Feelin' a little bad a**

[channlluv]

I rode 40 miles today! My longest ride ever, and after the hard lesson learned last Sunday with the electrolyte depletion, I was much better prepared today. I ate a good breakfast - 2 Vans Omega 3 Berry Boost waffles with a poached egg, and I took water, green tea, and GU2O electrolyte powder with me to mix on my breaks between laps. I also took a nectarine, an apple, a chocolate chip Clif Bar, and a 100-calorie pack of Trader Joe's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies.

I started at 8:25 and my bike felt a little sluggish, or maybe it was me...maybe breakfast was too heavy, maybe it was what I had for lunch yesterday (Chik-fil-a Deluxe on a wheat bun), maybe I didn't get enough sleep. After lap two (16 miles), I stopped to refill my water bottle and eat the nectarine and I noticed that the back brake was rubbing the tire.

Geez. For 16 miles I'd been riding with the freakin' brake on. So I fixed that and it felt like I was on a whole new bike. Yesterday I got called on for emergency carpool duty for a friend, and I had to dismantle my bike by taking the back tire off so it would fit into the wayback and let me set up the seats to accommodate one more little boy instead of the bike. I didn't put the back wheel back on right and it was out of balance just enough to rub the brake.

My knees thanked me and I cranked out lap #3, stopped for another refill, and then did two more there-and-back laps at the lake. Total 40 miles in 3 hours of ride time.

I'm really, really proud of myself. I didn't set any speed records, by any means, and I still got passed a lot -- there was this girl who passed me who struck me as exactly the kind of woman my D*H would be attracted to once he gets his divorce. Yes, my mind went there, traitorous wretch that it is. She passed me several times, once kind of aggressively on a sharp curve, like I was in her way. She's gorgeous. I can't fault her for being young, tall, powerful, beautiful, brunette, and for having a really great ride form.

Envy...ouch. The fruit of a broken heart, I guess.

But I still felt pretty good about my ride, all the same. I stopped to help people who needed a water refill - a mother and daughter who were walking what they thought was a 3-mile path and it turned out to be 5, and a lot hotter than they were prepared for. I gave them one of my water bottles right out of my cooler from my car. They were very grateful.

I'll be 45 next Saturday. I think I'll try for 45 miles to celebrate.

My mom is 63 today. I called her to tell her I'd celebrated her birthday with 40-mile ride. She was really proud of me.

I'm proud of me, too.

Roxy

[Tri Girl]

Congrats, Roxy!!! I can't believe you rode for 16 miles with the brake on. No wonder you were feeling sluggish.
That's a great accomplishment!!! I say 45 on your 45th is a great idea!
Yippee for you!!!!!

[pfunk12]

Love the subject line! Congrats on a great ride!

[Biciclista]

congrats! I'm feeling like a wimp. I chickened out and didn't ride because it was supposed to rain all day. (it didn't, but it rained enough to drench anyone on a bike.)

[salsabike]

Good for you, Roxy!

Please know that in time those other thoughts will diminish...and for now, be proud that you're kicking butt on the bike as you get yourself through those bad feelings.

[sbctwin]

Congratulations Roxy! Job well done...45 miles on your 45th will be a great accomplishment for you...

[Wahine]

We're proud of you too Roxy. Good on ya. That's no slouch of a ride.

[ridenread]

Great job. Doesn't it feel great to go further than you ever have before. If you can do 40 then 45 on your 45th should be a piece of cake! And what better cake to have on your birthday than accommplishing a new feat.

[redrhodie]

Great ride, Roxy!

The gorgeous brunette has problems of her own, so don't get too jealous. Be glad you are a kind person who regularly helps strangers in need. That's a very special gift.

[runningteach]

Nice ride Roxy! And you had your break on for 16. You should be proud because riding 40 miles is a big accomplishment.

[OakLeaf]

Way to go Rox!

[channlluv]

Thanks, everyone.

I'm trying to stay positive about everything, but it's challenging. I'm hardly the first middle-aged woman who found herself facing divorce, though, with a child to consider, and having been out of the full-time workforce for over a decade.

Time to get real creative, and to stay with this new exercise program. I've actually arranged my work schedule to allow me three full hours of exercise time every weekday. I've joined the Y, for half-price thanks to a partnership with the school where I work part-time in the mornings. I plan to start swimming as soon as the membership card comes through, which should happen in the next couple of weeks, after the first pay cycle of the school year.

I'll start tri-training there.

I figured out this morning in the shower that to lose 2 lbs. per week, you have to have a 1,000-calorie deficit every single day. Now, I burned 1,172 yesterday on that 3-hour ride. Having to fit in 3 hours of exercise every single day is a little daunting. I'm really not good at the diet thing. I already eat really well most of the time. Dieting just feels like deprivation.

I'm at 240.2 this morning. Friday I was 238. I rode 40 miles yesterday and I've gained weight. I can't even fathom it at the moment. Go figure.

Roxy

[salsabike]

Roxy, be careful about putting yourself in the position of riding the daily ups and downs of the scale. I learned that when I was a dancer. One day the scale goes up by two pounds, or five pounds, for no reason, and we get all upset. The next day, it's down by five. Etc. Sometimes your weight goes up after a long ride because of all the fluid you take it--it's a meaningless change on the scale in terms of weight gain/loss. So it's better not to ride the daily weight rollercoaster, I think.

These days, I only get on the scale every few weeks, so I can see the change happening over the long term and not get tossed around by the day to day random variations.

[azfiddle]

Roxy, congrats on riding 40 miles! You beat me by 1 mile- I rode 39 yesterday (my longest ride since starting to ride this summer).

Don't fret too much about the daily scale bumps and dips- that's why groups like weightwatchers only have you record your weight once a week. I started riding to get of my plateau, and it really has helped- I'm sure it will for you. I cannot imagine losing 2 lbs a week though- sometimes it's half a pound.... or less.

Sounds like you have a lot of challenges as well as ambitious goals- good luck with it all!

[mudmucker]

That is great Roxy. Excellent.

I didn't set any speed records, by any means, and I still got passed a lot -- there was this girl who passed me who struck me as exactly the kind of woman my D*H would be attracted to once he gets his divorce. Yes, my mind went there, traitorous wretch that it is.

Ouch. Oh, no. Don't let your mind go there. But we're human and that will probably happen.

But you really seem to be taking a positive proactive and as you say, creative route. I sure hope that sustains you and helps you through your troubled times.