Out Cycling the Scale (In my Brand New Day Outfit)

 Out Cycling the Scale (In my Brand New Day Outfit)

43 miles, four hours, 1909 ft elevation gain

Saturday was the first time in 10 months the scale had gone up in back-to-back weeks. After working really hard to get fiber into my diet, working out steadily, and feeling superb, it was a sort of soul-crushing experience to be up on the scale. However, it was only crushing for a minute or two.

I work really hard to try not to let the scale bother me. Especially in times of radical change. Part of me thought that as soon as I resigned and the stress of working went away, the weight would just melt off. The stress is gone, but the weight isn’t melting. However, that is because life changes. 

More free time gives me more time to snack. Bags of baked Lay’s and peanut butter-filled pretzels get consumed and not logged. Popsicles disappear faster than they used to. As much as I would like to say I have popsicle gnomes who come and steal my popsicles. I have been eating more popsicles. 

I am in a period of change. These periods always lead to things going out of balance. So, what did I do? Throw out all the chips, popsicles, and pretzels. No, that is a lie. It is also not the answer. Instead, we go back to what works for us. We track. Focus on eating lean protein and putting fiber into my body. The rest will take care of itself. 

The coolest part of my weekend was going out on Sunday in full Spider-Man mode. I could not wait to wear this new jersey and the accompanying socks. With Brand New Day making box office headlines, I figured it was a great time to premiere my Spidey kit. That and, well, the socks just showed up last week. Spider-Bill! Spider-Bill! Doing whatever a Spider-Bill does. I looked fantastic in my new kit. Even better, I felt fantastic in it. I used to always tell my good buddy Chip, when you look good, you feel good. There was another part to that, but as I try to type it up, I can’t for the life of me think what it was. I know on Sunday, during my bike ride; I looked good, and I felt good!

The best way to put the scale and other disappointments in life behind me is to go out and do something special on the bike or in the pool. So, I decided I was going to out cycle the scale. I mean, why not? Already looked fabulous. Might as well work out like the athlete I am.

The ride on Sunday felt amazing! My legs were nice and fresh and felt strong. I had four hours of saddle time, and I used every minute to my advantage. Even if the ride didn’t start off on the right foot.

I got delayed getting out the door because my Garmin froze up upon loading. Rage filled me, and I wanted to throw it against the wall. Garmins are expensive, and so I thought better of it and Googled how to reset it. It reset without too much drama, and I was off!  

I was ten minutes out from home when I realized I didn’t put my nix on. My nix, is a tool that I use from time to time to measure my sweat and the amount of salt in said sweat. It helps me understand which electrolytes I need to consume. How much fluid to take in. For example, yesterday I sweated out 201 ounces of sweat. Drank 101 ounces of electrolytes fueled water on my ride. That is an imbalance. This type of imbalance can lead to a bad time. 

When I realized I had left the nix at home. So, I turned and headed back. Don’t like to do that. Because the girl thinks I am home to play with her. We know I wasn’t. She came down all happy; I gave her a little love, but was against the clock, and that made me feel bad. Plus, I wanted to get the ride in before the heat of the day showed up and kicked my ass. Anyway, I got home and patched up, and headed back out.

I road strong. It was nice and cool out, and that always helps. I did a familiar loop, Winslow to Clear Creek and back. Then to the B-line to Ellettsville and then back home. Forty-three miles and four hours later, I still felt fantastic. 

The coolest part was coming back up and over 69 on 17^th Street. I know the 17th has another name, but I can’t remember it. It doesn’t matter. The first time I came back from Ellettsville in 2024 up and over 69, it killed me. I could barely get oxygen into my lungs. I was literally wheezing like an old goat. Yesterday, it was as if I were meditating going up and over. I breathed in long and deeply. I maintained control and steadiness in my breathing. Again, I felt strong. I was very proud of that. The hill is getting easier for me. Being 100 pounds lighter helps, but so does the hard work I have put in.

This week I continue to look into Tri’s. Sprints, Olympics, and some long courses too. I am almost finished editing my project. S excited about that. Need to do one more pass on it before it is ready. Things are really coming together. I am stoked!