annieloux

Jesus fuck. That pork looks like it's cooked perfectly. Now I want to get all fancy with dinner.

I realize this is a little late, but deal with it. This should totally be your new ride/home:

I think I'm sitting this challenge out. I've got some distracting life bullshit going on. I will be continuing to ride as much as possible and will still be following everyone's progress, as it will help keep me as on track as I can be right now.

Are you mushing up some kind of red chile pepper with garlic, or is there something else in there?

No. I have no idea what I'm doing

Keep 'em coming.

Will do. Challenge wouldn't be the same without you!

YOU GUYS. I didn't want to update this because I gained weight by the end of the challenge, which was totally not the plan. But I also gained a fondness for torturous physical activity in the form of riding a bike. So.. I'm not mad? I just need to reign in my eating and drinking. I might also try some other forms of exercise that complement the biking, as I think I eventually want to start touring. We'll see. Thanks so fucking much to all your beautiful faces for being so supportive and making this challenge a pleasant one. I hope to see all of you around for the next.

I want to puke just looking at those sets. Nicely done!

You certainly know my weaknesses.

Rode 17 miles on Saturday for shits and gigs. NBD. I think I love it. Water is still pathetic, but calories and exercise are on fucking point. I'm super proud of last week.

Where the hell do you find the time to do all this cool shit?

Thaaaanks I'm doing it next on Monday. Giving my legs a rest until tomorrow, when I will go on a leisurely weekend ride to Benicia, where I will negate it by drinking beer in the grass. And you will definitely get goofy goggle pics! Dayum! Sounds like a fun workout. I'm going to work my way up to squatting my 260 lb. boyfriend and we can have a squat-off on Skype or Hangouts or whatever the kids are using these days.

I'm just going to assume that the sensation was normal and will not lead to permanent nerve damage, but if I lose my legs it will be your fault and you will be obligated to carry me around in a basket on your back Hodor and Bran style. Also, I think I'm going to get a couple of these dorky things. Or this!

I FUCKING DID IT. It was awful. It's been four hours and my legs still feel like jell-o. Towards the end of the ride, the burning in my legs started to feel more like chills. It was a very strange sensation and I hope it's normal. Other things: Critters had not crossed my mind. I encountered a skunk. I smelled him before I saw him, and kept my eye out for him. His little body was in the gutter and I assumed he was dead. Then he lifted his head to look at me as I approached on my bike and I freaked the fuck out, shrieked, and swerved into the middle of the road to ride as far away from him as possible. Thankfully there were no cars around. Afterwards I felt bad for the little dying dude and ashamed of my behavior towards him. Like, I bet he gets it all the time and the last thing he's going to see before he dies is another person running away from him. Sorry, skunk :\ On the way down the hills (which are way steeper than the ones on the first leg of my trip), the wind made my eyes water to the point where I could barely see. So I'm like flying down this hill and I can't see shit. It's kind of scary. I think I need to get some Riddick goggles.And, as promised, my MMR. Looks a little wimpy on the map.

Hazard, you are officially my Dr. Oz. Please expect many uncomfortable questions in the months ahead (and we need to dish on Oprah).

I'm skeered!

I just checked it out and it would be about 9 miles one way :x If I could manage to go both ways (heh), I could probably burn like 1,000 (!) calories a day. Think of all the food I could eat @_@. I'm going to do it tomorrow, guys. At least there. The return trip looks fucking brutal and will likely require some further training before I tackle it. I'll post my MapMyRide stats so you guys know I'm not a phony wussface. This is probably the most bike-friendly (and maybe even the only way other than the freeway). It starts in a bayside town that is very hilly. I'm totally terrified of riding near cars also, but the road is mostly two lanes so it shouldn't be too bad. There's just a lot of bends and I'm scared someone might come flying around the corner and barrel into me. It seems to be a popular route for performance cyclists, so hopefully people in the area are accustomed to driving cautiously. Who knows, though.

Things have been a little hit or miss since I last checked in, but it's been more balanced. Unlike in the beginning when it was mostly misses. I don't think I've seen any weight loss, so I am hesitant to say that what I am doing is "working." I do know that riding my bike about 8 miles a day has made it much easier to enjoy life without going over my calorie target (although, I still have been here and there because I fucking love food). And my ankles appear to be getting slimmer, but that may be wishful thinking I ate an irresponsible amount of hot dogs over the weekend, because America. I think I got them out of my system though (for now). With each day that passes, I suffer less and less through these rides. I don't want to get lazy, so I am trying to find new ways to keep it challenging. For example, today I forced myself to go through the ride (both ways!) without switching gears, even on the climbs when my legs were burning. I succeeded. I keep seeing all these cyclists riding past me as I wait for the bus to take me to the transit center, and I am slowly building the determination to ride my bike all the way there. There's a lot of fucking climbs though, and no sidewalks, so I would be really embarrassed if I had to get my out of shape ass off the bike and walk along the side of the road periodically. Still drinking wine like it's my job.

So this is for my guild's mini-challenge. It's a lie I will repeatedly tell myself - a sort of "fake it 'til you make it" type of thang: I don't eat more than I need to feel satiated. That includes eating feelings and mindless snacking when bored.