7 month progress

[Catrin]

That's greats! Like Hebe I found it inspiring. Well done with it all. Were you dieting to lose the 50lbs or is that just a result of cycling?

I have a very strict and rather unexciting diet - the cycling started out as my anti-diabetic campaign. While that failed, I now have diabetes (managing by diet/exercise) the biking became far more than an activity for health. I also work with a trainer for strength training twice a week and take 1-2 spinning classes weekly (more in the winter).

With no thyroid or a reproductive system I generally must work harder than the average bear, but it has worked for me Now I am focusing on becoming more lean - my weight is at a point that I am happy with - just need to work on that body composition and if I happen to lose more weight that is fine

[OakLeaf]

Yay C! You deserve to be proud.

[Tri Girl]

Hooray, Catrin!!! Congrats on all your accomplishments!

[DarcyInOregon]

You had a tremendous first year. Do another recap at the end of December, if the weather in your region will permit you to do any winter cycling.

I also think you are very smart to be flexible with your fitness goals. A cycling fitness goal doesn't have to be about distance. The accomplishments you listed are all admirable goals, particularly the improvement in your health. But I think the lesson you learned is that the real achievement comes through the training for a specific goal, that the training brings about all sorts of results that are even more significant than the final goal itself.

Catrin, have you thought about your cycling fitness goals for 2011 yet? For example, I am thinking ahead to next year and I think I will try to tackle routes with some higher category climbs on them than I've done so far, so that I increase the number of climbs in each category level that I'm able to ride. The distance of the ride won't be part of the goal, just the category of each climb, so increase the number of category 5, category 4, etc. When I am cycling a nasty climb, they all feel like a category 1 when I am pedaling up, but in reality the climbs were only a category 5 or 4 and a few 3s. So I will increase the quantity of climbs in each category and push to see if I can do a category 2. This is the time for you to start thinking about what you hope to achieve in 2011.

[jdubble]

inspirational! congratulations you do indeed have much to be proud of!

[zoom-zoom]

Wow...you done good, girl! That weight loss is especially impressive. Wosers!

[lph]

Fantastic. And very inspiring!