This morning I got up at my new early hour for riding my bike before work, looked out at the wind and threatening skies and consciously made the decision that I didn't want to ride today. I ran through several justifications in my mind - "it's not good to work hard everyday as your body does need time to recover."; "With the coldness and the wind I might get blown off the bike," and other thoughts along those lines. Then I came to realize that it just didn't seem like it would be any fun at all. That is the real reason I didn't ride this morning. I know that's not a very good reason, but there it is.
Now I know that exercising and eventually training for an event are not always going to be fun. There are going to be times when I am going to have to fight through adversity of many types and just keep going. This is a fact that I know intellectually, but right now I guess I don't have the drive and determination to get beyond these small adversities. I am working on it. I do feel very guilty about not riding this morning because I let something as small as cooler temperatures and a bit of wind keep me from doing what I really should be doing.
You, good readers, are my sounding board and my tool for getting to the real heart of the matter. By putting down the words in this space it forces me to look at myself and cut through the BS and get to the real heart of the matter. Before I got my new bike and started riding again, I would read about these rides others are doing and think I was still that much younger, more fit version of myself and say to myself I can do that no problem. I think back to the late 70's and early 80's when we did all of those bike-a-thons for the March of Dimes of 50 miles and even the 100 mile ride from the State Fair Grounds in Detroit up to Flint and back and I still think I can do those types of things no problem! I envisioned myself getting the new bike and immediately jumping on and going for a 20 or 30 mile ride without a care in the world.
Well, reality has hit me square in the face! I'm not that same semi-fit person I was back then. I am a 420 lb out of shape 47 year old who when I got the new bike struggled to ride a single mile. This I will change. I know intellectually that it will take time and it will take lots of effort, but emotionally I am very impatient. I want to skip the work and get to the part where I can have a fun 30 or 40 mile ride and not even think about it.
Part of my inspiration is Robin Riding in the 100 miles to nowhere in just over a week. She is riding in support of Livestrong and I admire her for taking on that challenge. Before my reality check, in my mind I could be riding right along with her for the entire 100 miles No Problem! - not true! I will have to work hard to get myself back into shape to be able to take on that type of a challenge.
I know we must crawl before we can walk and walk before we can run, I just want to get there faster!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
In the beginning...
In the beginning I was 492 lbs and got winded just walking from the parking lot into the building at work. In the beginning walking up the flight of stairs to the apartment left me panting and gasping for air. In the beginning I struggled to keep up with my Grandchildren. In the beginning I realized that I had to do something to make a change or my time to enjoy my Grandchildren would be cut dramatically short. So I decided to make a change.
In September of 2009 there was a weight loss competition at work called the Lose to Win challenge and I decided I would participate. I signed up for the challenge and decided that since I had experimented with a low carb diet in the past and had modest success (although once I stopped I gained back the weight twice over), that this would be the method I would use to achieve success. I thought about adding exercise, or any real physical activity to my plan, but it was basically just thought as I sat at my desk or my computer at home or on the couch (ironically watching shows like the Biggest Loser) but really did nothing.
I have achieved some success. I am down approximately 72 lbs from that start at 492. I know the weight loss has had a positive impact on my health as I am now able to walk much longer distances and I have even gotten a bike and started riding.
I think part of what has inspired me are blogs by Robin, whom I work with, and Jayne, Otherwise known as the slow fat triathlete. reading about how they have struggled and worked and met their goals has truly inspired me to get off my butt and start doing something. Along the way my co-worker Mary's triumphs in her Sprint Triathlons and reading about rides that Cynthia has taken have all helped inspire me and I just might decide to try a Triathlon in the future.
Between now and then I am going to try and put down into this blog some of the triumphs and set backs I experience along the way.
In September of 2009 there was a weight loss competition at work called the Lose to Win challenge and I decided I would participate. I signed up for the challenge and decided that since I had experimented with a low carb diet in the past and had modest success (although once I stopped I gained back the weight twice over), that this would be the method I would use to achieve success. I thought about adding exercise, or any real physical activity to my plan, but it was basically just thought as I sat at my desk or my computer at home or on the couch (ironically watching shows like the Biggest Loser) but really did nothing.
I have achieved some success. I am down approximately 72 lbs from that start at 492. I know the weight loss has had a positive impact on my health as I am now able to walk much longer distances and I have even gotten a bike and started riding.
I think part of what has inspired me are blogs by Robin, whom I work with, and Jayne, Otherwise known as the slow fat triathlete. reading about how they have struggled and worked and met their goals has truly inspired me to get off my butt and start doing something. Along the way my co-worker Mary's triumphs in her Sprint Triathlons and reading about rides that Cynthia has taken have all helped inspire me and I just might decide to try a Triathlon in the future.
Between now and then I am going to try and put down into this blog some of the triumphs and set backs I experience along the way.
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