Biggest Winner 2016

So, here it is, the start of my 4th Biggest Winner weight loss competition as part of the City of Las Vegas' Corporate Challenge.  The weigh in was yesterday and their scale put me at 438 lbs.  I thought it might have been a couple of pounds light and when I got home and on my scale it showed 440 lbs.  So there it is.  Now this is actually a bit heavier than I was on Tuesday and that was a result of eating some salty foods and drinking a ton of liquids.  I expect that increase to disappear in the next day or two as I flush out my system.

What I find strange is that while we have medaled, taking the bronze last year, and I have lost weight in the competition, it obviously has not 'stuck'.  Let's look back just a single year to last year's competition.  I started the competition with a weight of  448 lbs. and ended at 420 lbs. for a loss of 28 lbs.  You will notice that that is significantly less than yesterday's weight and especially my weight of 458 lbs. back on 2/8 when I started my personal weight loss challenge.

What this tells me is that if I set my sights on a concrete goal, then I am actually pretty good at doing what I need to in order to lose weight, but when there is no target I let my eating slip way out of control.  I see that this is not just a short term change that I need to make in order to meet these short term goals, but it needs to be a lifetime change in my eating behavior. I am working to make that lifetime change a reality.

So, until I get to where I need to be, I am going to keep putting short term goals out there and then striving to meet them.  I have my 6 month goal of losing that 80 lbs. and I am going to hit it, no if's ands or buts, but then I am going to continue on until I reach my ultimate target goal of under 250 lbs.

A FitBit is powerful

Psychologically, at least. Yesterday sowed me just how powerful a FitBit is.  I had unfortunately forgotten my FitBit Ultra at home, having left it in my shorts I wore the night before.  I meant to grab it when I was getting dressed, and honestly thought I had.  When I got to work, I was doing a few extra trips around, to get some extra steps in when I went for coffee, or to use the restroom. you know, I wanted to increase my total for the day.

At lunchtime I decided to see where my total was for the day. I reached into my pocket to retrieve it and lo and behold it wasn't there.  After a momentary panic that I had lost it, I realized that it must still be in my shorts at home. At that point I lost all motivation to do any extra steps.  My mind said, "what's the point, they won't be recorded and so don't count."

That mentality lasted all of about 10 minutes.  Just until I got back to my desk with my Atkins meal for lunch and I read a couple of posts on Facebook from FitBit users who were posting their Transformation Tuesday pictures.  I realized that while the steps didn't count towards my FitBit step total for the week, they did count as far as my health was concerned.  So I still did the extra steps whenever I got up from my desk, but my total for the week won't reflect that.

I think the extra motivation from having that little piece of technology is invaluable as it is a tangible result, showing what I have accomplished.  I don't have to wait to see any results on the scale or in my body, its almost immediate satisfaction showing that I am doing something.

If you are on the fence about getting a FitBit, I heartily endorse doing so as it will help motivate you to do more than you normally would.  Not to mention there is a great community of other FitBit users out there who support and and encourage each other on a daily basis.

My FitBit is back online

I have been waiting to buy a new FitBit Charge HR since it was announced in December. Unfortunately they STILL do not have it available in size XL. So I finally decided that I needed to bite the bullet and buy a charger/dock for my FitBit Ultra.  I have had it for 3 years, but its been down the last 7 months or so because the base, which allows it to Synh with the computer and charges it up, broke. To be honest, I've felt a bit lost without its prodding to do a little more, more a little more, get some more steps/floors/active minutes.

So I ordered a new one for $19.95 from FitBit and it arrived in the mail today.  I just finihsed charging up my Ultra and already have measured over 100 steps just letting the dogs out and in.  Tomorrow I hope to put a good deal of steps in. Grocery shopping in the morning and Arena Football at the Thomas and Mack in the evening.

Time to get some steps and start pushing my getting healthy and losing weight.

Motivation

Motivation is a funny thing. At times it is easy to find, usually when it is needed the least. Other times it is nowhere to be found and this is when you usually need it the most. Let's look at a couple of prime examples.

Example #1

It's 3:00 pm and you are taking a break from your work on the computer, where you've been sitting for the last 2 1/2 hours.  You look out the window and see that it is a nice, sunny day with almost no wind and temperatures in the low 70's. You are motivated to get out and ride, but know you can't because you have another 3 hours of work to do at the computer. For a slight diversion you read a popular cycling blog about an awesome MTB race and you know that if you get out there and ride, you could do that.

You are highly motivated at that point in time.  You start making plans in your head about how you are going to get out there and ride, primarily before work as your schedule makes that about the only time available. You have visions of getting stronger and faster on the bike, of losing weight and feeling good.

Example #2

It's 4:02 AM. our alarm went off 2 minutes ago and you are still in bed, trying to get yourself up to go ride your bike. You know you should. You know you'll feel better if you do, but it was a late night and the dogs were up barking at 1:17 when the party next door broke up. You can't keep your eyes open or truly focus. You have absolutely no motivation.

You tell yourself, missing just one day won't hurt, there is always tomorrow. You tell yourself you forgot to check your lights last night in the middle of the chaos of homework and dinner and late night company so you just know they are dead. You hear the siren song of your pillow and quietly succumb to it.

There is truly only one way to overcome example #2. That is to be so excited and amped up with motivation in example #1 that it carries over to the following morning when you actually get up and execute the start of the plan you laid out for yourself. Unless you can manage this, or have some other external factor, like someone who is counting on doing it with you, it is neigh on impossible to overcome the lack of motivation.

I hope you are motivated and get on your bikes and ride!!!!

So much has changed

I had started a post about my first ride back on the bike in 3 months.  It was to commemorate the start of the Ride with GPS challenge I accepted.  I actually got in a nice 5+ mile ride last Friday and a 3+ mile ride on Saturday. The problem is I haven't ridden since Saturday.  Life has gotten in the way.  Not physically but more mentally.

I was going to talk about how little pressure was left in my tires after sitting for 3 months and about how terribly slow and out of shape I felt while at the same time feeling exhilirated about riding again.  I had even planned on riding again Sunday evening.  But then Life happened.

To make a long story short there was a stolen and then recovered car, lots of waiting for dealers and appraisers and others.  There is the inconvenience of being down a vehicle.  Really these are all nothing more than excuses.

I certainly acknowledge that I am using these events as excuses not to ride, but frankly riding has been the last thing on my mind lately. Sure I've had the fleeting thought that I should ride, but never at an opportune time to actually do it. It would probably have helped lower my stress level, but I just didn't have the attitude nor willingness to get on the bike.  I need to change that and integrate the bike more into my daily routine.  I just may need to start getting up at 4:00 am again on work days to get my riding in.

The good news is, even through all the stress, I didn't turn to food for comfort.  That is a big deal.  I have continued the progress in the weight loss and am happy to report I am down 20 lbs. in a month. So at least I am still doing something right.

Time to take my own advice and...

Get on my bike and ride!

National Bike Challenge stats

Yesterday was the end of the National Bike Challenge.  The challenge ran from May 1st through September 30 and it was designed to promote cycling across the country.

I was a little late to the party and joined on May 12.  The challenge is the catalyst which spawned my personal challenge to ride 180 days in a row.  To date I have ridden 139 days consecutively.

What is really great about the challenge is how cyclists support and encourage others along the way.  I actually joined the challenge with 47 other riders from my work.  We had a pair of awesome organizers (thanks Keely and Eric) and everyone was motivated to ride.  What I like is that you could see how well you were doing not only on a national scale, but a state local and organizational scale as well.

Let's break down the statistics.

Above is my overall statistics.  I rode 336.5 miles in 140 rides over the course of the challenge.  That earned me 3,136 points which placed me #4,757 out of 47,087 riders nationally.

Locally I was number 23 out of 202 riders.

At my workplace I was #9 of 48 riders.  Not too bad at all!

What I liked about the challenge is that they gave 20 points for getting on the bike and riding at least a mile on a day.  They then awarded a point for each mile ridden. This rewards perseverance which I how I placed so high.

I am certainly glad I participated in the challenge and look forward to it again next year.

Get on your bikes and ride!

Biggest Winner Competition wraps up

You may remember that I wrote about the Biggest Winner Weight Loss competition which is part of the Las Vegas Corporate Challenge.  The initial weigh in was on March 4 and the weigh out was this past Monday, May 12.  I was the captain of our team and recruited 4 other individuals to participate. I had hoped to earn points and possibly a medal for our team.  Unfortunately that was not the case.

As with most weight loss competitions the team started out positive, strong and motivated.  I had the team check in each Monday with their current weight and the first 3 or 4 weeks were great.  Then we hit a couple of snags.  Team members suffered injuries and had to curtail some of their physical activities.  Easter came and went.  There was a reduction of staff at work. Mother's day was the weekend before the final weigh in.  It all added up to our placing 12th in the competition.

I know we all have struggles and challenges we face every day, but I had hoped to keep my team motivated and on track., I obviously did a poor job.  If each member of the team had simply stayed at their lowest reported weight, then we would have placed 4th overall.  That didn't happen.  Over the last 4 weeks, and particularly over the last week, several pounds, once lost, were gained back.

I lost the largest number of pounds on our team for the challenge at 23. I also had the largest percentage at 5.23%.  The total weight lost by the other 4 team members combined was only 18 lbs. which gave us a 41 lb. total loss representing 3.29%.  While I could try to blame my teammates, the failure is mine.  I failed to keep them motivated and on track for the challenge. I need to look at what I did and when, and decide what I could do differently to help them achieve better results.

The fact that we had gained back weight points to a failure on my part. I was supposed to keep them motivated and on point for the challenge and my weekly emails obviously missed the mark.  There has to be more that I could have done.  Right now I'm not sure what that was, but I have reached out to my team mates and asked that very question - what more could I have done to help with the challenge.  I hope to get some usable answers so that in the future I can be a better leader.

So, I am celebrating my 23 lb. loss, but the celebration is short lived as I need to keep myself motivated and moving forward towards a slimmer and healthier version of myself.  I indulged a bit the last couple of days in the food department, but its time to get back to eating better and moving more.

Get on your bikes and ride!

Why We Ride

Doug, over at A Year of Living…humm…dangerous? published a post this morning with the same title (here) and it got me thinking about this topic. He was pointing out that it is too easy to get caught up in comparing our performance on the bike against those around us and in doing so, we may have a tendency to lose sight of our reasons for being on the bike to begin with.  I totally agree.

I try not to compare myself to others in terms of speed and/or distance, but when I read of other's exploits on the bike, riding in races, completing epic tours or even earning KOM's I start to think about how slow I am or how little I've ridden or how I have yet to actually complete a century since I've started riding again. I start to focus on what I'm not, rather than what I am and what I am is having fun.

Sure I'm riding to better my health, to lose weight and to get in shape, but the real reason I ride is that I enjoy it. It's just plain fun to ride my bike!  I have to constantly remind myself of this otherwise I lose motivation because I see the ride more as a chore rather than the enjoyable experience it truly is.

So, go, Have fun.

Get on your bikes and ride!!!!

Motivation is the key

I have a ride coming up on Saturday.  Its the Tour De Cure here in Las Vegas and I am planning on doing the 20 mile route.  With that in mind I know I need to get in more rides to have a better day on the bike.  I have increased my number of rides significantly this month over last month and I have the impending ride to thank for that increase.  It has been the motivation I needed to actually get on my bike and ride.

It wasn't, however, motivation enough to get me to ride this past weekend.  The temperatures weren't bad, nor was there any significant precipitation to limit my riding.  What my limited motivation had to overcome was wind.  Specifically wind that was in the 25 to 25 mph range with gusts into the 40's or even 50's.  Sure, the added wind gives a harder workout, but it also sucks.  I can't get myself motivated to strain against the wind, pedaling for all I'm worth to eek out a mere 5 or maybe 6 mph on my bike. Part of that is becasue my motivation doesn't involve needing to ride to get anywhere.

If I was on a bike tour, or my bike was my primary means of transportation, then my motivation level to get somewhere would probably have been able to overcome the wind, but when I am riding for fun and exercise, primarily for fun, then the wind wins as it just isn't fun to me to struggle like that at this time. I imagine a day, in the not too distant future where I would take the wind as a personal challenge and relish pitting myself against natures fury to prove my supremacy, but frankly I'm not that cyclist, yet. I hope to get there in the future, though.

That is why I sign myself up for these events like this coming weekend's Tour De Cure.  It gives me the motivational nudge to overcome my basic inertia and get off the couch and on my bike.

What is your motivation to ride?

April Fools Prank - NOT!

I had considered writing a post in honor of the April Fool's Day prank tradition that other bloggers have followed but I find I'm just not that clever or witty.  I can't come up with something that is believable enough so as to not be a transparent ruse. With that in mind I offer a link to Fatty's post for today which is well done.  He has a tradition of these posts going back several years.

With that said I want to talk about my lack of motivation for riding of late and my upcoming Tour De Cure.  I have been slacking in my preparation and this is unacceptable to me.  There is a general lack of motivation at the moment and I fear part of it is the fact that I have very little support for my ride in terms of donations.  In fact, besides myself I have had only one other person make a donation.

I will do the ride.  In fact I will make a pledge that if I do not finish the 20 miles ride on May 3rd, I will personally match any donations made.  I was going to honor a money back guarantee, but the logistics would be a nightmare.  This is a better option as it will force me to put my money where my mouth is for this worthy cause.

Please help me to get motivated and support my training efforts by making a donation here.

I think you and the American Diabetes Association thanks you.

Get on your bikes and ride!

Another Registration...

When I was looking for rides this year, this one particularly caught my eye.  Its called the BIKE MS Vegas Challenge and it is a 2 day event on November 9 & 10.  The goal of the ride is to raise funds in the fight against MS.  If you would like to donate, here is the link.  It is a very worthy cause.

I liked this ride when I saw it as it is multiple days and it is a distance I feel I can manage.  On Saturday there are several ride options - a 100 mile, 65 mile or 30 mile route.  I decided the 30 mile route is for me.  Here is a link to a map of the route.  What I like about this route is the chance to ride along the strip, even if its not at night like the Viva Bike Vegas ride.

On Sunday there are 2 routes, a 50 mile and a 30 mile route.  Again, with my current fitness level I figured back to back 30 mile rides would be great.  Here is a link to the Sunday 30 mile route map.  What I like about this route is that it heads out to my old stomping grounds along Boulder highway up into Henderson.

While MS has not touched me personally, I have known a couple of people that it has touched and this disease is one of the worst out there.  It is dastardly in that it affects the body and makes it impossible to accomplish even simple tasks, but leaves the mind sharp so that the afflicted know full well what it has done to them.

Please take a minute and donate what you can so that a cure can be found.  In case you missed it at the top, here is a link to my donation page.

Enjoy life, get on your bikes and RIDE!!!!

August Challenge Day 16 ride 16

The plan last night was to get up this morning and go for a ride with the grand kids.  I was thinking we would get out pretty early to try and beat some of the heat.  Normally the kids are up by 7:00 or 7:30 so I was thinking if we rode by 8:00 or so it would be good.

Finally at 9:15 I said it was time for them to get up so we can go.  We got out there at 9:28 and it was already hot.  Jacob, Dillon, Nicholas and PT all went with me.  We did a nice ramble around the neighborhood and rode by the house about 1.9 miles into the ride  The kids wanted a break so PT and I went on a quick trip around the block while they came in and got a drink.

When e got back to the house.  Nick was inside and not going any farther.  Jacob, Dillon, PT and I took off for another "lap" but just at the corner, Jacob decided he was done and headed back to the house.

Dillon hung in there and completed a total of 4.1 miles today in the heat.  PT and I completed 4.6 miles.

I am proud of all of them for how far they went.  They are all riding better and better.

Today's Stats:

4.6 miles
33:29 elapsed time

Month to date:

16/16 rides
123.5 miles
9:54:21 elapsed time

Get on your bikes and ride!!!!

August Challenge Day 15 Ride 15

It was a little warmer this morning in the mid 70's and the humidity was up a bit as well to close to 30%.  I can hear everyone from other parts of the country say "you call that humidity?"  Just remember this IS the desert. My legs were feeling a bit tired and heavy as well.

I did see a rabbit twice this morning.  Not sure if they were 2 different rabbits or the same rabbit both times as the sightings were about 20 minutes and a quarter mile apart.  Traffic was also the lightest its been all week during my early morning, but there were a couple of drivers who slammed on their brakes at the last minute, obviously used to sailing through the stop signs.

I also saw a teenager on a mountain bike with a back pack.  Not sure where he was going to or from, but he was headed south on El Capitan Way at just the wrong speed where I had to slow way down to keep from impacting him as I made my turn onto Mackanos while he continued south.  He never knew I was there.

Stats:

10.4 miles
46:02 elapsed time

Month to date:

118.9 miles
9:20:52 elapsed time

Keep those pedals turning!

August Challenge Day 14 Ride 14

Feeling pretty good about the August challenge at this point.  Its been 14 days and I've ridden every one of them.  A couple of items to note regarding this morning's ride and they both have to do with distance.  This morning's ride took me over 100 miles for the month, but more importantly it took me to 567 miles for the year which surpassed last year's total of 566 miles.

I'm riding more this year and I'm feeling good.  The bike is working well as well.

Today's stats:

10.4 miles
44:21 Elapsed time

Month to date

108.5 miles
8:34:50 elapsed time

How are you doing this month?

Keep those pedals turning!

August Challenge Rdies 11 and 12

So far so good on the August Challenge.  12 days - 12 rides.  Not a bad streak but I'm not even halfway there yet.

These 2 rides happened almost exactly 9 hours apart.  Ride eleven was a fun little ramble around the neighborhood with the grand kids.  We had fun and I'm amazed at how quickly they are progressing.  Where a few weeks ago they would complain and want to take a break before we completed one lap, yesterday they were raring to go for multiple laps.  The 3 boys actually did 4 or 5 laps and were doing great!

Stats for ride 11:

3.0 miles
0:21:45 elapsed time

This morning it was back at it - up at 4:00 and out riding by 4:07.  There were a few remarkable things about this morning's ride.  The traffic was awfully busy for that time of the morning.  I must have been passed by 20+ cars. I know that's not a lot for most people, but that is one of the reasons that I like the early morning rides - virtually no traffic.  Among the cars were an NHP cruiser and about 10 minutes later an LVMPD cruiser.  What was remarkable was they both headed in the same direction - south on Pebble towards Durango.

I also saw a group of 4 riders headed north on Pebble towards fort Apache all decked out in their matching kits.  I couldn't read what they said but they were all while and green.

One other item to note was I saw a young boy - probably 11 or 12 riding a much too big bike with no lights.  He slowed and was waiting to turn onto El Capitan Way, but I slowed to wait for him to see if he was all right, but he disappeared.  Not sure if he changed his mind about turning or rode into the new sub on the corner, but I couldn't find him.  He just seemed out of place at that time of the morning.

Ride 12 stats:

10.4 miles
0:46:31 Elapsed time

Month to date:

87.7 miles
7:03:20 Elapsed time

Keep those pedals turning!

August Challenge day 6

This morning I'm 6/6 for rides in August.  I'm very happy with my progress so far and have to admit there have been a couple of days I wouldn't have ridden but for this challenge.

The thing about this morning's ride is there was very little remarkable about it.  no exciting encounters with traffic, no wildlife, no overpowering smells, no real struggles, nothing.  It was a good ride which challenged me and helped me to build my fitness.

Here are the stats:

10.4 Miles
46:16 Elapsed Time

And totals for the month to date:

49.6 miles
3:49:14 Elapsed time

Keep those pedals turning!

August Challenge Day 4

Got up this morning and wanted to get out earlier to try and beat the heat.  That didn't work so well.

I decided to head in a direction I hadn't gone for a few months - out Blue Diamond Road towards Blue Diamond.  As I got going I noticed that my legs weren't feeling the freshest.  They felt heavy and I had very little energy.  Looking back, I'm guessing I ate too little yesterday.  I only had a bucket of popcorn and a couple of chicken burritos after yesterday's short ride.

Anyway I was going along in an easier gear than normal and I noticed that I wasn't feeling any wind while I was moving.  Basically the wind was 5 to 10 mph from the ESE which meant a tailwind as I headed west.  All that really meant is I had no airflow cooling me off as I rode.

The heat was building, the sun was beating done and I was getting HOT.  With no shade I was really starting to feel it. (When I checked at home it was already 93)

When I got to the traffic information sign just before Hwy 159, I decided to stop in the little shade it provided for a minute.  He is what the view was looking towards the west:

After a couple of minutes I pushed on, but I knew I was just going to make it to HWY159 and turn around.

When I did then the fun started as it was all downhill back towards home.

One thing I noticed was the amount of debris and gravel on the Eastbound shoulder.  The westbound wasn't near as cluttered.

I got home and drank a liter of water to help cool off.

Totals for today:

9 miles
46:32 elapsed time

Total for August:

28.8 miles
2:16:14 elapsed time

How is everyone else doing this month?

Keep those pedals turning!

I fought the law and I won

That is Newton's first law of motion which states, and I quote:

An object at rest will remain at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force. An object in motion continues in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Basically I was at rest, nice and snug in my bed when the alarm went off.  I rolled over, turned it off and even went so far as to reset the alarm for 5:25 thinking that I was going to remain at rest.  Then I started fighting.

I fought my own excuses for not doing what I know is right.  The thoughts went through my head:

"I'm too tired."

"I have a slight headache."

"I can do it tomorrow and still make 3 days this week."

I fought each one with logic and desire:

"You won't be any less tired if you go back to sleep."

"That's no excuse, it will probably go away as soon as you are up and moving."

"Tomorrow never comes."

In the end I won and got myself out of bed, got dressed and went out for a ride.  Once I was out on my bike I was feeling much better.  I was certainly glad I didn't give in to my excuses.

I ended up riding a good 10 miles this morning at an average of 13.5 mph.  Not bad for such an early morning.

Decision made - focus on riding

For the last several days I have been toying with the idea of possibly competing in the Pumpkinman Sprint Triathlon coming this October.  I've been looking at where I am and where I want to go fitness-wise and trying to decide if I want to put my limited time over the next few months into a multi-sport effort, or if I want to focus on one sport.  I've decided to focus on one sport for this year, but I will do Pumpkinman in 2014.

With the upcoming rides and a few more I want to do in the next year, I think I should focus on improving both my speed and stamina on the bike.  I want to get to a point where the 100 MON next year is no problem.  I want to be able to do the Tour De Cure and other events without being the last rider.  In order to do that I have to be more disciplined and focused on riding.  Besides I enjoy riding so much more than running that I'm more likely to do it.

I've spent a lot of time over the last few day reading other's report on rides they've done.  From Fatty's epic 10 part (so far) report of the Rockwell relay (Part One here) to a few of the other teams reports like team Crankenstein and Team Keep It Clean.  I've also read all of the 100 MON reports that Fatty has posted.  These have all inspired me to ride more.

Add to those stories various journals on Crazy Guy On A Bike and there is a real desire to improve my ability to ride longer distance and to experience more of this country from my saddle.  Andy Peat's journal of going south from SanDiego through Central and South America is really inspiring.  Especially his images from Macchu Picchu.  Mark and Julie Lovegood's Transam journal on a Pinot tandem is inspiring as well.  All the people they've met and the kindness shared restores my faith in the goodness of people.  Then there is Bobby and Thane's journal of their Transam journey.  Their insights and passion for meeting the people and rejoicing in the freedom and ability to tour is infectious.  That they are from Michigan makes them kindred spirits.that they only met less than a year before starting their tour is just astounding and shows great faith in each other.

These journals make me want to improve my abilities so I can get out there on the road and experience some of this first hand.

So Starting now, I have new goals and a plan for improvement.  Acknowledging that it is just too blasted hot to ride during the day, I will get out at least 3 times per week for the next couple of months.  These will be early morning rides to hopefully beat the heat.  Once we have some cooler weather, probably about mid-September,  I will be increasing this to 5 rides per week.  I am still planning on hitting my goal of riding 2013 miles this calendar year.  I realize I am a bit behind where I wanted to be, but there is still 1/2 a year to make that up.

Get out there and ride your bike!

100 Miles Of Nowhere...

Ok, here's the story for this:

(Fat Cyclist 100 MON)

I was competing in the 100 Miles of Nowhere Las Vegas Block edition. As I posted here, I signed up for this for the first time this year back in mid-April.  I figured I would have lots of time to train, get my stamina up and be ready to go.  While i had the time, things didn't quite work out as well as I had hoped in that regard.  My longest ride leading up to this event was only 20 miles.

My swag showed up 2 weeks ago.  Great swag from all of the sponsors.  Here is my race plate.

As I planned my event I decided to use laps around my block as my course for the event.  From training and testing ride I determined that it was approximately .47 miles around the block.  Doing the math that meant I would need to do 213 laps to hit 100 miles.

One concern I had was with the forecasted temperatures for June 1st.  !0 days out the forecasted high was 101 degrees Fahrenheit.  Way too hot to ride in all day.  Since a lot of my training is done before work when it is nice and cool, I decided to start my ride nice and early in order to try and beat the heat. So my plan was to get up and be on the bike by 4:00 AM.

As I posted yesterday here, I had just changed my seat and did a quick shakedown ride to check the position.  Friday night I washed my cycling attire, laid out all my supplies for before and during the ride, set my alarm for 3:30 AM and went to bed early for my at 9:00 PM.

The alarm went off, what seemed like way too soon and it was time to get up and get going.  I got dressed, headed downstairs and had a banana and some Oreo vanilla cookies washed down with a bottle of Starbucks Vanilla Frappacino.  I then aired up the tires and opened the garage.  I was relieved to feel the cool air come in as it was only about 65 degrees.  I turned on my Garmin and my lights and off I went.

The first lap wasn't too bad except for the 10 to 15 mph wind from the west.  This meant that I was pushing into the wind on the uphill prat of the lap.  Not bad, but I started thinking that it might prove to be a problem later on.  One lap down and a whole bunch more to go.

Very few people were out so early so i basically had the streets to myself  It was relatively peaceful and quiet.

I got into a pretty good rhythm and the laps started going by.  I kept a count of laps in my head and the goal was to complete at least 45 or 50 laps before I took my first rest.  As I rode along I noticed that the sky to the east was getting lighter and eventually at 40 laps I noticed the sun on the mountains o the west.  A few more laps and I actually saw the sun over the houses to the east.

As the laps were adding up, my saddle area was getting a little tender.  Let's face it, I just didn't have enough saddle time leading up to this ride.

I hit 53 laps, which was 25 miles and decided it was time for a rest.  I checked my Garmin when I went in and noticed that I had completed the 25 miles in 1:55 which equated o an average speed of 13.0 mph.  I was right on the pace that I had envisioned before the ride.  I knew I needed to get hydrated and eat some calories or I would be in trouble.

So, some powerade, more Oreos, a couple of fig newtons and I was back on my way.  As I rode the next laps, the neighborhood started waking up.  People were walking their dogs, backing out of their driveways and starting to do some work round their houses.

As the laps progressed I was thankful for the Garmin as I lost count and had no idea how any laps I completed.  fortunately I had my distance traveled on the Garmin. 

One thing to note is that during this stage I actually had a dog chase.  On the opposite of our block a woman was putting her 3 dogs into the car as I rode by.  I was almost by when the largest of the 3 dogs spotted me and all 3 took off after me barking.  The woman called after them and within a house or two they decided to listen and turned around.  

At approximately 12 miles I passed the house and my wife was there cheering me on!  Thank you dear! I completed the next lap to make 12 1/2 miles in just under an hour and it was time for my next break.   I had just under 3 hours seat time and a total of 37 1/2 miles so far.  My saddle area was also quite sore.

A banana, a powerade, some pringles and a couple of fig newtons and I was back on my way.

My wife took a picture of me during the ride:

Not much to remark on for this segment of the ride.  I did a bunch of laps, the sun was out and warming things up and surprisingly my legs didn't feel much worse for wear.  My saddle season was another matter, though.  I was getting quite sore.

Just after the 50 mile mark it was time for another break.  Still maintaining about the same pace as these miles took just under an hour as well.  Here I was at 50 miles and 4 hours into my ride.

More powerade, a Honey Stinger Blueberry Buzz bar, a few more pringles and some oreos and I was on my way again.

I noticed that I was slightly slower and this was due to shifting my position on the saddle looking for some relief.  It wasn't to be found, though.  I toughed it out to 62.5 miles and decided that was it for this event.  I had completed the 100 Miles Of Nowhere Las Vegas Metric Century around the block edition.  I was pleased to have made it that far since this was 3 times the farthest ride I had taken in the last 3 years.

Now for a nap, some sushi and Cold Stone Creamery.