BIKE: Mike
TIME THERE: 26 min.
TIME BACK: 27 min.
WEATHER: clear, -2C, 9 km/hr wind there; clear, 9C, 9 km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: yoga pants, t-shirt, sweatshirt, running gloves, balaclava (balaclava in panniers on the way home)
NOTES:
Sometimes, I lose faith in humanity.
I know - what gives? It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining and it's warm outside and there's a palpable sense of hope that winter may really and finally be over. I was in a great mood today, really, for all those reasons and more . . . until I came across this picture and the accompanying commentary.
This distressed me for several reasons:
1. Because some people insist that if you aren't personally affected by a tragedy, you have no right to have any emotional reaction to it (basically: SCREW YOU, EMPATHY!).
2. Because some people insist that if you can't laugh at someone's tragic death, you're putting on some "mock indignation" and are a total pussy.
3. Because there are people in the world who enjoy this picture because it's a car plowing through a pack of cyclists, and as drivers who hate cyclists they wish this would happen more often.
Shudder. Sometimes when I think of the anger and self-righteousness of some drivers, so protected as they sit surrounded in their 2000 lbs of metal and safety features, who disparage the rights of remarkably vulnerable cyclists with whom they share the road, I lose faith in people. And I also lose faith in people when I read someone arguing that there is no difference between viewing a picture of a real-life tragedy and watching a fiction film. Really, people??
Good Lord! What's this world coming to??
Friday, March 5, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Six Months in Pictures
A pictorial representation of my weight loss in the first six months of my year-long bike-commuting challenge:
THE START:
AFTER ONE MONTH:
AFTER TWO MONTHS:
AFTER THREE MONTHS:
AFTER FOUR MONTHS:
AFTER FIVE MONTHS:
AFTER SIX MONTHS:
Whenever I start thinking that this effort isn't worth the results, perhaps I should look back on those photos of me from the beginning of my bike-commuting challenge to remind me exactly why I'm doing this, and why I intend to keep it going!
THE START:
AFTER ONE MONTH:
AFTER TWO MONTHS:
AFTER THREE MONTHS:
AFTER FOUR MONTHS:
AFTER FIVE MONTHS:
AFTER SIX MONTHS:
Whenever I start thinking that this effort isn't worth the results, perhaps I should look back on those photos of me from the beginning of my bike-commuting challenge to remind me exactly why I'm doing this, and why I intend to keep it going!
Week Twenty-Seven - Day Four: SPRING!
BIKE: Mike
TIME THERE: 26 min.
TIME BACK: 26 min.
WEATHER: overcast, 0C, no wind there; clear, 8C, 11 km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: yoga pants, t-shirt, sweatshirt, running gloves, folded-up balaclava (balaclava in panniers on the way home)
NOTES:
Spring is in the air! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, even the wind has a warm edge to it. Where before the bike-commute was becoming an unpleasant event in my day during which I would cringe my way over snow-mousse and absorb angry barrages from raging motorists, I now yearn to be out on the streets! I love the sound of my studded tires rolling over asphalt. I even love the ting-ting-ting sound they make as I cruise over the metal bridge. I love being able to get my speed up again without fear of slipping on patches of ice and snow because the major roads are pretty well clear now. I even got to wear a sweatshirt today. A sweatshirt!! I felt so free and unencumbered, so light, so ready for spring!
With the sun and the ever-clearing roads and the mild weather, I can feel whatever dark cloud was hanging over me the past week or two is melting away. It's been replaced by gratitude and optimism and hope. Thank God for that! Things were starting to feel a little bleak there. And now, I'm doing a bit of jogging as part of my walking my daughter to and from daycare every day, and I've joined a recreational flag football league that starts in April. Everything is looking up!
Now, if only I had someone to share it with . . . sigh . . .
TIME THERE: 26 min.
TIME BACK: 26 min.
WEATHER: overcast, 0C, no wind there; clear, 8C, 11 km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: yoga pants, t-shirt, sweatshirt, running gloves, folded-up balaclava (balaclava in panniers on the way home)
NOTES:
Spring is in the air! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, even the wind has a warm edge to it. Where before the bike-commute was becoming an unpleasant event in my day during which I would cringe my way over snow-mousse and absorb angry barrages from raging motorists, I now yearn to be out on the streets! I love the sound of my studded tires rolling over asphalt. I even love the ting-ting-ting sound they make as I cruise over the metal bridge. I love being able to get my speed up again without fear of slipping on patches of ice and snow because the major roads are pretty well clear now. I even got to wear a sweatshirt today. A sweatshirt!! I felt so free and unencumbered, so light, so ready for spring!
With the sun and the ever-clearing roads and the mild weather, I can feel whatever dark cloud was hanging over me the past week or two is melting away. It's been replaced by gratitude and optimism and hope. Thank God for that! Things were starting to feel a little bleak there. And now, I'm doing a bit of jogging as part of my walking my daughter to and from daycare every day, and I've joined a recreational flag football league that starts in April. Everything is looking up!
Now, if only I had someone to share it with . . . sigh . . .
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Week Twenty-Seven - Day Three: Make My Day!
BIKE: Mike
TIME THERE: 26 min.
TIME BACK: 25 min. (woot woot!)
WEATHER: overcast, -6C, 6 km/hr wind there; clear, 6C, 4 km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: warm-up pants, t-shirt, fleece jacket, running gloves, balaclava (folded up so it's basically like a toque)
NOTES:
I'm not sure who it was, but someone absolutely made my day today!
I was a bit of a cranky-pants this morning. I stayed home with my sick toddler on Monday and Tuesday, which is never either fun or fitness-promoting, so when I awoke this morning I was feeling unfit and in desperate need of a good bike-commute. At the same time, I was so exhausted from the intensity of caring for my sick daughter over the past couple days and having had a terrible night of sleep because of her frequent waking, that when I awoke this morning I dreaded my commute. I was almost hoping that my daughter's fever had come back so I wouldn't have to drag my exhausted body through the motions of my usual commuting routine.
Luckily, my daughter was fine, and I had to force myself back into my daily routine. I walked her to daycare in the stroller, walked home, and mounted my bike for the first time since last Thursday (wow, it's been almost a week!). It felt soooo gooooood to be back! The streets are clearer than they were the last time I rode, as the winter ice is slowly melting away - even the side streets and sidewalks are becoming passable again. It felt good to use my legs, fill my lungs with fresh morning air, and feel the crisp air on my cheeks.
But what felt the best of all was when I was riding down 124 Street towards the bend in the road where it turns into Jasper Avenue, when a red car pulled up beside me and a woman yelled out, "GO LAUREN!!" I looked over at her just in time to catch that she was a brunette, but I didn't see her face. Who are you, Mysterious Woman, and why are you cheering me on? I laughed out loud as soon as I heard it, responded with something idiotic like, "Yay, me!", and proceeded to wear a ridiculous grin on my face for the next couple blocks.
Now THAT'S the kind of people-yelling-at-me-from-their-cars that I can really get behind! I think I need more of that in my day. Thank you for the encouragement, Mysterious Woman! I needed it - especially today - and it couldn't have been more appreciated.
Now on that note, as I can hardly keep my eyes open, I'm going to have my shower and go to bed EARLY! I'm just hoping my daughter will let me sleep tonight . . .
TIME THERE: 26 min.
TIME BACK: 25 min. (woot woot!)
WEATHER: overcast, -6C, 6 km/hr wind there; clear, 6C, 4 km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: warm-up pants, t-shirt, fleece jacket, running gloves, balaclava (folded up so it's basically like a toque)
NOTES:
I'm not sure who it was, but someone absolutely made my day today!
I was a bit of a cranky-pants this morning. I stayed home with my sick toddler on Monday and Tuesday, which is never either fun or fitness-promoting, so when I awoke this morning I was feeling unfit and in desperate need of a good bike-commute. At the same time, I was so exhausted from the intensity of caring for my sick daughter over the past couple days and having had a terrible night of sleep because of her frequent waking, that when I awoke this morning I dreaded my commute. I was almost hoping that my daughter's fever had come back so I wouldn't have to drag my exhausted body through the motions of my usual commuting routine.
Luckily, my daughter was fine, and I had to force myself back into my daily routine. I walked her to daycare in the stroller, walked home, and mounted my bike for the first time since last Thursday (wow, it's been almost a week!). It felt soooo gooooood to be back! The streets are clearer than they were the last time I rode, as the winter ice is slowly melting away - even the side streets and sidewalks are becoming passable again. It felt good to use my legs, fill my lungs with fresh morning air, and feel the crisp air on my cheeks.
But what felt the best of all was when I was riding down 124 Street towards the bend in the road where it turns into Jasper Avenue, when a red car pulled up beside me and a woman yelled out, "GO LAUREN!!" I looked over at her just in time to catch that she was a brunette, but I didn't see her face. Who are you, Mysterious Woman, and why are you cheering me on? I laughed out loud as soon as I heard it, responded with something idiotic like, "Yay, me!", and proceeded to wear a ridiculous grin on my face for the next couple blocks.
Now THAT'S the kind of people-yelling-at-me-from-their-cars that I can really get behind! I think I need more of that in my day. Thank you for the encouragement, Mysterious Woman! I needed it - especially today - and it couldn't have been more appreciated.
Now on that note, as I can hardly keep my eyes open, I'm going to have my shower and go to bed EARLY! I'm just hoping my daughter will let me sleep tonight . . .
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
MONTHLY CHECK-IN
WEIGHT LOSS THIS MONTH: 5 lbs.
WEIGHT LOSS TO DATE: 41.5 lbs
DAYS COMMUTED: 17
POTENTIAL COMMUTING DAYS MISSED: 2
BREAKDOWN OF EXCUSES USED BY COMMUTE DAYS MISSED:
Slept In/Too Much Snow on the Ground: 1
Knee Discomfort/Low Motivation: 1
Really, Body?? Five pounds? I've been biking pretty consistently, I added 2.5 km of walking to my daily routine by walking my daughter to daycare, and I've been watching what I've been eating, using Daily Burn to track my eating habits and workouts religiously - even on weekends! And still, I only lost 5 lbs. this month? I was hoping for 10 or 11, or at least 8, a solid 2-lbs-per-week loss would work for me. But 5 lbs? SIGH!
I was complaining about this to my Mom earlier, wondering aloud if all this effort is even worth it, and she repeated to me her weight-loss mantra: The time is going to pass anyway, you may as well be losing weight. This phrase is an apt reminder that even at 5 lbs a month, I'm still better off than I would be if I wasn't putting in this effort and staying the same weight forever (or, perhaps more truthfully, continuing to gain weight as I was pretty consistently for the six years leading up to the start of my bike-commuting challenge). So, 5 lbs in February - a disappointment, I must admit, but it's certainly better than nothing. And after a crazy 12-lb weight-loss month like January was, perhaps my body needed to cool its weight-loss jets for a spell.
WEIGHT LOSS TO DATE: 41.5 lbs
DAYS COMMUTED: 17
POTENTIAL COMMUTING DAYS MISSED: 2
BREAKDOWN OF EXCUSES USED BY COMMUTE DAYS MISSED:
Slept In/Too Much Snow on the Ground: 1
Knee Discomfort/Low Motivation: 1
Really, Body?? Five pounds? I've been biking pretty consistently, I added 2.5 km of walking to my daily routine by walking my daughter to daycare, and I've been watching what I've been eating, using Daily Burn to track my eating habits and workouts religiously - even on weekends! And still, I only lost 5 lbs. this month? I was hoping for 10 or 11, or at least 8, a solid 2-lbs-per-week loss would work for me. But 5 lbs? SIGH!
I was complaining about this to my Mom earlier, wondering aloud if all this effort is even worth it, and she repeated to me her weight-loss mantra: The time is going to pass anyway, you may as well be losing weight. This phrase is an apt reminder that even at 5 lbs a month, I'm still better off than I would be if I wasn't putting in this effort and staying the same weight forever (or, perhaps more truthfully, continuing to gain weight as I was pretty consistently for the six years leading up to the start of my bike-commuting challenge). So, 5 lbs in February - a disappointment, I must admit, but it's certainly better than nothing. And after a crazy 12-lb weight-loss month like January was, perhaps my body needed to cool its weight-loss jets for a spell.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)