April 1st Foolsfitness Returns!

It's the six year anniversary of Foolsfitness! Thats right six years ago on April 1st Foolsfitness came into being!

So most of last night my heart raced thinking about jumping on the scale at the hospital. This morning I find my self asking "Do these socks feel heavy" and trying to decide if I should avoid using roll on deoderant... after all that adds at least maybe 1/4 of a ounce right?

THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY NUMBERS: a solid 10 pound drop last month and a good 32 pounds dropped in the last year. 352 pounds this morning. a mere 7 pounds up from my starting weight six years ago. In this six year journey I've gone as high as 393 and as low as 283! It's not all good but it's not all bad either. I am sitting at the hospital cafe, after digital weigh in with my glass of water with lemon slices and scrambled eggs with ham and cheese from their cafe. I may have mentioned at one point my worst meal was cheese curls oreo cookies and a beer!

I've been quietly working on things behind the scenes this year to drop about 30 lbs. But now Foolsfitness refocuses. I bought a bright pink tiny laptop (hopefully for blogging at least once a week) and just rejoined the gym yesterday for a "trial" 2 weeks. My poor boba bicycle got hit by a car when it was locked on a telephone pole last year. I've yet to either fix or replace it... but a step at a time. Actually later today a swim at a time as I'm going to the gym. (words I have not said in a while!) Be well my friends, as time goes on I will try to check in on you now that I have a computer again! But I only get net on the go not at home sadly, so the current goal is at least a blog a week to try to maintain accountability focus and all that.

Don't forget at Foolsfitness we will mug that Easter Bunny for that basket full of chocolate eggs!- Alan

Getting back to purpose with a new spark

It's been a long time. I have wondered in the deserts... I mean desserts, gaining a whole lot of weight. Yet exploration is good, along with foolsfitness approved meals like a beer, some cheese curls, and oreo cookies for dinner.

So I needed a spark. I needed a fire under my more pronounced bottom area and needed to get back to living life with purpose again. Thus my new zippo. The Rocket girl, along with being a rather strong freudian symbol, is a visual cue to rocketing to greatness. Foolsfitness has sparked the flint, lit the flame to the fire... to something more (or maybe, just maybe, a little less?)

So fluffy words aside here it is folks. currently 384 down from 390 two weeks back but up what is that like 50 pounds up from the start of foolfitness so long ago and about a hundred up from the lowest in the blog!!! Ouch. yeah...

But dont count foolfitness out just yet. I got a zippo.

and remember at foolfitness we are all about the adventure. We ain't done, see that phenoix rising from the ashes...guess who?

They Killed Granny + Picture Touring Paloosa

The bike shop killed my granny! With less than 1000 miles on my Raleigh Venture I messed up the back wheel, 6 spokes broke and a bad brake cable to boot. In fairness you’ve got to figure I weigh like twice an average weight person and add in doctor’s notes and medical records being a bike messenger in my mail pouch means that bike likely say somewhere around 350+ pounds. Moreover, my riding is lots of stress on a wheel, from accelerating, braking, and weaving. I wouldn’t say I pummel the bike, but it has seen a bit of “air” occasionally jumping a curb in an emergency as well as a bit of gravel trail riding. Still, I think I’m a bit disappointed with the quality of the stock rims.
A picture of my mighty bicycle in front of some mighty impressive artwork that some very skilled artist did on a wall in Portsmouth NH. I wish I could say it was my art but it's not. It's very Rockwell isn't it? Nice work!

Back to the death of my granny… the bike shop was originally going to replace the spokes but it looked like they needed to remove outside spokes to get to inside ones… in short heavy labor. So they bike shop guy finds a used wheel that he swapped in to save me a bit of cash. They set back was the wheel has a gear set that has a much higher ratio “granny gear” (the lowest gear I use a fair amount of the time to pedal fast but easy to make it up steep hills.) the new gear ratio “feels” like 1st is now 2nd or maybe even 2.5? Going downhill or flats I can really boogie though! So all that celebrating on those hard hills… well, it’s like the hills just got a bit steeper! I tried my hardest hill I made before and could still do it with a light load but I was puffing like a cog steam engine climbing Mount Washington!!!

I went to the Fair and saw a smash up derby!!!
The wild thing is they stopped the derby when the car had got hit so hard it flipped on it's side. a bunch of guys pushed it back over and it started back up and continued!!!
At the end of summer I’ve tried to get in a bit of activity and local travel. Wow time flies since I posted (sorry about that!) but I’ve got to Portsmouth (The seacoast of New Hampshire) and to Hopkinton State fair and saw my first live demolition derby. Got to love watching people senselessly pummeling automobiles into each other over and over until they won’t move! What’s not cool about that? Of course I ate too much… but holding at about 306ish right now. Along this journey I like to drop more weight but I’m glad to say I’m more fit and doing more activities. The other pictures are from the seacoast in Portsmouth.

A image from Portsmouth waterfront... an area that's neat.


At Foolsfitness we encourage people to wreck their cars, (just not by running into us)!- Alan

Kick the Ball Charlie Brown!

One of the hills going out of town has mocked my bicycle riding skills forever. It’s reasonably steep but fairly long as well. I always run out of steam about half way up the hill. Yet like Charlie Brown wanting to kick that football, futile attempt after futile attempt each time I get another pedal stroke higher up the hill before giving out.

Yesterday was different. I decided to ride up the hill to the top to rent a dvd movie and as always tried to find the balance between getting enough run on the hill, yet not exhausting myself. Three quarters up the hill I had to stop pedaling but in a few gasps of air I still had a bit of momentum… a bit shocked I figured why stop there and put my head down as my heart was threatening to pound out of my chest I pushed on. ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP! I was really too tired to celebrate at the finish.

When I made it back home I needed a nap! (And a major shower!) Forgive the "recycled" art I did from one of my other postings but I'm really still tired a day later. I seriously red lined.

Gee, I only have like two more hills in the whole town that I can’t make it up! Those however I don’t think many people can. But you never know. Keep trying to kick the football Charlie Brown, someday it might just work!

At Foolsfitness We officially race bicycles… to the corner store for sodas and candy bars!- Alan

Stalemate?

I finally saw a number on the scale this morning that wasn’t between 297-300… the unofficial 294.5 beats that wall I’ve been hitting for the last few weeks. I also for the first time in a while can say yesterday I ate reasonably balanced and in somewhat sane amounts.

Last week’s planned trip to race had a bit of a twist. I got misinformation and the flat oval I had been training for and ready to ride on was NOT the course. They had a race they refer to as the “frontier” which takes the bicycles all over up and down hills and corners everywhere. I’ve made progress here but getting my mass up a hill is still a challenge, never mind trying it at any reasonable speed! But I came to ride and I figured I would give it a go.

I got in about three laps and decided to not officially run the race. There was one point that whips down a hill into a 90 degree switchback left and immediately uphill. I’m white knuckled hauling downhill to start and then throw in the sharp curve and need to switch gears for a climb… insane! It was a very creative course but best left to more serious bicycle racing professionals than my current skill set! I retired the bike and waited until the end of the race and went back out on the course to use up the last slivers of sunlight. The course is such a maze that on my own I took a wrong turn someplace and ended up a bit lost. All in all about 7 miles, which doesn’t seem like a lot but they were rather very intense miles. At points of climbs I was seriously doing my Darth Vader imitation.

The flat oval course is today. Alas as much as I really want to go and do what I planned I think it may not happen as coming up with travel costs and track fees for two times in two weeks rather pushes my budget uncomfortably. I feel a bit defeated, but I wouldn’t have imagined even thinking of trying the “frontier” this time last year. Maybe it will be a goal for next year but I doubt I will try to run it but I have to admit that the course was somewhat terrifying with watching out for other cyclists too. Even watching I saw some very close calls with guys who run it seriously, a near crash and multiple missed shifts and pedal slip offs.

At Foolsfitness we are not sure if we are winning or losing, We are not even sure which side we are playing on!- Alan

Off to the Races! Again!

Last year I had a goal of “showing up” at the New Hampshire Cycling Club oval race at New Hampshire International Speedway Nascar Track to ride. I had a goal to just try to ride a few miles… I think in the end I had ridden almost 12 miles. I remember at the end I thought I was going to collapse and pass out. I was proud I peddled my little sears and roebuck 10 speed so far though. I was so determined to ride last year I borrowed a friends jeep when my car broke down to get to the track.

What a difference a year makes. Last night one of my “training rides” came in just under 14 miles. This time last year I think I was about 8 or 9 pounds lighter, but my fitness level has jumped by a huge margin. This year the “goal” is to actually finish the distance or at least ride 18-20 miles. Next year maybe, just maybe it will be able to keep up with the other riders! Last year I actually won my racing Class, however there is the slight detail of being the only rider actually in “D” class (For the beginners, “A” being serious athletes, “B” being just a bit slower than them) I always joke that “D” class indicates a speed of “D” for dead… how fast dead people can go?

So what’s with the picture you ask? It’s a gift from a friend. It’s an old Peugeot Corbier road bike. This friend knew I was looking for something a bit higher quality than my current road bike I nicknamed “Frankenstein” because it’s built from four parts bikes. This new (well old) French bike is lighter and we will test it by fire at the race track to see how we work as a team!!! I just got it this morning! The friend got it off a Church Auction for $25. It's bigger than my car!!!

Tune in soon for the next post the race results. Well, “race” is a strong word… for the ride results as all the others pass me twice on each lap!

At Fools fitness we just want to know one thing, “Are You Going to Eat That?” - Alan

I'm Hungry!

1 caboose, two cabice? Ca-boos-see'? How about a whole lot of em?!

I wish I could say I have eating right down pat as it’s still elusive. (As Rettakat mentioned if I had that I’d have this weight thing whooped in short order!) My bicycle riding miles have just gone through the roof lately… Nearing 200 miles just this month alone. A ride with a bicycling partner on Tuesday for 19 miles plus my daily miles bumped it to over 30. We ended the ride in the dark with our little blinky lights and headlights on. If you look close I’ve got a new (rather old) teardrop light on the bike I traded for. It’s heavy but it looks just so darn cool! I’m thinking to convert it to LED lights to extend the battery life.

Today I’m riding my racer 10 speed “Frankenstein” for a bit, but it’s too hot to really rack up any serious miles. I chose it this morning just because I’m not wanting to carry the heavy Boba bike up and down the stairs. I unofficially weighed at about 296.5 today this morning mostly keeping an eye out for water drops trying to stay the same weight drinking water. The bank thermometer only said 89 but I’m dripping with sweat.

A rail trail caboose yard in Tilton, NH is one picture and the other is the bridge that spans the river between Franklin and West Franklin NH. I did this ride last week but took the bus again because now I explored I wanted to ride the trail both ways and go a little further out. The ride between Northfield and Franklin is a great one; my only wish was it was longer!

I found another rail trail that went from 140 to the edge of Tilton Main street but be fore warned that if you try it on bicycle that there are *many* areas washed out by draining water, I had to creep along through it and in one spot I didn’t dare drop the tire off the edge through a pot hole but inched over walking it.

You might want to pass on congrats to Lisa at http://inweighovermyhead.blogspot.com/ if I read it right she just past the 100 pounds off mark! WOW!

My current numbers are around 45 off since the start (actually lost the same weight twice now! It’s sort of 80 pounds off?) and roughly 16 pounds up from lowest in blog. I wonder if this picture has anything to do with it… that bike in front of the Chinese food place looks awful familiar?! (Hey, at least I rode there?)
At fools fitness we are always tempted to put on a baseball card in the spokes of our bicycles to get the little clicky sound! - Alan