GOVERNMENT CANYON - Part 3

Last week I decided that I needed a change of scenery for my next ride, so I took a personal day off and headed to Government Canyon - the scene of my near demise last September. The morning was overcast as I drove into the park, but it wasn't windy or raining, so I was okay with it. Besides, I didn't want to sweat to death either.

As I walked into the visitor's center, I recognized my old friend, the elderly volunteer lady.

"Mornin, how yew?"

"Fine thanks. One please."

"You look familiar. Where's yer terrorist lookin boyfriend you brought last time?"

"He's not my (why bother explaining again)....he moved to California and I'm so broken up, I really don't want to talk about it."

"I'm sure yew are. I'm guessin you don't get much action by the looks of ya."

"Excuse me?! Can I just please have my permit?"

"Sure. Remember to check which trails yew plan to ride."

"I'm going to take the Joe Johnston trail to the back of the park. Which trail do you recommend to come back on?"

"It don't matter son, they are all downhill on the way back! dumb ass...."

I could have sworn I heard her say the last part under her breath, but a line was forming and I didn't want to engage her further. Maybe next time I go, someone will have put her in the nursing home for rude people where she belongs. Again, this is my story, so I may have embellished a little.

Thus began my journey of hell again. When Bert and I went to GC last September, I was so out of shape, I was winded 15 minutes into the ride and thought I was going to pass out after our hour and a half ride.


Today, I was able to ride for 30 minutes before the trail got so rocky I had to dismount. If I had to pick two words to describe Government Canyon, it would be ROCKY CLIMBING. Geez, I had to hike half of the trail because there are so many rocks. Not little rocks like at McAllister Park, BIG ROCKS.

Even the return portion of the ride shouldn't be called a downhill ride, it should be called REVERSE CLIMBING. I literally had to walk my way down some portions of the descent because the drop offs were very technical based on my skill level.


Regardless, I was proud of my endurance. Having lost only 8 pounds since the last GC ride, I was able to hike/bike 3 hours this time. When I got home, I weighed myself and I had lost 5 pounds during the ride!

Almost every time I ride, I learn something. Today I learned that I have to add tighten my cleats to my pre-ride checklist. Due to the excessive hiking I had to do today, one of the screws on my right shoe cleat came off. At one point, I was going to stop and tried to unclip, only to have the shoe spin on the cleat.

I had to unclip my left shoe, find a safe spot to stop, unlace my right shoe, then use my multi-tool to unclip it. I was able to tighten the one remaining screw so the cleat wouldn't be a problem, but needless to say, I didn't have much faith in my clips the rest of the morning. As a result, I tried not to clip in at all, which wasn't much of a problem since I had to walk so much. All in all, I hiked/biked over 10 miles of trails in three hours today.

Oh well, I had a great time, got some exercise and mucho activity points; that's what it's all about! Not only that, but I pushed my body to its limit and was able to complete the entire loop, riding when able, hiking the rest. If you haven't noticed by now, I am very goal oriented and find much satisfaction in meeting them, as well as facing my fears head on.

Although I never fell, my body took such a beating that it's not a ride I would want to do every week. I might consider riding it monthly though, just to keep checking my progress. I'll keep you posted. Now where is my recliner....

WEIGHT WATCHERS week 6

After skipping last week's weigh in, I wasn't sure what to expect Saturday. Last weekend I dipped into my activity points as well as the weekly points allowance, so I didn't expect that I would lose much, if any at all.

I was able to work out twice this week despite having several meetings and mini-crises at work (see a pattern here?). Saturday morning I decided to skip the gym to wash and wax my truck before weigh in instead. It was a cool morning, so I didn't sweat as much as usual, adding to my trepidation.

As I stepped on the scale, I bit my lower lip in anticipation. When Kelly the WW clerk nodded and said "good job", I knew I hadn't gained weight. When I got my weigh in card, I noticed that I was FINALLY below 230 lbs (229), but my total weight loss for the week was only .6 pounds; I was hoping for more. This week I got off to a good start, as I didn't drink all my bonus allowance points yesterday (I did put a dent in them though).

This morning I headed to McAllister Park for my weekly ride. The sun was shining and the temperature was in the 60s. I left the house by 8:15 AM, hoping to beat the crowds; no such luck. I was tripping over people on the trails, both walkers and bikers. After a couple of hours, I grew bored with the ride and decided to come home to help Mel clean the house.

I think it's time to hit another trail for a change of scenery. After riding McAllister frontwards and backwards, I need a change of pace. I am seriously considering heading back out to Government Canyon despite my poor showing last September. If I do, I'll be sure to pack my inhaler, as I will be a bunch of climbing. Oh well, at least it will be a good indicator to see how much more I have to work on my stamina. Until then....

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN

I was finally able to pick up my bike from the shop yesterday so I could ride this morning. My stamina suffered from not riding my bike or working out at the gym the last couple of weeks, as I was only able to ride for two hours. I kept having to use my asthma inhaler and my left knee was acting up, so I didn't push any longer.

This morning the weather was BEAUTIFUL considering how crappy it was yesterday; misty and gloomy all day long. We never got the deluge of rain everyone was predicting; it missed us by about 100 miles to the north.

Neither Mel nor I were in the mood to weigh in yesterday. The last couple of weeks have been challenging ones for both of us, so we chose not to face the Weight Watchers music. We have been staying on plan for the most part, but neither of us has been very active. As a result, we decided to treat ourselves to sleeping in; it was nice.

I still hope to build my stamina so I can try to attack Government Canyon again in a month or so. Keep you posted.

LOVE IS IN THE AIR!!!

Ah, Valentine's Day. For some it is a stressful day, for others it's a lonely day. For me, it is an anniversary of sorts, as 13 years ago, I had my first date with the love of my life, my wife Mel(issa). We have come a long way since that first date on Valentine's weekend in 1995!

I am a better man because of her love and patience; I have also learned a lot. I learned to know what it truly means to be loved and respected by your true life partner. She and I have been through the gamut of life's ups and downs and the emotions that go with it.

I pray every day that my sons will some day be blessed like me and find a partner who truly loves them and accepts them for who they are and not try to change them. By her own admission, Mel has learned from me too. That is what a true relationship is all about; give and take.

Later, as I raise a toast to my lovely wife and our life together, I will also say a silent prayer that all my family and friends are also having a Happy Valentine's Day!

CRAP!

This morning I was looking forward to a long pedal mashing ride, but it was not to be. After getting dressed and loading up my gear, I mounted my bike on the carrier and started my customary pre-ride checks.

As I spun the rear wheel, it dragged really bad, stopping after only a couple of revolutions. I checked the brakes to make sure they were not misaligned, but they were fine. Same thing with the chain and rear derailleur.

I thought maybe the rear axle was gucked up, so I removed the wheel and removed the axle. It was a little rusty, but didn't appear to be bent. I didn't have any grease, so I had to make a quick trip to Performance Bike shop to buy some.

I came back home and greased the axle, then reassembled the parts, thinking that I might still be able to salvage a short ride. Nope. Even with the greased axle, the wheel continued to drag. Now I'll have to take off early sometime this week so I can take my bike to Cycle Logic for them to check it out. Hopefully it's nothing major and it won't cost an arm and a leg to fix.

I guess I'll have to get my kicks on the stationary bikes at the gym this week...

WEIGHT WATCHERS week 4 TOUGH WEEK!

Traditionally, Super Bowl weekend is a tough time for me points-wise. I think I read somewhere that Super Bowl Sunday is second only to Thanksgiving as the day everyone plans to eat, drink, and be merry.

Mel and I were no exception. Last week, after weighing in on Saturday, I got a little carried away with my tequila shots and beer. Although I didn't get more than a good buzz, I used up some of my weekly bonus points that I was planning to save for Sunday.

Not to worry, I thought. I could build up activity points by riding my bike and washing the Xterra on Sunday. That in of itself would not have been a problem, but I forgot that I had to go to Corpus Christi on Wednesday for a Food Show.

For those who don't know what a food show is, think trade show for restaurant owners. Yep, you guessed it - FOOD EVERYWHERE! Vendors like Tyson, Starbucks, Carita's BBQ, etc, cooking and having their wares out for everyone to sample. Although there was the occasional carrot and celery stick, for the most part the offerings were decadent.

Think fried everything, pastries, pizza, cookies, the works! They even had fried macaroni and cheese triangles. Needless to say, I sampled my share and exceeded my daily points allowance. The good thing was, I didn't go crazy like a pedophile in Kids R Us. I used the utmost restraint and although I did exceed my points allowance, I didn't gorge myself like I usually do.

To top it off, I wasn't able to work out this week due to several crises at work. A sick employee here, a stressed out boss there, and presto! No time to work out. No problem, I thought. I can always wake up early and go to the gym, or wash my truck before weigh in, which should help me NOT gain so much this week. WRONG! I overslept and didn't have enough time to do either.

I'm sure you can understand my trepidation about going to weigh in. I was debating using my "get out of jail free" pass (allows you to skip one weigh in), but I thought "What the hell. I'll face the music." I ACTUALLY LOST A POUND!!!

I am down to 230.2 lbs for a total weight loss of 8.2 pounds. After last week's debacle, I plan to stay on track with my points and hit the gym at least three times next week. PLUS, the weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow, so I will get my weekly 3 hour bike ride under my belt too.

LIFE IS GOOD!

WEIGHT WATCHERS week 3

I had a good week this week. I rode my bike last Sunday, and I worked out Thursday and this morning before weigh in. I stuck to my points allowance and didn't have to dig in to my weekly bonus points stash. As a result, I lost 2 pounds this week, for a total of 7.2 pounds since starting back on WW.

Although I was very happy with the weight loss, I really wanted to get below 230 lbs this week. I came up a little short, weighing in at 231.2. Hopefully I will get under 230 by next week.

I plan to ride tomorrow morning and build up some activity points so I can enjoy Mel's homemade chicken wings and some spinach artichoke dip for the Super Bowl tomorrow. Mel has a great baked chicken wing recipe that she got from her aunt Sylvia a couple of years ago. They are not low in points, unless we take the skin off, but they are baked, not fried, and they are not breaded like Hooters wings.

We will find a low point spinach artichoke dip recipe on WW and couple that with some veggies, a couple of beers, and we'll be set. The activity points will come in handy in case I over do it a little. I still have a "weighs" to go, but I feel better physically and my stamina on the bike has improved from working out and losing some poundage.

More importantly, I feel better mentally. I feel like I'm back in control again. That's what's great about WW. It isn't a diet, it is a healthy lifestyle change that puts you back in control. I haven't deprived myself of anything - beer, chips, chocolate, etc. I just keep track of it to keep myself accountable.

If you could stand to lose some weight, I would definitely recommend WW. It has always worked for me; if I stick to it!