Yep, a week from Friday this whole competition will be all over, but of course the fitness thing shall continue forever. By “forever” I mean that as long as I eat right and continue to work out that I shall become immortal… well, barring getting hit by a bus or a meteorite slamming into me. Okay, perhaps I won’t live forever but I do intend to be around longer than I would have before.

Very busy week coming up. The Out of Bounds Improv Fest just started and I’ll be participating in it so I have to adjust a lot of my work outs for the next few days. This is just one of those challenges I’ll have to get used to overcoming for the next eternity… uhm, few years. Off to a rehearsal for a show now but I knew I was way behind in my blogging and thought I’d better post something real quickly as I’m going to be swamped through Labor Day. I DO have a top-secret plan to defeat my fellow competitors here in the final hour, ssshhh, tell NO-ONE… I’m giving up all beer for the last week starting on Monday! Heh-heh-heh, they’ll NEVER expect that!

I am currently fighting the urge to not go to work out (which explains why it suddenly became so necessary to update my blog at this very moment… aahh, sweet distractions!) Now that the school year is once again under way (for us teachers at least) and I’m having to wake up at an unreasonable hour and spend the day preparing for the students to return, I find myself less inclined to go to the gym. THIS MUST BE FOUGHT! I realize I just need to readjust my sleep schedule, which happens every year, but in the mean time I just feel so beat when I get back from work.

That ends the whining portion of this blog… I DID attend the Spin Class yesterday after work and I SHALL gather my work out attire and head out right after I sign off here. I need to reestablish my work year work out pattern that was so successful for me all the way through May, so though I’d dearly love to sit about and chat loyal blog followers, but I have to (sigh) get off my butt now and get back to work! Only a few more weeks in this challenge after all!

I did the 45 mile bike ride through the Texas Hill Country, from Wimberly down to Gruene this past Saturday and… I DIDN’T EVEN DIE! My survival, unlikely though it is, was in doubt as late as Sunday evening as I tottered about my house emitting soft little moans of muscle pain, but this morning I have apparently bounced back entirely and am ready to go riding again, though not quite so far so soon.

The ride was slightly misrepresented as it turned out to be a total of 50.86 miles instead of the officially listed 47.5. You may well ask, “So? What’s another 3 or 4 miles after 45 plus anyway?” Au contraire! When one’s brain, and one’s legs, and most importantly, one’s buttocks have prepared themselves for exactly 47.5 miles, any miles over and above that become VERY annoying! “Where is the barbecue? Where is the river? Where are the inner tubes? Why am I doing this to myself?” runs over and over in one’s head until finally the end arrives! Whew! Also, if a ride is scheduled in the heat of a Texas summer and the course happens to progress down a stretch of road known as “The Devil’s Backbone” it seems only considerate to somehow cover up these signs proclaiming it such until after the hot, sweaty riders have passed to help maintain their peace of mind. I’m just saying…

Seriously I had a great time and was accompnied by a very good friend and I made even more friends on the river after the trip. I plan on signing up for the same ride next year, though I may attempt the 65 mile course next time… which according to reports was actually only 63 miles. For now back to regular work outs and my little joy rides around the city. I broke through the 230 lb. barrier and was 228 last time I weighed myself, so let’s see if I can keep under it for a while.

After nine days of working at the San Diego Comics Con I’ve returned home at last and I weigh almost exactly what I did when I left. Oh well, what did I expect seriously.

Tomorrow I go to shoot the next update in this challenge so there will be a new commercial coming out soon. I think they want some shots of us working out this time so I’ll be starting up again after nine days off, but in front of video cameras. whee.

I DID take my bicycle with me and was able to get in four to five mile rides most days, but that was about the extent of my working out unless one counts standing on one’s feet in the same place for eight to ten hours as a work-out. Though it DID supply sufficient pain to be confused as a work-out, I doubt it really qualifies.

Do not worry about me though, I shall resume everything beginning tomorrow! Ouch!

So I’ve only lost 3 pounds in the past two weeks, who cares anyway? Okay I do… a little bit. Physically I’m feeling great, my belt hole goal has been accomplished, I’m biking miles and miles, but ONLY 3 POUNDS?! WHA…?! Yeah, yeah I know it was never my plan to lose great amounts of weight, just I’d still kind of like to. I have been seduced by the popular fixation about weight loss AND… I… MUST… RESIST!

Anyway, while I fight off the ever encroaching persuasions of the media, I’m preparing myself for a 10 day excursion with my brother and oldest nephew to San Diego to have a bit of fun and help an old family friend man his booth at the San Diego Comic Con. While this should be delightful I AM a bit worried about keeping up my work outs. I’m going to strap a bicycle to the back of the car, but that still won’t be able to replace the weight training nor the RPM classes as I’ll be working at the convention for most of the day. I’ve found my inner comic book geek is not nearly so interested in physical fitness as I am.

Wish me luck.

So I skipped my work out yesterday due to the July 4th festivities and my RPM class at the YMCA is cancelled today for the same reason, so I intend to get out and do at least an hour’s worth of biking today on my own. I would have more guilt about missing these exercise sessions if I hadn’t ridden for 40 miles with only three short rests (only one of which involved beer.) I felt surprisingly well afterwards! I think I’ll be in shape for the big Hill Country ride on the 7th.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned on here that I’ve been invited to go out to San Diego for a week or so and help a friend with his booth at the Comics Con in a couple of weeks I plan on taking my bicycle along with me for running errands along the Strand and staying in shape. Over all, things are going quite well.

So I had to go out of town for a little while and ended up missing two work outs. I started up again yesterday and definitely felt the lost work outs. Whew! Getting back on my schedule now… as soon as this nasty crick in my neck loosens up I’ll be biking up to the gym. On the positive side I maintained my weight over my lost half a week and didn’t backtrack any, although I also did not lose any more either. One nice thing about missing work outs is the feeling of guilt I now have when I do. Previously I’d feel more relief for an opportunity TO skip than I would over not going.

If the weather holds, after the gym I’d like to take another long ride today. The Shammies & Koozies ride is approaching and I’ll be out of town AGAIN the last week and a half of July just before it, so I’d best try to whip myself in shape before then.

The Shammies & Koozies Ride is now set for August 7th. This is a huge improvement over the original date of June 12th (postponed due to the flooding in New Braunfels) as it was likely to still be a wee bit chilly for a 45 mile bike ride in June. With the new August date I shall no longer have to concern myself with fears of frostbite. Oh, well. It’ll still be a blast.

I had to skip my Sunday work out yesterday as I needed to trek down to San Antonio to take my pop out to a Fathers’ Day dinner, which also kind of blew my caloric intake for the day. Regardless I love my dad and if he wanted to dine in a place that specializes in HUGE portions of mostly fried and cheese filled foods, who am I to deny him? I’m going to have to bust my butt in Spin Class this afternoon to try to make up for it.

A curious thing I’ve noticed since beginning this Get Fit Challenge is that I never have just one weight. I seem to constantly have two different weights. Allow me to explain, When I first began I weighed 254 lbs. For the first week and a half I was either 254 OR 251, Never 253… just one of those two and it didn’t seem to matter if I’d just worked out or if I’d just eaten, I never knew which weight I was likely to be. Then suddenly I was either 251 or 248 and that went on for a while until It was either 248 or 245. My lower weight limit would become my higher weight limit and incrementily I’d be getting lighter. I am currently either 238 or 235 and this is still confusing me. Everytime I reach my new lower weight I get all excited, “Whoppee! Look at that! I’ve lost 3 pounds!” Then, two days later, I’m back up to the higher weight and I would become all discouraged, “Damn! I’ve added the weight I lost!” Finally I think I understand how my body works so I’m no longer letting it upset me, I never get back to the higher weight of my set of two, so I just have to let my body figure it out on its own. I do wish my body was not such a weight tease, but what can one do?

Bike, bike, bike, bike, bike. I am really putting some miles in on the bicycle this week. As a school teacher summertime provides me with many more opportunities to get out and do stuff, and I’ve been trying to do so. Night time rides are my favorites as it isn’t so hot and there’s usually less traffic, but I am getting out in the heat of the day too. I have also been strictly adhereing to my weight program this week and have even added an extra exercise or two. I’m STILL waiting to find out when the rescheduled bike ride down to Gruene will be, but at least the delay is giving me much more chance to train… but still I get very antsy. I just found out that cranberry juice cocktail has more calories than an equal amount of beer… hhmmm, I know, I know I really should investigate diet cranberry juices but it is an interesting discovery. Tomorrow I’m considering riding my bicycle down to the Blues on the Green concert, but that is a long way and riding back at night could be tricky. We’ll see.

For six weeks I’ve been looking forward to this 45 mile bike tour down to Gruene Texas followed by barbecue and tubing, but flash floods have postponed the ride to an as yet undecided date this summer.  I send my sympathies to those affected and hope you are able to weather this storm and get your lives and businesses back on track soon, for your sake as well as mine. This leaves a huge hole in my weekend which I must fill with bicycling SOMEWHERE. I believe I will go terrorize downtown Austin for a long ride on Saturday. This could be a very fortuitous weekend to do this as the Republic of Texas Motorcycle Rally is here this weekend. I’m sure those tattoed, beer drinkin’, Hog riders will extend great courtesy to me, there non-motorized two-wheeled cousin. I shall attempt to make “BRUM-BRUM-BRUM” sound effects when I sidle up to them at intersections so they will not be too intimidated by my sleek red, Trek bicycle. I can foresee no flaws whatsoever in my plan. Wish me luck!

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