I LOVE FRIDAYS!!!

And Halloween parties during the workday! :)

I must be the only person worrying about this

Why, as Americans, have we accepted the fact that we are "fatter" than the rest of the world. We are in the process of doing everything from glorifying plus size individuals to making clothing sizes larger.

I don't get it, there are no benefits to being "larger". It's incredibly unhealthy.

I'm not saying everyone needs to live by the BMI chart for their weight and height but throwing caution to the wind is taking years off peoples lives, they are killing themselves they just don't know it yet.

Have you tried to Super Size your meal at McDonald's or King Size your meal at Burger King??? You can't! There in on it too! Now you say, "we'll I'll just get the "large"". Guess what that large used to be called? :) You know why those two among others have stopped offering those sizes? To avoid law suits. People are nuts and they will blame McD's, BK and everyone else but themselves when they have there first heart attack. They will try to bring gross negligence lawsuits against these companies claiming they had no idea there were 900 calories in a Super Size fry they ate every day for lunch. Now McD's can say, nosireeee, poor us we don't even offer a Super Size any more.

I think it's piss poor and as Americans we have a duty to stand up for ourselves. We need to take our own health and well being into our own hands instead of letting Fast Food and clothing manufacturers do it for us. We can also thank technology for this. How many hours do you spend in front of a computer, TV or cell phone??? Get out, go for a walk, don't become a prisoner of the world around you!

Wheew! Ok, I have stepped off of my soapbox. Thank you for listening!

Night Rides

It's a little different when the sun goes down in Ohio. It's like the desert, it gets cold with a quickness! I've been out riding a few nights over the past week and it's not too bad!

Layers is the answer to your question. :) That's how I stay warm.

Best parts about riding at night:
1. Longer riding season
2. No trail traffic
3. Solitude
4. Not smokin' hot out
5. The crunch of the leaves under your tires
6. The scenery changes which doesn't happen on the trainer
7. The smell of fireplaces

Worst parts of riding at night:
1. Lonely in the dark
2. Mechanical problems are tough to fix by feel (especially when your bare hands are numb from the cold
3. Animals, they can scare the shit out of you. They always seem to be right by the trail and run away when I ride by. Last night I saw two dogs, two cats, a fox looking thing, a deer, bats, and one set of eyes that were unidentifiable because they starred at me and then vanished. Creepy if you let them be, I always tell myself it's their world and thank them for letting me ride through it at night.
4. Darkness. Don't look behind you when you ride at night because you can't see anything and, again, it can creep you out. As you can see night riding is a pretty mental ordeal. :)


Here's a picture of an overpass looking down into the valley at dusk.

Dear Mr. Little Tiny Piece of Glass,

I would appreciate it if next time you decide to jump in front of my rear tire that you wait until I'm out of the valley or jump out before I ride down into the valley. Being in the bowls of the valley is the last place I want to meet you. No offense or anything. It's just much sunnier and warmer at the top of the valley.

Sincerely,
Mike

Yes, I was able to try out my new mini bike pump. :/

Sponsorship

Stay tuned to see who is not only my first sponsor for 2010 but ever in my life!!! I don't want to jinx the deal but it is nice to have some support from MTB companies!!! :)

End of season sales!

This is just my first batch of purchases for the winter and I wanted to show you my favorite piece that was acquired! I can't wait to sport these socks!!! :)

2009 Goals

As the 2009 riding season draws to a close I wanted to take a minute to reflect on my goals for the year. Some have been met, some have not and some remain a work in progress. Now that the temperature is dipping in NE Ohio, days are growing shorter and rain is starting to fall more frequently, I think a new set of goals are in order.

Here were my goals from my January post:

Goals:
1. Successfully integrate CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) into my workouts and life. Tighter control = healthier me. I'm super excited to start, just have to make it through the red tape of insurance companies. You know, to see if I'm really diabetic enough for it! lol

This goal is the work in progress! I've done a good job using the CGM to maintain better control of my diabetes. Check out my Cleveland Clinic award post from October 6th. This will remain an ongoing goal for awhile if not the rest of my life. So far, so good!!!

2. Compete and complete at least two different genres of MTB racing. One endurance race (i.e. Mohican 100 or a 12/24 hour race) and one cross country race.

This goal was partially complete. I only participated in one genre of MTB events, cross-country racing, but was able to compete in two events. I also managed to ride over 1500 miles this year and there are still some good riding days left! So, I have something to work on for next year!

3. Drink less soda. Yes, it sounds funny but I drink way too much of it. Even if it's diet there can be sodium and it's been shown to make you hungrier and a diuretic if it has caffeine.

Complete!!! I used to drink about 2-3 2 liters of Diet Coke a week. Plus a large amount of cans of DC at work. Probably 3 cans a day. I am down to 1 can a day at best at work and virtually no pop at home. I've gotten hooked on low-carb energy drinks, low-carb juices and water! Just an FYI if you want to lost an easy 5-10lbs. STOP DRINKING SODA!!!! I'm not the only case-in-point many people have found that cutting back on soda is an easy way to lose weight. For those who didn't know "diet soda" has been proven to make people hungrier, so the calories you lose from diet soda are replaced with other calories.

Winter Goals:
1. Continue riding, when weather permits, through the winter

2. Continue "healthy" eating. Meaning keep cooking meals and minimize eating processed and prepackaged food

3. Develop a "plan" for 2010 that has actual event goals to work towards and formal workouts to maintain a higher level of performance

4. Join CAMBA and Akron Bike Club in 2010

5. Relax and enjoy the winter! SNOW!!!!

A salute to the troops!

I just couldn't pass this picture up. I think it will be one of the top pictures of the year in TIME magazine.

My caption is: Sometimes it's hard to let go.



Here's the story: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local-beat/Little-Soldier-Girl-Didnt-Want-to-Let-Go-63629627.html?yhp=1

Cleveland Clinic Award

See, it pays to take care of myself! Besides that fact that maintaining good diabetes control minimizes the risk for complications like vision loss, amputation, organ failure and death. I can also win awards from the Cleveland Clinic!

My Dr. had been after me for awhile to switch the an insulin pump instead of MDIs or multiple daily injections of insulin. I hymned and hawed mostly because I didn't want to have to do battle with the insurance companies. Finally I started the process which took over a year to complete, finally! Now I've been on the pump over a year and have had great results!

Yes, the pump can be as frustrating as any other diabetic task to dial in and set up. Yes, I still have off days where I ask myself WTF??? why is my blood sugar crazier than a 13 year old girl at a Jonas Brothers concert? It all works out and always does!!!

I didn't even know this award existed so naturally I was pleasantly surprised to get the letter. However, now my competitive side has been fired up and I WILL win this again!!! :)

Thank you Dr. Olansky!!!

Here is what the letter said: