A couple of days off

Nothing yesterday and more than likley nothing today or tomorrow.

As I said, real stuff starts next week.

Good news is that my knees are feeling good after the ride Wednesday. I was worried that they wuld be a problem.

Later

Ride #2

Nice ride today, still hot, but humidity was way down

16 or so miles, under a hour. More accurate measurements to come.  Fairly happy.  I learned about trim shifts, so now my chain does not make so much noise.

Real training will start next week.

Day 1 or so

Ok folks let’s get this started.  After many years I finally decided to get my ass back on the bike for fun and exercise.  More on that later, but first some background on me.

Name: Raymond Wright

Age: 48

Location: Southern Maryland

Married (29 years), 2 grown children

  Weight: FAT! 217 with clothes on. REALLY want to be <200, 190 would be awesome

Exercise history:  I tend to cycle (ha!) between professional couch potato and fairly regular working out.   I was fairly active as a kid , but that waned after I joined the Navy.  I started riding a road bike back in 1983 and loved it.  I rode a lot and did some racing.  2 serious crashes: one that severed my left bicep and broke my collar bone and a second that dislocated my shoulder.  I also had a fun one that opened up a little artery in a finger that bled like a stuck pig. 

I stopped biking for a while, couch potato time, then started running about 8 years ago.  Had fun running, lots of races, consistent mid pack racer, but then I developed Plantar Fasciitis a few years ago and it has put me 100% out of the running game.

So I search around and decided to take up indoor rowing and got myself a Concept 2 erg.  I really like rowing and am actually pretty fast.  The best part was that it did not hurt my feet. 

This year I got the itch to actually go outside and exercise.  I tried running again with the expected bad results, so I tried riding my bike. 

I forgot how much fun bike riding was and I really liked enjoyed it.  The problem was that the bike I was using was a HEAVY mountain bike with road tires and I started missing my old road bike.  So…

After much on-line shopping and reading reviews I went to the Bike Doctor in Annapolis and spent a few hours getting my new baby.  A Trek Madone 3.1, 19 pounds of carbon fiber goodness!

If by any chance you are thinking about getting a bike.  Go to a good bike shop and have them fit you to the bike that is right for you.  It may be cheaper to buy used or new on-line, but if the bike is wrong for you, there is no way you will enjoy it.

Only 1 ride so far, about 12 miles and it was SO nice to be on a real bike again.  Now I have to learn how to ride correctly again.

Enough of that stuff.

GOALS

·         Ride regularly and have fun.

·         Ride in the St. Mary’s Century in September (fast approaching)

·         Lose weight

That’s it for now, more to come.