Sunday, August 31, 2008

Ticker Update

Well, there isn't much to say because the damn scale hasn't changed hardly at all recently. Despite all the bike mileage recently, I've been up and down the same stupid pound all week long, and I'm a little irritated. In fact, I was supposed to do the weekly update yesterday, but I was too bummed out by being up an entire pound from the previous day or two, and I was seriously hoping that it was because I had eaten dinner so late Friday night. Turns out I was at least partially right, because that pound is now gone again. At any rate, I'm now back at 179, right where I was for most of August, but at least into the next "decade". I'm sure part of the issue is not watching closely enough how I supplement the SSHE plan, deluding myself into thinking I'm only going up to 1500 calories/day, when in reality there are some days where it's a lot more than that. Sigh...Back to using FitDay.com to track calories in/out.

Oh well. At least there's progress on the bike mileage front:




A week or two ago it occurred to me that when I was tracking this by how many miles I needed per week, I wasn't considering the number of days I would be out of town between now and then, most notably our trip to Seattle next week for the Perio convention. With that and the MS Challenge Walk the following weekend, I've only got 20 days available for cycling between now and the end of September. With the progress I made this past week, right now I need 29.4 miles per day to make the goal of 3500 miles by Sep 30th. If I'm able to rent a bike and get some extra miles while in Seattle, that number could fall dramatically. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, why don't you get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Minnesota State Fair - Surveying the Damage

There actually isn't any real damage, happily enough. Uber-Hubby & I were back up in the Twin Cities this past weekend so he could go to a friend's bachelor party (don't get me started on their shenanigans), so we decided to make Sunday our State Fair day. Our plan the last several years has been to ride our bikes to the fairgrounds & take advantage of the free bike parking sponsored by the Twin Cities Bicycling Club, and this year was no different. Our fave hotel (fridge & micro in room, only $20/day for the pooch) is up in Coon Rapids, so it was nearly 20 miles each way, and I'm happy to report that when I weighed in back at home I was only up a pound or two, and part of that is gone already this morning!

See? You CAN indulge now and then, but you have to plan for it and bump up your exercise to help counteract it. I did NOT restrict myself on food intake that day (Spam curds and mini donuts, anyone?), because really when you go to the State Fair you pretty much toss all dieting out the window for just that little while, but I was also sucking back tons of water all day long and got lots of exercise the whole weekend. As much fun as it was, I was happy to get back to the routine of eating my Seattle Sutton's food. Special thanks to Rita (I know she reads this) for letting me pick up Monday's stuff a few hours early as we drove back home through Faribault, saving me the gas and hassle of having to get home & come right back when she opened officially later that day.

I'm off to try and put in some bike mileage. I'm falling a bit behind on what I need to make the 3500 mile goal by the end of September. While I'm doing that, why don't you get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Just another Kool Aid wino

CLICK HERE to read an awesome story about these two kids running a Kool Aid stand in Montana.
Apparently the Hell's Angels stopped in Missoula last month at the beginning of their annual cross country motorcycle ride. The two boys mentioned in the article are veteran Kool Aid and lemonade stand entrepreneurs, so last time the bikers were in town they figured out that it would be a smart thing to put up a sign saying "Welcome Hell's Angels". They had guys lined up like winos looking for their next fix, to the point that the local cops had to help with traffic control. I don't care how mean-looking and tattooed these biker dudes are, deep down they have hearts as soft as teddy bears.

I've always felt that way about bikers, especially since my family met up with the Concerned Bikers Association back during my little brother Jason's days as a regional poster child for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He was always being invited to participate in various photo ops, parades, and other appearances. One time he was on a parade float with these scary looking, tattooed biker guys where he sat in the sidecar of one of their motorcycles. Afterwards we were invited to their picnic and had a great time getting to know these people.

So next time you see a scary looking biker dude, don't turn the other way or cross the street. Offer him some Kool Aid...Maybe he's just thirsty.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Walking after midnight?

Well, no. More like walking after 6pm, and this time it was 8 miles. With the move to Mankato and all the great cycling that's been going on lately, I've been neglecting my training plan for the upcoming MS Challenge Walk. I made the mistake last year of thinking somehow that all my cycling would keep me in good enough shape to walk 50 miles in 3 days, but I found out the hard way that it just wasn't true. My knees were very stiff and my feet were really sore after just a few miles, so finishing in one piece was a real accomplishment. Though I had been getting plenty of exercise, I hadn't been doing much that was weight bearing, so my feet were baby's butt soft and tender. I'm in danger of repeating history this summer, hence this evening's jaunt about town. I'll try and get out a couple of times per week until the walk happens in mid-September, and that will hopefully be enough.

The good news is that I've reached the minimum fundraising requirement for the MS Challenge Walk, so now I can focus on what Uber-Hubby and I need to raise for each of us to participate in next spring's MS 150 Bike Ride. Together with some friends from Minneapolis Bike Love, we'll be riding 150 miles in 2 days to raise more money to fight Multiple Sclerosis.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE A DONATION, please click here to visit my page or click here to visit U-H's page. Contributions are tax deductible and your privacy will be protected.

In the meantime, why not get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Ticker Update




Well, finally. I can't tell you how many times the scale has dipped below 180 in the last several weeks, only to go back above it by the time official weigh in day rolls around. I don't plan to see 180 ever again. In fact, the scale is starting to confuse me with Uber-Hubby, so that means I'm getting closer to weighing less than he does again.




Today's ride was a total of 30 miles from riding out to meet U-H for the final portion of his century ride this afternoon. August weather has been very nice so far.

One thing I failed to consider when establishing the mileage goal was that we'll be in Seattle for a solid week in early September. U-H has his annual Perio meeting to attend, and I'm going along mainly because Seattle is a cool town & we've got friends & family that live in the area. I'll probably check out the bike rental options while I'm there, but it's a pretty hilly area so U-H is convinced that I'll be miserable trying to pedal around, which of course means I have to at least TRY. If I get no pedaling done at all during the Seattle trip, I have to get slightly more than 25 miles per day between now and the end of September. Seems totally doable to me.

In the meantime, why don't you get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Monday, August 11, 2008

Hey Sis...I'm a Grease Monkey, just like you.

Yes, that's right. I said Grease Monkey. Just like my sister was when she owned a '64 Ford Falcon Sprint and had to raise the hood on the side of the highway a time or two. While riding out to meet Uber-Hubby to help him finish his latest century ride (100 miles) the other day, I got a flat tire within minutes of leaving the house. I've never had to change one without him there. It took awhile and I got super greasy, but I got it done. Turns out my back tire was B A L D bald, so it's kind of a surprise it didn't happen before now.

Gorgeous weather today for the big Faribault ride. Low 70's all day, nice breeze, low humidity. Total mileage was 85.8 when all was said and done, and U-H made his usual trip out to meet me about 20 miles from home. It really helps to have someone else there on the last part of those super long rides, so we tend to do that for each other when the timing works out.

Didn't post the weekly ticker this past weekend. Not much to report in the scale department, since I was up and down all week and finished exactly where I started the week before. Bummer, but these things happen. I'll get there eventually...just a little slower than I would like.

FYI...If you haven't been watching the prime time Olympic coverage on NBC, you're an idiot. Say what you want about China's human rights record (it's abysmal), but the Olympics are ALWAYS an awesome spectacle.

I rode almost 86 miles today. Why don't you get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Hearty Congrats to Large Fella On A Bike

For those who don't know the reference, CLICK HERE to become acquainted. If you check the entry dated today (6 Aug 08), down at the bottom of it you'll see that he hopped on the scale a bit early and discovered that he's now below 200 lbs, meaning that since he started in November of 2005, he's lost OVER 300 LBS!!!!! Dude....I don't know you, but I wish I did. That is seriously amazing. The Twin Cities' loss is Portland's gain. Good luck with the move. Congrats also for Chloe's recent cycling achievement. Great story.

In other news of the good tidings variety, today is Rocky the Uber-Pooch's 7th birthday. He's been with me since March of 2003, and I can barely remember what my life was like before he came along. Empty compared to now, that's for sure. I don't have any particularly recent pix, but this one is from 2004, at the "birthday party" Gelsey insisted we throw for him at the time...hats and all.
This one is also from that party...He basically looks the same now and has the same puppy-like energy and enthusiasm, but has a little bit of grayish white around his chin. Also, he only gets the birthday cake toy once a year. If you heard it play Happy Birthday incessantly as he chased it around the house, you'd understand.
So anyway...While I'm out walking the birthday boy, why don't you get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Weekly Ticker Update




Hmmm...Down 3 from the last weigh in, but still up from where I was on Tuesday or Wednesday of this past week. I keep dipping down into the high 170's mid-week, but then a little of it seems to creep back on by the time the official weigh in rolls around. We'll see how it goes this week...Hopefully spending the weekend in the Twin Cities hasn't caused too much damage. We ate at dear Old Chicago a couple of times, but I did my best to be good, plus we did a big charity bike ride on Saturday. Which reminds me...




Thanks to a 30 mile round trip to/from Nicollet South Bike Shop on Friday and a total of 68.3 miles on Saturday at the Tour de Tonka, I more than made up for not making the big Faribault ride earlier this week. I'm right on track with needing 150 miles/week to make my goal of 3500 miles by the end of September. In fact, if I keep the current pace, I'll make it a couple of days early.

Busy week coming up, socially speaking. In addition to all the classes I'm doing at the Y, there's a neighborhood picnic on Wednesday, Open House at Uber-Hubby's office on Thursday (command performance, must shave legs & look nice, etc), and then the summer party (also with office people) at the ball park. I'm actually looking forward to the Open House, because frankly it's the perfect opportunity to meet any number of local dentists who just might be looking for a collections/delinquent accounts & claims expert (ME) for some part time work. Here's how I see it going down (potentially):
I get introduced to Dr. X as Mrs. U-H. Dr X politely asks how I like Mankato so far, and inevitably follows up by asking what I do for a living...probably because my response to Question 1 will be that I like Mankato just fine, but it's time to make more of an effort to become gainfully employed, at least on a part time basis. In response to Question 2, I will explain that back in Minneapolis I worked for a group dental practice for several years, concentrating mainly on delinquent/denied insurance claims, accounts receivable, and collections. Acknowledging that most practices in this area probably aren't big enough to need someone like me full time (good, since I don't want to work full time), I will find a way to tactfully let Dr X know that I'm interested in some kind of part time arrangement whereby he gets expert assistance in significantly reducing the amount of money he's waiting to be paid by various entities, and I get out of the house and feel like I'm making more of a contribution to the Hoover family bottom line while still being able to travel and all that good stuff.

Would it be too presumptuous of me to have updated copies of my resume at the ready? Not right there in my hot little paws, mind you, but somewhere nearby in a nice, neat folder or something...Just in case Dr X is legitimately interested. This is all supposed to come off super casual, as the natural progression of polite conversation...Not like I'm shoving some kind of bible thumper pamhlet under his nose when he's just trying to cross the street. It's a thought.

While I'm working on that, why don't you get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off?