2004-08-06 - 9:54 a.m.
So are ya tired of hearing about my bicycling yet? Tough�
Yesterday after work I figured what the hey�it�s pretty nice outside�I think I am going to go for a ride. So I hopped on the ole Dino-Bike and headed off towards Clarks Gap. Unfortunately I didn�t make it. Not cause I petered out�but because I had no idea where the gap was�As it turns out I stopped short of the gap by like a half mile�I just didn�t know it.
So whats the big deal you ask�Why do I get all carried away by the gap? Well for starters it is ALL UP HILL from my house. There is no place to rest�no flats�no coastable areas�it is just spin spin spin�till ya either get to the top�or quit. I didn�t quit, I had gone my 5 miles out and it was time to turn around. But had I known I was so close to the top of the hill (did I mention that Clarks gap is the highest point on the trail AND has the steepest grade) I would have pushed on the last little bit.
It was kinda cool�I averaged about 10-12 mph the whole way up to the top�not the 15mph I am gunning for�but it isn�t bad, but the way back down I averaged 23 mph. That was fun, and when I get my Lemond�I will only go faster!
On the down side�I managed to open up those saddle sores that had mostly healed from Monday. I guess if I keep this up I will eventually end up with a leathery calloused ass. That or I will keep hurting till I get myself some decent riding shorts. Ugh�the good news it that today the damn things don�t hurt hardly at all. Those guys on the Cycling board that I lurk about on were dead on when they said to put Bag Balm on saddle sores. It seems to have really made a difference.
So lets see�That has me up to 25 miles for the week so far�and I ride again this evening and again on Saturday. Perhaps I will make it up to 50 miles for the week. That would be Sweet.
The down side of all this is that I haven�t lost any weight yet. I am pretty sure it is because A. I haven�t been riding long enough, B. I am eating to much or to much of the wrong things, and C. I am thinking that I am not noticing the kind of weight loss I am used to seeing because for a change�I am not dehydrated. I am drinking a fair amount of water these days. In fact I have cut out sodas all together�and juice�and beer�and just about everything except for the occasional glass of wine and water. I have also eliminated my frequent eating out (I am also looking forward to seeing how that affects my bank account. I think it will make a huge difference�I was spending $13 a day just for lunch there for awhile). Now I just need to get myself into the habit of waking up and making breakfast and lunch�and then coming home and cooking as well. But I tell ya, cooking for one is SO hard. I am just not all that inspired to do it. Ugh�
Well it is Friday, and most of my friends are Pennsic bound. There is part of me that is a bit jealous�and then there is the part of me that is going to enjoy lounging around the apartment�getting out and biking�perhaps seeing the Bourne Supremacy (have a free ticket to that movie so I figure that I should go see it) or maybe just doing a lot of nothing�Oh wait, I do have to clean the apartment. It is in need of it. A good vacuuming, some laundry, and a trip to the thrift store to get rid of more crap that I have laying around. Ugh�perhaps by the end of September I will have the place all cleaned up and presentable enough to have folks over. We shall see.
I am looking forward to the weekend�it is Beautiful outside and I really don�t want to be cooped up here in the office.
Just finished up this argument here at the office.
Scrapple�do ya like it? Do you even know what it is? (I do)
Fiddleheads�do ya like it? Do you know what they are? (I do�much to my northern co-workers chagrin).
See we have folks from all over the country here and for some reason I am the only �country boy� in the group. Ya know grit eating, scrapple munching, sweet tea liking�and all sorts of other things that make me all �country�. Oh well�go figure�I can only imagine what they would think if I told em I know how to make molasses, or slaughter pigs, or pluck chickens�or heaven forbid�grow a garden. I swear�some �city� folk are so weird.
That�s it for now�take care.
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