It's official, January is a perfect month. This morning I did one lap for a January total of 121 miles on my bike and 10,979 calories burned....well, according to mapmyride.com. I don't know how you can really know how many calories you burn. 11,000 calories sounds a bit inflated to me. As it gets warmer out and the days get longer it will be more like 121 miles a week rather than a month but we'll cross that bridge when we stumble over it.

5 miles in the snow today. It really wasn't too bad. I almost crashed on my second lap around the neighborhood, but otherwise it was kind of fun. I still prefer sunny, 70 degree, weather though.

Tomorrow is the last day of January. I just need to ride tomorrow and it will be a perfect month. Spring can't come fast enough. I can't wait to put on some real miles.

Day 29. I was supposed to ride 10 miles but I didn't. I only did one lap for 2.7 miles. No regrets, no apologies. I'm in this for the long haul.

Today I witnessed a very slender woman sit down at a table with a cheeseburger and fries. She dismantled the burger, tossing the buns aside and then cut and mixed what was left like a tossed salad and then ate it with a fork and knife. Interesting.

Day 28. Only a few more days to make January a perfect month. This is kind of exciting for me. Tomorrow the plan calls for a ten mile ride then 30 on Saturday. With snow in the forecast for Saturday I'm not sure what I should do. Maybe I could do a short ride and then make up the balance on the stationary. I want to stick with this but I don't want to get into a situation that's too dangerous. Am I over-thinking it?

I rode 12 miles tonight. I didn't think I was going to. I had almost decided to give up on the century idea for now. Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day according to the schedule. I'll still do one lap around the neighborhood (2.7 miles) just to keep my commitment to ride every day. Today is day 27.

I rode 10 miles tonight. It was a lot more work than usual, I realized when I finished that my rear tire was half flat. That would account for the extra effort I had to put in. According to the training schedule I have to ride 12 miles tomorrow.

6.4 miles tonight. It was 70 degrees today. I so wish I could have stayed home from work and spent the entire day on the bike.

I was in Austin 3 months ago today. I can't wait to go back there. Such a beautiful city.

Today's ride was unpleasant. Cold and wet. Tomorrow I need to ride 6 miles for the start of my century training. This week I'll almost double the miles I've ridden for the entire month so far. Crazy. Saturday I'm planning on riding 30 miles. I hope the weather is decent.

Day 23. Monday I plan to start an 8 week training program to prepare for a century. Can I do it? Anyone want to do it with me? 6 miles on Monday.

Carrying two brand new inner-tubes and an air pump when I ride seems to have made my tires impervious to flat causing road hazards. Who new?

I was reading a discussion today about men shaving their legs if they're serious about cycling. The most popular reason for shaving is because when you crash the hair clings to asphalt and pulls chunks of skin out. Ouch! The other's were aerodynamics and just because that's what cyclists do. Both of those reasons sound bogus to me. I'm not interested in extrication of chunks of skin from my leg in the event of a crash but I'm not interested in shaving either. I'll just have to not crash, I guess.

Cujo returns. I got quite a workout tonight just trying to out run the dog. I could here him barking from about 800 yards away but I couldn't see him until I was right next to him. He ran up the side of the road next to me, then at the last second dodged in behind me barking at my heels. He probably thinks it's funny to chase me and wouldn't actually bite me but I don't want to find out. LIVESTRONG!

Sleet was the sponsor of tonight's short ride. There's nothing quite like the sound of little frozen pellets bouncing off your helmet. Have I mentioned lately that I can't wait for spring?

I really can't wait to go up to Harrisburg, PA this spring and ride the Greenbelt. I did that once this past fall and I loved it.

I've been trying to plan a route for my first century. I'm a pansy as far as cyclists go because I don't like to ride in the road very much. I'm against becoming a hood ornament. So far my route will include Mount Vernon, VA up to the Curtis trail and then W & OD trail all the way to Purcellville, VA. I think that's only 65 miles though, so I need to think it through some more.

Day 20. Short ride tonight. I've actually started to lose a little weight. Not much but a couple of pounds. I didn't think these short rides would have any impact at all, so this is good news.

Today I delivered baseball stuff to a local sporting goods store. This is a good sign. It means that spring is coming. Can't wait.

I rode ten miles tonight. I think the problem with riding around my neighborhood is that I'm always no more than a mile from home. It's hard to be motivated to put on some real miles when home is so close. It's a different story when home is 10 miles away, I can't just stop and say I don't feel like riding anymore.

Tonight I almost ran over a rabbit. That's a first for me.

MapMyRide.com - Training Log for joorob

MapMyRide.com - Training Log for joorob

I need to start taking this seriously. The 2.7 miles a day is a shameful outrage. Tomorrow night I'll go for 10 miles.

LIVESTRONG Austin is 9 months away. I really can't wait. I had such a good time when I went in October. Well...except for the car breaking down and my mom spending the day in the hospital. Austin is such a beautiful city.

I rode in the rain this morning. Awesome.

Today my daughter, Avery, (3 1/2 yrs) wanted chocolate chips. After the 3rd time she asked my wife said NO! Then Avery pointed to her own face and said "does my face look happy?". What is this world coming to.

Right now Paige, Avery's fraternal twin, is having a colossal melt down and I don't have any idea what's about. The joys of parenthood.

I bought a new bike today. Well.... not NEW but different. $60, I found it on Craigslist. It's not much better than the one I've been riding but it's certainly not worse. The idea, for now, is to have a back up so if one needs attention then I can ride the other. That way I won't mess up my goal of riding everyday because I don't have a bike to ride.

I forced myself onto the bike tonight. I was looking forward to a long ride tomorrow but my wife is going out of town and I'll have to stay with the punkin' heads.

My bike needs some serious attention, as if this piece of junk wasn't embarrasing enough already it just keeps getting noisier.

Day 14.

I used to think that riding a bike versus driving a car was restrictive. On the contrary, traveling by bicycle is freedom. Well, it's a sense of freedom. Obviously I can't go as far or as fast if I'm on a bike as opposed to driving a car but traveling under my own power makes me feel in control of myself and I like that.

My immediate issue right now is bicycle maintenance. I can't afford to take my bike to the shop every time it's not acting right but I don't have the tools and skill to fix it myself yet. If I don't figure something out it could very soon be the end of my goal to ride everyday.

I'm looking forward to not riding my bike tonight since I did it this morning. 13 in a row. Will you be impressed when I say 300 in a row? You know I live to impress you, whomever you are. Well, at least one of you is my sister, or both sisters. Hello Ladies, I miss you.

I can't wait until a perfect weather day when I can spend the entire day out on the bike.

No Cujo Tonight

Tonight I apprehensivley passed the house where I encountered the dog last night. I was actually in the mood for a confrontation but no dog was found to confront.

My bike is making a bad noise when I peddle. I noticed it last night and tonight it's getting worse. I can't wait until warmer weather and longer days arrive. I'm tired of riding in the dark with 5 layers of clothing.

I've just been informed that American Idol is on tonight. I can't help it, I have to go watch.

Oh, Please be an invisible fence!

On tonight's ride as I was coming up Pine Street I encountered a big dog running through a yard with no fence. I had never seen the dog before. I peddled as fast as I could praying "Please be an invisible fence". Then the dog crossed the ditch between the road and the yard and was now on my heels. After some distance I thought the dog had given up and I stopped peddling. Then I heard...huff, huff, huff. I panicked and hauled "A" again not looking back the rest of the way home.

Today was the eleventh day in a row on the bike. I know that's no really significant yet, but we'll see how far I can get. How about I make a goal to do 30 days in a row and then go from there? Yeah, that's sounds good. 30 days in a row on the bike, rain or shine.

Today I did another short trip around the neighborhood (2.7 miles) then I worked on the recumbant bike for 30 minutes. Tomorrow is going to be a struggle, I have to be to work at 6 AM and will likely work 12 or more hours. Getting on the bike after a day like that is tough.

I was pleased to be able to ride my bike in the daylight today. Still just a short ride. We'll see if a longer ride is in the cards for tomorrow.

Day 8. I did a short ride tonight. Rode over ice and snow without crashing. Woo hoo!

I realized tonight that Lance Armstrong and I are exactly the same. Well...almost. If Lance was a perpetual under-achiever and he had a keg instead of a six pack and if he rode his bike carrying the weight of a 150 pound sack of potatoes, then we'd be exactly the same. Like twins.

LIVESTRONG!

I haven't ridden my bike yet tonight, I'm waiting for my wife to get home from taking Molly to the vet.

Molly is old. She may be near the end of her journey, poor girl.

I can see my side profile reflected in the window next to me. I need to do some sit-ups.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Sucking air

Sucking in frigid air and fireplace smoke while trying to climb a hill on a bike is unpleasant. Tomorrow's forecast is snow. We'll see how my streak will fair with 2 inches of snow on the ground. Maybe I'm just obsessive enough to ride anyway.

Today I was thinking about a quote I heard recently. It goes something like this: "Why should lack of planning on your part create an emergency on my part?" I wish I could remember it better. It seems to be making a point that if you're unprepared it isn't fair that it causes me to have to hustle. While I understand the point I still think it's bogus. I think most of our problems in life are caused by our own deficiencies. It's called being human. Helping someone who is having a human experience is what nurtures the goodness in us all. At some point in our lives each of us will get the distinct honor of being the village idiot, some of us more than others. And it's at those times others will have to clean up the mess. We'll all get a turn.

I worked 13 hours today. After I tucked the kids in bed I rode around the block on my bike. 6 days in a row now.

Today I had to give my supervisor at work a driving test so he can be qualified to drive the big trucks. That was weird. I asked him if he was nervous, he said he wasn't but he was apprehensive. I don't really know what the difference is.

Tonight my best friend, Shane, is trying stand-up comedy for the first time. I wish I could be there to witness it.

I just got back from tonight's ride. A very short one. I've been hearing a creaking sound when I ride. I've been worried that the frame isn't holding up and a creaking sound could be evidence of that. I checked it out and I think the sound is coming from the seat springs, nothing to worry about. If the frame gave up the ghost while I'm coasting down hill at 30 MPH I hope somebody would call an ambulance for me.

I'm tired tonight and I have to be at work at 6:00 AM tomorrow.

I did it in the dark!

I rode 5 miles in the dark tonight. 4 for 4 so far. Not many miles but I'll get there. I would like to try a century this spring.

Another day in Paradise

It was even colder this morning than yesterday. Still, I managed to ride 5 miles. I really can't wait until summer.

Good news: I adjusted the brakes on my bike. Now I can stop.

It's guaranteed that if I ride tomorrow it will be in the dark. I don't like riding in the dark. Pot holes and deer are just two things I'm afraid of encountering in the dark. Wish me luck.

Colder than a well digger's shovel.

Three weeks ago I was in a car accident. My truck had been in the shop for repairs and I've been driving a rented truck. Today I returned the rental. I decided it would be a great idea to put my bike in the rented truck and then ride the bike home. I also needed to go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. The temp outside was 20F with a wind chill of 7. Brrrr!

I must have looked like a lunatic all bundled up and riding down the road trying to keep the bike moving in a straight line, fighting the wind. Mission accomplished! I rode 4 miles. I'm thinking about trying to ride everyday this year, although I'm not sure if I want to commit to that goal. I'm 2 for 2 so far. We'll see how it goes.

Happy New Year

Today, to celebrate the new year, I rode my bike 2.5 miles. That's one lap around the neighborhood. 5 months ago I pulled my bike out of the shed, pumped up the tires and rode the same 2.5 miles. What a difference! I thought I would have a heart attack when I did this last summer. It actually felt good to do it today.

I never thought I'd love riding the bike like I do. It completely changes the way I feel about myself. This is why I wish I could make a living do it so I could do it all the time, but I've got to pay the mortgage so I'll just have to stay behind the wheel of the big truck.

So here's to a new year. May it be full of hope, success and good times. Lots of love, laughter and warm hugs to everyone.

Happy New Year.