Week 3

I've been trying to get in as many rides as possible - if only the weather would cooperate. Wednesday we had rain and then horrific weather on Thursday - things blowing all over the place - possible tornado in Stayton so no rides :( Friday rain again so not out until Saturday brrrrrrr - thought I was gonna freeze my tush off - same thing Sunday but I got a ride in and feel good about it.

Today the weather was perfect for a ride and it felt good so I went for it - trying to get to 15 miles but it's getting harder to find places to ride that are safe and not too hard. Yesterday I made it into Donald past the Donald Cafe, today I went further into Donald and then extended my ride back out a little farther. I survived two sets of railroad tracks AND made it 14.1 miles !!!!!! I feel GREAT !!!!!

Grand total of miles 120.62 miles and 4,579 calories burned ! Just wish the numbers on the scale would change :( Oh well - soon I hope !

Week 2

I've survived another week on my bike :) I've managed to increase my distance to 11 miles and have done that twice and then today a shorter 9.35 workout. It was way too hot this afternoon - I should have waited and I paid the price - shaky and not feeling well. Some rest and a shower and a light meal helped. I should sleep well tonight - back in the bed I'm used to after spending the night at Courtney's.

Grand total after two weeks of riding - 74.02 miles and 2591 calories burned ! Good job !!!!!

First week under my belt

I've had my bike a week and have been out 6 times for a total of 42.43 miles and according to the mapmyride website I've burned 1,428 calories ! Not bad for an out of shape old lady !

The shorts and gloves I bought definitely help. My hands and tush don't hurt as much. I saw some other cyclists out today which was nice - I said hello and they answered, It makes me wonder what they're thinking when they see me. Oh well - I'm doing this for me and not the rest of the world and as long as I keep it up something good will come out of it. I'm not looking forward to when it starts raining again - I'll have to find something else to do unless I can get out when it 's not raining and not dark. I have the whole summer before that happens so - I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Off to take a shower and relax a little.

Keep on Cycling

After two days of rest I'm back at it agan. Tuesday was rainy so no ride, Wednesday I spent some time with Joshua and we decided to see Star Trek. It was too late when I got home and my back was still a little sore so.......

I keep adding a little bit more to my ride each time and going longer between breaks. I saw some "real" cyclists on my ride today and they scoffed at me. Stuck up asses - don't they remember we all have to start somewhere. No worries - I'm just going to keep it up and one day I'll beat those sissies - LOL

Total miles - 8.36 today !!!!! Feels good ,using my gears more, going longer between breaks and just pushing myself. So far, my tush is ok - we'll see tomorrow. I do have to get some decent shoes soon - the crocs aren't cutting it.

Another Ride

Today I found mapmyride.com and now I can create my own rides, track my mileage and calories burned. After yesterdays almost fiasco I decided to be a little more careful about where I went. I mapped out a route almost the same as yesterdays except I turned around before the killer hill and made a slight detour towards my ultimate goal - Champoeg State Park. The total ride - 7.08 miles - hmmm - getting better ! I definitely need some padding for my tush - it's getting sore ! It was a little windy and that helped my workout. It's supposed to rain tomorrow so I may not get a ride in - oh well, I hope it doesn't set me back.

Day Two - try not to overdo it

After a decent breakfast and a few games of trivia and some food it's off for another ride. I adjusted my seat a little higher because I read that your stroke should extend your legs almost fully - just a slight bend to the knees - this was much better.
The game plan was the same as yesterday - out of Century Meadows, down Arndt to Schultz and then to Fargo - WOW I made it and it felt good so I decided to go further. I took Fargo to Butteville Road and made a right onto Butteville - past the hops snaking their way up the ropes, past the farms, past the guy flying his RC plane, say hi to kitty crossing the road and then ..............
DAMN ! I forgot that killer hill down into Butteville at a gazillion miles per hour - holy crap I'm gonna die or go flying off my bike - this is not good. I decided to just ride it out and I made it around the corner in one piece - someone must have been watching because no cars came around at that time. I got off as soon as I could, took a deep swig of water and let myself calm down and then walked the bike up the hill. What goes down must come back up again and there was no way I was going to peddle up that hill - not ready for that yet.
I stopped to talk to the horses and goats for a few and then peddled my way back home.
Total ride - 5.38 miles - hmmm - a little further - there's always tomorrow.

The first ride

Off on my new adventure ! It took some time to get the quick release back together again so the brakes would work (kind of important dontcha think) and off I went.
Out of the development, down Arndt, left on Schultz and down to Fargo - that was the plan. My legs aren't used to this and when I was almost to Fargo I decided I'd better turn around and come back. I had forgotten my water and was feeling dry so I turned back - almost made it. The total mileage - 3.16 miles - not bad for a first try.