Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Jacksonville Beach, FL, get ready!

2011-11-22T15:35:00.000-08:00

So. It's decided. My 4th event in the 50 States Half Marathon Challenge will be Florida. In February. What a lovely break from the winter of Minnesota that will be. :-)

I'll be running the Breast Cancer Half Marathon on February 12, 2012. There are multiple things about this that make me happy:
1) It supports breast cancer research through the Mayo Clinic, which is based here in MN but has a satellite branch in Jax Beach. I lost my good friend Karin Harrell to breast cancer a number of years ago, and I miss her all the time.
2) I can stay with family who lives within just a few blocks of the start line. Ok, I suppose they're not technically MY family, but close enough. My super awesome big sister, Mitzi, and her husband are making the 7 hour drive down from NC to see me and we're staying with his mother. Thanks in advance, Linda. You will be the first recipient of my soon to be famous Minnesota themed hostess gifts. :-)
3) I got a flight for less than $350, meaning it will be free for only 15,000 Visa points. Free flight AND free place to stay? Yes, please. Sorry, John Harman...Flights to Tampa were too expensive.
4) Average temp in Minneapolis in February is 29(F), while the average temp in Jax Beach around that time is 68(F). 'nuff said.

The only thing I am NOT happy about is how much it cost me to enter the race. I decided I wanted to do this race back on November 1st, but it turns out the registration fee bumped up to $95 (from $75) THE DAY BEFORE. Also, they snuck in a $10 online registration fee, bringing the total to $105. Sigh. I'll just have to plan further in advance next time.

But still. Florida...in February. With my sister. :-)

Footnote: Great holiday/birthday gift idea, considering I already have everything I need in this world -- If you feel inclined to contribute to future travel expenses that will be incurred as I work my way around this great country of ours, please scroll down to the bottom of my main blog page and click on the ChipIn link. Certainly not required, but definitely much appreciated.

Just say NO to holiday weight gain!

2011-11-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

Let's face it. The holiday season is upon us once again, and it can be one of the toughest times of year to even MAINTAIN your weight, much less lose anything. It starts with Halloween candy, cruises right on through pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, cookie swaps at Christmas, and booze galore at New Year's....never mind Super Bowl parties.

This article gives some good advice on how to get through the feeding frenzy. It's mostly about awareness, stress management, and PLANNING. I don't remember where I heard this saying first, but it comes in handy a lot for me these days: "If you fail to plan, then you're planning to fail."

What about exercise? Surveys show that an alarmingly large majority of Americans don't do much for themselves in this department. Most say a lack of time is their main excuse, and that only gets worse during the holidays. Depending on which area of the country you live in, the weather may also increase the urge to stay inside and hibernate. HOGWASH, I SAY! There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad choice of clothing!

If you need something new, fun, and challenging to spark your interest in exercise this time of year, I have an answer for you. Behold...the 2011 Battle of the Bulge Challenge. That's a link to a Facebook event page that I created, based on the challenge originally dreamed up by a Park Ranger at Yosemite. The challenge starts TODAY, November 1st, and runs through midnight on New Year's Eve. You have to complete 50 miles of running and 1000 reps of each of these exercises: lunges, squats, pushups, and situps. Break it up however you want over that 61 day period, but GET MOVING.

The running part should be pretty easy for me, as I'm already working on getting ready for my next adventure in the 50 States Half Marathon Challenge. I've pretty much decided that it's going to be the Breast Cancer Half Marathon in Jacksonville Beach, FL on Feb 12, 2012, though I haven't booked anything yet. NOTE TO SELF - Keep a better eye on the calendar, because if I'd booked that race YESTERDAY, I would've saved $20 on the registration fee. Dammit. Now it's going to cost me $95. Sigh...Live and learn. The rest of the BoB Challenge is totally doable as well. If you break it down to a minimum daily requirement, it's only about 16.5 reps of each thing per day. Bump that up to 2 sets of 10 and you're there with time to spare.

So...If you're looking for some inspiration and support as you try something different to get through the holidays in a healthy way, click that link up there. If you're not on Facebook, drop a comment here and we'll figure out how to get you a copy of the challenge documents via email or something. Good luck!

3 down, 47 to go: Mankato Half Marathon

2011-10-23T07:23:00.000-07:00

There I was, somewhere between Mile 1 and 2, just starting my 11th half marathon and about to cross my 3rd state off the list. Though I was thrilled to see my friends Chris and Clint (who kindly took this photo), I'm not particularly happy about how thick it makes my neck look. :-) It was also good to see lots of old friends from work, hockey, the Y, and the running group I used to hang with when I lived in Mankato...John, Kim, Sreelatha, Michele, Angie, Joy, Liz, Dawn, Christine, and many more.

I've never bothered to go and listen to any of the speakers that they have at the standard fitness expo events before any of my races. I'm usually more interested in just going in, grabbing my packet, seeing if there are any good freebies being given away, and escaping without spending unnecessary money on impulse purchases. This time, however, my friend Jenn and I got to see Rebecca Meyer from Season 8 of NBC's The Biggest Loser. She's working on her 50 in 50 by 30 Challenge, where she is doing a race in each state before she hits age 30. Reading about Rebecca's challenge and finding out that she'd be speaking in Mankato is what gave me the idea to do my own 50 states challenge. I just wish could use speaking engagements to pay for it like she probably is. The added bonus? My former orthopedist, Dr. Scott Stevens of the Orthopedic and Fracture Clinic in Mankato, aka Dr. McHottie, happened to be the speaker right before Rebecca. Seriously, ladies...If you live in the Mankato area, this is the guy you want, and not just to fix your ailing knees. :-)

Speaking of my friend Jenn, that's her as she approached the finish line of the 10k race. She used to weigh over 300 lbs, but she's working really hard to get healthy, and to date she's lost about 60 lbs. I helped her get across the finish line last year, but with me in the half this time she was on her own, and I'm proud to say that she crushed her time from last year by over 10 minutes! Jenn has had far too many people in her life tell her that she can't do things, but hopefully this accomplishment will help her remember that SHE CAN. She sets a wonderful example for her two children, Jamie and Sarah, who also participated in race events over the weekend. My thanks to Jenn and her family for letting me stay at their house and save hotel costs. Sarah Barah kindly gave up her bed, and Paul cooked some great meals. They even made sure I had toasted bagels with peanut butter on race day!

The race itself went well. I finished in 2:28:05, only a few seconds slower than Fargo earlier this year, even on top of worries about my left hip and knee. My PR is 2:03:48 at the Norfolk Half Marathon about 6.5 years ago, and I hope to get back in that time frame at some point. Pie in the sky dream: Break 2 hours. So...What's next? I'm done with races for 2011, and Hot Flash is about to start the new hockey season, but that doesn't mean I'm done running. Cold weather running is my favorite! Right now I'm thinking about the 2012 races I should plan on doing and what states I can cross off the list. These are the possibilities so far:

Feb/Mar - Florida, either Jacksonville or Tampa, because I know people in both towns. Also, it would be a nice break from winter in Minnesota.

Jun - Nebraska, because my friend Justine's parents live near Norfolk. Unfortunately, summer races are HOT.

Aug - Wisconsin, because the Gopher to Badger race is both cheap and nearby. Might not even need an overnight hotel stay.

Sep - South Dakota, because Sioux Falls is cheap, nearby, and other friends might be going.

Oct - Iowa, because Des Moines is a relatively short road trip. Downside: People who live there can't drive for shit, so there's an added risk factor. Long story.

The only deal breaker on any race is going to be whether or not they give out finisher's medals, because my vision of the future is a giant, framed display of medals from all 50 states, with my challenge completion certificate in the middle. Here's what I've got so far:

So that's it for now. Please scroll down and click on my ChipIn link if you are so inclined, and let me know if you might have a sofa or spare bedroom I might take advantage of in the future. I promise to bring Minnesota themed goodies.

50 States Half Marathon Challenge: What...WHAT?

2011-10-16T15:03:00.000-07:00

I've decided to take up the 50 States Half Marathon Challenge. Read about the challenge itself at Half Marathon Club and follow my exploits here. This post will describe the beginning of my odyssey.

As many of you know, I took up running a few years ago. By accident, really. I mean, I used to be in the Navy's 3 Mile Club, meaning I would force myself to kind of run a mile and a half twice a year for their Physical Readiness Test (PRT). Back in 2003, however, I signed up for my first MS Challenge Walk, which was 50 miles in 3 days to benefit Multiple Sclerosis. Just so happens that the Virginia Beach Rock & Roll Half Marathon took place the weekend prior to our walk, so my friends and I decided to walk it as our last training event. It was fun to see all the local bands playing great music at intervals along the route.

When the 2004 event rolled around, we signed up again. We got to Mile Marker 1 just as the Kenyan Track Club was clipping past Mile 8, but whatever. At that point, I had what I call my "Forrest Gump moment" where I just "felt like running". I didn't have anything with me like water or Gatorade though, so I decided to take walk breaks at the water stops and see how far I got. Lo and behold, 2.5 hours later, there I was on the Va Beach boardwalk, thinking "Who's feet are these?" and "What could I do if I really tried?" This is me on the morning of the 2003 race:

In 2005, the Shamrock Marathon was my first full length marathon. Here is one of the few pix I've ever had taken of me while running that I actually liked. Since I'm still smiling, it's clearly before the halfway point of the race:

I moved to MN not long after that, and completed the 2005 Twin Cities Marathon in October. That's the race that made me decide that I prefer the half marathon distance, and since then I've completed a total of 10 half marathons.

My 11th half will be this coming Saturday, October 22, 2011, when I run the Mankato Half Marathon. Though I've completed multiple half marathons in MN, this is the one I'll be counting towards the 50 States Challenge.

Why a 50 States Challenge?

Well, frankly, I need something to do to stay active and motivated. Also, given the expenses involved in traveling to each state, I'll probably only be able to swing 2-3 trips per year if I'm lucky, so this is also a long term activity plan, which will hopefully keep me healthy and help with overall weight maintenance, at least through retirement. Every day I go to work, I see what happens to people when they fail to take care of themselves mentally, physically, and financially. This challenge is part of my plan to Age With Attitude. :-)

I have a vision of my 50 States completion certificate in a frame surrounded by all my finisher's medals. How awesome is that going to be?

Why the ChipIn Page?

As you might imagine, taking on a 50 States Challenge isn't exactly cheap. The average race fee is at least $75, plus plane fare, hotel, rental car, gas, food, etc. I love my job, but it barely pays enough to live on and fund a modest retirement, much less big extras like this. I'm going to need luck and help.

I'm hoping that people who read this blog as I go forward will be inspired to make a contribution in the name of setting an example for staying active and healthy as you age. Besides, I have pretty much everything I need as far as birthday and Christmas gifts are concerned, so I can be pretty tough to shop for. I've been telling my family for years to just get me gift cards to stores I like, but now I'm using this. If an occasion arises where you feel the need to bestow giftage upon me, please use the ChipIn button, which should appear below if I've done it right. You have my word that any donated funds will be used ONLY to support my 50 States Challenge. If you have a couch or spare bedroom where I can crash when I come to cross your state off my list, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I will be bringing Minnesota themed goodies.

Hollywood weighs in on health care reform debate

2009-09-22T13:34:00.001-07:00

OMG...Too funny.

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Babes in Bikeland III

2009-09-20T15:38:00.001-07:00

IMG_8637
Originally uploaded by deplaqer

This is me in my Fat Cyclist jersey at the after party for Babes in Bikeland III, an all female alleycat race held annually in Minneapolis, MN. Alleycat races are basically scavenger hunts on bikes. You are given a manifest with a list of 10 or so stops to make, and the route you pick is entirely up to you. Speed is important, but not the only factor. Some stops require you to simply gather a stamp to document that you went there, but sometimes you have to write something down, answer trivia questions, complete a pick up/drop off, etc. There can be time penalties for incorrect info or missing a stop, so accuracy is critical as well.

This isn't necessarily the most flattering photo of me, but I used it because up until very recently I was too fat to wear my Fat Cyclist jersey. How sad is that? Too fat for a jersey that has the WORD fat on it. For those who don't know, Fatty is Elden Nelson, the author of the Fat Cyclist blog. Fatty writes really well, and I enjoy both his humorous posts and the ones he's written to document his late wife Susan's battle with breast cancer. I highly encourage you to click over and read more from him.

Robert Reich Explains Public Option

2009-09-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

This guy explains things so that everyone can understand. No scare tactics, no shenanigans. Please take less than 3 minutes out of your busy day and watch this video, then share it with someone else.

If you disagree AFTER you have completely and accurately informed yourself in a responsible manner, fine...but PLEASE...DON'T LET THE RIGHT WING UBER CONSERVATIVE HACKS WIN WITH DELIBERATE LIES AND MISINFORMATION.

Tonic Sol Fa ...Best A Cappella group evarrr

2009-09-07T12:15:00.001-07:00

Amy with Tonic Sol Fa
Originally uploaded by deplaqer

My friend Justine turned me on to these guys recently, and we were lucky enough to see/hear them at the Leinie's Lodge Bandshell at the MN State Fair this year. I bought their latest album there, and this pic shows them each signing the cover.

Click HERE to read their blog.

Wear your helmets CORRECTLY, people. Your life depends on it.

2009-08-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

This mother of 4 was killed in a freak bicycle accident in Minneapolis today. She was riding into a tunnel on a popular bike path & crashed head on into another cyclist who was coming out of the tunnel. Her helmet flew off (so it likely wasn't being worn correctly) & she hit her head on the ground, killing her. RIP, Lisa Roden.

It isn't enough to simply wear a helmet, people. It has to fit AND be worn correctly on your head, not just slapped on the back so as not to muss your 80's style puffy bangs. If you can touch your forehead to the wall without your helmet hitting the wall first, that's a big clue.

Click HERE to read about how to properly fit/wear your bicycle helmet.

Click HERE to read about when you should replace your helmet.

I'm going right now to check the chin strap on mine. I'm pretty sure it's too loose.

Bad example, President Obama

2009-08-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

While I love the fact that the Obama family went for a bike ride together as they vacation on Martha's Vineyard, I am NOT happy about how the President AND the Secret Service were not wearing helmets. See this article from the Washington Post.

Don't get me wrong...I loves me some Barack Obama...but whatever happened to setting a good example?

UPDATE: Surly Big Dummy Custom Paint Job

2009-08-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

Some of you may recall this post from March of this year, asking for your input on what color I should have my Surly Big Dummy painted. It only comes in a yucky Olive Drab Green, and as I said before, a Navy vet simply can't ride an Army Green bike. I've noticed on my Stat Counter that a lot of people are searching on the subject of custom paint jobs for Big Dummy frames, so I figured it was time for an update.

Anyway, the folks at Powd er Coating Technologies in Plymouth, MN were really great to me and have lots of experience in painting all kinds of stuff, including plenty of bike frames. Sadly, they didn't have the Bass Boat Purple that I was hoping for, but they DID have just enough powder left from a Harley Davidson dealership's custom color order to really make this bike pop.

Behold...
Sparkle Copper Metallic:

I've been riding it all summer long, and it's AWESOME. I can take Rocky to the dog park (seen here, ready to roll), haul 4 bags of groceries, and even my hockey bag. I also love the fact that somewhere out there is a HOG that is the same color as the Pretty Dummy.

Big thanks again to Uber Hubby for making this year's birthday prezzie a truly great one.

THIS is why you wear a helmet and use lights at night.

2009-08-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

An excerpt from a Mankato Free Press story about a local douchebag who was riding his bike at night on the sidewalk, with no helmet and no lights:

"Joshua Kuck remembers getting on his bike and heading home from work Monday night.

He recalls taking his usual route home, then seeing a car pull in front of him as his Huffy mountain bike zipped across Mulberry Street. He’s pretty sure he at least thought about taking evasive action.

After that, everything is a blur until he woke up strapped to a backboard at Immanuel St. Joseph’s Hospital. The nurses told him he was lucky, the crash with a 1992 Buick could have been much worse."

Click HERE to read the full story.

Suburban Housewife - NSFW (or kids)

2009-08-25T07:41:00.001-07:00

There are certain people I know who need to see this video. WARNING - It's super funny, but NOT safe for work or watching in front of your kids due to language.

Props to my friend Shelly for sending this to me in the first place.

Best Wedding Entrance Video EVER

2009-07-24T05:27:00.001-07:00

Even better, this happened at a church in St Paul, Minnesota.

I'd never heard this song before, but the lyrics fit beautifully. I just wish I had been this creative at my own wedding, though it probably would have pushed my mother over the edge. She barely got past the chocolate wedding cake with chocolate icing.

Weight Loss Photo Update

2009-07-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

Ok...So it's been 7 weeks on Weight Watchers, and I've lost 13.6 lbs since I started. Counting from the original high weight of 195 from January 2008, I've lost 21 lbs so far. I thought it might be time for a review of the weight loss pix. #1 is from Jan 2008, #2 is from Oct 2008, and #3 was taken today, 17 July 2009:

Ok...First off, despite what this looks like, my height hasn't changed. What HAS changed, apparently, is the size of "the girls". My jog bras actually fit again, as opposed to having flesh squishing out all around like before. I think my legs look a little better too, and I've dropped a pants size. I also think my torso isn't as squishy as it was before. I'm now getting regular measurements taken at the Y, and in the first 5 weeks of my Strength Circuit Training class I lost 8 inches in various areas of my body. More to come on that as the weeks go by.

For anyone who is considering a weight loss program, I HIGHLY recommend Weight Watchers. It's the most livable, realistic program I've ever tried. I can truly see myself living this way for the rest of my life, because WW teaches you how to live in the real world and plan for the occasional treat without totally derailing your healthy lifestyle.

Switched weight loss plans, having success

2009-06-05T15:15:00.000-07:00

Ok...So I've been feeling for a while now that Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating just wasn't doing it for me, so a week and a half ago I switched to Weight Watchers. I looked back at my weight stats, and when I quit SSHE I weighed exactly the same as I did when I started a little over a year ago.

Was it too many carbs, or was I just not following the plan properly. Personally, I think it was a little from Column A and ALOT from Column B. I found myself cheating more and more frequently, plus we were out of town often enough in hotels without access to fridge & microwave that I was buying the SSHE food and then not eating it. What a waste of money to live that way.

Don't get me wrong...I think SSHE can be good for people in the right situation. It certainly brought my cholesterol under control, and for the most part the food was tasty. I just started to feel like I needed a change, hence the switch to Weight Watchers and their Momentum Plan. Now I'm going to meetings once a week, I'm using their online tracker tools (which are making me want my Blackberry WAY sooner than August, but I have to wait), and I'm excited about meal planning and cooking again.

WW is also teaching me how to eat in the real world. I'm going to dinner with hockey friends tonight, and I've already checked out the restaurant menu online to figure out what I can have. I'm going to a BBQ tomorrow night, and I'm taking spicy black bean veggie burgers to put on the grill. The wife of the family we'll be with is doing WW with me (helps to have local buddies), so I'm taking some for her to try as well. We've already talked, and there will be guacamole with veggies to dip and some fruit salad, so I'm not worried at all.

I lost 4.2 lbs the first week, and I'm on track to lose at least 3 more before my weigh in next Wednesday night. This plan is SO working for me right now. It's nice to have a little success to keep you going. The only down side is that I miss my friend Rita, the SSHE lady in Faribault.

Happy Birthday, Minnesota: May 11, 1858

2009-05-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

We ARE the State of Hockey, after all. Watch the end to see a cool time lapse video of a pond through the fall and into winter as it freezes and becomes a hockey rink. :-)

An excerpt from the Library of Congress entry on Minnesota's statehood:

"On May 11, 1858, Minnesota became the 32nd state admitted into the Union. Minnesota's application for statehood was submitted to President James Buchanan in January, but became entangled with the controversial issue of Kansas statehood, delaying it for several months until it was finally approved by Congress.

Known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," or "Star of the North," Minnesota is the northern terminus of the Mississippi River's traffic and the westernmost point of an inland waterway which extends through the Great Lakes and, with the St. Lawrence Seaway, to the Atlantic Ocean."

Vegas, Grand Canyon pix now uploaded

2009-05-09T22:08:00.001-07:00

Skywalk001
Originally uploaded by GnomeCrossing

Took lots of great pix during our Vegas vacation this past week, but the highlight was our side trip to the Grand Canyon, especially the new Skywalk on the Hualapai Reservation. As you can see, it's a glass bridge that juts out over the canyon rim.

The full photo set can be seen by clicking HERE.

Car vs. Bike...Guess who won?

2009-04-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

The unlucky cyclist was almost me today. Another girl passed me in downtown Mankato early this evening, wearing headphones but no helmet. Not 30 seconds later, I arrived at the next intersection and saw her crumpled on the ground, having been struck by a minivan whose driver didn't see fit to obey the stop sign posted for her traffic direction. Apparently the parking spot she saw across the way was more important. 911 was already being called, so I stopped to sit with the cyclist, get her stuff out of the street, and offer a phone call to get her a ride home. The cops arrived soon after, and I didn't see any reason to stick around since I hadn't actually witnessed the accident itself. I rode away thinking...I kid you not..."There, but for the grace of God, go I." Cliche, I know, but very true in this case. I was 30 seconds away from being this girl.

Reminds me of the even nearer miss I had back in my Minneapolis bike commuter days, when yet another car driver decided not to obey a stop sign. My choice was to either broadside her or swerve into what would have been oncoming traffic had a school bus not had that direction stopped. That car came within 6 inches of my back tire, and its driver likely needed a change of underwear once she got wherever she was going. I was left in the intersection, screaming the most sailor-like obscenities I could come up with. I made it the last few blocks to work and upstairs to my office before I lost it completely during my "check in" phone call with hubby. It was only the first or second day I had ever ridden that far to work, especially so early on a winter morning, and it's a wonder I ever did it again after that. Being who he is, uber-hubby developed a habit of heading my way after he got done with school so that he could ride home with me. He never said that was why, but I always appreciated the company.

MEMO TO 4 WHEELED VEHICLE DRIVERS: Please obey traffic laws and be aware of bikes and motorcycles that are sharing the road with you. At the end of the day, the Law of Gross Tonnage is on your side, regardless of who really had the right of way.

Custom Paint Job for Surly Big Dummy Cargo Bike - VOTE HERE

2009-03-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

Ok...Uber Hubby and I decided that we had saved up enough money to finally order the frame for my Surly Big Dummy Cargo Bike. Click the link to see what a typical complete bike looks like, but most people seem to just order the frame only & then outfit it with their components of choice. Since we were up in Minneapolis yesterday anyway and I wanted to strike while the iron was hot (i.e. UH was in the mood to spend), we stopped by to meet my new BFFs at Hiawatha Cyclery to get the ball rolling.

Here's the thing...If you click on the Big Dummy link (above), you'll note that it only comes in that horrific military olive drab green color. Sorry, that's just one crap-tastic color for a bike, and I'm not spending this kind of money on a custom bike only to have it be the ugliest color I've ever seen. Thankfully, the folks at Hiawatha had contact info for a local powder coat shop where my problem can be easily remedied. I'm calling Powder Coating Technologies first thing tomorrow morning.

The color options/possibilities appear to be endless. I'm going to have the bike frame and rims done, but I'm not sure if I want everything the same or if I want the rims to have some kind of shocking contrast to the frame. Should it be Candy Apple Red, or perhaps Bass Boat Purple (complete with silver metallic flecks)? I just don't know.

I've checked out Xtracycle's Flickr page, another site called xtracyclegallery.com, and various other photo sources, but I'm disappointed at the lack of imagination there. All the Big Dummies I've seen, with VERY few exceptions, are all the same awful Army green color. As a Navy veteran, I simply can't be seen riding an Army green bike.

THAT'S WHERE YOU COME IN....Please come up with something groovy, creative, or just plain different and leave your comment here to vote on how you think I should have this bike painted. I'm hoping to meet with the paint guy next weekend or on March 20th at the latest, so there's not a lot of time here. I'll be sure to keep you updated on what I decide, with final photos once it's all done.

8-28-09 Update: Click HERE to see the outcome.

Virtually Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail

2009-02-28T21:21:00.000-08:00

In January, my "best Mankato friend" Jenny and I participated in an exercise jumpstart event at our local YMCA called the Amazing Fitness Race. We had to track our mileage and complete various "road block" challenges in order to move our little foot shaped marker along the path. Jenny & I finished 3rd, I believe. In February, it was Health Promotion Month in the Mankato Area Public Schools, and we tracked mileage in a similar fashion (final results still TBD), using a map of the Pacific Crest Trail as a visual guide.

Since all of that is pretty much over, I decided to continue tracking my own mileage on the PCT using one of many interactive maps that are available online. You can see the basic overview map over there to the left. I'm starting at the southern terminus down there on the Mexican border, and as I move north I will provide updates at each checkpoint. One of the better maps I found is on Trails.com, and each update will include a link to the pertinent section of their interactive map.

As it turns out, using the mileage I recorded for the January and February events, I've already traveled 242 miles this year. That means I've completed the 110.6 mile section from the Mexican border to Warner Springs, CA and another 101.4 miles from there to the San Gorgonio Pass. As I start March, I'm 30 miles into the next segment, heading toward Cajon Pass, so my current location is right about here:

I'm currently in the Southern California section of the Trails.com interactive guide, which can be viewed by clicking HERE, though unfortunately you apparently have to pay for some kind of membership to get beyond the most basic overview info. Bummer on that, but the map is still good. Anyway, monthly updates to follow.

One (relatively) Junk Food Free Week

2009-02-21T17:05:00.000-08:00

Ok...So I've earned 6 sparkly smiley stickers in a row now. That means I've stayed away from the snack cabinet in the teachers' lounge at school, I haven't been to any fast food places, I haven't bought crap at any convenience stores, and on the two occasions I went to a coffee shop I got a light beverage and had no pastries. I did bring home a major haul of Valentine's candy thanks to the kids in the 5 classes I deal with at the elementary school, but I gave a lot of it to Uber-Hubby and only let myself have a couple of small pieces each day. It's all gone now, so that's done. The main point is that I was able to successfully avoid all of my major trouble spots.

BEST SUCCESS STORY of the week:
We drove up to Minneapolis to pick up my step-daughter (some completely invented excuse from her mother about why she couldn't bring her to us as agreed, but that's another issue). I had my SSHE breakfast and wasn't worried about lunch since we were supposed to be home before then, but after discovering the aforementioned lie from SD's mother, UH and I were so upset that we felt the need for some "walk it off" exercise at Mall of America. I suspect that UH was just using that as an excuse to check out the Shoe Extravaganza at Nordstrom's Rack, but there you go. Anyway, by the time we concluded our little retail therapy session, everyone was hungry for lunch and we were nowhere near the SSHE meal safely ensconced in my fridge at home.

What to do? Well, UH had a hankering for sushi, which (shockingly...not) isn't available here in the booming metropolis of Mankato. We decided to check out Tiger Sushi right there at the MOA. I'm not a big fan of sushi, being that they don't seem to be willing/able to make it without that nasty tasting seaweed wrapping stuff. I'm okay with the guts of most of the rolls, but I always end up burping up the taste of that seaweed for hours afterward. I made do with some grilled meat appetizers and a few pieces of Philly roll, but wasn't even remotely satisfied from a hunger perspective.

Enter my new BFF...The local Kwik Trip store. I know, it's a convenience store, but they also have a pretty decent selection of fresh fruit and salads. I actually walked in there all alone, no hubby to keep me from looking longingly at all the donuts and such, and managed to come out with bottled water, a garden salad, and a banana.

Hooray for me. Future road trip food will now consist of stops at Subway and Kwik Trip instead of McDonalds. I don't know that I've lost much weight this week, but I feel better about the choices I've made.

Self Sabotage

2009-02-16T19:50:00.000-08:00

As anyone who has done any research on weight loss knows, many people fall into the trap of self sabotage. Most of them have deep seated emotional issues that are blocking them from true success, and all their efforts at losing weight will be for naught until they figure out what the real problem is. You've seen it on The Biggest Loser...Jillian yells at people in the gym (usually women) until they cry, at which point their real issues come to the surface, they talk about it, and the person seems to turn a corner and get on with the business of working out and losing weight.

I don't think my problem is THAT deep seated. I don't harbor hidden angst regarding my parents, I've already got a pretty strong personality, people generally don't take advantage of me or make me a doormat, etc. I do, however, have a serious issue with junk food. I spend a lot of time on my own, driving around town running errands, going to/from the Twin Cities for hockey, or making the trip to/from Faribault to get my Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating (SSHE) food. There is nobody (but me) who will know if I stop for an oatmeal creme pie at the Kwik Trip or if I whip through the McDonald's drive thru for a biscuit, despite having just finished my SSHE breakfast. I can always stop for gas or something and ditch the evidence before I get home, so the hubster will never know exactly what I've been eating. Well, he will now that I've posted it here, but you get my drift.

There's only so much I can do to separate myself from temptation. I have no junk food in the house (those bomb pops in the freezer belong to hubby and for some reason don't tempt me at all, so I don't count them) and I've asked him to get his own lotto tickets so I don't have that as an excuse to visit the Kwik Trip yet again. He thinks that's the lamest thing in the world...that I should be able to walk into a store and buy a lotto ticket without buying the candy bars that in my mind seem to go with entering the building. Well, my response is that you wouldn't send a drug addict into a crack house to buy a Powerball ticket, so don't ask me to get you one at the Kwik Trip. Granted, most crack houses probably aren't lotto retailers, but you get the idea.

Oddly, I don't seem to have these issues when shopping at the grocery store or Target. Seems to be convenience stores and well placed fast food drive thrus that are undoing all the killer exercise I've been getting lately. Seriously...I KNOW what to eat, I KNOW I need to plan ahead for snacks, and I KNOW that this crap is terrible for me, but lately none of that seems to stop me from killing myself from the inside out. I don't get it. I've been successful at weight loss before, my husband isn't threatening to leave if I don't get skinny, and otherwise my life is pretty good. He's beginning to talk about some kind of counseling, but I wouldn't even know who to go to, because I don't think this is really something that merits the expense of a no kidding Psychologist or whatever.

I have reached out to an online friend who recently became certified as a Life Coach and needs people to practice on, so for now we'll see where that goes. Embarrassingly, I have also gone back to my old system of giving myself a cute little sticker on the calendar for every day that I avoid junk/fast food. Very Kindergarten, I know, but it has worked in the past. Today's date is currently sporting a very nice, sparkly, red happy face.

If anyone else has any insight on this particular form of self sabotage, I would love to hear it.

My Cousin, the Ape Lady

2009-02-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

This is my cousin, Sally Coxe, who runs a nonprofit organization working to save the Bonobo Apes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The video is a clip from one of the Obama Inauguration events that focused on environmental conservation efforts around the world. She's actually my Dad's cousin, so I guess that makes her my 2nd cousin. Either that or my 1st cousin once removed...I can't ever get that straight, no matter how many times Cousin Whit explains it to me. :-)

In other news...Hot Flash, my women's hockey team, is doing well again this season. We're currently 11-3 and temporarily in 2nd place in our division standings, but the team we've been flip-flopping with all season plays this afternoon and will be on top by one point again if they win today. This is actually right where we like to be, because the top 6 teams go to the state tournament, but your team is forced to move up a division next season if you win the whole thing 2 years in a row. We don't want to move up, so that tempers our bitterness at getting robbed out of the state championship by a referee error last year. If that hadn't happened and we win it this year, we would have been forced to move up next season, and the next division involves A LOT more travel around the state.

Not a lot of improvement in the weight department, unfortunately. I'm back in the gym on a regular basis thanks in part to my friend Jenny, who has agreed to be my partner in any workout challenges that the Y or our school system come up with. Since I haven't been able to ride outdoors lately because the city of Mankato isn't as good as Minneapolis about clearing road shoulders and bike paths, I've taken up indoor spin classes 3 days a week at the Y. I also recently redesigned my half marathon training plan, so unless I get super bad news at the orthopedist in 2 weeks I'm still planning on doing the New Prague Half Marathon in early May. Despite all that, I'm still departing from the Seattle Sutton's food plan a little too often and my doctor doesn't want me on thyroid meds yet, so my weight hasn't changed much since Thanksgiving. Oh well...I'm happy to at least be back on the right track with exercise. It's the best stress management tool I know of.

Stay tuned...Uber Hubby and I start ballroom dance classes this Tuesday!

Why I like my 2nd graders

2009-01-22T20:08:00.001-08:00

ParaWeek001
Originally uploaded by GnomeCrossing

I'm a part time Title 1 Paraprofessional at Washington Elementary School in Mankato, MN. I work with Kindergarteners and 2nd graders who need extra help in reading and math. This week is Paraprofessional Appreciation Week, and some of the kids have been busy making thank you notes for the Paras that come into their classrooms.

This is just one of the notes I received today. Jessica has maybe said one word out loud to me all year long. She will point to the right answer or write it down, but pretty much never says anything in words. That makes this particular note all the more special to me. I'm the one with the orange hair, by the way.

Click to my Flickr to see the others. Moments like this are why people stay in teaching despite the crappy pay.

Obama's First Dance at the Neighborhood Ball.

2009-01-21T14:44:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry...That's just the coolest song ever. I love the fact that Beyonce performed it so wonderfully for the President & First Lady's dance at the Neighborhood Ball last night. He is one smooth dude, and I can't wait to see how this country flourishes under his leadership.

Uber Hubby and I danced to this song at our wedding reception nearly 4 years ago, and it still gets me whenever I hear it. Aretha, that was a nice church hat you wore yesterday, but you've got NOTHING on Etta James.

President Obama, your day has finally arrived. At Last, indeed.

Green Eggs & Ham

2008-12-27T21:34:00.001-08:00

Green Eggs & Ham
Originally uploaded by GnomeCrossing

Sadly, what you see in this photo is the normal state of my kitchen. I'm the worst housekeeper ever, but somehow Uber Hubby seems to love me anyway, as evidenced by the snazzy (& I'm sure WAY too expensive) diamond stud earrings he snuck around and got me for Christmas. Never mind that we had agreed that our October Wii acquisition was our present to each other...thankfully some guys just don't listen. :-)

Anyway, Gelsey was here for Christmas this year, and one of her gifts was the Paula Deen Kid's Cookbook. It's great because it's got pictures and words in the ingredient list for each recipe, plus there are sections to explain what all the cooking words mean (fold, dice, saute, etc) as well as basic etiquette and table setting. Naturally, she picked the Green Eggs & Ham recipe as her first effort. It helped that it was probably the only one that I actually had all the ingredients for, thanks to the leftover Christmas ham we brought home from dinner at UH's boss' house.

In other news (since I haven't bothered to post in ages)...
I got sick during Thanksgiving week and though I've felt better for quite some time now, shaking the residual cough was hard and I haven't been to the gym since. I knew I needed to get back to it, but my follow up visit with good old Dr. Rath of Mankato Clinic stiffened my resolve. I had been on the verge of being put on Synthroid because of my hypothyroidism, which if left untreated can make weight loss and other things in my life difficult. I thought that's what was making me not lose all that much this past summer despite all the bike riding, but we just redid the bloodwork after waiting a month and now my cholesterol has shot WAY back up and my thyroid is supposedly back within normal limits.

WELL, DAMN... I was thinking the Synthroid would be the answer to a lot of my weight loss problems, but such is not the case for me right now. I have to wait another 6 months before being retested, so in the meantime I have to really get back on the wagon with Seattle Sutton's and I need to get back in the gym. If I don't get this under control, I'll be on cholesterol meds instead of thyroid meds, and to be honest it would be nice to get the weight off without any chemical assistance. I just wish it would happen faster. I also wish the city would plow out the six inches of snow/ice that is blocking the sidewalk across the street so I could more safely run outside, but that's another issue.

Suffice it to say that I really need to get off my behind, and I need to do it SOON. This is NOT some stupid New Year's Resolution that I'm going to break within a month of starting. At this point I'm down about 13 pounds from where I started earlier this year, and while that's a lot less than what I had planned on, at least I haven't slid back all the way to the beginning. I'm also looking forward to Spring, because UH agrees that I can finally get my cargo bike once all the snow is gone!

First ever Hoover Family Christmas Tree

2008-12-07T16:00:00.001-08:00

Tree 007
Originally uploaded by GnomeCrossing

I resisted many people's efforts to draw me into the Christmas spirit for quite awhile. First, I simply REFUSE to have anything to do with it until after Thanksgiving. One holiday at a time, people. I will occasionally do a little advance Christmas gift shopping if time, opportunity, and inspiration strike simultaneously (I once did it all at a craft festival one September), but that's as far as it goes.

We're staying in Mankato this year, marking the first time since I was a little kid that I haven't traveled to see family at Christmas time. It was Uber Hubby's mother's turn to have us this year, but budgetary constraints prevailed. It's just too expensive to spend Christmas in New York City this year, between air fares for multiple people, hotels, etc. I refuse to go someplace like that and worry over every dime I'm spending, so we're going to wait until we're in a better place financially, then do it up right. So...UH's daughter arrives from Tacoma on the 20th, at which point we will pick out the personalized family ornament for this year. She isn't always around to help out with that, so we're also waiting to hang the rest of them until she arrives.

As you can see by the photo though, the rest of the tree is all done. Mitzi, you can show this to Mom to prove that her Christmas box arrived intact and that nothing has been unwrapped in appropriately. We've never had our own tree before, because we've always been traveling and thus never felt like bothering. It took some engineering creativity to get the topper to stay up without flopping over, but on the whole I think it looks very nice, don't you?

My husband almost had to fight a chick.

2008-11-23T07:09:00.000-08:00

Wow...I've never gone 2 whole weeks without posting. Oh well. Anyway...

So UberHubby went up to St Michael with me for last night's Hot Flash hockey game. We won 2-1 by the way, thanks to ME scoring the game winning goal by simply being in the right place at the right time. There was the usual scrum in front of the net, somehow one of their defensemen ended up laying there next to the goalie trying to freeze the puck, which only the goalie is allowed to do. If she'd been smart, she would have knocked the puck as far away as possible when she had to move her hand off of it, but thankfully for me she didn't. I was standing there next to her, positive that the ref was going to blow the whistle at any second, but instead I noticed that he was just staring down at the ice. I looked down, & lo and behold there was the puck, just laying next to the goalie's foot, nobody being the wiser because they all thought it was underneath her somewhere. Since the ref seemed to be waiting for something to happen, I decided to oblige him by poking my stick in there and shoving the puck into the net.

GAME WINNING GOAL FOR ME! It wasn't pretty, but I'll take it.

Mass drama ensued...As the ref skated over to report my number to the scorekeeper, the opposing team's coach started an argument with him and ended up getting ejected. I didn't hear all of it, but according to UH (who had graciously agreed to be our volunteer time clock dude) he was screaming at the ref for not blowing the whistle and stopping play (which he would only have had to do if the goalie had actually had control of the puck). At one point I believe their coach actually threatened to meet the ref out in the parking lot, presumably to settle the matter with a 5th grade style fistfight.

This is the bargain basement C3 division of an all women's recreational hockey league, people. Many (if not most) of our players are well over 30 and none of us are headed for the Olympics anytime soon. We're out there for some good fun and exercise. USA Hockey hands out stickers that say "Relax, it's just a game" for a reason, but apparently this guy didn't get the memo.

The drama didn't end there, however. In the locker room, I found out that their goalie had also threatened to meet one of our players out in the parking lot. See a pattern here? I'm headed up the hallway to meet UH, come across their coaches and goalie discussing the play, and the goalie says she had no idea where the puck was. I stopped and told her exactly what had happened, and when confronted with the facts they acted all innocent and nice and then lied to my face about what the argument with the ref was all about. Whatever, people. I moved on up the hallway, found UH, and left the building. THEN he tells me that while he was waiting, he witnessed one of their angry players dropping F-bombs left and right within earshot of small children. He spoke up and said it was unacceptable to speak that way when kids were around, and she turned on him and said "What? You wanna take this outside?" The kids' mom was also a member of their team, and clearly jumped into contention for Mother of the Year by saying "They're my kids, I think it's ok." Excuse me? You think it's cool to drop F-bombs in front of your small ones? Really?

So...Grand total of at least 3 people from this team threatened various people with parking lot ass beatings. Clearly the attitude flows downhill from the coach, who was also overheard berating his players on the bench for making mistakes out on the ice. This is not the NHL, dude...Get a grip. I like my coach's style much better. When we make mistakes (not if...This IS C3, after all), he finds a way to tell us how to think and do better on the ice without cutting us down. Thanks, Doug.

Still, I think UH is contemplating whether or not he should have let Angry F-Bomb Chick punch him, so then he could have sued her for enough money to wipe out our credit card debt and pay for another European cycling trip. Tough choice, I know.

She shoots, she SCORES!

2008-11-09T18:11:00.000-08:00

Woo Hoo! Game 3 of the Hot Flash season tonight, and we won 11-0. I scored once and had two assists, so it was a red letter day for me. Honestly, I'm happy as long as I get at least one goal each season, and then the rest (if there is any) is just gravy. I'm trying not to dwell on the other 3 really good shots that just barely missed.

Hockey is such fun.

First Cold Weather Run of the Season

2008-11-08T14:06:00.000-08:00

It had to be done sometime, right? Believe it or not, I actually PREFER for it to be cold outside when I run. I just get soooo hot otherwise, and that just sucks. Today was a bit on the windy side (22 mph winds made a wind chill of 19), but once I got out there and got going it really wasn't that bad. On the upside, I was able to warm up indoors using our new Wii system. Nothing like a little Wii Tennis to get the juices flowing, right? On the downside, as I was running down Monks Blvd (which has a nice, wide shoulder once the sidewalk runs out), some jerk purposely swerved his car towards me in a deliberate effort to scare the crap out of me, coming within just a few inches of snuffing me out for good. Good news, my friend....Karma is a bitch, and now she knows your name. I hope you get what's coming to you.

'nuff said

2008-11-03T21:36:00.000-08:00

My bathroom scale is confused

2008-11-01T07:34:00.000-07:00

The bathroom scale that Uber Hubby & I use is one of those digital jobbies that remembers the data for 2 people and helps you track your body fat, weight, etc. When we met, I weighed a lot less than he did, so it was kind of a joke that it was "in our marriage contract" that he wasn't allowed to weigh less than me. We all know how that went, because I'm the one that porked out starting in 2005. I remember when the scale first started getting confused between us because I had gained so much that our weights were so close together that the poor scale couldn't tell who was who. That was a sad day for me. It wasn't too long before there was no more confusion, because I kept on gaining.

Not this time, people! I've been headed consistently back in the right direction for a while now, and as of this morning's weigh in I have officially surpassed the -20 mark and the scale is confused again!

That's even with the big Halloween Bash last weekend & lunch at Old Chicago the following day. We have another party tonight, but after this I'm not worried. While UH is in line to get his hair cut at his fave place in Minneapolis today, I'll be passing the time by doing my Saturday long run, then we'll go off and have a good time tonight.

The WINNING Halloween Costumes

2008-10-26T21:21:00.001-07:00

Our costumes
Originally uploaded by deplaqer

That's right, folks. Uber Hubby and I won for Best Male and Best Female costume at last night's party with our friends in Eagan, MN. This is the party we've gone to for the last 4 years, it's always a HUGE bash, and we've now taken at least one costume prize for 3 out of the 4 years, though this is the first time we've won at the same time. If you don't understand UH's outfit, watch the video embedded below, but please be forewarned that it is the UNcensored version.

I was dressed as Amy Winehouse. If rebus puzzles typically frustrate you, don't worry if you don't get it.

SNL A Special Christmas Box - Watch more free videos

Ticker Update

2008-10-25T05:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I certainly won't be winning the competition for fastest weight loss, but at least it's in the right direction. My size 14 stuff is starting to feel baggy AT LAST, and Uber Hubby seems to think that his arms go a bit further around me than they did previously. I'll take that any day of the week.

We're off to the first of 2 Halloween costume parties this evening. Photographic evidence will be posted ASAP.

In Other News...

2008-10-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the Tony the Tiger post (below) is the real highlight of the day, but here's what else is going on since I've been too lazy to post lately...

1) Started a new job this past week. It's part time during the day, which is exactly what I had been hoping for, because it leaves me open for the eventual opening of my Mankato distributorship of SSHE (if they ever decide to let me do it), plus I can still do all my workouts and stuff. I'm now what's called a Title I Paraprofessional at the elementary school near my house. I go in for a couple of hours each morning and work with kindergarten kids who need extra help with reading and math. So far, so good.

2) Went to my 20 year high school reunion last weekend. It was mainly an excuse to see my mom, sister, and the one guy I actually keep in touch with from that time, but it turned out to be pretty fun. Oddly, the person I felt like I connected with the most was the wife of a guy that I went to school with from 4th grade on. She was a hoot, and at her direction I came home and got signed up on Facebook. For anyone who cares to send a friend request, just go on there and look for Amy Coxe Hoover in the Minneapolis area, then include a note saying you found me from the blog.

3) I may have talked about this one in an earlier post (too lazy to go back and check), but I got involved with an online group called the Biggest Loser League. It's part of the official show stuff from NBC, but it's a free version that's basically online chat support. The one you pay for is called Biggest Loser Club and supposedly includes more, but this is all I really want for now. There's a Fall 500 Mile Challenge going on, which of course I'm in because you know how I love to track mileage. This is one isn't just bike miles, though...It's whatever combo you want between running, walking, riding, elliptical, etc. You have to get 500 miles in 10 weeks, kind of on the model of that Fat March show where people lost weight by walking 500 miles during the show's season. So here's my new ticker:

Edit...This ticker gets updated whenever I change the data, so whatever you see here is the CURRENT total, not what it was when I originally posted. It's not the same as my weight loss ticker, which is a new one each time.

Amy and Tony the Tiger

2008-10-18T08:39:00.001-07:00

Amy and Tony the Tiger
Originally uploaded by deplaqer

This photo was taken by Uber Hubby this morning. Once I arrived at our local coffee shop for the post hockey coffee klatch with the team, I noticed that the new Cereality was having its grand opening. I called UH & insisted that he drag himself down there to take my pic with Tony the Tiger himself. Never mind that they had half price on all their nifty cereal stuff. I had Lucky Charms with walnuts and chocolate chips. Most of their stuff is WAY too sugary so really feels like more of a dessert thing, but they also have hot oatmeal with fruit & nut toppings. Well worth it at least once.

Great Bike Related YouTube Video

2008-10-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

This is the coolest YouTube video I've seen in a long time:

Partway through, you can catch a glimpse of LFOAB himself, as well as his lovely wife and adorable daughter. If you watch the entire clip, you'll catch her at the end doing a groovy little dance. Kudos to LFOAB for the post that alerted me to this little gem.

Pope Benedict XVI: World is too materialistic

2008-10-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

Found this article this morning on how the Pope thinks we've all become too attached to money and material things. The odd thing is that I tend to agree with him, but it also strikes me a uber-hypocritical when it comes from a guy who wears bespoke clothing, Prada shoes, carries a solid gold scepter, and whose everyday life in general is surrounded by priceless gems and other treasures. I mean, isn't it The Church who has spent hundreds of years gathering as much material wealth as it possibly could under the supposition that you're giving all the glory to God, but the officials left on earth are the ones who get to use the stuff? Plan on giving any of that up any time soon to set a good example there, Your Holiness? I think not.

New Prague Half Marathon, here I come!

2008-10-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know it's months away (May 2009), but I'm still excited. I've been keeping true to my training plan for almost 2 weeks now, and it feels good. I designed it with more flexibility than I've given myself in the past, so it was okay that my first "long" run got moved from yesterday to today since I was up in the Twin Cities longer than I thought I would be. Today's run wasn't really that long in the grand scheme of things, but it was the first time I've done 5 miles in way longer than I care to remember, and I was just happy that my knees seem to be holding up so far. That's another reason I'm spreading this training out over a longer period than I've done in the past...I'm scared my knees are going to finally crap out on me if I push too hard too fast, so I've actually got several weeks here in the beginning where my Saturday long run is only 5 miles. If this one goes well, I'll probably do the Battleship North Carolina Half Marathon in November 2009. I could stay with family that I don't get to see very often, which would be a definite plus in the financial responsibility department...Not a good idea right now to try and do a bunch of destination races where I'll end up wasting hundreds on a hotel.

Biggest Loser League is going well also. I joined a team called The Chubby Network whose motto is "Infancy is the last time in your life where chubby is cute!" They are a good group, and we've started a 10 week 500 mile challenge modeled after that other weight loss show last year where the people walked 500 miles in 10 weeks while being filmed for TV. Can't remember the name of it because I watched Biggest Loser instead, but this challenge is a good way to keep me moving during the coming cold weather. We officially start tomorrow.

What are YOU doing to get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Ticker Update

2008-10-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo! Hopefully this time I'm firmly in the 170s and headed south, NEVER to return to the 180s. I was a tad worried because I got a call yesterday to come to lunch with Uber-Hubby, his boss, & the boss man's wife. Luckily, we went to Applebee's (not much else around here in Mankato), and they have a Weight Watchers section in their menu. I had a delicious Cajun Lime Tilapia with a side of veggies for only 310 calories!!! Ok, so I added a cup of Tomato Basil soup, but that had to be one of the healthiest restaurant lunches I've had in months, and it was GOOD.

In other weight loss news...
I just joined a group called The Biggest Loser League. The difference between that & the more well known Biggest Loser Club is that you PAY for the club & get all kinds of diet plan advice, etc while you DON'T pay for the league and it's just an online community where you follow whatever plan you're on and compete for points. You have a profile kind of like a MySpace page where you can blog & post photos, plus they have chat boards where you can meet up with other like minded chubsters. I missed having the chit-chatty stuff from when I was on eDiets, so this seems like a good fit for me.

I'm excited about tonight because I get to go to hockey practice with my old team, the Hot Flash. Though I'm technically still on the roster, it's tough to get back up there since we moved to Mankato, but this weekend I'm combining that with my regular trip back to the Cities for my hair appointment. I'll be staying at a team mate's house, so thankfully no hotel bill this time. I've missed this group of ladies, so I'm really looking forward to this.

So...What are YOU doing today to get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

3500 miles right on the nose, baby!

2008-09-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

That's right, people! As of this evening, I completed the mileage goal of hitting 3500 miles for the year before the end of September! All y'all down south will understand this: Wooooooo!

Not that I'm going to stop riding or anything, particularly not since I finally got some winter cycling boots, but feeling obligated to ride EVERY DAY for the last several weeks to make up for the miles missed on our trip to Seattle was really crimping my style...though in reality I really probably needed that kind of kick in the tuckus, if I'm really being honest with myself. No, cycling is definitely NOT over for the year, but up here in MN September is typically the end of comfortably warm cycling weather, so Uber-Hubby & I figure that anything we get after that is gravy.

In other fun cycling news, apparently my step daughter, age 10.5, has FINALLY learned to ride a bike. U-H and I tried repeatedly to teach her in years past, even going to the point of bribery, taking her to our fave bike shop and telling her we'd buy her whatever cool bike she wanted, all to no avail. She just wasn't interested, and our dreams of taking her on some cool family cycling vacation seemed dashed forever. Seriously...We wanted to take her cycling in France for some big occasion (16th birthday, high school graduation, whatever), but we knew it was a real long shot the day she managed to crash (badly) on training wheels and screamed bloody murder at the mere mention of the slightest of downhills. She lives with her mom & stepdad out near Seattle now though, and we got a call tonight saying that she borrowed her friend's bike and blew her mom's mind by riding up and down the street, down a hill, over speed bumps, etc.

We don't have her with us here in Mankato very often, but thankfully we are friends with the guys down at ReBike, so we should always be able to borrow something suitable for her to ride. Hope springs eternal, right?

In the meantime, what are YOU doing to get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Sarah Palin Will Bill You For Your Rape Kit

2008-09-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

She did it as Mayor of Wasilla, AK, saving the city's taxpayers an estimated $5,000 to $14,000 per year, according to this article. Imagine the savings if she were able to orchestrate something similar on a national scale?

Yikes.

Large Fella on a Bike: the man, the myth, the legend

2008-09-28T08:26:00.001-07:00

Amy and LFOAB
Originally uploaded by deplaqer

So...Uber-Hubby and I made it up to Minneapolis for the Babes in Bikeland alleycat race, in which I'm proud to say I did NOT finish last. U-H's job was to photographically document the event, the results of which you can see by clicking over to his Flickr page.

This particular photo was taken at the after party, where I'm posing with none other than Large Fella On A Bike HIMSELF, Scott Cutshall. After reading his blog on a regular basis for months now and being so amazed and pleased about his weight loss and healthy living success, it was a real pleasure to finally get to meet the actual person. We had a very nice chat, and he's got exactly the kind of warm personality I thought he would have. Too bad it was too late at night to meet his adorable daughter.

Here are more of U-H's pix of me at the event. In the first, I'm just finishing with the Peavy Plaza stop on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis. I had to run down those stairs and do a chicken pose/dance to earn the stamp for this stop. In the second, I'm riding down the alley behind One On One bike shop, ready for the after party and seriously happy to not be last. In the third photo, I'm posing there in the alley with my bag of goodies provided by one of the event's many generous sponsors.

Ticker Update: Babes in Bikeland

2008-09-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

Technically, no change in the weight department, if you only look at "official Saturday weigh in" data. That doesn't show the +4 then -4 swing I went through this week. I feel good about my food and exercise, and in fact I had a 1500+ calorie deficit for about 5 out of 7 days, so you would think that I would have lost SOMETHING. Water retention is SUCH a bitch. Also, given recent issues with occasional insomnia, erratic body temperature (not what I would call a true hot flash, but definitely too cold one minute and too hot to sleep the next), and newly onset irregularity of my monthly cycle (used to be like clockwork), there is the distinct possibility that I am pre-menopausal.

EAR MUFFS for the little ones....

That just f-ing SUCKS. I'm only 38 years old, and I'm not quite ready for the Old Sailor Chicks' Home (still planning that, Christina?), but according to my mother (the 11th of 12 kids, half of which are female), some of the women on her side of the family have entered this phase of their lives relatively early. Sigh.

On a more positive note...

Nearly there! I will add more mileage tonight by riding in my first ever Alley Cat race up in Minneapolis. Babes in Bikeland is an all female race in it's second year. An Alley Cat is where you get a manifest at the beginning that lists a bunch of stops you have to make and stamps or tidbits of info you have to gather. You get an hour or so to map your own route through the city, and whoever makes it to the end first gets a sweet custom messenger bag. There's usually all kinds of free stuff given out by sponsors, so lots of people stand a decent chance of getting something. Uber Hubby was specifically requested to come up and take event pix, hence our attendance and my decision to participate. Apparently he's gained a reputation for quality bike photography, not to mention the fact that HIS photo actually determined the official result of last year's Stupor Bowl. You won't catch me riding in that one...It's held on the same weekend as the real Super Bowl, only it goes from bar to bar and there's a category for the drunkest rider to make it to the finish. No, tonight's event is much more my speed. If all goes well, maybe I'll even bring the Pink Taco bike next year. For my first one however, I'm sticking with the tried and true Blue Giant.

While I'm doing that, why don't YOU get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Campbell Brown...Tell It, Sister!

2008-09-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

You just have to love someone who lays it out like this. Spot on commentary re: the current financial crisis and proposed bailout.

Baby steps

2008-09-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time coming, but I'm in the process of designing a training plan for the New Prague Half Marathon, which is set for May 9, 2009. I haven't actually signed up and paid for the race yet, partly because they haven't got that part of their website changed over from the 2008 race, but also because I want to see how my training progresses first. I'm not too worried about the shin splints and/or stress fracture I had last year, but my knees seem WAY weaker than they ever used to be, and I'm a little concerned about that. I did one little 30 minute jog yesterday and felt fine, but this morning I can definitely feel it. How do you get from a 30 minute walk/jog around the block to successful completion of a 13.1 mile half marathon? Baby steps, people...baby steps.

Why would I commit myself to something like this, you ask? Well, variety is the spice of life, right? I've spent the last two summers doing almost nothing for cardio except riding my bike, and I think I need to mix things up a little. These days, I've got ice hockey at least once a week, body conditioning classes at the YMCA, cycling, and now my training for this race. I do NOT plan to repeat the same mistake that I made last year when trying to get ready for the Breast Cancer Half Marathon. I had that pain in my lower right leg for months before finally asking my doctor about it, and by the time I was told that I needed to lay off running for 6 weeks, my training for the race was totally derailed and there went my nice little break from the Minnesota winter. That race was in February in beautiful, sunny Florida. Uber-Hubby was even going to do it with me. Sigh.

Now that we're on different insurance down here in Mankato, they have no idea that I'm really not due for my annual stuff until the end of November. I think I need to go ahead and do it now so that I can address any potential knee issues ASAP...Also before I actually pay for the race. At least my money for the last one went to Breast Cancer research.

Speaking of which, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please also make sure to celebrate Feel Your Boobies Week during 10-17 October.

R.I.P. Karin Harrell
My friend Karin was only 34 when she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and fought it for 5 long years before it finally took her life in July 2008. She left behind two small children and a husband ill-prepared to care for them and get through his own grieving process. Her friends and family miss her dearly.

Get a mammogram and learn how to Feel Your Boobies properly.

After that, get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

MS Challenge Walk 2008 photos available on Flickr

2008-09-20T11:48:00.001-07:00

Cow Flag
Originally uploaded by GnomeCrossing

Finally got all the pix from this year's event loaded onto my Flickr account, complete with descriptions. Please click over and take a look, and feel free to add any comments you may have.

America On The Move

2008-09-19T10:10:00.002-07:00

So I was down at the Mankato YMCA the other day, and I heard about a program that is the new favorite thing in the PYFAO family. Check this out: America On The Move is a program that encourages people to simply DO SOMETHING...ANYTHING to get moving and become more active. They break it down into small pieces to make it less intimidating, which is nice for those who are just barely able to get off the couch in the first place. Baby steps, people. Cut 100 calories here and there, use a step counter and work on adding 2,000 steps to your daily average, etc. You can pick which "trail" you want to try and complete during your 6 week challenge period, and they give you a chart to convert all kinds of physical activity into steps per minute, which encourages people to try different things and see how easy it can be to fit exercise into their everyday lives. You pick your own start date and they track you for 6 weeks. When you're done, you can start over and pick another trail if you want. You can even get a free step counter, especially if you sign up through your local YMCA, which is a major national partner.

I'm walking the Pacific Crest Trail as we speak. Today is my first day, and I already earned the equivalent of 9,000 steps by going to hockey practice this morning. Once I go for a ride today, that's another 212 spm according to the conversion chart.

What are YOU doing to
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Ticker Update

2008-09-19T10:10:00.001-07:00

Well...Not great, but not horrible either. I had two weeks totally away from my SSHE meal plan because of the Seattle trip and then the MS Challenge Walk, so I consider it an okay weigh in because the water weight from all of those off plan meals is pretty much gone now. I did the big Faribault ride on Thursday, so this is actually the weight from Friday morning because by Saturday morning the water retention from such a huge ride (nearly 83 miles) has set in. Have no fear, however...by Tuesday I'll pee it all out and all will be right with the world once more...unless I decide to do the big ride on Monday, which has been my normal day to do it. I don't know, though...This last one was pretty bad on the way back. We'll see. Speaking of mileage issues...

Mileage is clicking along just fine. At this point I need 28 miles/day to make my goal of 3500 by the end of September. We've had decent luck with weather lately, so this is still totally doable.

In the meantime, what are YOU doing to
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Sarah Palin: Your Nation on White Privilege

2008-09-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

I read a recent article by this guy named Tim Wise. Frankly, I think he's hit the nail on the head and calls it like it is regarding Sarah Palin. CLICK HERE for the full article, but one of my favorites was how he says that it's a "private family matter" when someone like Bristol Palin gets pregnant at 17, but when Black or Latino girls do the same thing, they're contributing to the downfall of society. It's not "all white" privilege, though...Just look at what's being said about Jamie Lynn Spears and her pregnancy situation, never mind her train wreck of an older sister. I think it's really more about "white upper class" privilege.

But oh....SNAP. Wait until you see what Daily Show correspondent Samantha Bee did with RNC attendees! Bristol Palin had the CHOICE to keep her baby and compound her mistake by marrying the idiot who impregnated her (though personally I wonder if it wasn't really Mama's choice), but the good governor's political & religious beliefs mean that she doesn't want anyone else to have such a CHOICE. CLICK HERE to watch great video of Samantha at the RNC. It is almost pathetic watching these people trying to avoid use of the word CHOICE.

Walk this way - MS Challenge Walk video

2008-09-15T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't been too successful in actually embedding video clips into my blog, so this time I'm just going with a clickable link again. CLICK HERE to check out the YouTube video from this past weekend's MS Challenge Walk. Yours truly makes an appearance, as do other members of Team COWs. Just look for the cow print hats & bandanas.

Edit...SWEET! Looks like the embedding code from YouTube works better than what I got from the Comedy Central site for the Sarah Palin post. Enjoy.

Hilarious but OH SO TRUE Sarah Palin commentary

2008-09-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

Ok...This is my first effort at embedding video in a blog entry. It's Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) pulling together some video clips that prove just how hypocritical and retarded the uber conservative right wingers are. I love it.

Looks like it might not work right, so just in case I've added a link to the page where I found it. CLICK HERE if video doesn't appear for you.

FYI...The long break between posts was because UH and I went to Seattle for a week and this afternoon I'm back up in the Twin Cities for the MS Challenge Walk.

Ticker Update

2008-08-31T08:04:00.000-07:00

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

Minnesota State Fair - Surveying the Damage

2008-08-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

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

Just another Kool Aid wino

2008-08-19T07:23:00.000-07:00

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.

Walking after midnight?

2008-08-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

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

Ticker Update

2008-08-16T15:15:00.000-07:00

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

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

2008-08-11T21:16:00.000-07:00

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

Hearty Congrats to Large Fella On A Bike

2008-08-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

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

Weekly Ticker Update

2008-08-03T16:04:00.000-07:00

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?

Weekly Ticker Update

2008-07-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

Not too happy about that one. I backslid just a bit from the last weigh in, and I'm sure it's partly because of poor, stress related food choices after I escaped from the garage last Thursday, but as it turns out there may be a bit of Aunt Flo water retention going on. That's odd, considering that the last one was only 2 weeks ago and I've NEVER been irregular like that before, but after reading some stuff on the Mayo Clinic website about perimenopause, who knows? There ARE some women who start experiencing minor symptoms in their late 30's (some in my mom's family), so it's a possibility. Sigh...That just means things could get a little tougher, but it'll all work out.

Bike mileage is tracking along ok, though I do need to step it up a bit on the days I don't ride all the way to Faribault and back. I've fallen slightly behind the goal of 150 miles/week, but the weather's looking good over the next few days, so I should be able to bring that up.

I'm kind of at loose ends this weekend without U-H here to go exploring with, I have to admit. Made my boot camp class at the gym early Friday morning (what an ass kicker that class is), then just kind of puttered around the house the rest of the day. I COULD go to a movie by myself (U-H doesn't want to see Mamma Mia anyway), but though I used to do that sort of thing all the time I just don't feel like it right now. Hockey practice this morning was a good workout as usual, but during scrimmage I proved exactly WHY I'm not a defenseman...Grabbed the puck as it slid out to me at the point and promptly "broke away" and scored on the wrong goal. I'm so used to being a forward (left wing, specifically) that I totally forgot which end of the ice was mine. I felt like such a dork, but the odd thing was that nobody hollered to say that I was going the wrong way, even my own team. Oh well...Breakfast at the coffee shop with the girls was fun afterwards as well.

It was such a nice day that I decided to load Rocky into the bike trailer and ride over to the dog park this afternoon. It was his first time going to this particular park, but he loved it and met lots of other puppies. The shocker was that he let a little baby play take swats at his nose without flinching away, which is huge for him because he's always been so skittish around people he doesn't know, especially children.

So that was my exercise for the day. What are YOU doing to get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off?

Trapped In My Garage

2008-07-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

Warning....Rant soon to follow.

Ok, so before we moved in here the condo association decided that because a FEW shingles came loose on a COUPLE of buildings (there are more than a dozen in the whole complex, I think) during a recent storm, every building had to be totally re-roofed with these new heavy duty shingles. "Whatever" was my thought, because I'm not the owner of this place and will therefore not be responsible for paying the assessment of $2500 per condo unit. I knew the dog would be stressed out on the day they did our building, given his paralyzing fear of hammer sounds, but not much to be done about that.

I thought I was being proactive by confirming with the workmen which day they would be working on my building. Having done the building across the way on Monday and the building next to us on Wednesday, the workman's response of "We'll do yours on Friday" seemed totally logical. Most of the crew looked like college guys working a summer job, they descended like locusts to finish an entire building each day, and Uber-Hubby & I figured they were just working every other day since they were putting in such long hours under such hot, humid, and sweaty conditions.

{Side note to my sister (she's the only one who will get this)...To my knowledge, none of the roofers was named Kurt.}

I wasn't too concerned though, when they started pounding on my roof at 7:30 this morning, a full day earlier than what they had said. I hadn't had a chance to move our cars out of the garage yet, but I figured it wouldn't be a big deal because their semi-trailer sized trash dumpster was supposed to be parked in the middle driveway.

BUT THEN...{insert dramatic pause}

I took Rocky out for a nice, long walk this morning, doing my best to help him relax despite all the hammering that was clearly scaring the poor pooch half to death. Much to my dismay, I see that the massive trash dumpster is parked in MY driveway, blocking MY car from getting out of the garage, on the ONE DAY I need to actually drive it somewhere instead of taking my bike. This is the day that I have to drive to Faribault to get my SSHE food, and U-H is supposed to leave this afternoon for his fishing trip up north. I am literally TRAPPED in my garage. Never mind that EITHER of the other two driveways would have been perfect, because one neighbor is out of town and the other one is in his 80's, has a broken hip, and isn't driving anywhere anytime soon. Sigh...Of course there is no one in sight that is in any position to know anything or be able to DO anything to fix the problem.

At that point, I still thought things would be okay, because they had like 5 hours to figure something out and call the dumpster company to come and move the bin. I walked the dog, spoke to the workers again, went to the gym, came back and spoke to them again (it's 30 minutes before I need to leave at this point), only to find out that they've called the dumpster people 3 times with no real result. Attempting to take matters into my own hands, I called the number on the side of the roofing company's truck. Turns out it's the owner's cell phone, and he actually called right back and was pretty nice...though he still didn't have a good answer. The dumpster people only have one truck running, and he went off on another job after coming here this morning. He arrived here the same time as a delivery was going on, so he just slid the dumpster wherever he felt like (though he and everyone else KNEW it was supposed to go in the middle driveway, NOT mine) and escaped without anyone from the roofing company doing anything about it. I called the dumpster company myself, but of course nobody from there ever called back.

The worker bees helped me clean up the clear side of the driveway so I could at least try and get U-H's car out so I could go get my food and have it back in time for him to leave on his trip, but then I couldn't find his spare set of car keys. GRRRRR. Calls & text messages to his cell didn't help since he was in surgery, so I tried calling the office itself and letting them know that I REALLY needed to speak with him ASAP after he got done. I hadn't yet taken a shower, thinking that I might actually have to ride my bike to his job to get his keys, but then I found them. Not in the bowl marked DAD'S KEYS that his daughter made for him at the pottery studio, mind you, but instead I found them in his bathroom. Don't ask me why I thought to look there. So I quickly jumped in the shower, got dressed, and opened the garage door, only to discover that there was now a big air compressor hose stretched across the doorway. UGH...more issues, but at least this one was a quick fix.

So I finally made it to get my SSHE food for the rest of the week, but because of all the delays by the time I got back it was too late to make it back to the gym for my yoga class (which I paid extra $$ for), but oh well. They STILL hadn't managed to move the stupid dumpster though, which was now making U-H late getting on the road for his trip because he really needed the cargo capacity of the Escape, which was the car that was blocked in. Sorry, but a Chevy Cavalier doesn't haul enough stuff and people. Just after I left another voice mail (this one not so nice) for the dumpster company (at 5:30 even though they close at 4pm), the guy FINALLY showed up and moved it to a better place. I figured it was better to leave well enough alone and NOT say anything to the driver.

I need a drink.

William Hung - He doesn't bang, but she does

2008-07-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

Ok...Don't normally post twice in one day, but I just have to share this photo of U-H & me with William Hung from American Idol Season 3:

He's pudged out a little, don't you think? For those who don't remember William, CLICK HERE to watch a fun YouTube clip. There was a stirring performance of his now infamous rendition of "She Bangs" at the top of the 8th inning. The old people in front of us had no idea what was going on, but that's the first time I've seen the stands totally full at one of these games. William and his dad watched the ball game from the "best seat in the house", a sofa provided by Earl Johnson Furniture that is placed next to the press box. Sadly, the Mankato MoonDogs lost pretty badly to the St Cloud RiverBats. Still, a good time was had by all.

Remember, get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

First Bike Trip to the Grocery Store

2008-07-23T12:21:00.000-07:00

Great weather for cycling today. Good thing, because I needed stuff from the grocery store and wanted to try out my new thermal lined, zip top, reusable grocery bags. True, I'm not thrilled about moving away from Super Target and having to pay full price at a regular store (12 years of military base commissary prices makes it tougher to swallow), but so far I'm liking the Hy-Vee. It's employee owned, the stores are clean and well lit (though the aisles COULD be a bit wider), and the staff are helpful and friendly. Grocery shopping has proved to be my single best source for the Savings to Invest game (just shy of $53 for the month as of today), and this store even gives you 5 cents off for each bag that you re-use. (Note to self: Take all 4 thermal bags even if you're not going to use them all. Hey...20 cents is 20 cents, right?)

So anyway...After I rode to and from the gym (Upper Limits class was super fun today), I came back home to hook up the Burley trailer and headed off to the store. Thankfully, the paved paths running parallel to Hwy 22 make it safer and more convenient to get there, so it only took a few minutes. There could certainly be better places to lock up bikes just about anywhere you go in this town, but there's usually at least a sign post or something similar that will do just as well. I got a couple of odd looks as I was loading up the trailer for the trip home, but maybe I also made a few people realize that it IS possible to run errands around town on your bike instead of polluting the air with your gas-sucking SUV.

I actually started thinking about the possibility of us becoming a one car family today. Uber-Hubby hasn't touched his car since we got to Mankato, and mine sits in the garage unless we're going up to the Twin Cities or it's a Monday and U-H is on one of his trips to visit fellow dentists in his referral base. So basically, where his car is concerned, we're paying hundreds of dollars a year to insure the drying rack for my hockey gear. Points to ponder, for sure.

Almost forgot...Tonight is William Hung Night at the Mankato MoonDogs baseball game. Remember him? He's that little Asian dude who got famous by being so totally horrible on American Idol a few seasons ago (She Bangs). U-H and I will, of course, be riding our bikes to the ballpark tonight. William Hung Night is simply NOT an occasion to miss.

While we're doing that, why don't YOU get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off?

No "official" update this week....

2008-07-19T17:23:00.000-07:00

but that's probably a good thing. We had to go back up to Minneapolis on Friday night because U-H had his annual IRR (Inactive Ready Reserve) thingy for the Navy early Saturday morning. Since we were going to be up there, we both got fresh hair cuts with our fave people. Isn't it SUCH a pain in the you-know-where to have to find a new hair person?

Wait a minute...Considering the name of this blog, I have to stop and consider why I was hesitant to write what I was really thinking there...that it's a pain in the ASS to find a new hair person. Wonder why I didn't want to come out and say ass? It's not like my mother, the quintessential analog woman in a digital world, is going to read this or anything. Well, maybe my sister will read it and tell her about it, but then it would just be another funny family story to recount at Christmas. As Arsenio would say, "Things that make you go Hmmmm..." But I digress.

So anyway, I was away from my regular bathroom scale on Saturday morning, so no official weekly weigh in update today. Just as well probably, because we had dinner at Old Chicago last night with some friends, then ended up back at their house to sit around the bonfire and make S'mores. Yummy. That, combined with the crap I ate for breakfast and lunch today, have no doubt combined for a round of water retention the likes of which haven't been seen in some time. I really need to try and stay at hotels that offer a fridge & microwave in the room so I can take my SSHE food along with me.

I did have a nice little NSV (non-scale victory) this afternoon, however. By happenstance, our trip up to the Twin Cities coincided with a picnic marking the 2nd birthday of Minneapolis Bike Love, the web chat group that U-H belongs to (and which has been the source of many good friendships). I don't post there, but because of U-H I've met several of the members and enjoy hanging out with them on occasion. Since I haven't seen them for awhile, my recent weight loss was noted and commented upon favorably. It's always nice to get noticed like that, because I see myself every day and don't necessarily see the changes. Hmmm...Maybe it's time to take an update photo, but after this water weight is gone, LOL.

Weather forecast for Monday looks good (so far) for the semi-weekly ride to Faribault, so I'm hopeful. What are YOUR plans to get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off?

Update on the Savings Game

2008-07-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I said Uber-Hubby & I were going to keep track of how much money we saved on regular purchases? Well, so far it's just shy of $50, and we're only halfway through the month! Granted, the first few entries were for the tail end of June, but still...That's way more than I thought it would be.

What I know so far: The vast majority of entries come from the grocery store. You need to carry a pen & paper with you to track what you're saving as you complete your shopping list, because anything on the list that turns out to be on sale or has an in-store coupon gets to count, and that number doesn't necessarily match the "you saved this much" thingy on your receipt (and besides, my store doesn't have that anyway). The other place I'm counting alot is when I buy gas at Sam's Club, because it's consistently at least 5 cents/gallon cheaper than everywhere else in town.

Anyway...Time to go run errands & get to the gym. It's unfortunately WAY too windy to ride all the way to Faribault to do my food pickup. While I'm doing that, why don't you get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off?

Weekly Ticker Update

2008-07-12T04:58:00.000-07:00

I was actually a pound & a half less than that yesterday, but the "post big ride water retention" has apparently set in. It will be gone by Monday I know, but it's still a pain in the tuckus. This is another good reason to be glad that the big Faribault ride will normally be on a Monday, because any water retention associated with it will be long gone by the following Saturday. Oh well...It's still progress, right?

FYI...Figured out yesterday that if I keep up this pace, I'll be at goal weight by the end of this year, which means by the time I maintain for six months in order to get plastic surgery to correct what's left (lipo on the buddha belly & lifting the girls back where they should be), the surgery could be next year's birthday present. Woo hoo!

There's the mileage update. Looks like I'm right on track with the 150 miles/week necessary to reach the goal. Not bad for a chubby white chick.

I'm off to hockey practice. While I'm off skating and getting sweaty, why not get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Rocky...Uber Pooch YES, but also a total FAKER

2008-07-10T18:44:00.000-07:00

My dog is a milker. The little mama's boy totally had the fakeroo going with the injured paw thing, and now he's been completely caught red-handed (or red-pawed, as the case may be). True, he did cut himself walking in some unclean area of downtown Minneapolis, but a couple of days after we got back, he was still limping around with the injured paw in the air and getting lots of sympathy from yours truly. BUT THEN, one day this week I was in the bathroom with the door most of the way shut, so he apparently didn't know I was around. Uber-Hubby witnessed him walking almost completely normally, with just a bit of a limp. He starts playing with the dog and said "Rocky, where's Mommy?" Rocky starts looking around, I open the bathroom door, and THEN he held up his paw and resumed looking pitiful. Doggie drama in the house of Hoover.

Excellent news on the PYFAO front....I'm down 12 pounds since starting SSHE 3 months ago, and that includes a 2 week European vacation. Who knows what I will be when the official Saturday weigh in rolls around, because I just got back from another huge, 80+ mile ride to and from Faribault, MN to pick up my SSHE meals for the rest of this week. I may be doing the water retention thing by tomorrow night, but the good news is that it will all get peed out by Monday, so no biggie.

FYI...Beer is an excellent way to replace salt, potassium, and other essential nutrients. To quote Ben Franklin, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

Until next time, get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Not the official weekly update, but still

2008-07-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, so no weekly ticker update this time around because we were back up in Minneapolis for Saturday's official weigh in day. We like to go back for the 4th of July because of the Tour D'Amico ride. It's the main event of the year for the Hiawatha Cycling Club, and D'Amico & Sons Italian Cafe is the main sponsor. The rest stops are the actual D'Amico & Sons locations, and if you do the whole thing you've done 65 miles (metric century) by the end of it. They feed you cookies, fruit, and lemonade at the rest stops and a really nice buffet lunch when you're done. It was the 3rd year for Uber-Hubby and me, and the weather was perfect. We both did the 65 mile route and had a pretty good time this year. I felt stronger on that kind of distance than I ever have, which is good for me.

Needless to say, we were pretty tired that afternoon, so we abandoned our plan to walk down to see the local fireworks show and opted for the Boston Pops display on TV instead. We got to see U-H's friend Phil the first night and went back to our fave Old Chicago location for dinner the second night, allowing U-H to get started on the most recent mini-tour of the Old Chicago World Beer Tour. Some things never change, LOL.

The only downer was that Rocky cut his left front paw on a piece of glass or something as we were walking through City Center on our morning "business walk" on the 4th. He now limps around and looks generally pitiful, though he's probably milking it just a little.

Tonight we're expected over at the boss man's house for dinner. They said casual, so we're riding our bikes over. Guess they'll find out what casual really is, won't they?

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

Weekly Ticker Update, among other things

2008-06-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

Well, there it is. I'm down 2 lbs from the last time I checked in here two weeks ago, but it's also the same as I was last week. I know from the experience gained by weighing daily that it's entirely because of temporary water retention from Thursday's gigantic ride, but it's still a tiny bit of a downer. It will be gone by Monday, so I'm not too twisted up about it, though.

And there's the mileage update. I'll be right on track with my goal deadline if I keep up a 150 miles per week pace from here on out. With one round trip to/from Faribault per week, I'll need to do 13 miles on 5 of the 6 remaining days to make that. Totally doable.

So...What else has happened recently...
I had my first practice with the local women's hockey program today, and so far all is well. They're a nice group of people, on par with my old team skill-wise, but they need more actual game play experience. Very well organized practice session, so I definitely got some good exercise. They also made sure I knew about the coffee house they go to afterwards, which made me feel nice and welcome. I'm doing what I can to make my own friends apart from the people I meet because of my husband.

Last bit of news for the day:
When you save money on some normal everyday purchase, do you use that as an excuse to go and spend the "saved" money on something else? If so, what have you really saved? Uber-Hubby and I have decided to track this kind of thing and see just how much it adds up to. I've started a spreadsheet to track our savings on purchases we would normally make anyway... groceries, things we went to a particular store to get and found that they were on sale/clearance, etc. It has to be something we would have bought at the full price, not just some impulse purchase. For example, I went to Office Max a few days ago to look for a Rolodex and found one on the clearance rack for $7.50, as opposed to the original price of $19.99, so there's a $12.49 entry in my spreadsheet. Sam's Club had gas cheaper than the prevailing price in town by 4 cents/gallon, so there's another 49 cents. At the end of each month, we're going to total it all up, put that amount of money in a Money Market Savings Account (better interest than a regular account) and see how far we get in a year's time. In the first 5 days alone it's over $26.00, so in a year that could be more than $1300, not including any interest! We're more than likely going to use the money to help pay for our next big cycling trip, but who knows?

Speaking of cycling, why not get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

My Biggest, Longest Ride Ever

2008-06-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

So...What was that I was saying about it being tough to get bike miles in Mankato because everything is so close? Be careful what you ask for, I suppose...

Yesterday was pickup day for my SSHE meals over in Faribault. Turns out, the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trai l goes all the way there from Mankato, so naturally I thought it would be a fabulous idea to hook up the Burley trailer and tool on over. The trail itself is nice enough, though I do wish they would repave certain sections. I was loaded up with plenty of water and sunblock, but next time I'll include bug spray and the extra lenses for my sport glasses so I can change to the clear ones when it gets darker outside.

Total mileage for the round trip (drum roll, please).... 86.1! My longest ride EVER. I don't think I'd gone more than about 62 before this. It took a lot longer than I would have liked to complete the whole thing, so I'll definitely plan a little better and leave the house a little earlier next time. Uber-Hubby, sweet man that he is, went home after work to feed & walk the dog (he hates doing it but knew it would be too late by the time I got home), then headed down the trail in my direction to meet up with me and help me finish the ride.

I doubt that I'll be up to doing this twice a week, but it sure does save a lot of gas money and is in keeping with the title of this blog.

Speaking of which...Get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Getting Settled In

2008-06-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

Getting bike mileage is going to be a bit tougher here in Mankato, because everything is so darned CLOSE. I mean, it's cool because I can easily ride to the gym, library, grocery store, etc but it's only a few miles to each thing, so in order to really build miles I'm going to have to plan more actual road rides.

So far, the daily routine has been to make sure I get 8-9 hours of sleep, which I've always needed but never felt I had the time for. The only issue there is that Uber-Hubby needs to go to bed at a decent hour since he has to be up for work, and I'm not always ready to go at that point. I think this will soon work it's way into me going to bed when he does and just sleeping a bit later. Anyway, after I take the pooch out for a morning stroll, I either unpack more stuff or head off to the gym, depending on what time my class of choice starts.

Side note: The folks down at the Mankato YMCA have been great. The staff have been friendly and helpful as I learn my way around the place, and the class instructors are good, too.

After riding back home from the Y (which includes a short but TOUGH ride back up the hill from the river), I take a little break, have my SSHE lunch, and then unpack more crap from the move. I swear, if I never see another cardboard box or sheet of packing paper, it will be too soon. Still, it was nice to be able to cook an actual dinner for U-H last night (instead of yet another sandwich), even if it was only Hamburger Helper.

So...After I get the house unpacked, I think I'll look into some kind of part time volunteer project. I'm enjoying the flexibility I have with my time these days and I LOVE IT that U-H is so supportive of my weight loss and healthy lifestyle efforts, but you can only exercise and straighten up the house for so many hours of the day. Besides, the extroverted half of me (seriously, I'm exactly half, tests proved it) will soon start to crave human interaction with people other than my husband and the occasional beer in the neighbor's garage. I also have a deep-seated need to feel purposeful in my life, so I think spending a couple of days per week doing something good for others will go a long way toward making Mankato a very happy place for us to live. I will NOT squander this free time opportunity like I did when I wasn't working the first few months we lived in Minnesota.

Until next time, get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Like Locusts on a Crop

2008-06-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

Well, the movers have come and gone. Uber-Hubby and I spent all week packing everything ourselves using boxes & materials supplied by our moving company, and then this morning they literally descended on our belongings like locusts and were in and out of here in about 4 hours. Our stuff will magically appear in Mankato tomorrow morning, at which point I will begin the unpacking fun just in time for U-H to start his new job on Monday. Mad props to the 3 dudes from Lovelette Transfer Company...There's a reason they are so highly rated on Twin Cities Angie's List. If you ever need to pack up your house and move anywhere around here, make sure you call these guys. Free use of their boxes (you give them back) and you get good quality, professional workers.

Turns out that getting fired this past Monday was the best possible thing. Looking back on how much we worked on packing everything this week, I can't imagine how crappy it would have been to leave U-H to handle it alone while I went off to work every day. We both would have ended up being super crabby to each other, so I'm glad it all worked out this way.

I got one good ride in this week. I had a hair appointment on Wednesday, and ever since Stephanie moved to her new location so close to my (former) job, I've been intending to ride there after work for my appointments. Unfortunately, for the two appointments prior to this one, I had been farmed out to clinic locations and got stuck driving to see her. Here I was, talking up a storm about how great it was to ride to work, and I never got to ride to my hair appointments like I kept telling her I was going to do. So anyway, I had a cycling jersey I had to return to a bike shop near there, so I just made an afternoon of it. It was about an hour & 45 minutes to get to the bike shop, then I backtracked slightly and got to the salon with just enough time to treat myself to a Northern Lites Pumpkin Cooler at Caribou Coffee before heading inside. To top it off, the weather couldn't have been better and U-H met up with me to ride home, having ridden partway down with me and then splitting off to run some errands of his own.

Could the day have been more perfect? I think not. 46.6 miles round trip. Yay me. This kind of errand running by bike is soon to be de rigueur once I'm settled in down in Mankato. I can't wait. All that exercise, exploring my new home town, AND no longer having to put up with the pathetic excuse for management at my old job. Skinny Bitch, here I come. Rest assured, results photos WILL be posted.

It is truly a blessed and charmed life that I lead. I will endeavor to find a suitable charitable organization with whom I can volunteer so that I can give something back. "To whom much is given, much is expected." I truly believe that and I've heard it a lot in my years here on Earth, but it just shows how I am so NOT a Bible scholar, because I Googled it to find out where the quote comes from, and it's Luke 12:48. Who knew?

Anyway...until next time, get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

In Today's Employment News

2008-06-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

Well...I suppose I knew this might happen at some point, but after surviving the first week post resignation, I kind of thought they might not fire me after all.

How wrong I was.

I also thought that after doing substitute front desk stuff for a couple of days, I might be left alone to try and finish up my real work, so as not to leave my Billing Department coworkers so totally in the lurch.

Again, how wrong I was.

They pushed me a little too far today, I pushed back and asked how they could keep opening more and more clinics when clearly they couldn't properly staff and maintain the ones they have, and after that they decided I brought too much negativity to the scene and my resignation was made effective this afternoon.

Get this...They actually expressed confusion about why I had not shared my concerns with them earlier, instead of letting my frustrations get to the boiling point. Gee...Maybe it was because I couldn't afford to be FIRED at the time? Open door policy, my ass.

Oh well. Maybe I'll at least get to ride my bike if the weather is nice this week.
Speaking of which...Get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Weekly Ticker Update

2008-06-14T07:16:00.001-07:00

Ok...Back to the weekly updates. GOOD NEWS, people! Going on vacation does NOT have to make you fatter!

I'm down 2 lbs from what I was the day before we left on the trip. I could have lost more if I hadn't indulged in ice cream cones all through the Czech Republic, but oh well. Now I'm back on Seattle Sutton's and life is getting back to normal...Well, as normal as it gets the week before you move to a new city. :-)

Here's where I stand on mileage:

I revised the mileage goal for the season based on what they've done with me at work in the last couple of weeks before the trip (farming me out to various clinics doesn't help me ride to work). Once I get down to Mankato and settled into life there, it may be revised upward again.

Until then, get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Photo Updates Being Added to Bike Trip Posts

2008-06-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

Ok...Uber-Hubby is nearly done labeling and uploading pix of the Vienna portion of our European cycling trip to his Flickr page. I've decided to snag a few of them to update the daily posts I was doing during the trip.

CLICK HERE to revisit my post from Vienna, now updated with a few choice photos, including one of YOURS TRULY conquering a cool rope course we found while tooling around the city on our rented bikes.

Enjoy...and, as long as you're at it, get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Spilled the Beans at Work

2008-06-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

Ok...Secret's out now. Gave my two week notice at work today, so I can finally openly discuss the impending move to Mankato. It appears that I am not fired (they need the help), so I'll be able to finish out my time in peace, hopefully with a minimum of drama. It's really good to have that monkey off my back at last.

Interesting note: There was a minor collision between two Northwest Airlines planes here at MSP last night. Apparently one of them was backing out as another one was pulling into a gate or something, and their wing tips clipped each other. Sounds to me like the ground crew screwed things up, but I'm sure the investigation is underway. The interesting bit is that one of the planes that was involved was the incoming flight from Amsterdam, which is exactly the same plane U-H and I were on the day before as we came home. Glad we didn't get caught up in that mess.

Still working on the trip photos. I promise, once they're all done, I'll go back and annotate my daily postings to make them more interesting. Oh...I weigh exactly the same as I did before I left on the trip, which is awesome news considering how much I ate and drank over there. :-)

Until next time, get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Made it to Prague!

2008-06-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

Ok...Got up this morning, loaded up the shuttle van after breakfast, and set off for Prague. We were supposed to be dropped off at the central train station and make our own way to our respective hotels, but other folks in the group asked if they could pay extra and be dropped off at their hotels directly. Turned out to be a horrible idea, because the driver did NOT know his way around the city at all. I swear, he was just driving around aimlessly, looking for ANY signs that had the word "hotel" on them. When he pulled over to ask directions for the third time, we all decided to just get out right there and either walk or get taxis. Tom (Uber-Hubby) had been keep track of where we were in the city using our Prague guidebook map and we knew the name of the street our hotel is on, so when we bailed on the driver we had an idea of where to go. In fact, I tried to get the driver to turn on our street when we would have only walked 4 blocks, but he wouldn't stop. So the beginning of our time in Prague entailed U-H and I schlepping our bags across what seemed like half the city. NEVER, and I mean never, travel without suitcases on wheels. Ours are getting a bit battered, but I can't imagine having done this without rollies.

This is the first hotel we've had the entire trip that had functioning air conditioning. We are thrilled, to say the least. There is also free wifi service, so feel free to click on over to U-H's Flickr page to see how far he's gotten with photo uploads. It will take some time to get it all done nicely, because as usual he's taken THOUSANDS of pictures and they're all pretty cool. I also like his captioning.

So far in Prague, we've been to see the Astronomical Clock and the Dancing Building, but other than that we just walked around a lot. First impression is that there are definitely a lot of neat things to see (Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle complex in the world), but the "tourist trap" feel of everything is kind of depressing after all the great little Czech towns we've been to in the last 2 weeks. Also, unlikely the smaller towns, many people here speak English, so you try going into a restaurant or shop and use what little Czech you know, only to have them respond in English. It certainly helps in a pinch, but we are really trying to absorb the local flavor and set a good example to try and dispel that whole "ugly American" image our countrymen so often have.

Tomorrow morning, we're going to Charles Bridge at sunrise...It's supposed to be truly spectacular, but you have to get there early to avoid all the tourists. That's the thing about this city...U-H and I have discovered that large crowds of other tourists really kind of annoy us. I think these bike trips with Experience Plus are going to be our chosen form of active travel for quite some time to come. We're already looking at where to go next year.

More later...Until then, get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Update 'til I get more time & better Internet

2008-06-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

Fast forward to the last riding day of our trip. We're now in Cesky Krumlov, which has the 2nd largest castle complex in the Czech Republic, second only to Prague. Short riding day today, we're having a medieval style dinner tonight & then we take a shuttle to Prague tomorrow (Thursday morning). We have a day and a half or so before flying home on Saturday.

More later...I'll fill in the days I skipped & be a bit more thorough about descriptions. Having trouble accessing email just now, so this is pretty much the only way I could get word out that we're still alive. :-)

Until next time, get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Day 7: Telc to Jindrichuv Hradec

2008-06-02T05:58:00.000-07:00

(6-1-08) The eye swelling thing is weird. I'm pretty much alright during the day, but at night while I'm sleeping it swells up again. Whatever bee crap I got injected with is taking it's sweet time processing it's way through my body, I guess. At least I was able to get my contacts in today. We rode a total of 35.6 miles today, from Telc ("telch") to Jindrichuv Hradec ("jin-drich-uhv huh-rod-ets"), which literally means Henry's Castle. Seems that every big town has a castle around here, but some look more like a hillside chateau.

Side note: They've done an amazing job of preservation in this country. The buildings themselves seem to have lasted a good long time, and the people seem to be VERY eco-conscious. Very little in the way of public litter, and they are actually in the process of converting the old Iron Curtain "no man's land" areas into one huge greenway for bikes and hikers. At some point a few days ago, we saw the last remaining piece of Iron Curtain fenceline in the Czech Republic that has been preserved for tourism, but I forget right now exactly which day.

Almost forgot...On the way to Jindrichuv Hradec, we took the optional loop for extra mileage, and on the way back in we saw some old MiG war planes in someone's yard. Never mind that there's no possible area for them to ever take off, but I guess it would be a fun restoration project.

As long as you're awake, why not get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Day 6: Optional loop ride from Telc

2008-06-02T05:54:00.000-07:00

(5-31-08) Tom ended up riding this optional day alone, because over night my right eye swelled up so bad I couldn't really open it in the morning. That meant no contact lenses, which meant no sunglasses, which meant no riding. Bummer, but at least it was a scheduled rest day anyway, so I didn't miss anything special. Tom got back in time for us to have a nice lunch at the local pizzeria (I love seeing how different countries do their pizza), and I bought prezzies for Mom.

If you haven't yet already today, get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Day 5: Vranov to Telc via Slavonice

2008-06-02T05:50:00.000-07:00

Longer mileage today (47.7). We pedaled from Vranov to Slavonice ("slav-o-neet-say"), walked around town to look at old buildings decorated with "sgraffitto", which is basically carved concrete where they lay down one color, cover it with white paint of some kind, then scratch through it to reveal the design. These buildings have existed this way for hundreds of years, and every one seems to be different. The higher up on the wall you have covered with your design, the more wealthy your family. We finished the day by riding into Telc ("telch"), but on the way there I got stung by a bee just forward of my right temple and was lucky not to lose an eye.

Day 4: Znojmo to Vranov

2008-06-02T05:46:00.000-07:00

Today we had time to tour the city of Znojmo, where Tom & I bought fun socks at local bike shops. Stupidly, I didn't follow his example in choosing the ones with the shop name on them, but oh well. The clerk thought it was just hilarious that SOMEbody actually bought the shop socks, LOL. Znojmo is also where our current fave Czech beer (Hostan) is brewed, and Tom scored a groovy Hostan shirt. We then rode on to Vranov, with a wonderfully steep downhill through a beautiful forest, and had time at the day's end to tour Vranov Castle.

Daily mileage: 22 miles

Until next time, get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Day 3: Lednice to Znojmo via Mikulov

2008-06-02T05:38:00.000-07:00

Our first stop on today's ride was Mikulov, where we had time to tour the town and I bought my first ceramic bowl of this trip. I collect them and use them for soups, chili, Tom's ice cream, etc. On the way to Znojmo ("znoy-mo"), we had the option of either stopping for a picnic (using supplies bought in Mikulov) or finding a restaurant along the way. Tom & I chose the restaurant option and had great fun trying to decipher the menu with our phrase books. So far, it remains my favorite lunch meal of the trip.

Side note...Phrase books are the ONLY way to go. I can't imagine traveling to a foreign country without them, though amazingly a lot of people do. When the locals see you making an effort, no matter how badly you butcher the pronunciation, they are MUCH more likely to help you.

That night, we had a wine tasting and dinner at our hotel. We had just traveled through some of the Czech Republic's best wine making regions, so it was really wonderful having a no-kidding sommelier there to tell us about each one we tried.

46 miles today (5-28-08).

Why don't YOU get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Day 2: Loop ride out from Lednice

2008-05-27T08:29:00.001-07:00

Gorgeous weather today. This is technically Day 2, but it's really the first riding day of the trip. The basic route was 34 miles, but Uber-Hubby and I opted for the extension loop, which gave us a total of 47.3 today. It included one heck of a climb up and around one of the highest elevations in the region, but the reward was a close up shot of the castle ruins, an absolutely AWESOME view of the valley below, and then a killer descent that at one point had me too scared to look at how fast I was going.

We're done for the day, and we'll be off to find dinner on our own soon. Czech is much more difficult to learn than German was, but phrase books come in handy and the locals admire you for trying. The food has been really good so far, more vegetables than I was initially led to believe. Who knew red cabbage soup would be so tasty?

Hey...If you haven't already, get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Day 1: Getting to Lednice, Czech Republic

2008-05-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

So on Monday morning, we made our way by bus to the local train station in Vienna, called Sudbahnhof. We were super early, so there we were in the middle of everything, enjoying a beer at 9:30a.m. just because we could. The shuttle driver was supposed to meet 6 of us there at 10:30, but by that time we had only found one other couple, but we decided there was safety in numbers.

Our non-english speaking Czech taxi driver, Michal, rolled in a bit late due to a traffic jam, started throwing our bags into the back of his van after barely determining who we were, and motioned for us to get in. We did so with a bit of trepidation, especially since he didn't seem a bit concerned about the 2 missing people. There wouldn't have been room for them anyway, because his car barely fit all of us plus our luggage. Turns out that the other 2 had mistakenly arrived a day early, so they were already in Lednice ("LED-neet-say").

The trip from Vienna to Lednice was uneventful, mostly because the only English this guy knew was how to tell us that his real job was owning a chopper motorcycle shop. Surprisingly, there was absolutely no sign of life at the border crossing. No passport check, no nothing. Had there not been a sign to say that we were entering the Czech Republic, I might never have known. Lednice, our first little town, is only a few miles over the border, and we arrived at a lovely hotel in short order.

Our tour guides are wonderful. Jiri ("year-ee" but roll the r) is from a nearby town but speaks lovely English, and has been giving us all sorts of interesting information about the local area. Yorgos is Greek (pretty much the only handsome Greek man I've ever seen) and has a great sense of humor. We got fitted for our bikes on Monday afternoon and were able to do a fairly short test ride back towards the Austrian border. Yes, we did the border dance... I'm in, I'm out.

Dinner was together that night, and we are enjoying getting to know our fellow riders.

Remember...Get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Hello from Vienna, Austria

2008-05-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

This post was edited to include photos on 6-13-08. CLICK HERE to see the entire set from Vienna.

Uber-Hubby & I made it here safe & sound, though not without a bit of airport drama. Some guy "couldn't board the plane" in Minneapolis, so we actually had to pull back into the gate so they could pull his stupid bag off the plane, which made us at least an hour late getting into Amsterdam. We barely made it to our connection for Vienna, so of course our luggage didn't get there with us. It was delivered to our hotel the next morning however, so it wasn't all bad. I have to say that I've never been soooo happy to see my toothbrush & clean underwear...ever.

Jet lag really wasn't an issue, since we had an overnight flight & set our watches on the new time zone (7 hours ahead of Mpls) as soon as the plane took off. I was lucky to be able to sleep quite a bit on the plane, so I feel fine. U-H arranged for us to have rental bikes for our short stay in Vienna, so we spent today riding around the city & having a great time enjoying the sights and nice weather.

These are the bikes we used in Vienna, then the lovely central pathway at St Mark's Cemetery, where Mozart is buried. Below that, there's a photo of Tom & me in Vienna, then one of me enjoying a Kasekreiner (best snack ever), and finally one of me conquering a rope course near the Danube River:

The REAL trip starts tomorrow morning, when we meet up with the rest of our group & take a shuttle van just over the border into the Czech Republic to the first stop on our trip to Prague. Internet access may be spotty for the next 2 weeks, but I'll try.

FYI...German keyboards are weird. They use the Z more often than the Y, so the 2 keys are switched. I've been typing it wrong just about every time.

Anyway...Until next time, get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Like no other restaurant on Earth

2008-05-19T16:05:00.000-07:00

In short, this place is the bomb. We take most of our out of town guests to a place called Chino Latino, located in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis. It's a really groovy mix of Asian and Latin foods "from the hot zone"...all around the equator. I've never EVER had a bad meal there, though I do wish it wasn't quite so noisy.

Anyway...We took U-H's father & step-mother there last night. His daughter went with, and I was pleasantly surprised at how willing the 10 year old was to try new things, especially the sushi. A proud moment, indeed. FYI...If you've never had a drink called a Mexican 3 Way, I highly recommend it. 3 shots of good tequila, tamarind, citrus juices, etc...I had to self limit to only 1, but it was worth it.

Predictably, I'm up a couple of pounds worth of water weight, but the weather is looking really good for the rest of this week and I should have a couple of good days of riding to and from work before we take of on our trip, so I'm not worried.

Chino Latino...Get there if you can. Until then, get off the couch and

Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Weekly Ticker Update

2008-05-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well, there it is. Down another pound this week. It would have been two, but we've been eating out about one meal per day while the 'rents have been in town for Uber-Hubby's graduation. All in all, that isn't too bad. I think I've made some pretty decent food choices, all things considered.

U-H and I are taking turns going on rides while his daughter is in town. Unfortunately, she has no interest in learning to ride a bike, so we aren't able to take her with us. I have just under 96 miles to go to hit my goal of 1000 before leaving for the big trip next Friday, which is a bit less than 24 miles per day if I ride at least 4 out of 5 days between now and then.

In other news...
Graduation went fine, all things considered. U-H's mom and her husband flew into town that morning, went to the ceremony, then went to spend the rest of the weekend with friends. Dashing in on the morning of is pretty much their m.o. They did the same thing at our wedding.
U-H's dad and his wife, on the other hand, have been here since Tuesday and will be around for a week. We've spent time with them every day, so they've gotten quality time with their granddaughter in addition to showing support for their son's success. Tonight was grill food and Trivial Pursuit 90's Edition. Let's NOT talk about how I totally got robbed, and U-H will no doubt rub my face in it for months to come. This is him and his father at graduation:

Guess I know what I'm getting in about 30 years. Luckily Dad's a good guy. :-)

Travel update...Picked out the hotels for both before and after the bike tour. We'll have an extra day or two in both Vienna & Prague. We leave on Friday afternoon. I can't believe it's almost here! I'm sure I'll procrastinate on packing, as usual. Oh well.

Until then...Get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Eyes bigger than your stomach?

2008-05-15T07:36:00.001-07:00

If so, there's a reason. CLICK HERE to read an interesting article about how portion sizes have changed over the last 20 years. The standard slice of pizza is bigger than it used to be, the tub that your movie popcorn comes in has gotten bigger, etc. Something else I found interesting is how the dinner plate itself has gotten larger over time, going from 10 to 12 inches.

It's common sense, really. Use a bigger bowl and you're going to probably eat a bigger portion of ice cream. Your mind thinks you have to fill up whatever dish you're using. After reading this article, it occurs to me that since I've been on the SSHE program, I've been using my small little salad plates MUCH more frequently than my dinner plates. Coincidence? I think not.

Good news on that front, by the way. We've had family in town for Uber-Hubby's graduation this Friday, which means we've had dinner out the last two nights. I'm holding strong, however. On Tuesday night I had a dinner salad (about the best you can do at that restaurant), and last night I ate my SSHE dinner before we went, then just had some veggies & dip when we got there. Once the Aunt Flo water retention is gone, I might actually be down as much as 2 pounds this week. This CAN be done, people. All you have to do eat less & move more, so get off the couch and

Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

You'll never amount to anything looking like that.

2008-05-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

That's what Uber-Hubby's teachers in high school said to him because he looked like this:

That's right, folks. A no-kidding mohawk. Rocket Fire Red, to be precise. That's Tom getting into his chicken costume for Halloween that year. Good Lord, America.

This one isn't much better:

That's him in college, at his sister's wedding. I'm sorry, but that goatee looks like it was drawn on with a pencil. It just doesn't match up with his cute little baby face. Thank God I didn't meet him until later, LOL.

At any rate...His teachers in high school seriously told him he wouldn't amount to anything because he had crazy hair and had no "school spirit". Would the mohawk somehow have been more acceptable if he had colored it school colors? Bleh.

It occurs to me that I should remind you what he looks like in present day, for added perspective:

That's us a couple of years ago when we got married. I was skinnier then, but he's still just as yummy looking today. I honestly don't have much that is more recent.

So this guy who could so easily have turned into a drunken, drugged out, do nothing drain on society is graduating this Friday from the Graduate Periodontics program at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. This guy who would "never amount to anything" figured out how to pay for 13 years of post high school education on his own, with no real help from his parents, while holding down at least one full time job (sometimes more) and dealing with his psycho (now ex) wife and the daughter they have together. He served his country in the U.S. Navy for 3 years and will now go on to serve his patients in Mankato, MN as he joins the practice of one of the most highly successful and respected periodontists in the state.

Beat that with a stick, you high school teacher assholes.

Talk about perspective

2008-05-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

If I've said this once, I've said it a thousand times. Just when I think I have some kind of problem that has me teetering on the edge of self pity, something always happens to knock some sense back into me and make me realize that my issues are miniscule compared to what other people deal with every day with grace and dignity. Thanks to Uber-Hubby, I have yet another good example.

There's a guy who calls himself Fat Cyclist who has a blog, and lately his posts have been detailing his wife's battle with breast cancer that has metastasized into her brain. I don't know these people, but I find their story both incredibly sad and mind blowingly inspiring at the same time. They are doing their best to live their lives as normally as possible, but they are also taking steps to preserve important memories in the event that Susan loses her battle. They've started recording videos of their conversations so that F.C. and their kids can look back on them later....Stories of how they met and fell in love, what happened when they found out they were having twins, what Susan expects of the children as they grow up, etc. That's a priceless gift to leave your kids and other loved ones, and it's an example by which we should all strive to live.

Another important thing this family has done is allow their friends and family to help. I know this from experience, so I can say with absolute authority that letting people in your life at times like these is CRUCIAL to everyone involved. Nobody can do anything about the fact that there's a battle against a deadly disease going on here, but they CAN do things like bring over food, donate money, and show up for bike rides with their beloved F.C. to give him a break from the caregiver's duties (at least for a little while). Each person has something to contribute, and it's all meaningful.

I encourage each of you to click over to read some of Fat Cyclist's blog entries. If you are so inclined, there's a link in the upper right corner of his page where some close friends of the family have set up an account to help with medical expenses. They've even got it hooked up through PayPal for added convenience. Starting next week, you'll also be able to purchase a very snazzy looking F.C. bike jersey. Keep checking back for the link to the Twin Six apparel website, which I'll share as soon as the jerseys go up for sale.

Remember...Get off the couch, stop feeling sorry for yourself, and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Weekly Ticker Update

2008-05-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! Finally back in the negative direction on the scale. The weather has been a lot better lately, so the last few days have been awesome for riding. Today's adventure was the first 60 mile ride I've done in a LONG time, so I was a bit nervous about it before we started. Not to worry, though...It was the MS Bike ride, which starts on the Gateway Trail and goes out into Scandia, then back to the Maplewood Community Center. The weather was pretty good the whole way, despite dire predictions of dumping rain. Personally, I think THIS is what saved us:

Ok...So Uber-Hubby made quacking noises every time he rode past me, but pretty much everyone I talked to today totally believed in the power of the yellow rain hat. Don't hate.

Here's something else cool that we saw at the bike ride this morning:

Zoiks! Where's my Scooby snacks?

Anyway...You'll note that I've revised my mileage goal that I want to hit before leaving on the bike trip. 1500 was just way too ambitious, especially since I didn't know how much time I would be spending away from my regular job location (that 2 week period plus most of the next 2 weeks as well), which means I only have time to ride after work, never mind the impending arrival of various family members for Uber-Hubby's graduation. 1000 is much more doable. I'll take another look at the overall summer mileage goal after we get back from our trip.

Tonight was my women's hockey team party with Hot Flash. We took second in the state this year, a big improvement over last year, and no small feat when you consider that it's only our 3rd year in existence. I was a good girl, though. I packed my SSHE meal in a cooler and had that instead of the catered food, though I did have a little dessert and some chips & guacamole. Oh well...Considering my 5 hours of cycling this morning, I figure I'm okay. The party was good fun...We tie-dyed team t-shirts and watched the video that PROVES we were robbed in the championship game of the state tournament. I was also REALLY flattered that several people on the team said they wanted me to still be on the roster next season, even though U-H and I are moving to Mankato and I won't be available for at least half the games. It's been a long time since I felt included like that. I know several of my team mates read this blog, so THANK YOU.

My tie-dye job came out great. U-H says it looks like a professional stoner did it, LOL. Pictures to come after it dries.

Until then, get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Nice ride, but that's a gay little hat.

2008-05-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

That's us riding after work today. Uber-Hubby is practicing taking pictures of us using his new X-Shot...It's a telescoping stick that screws into the bottom of his digital camera, so you can do self portraits and stuff without looking like the camera is right there in your face. No more having to ask strangers to take your picture! Sadly, U-H felt it necessary to buy another cycling cap, aka "That Gay Little Hat". Seriously...Just look at that thing. He's threatening to wear it in every single vacation picture on our bike trip, "just for me"...There may have to be some kind of "accident". Maybe I could somehow disguise it as a dog toy & then blame it all on Rocky. Hmmmm....

Anyway...That's another awesome ride this week, and this time we checked out some new trails that connect Elm Creek Park Reserve with other regional trail systems. We're very lucky to live in a place with such great bike paths.

It's the fault of the unwashed masses.

2008-05-04T16:23:00.001-07:00

Being sick sucks. The weather has finally been nice this weekend, but I've done nothing but lay on the couch and snooze. Well, there WAS the expedition downtown last night to retrieve my drunken husband and his friends that were celebrating their impending graduation, but that was pre-planned. I also took Rocky to the dog park this afternoon in an effort to get at least SOME sun and fresh air, but I wimped and took the car instead of hooking up the bike trailer and giving him a ride. I've just been sooooo tired the last few days.

After working in my company's Billing and Collections Department for the last 10 months or so (with my only patient contact being over the phone), I spent the last two weeks back in my old clinic, covering the front desk duties. Dozens of strangers crossing my path every day, and no telling what germs they carried around with them. The building itself is about 40 years old and has a history of environmentally questionable issues, not the least of which is mold in the basement because it leaks with hard rain down there.

Sigh...Big surprise, at the tail end of the two weeks, I started feeling loagy in the back of my throat on Wednesday, made myself go to Uber-Hubby's Senior Dinner on Thursday night, and had almost completely lost my voice by Friday. My ears felt plugged up and people were constantly asking me what the heck was wrong with me. I thankfully managed to leave work early that afternoon and have basically spent the entire weekend snoozing on the couch. I haven't slept this much in YEARS, but I'm hoping it pays off because I really want to ride to work tomorrow morning.

Needless to say, no progress on weight loss this week. It's a bummer, but back in the old days things could have been MUCH worse. I'm just glad to be on the mend.

If you're reading this, go take your Vitamin C. Even YOU, Uber-Hubby. You know right where it is, too.

Remember....Get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

My husband's ass is famous

2008-05-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

Ok...So I figured out a long time ago that Uber-Hubby has a fabulous looking rear end, but who knew that it would one day gain him world wide recognition? CLICK HERE to read all about it. His ass now apparently runs in the same circles as J-Lo and Kim Kardashian. Yikes.

Don't get me wrong...I'm down with gay dudes and all that, but {insert Z formation triple snap here} HANDS OFF, honey. He's mine. :-)

This seems a particularly appropriate time to say

Get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

BAD cycling story

2008-04-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

Minneapolis is the second most popular city in the country for bike commuters, and the furthest north for those who do it year round. Not surprising, then, that there would be a story in the local media about bike commuting, cycling in traffic, etc. as spring rolls into the area. I would normally look forward to watching such stories on the news, but this time it just pissed me off. CLICK HERE to read what our local ABC affiliate, KSTP 5, had to say about cyclists in the Twin Cities.

VERY one-sided presentation, slanted WAY in the direction of vehicle drivers. They spent the whole time talking about how dangerous cyclists blow through stop signs (nobody coming) and red lights (umm...not big enough to trip the light cycle) and spent no time at all talking about how asshole drivers like to ride up next to you and honk, yell, and throw stuff...whatever they can do to scare you and try to make you wreck. HINT: If you're going to do stupid stuff like that, DON'T drive the company truck. I know exactly which landscaping and auto glass companies I WON'T be using now.

Never mind the idiotic bitch who literally came within INCHES of my back tire on Xerxes Ave back in January, when she couldn't be bothered with her OWN stop sign. Unfortunately, the Law of Gross Tonnage doesn't care who has the right of way. I sobbed when I finally made it the last few blocks to work that day.

Anyway...If the Channel 5 article ticks you off as much as it did me, I encourage you to follow their links to send them feedback. I would at least like to see equal time...Maybe a helmet mounted camera on a regular bike commuter? Sign me up.

A low point, but not really

2008-04-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

Ok...So after 3 weeks on the SSHE program, I finally had a meal I didn't like and don't care if I ever have again. It started with some seriously bland, flavorless vegetable soup. I've never really been a fan of vegetable soup in general, but there are ways to make it palatable. SSHE missed the mark this time. The rest of the meal was a slice of not-so-tasty, kind of dry bread with some peanut butter & apricot spread, but thankfully I replaced that with a real PB&J this morning, which I could justify because I'm supplementing up to 1500-1700 calories per day from the 1200 provided by the program. Ok, so I also had one of those Toasted Wraps from KFC, but it's only got one chicken strip in it and I did go for a nice, hour long bike ride on the Taco after work.

Better luck with dinner. New food delivered this afternoon, so tonight I had Polish Pierogies & Sauerkraut with Veggie Sausage. After doctoring the kraut with sea salt, pepper, & crushed red flakes, it was pretty tasty...Also one of the more filling meals I've had so far. You do end up adding spices to taste, because some of it comes out a little bland because the menu is sodium restricted and also toned down due to some people's wimpy taste buds.

Which reminds me...What is it with Minnesotans not being able to take spicy food? It's sad, really. I remember a waitress we had right after moving up here 3 years ago. I ordered something relatively normal from the menu (don't remember what) and she said {insert upper midwest accent here} "Ya know, dat's really spicy, don't ya?" I kind of snickered and said I'd be fine. These people would get along great with British folks & their version of sausage, which is really more of a flavorless hot dog. God forbid either of them ever get hold of some spicy Jimmy Dean, LOL.

I better go to bed before I get off on a tangent of complaining about the ungodly grip winter has on us up here.

Remember...Get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Weekly Ticker Update

2008-04-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

Slowly but surely wins the race, right? That's what I keep telling myself. I lost 1.5 lbs this week which, considering that I was trapped at the front desk of my old dental clinic all week and had crappy riding weather, should be counted as pretty darn good. I also had a drink from Caribou Coffee every morning, but I rationalized that by saying that it was made with decaf & skim milk, and besides....I AM supposed to drink two glasses of skim milk every day on this plan. That's what I really like about this SSHE program...The food is good, but with the portion control you can still get away with having reasonable treats, so you're living normally without feeling deprived. I think it keeps me from truly going on a bender, and I'm making healthier choices for myself.

So anyway...Here are the new tickers for the week:

Not so great on the mileage this week. Only got to ride once after work, then the weather turned to crap. Winter has gone on LONG ENOUGH.

Remember...Get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off