Bikes, Packs, & Plans

I've been keeping myself quite busy over the last 10 days or so planning the backpacking trip & looking at bicycles, but more on that later.

I failed to update you on the June 7th & 14th weigh-ins: I lost another 3 lbs, then 2.2 lbs and Bobby lost 3.8, then 4.2 lbs. That brings my total loss to 18.4 lbs and Bobby's to 18 lbs. Not bad for 4 weeks, huh?

The only problem with this is that I've lost less each week than the previous week. That scared me a bit, so I've come up with a plan: I'm going to force down my 67 oz of water each day and I'm going to train - for the backpacking trip 1st & when I get back - for a triathlon.

I'll train for the trip by walking 90-120 minutes 3-4 times per week and I'll carry a little more weight with me each trip to prepare me for my pack. As of yesterday, I'm up to 13 lbs at the beginning of the walk - I drink water throughout, so I'm down to about 10 lbs by the end of the walk. I don't have far to go because I reduced my pack weight down to about 20 lbs. Part of reducing my pack included getting down to a super-light 40 liter pack by Go-Lite: woo-hoo!

For the triathlon, I'll be following the Phase II plan in "Triathlon Training in Four Hours a Week" by Eric Harr. (Thanks, Dad for buying this book for me a few Christmases ago!) It will take me 6 weeks to train for the sprint triathlon in Auburn, CA on September 5th. This will be on the Saturday before I turn 31. Now that's a great present to myself - completing a triathlon. As I've said in the past: I'd rather be rich in experience than rich in stuff.

However, my training will come with a nice package of goodies: I'll need a bike or I'll need to modify mine to work. I'll need weekly massages or chiropractic care. I'll need Birkenstock inserts for my running shoes. I'll need to go to the dentist to deal with my chronic tooth pain. I know most people don't see dentist visits as a goody, but I will find much relief there!

As for the bicycle, I cannot find one to work with my short frame for under $800. In reality, I'm looking at a minimum of about $2,000. So I might have to build one myself, which will have to wait until after the triathlon. Perhaps as my reward for reaching my goal weight around 130 lbs.? Or I can get one from Terry Bicycles. They have spot-on design. And they have old models for about 1/2 off!

I only know this because I've devoted nearly every waking hour over the past 4 days to researching bicycle design and selection. I now know all about the angles on a bike, the anatomy and nomenclature, the philosophies. I've read all of the forums and considered all of my options. I used to love to ride my bicycle, so I had to meditate on why I haven't enjoyed it as much as an adult. I've come to the conclusion that I'm in too much physical distress to thoroughly enjoy my rides because no bike fits me well.

That's all for now. Next weigh-in tomorrow morning!