Bike Trip Disaster - Part 2

 When I last left you guys, I was telling you about how even with a sprained ankle, the bike ride across Missouri was going great.  However, things were about to get ugly.  If you missed it, you can read Part 1 here.

After resting for an hour, I was ready to tackle “the hill.”  I have ridden the Katy Trail a few other times over the past few years.  The Katy Trail is known as a rails-to-trails trail in that it was converted from an old railroad track into a biking and hiking trail.  Most trails like this are relatively flat, and the Katy Trail is no exception.  Most of the time the trail runs along the Missouri River and the trail is cut into the bluffs of the Missouri Ozarks making it a flat, smooth ride.  There is one 12-mile leg of the ride that gets me every time, though.  It is a 12-mile nonstop incline.  Even though it isn’t steep, it never lets up.

The last time I attempted “the hill” was three years ago.  At the time, I truly didn’t think I was going to make it.  This was the one leg on the trail I really wanted to ride this time.  I wanted to show it who's boss.

Since my ankle was starting to hurt quite a bit by this point in the day, my mom offered to ride “the hill” while I followed in the car, but I knew I had to try it.  As soon as I started riding, my heart rate jumped into the 170s and stayed there for an hour and 20 minutes.  I regreted not taking my mom up on her offer a couple of times during the ride, but I was so proud when I pulled in to the trailhead at the end of "the hill."  I didn’t break any speed records, but I conquered it.

Stats for “The Hill”

Miles: 12.4

Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Calories: 945!

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful.  We ate lunch, and then my mom and I switched off riding with my grandpa.  We finally made it to Boonville around 3 o’clock.  We only had one leg to ride before stopping for the night.  At this point, it was starting to get pretty hot.  We were all starting to get tired, but we knew we only had 12 miles to a hot shower, a TV, a couch and relaxation.

Riding out of Boonville towards Rocheport was SCARY!  Leaving Boonville, we had to ride over a long bridge spanning the Missouri River.  I could see the water flowing a hundred feet below me, and all I could think about was the fact there was only a flimsy chain-link fence separating my bike and me from plunging into the frigid water.

I thought it would be smooth sailing after making it over the bridge, but I was wrong.  We had just turned off the bridge and ridden down the trail about ¼ mile when it happened…the wreck. 

I always ride slightly behind my grandpa so I can keep an eye on him while also riding my own pace.   I was just to the left of him when I saw him bend down to adjust his water bottle.  Since he has had several strokes, he doesn’t have very good control with his left hand.  When he bent down with his right hand to fix his water bottle,  he lost his balance and his bike careened to the left.  His front tire went directly into my leg, and I had to hold on with everything I had to keep from crashing. 

Everything started happening in slow motion.  After I regained my balance, I skidded to a stop and turned to look behind me.  I turned just in time to see my 80-plus-year-old grandpa flip over his handlebars and land face down in the ditch next to the trail.

Come back tomorrow for the conclusion of the bike trip disaster.

Bike Trip Disaster - Part 1

Lately I have been telling you guys about how I have been training for a bike trip across Missouri with my grandpa.  The trip was scheduled to happen from this past Wednesday (the 5th) until Friday (the 7th), but things went wrong...very wrong.

Before the Trip

This story begins about two weeks ago.  At this point, I had already been riding my bike every day for the past 5 weeks.  I was feeling amazing.  I hadn't really lost any weight, but everyone I saw was commenting on how fantastic I was looking.  I was definitely toning up, gaining muscle and losing inches.  Over those 5 weeks, I came to absolutely love the time I spent outside riding my bike.  Then it happened.

I was walking in the backyard when my foot got stuck in a groundhog hole, and I sprained my ankle badly.  Before the pain even registered, I started thinking about how I was only 2 weeks out from the bike trip I had been training so hard for.  My ankle immediately swelled up and within a couple of days it had turned an ominous shade of blue and purple from my toes to the bottom of my calf.

I got an air cast for my ankle and wore it for about a week.  Sitting in a chair with my foot in the air was not exactly what I had in mind 2 weeks before the bike trip, but rest was the best medicine.  The week before the trip, I decided to try to ride my bike a few miles just to see how it felt.  My first ride did not go well.  My foot went completely numb after only 2 miles and swelled back up.

Just as I was feeling like I wouldn't be able to ride as planned, I started to feel a lot better.  The swelling was almost completely gone by the day of the bike trip.  I decided to go ahead and ride as far as I could and just see how I felt.  My mom and dad were also coming along on the trip, but they were planning on driving a car in case my grandpa or I needed help.  My mom decided that she would take over if I couldn't ride any further and I could follow in the car with my dad.

The Trip

The weather was absolutely perfect leading up to the trip.  The sun came up at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, and my grandpa and I were ready to go.  We set off riding from Calhoun to Windsor, an up-and-down ride of about 7.5 miles.  It was COLD when we started off and my arms were freezing.  I warmed up quickly and actually really enjoyed the ride.  My ankle felt great and I was starting to feel like I was going to be able to ride the whole way as planned.

We stopped in Windsor for a granola bar and some water and then were back on the way.  The next leg of the Katy Trail was from Windsor to Green Ridge, a flat and easy 8.8-mile stretch.

Next up was Green Ridge to Sedalia, 12.2 miles.  By this point, my ankle was starting to hurt a little bit, but I was so proud that I had ridden almost 30 miles and was still feeling fit!!  Once we pulled into Sedalia, we decided that my mom would take the next leg of the trip.  I took that hour to ice my ankle and get ready for my next ride.  I was shocked when I looked at my heart rate monitor.  I was having a ton of fun and had burned a TON of calories.

Stats for the Calhoun to Sedalia ride:

Miles: 28.4

Time: 3 hours, 11 minutes

Calories: 1552

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the bike trip where things take a BIG turn for the worse!



Keep on Pedaling!

Well, I have been slacking on posting here, but I have not been slacking on riding my bike and prepping for the bike trip.  I am actually having a GREAT time riding my bike every day.  I always have to talk myself into actually going, but then once I get out there I feel fantastic!  The weather has been amazing for the past week, so the riding has been even more enjoyable.

I went further than I have ever gone on the Katy Trail on Sunday.  I discovered a gorgeous sunflower farm.  There were literally tens of thousands of sunflowers that stretched as far as you could see.  I stopped and took a picture, but my iPhone really didn't do it justice.

I'm noticing some positive improvements in my heart rate the more I ride.  When I first started, my heart rate would consistently stay around 160-165 and easily go up to 180 when I was pushing hard up a hill.  Now my heart rate stays in the low 150s and won't really go over 170.  I have read before that a lower heart rate usually indicates you are more fit, so my cardiovascular fitness has definitely been improving.

I have been struggling to eat right for the past couple of weeks.  My brain keeps telling me, "It's okay to eat that (insert junk food here) because you rode your bike for 2 hours today."  I need to get out of that mindset.  Exercising is NOT a free pass to eat whatever I want. 

I decided that the only way to keep myself accountable is to go back to tracking calories.  I downloaded MyFitnessPal on my iPhone, and it is a fantastic app!  I know a lot of you already use MyFitnessPal, but I will have to do a detailed review of it soon for those of you who don't.

I've got 4 weeks left until the bike trip, so I'm going to keep on pedaling!

Bike Training

In my last post, I told you guys about how I am training for a 265-mile bike trip across Missouri in October.  I planned my training rides out and have been following my schedule of riding for the past week.  I am already feeling SO much stronger on the bike!

Friday I was scheduled to ride 6 miles, but I didn't make it.  We had an insane storm on Thursday night, and this is what I woke up to.

There were also several HUGE branches that broke off and were still stuck up in the tree.  I spent several hours cleaning up the yard and got a real-world workout for sure.  I decided trying to ride my bike afterwards wasn't a good idea and called it a day.

Saturday was my rest day, but I had a 20-mile ride scheduled for Sunday.  On Saturday night I started getting really nervous about riding 20 miles at one time.  I didn't know if I could do it.  The longest ride I had ever done before today was 10 miles.

When I woke up this morning, I fought with myself for about 20 minutes before I finally decided to at least give the 20-mile ride a try.  I made a strawberry-banana smoothie, packed some nuts and fresh cherries in my bike bag to eat during the trip, loaded up my bike and set off for the trail.  The ride went absolutely fabulous!  I rode my bike 20 MILES today!!  I felt so accomplished when I pulled back into the trailhead at the end of the ride.  I am starting to really love riding my bike.

And do you want to hear the best news of all?  I burned 1173 calories during my ride today!  Wow!

I have some shorter rides planned for this week and then a 30-mile ride at the end of the week.  I can't believe it, but I am actually looking forward to knocking out some more miles this week.

If He Can Do It, I Can Do It

My grandpa is an amazing man.  He was born during the Great Depression.  His mother, father, and eight other brothers and sisters struggled through life in a small two-bedroom house (the house he still lives in today) in rural Missouri.  His father died when he was only 8 years old, and he dropped out of the 3rd grade to get a job to take care of his mother and other siblings.  He went on to fight for our country with the Navy during World War II.  As he got older, he got sick and had three strokes over the course of two years.

After his last stroke, his doctor recommended that he begin riding a bicycle to help him recover and improve his health.  Since the Katy Trail passes right through his yard, cycling was the perfect activity for him.  Less than eight years after his third stroke, he has now ridden his bike more than 10,000 miles!  Oh, and did I mention that the strokes left him unable to even use his left hand?  Like I said, he is amazing.

For his 80th birthday in 2006, he announced that he wanted to ride the whole length of the Katy Trail, from Clinton, MO to St. Charles, MO, a span of 265 miles.  My aunt and I planned the trip, and in October my grandpa rode the Katy Trail over the course of three days while we followed in a car in case there were any mishaps.  He had the time of his life and started talking about taking the trip again before even finishing the first trip.  So every year since 2006, he has made the trek from Clinton to St. Charles.

This year, my grandpa turns 85.  This October, we will once again be taking a trip across Missouri to ride the Katy Trail.  There is one thing different about this trip, though.  I am going to ride the ENTIRE THING (265 miles!) with my grandpa.  Now, I usually ride with him for small sections of the trip, but I have never tried to ride every leg with him.

As of Monday I had seven weeks to get prepared to ride about 85 miles a day for three straight days.  I mapped out a training program, and I feel confident that I can do it.  My mantra is, if my grandpa can do it at 85 years old with only one good hand, I do not have an excuse! 

I ride my exercise bike pretty often, but I haven't ridden my actual bike in...ahem...a while.  I decided to start off fairly light with a 5-mile ride on Monday.  The ride went pretty well, but riding the exercise bike is nothing compared to actually riding outdoors.  According to my Polar heartrate monitor, I burned 338 calories in 35 minutes.

On Tuesday, it was raining, so I rode the exercise bike inside.  I burned 283 calories in 36 minutes (proof that outdoor cycling burns more calories than an exercise bike).

On Wednesday, I discovered this awesome iPhone app, Cyclemeter.  The app works like a bike computer.  It tracks your speed, location, elevation, time, and distance using the built-in GPS on the iPhone.  I love that it's integrated with Google Maps and shows your route.  Here are my Wednesday stats.  And by the way, when it says 2.55 mph for my speed, I was walking then.  I'm not that slow on the bike!

Today, I upped my mileage and did 10 miles and burned 640 calories.  The last three miles were tough, but I felt so good when I finished.  I love how I feel when I get off the bike.  I don't know why I haven't ridden more often.  Here are my Thursday screenshots.

Do you ever cycle for fitness?

The Real Food "Rules"

A couple of days ago, I announced that I am making a drastic change in how I eat.  Now the question is, what am I going to eat?  What actually constitutes "real food"?

Real Food

Fruits - fruit in its natural form with no added sugar or unnatural preservatives

Vegetables - vegetables in their natural form with no added sugar or unnatural preservatives

• Citric acid is an acceptable and natural preservative.

Seafood - Wild-caught is preferred over farmed seafood.

Meat - Any type of meat is fine as long as it hasn't been processed.  Local, organic, grass-fed meat is best if it is available.

Whole Milk

Unsweetened Yogurt

Eggs - organic, free range if possible.

Cheese

Beans

Whole Grains

Seeds

Nuts

Popcorn

Honey - in moderation.

100% Real Maple Syrup - in moderation.

Fruit Juice Concentrate - used as a sweetener in place of sugar (in moderation).

Coffee

Tea

Wine

Beer

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Unrefined Coconut Oil

A Drastic Change

I just can't be trusted when it comes to food.  I have been telling myself that a calorie is a calorie.  I can eat whatever I want in moderation as long as I count calories and stay under 2,000 calories every day.  For me, this just isn't working.  If I leave room in my calorie budget for, say, a cookie at the end of the day, there is no way I am going to stop at one cookie.  If I have them in the house, I will eat them all.  If there is sugar in the house, I will eat it.

My goal when I started this new lifestyle was not only to lose weight, but also to be healthy...really, truly healthy for the first time in my life.  Technically I have been able to lose weight eating processed, low-fat foods and then using the rest of my daily calorie budget on sugary desserts...but I'm not getting any healthier.  In fact, lately I feel worse than I have in a long time in terms of my health even though I've lost 20 pounds.  I have started to feel like I am never going to lose weight, like I am never going to be that healthy person that I so badly want to be.  I don't want to struggle every single day for the rest of my life against this power food has over me. 

So what's a girl to do?

I have decided to make a huge change in how I eat.  I am going to transition to a real food diet, eating food that comes from the ground or the field in as natural a form as possible.  I am going to have to sever my love-hate relationship with sugar for good.  Is it pathetic that I want to cry right now just thinking about how hard this is going to be?  However, I feel like if I want to be healthy and live the life I deserve, this is something I have to do.

What exactly is "real food"?

Eating real food is both extremely simple and difficult at the same time.  It is simple because real food is simply that...real food.  Real food is unprocessed, unrefined.  Real food hasn't been altered to be low fat or sugar free.  Eating real food is difficult because grocery stores are literally teeming with thousands of products posing as real food that are really something else entirely.

I know eating this way is going to take dedication.  I won't be able to just grab something from a fast-food restaurant and call it a day.  If I lived in a big city and had more money, I'm sure I could find more real food restaurant options.  Since I live in a super small town, my options for real food are very limited.  I am going to be spending a lot of time in the kitchen developing a whole new repertoire of real-food-approved recipes.

I'm working on a list of "real foods" that I'll be posting by the end of this week.  I'm also going to be scouring my local grocery store to find some quick and easy go-to items that will make my new lifestyle a little bit easier, and I will be keeping a list here on shrinkella.com. 

If you can think of any products that are readily available that use only real ingredients, please let me know!