Fighting the Last 63

Well Ladies and Gents, I hope the backside of the Christmas holidays finds you rested and well fed (with turkey, potatoes, gravy, and desserts of every sort… basically everything that wasn’t moving). Now I for one wasn’t very mindful of what went into the ol’ fuel tank, but I did stop short of general trough feeding (although there were copious amounts of booze and the occasional bowl or three of Skor ice cream). The plans for some general activity over the break didn’t work out so well although when Mother Nature finally decided to grace us with some snow (too late for a white Christmas though, thanks a lot. That’s a sarcastic ‘Thanks a lot’ in case it didn’t come across in my writing) I did the good deed and shoveled my parents driveway and their vacationing neighbors.  That lone act has convinced me to hire a service if I ever buy a house…

I headed back to the big Smoke (Toronto) this morning after a remarkably good time with my family and a very enjoyable evening celebrating my Mom’s 70th Birthday (Happy Birthday Momma!).  The only thing I really had on my plate today was the knowledge that with 3 days left in 2011 I was still 63KM short of the four digit mark for total kilometers travelled (1,000 for those who are having trouble).  Now that might not seem like a very achievable goal, but some focus and a movie or two and it will be in the bag.  I had hoped to get the distance done in one shot, but sitting in one place on a seat that was Ba-RU-tal tonight, there was no hope.

The session tonight was originally scheduled for an hour and forty minutes to two hours, but 40 minutes in I was struggling seriously.  The legs were a little tight (hamstrings for the most part) and the right ankle still isn’t right from the game Christmas Eve day. Regardless of how I felt though, I knew that every kilometer I could cover tonight would save me that extra work tomorrow. At the hour and 25 minute mark, just past 45.01KM my body had had enough. I hopped down and went straight to the hamstring and quadriceps stretches, but I knew that I had been in a fight to keep going.  Even with Shaun of the Dead to help me keep my mind off riding, there wasn’t anything left.

I managed to get my Polar heart rate monitor working again so I was able to get an idea of where my body was tonight. With an average of 143BPM and a max in the area of 158BPM, it wasn’t like I was taxing my body to the ragged edge, but it has been a while since I’ve gone a distance on the bike and I saw no reason to kill myself.  Quick shower and lots of water while I’m writing this because I’m feeling a bit dehydrated.

As I wrap up for the night, I just want to talk quickly about New Year’s Resolutions.  Everybody always talks about what they want to change in the New Year with the fresh slate, but 99.9% of those promises are always broken.  I’ve decided that I’m not waiting for one day a year to change something in my life.  What if you don’t make it to that day?  It’s a morbid thought I know, but it’s something to think about.  If you want to change something, then change it.  Don’t wait for January 1st, or a Monday or the beginning of the month.  The longer you do the longer you will end up waiting for change.

That will be the end of the lecture for this evening…

Beez

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One Thought to “Fighting the Last 63”

  1. bernzy, you can sit on your ass and lose weight…for weight control, 80% is diet (what goes in to the fuel tank, just food in general), 10% genetics and 10% exercise. But don't trust me, look it up. You can lose weight by just practicing a proper breathing technique while using moderation when 'fueling'.

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