Yesterday I got my first ride in the snow. I mounted the Nashbar Studded tires Sunday afternoon thinking that a chance of precip along with temps hovering around 34 degrees meant there was a good chance I'd need them, and like magic Monday morning there was snow. It only amounted to about 1/4 inch, but still it was a covering, and it gave men a chance to run over some nice patches to see how the traction of the tires would hold. The tires held up without a hitch, and much to my surprise I stayed extremely warm the whole way to work, that Columbia with the liner in it makes a 33 degree day feel like summer.
Today I wake up and see it's no longer snow, but rain that greets me for the morning ride. I have come to a decision, I like snow a lot better than rain, at least when the temp is below 40. Rain has a way of making me feel blah by the time I'm halfway to work, whereas the snow kept me cheery all the way in. I can only imagine how the ride will be when I'm greeted with "freezing" rain. Oh joy.
Turkey day is just over the horizon, and that in and of itself is good enough reason to make sure I stay on the pedals as much as possible, this set of holidays will not result in weight gain for me, and this spring I plan to be lighter than I was this summer, that's the goal anyway, and so far I'm doing a pretty good job of getting there, the true test for me is always the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I'm coming into the hard part of the year.
well, short and sweet today, happy pedaling all.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Monday, November 5, 2007
Perfection- In the moment
My life has been filled with some interesting times. I have had some amazing days, and amazing moments. As a matter of fact when I look back at the number of quality moments I've had, I can't help but wonder if others have had as many, because many of the people I see though the course of a day just seem to be not as happy in life as they should be. But, that's not what this post is about, this post is about one of the most perfect moments I have had in a long time. I have to say the most perfect moment to date was the day I first met my wife in person, but this perfection is a little different.
I've had a lot of great time bicycling both with groups, and just with one friend, but also solo it can be quite wonderful to turn any way you like, and know that with enough of those turns you'll end up back home. Much as I love to cycle, I also love to spend time with my family, well, yesterday I went on a short ride with my 8 year old stepdaughter, my wife hasn't been feeling up to riding due to some complications with a surgery so she went along in the car, met us at our destination and brought our two crazy dogs so we could run them around a bit after feeding the ducks, which was the original plan. The ride to this destination was great, and we had a grand time, but the moment this is about happened even before that.
It started with me noticing that we actually had a sunny brisk morning outside, and that indeed my cappucino maker still funcitoned. I fashioned a nice cup of coffee, and ventured outside, I invited my wife to join me, asking if she perhaps wanted some tea, she accepted and we headed out to our little table in the backyard. Upstairs I could hear our daughter playing her trumpet. Now, I want to tell you, when this trumpet thing started, I would pray to the Gods that she be finished by the time I got home from work, as the sounds emanating from this unit were less musical and more of what you might hear from a dying seal. However, in just a few short weeks, the sounds coming from the end of this instrument have turned to music, or to notes at least, which as I understand it are parts of music. We ventured outside, and were enjoying our beverages, then we heard our daughter calling for her mom, and she came outside. She asked what we were drinking, and I told her I had coffee, and her mom had tea, and I asked if she would like something? She responded she'd like to go in and see what we had, so we did.
We came back out with her steaming cup of chai latte, and she was thrilled. I got her a chair, which she opted out of, she sat instead on my knee, talking away with us, and sipping her drink. It occured to me at this moment how vastly different my life was from what it had been just a few years ago, and how much happier I was now. Truly times of frustration and struggle make those moments all the more special later on. I remember dealing with many tantrums, head butting incidents where I was certain that this person living in our house would simply never be on board with the bigger picture, and now, here we all were, drinking warm morning beverages, and discussing whatever came to mind. The slight chill in the air, my wonderful wife and daughter, and the way it is to know that you are a part of something as special as a family, are what combined to make perfection, in the moment, for me.
I don't know if anyone is reading yet, but if you are, take a moment to remember, those around you are the reason for your health, the better you feel, the more you will enjoy every moment, and the more moments you are likely to be around to enjoy. Bicycling is a great thing, and I love every moment I get to do it, but I also remember that this pastime is just that, and that the people that I share my life with come before that 20 mile ride, and we all need to remember them when we plan our next multi hour outing. I'm not saying don't go, but I'm saying make sure you value the time you get to spend with them as well. Balance in all things, after all, is the route to true happiness.
F2PH
I've had a lot of great time bicycling both with groups, and just with one friend, but also solo it can be quite wonderful to turn any way you like, and know that with enough of those turns you'll end up back home. Much as I love to cycle, I also love to spend time with my family, well, yesterday I went on a short ride with my 8 year old stepdaughter, my wife hasn't been feeling up to riding due to some complications with a surgery so she went along in the car, met us at our destination and brought our two crazy dogs so we could run them around a bit after feeding the ducks, which was the original plan. The ride to this destination was great, and we had a grand time, but the moment this is about happened even before that.
It started with me noticing that we actually had a sunny brisk morning outside, and that indeed my cappucino maker still funcitoned. I fashioned a nice cup of coffee, and ventured outside, I invited my wife to join me, asking if she perhaps wanted some tea, she accepted and we headed out to our little table in the backyard. Upstairs I could hear our daughter playing her trumpet. Now, I want to tell you, when this trumpet thing started, I would pray to the Gods that she be finished by the time I got home from work, as the sounds emanating from this unit were less musical and more of what you might hear from a dying seal. However, in just a few short weeks, the sounds coming from the end of this instrument have turned to music, or to notes at least, which as I understand it are parts of music. We ventured outside, and were enjoying our beverages, then we heard our daughter calling for her mom, and she came outside. She asked what we were drinking, and I told her I had coffee, and her mom had tea, and I asked if she would like something? She responded she'd like to go in and see what we had, so we did.
We came back out with her steaming cup of chai latte, and she was thrilled. I got her a chair, which she opted out of, she sat instead on my knee, talking away with us, and sipping her drink. It occured to me at this moment how vastly different my life was from what it had been just a few years ago, and how much happier I was now. Truly times of frustration and struggle make those moments all the more special later on. I remember dealing with many tantrums, head butting incidents where I was certain that this person living in our house would simply never be on board with the bigger picture, and now, here we all were, drinking warm morning beverages, and discussing whatever came to mind. The slight chill in the air, my wonderful wife and daughter, and the way it is to know that you are a part of something as special as a family, are what combined to make perfection, in the moment, for me.
I don't know if anyone is reading yet, but if you are, take a moment to remember, those around you are the reason for your health, the better you feel, the more you will enjoy every moment, and the more moments you are likely to be around to enjoy. Bicycling is a great thing, and I love every moment I get to do it, but I also remember that this pastime is just that, and that the people that I share my life with come before that 20 mile ride, and we all need to remember them when we plan our next multi hour outing. I'm not saying don't go, but I'm saying make sure you value the time you get to spend with them as well. Balance in all things, after all, is the route to true happiness.
F2PH
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Holiday Parties- What NOT to do
Well, I spent part of the weekend at a very nice Halloween party thrown by friends, and it was a wonderful gathering. I've been at this bicycling thing for two years, and a few people who hadn't seen me in that same amount of time commented on my weight loss, and how much different I looked.
I should make it clear here that I don't mind standing out in a crowd, just about any crowd. My costume this year consisted of a vintage Nashbar Skinsuit, rainbow striped on the sides, and bright blue over the chest and back, and then I used an old helmet that had been altered with a claw hammer, and broke a pair of badly scratched sunglasses, then placed a 700 tire between my legs and up over my shoulder. I went as a post crash cyclist, oh, and the best part of that story is that a close freind of mine was at the party, and had been clocked by a car about a month before. So, to save explaining I just told everyone I went as him. He found it immensely amusing (he's got a good sense of humor) and a good laugh was had by all. But I digress...
So, I arrive at the party, with goodies in hand, and see many other goodies there as well, yum, I'm going to have just a little of this and that, but my intentions are to watch a bit so I don't slide back down the slope I did last year and put on 23lbs over the winter. I start with a beer, and a nice sandwich (sloppy joe of some sort, quite good). Then another beer, and I think another, and another, then it's time to sample some more food, and then another beer, and well, some more food, and on and on as the night progressed. My lovely wife was dressed as quite a sexy nurse, and she was there to care for me, but she was indulging as well so we kind of slid down the path of poor eating together (she's sweet that way sometimes :) ) Sometime around 11 or midnight someone said "shots upstairs" and I was just buzzed enough to think "ohhh, shots, they are lower in calories!" :) Well, at least we had a good time, and being up in weight on Sunday morning came as no surprise.
The good part of this story is, I took my car to the friends house who had wrecked the month before, we had to do some furniture moving Saturday before the party, and we borrowed his truck to do so, well, I left the car there, on purpose, so my only mode of transportation this week to and from work was the bike. It's amazing how much easier it is to decide to pedal to work when the other option is not going to work. I'm glad I did it, and I plan to carry that mentality though the rest of the winter. It was 33 degrees two mornings in a row, and I have found that the gear I currently have will handle that without issue, so bring on the cold!
Happy pedaling!
I should make it clear here that I don't mind standing out in a crowd, just about any crowd. My costume this year consisted of a vintage Nashbar Skinsuit, rainbow striped on the sides, and bright blue over the chest and back, and then I used an old helmet that had been altered with a claw hammer, and broke a pair of badly scratched sunglasses, then placed a 700 tire between my legs and up over my shoulder. I went as a post crash cyclist, oh, and the best part of that story is that a close freind of mine was at the party, and had been clocked by a car about a month before. So, to save explaining I just told everyone I went as him. He found it immensely amusing (he's got a good sense of humor) and a good laugh was had by all. But I digress...
So, I arrive at the party, with goodies in hand, and see many other goodies there as well, yum, I'm going to have just a little of this and that, but my intentions are to watch a bit so I don't slide back down the slope I did last year and put on 23lbs over the winter. I start with a beer, and a nice sandwich (sloppy joe of some sort, quite good). Then another beer, and I think another, and another, then it's time to sample some more food, and then another beer, and well, some more food, and on and on as the night progressed. My lovely wife was dressed as quite a sexy nurse, and she was there to care for me, but she was indulging as well so we kind of slid down the path of poor eating together (she's sweet that way sometimes :) ) Sometime around 11 or midnight someone said "shots upstairs" and I was just buzzed enough to think "ohhh, shots, they are lower in calories!" :) Well, at least we had a good time, and being up in weight on Sunday morning came as no surprise.
The good part of this story is, I took my car to the friends house who had wrecked the month before, we had to do some furniture moving Saturday before the party, and we borrowed his truck to do so, well, I left the car there, on purpose, so my only mode of transportation this week to and from work was the bike. It's amazing how much easier it is to decide to pedal to work when the other option is not going to work. I'm glad I did it, and I plan to carry that mentality though the rest of the winter. It was 33 degrees two mornings in a row, and I have found that the gear I currently have will handle that without issue, so bring on the cold!
Happy pedaling!
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