Week In Review 9/29 - 10/5/14

So another mildly lackluster week for mileage. Just gonna go ahead and blame it on stress at work and a bit of an illness I was fighting, still kind of am but getting better.

Cable Bridge (and my finger)
 Pasco, WA

So the numbers are:

Miles: 74.1
Elevation: 1266 feet
Time Ridden: 4 hours 31 minutes
Scale: 205 lbs

Figured I would add in a weekly weigh in just to show I am making my way towards my goal.

So what is new this last week?
I have been looking for more climbs than before, in fact one day I made a point to hit every climb I could along the way and skipping the easier route. I didn't set any records, but I did feel accomplished for having done it. Some of the climbs were tough, but I know that next time they will be just a little easier and that is enough for me.

Haven't been getting flats as much (knock on wood). I got myself some tire liners for now and they seem to be doing a pretty good job of keeping me from swearing at my tubes. I am going to have to pick up some new tires pretty soon as these stock tires are starting to look a bit on the worn side. I have done some research and it looks like I am going to go ahead and pick up some Continental Gatorbacks when the time does come. They have gotten consistent reviews and are in the price range I consider acceptable for my broke ass.

Got some lights for the bike so I can get around during the short daylight hours this winter safer. Picked up a Bike Planet Beamer headlight which has two settings (strobe and solid) and also got one of their taillights which has the same two settings. They work great so far but I haven't put a lot of time on them yet, a couple rides home from work late at night and I didn't get run over or pulled over so I call that a win.

The bike is doing great overall, probably going to need to look into some brake pads by the end of the month, new bar tape and a light tune up of the cables. I am really feeling at home on it now. When I first got it I was a bit unsure of myself on it as it is my first road bike and was a big change from mountain bike geometry. I think it took me a week on the thing before I actually stood out of saddle on it on a climb, now I am constantly doing sprints both on the hoods and in the saddle without a second thought. I can't say there is anything I would change on it, there are things I want such as a power meter and a Garmin unit but those are really additions to the gear and not a replacement of any gear.

Another thing I have been working on is my diet, not just watching calorie intake vs output but doing my best to eat as clean as I can which is tough for me. This weekend I fell off a bit but I just consider it a bump in the road and am right back on it. I remember someone once saying that it isn't that you slipped and fell but rather whether you got back up and continued on that makes all the difference. I would say that is a pretty good way to look at things so I have adopted that into my life.

This next week I have decided I am going to log every mile I put on the bike whether it is my little 1 mile commute to work, a store run or an actual ride. I want to take a better look at what my weekly average truly is rather than just my longer rides. I know most people don't track it as useless clutter but it is part of my miles and should be accounted for at some point.

Anyways I think that is enough rambling from me for today, I have some vegetable gumbo to go cook up for dinner and some core exercises to do.

Until next time keep it rubber side down