Spring is in full swing! It was a glorious day today and I got to ride with my best friend! He coincidentally got me interested in biking for weight loss and he rides a road bike- FAST. Due to the construction on the Monon, we decided to try the Fall Creek Trail which had been flooded for about 2 weeks prior. But since we've had some dry days, Fall Creek was the perfect trail for today.
If you've never ridden the Fall Creek, its really nice for a couple of reasons: the pavement is a bit rougher than other trails which provides good resistance, the curves in the path and the scenery make it much more interesting and you can ride virtually non-stop. These factors make this trail ideal for getting a workout. I also personally love this trail because I can leave from my house and its a 16 mile roundtrip ride- an added bonus :)
I'd previously only ridden this trail to where it ends at the Skiles Park parking lot . I'd knew there were other mountain bike trails within the Skiles Park, but I'd never checked it out. Today was the day and my friend pushed me all the way to the top... Just beyond the the Skiles Park parking lot is a rough paved trail that goes for about 3/4ths of a mile and dead ends at 65th Street. The trail leads up a hill with a moderate incline which leveled out more towards the top. Once you get to the top, its a nice flat ride on the hilltop to the end of the trail. Going through the park was a great little push for me and also extended my ride to 17.5 miles :) And we made roundtrip in 1 hour 17 minutes! A new time and speed (13.6 mph) record for me! What a day!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skiles_Test_Nature_Park
http://cees.cs.iupui.edu/Service_Learning/All_Projects/Skiles_Test.htm
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Group Rides
So Friday I took my first group ride with Meetup.com members... I was looking to make 'biking' friends and get more adventurous/change my rides up a bit... I have to say it was pretty cool! And everyone was nice :) We rode 10 miles at Eagle Creek State Park in just over an hour, a pretty easy pace... which was good because I was just getting back into the swing of things after my bout with pneumonia.
This was my first non-trail ride too.. It took a little bit to get accustomed to riding in a group: learning the new edicts of verbal and hand motions, where to physically be in the group, who knew each other and such.. I wasn't mentally prepared to see such big hills (I'm sure the hills were actually small, but looked giagantic from a bike's perspective). Since I'd only ridden on trails, hills were something new to me.. But like any other challenge, the task (or hills in this case) can seem somewhat daunting. But once I rode up them I got a great sense of accomplishment!!
I took Saturday off to help my wife with some outdoor stuff.. Scraping paint off the front porch gave me a workout... Sunday was rainy, so I stayed inside and a made curtains (something I'd been waiting to check off my 'to-do' list for 6 months!)..
Since I haven't ridden very much in the past week, I'm starting to feel like a sack of potatoes.. The weather has a great forecast for the beginning of the week, so I'm looking forward to getting back into the saddle!
This was my first non-trail ride too.. It took a little bit to get accustomed to riding in a group: learning the new edicts of verbal and hand motions, where to physically be in the group, who knew each other and such.. I wasn't mentally prepared to see such big hills (I'm sure the hills were actually small, but looked giagantic from a bike's perspective). Since I'd only ridden on trails, hills were something new to me.. But like any other challenge, the task (or hills in this case) can seem somewhat daunting. But once I rode up them I got a great sense of accomplishment!!
I took Saturday off to help my wife with some outdoor stuff.. Scraping paint off the front porch gave me a workout... Sunday was rainy, so I stayed inside and a made curtains (something I'd been waiting to check off my 'to-do' list for 6 months!)..
Since I haven't ridden very much in the past week, I'm starting to feel like a sack of potatoes.. The weather has a great forecast for the beginning of the week, so I'm looking forward to getting back into the saddle!
Friday, April 26, 2013
How it all started
Hi, I'm Jennifer. I've created this blog to document my own cycling adventures and my weight loss journey... I wanted a place to remember all the things I've learned along the way and if it could help someone else in the meantime, that's great!
I'm 33, short and overweight. I've been overweight all of my life, and have had ups and downs with being active. Last year my doctor told me that I was pre-diabetic. I'd also stopped having periods some years back due to being overweight.
My journey in weight loss came about for 2 different reasons: 1) I'd like to have a baby in the near future and 2) being on a bike made me feel like a kid again! Now the baby thing had been on my mind for a year or so... but the bike- that was something new to me. My partner had bought a bike for me off of Craigslist, a nice gently used 3 speed cruiser to bum around town.
I started casually riding my bike to breakfast or for ice cream. I thought to myself- hey - go bike for your food! And although a bike can sure give you a work out, it didn't feel like running when you can barely catch your breath, and it didn't feel methodical like being in a gym lifting weights. So biking was fun, and it made me WANT to eat better.
I started tracking my rides and was amazed at what I'd found... The miles were racking up quickly!! I would print out a calendar and track the mileage I rode each day. I found myself wanting to ride more and more. I found myself google mapping new trails and paths. I was so excited to take a biking "adventure".
After I started riding, even within the first week, I could FEEL myself losing weight. So I thought to myself, ok- you're going to start a new diet, the "you can feel it" diet... Because its true.. We can FEEL ourselves gaining or losing weight, in our clothes, at our desk at work, during our exercise, and almost every aspect of life. The confidence I gained by feeling more fit, eating right and losing even a little bit of weight was BIG! And the more progress I'd "free" gave me more motivation!
I've been riding with great success for about 6 weeks (until I had a bout with pneumonia on week 7). Having to take time off allowed me to start this blog and document my journey. Here's a couple of key milestones during my adventure:
-3/8/13: Start of my journey- first day I got on a bike
-3/28/13: Started tracking calorie intake using MyFitnessPal
-3/31/13: Rode 130 miles in March and lost my first 10 pounds
-4/11/13: Purchased new hybrid bike (Trek Neko S)
-4/21/13: Total mileage = 325 mi
-4/24/13: Lost my first 20 pounds
And here are some of the rules I live by:
-Bike whenever the weather permits
-Bike for your food
-Bike to meet your friends
-Bike as a social event, or find a local meetup group
-Bike solo and push yourself
-Keep track of your workouts/miles on a calendar- you'll be shocked at how fast they add up!
-Bike at least 10% more mileage each week than the last.
-Vary your workouts: ride short and long distances, take casual and fast rides (I usually do casual rides with friends and fast rides solo). Do 30, 60, 90 and 120 minute rides, all with varying speeds and intensities.
-Count calories and estimate high. Always estimating high ensures you're not cheating yourself. If you go over one day, don't beat yourself up... Your week calories will likely balance out if you start doing longer rides.
-Realize you need to EAT to fuel your rides.. Don't cut yourself too short or you won't FEEL like riding!
-Eat small to moderate meals and 2 small snacks a day. If you eat out, split the meal with someone or take 1/2 home. After doing this for about a week or two, I was shocked... I would feel hungry every ~4 hours and would eat just enough to satisfy myself.
-Do not deny yourself any kind of food. If you want a candy bar have one. Just keep count of your calories and exercise!
Starting is always the hardest... When I first started biking, my butt hurt so bad I thought I'd fractured my tail bone! Those sit bones will hurt for 2 weeks and then it'll go away and not be so bad.
You WILL hurt almost everyday from doing more and more mileage/time on your bike! Success does not come without its pain!
These apps may come in handy:
MyFitnessPal - calorie counter
Google Maps (bike path) - will help you find new routes
MapMyRide - mileage tracker (via GPS or manually), route finder
Moves (iphone) - pedometer, mileage tracker
Pandora - To fuel your workout! They have great workout stations!
NOW GO FIND YOUR ADVENTURE!!!
I'm 33, short and overweight. I've been overweight all of my life, and have had ups and downs with being active. Last year my doctor told me that I was pre-diabetic. I'd also stopped having periods some years back due to being overweight.
My journey in weight loss came about for 2 different reasons: 1) I'd like to have a baby in the near future and 2) being on a bike made me feel like a kid again! Now the baby thing had been on my mind for a year or so... but the bike- that was something new to me. My partner had bought a bike for me off of Craigslist, a nice gently used 3 speed cruiser to bum around town.
I started casually riding my bike to breakfast or for ice cream. I thought to myself- hey - go bike for your food! And although a bike can sure give you a work out, it didn't feel like running when you can barely catch your breath, and it didn't feel methodical like being in a gym lifting weights. So biking was fun, and it made me WANT to eat better.
I started tracking my rides and was amazed at what I'd found... The miles were racking up quickly!! I would print out a calendar and track the mileage I rode each day. I found myself wanting to ride more and more. I found myself google mapping new trails and paths. I was so excited to take a biking "adventure".
After I started riding, even within the first week, I could FEEL myself losing weight. So I thought to myself, ok- you're going to start a new diet, the "you can feel it" diet... Because its true.. We can FEEL ourselves gaining or losing weight, in our clothes, at our desk at work, during our exercise, and almost every aspect of life. The confidence I gained by feeling more fit, eating right and losing even a little bit of weight was BIG! And the more progress I'd "free" gave me more motivation!
I've been riding with great success for about 6 weeks (until I had a bout with pneumonia on week 7). Having to take time off allowed me to start this blog and document my journey. Here's a couple of key milestones during my adventure:
-3/8/13: Start of my journey- first day I got on a bike
-3/28/13: Started tracking calorie intake using MyFitnessPal
-3/31/13: Rode 130 miles in March and lost my first 10 pounds
-4/11/13: Purchased new hybrid bike (Trek Neko S)
-4/21/13: Total mileage = 325 mi
-4/24/13: Lost my first 20 pounds
And here are some of the rules I live by:
-Bike whenever the weather permits
-Bike for your food
-Bike to meet your friends
-Bike as a social event, or find a local meetup group
-Bike solo and push yourself
-Keep track of your workouts/miles on a calendar- you'll be shocked at how fast they add up!
-Bike at least 10% more mileage each week than the last.
-Vary your workouts: ride short and long distances, take casual and fast rides (I usually do casual rides with friends and fast rides solo). Do 30, 60, 90 and 120 minute rides, all with varying speeds and intensities.
-Count calories and estimate high. Always estimating high ensures you're not cheating yourself. If you go over one day, don't beat yourself up... Your week calories will likely balance out if you start doing longer rides.
-Realize you need to EAT to fuel your rides.. Don't cut yourself too short or you won't FEEL like riding!
-Eat small to moderate meals and 2 small snacks a day. If you eat out, split the meal with someone or take 1/2 home. After doing this for about a week or two, I was shocked... I would feel hungry every ~4 hours and would eat just enough to satisfy myself.
-Do not deny yourself any kind of food. If you want a candy bar have one. Just keep count of your calories and exercise!
Starting is always the hardest... When I first started biking, my butt hurt so bad I thought I'd fractured my tail bone! Those sit bones will hurt for 2 weeks and then it'll go away and not be so bad.
You WILL hurt almost everyday from doing more and more mileage/time on your bike! Success does not come without its pain!
These apps may come in handy:
MyFitnessPal - calorie counter
Google Maps (bike path) - will help you find new routes
MapMyRide - mileage tracker (via GPS or manually), route finder
Moves (iphone) - pedometer, mileage tracker
Pandora - To fuel your workout! They have great workout stations!
Me at the start of my journey (3/9/13)
NOW GO FIND YOUR ADVENTURE!!!
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