Old, Fat & Slow

So this morning I got up at 4:15am, got dressed and went riding outside before work for the first time this season.  I did get out and ride on both Saturday and Sunday in addition to my bonus early season ride, so I guess this is marks the start of another outdoor cycling season for me.

I've been hoping that I might be able to log more miles this year than I have in the past few years now that my little ones are out of the fussy at night baby age.  I even got started again after the holidays sooner that I ever have.  But this morning proved what I already knew; I'm old, fat and slow.  Actually there are four parts to the cause of this morning not going well.

1) The battery pack for my lighting system needs to be replaced again.  I knew as soon as I unplugged it this morning that there was likely a problem as the batteries were not warm and the charger was fairly hot.  This was the same symtoms of the batteries failing a couple 2-3 years back.  And when I started using it, it just wasn't putting out a lot of light.  That's a big problem when you are riding on bad roads in the dark.  Later in the seasons it's less of a problem as you start to learn where the really bad potholes are, but right now that's somewhat of a mystery.  This naturally slows you down because you can't see as well.

2) I also forgot my water bottle this morning!  I really can't remember the last time I did that, but without water that also slows you down after a while.

3) I'm carrying too much dead weight as excess fat.  I'm 4 pound heavier today than I was at this time last year.  I always expect to be a bit heavy at that start of the season, but this year is worse than ever before.  Hopefully with some discipline and hard work I will be able to shed it or convert it to muscle mass in a reasonably short period of time.  Being at about 152 right now would be good, although my target weight is actually 148.  This of course sends my wife into a tizzy as she thinks that's too thin.  I'd be happier with more weight, but only if it is muscle mass.  It's been several years since I was that light, but I also did some of my best riding then.

4) The other reality is I'm getting older.  It's harder to get out of bed, I hurt more and it takes longer to recover.  Getting back into shape and maintaining a fairly constant weight and working out year round would go a long way towards making all of this easier.

Must be disciplined and mentally strong!

March 31, 2005 @ 12:57 pm | Category:
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