This is a little fruity!

There’s something awesome about a good Saturday morning workout.  A workout with a bunch of people.  You may know them, you may not.  It could be a group run, a bike ride, hike … just about anything.  It’s a great way to start off the weekend.  Today – a 45 mile bike ride was my workout of choice.  (Truth be told – that would probably be my choice EVERY Saturday – but time does not always permit.

Today was nice and steamy here in Georgia.  I’d have to guestimate 75% or better.  One of those days that you just have to keep drinking because you just keep on sweating and sweating and sweating!

The ride went well.  Nothing at all to complain about.  Upon returning to my car, I realized I was not prepared for the drive home.  I didn’t have any drinks or snacks – so I ran into the RaceTrac gas station to solve the problem.  As I walked in I noticed a “Boutique Cooler” with lots of unique, non-gas-stationesque food.  Turkey and cheddar wraps, sandwiches, fruit cups and other stuff.  I spotted a cup of pineapple and grapes and thought “Wow, that looks good!”.  I saw the price, it was $1.99.  I thought “UGH… I could get nearly a pound of grapes for that price!”  I then went on and grabbed a drink and started looking for a snack bar of some sort.  PowerBar, Clif Bar, nutri grain… anything other than a candy bar.  Then I thought to myself – I need to buy the fruit!  Not because I am all rich and stuff, but because I need to support HEALTHY options when they are presented.  It’s so easy to get a cheeseburger and french fries, but it’s not always really easy to get “convenient fruit”.

Now, to add further oddity to the situation, I point out that Sonic has a Banana on it’s menu for $1 and my friend, Phil, just took a photo of a banana in a vending machine!  He was going to take one for the team and buy that banana to see how it tasted!

In the society and culture we live in, eating healthy is not easy. I’m happy to say that I found and option and took it.  I know, one cup of fruit won’t change my life, but one day at a time, one choice at a time – I’m improving my lifestyle and that feels good!

What to do…. what to do?

Let’s recap where we are on my one-a-week shake and bake session.

Week 1 was drink more water.  Didn’t go well – but rallied.  Going much better.

Week 2 was work out at least 5 days a week – all is going VERY well with that.  Actually setting workout records as we speak.  After a busy first 2 weeks of the month, I have rallied to average over 10 miles per day on the month with at least 1 more ride left, probably two.  I worked out 5 times one week, six the next.  Good deal

Week 3 I was supposed to stop plate grazing and eating peoples left overs.  It went “ok”.  I wasn’t perfect, I did it by accident sometimes but I did stop a FEW times when I really wanted to – that was good.

That brings us to Week 4.  Where the rubber meets the road or something like that…  I’m going to start keeping a food journal again.  In addition (because it’s so bloody easy to do) I am going to wear my body bug and compare/contrast my intake/burn and see how we are doing.  I really should have done this LAST week, but was too big of a wimp and didn’t want to commit to it.  I don’t have a smartphone – so all those fancy apps are out.  I just have to remember to log my food.  I’m looking for a txt 2 diary type solution – but most of them are so weak I am better off just txting myself and uploading it later.

Fully committed to my one-a-week plan.  Things are going well, even if I weighed extra this monday.  I can pretty much guarantee it was water weight.  With some pizza and a quesodillia yesterday – I’ve got plenty of salt up in me.  Commuting today will stabilize the system but all in all – I did gain a pound this week.  It’s seemingly fairly common for me… ride long (226 miles in 7 days) and gain weight.  Then about 2-4 days later – lose weight… more than I gained.  I’ll not be alarmed.  This is a JOURNEY – not a destination!

What are YOU going to do THIS week to make YOUR life a more healthy?  TELL ME!  Comment on FB or the blog!  DO IT!

How to make BIG MONEY in Bicycle Racing!

I’ve told this story a bunch of times in the past – but never written it down.  It’s a true story and one of my best bike racing stories of all times.

Round about 1980 there was a big race in Wildwood, New Jersey.  I was 12 years old and by all accounts, pretty much sucked at bicycle racing.  I’ll admit it.  Dad drove me all over the state New Jersey and surround territories and I pretty much got shot out the back of the field.  Hey, I guess I like the punishment?

Anyway – Wildwood was FUN!  IT was on the Boardwalk!  You started on the boards, went down a ways, rode down a ramp onto the road, took a left…. down a way, another left, up a ramp (Hill points?) and back down the Boardwalk.  My Dad can tell you about getting into the railing on those ramps… he managed to flip himself over and land on his back during his race – but that’s not what this story is about!

So – anyway – back to the midget racing (Yes, they called us midgets, this has nothing to do with little people).  Were racing 3 laps.  Might have been 3 miles? I dunno.  We take off and I am feeling good.  I can’t believe it… I’m in the field after one lap!  WOW!  I made it back onto the boardwalk in the field!  THIS WAS GREAT!  I was sure I was going to win.  I heard the bell ringing and did everything a red-haired freckled kid on a 24″ wheeled bike can do to attack.  In my current vocabulary, I unleashed furious anger on the field as we went past the announcer hearing the bell!  I WAS GOING SO FREEKING FAST!  I dove off the boardwalk and flew into turn two.   This was perhaps the best attack of my short bike racing career!

As I hammered down the back straight, Jame and Jonas Carney and the rest of the New Jersey Midget Posey decided it was time to race.  They decided to go fast… I was quickly caught and shot out the back of the field.

Now – at the point – people will be saying – “Dude, you got all excited about hearing the announcer call your name?”  Well, there was that… but much like any story on the Paul Harvey show – there is more!

Being used to getting last and stuff, I went on about may way doing whatever it is that I did.  The Awards Presentation happened.  Jame got his gold medal for winning the race and everybody was happy.  I don’t recall who got second or third, but I know Jame got first.  As they were leaving the podium – I hear something odd…. “Will Scott Patton please report to the podium?”  Whoa… whats that about?  This is unfamiliar territory for me!  Are they going to say how much I suck?  I’m scared.

I nervously approached the podium and there was a little old lady standing there.  Apparently she was SO impressed with my attack on the bell lap, she wanted to give me a prize for being the most courageous racer in the field!  She gave me TEN DOLLARS!  I was SO HAPPY!  You see, I won MONEY!  The guy that won the race got a RIBBON! Jame – who to this day is still a good friend of mine – was FURIOUS!  How could they do this to him?  HE WON THE BIKE RACE… but I took home the cha-ching!  Well, I didn’t…. while my dad was off racing and flying over the railing, I spent it all on candy and stuff on the boardwalk … but on that one hot day in Wildwood – I was the highest paid midget!

I bet you can’t say that, now can you!

And now know you know, the rest of the story!

And another season draws to a close

I may get to the track again this season, if the stars align right – or the mood strikes me and the kids are on vacation or something, but for all intensive purposes – my season is over.  I’m a little sad that I won’t race a few more times, but I had a great season and didn’t really have to push to get out on Wednesdays this year.  I’ll take a little margin in my track racing.  Let me run down tonights racing and then – I’ll have a few parting comments.

5 Lap – This is always hot and heavy.  Tonight was a little more tame as I tried to be smarter than I normally am.  I didn’t keep the pace as high as I normally do and as such was there for the final sprint.  I found a wheel that I was SURE would find a hole and ride through it.  He did…. he just didn’t keep going and drag my big buttocks through it.  We came out of turn four – four wide.  I was just behind the wall of humanity … and didn’t feel like pressing my luck – wasn’t worth it.  6th… I think.

10 Lap Win-n-Out – There was a LOT of insanity going on in this race.  I really don’t remember it all that well until about three laps to go.  Shannon Hutchinson Krupat gave me a HUGE pull and brought me back into the game.  As we went to pass a couple of faster mustache guys, one of them oddly decided to turn right for no apparent reason and I had to slam on the brakes (see, all this time you thought you couldn’t slow a track bike down?)  I yelled “what the hell” and I felt bad cuz Shannon thought I was yelling at her.  No… just a guy who has been doing it long enough to know better.  Well, then the OTHER FM guy takes off and the guy that jacked me drops on his wheel.  We have another sprint for 3rd, 4th and 5th coming.  The same guy I almost it a lap before sprints like he is going for a place but then as we hit turn one quits riding hard and slows dramatically.  I have to go between the two (not a good idea) but made it… Jim got me on the line, but I was tired.

Points Race – I wont bore you with all the details, but I rode really smart and with 4 laps to go, went on a solo mission to catch a rider about 1/4 lap up.  I got the gap, drove hard, caught her … and then with 1/2 lap to go – so did everybody else.  It was one of the smoothest, fastest most fun points races I have done in a while.  I got 6th… sigh.

So there you have it.  In a year where I did nearly zero track specific training (heck, my training in many cases is ANTI track).  I didn’t really have a focus – I had 2-3 bad nights.  I earned some points.  I races the B’s all season and won a bike race.  I pissed off a few people, annoyed (in a good way) many, got in some great work outs and most of all – had a LOT of fun.  I honestly believe that if I can keep my focus through the winter and come into April 40 pound lighter – I will be a new racer.  I have a head full of tactics, know how and tricks – I just need a little less ME and a little more power to pull it all together.

Thanks to everybody at the track for a great season and most of all, thanks to my family for supporting me.  I do love this silly sport.

The Power of “One”

My friend and neighbor posted something today about the temperature.  She said “There was a six in the first digit of the temperature!”  It was exciting to her.  I’ll be honest, it was exciting to me too.  It is finally cooling off a bit here in the ATL.  But how much is it really cooling off?  Yesterday on my way to work it was 70 and that seemed moderate.  Today – 69 seems cool?  It’s a mental thing, I know.  A bizarre and perplexing mental thing we have all been molded into paying attention to for years.  Why do things at the store cost $4.99 instead of $5?  To keep that first digit smaller and make us think it’s cheaper.  All those poor degrees that don’t end in a nine or a zero get shafted.  Poor degrees.

Another place the power of one is very strong is in the world of weight loss.  Going from 238 pounds to 237 pounds is cool and all, but it’s much more exciting going from 240 to 239 – even though you weigh more than 237.  Sometimes I seem to get stuck at the 10 spot.  It sucks.

I’ll be completely honest with you and say I dream of a day I go from 200 to 199.  It’s been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember… perhaps one of the reasons I don’t get there is I don’t embrace the power of one?  Each and ever step in the journey is something that should be  looked upon as the same.  They say “The longest journey begins with a single step”.  Is the first step more important than the last?  Are either of those more important than the ones in the middle?

I suppose – when you look at it – Without the first, the rest would never happen – so we have to show the first step a little extra love.

Wow – this has been philosophical or something.  The strange thing is – I have conversations like this in my brain all the time.  I just decided to let this one spill out!

Clean-up on aisle Scott!

The Concrete Jungle

Many of you may remember a few months ago, I was featured on 11 Alive news with Commuter Dude.  In that segment, I pointed out a bad concrete spill and asked Commuter dude to get it fixed.  There were typically three comments that came from people viewing the video:

1. Wow – I can’t believe you ride to work! (from people in the Atlanta area)
2. Are people really surprised you ride to work? (from people in Colorado)
3. Did they fix the concrete yet? (By far, the most popular comment … probably 50% of you asked that!)

In response to number 1 – I enjoy riding to work and wish more people did it.  As one of my cycling advocate friends pointed out, most commuters don’t ride quite as far as I do – but they don’t have the benefit of some of my back roads.  That being said – the Atlanta metropolitan area is really a crappy area to ride and I can understand a lot of people NOT commuting.  That in itself makes me sad.  I feel a certain moral obligation to ride and hopefully someday, through a video clip, seeing me, talking to me or something – I will inspire ONE person to ride to work!

To the folks in Colorado – you guys have it really good.  You would only have to ride around here a few times to make you want to go back home.  I was TRULY spoiled out there.  There are some good, valid reasons less people ride here.  I know lots of people are working on that.

Finally … the concrete.  NO!  It’s not fixed.

Notice at the arrow - black tire rubber is accumulating on the concrete!

I decided to snap a quick shot of it this morning and you will see, there is actually rubber accumulating on the concrete.  It goes across the white line out into traffic.  It’s a fairly sharp ramp and I’m going to guess if you hit it right in a car with low profile tires you are going to get a flat.

Commuter dude was unable to help as this is a state road, not a county road.  He indicated that if it was Cobb County – he could have had it cleaned up the next day.

I’ve sent 2 complaints via the Georgia Department of Transportation Website.  I am going to set a calendar entry to send a complaint on a weekly basis.  If you have time, send one as well!  Here are the details:

• At the intersection of Cobb Parkway (US 41) and Atlantic Avenue
• http://goo.gl/maps/NXjc shows the intersection
• On the southbound side of Cobb Parkway – on the shoulder

I would personally go clean it up, but it’s a busy road and I don’t want to get squished.  Getting squished would likely hurt really bad!

Week Three – what to do?

A couple of quick updates…

The weekend went quite well.  I believe I actually came out about 2 pounds lighter than I went into it!  YES!  I lost about 7 pounds last week which some will say is too much, but I know my body, it won’t continue at that rate.  That was my first week “excitement”.  Now comes the second week slump.  I had ‘grown’ to an embarrassing 245 pounds.  I weighed in this morning at about 238.  Feels good to be doing the right thing again.

On the One-a-Week plan:

o  Drink More Water – EVERY day this week, I drank at least 2 full Nalgeen (32 oz) water.  In many cases, 3 or 4.  Mission accomplished.
o  Work out 5 days:  Rode Monday, twice Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday for a total of 151 miles.  (Second longest week of the year).
o  Won a bike race!  A race where weight matters – and I still won!

This week – I am going to give up ‘plate cleaning’.  I can make a ‘happy plate’ myself, but the rule is simple – if it didn’t start on my plate, I aint eating it.  This may not sound significant, but I finish off Max’s dinner a lot of times.  A lot of calories there.  The *ONLY* exception – vegetables.

I know – its really only a week since I have been tracking weight loss but the small added focus on fitness and health has helped me to make smart choices and this doesn’t feel like its the “total overnight change” that you often feel in a diet.  Let’s see if we can keep this train rolling!

Dear Weekend Eating, I HATE YOU!

So, it’s been a good week. I’ve ridden over 100 miles, I’ve drank gallons of water, I’ve controlled my eating – but now comes that 2 day period where I lose control of my senses.  I “graze” too much and put on 2/3 of what I lost during the week.  It’s quite frustrating.  It’s also UNBELIEVABLY easy to do.  Food is easier to get, its everywhere!

I’m writing this to hopefully raise my attention to the situation and possibly focus a little bit more on the situation.  I am also saying – out loud – DRINK MORE WATER!  I would take my nalgene home, but I plan on riding on Monday – and dont want to carry it.  I may do that anyway – I can deal.  I’m cool like that.

I’m open to suggestions, tips, ideas, thoughts on how to keep things going better on the weekends.  It’s really hard for me.  I need to get one ride in.  Sarah has a function tomorrow – Church on Sunday morning, so it will be an afternoon adventure which loosely translates to “It’s gonna be a hot one!”  I will probably try to get in the pool a little.  As much as I’m not really into it, in 2-3 weeks when the close that thing down…. hasta la pasta … IT IS GONE!  No lounging around the pool for a long time.

Oh… yeah, we received word Derek’s soccer has moved to a different complex that has a reasonably nice 1/2 mile track around all the fields.  No more bushwacking to run at soccer!  I think I will beg my lovely wife to cover a few Tuesdays, I can take Thursdays (get a few more DLV races in).  On my Thursdays – may try to get some running in?  Who knows, we will see!

Oh… and I need to come up with my new “One-a-Week” item for next week – so … if you really read this far, there are plenty of opportunities for comments!  Get up on it!

First Win of the Season!

Let me start by saying this – when I roll out onto the track – I often through ‘caution’ to the wind.  I make random, seemingly senseless attacks for no apparent reason.  I could be off the back for 3 laps – catch the field and attack without notice.  I never go easy – I rarely use the tactical sense that I could/should.  I could VERY likely get much better results if I used some proper training techniques, focused and raced with 2 ounces of common sense.  That being said … I get a great workout every time I race.  That’s what I am TYPICALLY trying for.  Perhaps all of that feeds into what I am about to tell you…

As you can guess, last night was race night.  It was my least favorite night – especially after 2+ weeks of suspect training.  Chariot, Win-and-In and 8 Mile….

Chariot – This race – by all accounts, was created to make you hurt.  It’s basically a little over a lap, from a standing start, Ready, Set, GO!  If you hit the start right – you go really fast.  If you have 350 meters of power – you win.  If not, you complain that you hate that stupid event.  75% of the races are won on the start.  I know how to start well.  I don’t always time it right, but I know how to start very fast.  If my legs are right, if the time is right, if I get my mental game on – I go fast.  Typically – I fade in turn 3 and falter.  Well – last night I came out of the box like a ‘rat on crack’.  I hit the “GO” perfect and was flying instantly.  I didn’t quickly got the lane and stood up well into turn three.  I was flying.  I was expecting others to come around me but in this glorious 25 ish seconds of pain and suffering, I was able to hold off all takers.  The win was good and I am quite happy.  I realize, it means very little but I do like to win.  I like to race hard and I don’t think I could have gone any harder.  The ironic thing is this paragraph took 8x as long to type as the race took to complete.  It was good to know I will end this season with at least one win. The don’t come often, but when they do – they make me happy.

Win-and-In (The Australian Hat Dance) – I truly hate this event.  I was smoked from Chariot and it showed.  I finished in the field.  Closed a few gaps, but really – I was an integral part of “pack” – the filler.

8-Mile (Not just a place in Detroit) – FAST FAST FAST … I exploded 3 miles in.  Tried to rejoin a few laps later and they were going FASTER.  UGH!  I watched as people quit – realized if I just finished I would get 5th and score a point.  I finished…

Not my best night of racing, but there was a diamond in the ruff.  It may very well have been my last Wednesday of the year.  I may have to turn my focus to Tuesdays as we have some new commitments on Wednesday.

Final note – the way my upper body feels today – I need to do more work on that in the off season!

Is something better than nothing?

I’m conflicted – wrapped up in a conundrum – twisted around my axle – a bit bunched if you will.

My whole life, I’ve done things.  Some things I’ve done very well, other things I’ve just done.  The problem is that SOME things – I can’t “just do it”.  Confused yet?  Welcome to the inner fuzzy zone in my brain.

Let me give you an example… I don’t like to ride unless I am “riding a lot”.  If I can’t get out and ride 5-7 times a week, I would rather not be riding.  That is basically pretty stupid in many ways.  I mean, if I can’t ride 5 days a week, I could enjoy the fitness, fun, freedom and all that FOUR times a week… or even THREE times a week… but NO…. if I am not ‘training’ and ‘focused’ I drift farther and farther from my good habits by the moment.

Why am I all twisted up about this?  It’s stupid – but … it’s bugging me so I am venting.  As you know, I am trying to drink “more water”.  Now, I’m going to be honest – unless I ride – a GLASS of water on a weekend is more than I drank last weekend.  If I don’t drink a GALLON of water at work – I feel like I failed for the day.  Yesterday, I drank about 48-64 oz at work and then had 3 x 22-24oz glasses in the evening.  This morning, I was like “Ugh… I already screwed up the week yesterday”.

I need to read this and some how beat it into my thick skull:  It’s not a freeking race.  It’s not a competition to drink more than yesterday.  It’s a quest to be healthier.  Everything you do that is BETTER than before is GOOD!  Good is GOOD!  It’s ALRIGHT not be part Nemo!

These simple, self destructive thoughts often knock me off my positive train of thought and send my life back to the way it was (the way that makes me fat).  This blog entry may suck for you guys – but it was really therapeutic for me.  I drank SOME water – not all of my water.  I took a few deep breaths and now I think I will see if riding today is an option.  Weather is looking lame.