SUPER SUNDAY!

When you really think about it, the Super Bowl is just about food, partying, and being with those you love. It's a less formal and more fun Thanksgiving Day, right? In reality, most football fans don't give a crap who's playing because more than likely, their team (Cowboys) is not in the Super Bowl.

It's an event that everyone will be talking about around the water cooler on Monday. Everyone wants to have a story and be a part of it; kind of like New Year's Eve celebrations. Mel and I usually watch alone. Sometimes Cindy will come over to watch the game with us, if she doesn't have other plans.

Because we are back on the Weight Watchers plan, we have decided to try and eat healthier this year. Instead of typical buffalo wings which are about a 150 calories a drumstick, we've decided to modify the recipe with chicken breast tenders instead.

We will also make low fat versions of spinach artichoke dip, have a veggie tray for dipping, etc. We still plan to overindulge, but in a healthier way so there is less guilt the next day. We both had successful weigh ins this morning. I have lost over 7 pounds since we started last month.

Tomorrow if the weather holds up, I plan to ride a new trail here in town - the Salado Creek Trail. If I do, I will take pictures and post them with the overview of my ride tomorrow. Until then, GO CARDS!!!

OPPORTUNITY FOUND

This morning I woke up around my usual weekend time – 7 AM. I splashed water on my face and headed outside to get the newspaper. It was unusually chilly this morning, so after I started the coffee pot, I went to Weather.com to check the temperature. Shit! It was 36 degrees! That’s almost freezing!

Almost immediately, the voices in my head started:
“Gosh that’s awfully cold”
“Your allergies will probably act up during your bike ride”
“You probably won’t have the stamina”
“Moco icicles don’t look good on you”

Then I remembered something an old man I met fishing in Corpus Christi once said. As I approached him on the fishing pier, I asked, “Are you having a good fishing day?”

He said, “Son, my worst day fishing was still better than my best day working. So yeah, I’m having a GREAT day fishing!”

I remembered it made sense then and it made sense now, so I started packing up my gear to head out to Madrone Trail.

Last week I wrote about how frustrating it was to have missed an opportunity to ride. You may think that was a bit melodramatic, but let me explain where I was coming from. I am scaring the crap out of 50 years old (I’ll be 49 in September). Needless to say, my mortality stares me in the mirror every morning.

None of us know how long we are going to be on this Earth. Perhaps I will be like Mom and David and still be mountain biking in my 70s. I can only pray I am that blessed. My brother was only 45 years old when he died of cancer.

This morning I learned our neighbors across the street lost their daughter this week. I don’t know how old she was, but I remember them pushing her in a stroller, so she couldn’t have been more than 2 or 3 years old. We suspected she was ill because we would see nurses come by almost daily. Bottom line – we are all living on borrowed time and it is up to us to make the most of it.

Hence missed opportunities. If you are lucky enough to have a hobby you love doing, whether it’s golfing, fishing, painting, running, mountain biking, or even making love, we only have a finite number of times we will have the opportunity to enjoy our hobby.

With mountain biking, I know there will only be so many days that the weather cooperates; some days I will be sick or otherwise physically unable to ride. Those days cut my opportunities to ride even more. So this morning, when I thought about what the old fisherman said, I wasn’t about to let my little “voices” talk me out of going.

The ride was ugly. It was really cold, but at least the wind wasn’t blowing. I HATE wind. I dressed in layers, so my upper torso was warm. Besides, I thought, I’ll only be cold until I warm up, right?

I started my ride and my eyes started tearing up right off the bat. About 15 minutes into the ride, I had to stop and rest. My eyes were steaming, which caused my riding glasses to fog up. Snot was running down my face and I could barely feel it. My breathing was as labored as an ox in heat. It was ugly, BUT I RODE!

My stamina was really lacking. I don’t know if it was from not riding in two weeks, my allergies acting up, I don’t know. But I did my best. I was only able to ride almost 3.5 miles in an hour, with many breaks to catch my breath. I knew it wasn’t my best ride, BUT I RODE!

After completing the initial portion of the ride, I headed back to the truck to load up and head home. Although I knew I should have done better, I left with the satisfaction of making the most of my opportunity to do something I really enjoy doing.

Although I’m not talking about a “bucket list”, or the Tim McGraw song “Live Like You Were Dying”, think about the things you enjoy doing. When you are debating lying on the couch to watch the boob tube (unless that’s your hobby), think about the limited number of opportunities in your life to do what you enjoy most. Maybe you’ll think twice and take advantage of the opportunity found!

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL WEEK

I was a good boy this week, staying within my weekly allotment of points. It paid off today with a 2.6 pound loss at weigh in this morning! Mel also had a good week, as she lost almost 3 pounds! Today's loss wipes out the weight I gained over the holidays, plus a pound, so I'm happy.

Hopefully the weather and my allergies will hold out tomorrow so I can ride Madrone Trail. I haven't ridden it in a couple of months, so it will certainly test my endurance. More on my ride tomorrow...

THIS IS HOW TEQUILA WORKS!

FRUSTRATED!

I had been looking forward to my ride today all week long. I planned to go to Madrone since I haven't ridden there in over a month, but it was not to be. Winter is the height of "Mountain Cedar Fever". For those of you fortunate enough not to have bad allergies, "Mountain Cedar" is another name for the juniper bush found throughout the Hill Country.

When northern winds blow cold fronts through our area, it blows the juniper pollen into the air. Since we've had an unusually mild and dry winter, it hasn't been a big problem until recently.

I am allergic to many things, including dust, mold, cottonwood, and juniper, but when juniper pollen is in the air, it kicks my ass! I started getting symptoms late Thursday, with a dry cough and sore throat. Yesterday I started sneezing and my nose stopped up; enough so that I had to use Vick's Nasal Mist to open up my sinuses so I could breathe last night.

This morning the weather is BEAUTIFUL! The temperature is 50 degrees and the sun is shining; perfect weather for a bike ride and I can't go! One of the reasons they call it Mountain Cedar Fever is because you actually get fever-like symptoms, which I have this morning. My body is sore and my nose is drip, drip, dripping. Argh!

Since we are in standard time, there really is no other time to ride other than the weekends, so missed opportunities really irk me.

One positive note for my weekend - I did lose another pound this week, so I'm headed in the right direction. Now if I could just get my allergies to cooperate...

We also have a new addition to the mountain biker brotherhood - Rigo got a new Cannondale hardtail mountain bike for his birthday this year! He'll be bringing it to SA when they visit, so we can ride. AWESOME!

OP SCHNABEL

This morning started out cloudy, dreary, and cold; at least it wasn't windy. I decided to head out to OP because I knew I could get in a good ride, test out my GPS unit, yet still cut the ride short if my endurance didn't hold out. Not necessary.

I was able to ride over 12.5 miles in 2.25 hours, with minimal stops for breaks. My longest break was about 5 minutes to eat a GU gel packet and wipe the snot off my nose. Since it was very cold, not only did my eyes constantly water, my nose was runny. Thank God I wore a long sleeve shirt - the Farmer's Hankie!

After my 2 mile warm up loop, I dropped into the creek bed trails to head out to the roller coaster hills. Midway, I came upon a couple of 8 or 9 year old boys with bikes. One of them was looking at his handlebars and appeared about to cry. I asked if there was anything wrong and he said they had been doing some jumps and when he landed, his handlebar rotated. Now his brake handles were backwards.

I told him I could fix it, so I dug out my multi-tool from my Camelbak and re-adjusted his handlebars so they were comfortable for him. After a quick tightening, they were on their way, happy as can be. As they left, they both shouted, "thanks Mister!". My good deed quota was filled for the day.

By this time, the sun was shining brightly, but there was still a nip in the air - PERFECT RIDING WEATHER! I finished my loop to Bandera Road, rested for a couple of minutes, then headed back. The photo of my ride above is kind of misleading, since I rode several trails twice. Once on my way out, then once on my way back.

I hope the weather holds out next weekend, as I will either head out to Madrone, or seek a new trail to ride! Until next time, adios.

GOOD START

This was our first week back on the Weight Watchers wagon and it was a tough one! I got a good start Sunday by riding for over an hour, but Sunday night I caught a stomach bug and had to stay home from work Monday. The worst part about it was I didn't lose a pound from it!

Since I was out a day, I had much work to catch up on, so I didn't make time to go to the gym. Then Thursday I had a monthly association luncheon at a Mexican food restaurant. It was tough, but I didn't ask for chips and salsa, and instead of my usual Mexican plate with enchilada, taco, and refried beans, I had fish tacos, rice, and borracho beans.

Then yesterday I had to attend a sales meeting in Robstown and there were rows upon rows of fried everything and sweets galore! I was extremely tempted, but I kept looking until I found a vendor who had sweet n sour pork that wasn't fried. I had a small plate of that, a bag of veggie chips, and a 100 calorie pack of sweetbread cookies.

As a result, I lost 2.6 pounds at weigh-in this morning! Woo hoo! I was extremely proud of myself, as my determination paid off. Tomorrow I will ride if the weather holds up, and hopefully I will be able to get to the gym a couple of times this week. I HAVE GOT TO SUCCEED THIS TIME!

Adios my friends!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Today is my hero's birthday...yes, my Mom is my hero and she is 79 years old today! While I was growing up, my mom was my protector and my best friend. As I grew older, I tried to be HER protector and best friend.

I don't know what I would have done without my mother in my life. When I was struggling after my divorce, she was my rock emotionally. She was always there with encouragement and support whenever I needed it (and sometimes when I didn't).

My mother laid the foundation of my persona when I was growing up. She taught me to seek the best in people and try to give them the benefit of the doubt. She taught me to be courteous and polite; she taught me to be confident in myself. She showed me the things about my life I should be proud of, instead of being embarrassed.

So here's a birthday cheer to my hero - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I LOVE YOU!

BABY STEPS

It was a respectable ride, my first in over three weeks. I was apprehensive, as I questioned my riding stamina, untested in so long. This morning was windy and chilly, a cold front having moved through 12 hours earlier than forecasters predicted. I can ride in cold weather, but I hate riding in the wind. Fortunately, the woods and brush served as a great wind break.

Overall, I rode almost 7.5 miles in an hour and 15 minutes, which as I said before, is a respectable start. There were several runners at McAllister park, but most got out of my way without incident. This was my first ride since Christmas and served as my first opportunity to try out my Garmin handheld GPS unit as well as my new Forte peg pedals.

It will take time for me to become totally familiar with the GPS unit, but it did allow me to track my ride this morning as you will see by the following picture. I was able to gain 6 activity points from my ride, so the benefits were twofold.

Now, after buying groceries with Mel, I am ready to settle into my recliner to watch today's NFL playoff games. I'll also be texting Matt as he makes his way back to Odessa from spending the week with Michael in Dallas.

I'd also like to give Stefanie a Happy Birthday shout out, as today is her birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PANCHA!

BACK ON PLAN

Those of you who know me, know that I've struggled with my weight for most of my life. Now that I'm older, the battle is even tougher. With that in mind, Mel and I returned to Weight Watchers today to get back on plan now that the holidays are over.

During the holidays, I felt out of control with my eating. I was fortunate that I only gained 5 pounds since November. My short term goal is to lose 10 pounds, then 23 (my 10% goal), then God willing, 30 pounds by my 49th birthday in September.

During my last two physicals, my doctor was griping about my weight and the benefits of losing the excess fat. My asthma has been bothering me more than usual, in addition to being borderline hypertensive. Diabetes is always in the back of my mind, not to mention the threat of a heart attack. Lately my hips, knees, and back have been bothering me, all of which would benefit from my losing weight.

Even if the weight doesn't melt away quickly, I will at least feel in control of my life again. I have to know that I am doing everything I can to take care of myself. Hopefully I will have positive news to post after most of the weigh-ins. We'll see.

So say a prayer for me and Mel; we can use all the support we can get!

BEST LAID PLANS

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Here's hoping you all have a wonderful, safe, and prosperous 2009. Mel and I stayed true to our low-key roots for New Years Eve. Although we briefly toyed with the idea of joining 250,000 of our closest friends for the celebration downtown, we quickly dismissed it as an option.

Knowing that 2008 was a tough year for many people, we figured several would be trying to drown their bad memories with alcohol, then driving home. Suffice it to say, we thought it would be better to have dinner, then head home before all the amateur drunks.

We went to our favorite Thai restaurant, Tong's Thai, for some incredible lo mien and fried spring rolls. Afterwards we came home, watched Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, then opened a bottle of champagne to toast in the new year. After texting best wishes to family and friends, we went to bed.

Since I have been trying to get over a cold since Christmas Eve, I haven't ridden my bike for a couple of weeks now. I was really stoked about starting New Year's Day off with a bike ride. When I woke up, the sun was shining bright and it looked like it would be an awesome day for a ride. After drinking a cup of coffee and reading the paper, I started loading up my stuff in the truck. By that time, clouds were rolling in from the Gulf and the sky became overcast. :(

"No worries", I thought. I would just head over to McAllister Park for a quick ride for an hour or so, just to get my legs back. As I neared the parking lot, I came around a curve and saw dozens of runners getting ready for a New Year's Day run. CRAP!

You'd think I'd know by now that Mac is notorious for holiday "fun" runs and should be avoided at all costs. Quickly I reverted to Plan B - Mud Creek Park, which is only a couple of miles from Mac. As I drove by Mud Creek, I realized that it's parking lot was also full, so I headed home. I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I can tell when a ride is not to be.

I will give it another shot on Sunday; hopefully I will be fully recovered from my cold and in better shape to ride!