You Fail When You Don't Try

Why do I do stupid things? (Part 2)

November 5, 2009 at 1:50 pm (Cycling)

In my first post in this series, I discussed my weight and my desire to become less of a man than I currently am.  Less of a main in pounds, that is.  But I stupidly continue to eat more than I should, and to snack after dinner when I shouldn’t do that at all.  I even came up with a pros and cons list.  I’ve done ok since I wrote that list, but not as good as I wish I had.  Stupid.

The next stupid thing I do is I don’t get the exercise I should.  This is stupid for several reasons:

1. Exercising would help me lose weight faster.
2. Exercising helps me feel better and more confident.
3. I like exercising, yet I don’t make the effort to do it!

I’ve been athletic for a good part of my life.  I played high school football and also did weight-lifting competitions.  I could have played college football, but didn’t.  I’ll have to write a post about that some day.

In 2003ish my oldest daughter was 5 years old and learning how to ride a bicycle.  I was big, fat, and much more out of shape than I am now and I was tired of running behind her as she learned to get rid of her training wheels.  My sister had recently bought a bicycle and I thought that it might be a good idea for me.  So for $350 I bought a 2003 Trek 7200 hybrid bicycle.

I rode with my daughter and decided since there was a paved bike trail nearby that I would get up in the mornings and do some exercise.  I will never forget that first morning.  I rode just over six miles in just over 30 minutes and I thought I was going to die.  I tried to go fast but couldn’t manage to go faster than about 12-13mph.  I could not believe it was so hard and that I was so out of shape.  My heart felt like it was going to burst from my chest.

But I stuck with it.  I got faster, I rode longer distances, and it got easier.  I even commuted to work by bicycle for a whole winter.  I started thinking about getting a better bicycle.

I decided to ride a loop that would take me around all the paved trail that I could easily access from my house.  This ended up being a 43 mile ride!  And I did it!  I felt terrible for the last half of the ride, but I did it.  And oh did I hurt.  I decided right then that I could not keep doing this on a hybrid bike.  I needed a road bike.

After much research, test riding bikes, and lots of discussion, I spent about $1200 on a 2004 Specialized Allez Elite bicycle.  Wow was that so much easier to ride for longer distances.  I was faster and a 43 mile ride was much more comfortable.  I even had clipless pedals and shoes.  (Can someone explain to me why you “clip in” to “clipless pedals”?)

The goal of any road cyclist is to eventually ride a century – a 100 mile bike ride.  On January 17, 2005 I rode my first century and did it in 6 hours and 45 minutes.  And I weighed about 320 pounds at the time.  I had extra weight on me, but I was in the best shape I had been in in many years.  Everyone told me I didn’t look like I weighed 300 pounds.

You won’t believe what I did after that first century.  I was on top of the world and I pretty much stopped riding.  Training for a century is hard and my body was tired.  I still could have ridden a few days a week, but I didn’t.  Stupid.

I did start riding regularly again after  few months.  After I had thrown away much of the fitness I had gained by traing for and riding that century.  Eventually I wanted to do it again.  And in March of 2008 I rode my second century.  It was much warmer and I did not do as well, but I did it.  And I stopped riding again after I did it.  Stupid, stupid.

That was about 18 months ago now and I still haven’t ridden regularly since then.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I can still go out and ride 20 miles so I’m not nearly as bad as I was when I first started riding in 2003.  But I don’t feel nearly as good (or as good about myself) as I did after each of those two century rides.  And I really loved feeling that good.

So, why don’t I get our regularly in the mornings and ride?  My older daughter is now 12 years old and riding a road bike with me.  She really enjoys riding with me and I really enjoy riding with her.  But we only get out once every week or two.  Hopefully that will increase after this weekend.  No, stop hoping.  Make it happen.

My wife is a night-owl and so we usually don’t get to bed until between midnight and 1am.  That makes it kinda hard to get up and ride at 6:30am, huh?  So I need to go to bed earlier so I can get up earlier and not sleep-walk through the day.

I really enjoy riding my bike.  I hate the way I feel through the day when I don’t ride in the morning.  I love the way I feel through the day when I do get up and ride in the morning.

(Now comes the part where I yell at myself.  Feel free to yell at me to in the comments.)

So get up and ride!  Stop making excuses.  Get to bed at a good time, and get out there and ride.  Commute to work by bicycle again — at least a couple days a week.  Ride on the weekends when you can go longer distances and ride on the road with less traffic.

You’ll lose weight, lose it faster, lower your blood-pressure, lower your heart rate, feel more confident, be less self conscious aobut how you look, and be happier.  All of those things will make it easier for you to get over your fears.  And it’s something you enjoy doing!

SO GET OUT THERE AND DO IT!!!