Biking update - September 6, 2008

After two weeks of minimal weight loss, this was a breakthrough week and I am pleased to report that I am now over 35 pounds lost! That is a major milestone and I am hoping it is a sign of more to come. Of course, this was a week where I had much more control over my diet and where I was much more active. On Saturday, I actually started out at the Revelation Generation concert in Frenchtown, NJ. It was a great time of music, but I was also VERY impressed with the food vendors onsite. Most concerts I have been to in the past were all hot dogs, hamburgers, and french fries. But this festival had plenty of salads, chicken meals, and lots of healthy options (in addition to the grease). The better eating, combined with a day of walking around the grounds of a farm-converted-to-open-air-convention-center actually kicked off a week of weight loss. Then Monday, for the holiday, CRChair and I decided to "finally" try out the Shelton Trail which is only about 1/2 mile from our house. The good news? It is a really nice mountain biking trail. The bad news? I am not yet ready for it. Unlike all the other trails we had tried, this one included lots of steep hills, loose ground, large tree limbs and stumps on the trail, and more... and that was on the part of the trail that the map said was "very easy." In the end, we jumped off of the trail onto a street, and then were reminded exactly how hilly Connecticut can be as we pumped the pedals for 1/2 hour before realizing it was time to quit. We headed back to the trail and back to the car, exhausted and with fewer miles than we had hoped for.

But Tuesday healed all wounds. After a rough day of work, we both decided to drive over to the Stratford Beach and ride there in the evening. It was a perfect night for riding with cool breezes and relatively low humidity. We rode from Marnicks to Short Beach (a beautiful public park which was surprisingly MUCH larger in the end then Long Beach, in the same town) and then back again. What capped off a perfect ride was a spectacular sunset. The sky was truly on fire for the last half of the ride, and Psalm 19:1 came to mind over and over again (The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.) I can honestly say that was the most satisfying ride I have had so far this summer, as it hit pretty much all the spots that I look for in a bike ride. After that, there has been no serious bike riding to speak of. My new stationary bike has arrived at Wal-Mart and will be picked up this weekend (I pedaled the old one to death after 3 years), so I'll be able to do better exercising in the cold months to come. In the meantime, I have taken back up Wii Boxing to work out the upper body, which has been working amazingly well.

This upcoming week is a bit of an unknown. We're hoping to bike the Monroe Rail-Trail either Saturday or Sunday, depending on how/if we get hit by the hurricane. After that, we're heading back into a full work-week and a regular Bible Quizzing season (with practices every Wednesday night). I am hoping the weight loss keeps up at the current rate, but either way I am looking to stay on-plan so that my weight continues to drop and my health continues to improve. And I am going to try avoiding the Nashbar sales for a little while.