Thanks & Improvement!

I need to start off this update by telling everyone how much I appreciate your donations for Leukemia & Lymphoma society. The generosity of my family, my friends, Ashley's friends, and strangers really astounds me. To all of you out there that have donated money to the fight against cancer, whether or not that donation goes to LLS, THANK YOU! You're saving lives and I feel uplifted by what you're doing, the support you're giving, and the words that I'm hearing.

I just got in from a 11 mile night ride and I'm feeling GREAT! Strangely enough, I'm most often training at night right now. I have a trainer in the garage and I do go some days at work but I'm really enjoying the night workout. It's so peaceful and quiet with very few cars that I'm not very worried about traffic or being hit. Of course, it helps that I have some awesome lights and other gear to make me look like a huge xmas tree zooming down the road. I'm okay with that. I like cars seeing me and if the sight of a huge moving red mass makes cars back off then I'm okay with that too.

In addition to the 11 mile ride tonight, I did a 15 mile ride this past weekend that was my first group ride. It was fantastic. I love riding with a group of people but I don't often get to because of time differences but also because I'm afraid of getting dropped. I can keep a fantastic tempo but I will eventually get tired simply because I haven't trained as much as some of the others. Keep in mind that with me, my 15 lbs of bicycle locks & cables, and whatever other gear I have on the bike, I'm toting around more than 300 lbs on my bicycle. This is FAR DIFFERENT than one of those weight weenies that tries to drop all weight possible so they can climb hills better. Sure, I can drop the weight off my bike before I ride, BUT WHY? Isn't the goal to improve? How much faster will I improve if I have extra weight during training and then I ride without the extra weight? Believe me, it's REALLY noticeable. Besides, if I want to drop weight, I can DIET.

Speaking of diet! As of 2 days ago, I've lost 16 pounds since I started this training! At this rate, maybe I'll eventually look good in lycra. Okay, okay! I'm just kidding! No guys look good in lycra shorts, period. In addition to the 16 lbs lost, my mph average has gone from 11 to 15 mph. That's probably just my muscles remembering what it's like to move but it's really nice to be able to consistently power my way up hills again.

I'll keep everyone posted on my weight loss. It seems people are interested in that as well as how my training is going.

Thanks again for your support!
Kevin