Maybe the lettuce for the hamburgers???

Happy Memorial Day!

What a beautiful day here in New Jersey! The sun was shining and the wind was blowing just enough to keep the air moving. I went out for my first ride with the Princeton Freewheelers' Bike Club (even though I've been a member for almost a year). We did a "D+" ride that was 23 miles at an average pace of 10 mph. I rode from my house to the start point, so door-to-door mileage for me was 30.0 miles (on the dot). It was the longest I've ridden on one ride and it was great! The pace was perfect for me for a leisurely ride. We had another guy who was riding for his 2nd time in the club and he had tried another ride with the group and they left him. On his FIRST ride!

Our ride leader, Pat, was fantastic at stopping and chatting with us, keeping us at pace and pointing out some of the more interesting sights -- like the house that was almost falling apart (from fire, age and/or wind damage) that had the sign on the door saying "Not for Rent!" Too funny!

So, this was a great kick-start to a summer full of riding fun!

Hope you all moved all you wanted today!
Ginger

Pictures from Bike to Work Day

OK -- so do I look like the ultimate Trek Woman Who Rides? Notice the Trek FX 2.5 bike (named "Red Scare"), the Women Who Ride jersey and hat? This was around the 17 mile mark at the Little League fields. Thankfully some of the parents are the kinds who remember their cameras and are willing to snap pictures for those of us who don't.

I'm ready to do it again!

I DID IT!

Thursday night, I did it! I rode the bike home from work. The safer route I picked out was 21.4 miles ... quite a little hike. Of course I forgot the camera but I did get a friend to take a picture, so it should be posted soon.

Highlights of the trip? The bike canal along the Pennsylvania side was very nice. I had practically no traffic to get there and of course, no traffic along the path, so it was a very leisurely ride. I was enjoying it so much I almost missed my turn off the path! Thank goodness it's a state park and there was signage talking about the Washington Crossing bridge that was my path across the Delaware River. The bridge itself it really cool -- the cars have to creep along about 5 miles per hour and sometimes fold in the side mirrors to keep them from hitting the supports. There's a separate bike/pedestrian walkway, so you can cross almost as fast walking as driving. (This isn't my picture, but it's my bridge!) On the New Jersey side, I had bike shoulders and bike lanes almost the entire way. The only 'scary' part was a traffic circle with a lot of traffic. I just had to run across the individual roads feeding into the circle.

Of course, being a mom of 3 kids, I didn't get to go straight home ... I had to go to the Little League park to watch my youngest play in a baseball game. He was very proud to tell his friends that his mom rode from Pennsylvania to see his game. And he was more than happy to go through my backpack and eat the bananas and plums I had packed for the ride. I finished the ride home after the game and got home about 9:00. That's not too unusual of a day for me with an after-work game but it was weird finishing up that late on a bike.

The biggest challenge was mental -- about 7 miles into the ride I started thinking "why am I doing this?" It's so much easier to ride with a friend or take a shorter route than to do it on your own. But the pride and sense of accomplishment is worth it all. It really is going to have to become a regular ride!