The Stinky Spoke

I rode in my very first organized Mountain Bike Race. Well, it was more of a fun ride then a race but I had a race number and 16 miles of riding with 700 other riders and , wow, it was a blast. If you look close you will see a pig on my handle bars, I am riding with a group of guys from work in a couple of races this year and our team name is the Pedaling Pigs. My life style is different but man, it has been a real struggle as I went through the holidays. I got out of the habit of working out everyday and it shows. My eating habits tanked as well, and it shows. I know what to do to get back on track so here it goes. Step 1, admit I have a problem. I have a problem. I am falling back into my old habits, time to stop. I have the will power to do it! Step 2, take action. Today I am writing in my blog, TIME FOR CHANGE!!! Step 3, follow through. Well, you will have to check back in a couple of days and I will let you know. So far today, I am doing good.

So, the Stinky Spoke. 16 miles of paved trail, some paved roads, single track trail, and gravel road trail. At one point on a long steep gravel road down hill I hit 39MPH. I finished 16 miles in 1 hour 32 minutes total, 1 hour and 25 minutes of pedal time for an average speed of 11.3 MPH. the next race we are preparing for is the 24 hour race in Spokane, the 14 mile leg of the Black Diamond Exterra Triathlon and the 12 mile Kayak leg of the Mountain to Sound 5 Leg Relay.

Keep check in and I will keep you posted! Ha, get it "posted" as in posting on my blog... ok Ted Cooke humor, sorry!

Oh the Hollidays

I love this season of Christmas but I am not sure I like this time of year. Don't get me wrong, the blessing of Thanksgiving and Christmas and the meaning we pull from them are amazing, but... In my job, this is the busiest time of the year. It is amazing how many people actually die during this time of year, a lot. From natural death to suicides, and then of course what we have experienced in the Law Enforcement community this year has been nothing short of absolutely horrific! On a personal level, for those of us who struggle with a food addiction, the holidays are like forcing an alcoholic into a bar and all the drinks are on the house!!! I knew that going into this season was going to be difficult so I decided that instead of setting myself up to fail, telling myself I can not enjoy the season, I would go easy and set an attainable goal. Gain no more then 10 pounds, watch my snacking so it doesn't get out of control and stay away from Fast Food. I decided to enjoy myself at the parties and family functions. So, how did it go???? I was in my Weight Loss Dr.'s office on Monday this week, it had been 2 months, the holidays, and I gained 7.8 pounds, I stayed within my goal. Jan. 1st was the day I would ramp back up, watching my cal. intake and getting my exercise back on track. Since then I lost 2 pounds again and I feel good about myself. It won't be long and I will be back to where I was with 20 pounds to go to my goal!