Just didn’t work out

It’s been a long weekend already, mostly in a good way.  Friday – I got off work and met Sarah about half way home.  She took my computer and I took the ‘long way home’ adding about 8 miles to my daily total.  Kinda cool – a little different.  Saturday, I did the Skyloop ride again.  I really like the ride – but the cast of characters can be a little sketchy.  Not much I can’t handle, but at the same time – you see a guy riding a $6000 bicycle and for some stupid reason, you assume they have a clue.  Just not the case.  I finished off that ride with 60 miles on the day and felt pretty worked.  That put me at 208 miles in 6 days which is a lot for an old fat guy with a job too.

I had planned to (and did) take Sunday off.  We went to a fun cookout on Saturday night, hung out with a lot of fun people – it was fun.  They had a pool – the kids had fun – it was good.  We were invited to an Atlanta Beat soccer game on Sunday night.  That was a lot of fun.  I’m still thinking they need to eliminate the goalie or make the goal double the size to make that sport a bit more exciting – but it was fun.  At least skip the overtime – go to penalty shots or something.  90 minutes ending in a tie – kind of anti-climactic or whatever the word is.

That brings us to Monday morning.  I’ve wanted to go up to the “Brewery ride” on a holiday for a long time.  Well – it just didn’t work out.  I ate too much crap food at the soccer game.  I got too tired and didn’t feel good when I went to bed.  My alarm didn’t go off (or I turned it off) and instead of being up in Cartersville – I’m in my bed talking to you.  I’m a little upset with myself about it, but I’m going to go ride in a few minutes.  You see – it’s kinda cool here in the ATL this morning (low 50′s), so I’m waiting for the warm up.

I’m kinda bummed about my excess nibbling at the parties I attended this weekend.  Why do I do that to myself?  I just keep shoving food in my mouth?  I don’t get it.  I dream of being a tall skinny guy that can eat whatever they want – or don’t have the desire to eat extra, just what they need.  Derek is like that.  A plate full of his favorite food and he will stop when he is full.  I think my gas gauge is broken or something.  Unfortunately that just means instead of spilling gas down the side of my car – the sides of my “engine” (aka arse) gets wider.

I guess there’s no crying over last night’s dinner.  I can just get up on Wilson’s sister and go for a couple hour ride.  It will be nice to ride this morning.  I don’t have to get to work on time, I don’t have to chase down some skinny guy on a climb… just put on some music and roll through some cooler air! We’ve got two more cookout to go to today – hopefully I can use those as opportunities to improve my eating behaviour – not further upset myself.

A taste of victory in the morning!

A picture (or two) is worth 1000 words!

Safety is mine!

I'll take that gravel over the speed bump any day!

This made my day – THE CONCRETE IS LEAVING!

As many of you may recall – when I was on the 11Alive news with C0mmuter Dude we talked about some concrete on Cobb Parkway.  I’ve blogged about it.  I’ve emailed, I’ve emailed again and again!  I’ve been almost psycho about this mountain of concrete!

Today, I am on my way back from a less than average lunch ride not feeling so hot and I take a ‘wrong turn’.   I have developed a Concrete Detour to get around this pile of concrete.  As I come up the hill, I think I am seeing things.  I AM NOT!

GDOT has responded!

YES!  I stopped and asked them “Are you going to move this pile of concrete!”  One guy said “Well, we are gonna bust it all up and throw it in the truck if that’s what you meant?”  I said YES!  I explained to him how excited I was and now I had to get pictures.  I think he was pretty sure I was insane at this point and said “You cant stand here when we bust’r up!”  I said ok, took one more pic and off I went!

This is AWESOME!

Now THAT is what I am talking about!

My work here is DONE!

Walk To School Wednesday

Last night – I was thinking about all the cars that line up at bus stops.  Parents waiting for their kids to get on the bus.  I posted a status on twitter and facebook that started a bit of a ruckus.  What can I say – I have a way of stirring the pot.  Well, a few hours later I was told it was Walk to School day tomorrow… (today, but that’s what I was told).  Well, I guess if I am gonna talk the talk – it’s time to WALK the walk!  Good times!

Derek Walking to school

Derek and I set off about 6:50 and walked at a moderate pace the whole way there.  It was a BEAUTIFUL morning.  Sixty Eight degrees, sunny, clear!  Awesome.  We saw a lot of people running – but NOBODY walking to school.  We saw the high school cross country team training – lots of really skinny kids running faster than I probably ever could… about 60% of them said “good morning!” to us.  This was turning into a VERY positive experience for Derek and me.  I was glad we did it.

I have to confess, I was wondering “is it really walk to school day?”  I asked Derek and he said it was “on the news” at school so I just guessed that the lines at the bus stops were long and people were enjoying the comfortable drive to work in their pajamas.  I got to school and dropped Derek off and began the walk home.  Along the way I saw a few people walking towards school, maybe 10?  Oh well – better than the number we saw on the way!

Organized Walking

About half way home I looked up and saw something COMPLETELY AWESOME!  I’ve put a few things together and found out there was a “flyer” of some sort that said y0u could meet at a local church that is about 1/2 way from our home.  They had T-shirts for some of the kids.  I’m happy and sad to say, they didn’t have ENOUGH t-shirts.  Sad, because some of the munchkins got shafted.  Happy because more kids than they thought would walk, actually walked!  I think that is awesome!

Listen folx, I’m a 42 year old fat guy that cuts some corner and has lived a fatty guy lifestyle for a long time.  I am by no means perfect.  I had candy to eat yesterday, I crave chips and salsa 24×7, I ride a bicycle instead of running – because it’s easier – but if I can integrate healthier habits into my life I’m going to go out on a limb and say you can too.  The fact that today, I included my son in my healthy habit makes me feel pretty good about what I did.

I don’t know if THIS was Walk to School Wednesday, or if every Wednesday is a walk to school day – but I think I will try to work it into my schedule regardless!

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!