Just making the point here that being healthy and fit is MORE important than the number on the scale ... I have one of those Tanita scales and I try to focus more on the body fat percentage number than the weight number.

I know that to get my large-boned frame back to a size 8/10, I'd have to lose 30 pounds. But I'm hanging in there at a size 14, body fat fluctuating 25-30 percent summer-winter, and I can keep my butt in the bike saddle for 10 hours. Last summer, I got up to averaging more than 15 mph during a relatively flat ride without drafting anyone. So although I'd like to look better in a bikini, I know that being active is just as important to my health as being "skinny."

Last year was my first year on a road bike, and I trained for a double. My event got snowed on, so I dropped out, but that didn't dull the sense of accomplishment I got out of the hilly 100-somethings I rode. I did get a little bored and lonely training by myself all summer, so my goal this year is to finish that damned double AND ride my mountain bike two days a week and have FUN! The mountain bike days, I'm not worried about heart rate or speed, but about enjoying myself.

I know sometimes it's frustrating to ride with the fast girls and get dropped. But I look at it this way: my effort is 100 times better than the 90 percent of people who don't get off the couch!

As one of my mountain biking friends says on a hard hill, get in that little gear and "Granny on!"