The Joy Of Shift Work, Diets and Moods

Monday, 8:31am.

I just got off the scales. And what to my wondering eyes should appear? A number that is less than expected, that's what! Am I happy? With the number, yes. With my frame of mind? No. Why, then, all the doom and gloom. Well, sit right back and I'll tell you a tale.

I work the afternoon shift, 3pm-11pm, and if there isn't enough people working that night on mids, like due to a sick call, then one of the 3-11 people, like myself, gets mandated to stay for 4 hours. Yes, 4. That's better than some centers who mandate for 8. But anyway, there was a sick call, and I get held Saturday night.

I made it through the dinner hour on my regular shift, eating my 1 cup of refried bean chili (oh it's yummy!), fruits and veggies. I even had 32 ounces of water. But before all that happened, I rode Saturday morning for 2 hours. Thirty-one miles! My best so far. So, I go to work, then the sick call came in. "Is it my hold?" I asked. "Yep, sure is." my supervisor snappily replied. Dejected, I tried to turn it into a positive thing. I thought "Oh well, it's four hours of overtime. We could use the extra cash".

 It was just me, my supervisor, who had already signed up for the other open slot of overtime prior to the sick call.Then the question came from the lone midnight shift person around 11:05PM: "You guys hungry?" I shook my head trying to ignore this tempting question that I knew would come up. My suprevisor and I had a discussion regarding this very question and what our response would be. She said she would get something. I said maybe.

"Ill get something if you're going, but something small, I already ate".

Yeah right.Small.I know my track record. And I was hungry.

"How about Taco Bell?" I meekly said. I was greeted with "How about real Mexican food?" I said sure, wrote down my order, handed him my debit card and went back to dreaming of my Specialized Allez or Secteur while my heavenly junk food was being ordered and prepared for my consumption. Heck, I am  even thinking of going back to the Trek route.


Oh boy. The food arrived.

Steak? I ordered ground beef. That's OK, Ill eat it. Ugh. This grease is like pooling in the foil wrapper. Oh. Why did I eat that burrito? Why? Oh I'm so miserable, ugh. Shoot me now! PLEASE! I don't want to do this! Why did I eat this? I've blown all I worked for! I see a 5 pound weight gain coming on! I cant handle this!  Maybe I can purge it(These were the thoughts in my head. Though I didnt purge, I know the implications if this starts to become more of an issue).

I cant wait to get home and go to bed.

And so I did. By 3:45 am, I was sound asleep. Burrito and all. Sweet (burrrrrp) dreams. Oooff....

I awoke around 10am, due to the fullness of my bladder. As soon as I walked out of the bathroom, the thought hit me like a frying pan in the face. I ate that burrito. I ruined everything. Well, that set me off on the wrong foot. I was now in a crabby mood.

I felt bad for my family. They were feeling the effects of my poor decision. That wasn't fair to them. And to top it all off, Sunday was my daughter's final 2 holiday concert performances, and we were headed out to the 2pm show. I needed to change.

Now it's Monday, and after a lengthy pep talk from the Mrs last night before turning in, I realized that it was a mistake. I need to forgive myself and move along. But I think what is really helping me deal with that more today is the number on the scale:

212.5.

Not 217. Not 215. Two-hundred and twelve point five! Seeing that number helped me to realize that I was worrying for nothing. Sort of that swipe your forehead and say 'Whew". Or look into the mirror and say 'See? You worried for nothing".

Will I do it again? Yes. Will I feel the same? That's unknown. But I now know how I felt. I know how it will affect me. I also know, I dont want to do it again.

As far as the pep talk went, we decided that I am concentrating too hard on this. The weigth will come off. That is a given. It's how I am going to ride that will need the tweaking.

And that, is fodder for another entry.

So I took a leap and had Shan shoot a picture of me on the bike. This is 12/13/12 and I weigh 212.5. This is much better than the 237 I weighed in May of this year. Alot of this weight lose is due to cycling. And thats what Im doing now to shed the rest of the weight. Alot of this has to do with the MS ride. I am getting more and more stoked, the longer I am able to ride.

So here is a snapshot. Here is a glimpse of what used to be. Here is looking at you, kid.

Big Ride

Today is the day. A scheduled two hour ride. This is part of the "Big Weight Loss" plan in Ride Your Way Lean book. Its been a great plan so far, only a week in. But, I'm having some discomfort issues on the bike. Going to speak with the LBS to see if they have any clues/ideas as to what the heck is going on.

Maybe a basic fitting is in order? Maybe its because the bike is on the trainer; not being able to stand up, move the bike around when pedalling. That sorta stuff.

Email has been sent, so we will see what they have to say. In the mean time, I'm here at work waiting.

Patiently.

The Obsession

I get home from a long day at the office and plop myself on the couch. My wife is sitting in her chair crocheting. She glanes over at me. " You havent ridden for awhile. Are you not training anymore?" she asks. I scratch my head. "No, not with (so in so) plan. Im plannin on the (whats so ma-call it) plan for weight loss". She stops making her scarf, lays it on her lap and looks at ma again. "Well, dont you think anytime on the bike is better than no tiome at all?" She is right. I hop up, go change into my shorts and run out to the garage.

While riding, Im thinking of my savings account, the bike I have my eye on, and if I will make it thru this 2013 on this "clunker". But then I change my last thought. This isnt a clunker. It has been the tool inwhich the spark of reimagination has taken place. It's the step. It's the assistant. It's what I am...for now. This bike has taken me to a level I never thought would be possible. I have accomplished so much on this bike, I have a bond with this bike. I know this bike's quirks. I can tell when something isnt right and when something is about to happen. It's and extension of me.

When did this all start? Back in high school, in the early to mid '80's, I went to a local bike shop, or LBS to get knew grips for the home built bike I was riding. It was a Murray 10spd that I received as a present. Like always, though, I customized it. Painted it from baby blue to a deep red, almost a maroon. I hand painted some gold graphics in it using Testors model paint. I thought it was cool. The rear wheel was an old Columbia 3-speed wheel from my dad's bike. The gear selector was a center hub mounted one thet was pulled outward to move to gears 2 and 3. Since that cable was broken, it was stuck in 3rd. The hardest gear. I had no way of changing it.

Anyway, back to the bike shop. While I was there, the salesman was nice and asked if I wanted to join one of their club rides, which was 15 miles. I said sure, and while I was there, I got a pair of bike shorts(real leather chamois mind you) and a pair of RoadGear crocheted gloves. I felt like I was almost a pro now. All i needed was an open road.

Road riding was going to be a success to me. I rode BMX in elementary school where Bob Haro, PK Ripper, RedLine and all were the stars and bikes. The only problem was, I was araid of crashing. And I crashed alot. And to be able to do all the cool stuff, table tops, etc, you need a light bike, like a Mongoose. Yeah, Mongoose was a premire bike then too. Only available at your LBS for a ton of money! That wasnt happening. I failed miserably, I thought.

Now, or back then, I was used to riding on the street. I didnt have a car. I rode everywhere. To my girlfriends house, almost everyday, which was 6 miles rouond trip. I even rode in the snow. On my Murray. One gear.

Fast forward 4 years. Bike: Fuji Pulsar roadbike. Very nice. The bike wasnt ridden as much as I would like to have ridden it. What, with me being an "adult" and all. Out of high school, trying to decide what I want to do in life. Dating, marriage, you know, life. I ended up selling the Fuji for a lot less than what I paid for it. I didnt know what I had. I was still wet behind the ears.

I briefly got back into bike riding back in the early part of my dispatching career, after '95. A fellow coworker was a  big cyclist and introduced me to Lance Armstrong and RAGBRAI. She had done RAGBRAI once before, and was getting me psyched as well to get back into riding. I didnt take it seriously.

Then, on a sunny summer afternoon in 2009, towards the end of a day hitting the local garage sales, I happened across a Trek 7000 mountain bike. Seeing the label, I knew it was a good brand. Why, I really dont remember, but now that I think back, that was the brand Lance rode. I had $20 in my pocket, I asked the owner how much, he said $30. I pulled my hand out, and showed him the money. He smiled and took it. I loaded the bike, and home I went.

After a couple of years of figureing out what a Presta Valve was, and what it wasnt, I finally decided to get the bike running the way I wanted to. I rode the bike during the Le Tour Challenge from MapMyRide with the mountia tires, and realized that they were creating alot of drag. So I took the mountian bike tires off, got some new road tires, and away I went. The rest, as they say, is history.

Now, you may say this isnt really an obsession. I am only obsessed with the things. I can honestly say, as a kid who couldnt run very fast, who was afraid to play football, who kept backing out of the batters box and was ridiculed because of my weight, this is the only thing, ONLY thing, I can succeed at that is remotely physical. And since hills killed me when I was a kid (because I wasnt properly shown how to tackle a hill), I plan on making them a joyous part of my cycling hobby.

Bring it!

Tour de Farms

Ok, so I did it. I officially have entered the Bike MS Tour de Farms for 2013. Training has started, as well as a weight losing plan. I would like to lose at least 40 lbs by the end of March next year, so we will see how that goes.

In the mean time, check back regularly for updates.

Peace!

Pumpkin Pedal minus a tooth

Today was the Pumpkin Pedal ride for Special Olympics. It was a great ride, twenty easy miles. I was with a great group, and my daughter was by my side. Even though it was a tad chilly (35 at ride time), I had picked up some Under Armour base layers, top and bottom. The sales clerk said they were awesome, and he was right!

So, like other things, this week I stressed about the ride: temps, times, and other nonsense. And as always, things really did turn out ok. Heck, I even had fun.

Where does the tooth come in?

Glad you asked.

Wednesday, I had a wisdom tooth bugging me. Thursday it was worse. Friday, I had to leave work early to have it extracted. Hense, minus a tooth.

I went back to work on Saturday, early as well, after I told my boss I would cancel my day off due to shortage on shift. Why? Why did I cancel it?

Now, one sick day is being used so I can have a good day to recover.

I'm glad the ride went well. I'm glad my tooth is gone. I'm glad I was able to help support the Special Olympics. And I got a t-shirt too!

Nice Ride

After a stressful day at the "office", it was nice to come home and hit the road with the Mrs. She had already ridden this morning, but wanted to again.

This cleared my head, got me hungry for a nutritious(sp) meal, which I'm going to go fire up the grill here in a few. Trying to enjoy the last few nice days weather wise before it gets too cold to ride. Then, Biggest Loser video is going to get a good workout...pun intended.

Dave's "Riding" Place

I've been riding, on a "continual" basis now since June of '12. It all started with the MS ride in June, then the map my ride Tour de France Challenge, where I was challenged to ride a certain amount of miles per day.

Since I haven't "ridden", seriously ridden, since high school, I really never thought that I would be doing this again. Age, health, time restrictions- all things that I figured would keep me from something I truly loved at one time. I have been shown that I, an obese dispatcher who smoked for 30 years, was in fact, able to get back on the bike. And ride.

Todd had everything to do with this renewed motivation. He rode 180 miles in 2 days. One-hundred and eighty! To me, that is unthinkable. I could never do that many miles in my lifetime, I thought. Then, I had my "ah-ha!" moment.

On September 19th, 2012, at 9:50 in the morning, I had found myself at Leroy Oaks Forest Preserve, suited up, and ready to ride. Goal: 28 miles. Weather reports were not promising: windy, gusts 10-20mph, mid 60's on the temps. It was sunny, which helped, and that also gave me some encouragement. But the wind? It didnt start until I parked my vehicle in the parking lot. "Great..." I thought, as I watched the prairie grass start to sway back and forth.

With stretching complete, I mounted, set my shoes on my pedals in the most comfortable position, since I dont have clips, and started off. The beginning was brisk, thanks to the wind. I curved my way around the paved begining, then up the hill to the crushed gravel trail. It was difficult to get moving at first, but I pushed through the difficult areas, keeping in mind that with each mile that passed, I was getting that much stronger.

The ride had been uneventful so far. The chipmunks and squirrels seemed to be sleeping in today. Only the early risers were scooting across in front of me. I was feeling the burn in my legs, as the wind was pushing me to  the north while I was trying to go west. Why today? Why the challenge of pushing against the wind? I was really hoping this was going to be an easy ride.

As I approached the 10th mile, I seriously thought about turning around. I was getting hungry, hadnt brought any food with me, so the thought of turning around then was more and more appealing. Well, I didnt. I thought to myself, if I turn around now, then I wont be able to say " I rode 28 miles today". I felt that turning around at 10 would null the complete ride.

But I didnt turn around. I kept riding.

Mile 14, the end of the road- my "ah-ha" moment has arrived!

As I passed Sycamore Speedway, I knew I was getting close. The speedway, also known as Bob Jo speedway, a demolition derby track and redneck hang out, is about a mile form the western county line of Kane and Dekalb, so I knew I was getting closer to my goal.

Panting, fighting the wind, and feeling the pangs, I passed by the "Welcome to the Dekalb County Forest Preserve" sign that sits on the south side of the trail amongst some trees. I was approaching the end of the first half.

As the last few yards of gravel passed beneath my Panaracers, I saw my goal within reach. Closer the mile post marked with a number 14 on it was a welcome site. I had accomplished what I had set out to do. Finally, I can mark this off my list.

And now, I can honestly say that I rode 28 miles. Not almost. Not, I tried, but that I did. I was successful. I accomplished what I set out to do.

Ah-ha!

I can do this.

Again.

My other goal that day? Get back to the car as quickly as possible so I can eat! It wasn't smart of me to ride without any provisions, other than water, so I think next time, I will take some munchies with me.

Ready for round 2

Pumkin Pedal is a ride for the special olympics in illinois. They have different mileage rides, including the 28 miler I rode. My daughter and I have signed up. They have rest stops along the way, and I will be using those. This is a fun ride, not a race. This is a training ride, not a race. I look forward to meeting this training head on. Bring it on!

Another new story

The large ship orbited the red planet, slowly moving, yet it's speed was a mind numbing 18,000 mph. Inside the medical wing, Chief Genetics Officer Joshua Adams stared at a monitor, studying the numbers that scrolled up the screen. As he found a number, he would jot it down. He leaned back in his chair, stretched his arms above his head, and yawned. He thought he had been there at that monitor for what seemed to be 16 hours, but it had only been 8.

CGO Adams was working on a project that had taken root back in his teenage years, when his thoughts of distant worlds were only that...thoughts. Other worlds had yet to be discovered, and space exploration was in it's infancy. The slate was clean, and anything was possible; the only limitation was that of the mind, and money. Joshua knew he wanted to be involved somehow, in the exploration program. He had no idea what he was going to do, but he knew he wanted to be a part of it. As with most educational programs, they offer career counseling. The people who headed off the program were Exploration Leaders, or ELs, pronounced "Ls". They, the Ls, always knew what was going to be the newest and best positions available in the Exploration Program. Joshua watched and listened to the Ls very closely.

Joshua had overheard one of the Ls speaking of genetic manipulation, or gm, and this seemed to be alot easier than any of the aerodynamic rocketry and anti-gravitational studies offered in the program. He went to the library and found information on gm, and started reading about it. This subject fascinated him. Being able to make life better, healtier and prolonged, was what interested him the most. To be able to rid the colonies of disease and suffering was to him, almost magic like. He felt like he would be able to make a huge difference in a person's life. This was what he was looking for, this was going to be his career.