Back on track

Sort of! I am back to exercising more often. I have gone to the gym the past two Mondays and each week I schedule the next week's workout, so that's one good spot each week. On Tuesdays I have figured out that I can get an appointment as soon as they open in the afternoons and still JUST finish in time to pick up the big kids after band. From there on the week gets complicated, but last Wednesday I managed a very short bike ride and this week I'll have time as well; starting next week I'll have to take Mary to art class after school, but if I am changed and ready to go when I pick her up, I can cram a short ride or run in on decent weather days after art class. Thursdays I might be able to get to the gym, if we don't want a complicated dinner and I can be home by 5:30 so I can get everybody out the door to scouts and me to choir practice. Last week I just ditched exercise on Thursday. And on Fridays it will just be a 25 minute walk downtown, as it has been in the past, but it's still something. With the new bike I have a new source of guilt to get me out of the house for at least ONE long ride on the weekends. I won't consider the bike earned until I've ridden at least 2000 miles on it -- so that may take a couple of years at a minimum!

Last week my first ride felt pretty good, but it was on the Huckleberry Trail, which was covered with debris and busy with people running, so I couldn't get going very fast. And I couldn't go far, since the kids were unsupervised at home (with a friend, no less!). And then I managed to knock the computer off my bike and send it flying, and it took me 10 minutes to track it down. So it wasn't great exercise. On Sunday, however, the ride was VERY serious exercise, but it felt terrible. The first two or three miles were great, because they were entirely downhill -- often very fast. But I knew, halfway down, that I was doomed on the return trip. It was a brutal uphill climb, 7 or 8% at times, and 6.2% on average, according to the map! I thought my heart was going to explode. I had to walk half of it, and that took forever. I've mapped out a much longer ride that has a much less steep return, though the road is long and winding, so I'm worried about that.

Anyway, my weight oscillated between 145 and 145.5 all week -- I seldom see it so consistent. Today it obligingly dropped to 143.5 despite the glass of wine with dinner and my attempt to polish off the remaining cheesecake in the fridge (it's been there since New Year's and I'm the only one who understands how important progress is on defeating cheesecakes -- only one slice left!). In short, no real progress, but at least I'm feeling slightly less blobby.