Liz and I went on the Fitness Together bike ride this afternoon with Mark. Last time I rode with Mark, I really enjoyed it because trying to keep up with him and the other rider pushed me more than I normally am. But that was nothing compared to today. Mark discovered fairly early in the ride that Liz and I like to compete with each other. So Mark would encourage whoever was in the back to catch up and pass the person in the front. So Liz and I changed leads up and down hills for 16 miles. Wow, what a workout. It was as tough a workout as spinning class, but much more fun because of the competitive element. Liz has always been faster than me uphills and I have always been faster downhills, but we really pushed each other to go faster both places. Our fastest speed today was 41 miles an hour. That's clipping!
I needed that kind of workout today. I've been having trouble getting back into the groove since the weekend. After eating--and drinking--whatever we wanted to on the weekend, I've been having trouble going back to the healthy diet that I completely enjoyed prior to the weekend. I was also having trouble pushing myself to exercise--this morning, I really didn't want to go tonight. It is hard in that going for a long ride at 6 pm means coming home and cooking starting after 8. We finished dinner at 9:30, which is normally when we head to bed. It helps that I don't work on Friday, but I still need to get up to work out at Fitness Together at 7:30.
Tonight was fun. Alexandra is spending the night, so Liz, Dan, Alexandra, and I were having dinner together and hanging out. It was like a fantasy of having two kids at home--a fantasy in that there were none of the negative dynamics between us and a 14 and 21 year old, or between the two of them. It was just fun.
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Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
The Day After
Well, today was the weigh-in after the big weekend. Up 3 pounds. Not too bad really, considering everything I ate and drank. When I was in weight watchers, they always said that new weight is easy to get off, so that's my goal. Eat well, exercise, and see how fast it goes.
A critical part of that equation is having healthy food in the house, so Dan and I went grocery shopping tonight and we have our share from the farm, so I'm set.
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A critical part of that equation is having healthy food in the house, so Dan and I went grocery shopping tonight and we have our share from the farm, so I'm set.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, June 27, 2011
Gee But It's Great to Be Back Home!
We just got back. We were making good time, but it took us an hour and a half extra between the New Jersey toll plaza and the George Washington Bridge. I don't know how people deal with that traffic on a regular basis.
The weekend was really fun. Yesterday we cycled 20 miles on the coastal highway. It has a nice wide bike lane. It's amazing how easy it is to go 20 miles when it's flat, nut it is a little boring. The terrain was pretty much the same the whole route--mainly very tall (8') grasses, interspersed among large condo developments. Once in a while we'd get a peak through to the ocean on one side or the bay on the other. Riding on our trikes in traffic is much scarier than being on a bike. Whenever we came up on a car stopped at a stop sign on a side street, I'd try to get the driver's attention by waving. The driver's sightline was over our heads looking for a break in the traffic, and if there was one when we were in front of their car--you get the picture. Most drivers were nice enough to wave back so I knew we were safe, but when they didn't, I didn't know if they didn't see us or were just being jerks.
We also went swimming and lay on the beach before and after our ride. It felt really great afterwards. The temperature was in the high 80s, although it didn't feel that hot when we were cycling. Nonetheless, the 70 degree water cooled us down immediately. Here is Liz on the boardwalk with a police officer who wanted to get in the picture, a picture of the beach, and one of me on the beach. Notice Liz and I wearing Dogfish t-shirts and me with a Dogfish hat.
While we did good on exercising over the weekend, eating was another matter. the rest areas on the New Jersey Turnpike are an object lesson in why the US has a problem with obesity. There really weren't any healthy choices. Burger King has a chart with the calories for everything they serve on it, so I got the lowest calorie food of what was available, but didn't really feel like I was eating good, nutritious food. And we had hamburgers and fries in Rehoboth Beach, along with ribs and other tasty food, not to mention all the beer I drank. Stepping on the scale tomorrow I'm sure will reflect the excesses of the weekend.
Now that my birthday celebrating is over, it's time to make a new pledge. No more alcohol until Christmas Eve. No more dessert until Thanksgiving.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
The weekend was really fun. Yesterday we cycled 20 miles on the coastal highway. It has a nice wide bike lane. It's amazing how easy it is to go 20 miles when it's flat, nut it is a little boring. The terrain was pretty much the same the whole route--mainly very tall (8') grasses, interspersed among large condo developments. Once in a while we'd get a peak through to the ocean on one side or the bay on the other. Riding on our trikes in traffic is much scarier than being on a bike. Whenever we came up on a car stopped at a stop sign on a side street, I'd try to get the driver's attention by waving. The driver's sightline was over our heads looking for a break in the traffic, and if there was one when we were in front of their car--you get the picture. Most drivers were nice enough to wave back so I knew we were safe, but when they didn't, I didn't know if they didn't see us or were just being jerks.
We also went swimming and lay on the beach before and after our ride. It felt really great afterwards. The temperature was in the high 80s, although it didn't feel that hot when we were cycling. Nonetheless, the 70 degree water cooled us down immediately. Here is Liz on the boardwalk with a police officer who wanted to get in the picture, a picture of the beach, and one of me on the beach. Notice Liz and I wearing Dogfish t-shirts and me with a Dogfish hat.
While we did good on exercising over the weekend, eating was another matter. the rest areas on the New Jersey Turnpike are an object lesson in why the US has a problem with obesity. There really weren't any healthy choices. Burger King has a chart with the calories for everything they serve on it, so I got the lowest calorie food of what was available, but didn't really feel like I was eating good, nutritious food. And we had hamburgers and fries in Rehoboth Beach, along with ribs and other tasty food, not to mention all the beer I drank. Stepping on the scale tomorrow I'm sure will reflect the excesses of the weekend.
Now that my birthday celebrating is over, it's time to make a new pledge. No more alcohol until Christmas Eve. No more dessert until Thanksgiving.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Dogfish Head Miracle
Yesterday was a fun day. The miracle is that I don't have a hangover. We started out by cycling on a bike path I found out about via the Internet, which described it as 6 miles long. That sounded perfect--we could do the whole thing and have a 12 mile ride.
We saw signs for a trail, but when we got to the parking lot, could only see a gravel trail. The man in the truck next to us had a bike in the back, so we asked him about it. He said that trail led to the trail we were looking for, so I expected that we'd find a a paved trail then. But no, when we got there, it was unpaved as well. I started out have attitude about it-- I'd read articles online about how great it was that they'd completed a trail from Rehoboth Beach to Lewes--to me, completing a trail means paving it.
The difficult part of an unpaved trail on our trikes is that we rest our heads on headrests, so our heads were being bounced like they are on the sections of our roads with tons of potholes. But after a few minutes of irritation, we got used to the head bouncing and were able to appreciate the trail. Almost all of it is shaded by the trees on both sides, so we were protected from the sun. There were a few spots where we went over bridges and could see salt water flats that lead to the ocean. A deer crossed the path in front of us at one point. Beautiful! Here's a picture of Liz on the trail:
By the time we had done the whole trail back and forth, we'd only gone 7 miles. What!?! Why had the media described it as a 6 mile long trail? Another one of life's mysteries.
We loaded our trikes in Liz's van and headed for Dogfish Head. Their parking lot (their very big parking lot) already had tons of cars in it at 11:30 in the morning. My favorite car had "To Rehoboth or Bust" sprayed on the back window. With Texas license plates. And people thought it was crazy to drive here from Massachusetts. Dogfish fans are loyal!
They had pieces of Liz-like art here and there on the grounds and in the brewery. This tree house--which you could climb up into via the spiral staircase--was my favorite:
We each got a souvenir glass for testing the beer, which came in handy, because I could get 2 kinds of beer at once. They had a bunch of different beers available--I started out with the goal of testing them all. A few sips into the first one made me realize that I'd better get some food in me if I was going to be able to test more than one. They had a vendor there who sold barbecued ribs, so we each got a serving. Wow--those were great ribs! They may have been the best ribs I'd ever eaten. I ate very slowly, getting more beers to drink with the ribs. It was good having the two glasses, because there were long lines to get beer. This was the first time they had done this festival and they didn't have the systems down to handle the crowd.
Liz finished her ribs and I settled down on a couch to continue eating and drinking. With my broken vertabrae, I can only sit with no back support on with on a hard backed chair for a limited time. Or stand for that matter. I had been worried about whether I'd have a place to sit at Dogfish Head, so was relieved to see leather chairs and couches in the reception area, with half beer barrels as coffee tables. I shared the clinch with a 6 month old baby named Gabriel and his mother, so I had entertainment while Liz checked out the exhibitors and the company store. She need up buying a piece of art by the guy who designs the Dogfish Head labels, some T-shirts, and a hat.
After trying about 8 types of beer, I had a pleasant buzz and was done. I hadn't tried the IPAs, but I don't like super hoppy beers, and while I like a buzz, I don't like being drunk. It was time to go. We drove out the coastal highway and found a nice beach with not many people on it. The Reboboth Beach beach was a city of umbrellas. Here's Liz on the beach:
We stepped into the water, but didn't go swimming. The eater temperature was good, but the waves were crashing right on the beach and there was a big drop off where they were crashing. I was worried about being tossed in the surf--that's happened to me many times, but never when I was worried about having my bones broken. So I layer in the sand while Liz hunted for shells. The great thing about electronic books is I can download them on my phone and iPad, and whichever one I'm using, it takes me to the furthest page I've gotten to on either device. I first thought I wouldn't like reading on my phone because of the small screen--now I don't notice the difference.
After hanging out on the beach, we explored the coastal highway. On the map, it looks like you're driving on this narrow spit of land with water on both sides of you. And while that is true, the unfortunate part is you can't see the water on either side--it's just far enough away so you can only see traces of it down side streets here and there. After driving for a few hours, it s time to return to Rehoboth Beach for dinner.
We drove down the main drag looking for parking, and there was none to be found. What choice did we have but to return to the Dogfish Head restaurant, which has it's own parking lot. I had learned the night before--too late to use the knowledge--that it was possible to get a flight of beers. Now I could put the knowledge to work. Here's what I got:
The two I liked best were Theobroma, which dates from a 1200 BC recipe, and Black and Red, which has mint in it! Are you surprised to hear that I'm having trouble remembering what I ate. Oh yeah, I had pizza.
Afterwards, we came back to the motel and crashed. And in a Sunday miracle, no hangover. I don't know why, but I'm grateful. And not interested in drinking beer today. We're heading off for a long bike ride on the coastal highway, which has a wide bike lane, and to find a beach we can swim in.
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We saw signs for a trail, but when we got to the parking lot, could only see a gravel trail. The man in the truck next to us had a bike in the back, so we asked him about it. He said that trail led to the trail we were looking for, so I expected that we'd find a a paved trail then. But no, when we got there, it was unpaved as well. I started out have attitude about it-- I'd read articles online about how great it was that they'd completed a trail from Rehoboth Beach to Lewes--to me, completing a trail means paving it.
The difficult part of an unpaved trail on our trikes is that we rest our heads on headrests, so our heads were being bounced like they are on the sections of our roads with tons of potholes. But after a few minutes of irritation, we got used to the head bouncing and were able to appreciate the trail. Almost all of it is shaded by the trees on both sides, so we were protected from the sun. There were a few spots where we went over bridges and could see salt water flats that lead to the ocean. A deer crossed the path in front of us at one point. Beautiful! Here's a picture of Liz on the trail:
By the time we had done the whole trail back and forth, we'd only gone 7 miles. What!?! Why had the media described it as a 6 mile long trail? Another one of life's mysteries.
We loaded our trikes in Liz's van and headed for Dogfish Head. Their parking lot (their very big parking lot) already had tons of cars in it at 11:30 in the morning. My favorite car had "To Rehoboth or Bust" sprayed on the back window. With Texas license plates. And people thought it was crazy to drive here from Massachusetts. Dogfish fans are loyal!
They had pieces of Liz-like art here and there on the grounds and in the brewery. This tree house--which you could climb up into via the spiral staircase--was my favorite:
We each got a souvenir glass for testing the beer, which came in handy, because I could get 2 kinds of beer at once. They had a bunch of different beers available--I started out with the goal of testing them all. A few sips into the first one made me realize that I'd better get some food in me if I was going to be able to test more than one. They had a vendor there who sold barbecued ribs, so we each got a serving. Wow--those were great ribs! They may have been the best ribs I'd ever eaten. I ate very slowly, getting more beers to drink with the ribs. It was good having the two glasses, because there were long lines to get beer. This was the first time they had done this festival and they didn't have the systems down to handle the crowd.
Liz finished her ribs and I settled down on a couch to continue eating and drinking. With my broken vertabrae, I can only sit with no back support on with on a hard backed chair for a limited time. Or stand for that matter. I had been worried about whether I'd have a place to sit at Dogfish Head, so was relieved to see leather chairs and couches in the reception area, with half beer barrels as coffee tables. I shared the clinch with a 6 month old baby named Gabriel and his mother, so I had entertainment while Liz checked out the exhibitors and the company store. She need up buying a piece of art by the guy who designs the Dogfish Head labels, some T-shirts, and a hat.
After trying about 8 types of beer, I had a pleasant buzz and was done. I hadn't tried the IPAs, but I don't like super hoppy beers, and while I like a buzz, I don't like being drunk. It was time to go. We drove out the coastal highway and found a nice beach with not many people on it. The Reboboth Beach beach was a city of umbrellas. Here's Liz on the beach:
We stepped into the water, but didn't go swimming. The eater temperature was good, but the waves were crashing right on the beach and there was a big drop off where they were crashing. I was worried about being tossed in the surf--that's happened to me many times, but never when I was worried about having my bones broken. So I layer in the sand while Liz hunted for shells. The great thing about electronic books is I can download them on my phone and iPad, and whichever one I'm using, it takes me to the furthest page I've gotten to on either device. I first thought I wouldn't like reading on my phone because of the small screen--now I don't notice the difference.
After hanging out on the beach, we explored the coastal highway. On the map, it looks like you're driving on this narrow spit of land with water on both sides of you. And while that is true, the unfortunate part is you can't see the water on either side--it's just far enough away so you can only see traces of it down side streets here and there. After driving for a few hours, it s time to return to Rehoboth Beach for dinner.
We drove down the main drag looking for parking, and there was none to be found. What choice did we have but to return to the Dogfish Head restaurant, which has it's own parking lot. I had learned the night before--too late to use the knowledge--that it was possible to get a flight of beers. Now I could put the knowledge to work. Here's what I got:
The two I liked best were Theobroma, which dates from a 1200 BC recipe, and Black and Red, which has mint in it! Are you surprised to hear that I'm having trouble remembering what I ate. Oh yeah, I had pizza.
Afterwards, we came back to the motel and crashed. And in a Sunday miracle, no hangover. I don't know why, but I'm grateful. And not interested in drinking beer today. We're heading off for a long bike ride on the coastal highway, which has a wide bike lane, and to find a beach we can swim in.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, June 24, 2011
Friday Night
Today was a very long day. Our 6.5 hour drive not including traffic turned into a 10 hour trip with traffic. We kept running into accidents, including a semi that tipped over on the highway. They imported a dumpster for the occasion, and were emptying the content into the dumpster before attempting to right it.
All the delays meant we were now moving with the Friday after-work traffic. There were many hours that we could have moved much faster on our trikes, but what would we have done with our car?
My exhaustion vanished as soon as we checked into our motel. Not because our motel was luxurious--we walked into the smell of chemical spray plus mold. That first impression was enhanced by our introduction to a roach struggling for life in the bathroom. If the roach can't survive, do we humans have any chance? I was going to take a picture of It for your edification, but it seems to have fully recovered and moved on from the bathroom. I don't want to think about where it is now.
The reason I was revived was because we were heading to the Dogfish Head restaurant for dinner. I had 2 great beers with my hamburger and fries. The first was Midas Touch--it is brewed using a recipe found in King Midas's tomb and based on the oldest known recipe for a fermented beverage. I tell you--King Midas knew what he was drinking. The other beer was Tah'Tea. It's a beer based on a 9th century Finnish recipe, so as I drank it, I thought about my ancient Finnish ancestors who drank a similar brew. All I was missing was the sauna. Here's the entrance to the restaurant:
We got into a conversation with the couple next to us. They were here for the event tomorrow too. They're staying at a B& B within walking distance of the brewery. We're going to see if we can move there tomorrow, for the air-quality if nothing else, although we'll miss the roach. But if we can move, I can drag myself home from the beer bash if Liz decides that the beach is more fun than the brewery.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
All the delays meant we were now moving with the Friday after-work traffic. There were many hours that we could have moved much faster on our trikes, but what would we have done with our car?
My exhaustion vanished as soon as we checked into our motel. Not because our motel was luxurious--we walked into the smell of chemical spray plus mold. That first impression was enhanced by our introduction to a roach struggling for life in the bathroom. If the roach can't survive, do we humans have any chance? I was going to take a picture of It for your edification, but it seems to have fully recovered and moved on from the bathroom. I don't want to think about where it is now.
The reason I was revived was because we were heading to the Dogfish Head restaurant for dinner. I had 2 great beers with my hamburger and fries. The first was Midas Touch--it is brewed using a recipe found in King Midas's tomb and based on the oldest known recipe for a fermented beverage. I tell you--King Midas knew what he was drinking. The other beer was Tah'Tea. It's a beer based on a 9th century Finnish recipe, so as I drank it, I thought about my ancient Finnish ancestors who drank a similar brew. All I was missing was the sauna. Here's the entrance to the restaurant:
We got into a conversation with the couple next to us. They were here for the event tomorrow too. They're staying at a B& B within walking distance of the brewery. We're going to see if we can move there tomorrow, for the air-quality if nothing else, although we'll miss the roach. But if we can move, I can drag myself home from the beer bash if Liz decides that the beach is more fun than the brewery.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, June 23, 2011
The Pilgrimage
I'm so excited about our pilgrimage to Dogfish Head tomorrow! It feels like we're going on vacation, even though it's just for 4 days and we'll spend most of 2 days traveling. I'm so excited, I had ice cream at Bennett's birthday party tonight. She's 4, which seems so unreal to me.
We're taking our trikes and I'm hoping we can find some great bike paths. I read that there's a new 6 mile long path in Rehoboth Beach, that I hope connects to another path. The idea of biking in flat country seems really appealing to me, although I love the challenge of uphills, the joy of flying downhill, and the beauty of western Massachusetts. I love the idea of cycling a really long distance because it's flat.
There's wireless in our hotel, so I'll be able to post during our adventure.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We're taking our trikes and I'm hoping we can find some great bike paths. I read that there's a new 6 mile long path in Rehoboth Beach, that I hope connects to another path. The idea of biking in flat country seems really appealing to me, although I love the challenge of uphills, the joy of flying downhill, and the beauty of western Massachusetts. I love the idea of cycling a really long distance because it's flat.
There's wireless in our hotel, so I'll be able to post during our adventure.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
I Get All the News I Need On the Weather Report
So why isn't the forecast accurate? I've never been someone who paid attention to weather predictions, but now that I'm trying to cycle nearly every day, The Weather Channel is a regularly used app.
I checked out the hour by hour forecast last night before I went to bed, and there was nothing but sunshine in the forecast for the morning. I woke up to cloudiness and checked the forecast again, and this time it was nothing but rain. It wasn't raining then, despite all the drops falling from my iPad, so I decided to chance it. I don't really mind the rain, but I wouldn't want a thunderstorm to start when I'm miles from home.
I got about a mile from home and it started sprinkling. I thought I was in for it, but that was it, not another drop. Living right!
I started out the ride with a goal of doing it in an hour. My fastest so far had been an hour and 2 minutes, and usually I was doing it in an hour 5 to 8 minutes. It really helped that a cyclist passed me going up a short hill, because as was able to keep pave with him going downhill, and kept him in my sights for a few miles. It's much easier to go fast when I'm chasing someone. Once I lost him (or he lost me) I was able to keep my pace up. I got back to our driveway, pulled out my iPhone, and I just missed it--1 hour and 37 seconds. I'll get it next time. I went 11.2 mph. I'd like to go up to 12 mph on a hilly route like that.
By the way, I've developed my complete rating system for cyclists, based on how people dress:
1. Top level: rides in a peloton, everyone wearing the same team uniform with sponsors
2. Second level: rides in a peloton, everyone wears bike clothes, not matching, not sponsors
3. Third level: rides alone wearing bike clothes
4. Fourth level: rides alone or with others wearing athletic clothes (T-shirts, shorts)--this is the level Liz and I are on
5. Bottom level: rides alone or with others wearing street clothes, sometimes without a helmet
I give myself no credit for passing people at level 5, but if I can keep pace with someone in levels 1-3, I'm psyched. The guy today was in level 3. It made me very happy to keep pace with him for a while.
But what brings me true joy is flying down a hill. I do love speed! It's well worth climbing hills to get the downhills.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I checked out the hour by hour forecast last night before I went to bed, and there was nothing but sunshine in the forecast for the morning. I woke up to cloudiness and checked the forecast again, and this time it was nothing but rain. It wasn't raining then, despite all the drops falling from my iPad, so I decided to chance it. I don't really mind the rain, but I wouldn't want a thunderstorm to start when I'm miles from home.
I got about a mile from home and it started sprinkling. I thought I was in for it, but that was it, not another drop. Living right!
I started out the ride with a goal of doing it in an hour. My fastest so far had been an hour and 2 minutes, and usually I was doing it in an hour 5 to 8 minutes. It really helped that a cyclist passed me going up a short hill, because as was able to keep pave with him going downhill, and kept him in my sights for a few miles. It's much easier to go fast when I'm chasing someone. Once I lost him (or he lost me) I was able to keep my pace up. I got back to our driveway, pulled out my iPhone, and I just missed it--1 hour and 37 seconds. I'll get it next time. I went 11.2 mph. I'd like to go up to 12 mph on a hilly route like that.
By the way, I've developed my complete rating system for cyclists, based on how people dress:
1. Top level: rides in a peloton, everyone wearing the same team uniform with sponsors
2. Second level: rides in a peloton, everyone wears bike clothes, not matching, not sponsors
3. Third level: rides alone wearing bike clothes
4. Fourth level: rides alone or with others wearing athletic clothes (T-shirts, shorts)--this is the level Liz and I are on
5. Bottom level: rides alone or with others wearing street clothes, sometimes without a helmet
I give myself no credit for passing people at level 5, but if I can keep pace with someone in levels 1-3, I'm psyched. The guy today was in level 3. It made me very happy to keep pace with him for a while.
But what brings me true joy is flying down a hill. I do love speed! It's well worth climbing hills to get the downhills.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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