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07-20-11, 01:00 AM
Well, it is official. I am a clyde. Not by much, mind you ... last weekend I weighed in at 210.6.
Before you chastize me for being upset about being 200+ by only 10 pounds, let me explain.
I bought my first road bike as a wedding gift to myself (wife-to-be got one too) in 2004 when I was 30 years old. At the time, I was fairly fit ... around 175 pounds and a regular weight lifter. After riding casually for about a year, I was averaging around 20 MPH on the flats at a 75% H/R, could ride metric centuries unsupported without issue, and my weight dropped to around 155 pounds.
My wife doesn't ride her bike, and during the off season between 2005 and 2006 ... well, I just didn't get on the bike again much. I would pound out an occasional 25-mile ride or an 8-mile time trial ... but my annual mileage went from 3000 down to less than 1000. THe years passed, and I never replaced cycling with any time at the gym or any other physical activity. Fast-forward to 2008, and I had a beautiful daughter with my wife. My job is one that has me now sitting at a desk, and the pot-lucks and sedative lifestyle for three more years took their toll. All these things morphed into what I am today: 37 years old, incative, 55 pounds heavier, and high cholesterol.
I avoid cameras because I am ashamed of what I have allowed to happen to myself. No family photo ops for holidays ... no photos uploaded on my facebook page ... no trips with the daughter to the beach ... it's all pretty pathetic, I know. But I can't help it.
So, last week, after years of pontificating ... and slipping further ... and becoming more dissatisfied with my energy, lifestyle, and life ... I finally decided to do something about it, rather than wallow in self-pity any longer. I want to be able to be active with my daughter. I want her to see that health and fitness is important to her Da-Da and is, therefore, important for her. I got back on the 'ole Bianchi for the first time in over 2 years ... and the first time seriously in 6 years. This was one week ago today.
The first 2 rides were just to make sure the fricking bike still worked ... and were liesurely 8.2-mile jaunts. My sit bones were not happy. But, I knew that only miles could make that go away, so last Saturday was the first real test with a 25-mile ride spinning gently on flats in low gears. Another short recovery ride on Sunday with the daughter in tow ... culminating with a 17-mile time trial on flats today at a (surprising) 17 MPH average. Tonight's weigh-in was at 207.6 pounds. I can do this, dammit.
Goals?
1. Build a base of 1000 miles over the next 4 months.
2. Ride the Death Valley Spring Century (imperial) in March.
3. RIde 4 more centuries in 2012.
4. Begin brevet rides in 2013.
5. Achieve weight of 150 pounds in 2013.
6. Complete 200-300-600-1000 brevet series in 2014.
7. Complete Paris-Brest-Paris in 2015.
I had to write this post for others to see ... now I am committed to meeting those goals.
The stories in the clyde section are truly inspirational. The guys (and gals) getting on the bike for the first time and suffering through a 5-mile ride are not lost on me. I find this section of BF to be the most genuine, relevent, and motivational. I hope that you will allow me to share my progress in here even when I am no longer "categorized" as a clyde.
Thanks for reading this ...
Before you chastize me for being upset about being 200+ by only 10 pounds, let me explain.
I bought my first road bike as a wedding gift to myself (wife-to-be got one too) in 2004 when I was 30 years old. At the time, I was fairly fit ... around 175 pounds and a regular weight lifter. After riding casually for about a year, I was averaging around 20 MPH on the flats at a 75% H/R, could ride metric centuries unsupported without issue, and my weight dropped to around 155 pounds.
My wife doesn't ride her bike, and during the off season between 2005 and 2006 ... well, I just didn't get on the bike again much. I would pound out an occasional 25-mile ride or an 8-mile time trial ... but my annual mileage went from 3000 down to less than 1000. THe years passed, and I never replaced cycling with any time at the gym or any other physical activity. Fast-forward to 2008, and I had a beautiful daughter with my wife. My job is one that has me now sitting at a desk, and the pot-lucks and sedative lifestyle for three more years took their toll. All these things morphed into what I am today: 37 years old, incative, 55 pounds heavier, and high cholesterol.
I avoid cameras because I am ashamed of what I have allowed to happen to myself. No family photo ops for holidays ... no photos uploaded on my facebook page ... no trips with the daughter to the beach ... it's all pretty pathetic, I know. But I can't help it.
So, last week, after years of pontificating ... and slipping further ... and becoming more dissatisfied with my energy, lifestyle, and life ... I finally decided to do something about it, rather than wallow in self-pity any longer. I want to be able to be active with my daughter. I want her to see that health and fitness is important to her Da-Da and is, therefore, important for her. I got back on the 'ole Bianchi for the first time in over 2 years ... and the first time seriously in 6 years. This was one week ago today.
The first 2 rides were just to make sure the fricking bike still worked ... and were liesurely 8.2-mile jaunts. My sit bones were not happy. But, I knew that only miles could make that go away, so last Saturday was the first real test with a 25-mile ride spinning gently on flats in low gears. Another short recovery ride on Sunday with the daughter in tow ... culminating with a 17-mile time trial on flats today at a (surprising) 17 MPH average. Tonight's weigh-in was at 207.6 pounds. I can do this, dammit.
Goals?
1. Build a base of 1000 miles over the next 4 months.
2. Ride the Death Valley Spring Century (imperial) in March.
3. RIde 4 more centuries in 2012.
4. Begin brevet rides in 2013.
5. Achieve weight of 150 pounds in 2013.
6. Complete 200-300-600-1000 brevet series in 2014.
7. Complete Paris-Brest-Paris in 2015.
I had to write this post for others to see ... now I am committed to meeting those goals.
The stories in the clyde section are truly inspirational. The guys (and gals) getting on the bike for the first time and suffering through a 5-mile ride are not lost on me. I find this section of BF to be the most genuine, relevent, and motivational. I hope that you will allow me to share my progress in here even when I am no longer "categorized" as a clyde.
Thanks for reading this ...