back to work

I have to wear all black. Am I a ninja?

I finished my first week of work in 15 years. It was better than I expected and a lot tougher, too.

I got a seasonal job at Macy's working on the recovery team. We put clothes back from the fitting rooms, we straighten up the racks and refold the clothes. I never realized what slobs people can be until last week.

I signed up to work 5 days. Then I found they increased my hours. My first day was 7 hours. My back and feet hurt after 2 hours. I made it through and was glad to have Monday off. It took until Tuesday for my legs to stop hurting. I worked Tuesday and Wednesday and was sore all over again. The work is not difficult but I am not used to being active and on my feet. It is good for me and hopefully the pain will stop soon. 

I worked in juniors and men's and women's. I felt most comfortable in men's clothing. Finding where clothes belong is not too difficult and it is quieter. The male employees work in the men's so I moved back to juniors. I do not know nor understand fashion. I do not recognized the brands. 

The people I work with seem pretty nice. Most are younger, in their early twenties. One older woman has another job and one is returning after a long time at home like me. It is difficult to really talk to anyone when we are meant to keep moving. 

My step count has really jumped. I walk over 5 miles on the days I work. I am grateful that I can wear sneakers. I didn't know that the first day and wore some new Børn shoes that weren't as comfortable. 

I had signed up to work Saturday but then decided to advertise the shift. This means anyone else can pick it up. Someone did and I was glad not to have to work three days in a row. I did end up with just under 30 hours for the week. We are supposed to work twenty hours or more. 

I pack my own meals and snacks. For the 7 hours shifts, we get two fifteen minute paid breaks and one 45 minute (unpaid) meal. We have to clock out for the meal. It is weird to eat at odd hours. (I like my routine.) I try to eat some at each break. I find that I adjusted well enough and am not as hungry at certain times like I was before. 

I had hoped to ride my bike to work but when they extended my hours, I decided not to ride home in the dark. I am still riding in the morning before work. I don't go in until 11 which leaves time. I find I am more productive on the morning before work. Even when I am achy, I find riding makes me feel better. It gets the blood pumping to heal the tired legs, feet and back. I have lost 4 pounds this week.

I cannot keep up with Twitter. I tried the first couple of days. It is just too much work. I stopped trying to visit Bike Forums on the day I work as well. It is a good thing to step back from social networks but I miss it. I really miss being home for the boys. Andy came home on Friday and was upset. Andy told me about it. I asked dad about but he didn't know much. He isn't as perceptive about their moods as I am.

october cycling recap

This guy stopped his truck on the path to do something on his phone. He was oblivious that I was waiting for him to move.

I really like riding my road bike despite the hand pain. I had thought I would ride my 820 in wet weather. But I just didn't want to go slower. 

I am not skilled enough to hop over this hose.

I am still trying to find the ride spot for my saddle to lessen the hand pain. I wish I had the money for a professional fit. Though it would have to be redone as I lose weight. 

I got a mirror for my bike. It's OK.

I did my first organized ride on Sunday, October 5. I was supposed to meet Ron from BikeFourms there. I got impatient and cold and he was late. I rode alone. I rode just over 14 miles and went back. Organized rides do not excite me like they used to do. Riding alone is OK, no one is expecting more than a few words. I feel awkward standing alone at rest stops. I usually don't stay long. And when the ride is over, I just go home. I can do all this with the added driving if I ride around my neighborhood.

I moved my saddle forward a bit. I found I felt a bit better. I also tipped it up to level it out. I am still looking for the best riding position to stop the hand and shoulder pains.

Withlacoochee Trail

I only rode 60 miles during week 2. I took off Monday as a rest day after the Withlacoochee Rails to Trails ride. I missed my Saturday ride to go on the World Wide Photo Walk with Bridget. I wish my dad understood that cycling is so much better than church. I wish I didn't feel like an 8 year old.

The cows are usually not so close to the fence. I stopped to take some photos. They moo'd at me.

I rode 100 miles during the third week. I rode two loops each week day and 25 miles on Saturday. The weather was good. 

I rode 106 miles during the fourth week. The weather got cooler and I got. My SheBeest tights. They were longer than I expected, I was expecting knickers and these are capris. They keep my knees warm and the chamois is wonderful. I was still having some issues but riding with the SheBeest tights made it go away. I realize now that the Terry chamois is too narrow and the seams were chafing. I wish I could afford to but some new shorts or a skort from SheBeest. That will have to wait and maybe the weather will stay cool so I can keep wearing the tights. I rode 30 miles on Saturday at Flatwoods. I felt pretty good afterwards. I realized I need to start increasing my mileage if I plan on my age on my birthday. I have about 2 1/2 months to be able to ride 50 miles.

I saw some deer one Saturday morning.

The last week ended on Friday so I didn't have my long Saturday ride included. I missed Thursday because I went on Andy's field trip. The tights continue to feel good. I have noticed less knee pain. Is it because of the compression of the tights?

I finished the month with 675km which is 419miles. I was hoping for 360 miles so I am pretty happy with this. 

Construction is mostly done but the path is still not suitable for riding.

I lost 7.2 pounds. 

september cycling recap

With the boys back in school, I could ride longer each day. I should have been looking for a job but I found riding to be more relaxing. 

I had a goal of riding 300 miles this month. I accomplished in just over 3 weeks. 

The weather got at touch cooler which was nice. But it also windy which was awful. Wind is such a struggle for me.

Mostly I rode just around Meadow Pointe. I found a route and stuck with it. It didn't get too boring because I have to keep alert for cars and people on the MUP who don't think anything of walking in the middle of the path.

cat eye safety light

planet bike super flash turbo mini

The sun was coming up later so I had to get some safety lights. The ones I had were ruined from battery corrosion. I would have gotten the same lights but things have changed and they are no longer made.

1995 trek 1220

My road bike was finally ready near the end of the month. Riding it was terrifying and great at the same time. I felt like I did in April. I knew how to ride but I was anxious. The road bike is such a different animal. The new gears took some getting used to. My hands don't tingle as much but there is more pain as I learn to ride in this new position. I wish I could afford a proper bike fitting. Riding in the wind is much easier with the road bike.

Skratch Labs Exercise Hydration is easy to mix with water. They are lightly flavored.

I started using Skratch Labs electrolyte drink mix on Saturdays. I still overdid it a couple of times. Luckily I was at home when I started feeling dizzy.

serfas Rx women's saddle

I got a new saddle for my 1220. It is a split design. It felt good right away. I had Sarah move it back a bit. I was happy that my shoulders and elbows no longer ached. That is, until I rode longer than an hour and the familiar pains came back. I lowered it a touch and found that my knees stopped aching. I wish I could find an adjustment to make my hands stop hurting. 

I ended the month with 408 miles and lost 6.4 pounds. 

orange you glad you aren't a bully?

The boys are wearing orange in support of Unity Day. Unite Against Bullying.

I saw it in a tweet last night and asked Andy if he had any orange shirts. "I'll have to find out." I knew he had a long sleeved shirt in orange and mentioned it. "What shoes will I be wearing?" Whatever shoes you want to wear? "I will wear socks and tennis shoes." Did someone tell you to wear those? "I don't know."

Both boys have some odd "rules" they have placed on themselves. It is a coping mechanism to live with things they cannot control. Andy prefers to wear short sleeved shirts, shorts and sandals. If he wears a long sleeved shirt then he "must" wear sneakers and socks. OK.

I went to tell Ryan about Unity Day but he already had an orange shirt pulled out to wear. I looked in his closet and saw he had several orange shirts though he doesn't wear them. The long sleeved shirts in his closet had a layer of dust on them. Ryan doesn't wear long sleeved shirts unless it is very cold. He will only wear them outside the house and change when he comes home. 

This morning, Andy got dressed and came to me, "I found this one." It was an orange short sleeved shirt. He hasn't worn it much and it looked new. Andy wears mostly grey t-shirts from Cotton Bureau. I think it is because they are so darn soft. Andy was happy that he didn't have to wear sneakers and socks.

It was 66 this morning. Both boys were in orange t-shirts, shorts, and sweatshirts.

goal achieved

I have finally lost enough weight to start riding my bike.

Yes, I have been riding for months. I have been wanting to get back on my bike for years but I thought I was too fat. I made a goal that if I got to xxx weight, I would start riding again. I had gotten close before but then something would happen and I would gain the weight back. 

I hurt my foot in April and I couldn't walk anymore. I couldn't wait for my foot to heal and tried riding my bike. I wasn't too fat for riding and it helped with the weight loss. I have lost 30 pounds since I started riding. I still have a lot more to lose. 

Cycling is enjoyable even without the weight loss.

august cycling recap

I started the month trying to burn more fat. I used my new Wahoo Tickr with the Wahoo Fitness app on my iPhone. I tried to stay in zone 2 which is supposed to burn more fat. It was relatively easy and I rode a bit longer to make up for the lower speed and less effort. 

The scale didn't move. 

I started riding longer on Saturdays and did not eat back the exercise calories. Still, the scale didn't move.

I felt good about the mileage I was doing but getting frustrated at the lack of weight loss. When the boys started school, I started riding an hour a day. Still the scale didn't move.

Andy & I only did one evening ride. It rains a lot in the summer especially in the evenings. ANd if it doesn't rain, it is usually too hut and humid.

I began to think it was stress keeping the weight on. I am worried about replacing the income that is going to be reduced in September when Ryan turns 16. As much as cycling helps me relax, I still worry the other 23 hours.

With the longer rides, I need to address some problems. My hands tingle all the time. My feet start to tingle at about 50 minutes. I thought about going clip less again. I even tried on my old pair of shimano SPD shoes but they are tight. (My feet spread out when I got pregnant.) I wasn't sure I wanted to back to clip less pedals. I read some things online and asked in Bike Forums. Many cyclists are fans of clip less pedals. Some believe that platform pedals are just as good. I decided to try the Ergon pedals and ordered then from rei. While I waited, I tried riding with my Keen sandals and found them better than my sneakers.

When the Ergon pedals arrived, I was eager to try them out, I went to install them and found them incompatible with my cranks. The Ergon pedals are secured through the back and my cranks are solid. My road bike has holes as do the boys' bikes. I didn't want to go back to the cage pedals because my shoes slip too much. I took off the MTB pedals from Andy's old bike. They have pins which hold the shoe securely to the pedal. I noticed the difference right away. My foot did not slip. I just needed to find the right position because adjusting while pedaling is near impossible. I still get some foot pain if I ride longer than an hour and will look for stiffer soled shoes later.

I got a couple of new bottle cages. I found some nice cages from King Cage that will accommodate the Klean Kanteen insulated bottles.

t need some work done on my bike. I would like to do something about the handlebars. I think the narrower bars would help with the tingling and perhaps some new grips. I also need the chain and cassette replaced. I don't want to be without a bike so I kept thinking about getting my road bike ready. I took it into Oliver's expecting it to need new tires and a tuneup. I was hoping for less than $200. The tech put it on the rack and took a look. The gears are not working and need to be replaced. And if they replace the gears, they have to remove the bar tape which means it needs to replaced. Along with the new tires and a tuneup, the estimate was just under $400! I was not expecting that. I really don't have the extra money to spend on this. I have reduced to lunch time outings to once a week.

The scale seemed to be stuck all month. Then on the last day, I lost 4 pounds. Huh? I think the scale is wonky.

I finished the month riding 296 miles.

july cycling recap

My knee was taking a long time to heal. I kept up the slow and easy biking. My dad went to Michigan for a couple of weeks and I rode everyday. I loved being able to ride on Sundays when the traffic is light. Icontinued to ice my knee after I rode in the morning. I started to ride a little harder, a little farther.

The scale seemed to be stuck in the beginning of the month. I tried to only eat the calories I needed for the day and not the ones I earned by exercising. Perhaps the weight is being shifted to muscle. I got a couple of new cycling skorts since the one I had was just too large.  

A second pair of padded gloves.

I got a bike mount for my iPhone. I looked at so many options but decided on an inexpensive one from Target. It is a simple mount but keeps the iPhone from getting wet. I like that I can see notifications at a glance. I can see who is texting or calling and decide if I need to stop and answer. I keep the display off most of the time.

I kept thinking about getting a heart rate monitor. I had one when I biked in the 1990s. I still had it but it was an old model and needed new batteries. The monitor and watch need to be sent in for battery change since the units are waterproof. I figured it would be about the same price to get a new unit. And the new units can work with the iPhone or other cycle computers. I ordered a Wahoo Tickr from rei. It arrived July 30 so I took it for the first time July 31. I decided to try using my iPhone with the display on to test the bike mount and battery drain. I set the iPhone display to 50% brightness. The iPhone did not get hot and only drained about 8% in 40 minutes. I learned that I was riding too hard for the best fat burning which is my primary objective.

The Sand Hill Cranes don't move off the path. But they don't mind of you ride around them at a reasonable pace.

I rode 212 miles in July and lost 8.8 pounds. 

june cycling recap

Another setback.

Andy & I still went on some evening rides.

I climbed up the ladder to the attic. I needed to get the bike repair stand down to give away. I climbed a few rungs and looked for the stand. I realized I needed to climb up another rung. I grabbed onto the frame of the opening to steady myself. The ladder slipped and fell. I tried to hang on but didn't have a good grip. I fell. I landed on my feet but my right knee gave away. My left leg hit the ladder as I fell on my butt. Ouch. 

I got up. Moved the mangled ladder and moved the car back into the garage. I hobbled in the house and got my crutches. I got an ice pack and sat down. 

This road dead ends at the county line. There is a road about 30 feet on the other side of the county but the two municipalities cannot come to an agreement to connect them.

Crap. I didn't want to stop and let my knee heal. I was just getting into a cycling groove. I joined a bike challenge to ride 250km in June. I didn't want to lose my progress. Crap crap crap. 

My right knee was a mess. I have had problems since high school when I failed to vault over the pommel in 10th grade PE. I stretched the ligaments and my knee has never been the same. I have sprained my knee plenty of times. It would be sore for a day or two then I am good to go. It wasn't the case this time. My left calf hurt as well. Actually, both calves hurt like muscle pulls. Even with the crutches, I was moving very slow.

We had an appointment with the chiropractor the following Monday. I told Dr B what happened and he looked at my knee. He did some adjustment with his pneumatic adjusting tool. It hurt some but my right calf was feeling better the next day. I wished I had him check out my left leg but I thought it was just a bruise.

My right knee was slow to heal. I continued to ice it three times a day. I walked slowly. I did not exercise except for swimming on Thursday. I did some bicycle rotations in the pool and could feel how stiff my knee still was. My left calf was still aching when I walked and sometimes when I went to bed. I made an another appointment to see the chiropractor the following Monday.

The chiropractor adjusted my left knee. Oh man did it hurt! Andy left the room when I cried out. My left calf started feeling better the following day. And I decided to try riding my bike. My knee was still swollen and stiff and I took it slowly. I was very careful not to get into any situation where I might have to stop quickly and jump out of the seat. I made it 20 minutes and iced my knee right away. It felt good to exercise again even if it was slow.

I continued to do some easy morning rides. Andy & I went to the chiropractor for another visit on the following Monday. He adjusted both knees. They were still tight and sore but getting better. 

By the end of the month, I was back to riding everyday. I still wasn't back to my pre-injury speed but I was healing. Riding did not hurt my knee at all but I iced it after every ride. I ended the month with 107 miles. I had hoped to ride 150 miles before I fell. Even with 12 days of no activity, I managed to lose 8 pounds in June.

I had the front tire replaced. It was old and about to burst a sidewall.

one hundred and forty miles

I did well riding in May. I noticed some problems with my bum and got a new seat. I also started wearing a padded skort. It all helped and I felt really good. I wasn't losing weight but I knew that would come once I got better at riding and could ride faster and longer.

I was surprised and happy to find that I rode 140 miles in May. It may not seem like much to seasoned cyclists but it seemed like so much compared to the 50 miles I did walking. Many of those miles were ridden with Andy in the evenings. Even after he did well in the Special Olympics State Games, he still wanted to ride.

The best part was that my ankle pain was almost gone. I still had problems with plantar fasciitis especially in the morning but it was manageable. I no longer had ankle pain while I was sitting.

I do look at bicycles I would love to buy but know that what I have is fine. I love the idea on the Dutch style city bikes. I know I won't be going car-free but the idea of riding my bike everywhere. Suburban Florida just isn't the place the go car free. 

special olympic state games

Andy was chosen to participate in the Special Olympic State Games in cycling. Andy went with the school group Friday morning. They went to Downtown Disney and had dinner at ESPN Wide World of Sports.

I found this on my photo stream in the morning. It was cool to see Andy having a good time without me.

Ryan & I went over to EPSN Wide World of Sports around 8:30. Sam and his parents were already there and set up. We moved the van and joined them. Andy showed up. He looked tired and hungry but was happy to see us.

We hung around and waited for them to call us.

The boys thought it was cool to hang out in the truck bed.

Andy did his 500m. He kept fiddling with his bell and lost time. I actually made it to the other side to see him finish.

Hanging around. Andy did have some goldfish.

Andy won 2nd place. Sam won 1st.

Andy ready for his 1k race.

Andy did OK. Sam came in ready to “die.”

Andy got a bronze. Sam got a silver. He was OK but took it off as soon as he could.

Ryan kept track of the riders and their order.

We left and ate lunch at CFA in Celebration.