NOW WHAT? *

UPDATE:   Well I started off good and then took a head dive, NOW WHAT?  No sense in having it say Cycling Journal when I'm not cycling, so I changed it to Health Journal.   Life is all about change and things really changed.   I have to rethink every thing now.  So I'm going to talk about healthy eating and why it does matter.  However I really do miss being on the bike. :(   
I haven't been doing anything and that's really bad.  My energy level are shot.  I've gain 4 pounds, but my size 12 still fit, so it could be water weight?   I'm not that worried about that part. That has happened before. 
What can I do?
I'm going to try to walk very (very) slowly on the treadmill.  Even if it's for 5 minutes.   That's a start.  Don't panic I'm not going to take pictures of my self walking on the treadmill.  51 miles on the bike Yes,  5 minutes on the treadmill, No.     

If your wondering about the window paintings.  I took the painkillers together at the same time and then crashed afterwards.

CRAP*

UP DATE:    Well this month has officially gone down the drain.  We did one awesome bike ride and that was it. I really believe that this would have been over and done with quickly, I was wrong.   Healing is not going really fast.  Went back to the dentist to see what was going on.  The Good news every thing is healing just fine.  The bad news, by pulling the tooth out they over stretched the ligaments on both sides of my jaw, which is 1000 times more painful than the tooth that I had pulled.   What I thought was gum pain was not gum pain, it was ligament pain.  I've been eating nothing but cottage cheese, yogurt, eggs for protein and soup.   My energy level is crap.  And the sucky part is that this might last another week.  :(    Even walking hurts.  I'm on Ibuprofen & Acetaminophen at the same time.   When I take them both at the exact same time, I'm pain free for one hour.  Then the pain come right back.   And oh yeah I get to carry around a Fiji water bottle full of piping hot water so I can function.  

P.s The next post will have nothing to do with my mouth.   Moving on.

ME ZERO. STATIONARY BIKE ONE.*

Well I think I should rename the blog.  Going no where fast while whining.  It's been over a full 7 days now.   My hubby suggested the stationary bike in the rec room,  I'm so glad I listened to him.   I got on and about 5 minutes into the ride my mouth started to throb really bad. :(   Being stuck up at the park in this condition would have been really bad. 

I might want to elaborate my on my poor mouth.  I had a tooth pulled.  Yeah no big deal, well at all the ends of my teeth their hooked like a fish hook.  So pulling it out is not easy.  They have to work it back and forth and back and forth. I could hear my jaw snapping, well you get the idea.  And eating on once side is really taxing,  I have two teeth on my low right side missing, so my gums are getting beaten to a pulp.
I think this is going to be my last post for a while until I'm fully healed.    Me rambling about my sorry mouth isn't fun.  I rather be rambling about cycling.   Hopefully I heal fast and be back out on the road.  

This is the exciting view from the stationary bike. Stunning isn't it.

OUT WHERE THE FAUCETS DON'T RUN*

My hubby talked me out of a bike ride today, and he's right.  I should let my mouth heal one more day,  a lot of our paths we take are quite bumpy and all that jarring might make my mouth sore, so he's right and beside the painkiller is wearing off.   So here I am random blogging. 

Just being on a bike can and will make you 99.9% happier than you were, it's called a Cycling High.  And like this poster says it's really true. You can't not be sad while riding a bike. We have been cycling for a full three years now and yeah you have the poker face riders that pass you buy, but serious riders do that to conserve energy and build discipline and focus. But for the most part it's smiles all the way.  Chris and I have learned over time that cycling is a secret club once you do it, people on bikes are a lot more friendlier to you.   We have been help out so many times by complete strangers.  And they really do bend over backwards to help you, asking for nothing in return.    We had a flat tire on Honey run one time and were walking 3 1/2 miles out of the valley and a couple stopped us and freely helped us change the tire.  That was a life saver.   But now we know what to do, Chris changes flats and I taught my self how to true the wheels and fix the brakes.  We never leave any tools or tubes behind, because once were out where the faucets don't run, that's it, were on our own. 

In the beginning we really thrashed our bike really bad with our weight.  Between Chris and I we were bending the back rim all the time and that would screw up the brakes, so we would have to take off the brakes.  It was a real hassle and a tad on the expensive side, but we kept fixing and riding.   And with our weight we were getting flats right and left.  As of now, our reduced weight has fixed that problem.  :)    We no longer have that many glitches.  Saving money is good. 

The best time to ride your bike is from 7:00am in the morning to 11:00.   Why? Well because in the morning it is cooler, and the UV rays are at their weakest, and it's the best time to get your natural dose of vitamin D.   And being out side in the fresh air in the morning does wonders for you mental health.  After 12:00 is not so good, because the UV rays are stronger and were sun tan lotion and cycling is a pain in the tookis.   Riding with sun tan lotion turns you into a human fly paper, everything sticks to you.  And when you sweat, it runs down into your eyes and make you feel really yucky.

Ahh yeah and the bugs.  Who needs cliff bars when you have bugs.  The faster you ride the more protein you get.  I was riding one time and kept feeling this stinging pain on my chest and itching it, but not really doing anything else, until it was a stinging jab, unzipped my shirt and low and behold it was a wasp, I quickly flicked it out.   I had bugs fly up my nose, hit my teeth, I've choked on them I even had a butterfly hit me between the eyes.  From 7 to 13 miles an hour no bugs to worry about.  From 14 to 20 I need to put a napkin under my chin.    Catching a big fly in my mouth is not fun.
hmm new idea for a cliff bar flavor.   Nut & Bugs, but I don't think it would be a big sell.

So if you see any black spots on my teeth, it's not seeds from my cliff bar.

Toddles for now.  

Yeah I know I'm being way over dramatic.  But it's fun. ;)  

Yes their a light at the end of the tunnel. 
My jaw feel so much better today.
My sore on my inner thigh is about gone.
And the bike is calling my name. 

hmmm maybe today. :)  It's so nice out side. 

RANDOM CYCLING PICTURES

Can't do much with a very sore mouth, and what appears to be a very sore area on my inner thigh....ect  :(   So I'll post some random pictures of our adventures.   3 days feels like three weeks.
I really can't wait to get back on the bike. 

This was my 41 mile bike ride back and fourth thought the park.   Chris was at Chico State and my legs were killing me, so off I went.  I went from 1 mile to Horse shoe lake four times.  

Random picture of me debating weather I want to cross.   Ha   I did.

 Ahhh got to Honey run bridge and it was closed.   It was too early. 

 We didn't cross it, but when it went down latter in the week we did with our legs up.

 Out on old Oroville Chico High Way headed home.

 Behind me is two very old train caboose's. Who know how long they have been their?

 Yeah !  This the picture I took the moment we made it to Paradise.  We looked and felt like Zombies.  We were the living dead. 

 Going home from the Chico Airport.  A nice 20 mile ride.  

 A nice bike path that take us to were we want to go.

A very old rest point we no longer use due to dangerous traffic.   This is Star Bucks on East Ave.  We now cut off at Marigold and take the back roads. 

4/6/2016 *

YES this is how I'm feeling this week is kaput for cycling.  I totally forgot I had a dentist appointment.  My face feeling like a inflated chipmunk that got hold of helium.  My hubby will be riding by him self.    My legs feel really bad and I feel bad. :(  Nothing like missing three to four good days of cycling.  Like I said before my leg's are go go go and since their not go go going their starting to cramp.  UHG!    I'm self medicating right now with a medium Dutch Brothers.  Coffee fixes every thing.    Well looking on the brighter side at least this won't be a three week ordeal.  Around the end of November I had Bronchitis that killed the entire month.

2/5/2016 :( :( :( *

No riding today. :(   I have a sore area on my dairy air, so riding is not going to happen.   I'm literally having a mini melt down.   My legs are go go go, and I'm saying No no no.  This is really going to be one messed up day.  :(   
We were suppose to ride out to the coverage bridge today, Waaaaaa.
And what really sucks is we took the 3rd off for a break and the 4th was a really busy day, so no riding.  Ahhhh the 5th and this happens.  Sob sob sob.  


SO.

                                                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                  

RANDOM MUSINGS ON CYCLING *

                                                                         

     We are trying to take a break today and sometimes it is not easy.   We been cycling for about 3 years now and we no longer own our legs, our legs own us.   When you get in to a pattern of doing something over and over your body responds by thinking it's part of the normal daily activity and if you don't do it, it your body will have a temper tantrum literally.   If we stay off the bikes for a period of three days it will ruin our day, we don't right and feel horrible.    Chris legs will
cramp up something awful and mind well they don't cramp, but they feel real tense.
Then we jump on the bikes and go for a jot and all of a sudden our legs are purring.    With rides over 20 to 30 miles our legs will fell great and not make a peep.

 The Benefits of cycling are through the roof,  I've tried jogging for a while in intervals rather than all the time and found it rather jarring. I had to stop, due to the fact that I have Obturator Nerve symptoms.   My therapist did not recommend jogging anymore, but said cycling is great.   

 The health benefits of regular cycling include:

• increased cardiovascular fitness.
• increased muscle strength and flexibility.
• improved joint mobility.
• decreased stress levels.
• improved posture and coordination.
• strengthened bones.
• decreased body fat levels.
• prevention or management of disease  

And so much more.

And there is really funny side effects to being active.
I have really super thick hair and well, I use to lose it in massive amounts, clumps horrible huge clumps, my hair would come out.  Well ever sense we started Cycling that has completely stopped.   My hubby had a horrible toe fungus that almost took his toe nail completely off.  Now his toe is super healthy and normal looking.   When were have a cut or bruise it heals super fast.  

We started out our journey by.

1. Walking around one block.
2.  Riding with our bikes 1 1/2 miles. At the time that was all we could manage, getting their and back was so tiring.  Heaving and Panting.  But we kept doing it.
3.  I'm not going to say eating healthier, because we already were. But I will say cutting back and cutting out.  Just remodifying what we were eating.
4. When we got to were doing 1 1/2 miles weren't killing us, we went further, then further. 
5. Not riding easy, but doing a hard ride and getting the heart pumping.  
6. Pushing our selves to do better. 
7. And making Goals for our selves.

Our goal is to do 100 miles.    This is going to very difficult and challenging.   60 miles is know as the drop point.  People get to 60 miles and they fall like flies.  But if you can get past that magic number of 60 your good to go and that's our goal.  

Like I always say Slow and steady wins the race, fast and furious fall on your face.    





                                                      

             

APRIL 2nd. 2016 22.23 miles *

 22.23 miles down a old route to the airport.   Great weather, I really hope it stays like this, but it won't :(

Found a new little path to take to avoid traffic.  The less were on the main roads the less flats we get and the more money we save, so that a good thing.  All of our flats have been on main roads.   
Saw a Jack Rabbit, but the highlight of the ride was seeing a pair of American Bitterns fly over up.  YES!   Awesome.    Not a colorful bird but a very beautiful bird that I have had the chance of meet up close and personal.

Here is an American Bittern in flight, they are very distinct in their look when they fly. Short neck and large wings.   








Now I really don't know what kind of bittern I encountered, but I do remember looking right in their big yellow eyes.   Long story short.  Me sneeking up on Coots in grass, like below.  Me turn my head and looking into a big huge yellow eye. The Bittern's eye was not just close, but put it this way I could have, if I wanted to grabbed the bird with my hands.  I really don't know who was scared more, me or it.  I screamed, It did what ever it did and we both departed quickly.

      The only crazy (human) we saw to day was a guy comeing toward us down the wrong side of the road and acting like we were on the wrong side.  (rolling eyes) Really.    So other wise just a lazy day ride.                                

16 MILE DURHAM RIDE *

16 Mile Durham ride.   It took us 2 hours to do the very first time.  We know can do it in 1 hour and 15 minutes.  I say that is an improvement.  Not many pictures with this ride, but more huffing and puffing.  


 

 16 miles is nothing to us now, but back then it was like WOW we did it.  And talk about not fitting the profile of a cyclist.  We got the looks of like WTF?     We been biking over 3 years and we our selves have only seen two other people who were at the time our size.   We mainly see very athletic and skinny people.  And what's really cool we see a lot of elderly couples that look to be in their 70 and 80's.    You don't see that with people who run and if you do it's on the new's because it's that rare.   

       Stunning.  I'm sporting my elegant cycling cloth and leather jacket.  LOL   It was cold.   What can I say Chris and I ride in our own style.  We didn't have our sporty back packs yet, so as you can see we had to carry everything in plastic bag, mind you designer plastic bags.