So I ended up in Berkeley this afternoon to spend time with a good friend of mine before I start work on the 8th. The trip to Berkeley was a pretty last minute decision - I had my morning planned out and was thinking I'd be back home by noon... instead I was getting on BART to head east! I was really happy with my independence and ability to get all over SF and over to East Bay using bike and BART.
Until it came time to come home. See, it was a. warm out earlier today and b. we ended up doing some shopping. I was wearing shorts and sandals and had my bike. I was clearly ill-prepared for trekking back to SF now that the temps had dropped from the 80s to low 60s(?) and didn't have a good way to carry my newly purchased work clothes (so cute!). My friend helped me out with a backpack, lights for my bike and I was good to go. I made a comment about poor planning and she said (something like), "Poor planning... or being spontaneous and living in the moment (or taking advantage of opportunities?)" Anyway, if you read this, MW, please correct me. But I dig the sentiment and hope to continue to plan when needed ... and be spontaneous when possible.
Also... props to the Cheeseboard in Berkeley. Fine, fine pizza. And to MW, for helping me shop!
29 August 2008
Daily update
This morning: 125.6 lbs, 24.3% BF
Considering that I had two beers last night and seemed to be in a constant cycle of hungry/eating yesterday, this doesn't seem too bad.
Considering that I had two beers last night and seemed to be in a constant cycle of hungry/eating yesterday, this doesn't seem too bad.
28 August 2008
27 August 2008
Daily update
This morning: 124.6 lbs, 24.8% BF
So, if I weigh the same as yesterday but have lower BF, that implies fat loss :) I know, I know - I need more data. But I'm really trying to limit my between-meal snacking and eating after dinner. It's a good thing I'm seeing some positive data this early. Immediate gratification = more likely to actually keep trying!
So, if I weigh the same as yesterday but have lower BF, that implies fat loss :) I know, I know - I need more data. But I'm really trying to limit my between-meal snacking and eating after dinner. It's a good thing I'm seeing some positive data this early. Immediate gratification = more likely to actually keep trying!
26 August 2008
25 August 2008
Little Mermaid Sing-a-long
I just got back from the most fun I've had in a long time where there was no alcohol or nudity.
The Little Mermaid. Castro Theater. Five girlfriends. And an entire crowd that was as into it as we were (or more!). There were folks who showed up in costume... An emcee who got us psyched up by bringing the costumed attendees on stage for a contest and singing Under the Sea... Gift bags with a crown, a necklace, noise maker, glow stick, bubbles and one of those "Happy New Year" sort of things where you pull the string and it makes a big POP sound and ejects little streamers. The movie was edited so the song lyrics were at the bottom of the screen - and we ALL SANG ALONG. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to have a voice tomorrow.
Seriously, next sing-a-long, everyone's going.
To use a phrase I first heard from JW, San Francisco "rocks so hard." Boo-yah.
Edit: I cannot believe that I forgot to give props to HW for organizing our attendance of the glorious event. Thank you, HW.
The Little Mermaid. Castro Theater. Five girlfriends. And an entire crowd that was as into it as we were (or more!). There were folks who showed up in costume... An emcee who got us psyched up by bringing the costumed attendees on stage for a contest and singing Under the Sea... Gift bags with a crown, a necklace, noise maker, glow stick, bubbles and one of those "Happy New Year" sort of things where you pull the string and it makes a big POP sound and ejects little streamers. The movie was edited so the song lyrics were at the bottom of the screen - and we ALL SANG ALONG. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to have a voice tomorrow.
Seriously, next sing-a-long, everyone's going.
To use a phrase I first heard from JW, San Francisco "rocks so hard." Boo-yah.
Edit: I cannot believe that I forgot to give props to HW for organizing our attendance of the glorious event. Thank you, HW.
I got a job!
There are, obviously, many pros and cons to this situation... but I'm pretty sure the pros outweigh the cons. :D
I start September 8. Playtime (and get tons of stuff done) till then. Werd.
I start September 8. Playtime (and get tons of stuff done) till then. Werd.
Stupid effing six pounds
Aiight fair readers. No witty stories here. Just putting this one out there because I'm annoyed. :p
I've noticed that quite a few women use their blogs as a way of keeping honest with their exercise (I tried this last fall), weight and health goals. I'm doing just fine on the exercise front. Training for the Nike Women's Marathon and up to a solid 18 miles. Biking a few times a week and I try to swim once a week. Of course, this will all be a little more difficult to manage should I find a job, but for now, I'm really active.
Friends are amazed then when I say that I'm 5+ pounds heavier than my normal weight. WTF?!? I'm killing 1000+ calories on my long Saturday runs and on my longer bike rides. How on earth could I GAIN weight? Simple. I eat too much. Even too many healthy calories = too many calories. I've heard that it's common to gain with marathon training because your body just always seems to be hungry. Well, I'm going to try not to listen to it as much anymore and get back down to my normal, comfortable weight, which is between 117-120 lbs. Losing a few pounds should help me run faster too!
So, I'm going to start a semi-daily weight post. If I decide to follow some sort of diet, I'll post that too, but I'm going to try to just be really conscious of eating less for now, particularly when I'm at home. My old Tanita scale tells me body fat too, which is highly dependent on hydration. I'll post the BF% too, even though there's part of me that hopes that my actual BF% is lower than that!
Oh, and I'm all of 5'3".
Monday 8/25 (morning): 126lbs, 25% BF
I've noticed that quite a few women use their blogs as a way of keeping honest with their exercise (I tried this last fall), weight and health goals. I'm doing just fine on the exercise front. Training for the Nike Women's Marathon and up to a solid 18 miles. Biking a few times a week and I try to swim once a week. Of course, this will all be a little more difficult to manage should I find a job, but for now, I'm really active.
Friends are amazed then when I say that I'm 5+ pounds heavier than my normal weight. WTF?!? I'm killing 1000+ calories on my long Saturday runs and on my longer bike rides. How on earth could I GAIN weight? Simple. I eat too much. Even too many healthy calories = too many calories. I've heard that it's common to gain with marathon training because your body just always seems to be hungry. Well, I'm going to try not to listen to it as much anymore and get back down to my normal, comfortable weight, which is between 117-120 lbs. Losing a few pounds should help me run faster too!
So, I'm going to start a semi-daily weight post. If I decide to follow some sort of diet, I'll post that too, but I'm going to try to just be really conscious of eating less for now, particularly when I'm at home. My old Tanita scale tells me body fat too, which is highly dependent on hydration. I'll post the BF% too, even though there's part of me that hopes that my actual BF% is lower than that!
Oh, and I'm all of 5'3".
Monday 8/25 (morning): 126lbs, 25% BF
19 August 2008
San Francisco to Healdsburg, by bike
I was in Sonoma County for a wedding on August 9. When I tried to start my beloved Fido on Sunday, August 10, it wouldn't start. At all. Fido was towed to a mechanic in Healdsburg and I managed to get a ride back to San Francisco. Luckily, it was a fairly inexpensive repair and Fido was soon ready to go.
I decided the best way to go retrieve my car was by bike.
Of course.
Here are the numbers...
Miles
40 Point when I wondered if this was such a good idea
45 Point when I re-convinced myself that yes, this was a good idea - coincided with eating half of PB&J
68.1 From my house to repair shop by car
60 Point when I realized that I'd be doing closer to 90 miles
65 Point when I decided this was a really stupid idea, coincided with uptake in butt soreness
70 I *thought* were in the linked bike route. Bad conversion from km to mi.
75 Point when I realized that I'd be riding 105 miles
78 Point when I wanted to start whining, but had no one to whine to
79 Point when I decided to remember this whole no-whining thing for next long group ride
80 I *thought* I would be riding from my house to pick up my car
87 Point when I started whining to myself
90 Point when I decided to pick up the pace and pretend to be a racer
95 Mile that was too bumpy to be a racer
96 Mile that was too bumpy to be a racer
97 Point where I resumed racer-like riding
98.7 From the Golden Gate Bridge to Healdsburg, by bike
105.53 I rode
Hours:Minutes:Seconds
0:05:00 Spent inhaling post-ride burrito
7:12:53 Spent on the bike
8:31:04 Spent from door to bike shop
11:15:11 Spent total, door to door
Speed
14.6 Average speed, mph - bike computer
18 Average speed I kind of felt like I was doing (minus long up/down hill, starts & stops)
35.5 Max speed, mph - bike computer
Energy
0 Chocolate chip cookies consumed
85% Of a Clif bar eaten - strangely, the only one I ate on the entire trip
1 PB&J eaten
2 Times I stopped to eat blackberries off bushes at the side of the road
3 Chocolate chip cookies desired
5 Times I wish I had stopped to eat blackberries off the side of the road
5 "Servings" of Gu/Clif Shot/Clif Bloks consumed
6 Approx gallons of gas saved by biking (assume 25 mi/gal, if friend had driven me up and then had to drive back home)
10 Score of awesomeness of blackberries on a scale of 1-10
1,200 Calories in burrito and Reese's Pieces eaten after ride (approx)
1,410 Calories consumed while on the bike
4,100 Calories expended on the bike (according to calorie estimators)
Animals
0 Times cows actually moo'd back at me when I moo'd to them
1 Roadkill that was a skunk
1 Beautiful white horse standing near a fence that I wish I had stopped to take a picture of
2 Live deer seen crossing the road
3 Number of deer seen, total
3 "Dairies of the year" passed - 1992, 1996 and 2003
5 Cow varieties (Really light tan, tan, brown, black & white spotted, black)
6 Varieties of live animals spotted while on road (Cow, Horse, Cat, Sheep, Goat, Deer, Bird)
10 Approximate number of roadkills
30 Times I moo'd to cows, hoping for a response
Weather
10% Of time spent in drizzle or mist
70% Of time spent in overcast conditions
100% Happy that I did not get sunburned
Biking
0 Spare tubes needed on the trip
0 Articles of unused clothing I packed
1 Time an angry motorist yelled at me for being in the road
2 Times I had to turn around because I went the wrong way
2 Spare tubes I had with me
2 Times I dropped down into my granny gear
3 Times I cursed the wind
5 Hills I cursed
5 Times I should have dropped down into my granny gear, at least according to how my knees feel today
6 Times I had to stop to consult map, even though I had directions written down
90 Estimated number of miles that were pure joy
I decided the best way to go retrieve my car was by bike.
Of course.
Here are the numbers...
Miles
40 Point when I wondered if this was such a good idea
45 Point when I re-convinced myself that yes, this was a good idea - coincided with eating half of PB&J
68.1 From my house to repair shop by car
60 Point when I realized that I'd be doing closer to 90 miles
65 Point when I decided this was a really stupid idea, coincided with uptake in butt soreness
70 I *thought* were in the linked bike route. Bad conversion from km to mi.
75 Point when I realized that I'd be riding 105 miles
78 Point when I wanted to start whining, but had no one to whine to
79 Point when I decided to remember this whole no-whining thing for next long group ride
80 I *thought* I would be riding from my house to pick up my car
87 Point when I started whining to myself
90 Point when I decided to pick up the pace and pretend to be a racer
95 Mile that was too bumpy to be a racer
96 Mile that was too bumpy to be a racer
97 Point where I resumed racer-like riding
98.7 From the Golden Gate Bridge to Healdsburg, by bike
105.53 I rode
Hours:Minutes:Seconds
0:05:00 Spent inhaling post-ride burrito
7:12:53 Spent on the bike
8:31:04 Spent from door to bike shop
11:15:11 Spent total, door to door
Speed
14.6 Average speed, mph - bike computer
18 Average speed I kind of felt like I was doing (minus long up/down hill, starts & stops)
35.5 Max speed, mph - bike computer
Energy
0 Chocolate chip cookies consumed
85% Of a Clif bar eaten - strangely, the only one I ate on the entire trip
1 PB&J eaten
2 Times I stopped to eat blackberries off bushes at the side of the road
3 Chocolate chip cookies desired
5 Times I wish I had stopped to eat blackberries off the side of the road
5 "Servings" of Gu/Clif Shot/Clif Bloks consumed
6 Approx gallons of gas saved by biking (assume 25 mi/gal, if friend had driven me up and then had to drive back home)
10 Score of awesomeness of blackberries on a scale of 1-10
1,200 Calories in burrito and Reese's Pieces eaten after ride (approx)
1,410 Calories consumed while on the bike
4,100 Calories expended on the bike (according to calorie estimators)
Animals
0 Times cows actually moo'd back at me when I moo'd to them
1 Roadkill that was a skunk
1 Beautiful white horse standing near a fence that I wish I had stopped to take a picture of
2 Live deer seen crossing the road
3 Number of deer seen, total
3 "Dairies of the year" passed - 1992, 1996 and 2003
5 Cow varieties (Really light tan, tan, brown, black & white spotted, black)
6 Varieties of live animals spotted while on road (Cow, Horse, Cat, Sheep, Goat, Deer, Bird)
10 Approximate number of roadkills
30 Times I moo'd to cows, hoping for a response
Weather
10% Of time spent in drizzle or mist
70% Of time spent in overcast conditions
100% Happy that I did not get sunburned
Biking
0 Spare tubes needed on the trip
0 Articles of unused clothing I packed
1 Time an angry motorist yelled at me for being in the road
2 Times I had to turn around because I went the wrong way
2 Spare tubes I had with me
2 Times I dropped down into my granny gear
3 Times I cursed the wind
5 Hills I cursed
5 Times I should have dropped down into my granny gear, at least according to how my knees feel today
6 Times I had to stop to consult map, even though I had directions written down
90 Estimated number of miles that were pure joy
15 August 2008
Free Obama button from MoveOn.org
Hey,
Want a free Obama button? MoveOn's giving them away totally free--no strings attached. I just got mine, and wanted to share the opportunity with you.
Click this link to get a free Obama button:
Thanks!
04 August 2008
You just got chicked!
I learned a new word from AM! She learned about it from running blogs, but I'm guessing that it holds true for pretty much any self-propelled athletic endeavour.
Chicked: When a guy is passed by a girl
"I totally got chicked on that long climb out of Sausalito."
A girl, then, chicks a guy when she passes him.
"That guy was such a jerk when he cut us off at that light. He's going to get chicked going up Arguello."
If you've ever run or biked with me, you know that I get a huge pleasure out of chicking. No good reason, but it may have to do with a conversation that took place a few years back after a century ride (100 mile bike ride).
There were four of us doing a century in Marin County - three guys, one of them was my Ex - bf at the time - and me. Ex rides with me for most of the way. Our other two friends are hammering away. Around mile 75 or so, Ex decides he's going to go faster for the last 25 miles. I'm riding along by myself at my own pace and catch up with our other two friends. They're going pretty slowly and are wiped out from riding so hard early on. When we all get to the end, the conversation went something like this:
Friend 1: I totally bit it there at the end. I went out way too fast.
Ex: Oh, that's too bad. I was able to cruise the last 25 miles because I had been riding with K the whole time.
I'm sitting right there. I know I'm not as fast as the guys, but I'm not that slow. Besides, we're talking 100 miles here, people.
Well, to this day... I get a kick out of chicking dudes. Especially when they're assholes.
Chicked: When a guy is passed by a girl
"I totally got chicked on that long climb out of Sausalito."
A girl, then, chicks a guy when she passes him.
"That guy was such a jerk when he cut us off at that light. He's going to get chicked going up Arguello."
If you've ever run or biked with me, you know that I get a huge pleasure out of chicking. No good reason, but it may have to do with a conversation that took place a few years back after a century ride (100 mile bike ride).
There were four of us doing a century in Marin County - three guys, one of them was my Ex - bf at the time - and me. Ex rides with me for most of the way. Our other two friends are hammering away. Around mile 75 or so, Ex decides he's going to go faster for the last 25 miles. I'm riding along by myself at my own pace and catch up with our other two friends. They're going pretty slowly and are wiped out from riding so hard early on. When we all get to the end, the conversation went something like this:
Friend 1: I totally bit it there at the end. I went out way too fast.
Ex: Oh, that's too bad. I was able to cruise the last 25 miles because I had been riding with K the whole time.
I'm sitting right there. I know I'm not as fast as the guys, but I'm not that slow. Besides, we're talking 100 miles here, people.
Well, to this day... I get a kick out of chicking dudes. Especially when they're assholes.
Bike snark
From the San Francisco Bike Coalition listserv:
Question:
Hey Everyone, Yesterday, I needed to use for my first time the bike rack on a MUNI* bus. I had no problems; but it seemed like a very unsecure contraption. Have there been many problems with these things? If a bike bounced off of there it would be the end of that bike. The bus driver said it has happened but he didn't say how often it happens. Should I be worried when using it? Is there anything we can do when using these MUNI bike racks to make our bikes more secure?
My two favorite responses:
1. I have used these many times and I don't see how the bike could bounce off. You are supposed to move the spring-loaded arm over the top of the front tire, all the way up against the brake (hipsters: the brake** is supposed to have been attached to the fork). A much more serious problem is that people steal the bikes...You can expect the operator to do fuck-all about it if someone is doing this. You should stand in the front of the bus where you can keep an eye on your bike.
2. If worried about theft - lock your wheel to the frame before boarding. Stops someone from a quick getaway. If you don't have a lock use your helmet. If you don't have a helmet you are already good at assessing relative risks and make a rational decision.
Explanations for my non-SF readers...
*MUNI is the SF bus system
**hipsters have a tendency to ride fixed gear (fixies) bikes that don't have brakes.
Question:
Hey Everyone, Yesterday, I needed to use for my first time the bike rack on a MUNI* bus. I had no problems; but it seemed like a very unsecure contraption. Have there been many problems with these things? If a bike bounced off of there it would be the end of that bike. The bus driver said it has happened but he didn't say how often it happens. Should I be worried when using it? Is there anything we can do when using these MUNI bike racks to make our bikes more secure?
My two favorite responses:
1. I have used these many times and I don't see how the bike could bounce off. You are supposed to move the spring-loaded arm over the top of the front tire, all the way up against the brake (hipsters: the brake** is supposed to have been attached to the fork). A much more serious problem is that people steal the bikes...You can expect the operator to do fuck-all about it if someone is doing this. You should stand in the front of the bus where you can keep an eye on your bike.
2. If worried about theft - lock your wheel to the frame before boarding. Stops someone from a quick getaway. If you don't have a lock use your helmet. If you don't have a helmet you are already good at assessing relative risks and make a rational decision.
Explanations for my non-SF readers...
*MUNI is the SF bus system
**hipsters have a tendency to ride fixed gear (fixies) bikes that don't have brakes.
01 August 2008
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