Strength And Fitness

I haven't weighed or measured yet, as it is actually Sunday evening and I am writing for Monday morning. I will try to update during the day Monday but I cannot promise. Feel free to read that as you're likely to not see the update until Tuesday, but it might just happen. I can say that the last time I weighed myself way Friday morning and I was 192.8 and down two inches in the waist and one in the neck measurement, so we'll see if I maintained it over the weekend. I did fall into the "two beers" trap on Saturday night after getting caught up in an unexpected, yet unbelievably cool, party. It was a crazy good time and some crazy gourmet food, of which I couldn't bring myself to enjoy. I totally didn't want to blow it. I did, however, have two Sierra Nevada brews, I just couldn't pass 'em up. Hey, the have jerseys so that makes it OK, right? I'm trying to support a company that is into cyclists? Regardless, it was a ton of fun.
Friday I got out on the bike and pounded out the interval like nothing, and got a bonus ride in on top of it. I just took my time, about fifteen MPH tooling around the hills. It was awesome! Was about 90ºf outside, and, like, 80% humidity but it was a great time. Enjoyed a gorgeous sunset, saw a deer, a black rat snake, and lots of great winding hilly country road. There was a bonus 35MPH hill, admittedly I rode the breaks a bit as it is a very tight road and fairly busy, but the breeze I got from it was a welcome cooling. I managed a quarter mile two hundred foot, or so, climb without blinking. I know it's not much, but it's the first time I haven't felt like my lungs or legs were going to give out so I felt giddy like a school girl. The excitement comes from the fact that I finally feel as though I am noticing improvement in my fitness, strength, and endurance. My overall riding is just totally different from where I was last year. Heck there's a noticeable change from where I was about 6 weeks ago. If I could keep up like this, I think I'd likely try a century early next summer, just so I could say I did it. Who knows, maybe I'll have my first race at 35 in 2010, wouldn't that be interesting.
Anyway, I'll have more tomorrow. Meanwhile check out Bluenoser too, and see what he's up to in our little fitness challenge. He sort of called me out over the weekend, but that's OK. I'll get him back (wink, nudge). Talk to you again tomorrow.