Sunday, January 22, 2017

Just another week in January

First off, I'll get some stuff out of the way. I had a good week on the exercise bike, biking 10 miles on Monday, with 11 mile rides on Wednesday and Friday. However, I did not have a good week on the completing the 30-minute circuit only 1 day (Tuesday). On Thursday, I took my daughter to the BMV for her driver's test (she passed!) and Saturday I spent my day with the Boy Scouts, spending the day at the Klondike Derby, with temperatures in the mid 50's!

I love scouting! My two oldest sons are Eagle Scouts, and my youngest son is a Cub Scout. In a little over a year, he will cross-over to Boy Scouts, and I'm so looking forward to it. Of course, any scout outing means good eating, and last night, I had a HUGE grilled steak. I thought I was eating the side of a cow...and it was GOOD!. Bottom line, I picked up a pound last week (239.4). However, the good news is that I'm still down 8.8 pounds from the beginning of the year, and I'll take that. My goals are:

  • May 14 (for Great Allegheny Passage Ride) - 231 pounds
  • September 10 (for Lorie's Lakeside Century) - 214 pounds
  • November 26 (for Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen) - 203 pounds 

So for this week, I plan to get to Planet Fitness 6 days, and keep on the exercise bike for three days, and get back to the 30-minute circuit  workout for three days. Once I hit one hour on the exercise bike, I'll start doing some interval work on the bike to work on some speed. I'm also looking forward to May and another ride on the Great Allegheny Passage with friends!

Until next week!

Shawn

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Hello everyone!

With the start of the new year, I thought I would start blogging again about my biking adventures, and life in general.

I kept a blog last summer with my solo bike-packing trip from Washington DC to Pittsburgh. I want to leave that blog as a guide to anyone who wants to learn more about the Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Towpath. If you are interested in that journey, you can check out that blog at: https://shawnambroseblog.wordpress.com/

So, a bit about me. I just turned 52, and I learned to love biking a couple of years ago after a running injury has more or less ended my running career. I've done a few bike rides, to include the Great Allegheny Passage from Cumberland to Pittsburgh with a Boy Scout Troop, the solo bike-packing trip from DC to Pittsburgh last summer, and Lorie's Lakeside Century last fall in Chesterton, IN.

I'm blessed with a job that allows me a great deal of flexibility - I'm an Associate Professor of Organization and Management at the University of Saint Francis (USF)  in Fort Wayne, IN. While I am not "off" for the summer, I have a very flexible schedule that allows me to do a good deal of biking.

While not on the bike or at work, I'm involved with the Boy Scouts of America as an Assistant Scoutmaster for a local troop, and of course...my family. I've been married to my eternal sweetheart for over 26 years, and we have 7 children. While 2 of our children are out of the house, we still have 5 who are home, although 1 of those children goes to USF. So it is still busy at my house.

OK about biking. After my century ride in September, my training fell apart. I had a very busy semester, and I did not do a good time of managing my time to work in my training. As a result, my weight went up to 248, which is the heaviest I've ever been. So I'm dieting, and resolving to be very protective of my training time, to the point of placing my training on my Outlook Calendar at work.

I've been working out regularly at Planet Fitness, with 3 days on the exercise bike, and 3 days with the "30-minute workout." Right now I'm up to riding 46 minutes on the exercise bike, so I'm working my way back. I've also shed off almost 10 pounds since the beginning of the year as well.

Since I tend to work better with goals - here is my 2017 biking schedule:

May: Great Allegheny Passage from Cumberland to Pittsburgh (3 day trip)

June: Tour de Detroit Century Ride

July: RAIN (Ride Across Indiana)

September: Lorie's Lakeside Century

November: Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen

It's going to be aggressive.

So, I'll keep people up to date as I move forward, as a 52 year old man tries to get back in shape and have a great biking summer. Thanks for reading!

Shawn