Nuribaby

You are not alone! I prevent with chamois butt'r (you buy it at bike shops) and I sprung for a pair of $18 super-breathable undies at REI. (Take it seriously, because I, er, once gave myself a UTI when the environment down there got too damp.)

I love high-top hikers, because I'm new-ish to long hikes and they've prevented more than a few sprains. These all came at the end of long days where my legs were tired and weren't supporting me as well. I'm a bit overweight, and those boots helped make it possible for me to get down the mountain. If I'd been hiking regularly for years, my leg strength would probably hold up better and I wouldn't have the same issue - hence why perhaps stronger hikers like lighter boots. I have Ahnu boots (clearance at REI!) and I love them. They're waterproof, breathable, have good support, AND they're purple. You didn't bring this up, but I'll mention it anyway: Wear a good quality, lightweight wool hiking sock AND a liner sock. Change the liner sock halfway through your day, apply moleskin to any hot-spots IMMEDIATELY, and keep your feet dry (I like Gold Bond powder). I recently had to drain some nasty blisters, so I recommend taking blister prevention very seriously. Have a great time out on the trails!

Yeah, I bought those Hershey's peppermint bark bells yesterday. Hey, they make me feel festive!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Managed to get in a few short rides today. Workout type: Cycling Distance: 3.12mi Time elapsed: 25min Calories burned (estimate): 149 Combined a few things I wanted to do and rode to the grocery store for my parents. They live in A HILLY part of town! The uphills were pretty intense, especially with a full load of groceries, but the downhills were exhilarating. Workout type: Cycling Distance: 4.06mi Time elapsed: 35min Calories burned (estimate): 206 Got my parents and my little brother to go on a ride with me after the feast! It was really quiet and beautiful. We went pretty slow, but for an awesome reason - this was my mom's first time on a real bike since her knee surgery a few months ago! So, way to go mom! With the rides factored in, I managed to eat just over maintenance today. (I was at maintenance until I opened a beer a few minutes ago, lol.) I'll take it, and give thanks that nobody brought egg nog.

Battle scars!

Oh no, I'm not planning on moving mine around Just curious as to why they'd be placed there.

ROAR DEADLIFTS!

Mind you, I may go out in the snow and the cold, but I hide from the wind. Under many many blankets, preferably with a book or five. (Added you back!) WORKOUT TIME! Workout type: Cycling Distance: 18.81mi Time elapsed: 2 hours Calories burned (HRM): 872 Holy shit, I thought it was cold on Sunday. No snow today, but it was freezing. Fortunately, I went straight from my ride Sunday to buy some long underwear and some more wool socks, so I could at least dress for the weather. Most of this ride was spent wandering around Los Ranchos. It's probably my favorite part of town. Los Ranchos is smack in the middle of Albuquerque, NM, which in the metro area has over 1 million people. And yet it's a little slice of rural heaven. I rode within 10 feet of a donkey, saw flocks of migrating geese sitting in a field, and meandered along little country lanes with overhanging trees and gorgeous adobe homes. The best part is that the main road has excellent shoulders and a strictly enforced speed limit of 25mph. Most of the town's revenue comes from speeding tickets, so people actually follow the speed limit. A little history, for context: Before Albuquerque was Albuquerque, it was a chain of small villages that sprung up along the river. This is the desert, so water is everything. As the city grew, it semi-incorporated these villages. Some are part of the city proper. Some, like Los Ranchos, are separate townships within the city. They all retain a distinct local character. What this means is that a 30 minute bike ride from the heart of downtown Albuquerque, you are suddenly riding past saddle shops, ranches, wineries, and farms that have been around for centuries. And then you come out on the other side and you're in the city again. Speaking of gorgeous old farms, this is my favorite detour that takes off from said main road. I just ride in about a quarter mile and come back out, because it's too damn pretty not to: Basically what I'm saying is I love my hometown and you should all be pretty jealous.

Week 2 Update This week has had its good and bad points. Well, one bad point in particular. I didn't do any strength training! Ack! 1. Eat to lose (and win!) Really good week! I ate under my goal of 1560 calories/day six days this week, with a daily average of around 1350. Pass! 100%, an A. 2. Ride, ride, ride. This week I got in 4 hours and 38 minutes on my bike. Goal demolished! Pass! 100%, an A. 3. Strong body, strong mind. I did exactly zero strength workouts this week. Bad job, bad job. Fail! 0%, an F. 4. Making the bed. I did really well on this last week, except I plain forgot on Monday. Washed the sheets and remembered before bed, but still, the point is the morning routine. Pass! 80%, a B. Seriously need to get back on the Starting Strength wagon. I have no excuse except anxiety attacks, which is the worst excuse ever. We all know that working out helps anxiety. I need to remember this. Grade for Week 2: 70% Challenge so far: 85% Starting Measurements Weight: 152.5lbs Neck: 12.9in Waist (cheated): 29.5in Hips: 40.5in Measurements after week one Weight: 151.5 (-1) Neck: 12.9in (no change) Waist (cheated): 29.5in (no change) Hips: 40.5in (no change) In other news, I got my blood work results back from the doc today. Everything is normal (hooray!) except I am extremely Vitamin D deficient. Which is odd considering how much of my workouts take place outdoors, but I'm also religious about sunscreen. (Plus, it's been freezing - I have as little skin exposed as possible!) I'm going to start on D supplements as soon as I can get to the pharmacy tomorrow. I've heard that Vitamin D is linked with depression, anyone else heard this? If it's true that could be awesome, because I could potentially avoid the antidepressants I've been recommended.

What's the advantage of downtube shifters?

The furthest I've gone is 25mi. This week I'll go farther, even by a little.

Workout type: Cycling Distance: 20.69mi Time elapsed: 2:12 Calories burned (HRM): 1025 It's snowing outside, but I wanted to get out for a ride anyway. My first snow ride! It was... Really cold, lol. Well, 24F. Layers were my friend. Went down the river trail about 10mi, got some coffee, and then came home. It was a beautiful ride, and really peaceful. I think I saw four other cyclists on the whole stretch, and maybe 15 pedestrians.

Sounds like you had a good week! Way to go!

Skipped my weight workout yesterday - wasn't feeling well so I read a book instead. I'm gonna hop back on the wagon Sunday though.

Haha good to know. I think I'll take the advice and buy some.

Your best bet is to hit up your local bike shop. They'll be super knowledgeable and will help you find a bike that fits what you want (and fits your body, too.) You can also Google "mountain bike tips for beginners" or something similar, and you'll find boatloads of info. Good luck! Biking is tons of fun!

That's a lot of coffee!

On that topic... Would diaper cream work just the same? Seems cheaper.

Workout type: Cycling Distance: 4.71mi Time elapsed: 31min Calories burned (HRM): 186 Took a different route this morning, a little more secluded, a lot fewer traffic lights! Feeling pretty good. This route is more rural, which is quite a nice thing to wake up to.

Popping in for an update - I snagged this lovely ride off Craigslist for $80 last week. Early 90's Schwinn World Sport, 12speed. Hopefully it will stand up to all my newbie mistakes! I've only gone around the block a few times, need to get it to a bike mechanic friend to get the rear brake cables replaced. So far I'm really enjoying it! It's definitely a different sort of ride. I bought a pair of chamois shorts within an hour of finishing my first ride, lol. It feels a lot faster and more responsive, and it's nice knowing that if I somehow destroy it, I'm not out several hundred bucks. I'm thinking of replacing the tires with something slightly wider, but we'll see what my friend says. If they're pretty new, I might just keep them. I also want to throw a rear rack on, if it's got the mount points for it.

Workout type: Cycling Distance: 16.07mi Time elapsed: 1:30 Calories burned (HRM): 580 Finally found my HRM strap! Feels good to have a more accurate picture of what I'm burning. This morning's ride was GORGEOUS! I rode down to my favorite bike trail along the river, and this time, I changed things up and went south. North lies a cafe where I like to get breakfast, but I had to get some blood work done after - no breakfast for me! To the south, the trail passes the aquarium, the duck pond (PACKED with migrating ducks), the zoo, through an industrial area, and finally you get to this: I LOVE it. About half the trees still have their leaves, and the other half are bare and stark and sculptural. I didn't photograph it, but the field to the left is full of sandhill cranes. The trail wasn't very crowded, maybe people are putting their bikes away for the winter? Whatever the reason, I enjoyed it! Right in the middle of that industrial area I mentioned there is a restaurant called El Modelo. They make the best tamales in town, and right from the entrance, you can see why. There is about a 90-10 kitchen to dining area ratio, and when you look in the back, you can see that they hired everyone's grandmother. AN ARMY OF GRANDMOTHERS PREPARING YOUR FOOD. It's amazing. When I rode by I could smell their tortillas and it was incredible. (It helps that you can't get to the restaurant from the bike path without a long detour. Otherwise I would have had to put off my blood work because I would have been eating amazing Mexican food.) I tried to ride with a faster cadence today. I was on my hybrid, so it felt a little weird, but I did notice that when I pedaled faster in a lower gear, I went faster with less effort! Definitely something to keep working on. I wish I could have ridden for longer, but I had a date with my mom for lunch! She made me a spinach salad, and she's going to try to join my dad and I for another ride this Sunday. (Can I mention, she just had knee surgery six months ago, is going to physical therapy for her hip and her ribs, and is going in to get the other knee replaced next month. And she's joining us for a bike ride. That's right folks, my mom is a FREAKIN SUPERHERO.) Last night, I made a really amazing soup for dinner. Chicken and sausage with gluten free noodles and a giant pile of veggies - yum! I'm told that it's my best soup ever! I also printed out a monthly calendar so that I can track my progress on making the bed each morning. Putting on my hard hat and making a chain!

Workout type: Cycling Distance: 2.7mi Time elapsed: 19min Calories burned (MFP estimate): 115 Ran some errands on my hybrid, then hopped on my road bike for a short ride around the block. Wanted to try out my new chamois shorts, and holy crap, I'm glad I bought them. Even my stance was better because I could sit more comfortably. I think I'm going to love this bike. I'm not going to ride to my appointment - my legs are still too sore for me to contemplate that hill. I'm tempted to take the road bike out again after for a longer ride on flat terrain, but I still haven't gotten the rear brake fixed. Front works fine though. Ugh I want instant gratification!

Week 1 Update I feel like this has been a pretty solid start to the challenge. I struggled with motivation (especially for lifting) but was able to push through it and get it done. I'm pretty tired, and I think that my body is struggling to recover from the combination of cycling and lifting on not enough sleep. Must get to bed earlier! Let's see how I did. 1. Eat to lose (and win!) I ate under my goal of 1560 net cals/day six days this week, with one cheat day. My average came in almost exactly at 1560/day. Pass! 100%, an A. 2. Ride, ride, ride. I spent 5 hours and 54 minutes on my bike this week, smashing my goal of 3+hours. Woohoo! Pass! 100%, an A. 3. Strong body, strong mind. I completed my two Starting Strength workouts this week. I did skip the deadlifts on day one, and I'm giving myself a pass for this week because it was my first day back to lifting. However, no more! I have to complete the full workout to get points. Pass! 100%, an A. 4. Making the bed. I made the bed every morning Monday-Friday last week. (I removed weekends from my goal because I'm up so much earlier than my boyfriend on those days.) Pass! 100%, an A. I feel like I'm definitely on the right track! Looking back, I worry that I may have set the bar too low - but I need to remember that this is only week one, and things are going to start getting crazy closer to the holidays. Better to set myself manageable goals that I can stick to, I think. Seeing how I almost doubled my cycling goal this week, I now know I have no excuse not to get in my three hours. So there, lazy self! Grade for Week 1: 100% Challenge so far: 100% Starting Measurements Weight: 152.5lbs Neck: 12.9in Waist (cheated): 29.5in Hips: 40.5in Measurements after week one Weight: 153.5 (+1) Neck: 12.9in (no change) Waist (cheated): 29.5in (no change) Hips: 40.5in (no change) I'm going to be a good girl and not freak out or get discouraged about the weight gain. (It's hard!) This has happened before, and I know that I ate all right last week. Maybe it's new muscle, or a particularly large poop, or random weight fluctuation. I'll keep doing what I'm doing and see what happens next week. If this happens a lot, well, then I'll re-evaluate my action plan. Now to do some laundry, eat some breakfast, and get ready to ride to my doctor's appointment! There's a pretty big hill (for me) which will be interesting after those squats yesterday. We'll see how it goes.

That's an awesome achievement, congratulations!

Seconding the recommendation for target - I have full hips, thighs, and butt, a small waist, and a short inseam. Thank God for curvy fit short jeans!