BACK TO BACK RIDES!

This morning was overcast and very windy. Much like yesterday, but with more wind. Geez, I thought I got away from that crap when I left Odessa. For some reason, this year has been more windy than usual here in San Antonio.

Since my last ride at Madrone was less than monumental, I wanted to ride it again today. I felt good and figured I'd ride until I couldn't ride any more. There were no other cars in the parking lot, so I figured I'd have the trails to myself; I was right.

I finished the initial 2.5 miles of the trail with minimal breaks. There are several climbs, so I did have to stop and catch my breath, but nothing extensive. My recently tuned up bike was performing like a champ. Once I was done with the first section of trails, I decided to try and finish the other 6.5 miles.

I had forgotten how hard it is to ride the whole trail at Madrone. After the climbs and ledges in the first part, the bulk of the rest of the trail is rock gardens. SHARP ONES. If you're not careful, you can slice a tire, or worse, a body part!

It was kind of depressing to see the lake. Not only because of the overcast sky, but because the water is SO low. We haven't had measurable rain in our area for months and it is taking it's toll on everything. Everything is so brown, it looks like West Texas.

Although I was sucking wind on climbs by the time I finished, I FINISHED! I rode a total of 9 miles in two and a half hours. When I got home, I weighed myself before I showered and I lost 2 pounds of water from sweating. TAKE THAT WEIGHT WATCHERS SCALE! Oh yeah, I am SO over that (I forgot).

GREAT WORKOUT, NOT SO GREAT WEIGH-IN

I had already decided earlier this week that I would try to ride this morning before weigh in and get a twofer this weekend. This morning when I woke up and went outside to get the paper, I noticed that it was very windy and overcast. Immediately the little voices started their BS.



I blocked the voices out of my head, determined that I would ride before weigh in to see if I could lose an extra pound or two. I left the house to ride to McAllister Park, figuring it would save me time. The morning continued to be overcast, but at least it wasn't cold.



It took me 15 minutes to get to the main section of the park and I started riding the outer loop. I took minimal time for breaks, only stopping to let walkers/runners by on the trail. My endurance at Mac is not a problem since there are no big climbs. Madrone is another story.



By the time I returned home, I had ridden an hour and 15 minutes, and covered 11 miles! That's as long as my regular Sunday rides. A quick shower and Mel and I were off to Weight Watchers. I waited in line for my chance at the scale. When it was my turn, I confidently stepped up to be weighed. Usually the receptionist will tell me "good job". Not today.



When I got my weigh in book, I immediately went inside to the meeting room to find a seat. I hurriedly opened the book, only to discover I GAINED .2 of a pound! WTF? I busted my ass for 11 miles to lose extra water weight; FOR NOTHING.



Our instructor asked if any of us faced challenges this past week and I mentioned my ride and resulting gain. She said not to get dejected because sometimes it takes our bodies a few days to adjust to increased activity. FINE. I'll buy that. I'm so over it.



I'm going to enjoy the rest of my day today and head out to Madrone for a ball crunching ride on that trail. I hope the weather holds out, with minimal winds. Hopefully I'll have enough energy to complete the entire 8 mile trail. Stay tuned!

One cool thing this week, when I took my bike to get the spokes replaced and tuned up, I saw a Marin Bicycles jersey. I've been eyeballing one on the Marin website for several months now. When I got home with my bike Thursday night, I told Mel about it. She asked me if I bought it and I said no. She immediately sent me back to Cycle Logic to buy it! Thank you mommy!

I'll be wearing it proudly tomorrow on my ride!

RESPECTABLE RIDE

This morning I chose to try out a trail new to me - Salado Creek Greenbelt Trail. It is found off Blanco Rd., just South of Bitters Road. This is one of many trails that the City of San Antonio is linking together to total over 20+ miles of trails that will stretch from North of Loop 1604, to the southside Mission Trails.

The trail is not overly technical, but at the beginning, there is an off camber trail that is on the edge of a cliff, with about a 20 foot drop. Since I wasn't familiar with the trail, I decided to dismount and walk this part. As you can see, it was a significant drop with no room for error.

My objective was to ride the trail past Huebner Road, then continue past Loop 1604. Unfortunately, after 4.5 miles into the ride, my rear wheel felt wobbly. I stopped to check it and discovered I had two broken spokes on my rear wheel. Knowing that the rest of the trail was supposed to be rocky, I decided not to chance it and turned around to head back to the truck. Overall, I rode 8 miles in a couple of hours.

Although it is a good change of pace trail, it does not replace Madrone as my favorite. As I mentioned, other than the initial off camber trails and the occasional rock gardens, the toughest part of the trail that I encountered were the ledges and rocks pictured below. As you can see compared to my bike, this was not a section of trail I wanted to tackle with wheel problems.

I will definitely ride this trail again, after I get my wheel repaired and my bike tuned up. I still want to reach Loop 1604 to see what I find north of it. Once I got home, I ate, then washed my bike, and Mel helped me wash my Xterra and her car.

Now I'm ready to sink into my recliner to enjoy the Super Bowl!

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!