My Engine Tuning Progress Bar

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Fitness Goal

Well I decided to go for it once again and LOSE the weight I have been boomeranging with over the last couple of years. So I have pass to the LRC and I am involved with a class with Believe Studio (Tammy) and I'm just going to do it.
I have the head knowledge and resources, I just have to stick to it! I signed up with Livestrong.com to track my calories and fitness (As you can see from me progress bar above)  I have an intermediate goal of 54 lbs to shed. So If you can, please occasionally leave a comment to encourage me. Its really motivating to get a sporatic encouragement or butt kicking from others. So Hang on here we go....
Oh yeah; This year I will endeavor to write at least 1 paragraph report from every ride I do. So with the great weather we had on jan 16, I got all bundled up and went for a bright, brisk, bike ride Saturday afternoon to my 5.5 mile mark west on hiway 39, for a great total of 11 km. was a really nice ride. And this week I read some essays from Covert Bailey on fitness training - I learned the importance of doing sprints or intervals in areobic excercise. So I'll incorporate them into my training; beware I may even add them to the regular ride nights with Godspoke this year.
TTFN - Larry

Sunday, January 03, 2010

New year first ride

So the weather wasn't too bad (-12) and the gravel roads are packed with snow. Hmm ... BIKE RIDE!
I convinced my daughter Kara (14 y.o.) to join me for a 8.5 km ride around Calmar this afternoon. For 36 min, we jousled along the packed snow roads around town trying to keep our glasses from fogging and icing up. We passed 4 vehicles, (who musta thot we were nuts). I only slipped on loose snow once and that was enough for my first pedal scrape of the year, yea :(.  But its a great beginning to a wonderful year of riding when my 'lil girl wants to ride and spend some of her precious, teen, angst filled life, with her dear ole 'bent demented pa!


a relaxing sunday afternoon, crisp winter weather, a great recumbent bike, my lil girl, man I have a great life!
TTFN
Larry
yes the pic is from last year but I looked the same ...

Saturday, January 02, 2010

So where has Larry Been?

Hmmm… its the second day of January 2010. The last month has been a cold one and my posts this year have been nearly nonexistent.

2009 was a year of cycling adventure and a year of financial pain. Its been hard to be motivated to blog when I have been stressed at the shop. Riding my recumbent alone and with Godspoke was a great relief from daily pressures. My business has gone through the ropes as have many others in the economic climate that surrounds us. Between staffing and a lessened work load my biz has survived. But has left me numb and not to motivated. Anyways Life goes on….

So what did I do this past year?

I rode 2101 km this year! WAHOO! I have 9075 km since I started riding a recumbent, and 8009 km for my C-KAP mileage. I will get my Bronze medal from C-KAP next winter as I cross the 10,000 km mark in 2010. If you have read this blog in the passed few years you know that I attribute getting and riding a recumbent to changing my life. I am healthier, happier and motivated to do more than sitting around watching TV.

A big part of life is being associated with Godspoke cyclists.

These are a great group of adventurers. we have a lot of fun riding and socializing together:


I was able to get a ride in every month this past year; even in the cold winter months. Most of my riding for the first 5 months was commuting and riding with Godspoke;
I didn’t do any rides over 35 km until the end of May. I rode the usual amount that I normally do for this part of the year. Then in June I did the MS Tour to Camrose (180km)




and back and left on a tour to Drumheller called the You Do Hoo Doo
.


The U DO HOODOO trip was a blast. 10 days of riding and adventure with 17 hearty souls from Godspoke. (465km?.)
Nadine Lemming drove the SAG trailer -We never knew where lunch would be, more often than not a clean ditch sufficed quite nicely.

We stayed in cabins, church basements and moderized Teepees.


A typical Marvino adventure put together by the Greers mostly with great food arranged by chef Lyle and Carol Garstad. Best food of all our trips so far yummm.






The other two major rides we did this year was Bike for Bibles In Aug around Pigeon Lake with a campout at Eillens’ and Barry’s.



Just a word in for Barry here; while on the U Do Hoo Doo tour I kicked my front derailleur and it got bent just as we were riding into our camp site one night at one of the others riders relatives farm.
Barry along with an old 10 speed derailleur was able to get my bike in action with some patience and a lot of finagling!

If you need a bike mechanic in the Leduc area, Barry can Help!

On Labour Day 5 of us rode from Drayton Valley to Leduc.


A Century ride that I have been wanting to do for a while. It was a great day with nice scenery and rolling country riding! The companionship was great to Alice, Lyle and carol shared the Swag vehicle driving which was really nice.


Again this year I slagged off riding during Aug and the fall. I think it was a combination of work stress and cycling malaise. I have sloughed off riding in Aug for 2 years now. I gotta find a reason for this. It greatly hinders my weight reduction scheme. Hey I was the slimmest for Christmas that I have been in 10 years. I have find a way to be motivated to ride more consistently in the next few years If I wanna live longer and healthier.

Well for 2010 I have some goals and tentative riding I want to do. These include:

- commuting to work more in the mornings instead of home at night (wind in right direction)
- doing a 50+km ride every month between March and October

- Going to Vancouver @ Easter for the Pacific Populair

- An s24o to Sunnybrooke

- the MS tour 6th year

- Back to Cour D’lene for the TOT maybe some riding in Banff and
    Radium on the way

- ETBC Ride

- Bike for Bibles

- A 4 day 4 night self contained ride- where? with? we will see

I will continue to reduce my weight (goal of 250-225 some day)

So drop in once in a while and see how I am doing.


P.S. I rode out of 2009 and into the New Yea 2010 it was –35 out at 12:00am and Alice was shivering when she took this Pic!

TFN
Larry