Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Weighty Matters

Well, I'm down 15 pounds. Yay me. But I think I've hit a plateau that I won't be able to break without some exercise. I used to be somewhat of a gym rat, meaning that I actually liked going to the gym. But the gym has become somewhat inconvenient, so I've been looking for a new outlet.

I considered taking up rollerblading again, but there's a problem: Arlington's got hills, kids. Lots of hills. Ugly, winding hills. Now I'm not afraid of a little speed, but I was never comfortable with navigating hills on two rows of wheels. So, I've not been on my blades much since moving in with Sweetie. I'm not getting rid of my blades just yet, but they are staying in the closet.

That brings us to bicycling. This started way back in 1991 when I began training for a charity century ride (that's 100 miles). On my second morning ride, I locked my back wheel on a rain-slickened wooden bridge, fell and fractured my left hand in two places. During the time I had two pins and a cast, I was informed of my acceptance to the acting program at CUA. So, out went the cycling.

But I never lost interest. I've kept up on every TDF since the late 80s, and even watched several Moab mountain biking championships over the years. My reunion roomie, Hugh, brought his bike to Kenyon and rode the Kokosing Gap Trail one afternoon. I was really jealous because it sounded like a lot of fun. And someone said to me that you should find something fun that will get you out of the house and exercising. Hmm....

My last bike was a fairly nice Univega mountain bike, but I'm not going to go singletracking anytime soon. But Arlington does have some nice hills, so I should have something upright and stable. I think that this will fit the bill nicely. And lucky me, a bike store in Arlington rents them by the week! So, in the next few weeks I'll rent one for a week and see if I actually get out and ride. If I do, then I'll buy it.

6 comments:

Alison said...

Congrats on the 15 pounds! Cycling sounds like a good plan for getting over the plateau. I have also found that travel (ahemSeattle!ahem) tends to throw my progress off (damned tasty restaurant food in huge portions). Let us know how it goes!

(btw, nice bike!)

lemming said...

Congrats!

Biking sounds like the ticket - just remember to wear a helmet. (wink!)

tommyspoon said...

What are these helmets that you speak of...? ;-)

TeacherRefPoet said...

Right about now, it's a good bet that your local football officials' association is training new officials.

I know you like the pigskin, and this does get you running around, helps some kids, and makes you a few bucks.

tommyspoon said...

TRP, I found the Northern Virginia Football Officials website (http://www.nvfoa.com/). Unfortunately, the training began in June so I'm out for this season. But come the New Year, I'll fill out an application and send it in. After "Hauptmann", I'll start boning up on the rulebook. Sounds like lots of fun!

Anonymous said...

Like the bike you picked out. And unless you intend to do a lot of offroading, hybrids are the way the go. I have one myself, a Specialized Sirrus. It's SO much lighter, faster and more comfortable than my old mountain bike. I'm never going back!