Biking Update - 9/19/2008

This has been a good week for weight loss as I hit two new lows, although weight loss continues to be a non-linear process. Down 2 lbs on one day, up 2.1 lbs the next, down 1.7 the next, etc. It is frustrating, but of course after having already lost well over 10% of my body weight and hitting almost 40 lbs down from the start, all of the easy weight loss is probably behind me. Sigh. I prefer easy weight loss. Anyway, still trying to figure out exactly what foods and eating/exercise patterns work out best for me. The new stationary bike is working out well as a new tool in the arsenal - it has a pulse monitor which is a fun way to challenge myself, and is much more stable and reliable than the old one.

It was an okay week for biking too. On Saturday, we rode the Monroe Trail which turned out to be far more schizophrenic than the other trails. It was not paved, and varied from hard-packed dirt as firm and pleasant as the Trumbull Trail, to pitted but predictable as the Larkin Trail, and then finally wound up with some area that was as wild, bumpy, and borderline dangerous as the Shelton Trail. We rode it all the way into Newtown until we came to a set of ancient railroad tracks (hence the Rail-Trail monicker) which lead off into an entirely unmarked tail, then headed back. We did not do a lot of other rides this week (other than the stationary bike) due to a number of factors - weather, missing GNO, other commitments - and it now appears that Autumn is going to be a challenging time to make the time to bike.

Today, we are heading up to the Airline Trail in East Hampton with Nick and Nora. The trail is supposed to be beautiful and has been highly recommended to me by multiple coworkers and several websites. It is a LONG trail - 20 to 50 miles depending on which guidebook you go by - so it will probably be our longest ride ever, even if we do not ride the full length. We won't be doing this trail too often, however, as it is over an hour drive north. Still, if it is as beautiful as people day, it'll be worth it. Especially if we catch some of the foliage starting to turn up here in New England. We'll be sure to have a full report for next week's check-in.