418 Miles Total for July.

WOW! The second half of my ride was a riders high of happiness.  And it was getting dark.  So it is what it is.  But dang I could have kept going.
I did 24.3 miles in the morning and another 27.1 miles after 6 in the evening.   So I totaled 51.4 miles today.   Ending this month with cycling 418 miles.  Again super happy with this month.  

WEIGHT LOSS & IGNORING THE SCALE

Weight loss is a completely different journey for everyone, and if you have good genetics, it's never a factor for you.  Some people can go there whole life and maintain there weight, while others struggle there whole life.
Weight loss is a staging journey to understand how your own body functions and it a trial and error.
People are overwhelmed with Diets, diet's this diet's that & did I mention more diets.  Ginger water diet, South Beach Diet, Adkins Diets, 33 Diet and the list goes on forever. Then there is Weight watchers and clinics that pander to people in desperate need.  And the sad part is they end up gaining weight while there on the program. And when they quit they gain even more weight, doubling after they quite.
Weight loss is a learned skill that a person must learn, it can't be bought.  You have to do it your self, find a system that work for you and stick to it, fine tuning it a long your own personal journey.
This is what I have done.
1. No diet.
2. Do not have any snacks, or junk food, ice cream, hanging around the house. (Period)   Don't give your self an excuse to nibble, and eat empty calories.    
3.  Food adjustment.   Meaning cutting out bread,condiments and other things that I do not need.
4. Stop over buying, because if you have too much it gives you an excuse to eat it.
5.Life is not about having a dessert after every meal and every time you shop treating your self.  How ever you still can have these things, but make it once or twice a month.
6. Exercise.  Do something every day that going to make you get out of breath and raise your heart beat.  Push your self and when you reach that limit stop and cool down. Start small and work your way up.
7. Keep track of what you do.  This is very important it give you reference to see your own progress.

The pictures above are exactly year and two weeks apart.  And now for about ignoring the scale part.   I have lost weight yet I have remained the same weight.  Wait what?   I have gain muscle mass and lost inches, but my weight has not changed.  I know that sound strange, but it is true.
From Google:
 It may sound strange, but it's possible to get thinner without actually seeing a change in your weight. This happens when you lose body fat while gaining muscle. Your weight may stay the same, even as you lose inches, a sign that you're moving in the right direction.

Another weird thing is you can drop pants sizes while remaining the same weight too.  I've gone 4 pant sizes and still weight 255.     So funny things happen and you just got to keep exercising and don't let the scale deter you.

ON MY WAY TO 400 miles for the whole month of July.

 WOW What great way to end this month.  All I have to do is ride just 13 more miles and I'll be at 400 miles.  Compared to last year I only did 158.16 miles.  So yeah I'm feeling happy. 

I swear there is always something gone on in the park.  I saw two cops standing by a car with two tiny toddlers alone in the car with the window up and no parents in site.  That is super scary and super sad.  When I past back around the cop and car were gone. The parents are probably going to have to deal with social services.  Big no no leaving kids in the car when it's this hot.

And I'm so happy that this month I finally broke free from the park and am actually cycling with cyclist.  Ever time I would ride in the park, that is all I would think about, when am I going to go some place else other than the park.    But in retrospect I'm really glad I practice riding in the park.  1. I am a expert at missing pot holes.  2.  It has help me practicing breaking fast.  I can easily stop very quickly at speed of 18 to 20 miles an hour.   In fact I had to do that today.  3. Having people, dog's and kids keep me on my toes.   So yeah cycling thought the park for me is very helpful for cycling skills.  

Looking back at our ride to Paradise the second time my speedometer average.  10.5
And on the current ride to paradise it averaged. 
13.6.  Hell yeah!     I'm improving. 

So here is my new goal for August. 
204.05 miles.   
Can't wait to see what August holds for me. 

14.1 Miles Easy Ride with Hubby.

 I really miss my sassy Black Cat Jersey, it's going to be a while before I can get a new one and thankfully my hubby is kind enough to be letting me borrow his cookie monster jersey.    
Took is really easy ride with hubby. He did 8 miles and I did 14.1 miles.  We have a meeting area at 1 mile.  This way he can rest and I can go a little further.  

Well dang out at Trump Towers aka The gun club up at Horse shoe lake I am so glad I stop to drink some water.  Really super glad.    Their was a lady yelling at two guys coming in front of the gun club she hopped in her car and sped down the road at high speed disregarding the speed bump's.  Well like the key stone cop's the two guys jump in their huge trucks and are peeling out so fast in the gravel their fish tailing.  Oh it get better.   A sedan going slow passes me and goes down the hill at normal speed, and tweetle dee and tweedle dumb flying at high speed as they turn the corner to head down the road and both truck pass the sedan, pushing the car off the road.  They both pass side by side.  So three car side by side hell of fast.   Like WOW!   And these are the people with the guns.  I fell so safe  NOT!   

Everyone says I have strong legs.  You what to know why?  I'm a window painter my living is climbing up and down ladders for 5 to 6 hours at a time and to top it off I've been climbing ladders sense I was 17, but for the last past 11 years it's I been stair stepping for a living.  

37.4 miles left and for the month of July I'll have done 400 miles.   Talking about feeling awesome.   WOW!    So tomorrow I'm going to make it to 400 miles. 

And I'm going to be riding with WOW again. No not World of War Craft.  Women on Wheels. 
It's been frying lately so it's a nice way to do a long ride with out frying.  

40 MILES AWESOME RIDE TO PARADISE

 Nothing taste better than a sweaty glove.  Yuck.   I was not even thinking about the glove in my mouth.  I was waiting for two cyclist behind me and trying to take a picture as fast as I could, and get my gloves back on.   Please just ignore the fact that I'm biting the middle finger.  LOL

What a awesome ride with a awesome group of people. There was a good group about 14 ish.  Yes it was hard.  This is officially  my 3rd time up to Paradise on a bike.  Feeling happy.   And this time unlike the last two times I only stop half way up for a bit.  The first two times with hubby was gruling and we had to walk some parts and take way more breaks. 

Oh if your wondering were my Black Cat Jersey is, it died the zipper came off on both side.  😢   I'll get another one eventually.  Hubby is loaning me his Jersey.  

On my way to the meeting point I got hit by a huge June Bug, yes they hiss when you touch them.  Beautiful beetle.  And he didn't want to move  LOL.  I was like Dude you got to move on I got a ride to go to.  So we parted ways.


Here is the stats on the ride.
From the Covered Bridge to Paradise is exactly 5.44 mile.
The bike ride has a total accent of 1227.11 ft and has a  maximum elevation of 1,684.81ft.  
So it's a great climb.  

Our very first ride to Paradise it took my hubby and I 4 hours. I did not have a speedometer back then.
Our second time to Paradise it took us 1 1/2 hours.   With a average speed of 10.6.   

The third time my average speed was 13.6.

 ???   Well this was 34.6 when I stop to rest at Hass Beans.  It went down. Weird. 

34.3 MILES TO CENTERVILLE & WOW

 YA!!!!   What a awesome ride today with a awesome group of women. Thanks to Kathryn Haas for inviting me to WOW & thanks to Samantha Foley Back for some great pictures of the group ride.   No I didn't take any pictures this time.

I'm so happy I made it all the way to the top. The last time I did that ride I had a mini bonk at were the road narrows, but that day I road 50 miles so yeah.  I was tired. 

So what next.  PARADISE!  I'm really excited about this, the last time I rode to paradise was 6/2/2016.   It will be another Friday group ride.

Awwwww so cute on the last mile up I was greeted by a Ma ma deer with her baby they crossed really close right in front of me.  For me that was the icing on the cake.
 

I also got figs on the brain, our fig tree is going to ripen soon and the whole ride up their is nothing but figs,  lot's and lot's of fig trees.  But from what I can tell none of them are producing.   Figs are highly temperamental and need 100% perfect conditions to produce fruit. Lot's of trees with no fruit.     Their good for a long ride, because their crammed packed with minerals and vitamins.    So homemade fig bars for riding is a must.  

I'm kind of torn I still want to do the Fun 50, but the hot weather just does a number on me.  So I'm going to pass.  I need to focus on more hill climbing and going to Paradise their is going to be a lot.  

Here is my states from my last ride to Centerville.  Note: Not the Cycle Sport one that was 50 miles. 

First Ride:        2 Ride: --     3rd Ride:
27.4 Miles           -----           34.3
2:02:10 Time      -----           2:33:13
13.9 ave              -----            13.9 ave
34.1 max            ------            32.8 max
1640 calories      -------          2100 calories
5.4 CO2             ------             6.8 CO2

13.2 MILE

 Just a small ride today, nothing exciting.   
But tomorrow will be exciting.  Going to Centerville with the WOW club.  Women on Wheels.    Can't wait.  

 760 calories.

CYCLING IS A JOURNEY TO SUFFERING & HAPPIENSS

  TO SUFFER IS TO BE HAPPY......... Susen

12.5 MILES 7/23/2017 SECOND HELPING.

 And another helping of cycling.  😁
Added another 12.5 miles with hubby to make it 25.0

Well once again came around a corner this time not in the park and their was a dog off the leash, but this time no owner.  I was going 18 mph and that dog and I was lucky.  It was only about a food away from my bike or less.   It would have been whamo! if it had moved toward me.  

When we ride to 1 mile hubby stay's in the park and I ride on the outer road.  Save's my rods.  

My poor poor hubby really suffered this time.   We use Swiss Miss chocolate powder for our coffee every now and then, but ran out.  So we decided to try some hot chocolate mix from the bins.   It looked healthier and only had three ingredients.   Well it gave him the worst case of Hive's ever and the hot bike ride only made it worse.   So no more Hot chocolate mix for him and no bike riding until this clears up.   Now if it's not the chocolate powder were going to have to figure out what it was.     


And another thing I've been contemplating is 100 miles.   :(    Well if the days are going to get shorter, that going to present a problem.   If I get a wild look in my eye I might go for it.  But I don't want to fry my self.    So play it by ear.   The other option I have been thinking about is just stick with doing 50 miles more often, that's have way to 100.  

Probably not going to do a bike ride tomorrow.