Goals: 3 week report

How am I doing on all those lofty goals I set for myself when I first showed up in Rochester? Let's take a look.

1. Find a team I like.

This one has become kind of moot. There are no teams with women's squads in town, so I'll just stick with whoever I can find that will go on group rides with me. I've now emailed with two guys from the UofR team and they both seem enthusiastic and happy to ride, so I'll probably meet with them once they get back into town.

2. Lose some weight/fat

I didn't have a tape measure until yesterday, so let's consider this my baseline. Current measurements: Chest - 34.25, Waist - 30.5, Hips - 41.25, Thigh - 21.25
By publishing my measurements on a public blog maybe I can actually embarrass myself into making some progress. To make this goal more concrete, I want to lose an inch off my waist by the end of the summer.

3. Fix my diet

I'm quite happy with how I've done with this so far. The only pre-packaged thing I've eaten in the past three weeks has been mac and cheese, once. I'm eating produce like crazy, almost entirely whole grain breads and cereal, no sugary desserts, and so far it's working for me. I get occasional cravings for sweet stuff, but that is usually fixed by a piece of fruit or some jam on toast. I do eat my weekly doughnut on the way home from the grocery store, but I figure I deserve that.

4. Get back to regular lifting

Fail. Granted, I didn't have sneakers that I could use at the gym until last week, but still, I haven't even looked at the gym yet. I'm doing that on Tuesday.

5. Find a yoga class

There's one on Fridays at the medical center gym during a break between classes. If I can get myself signed up for the gym I will go this week.

6. Train smarter

I tried a little bit, it didn't work well. I think I should revise this goal to "ride at least three times each week" because I haven't even got that down yet.

7. Race as much as I can

I can race 10 Tuesdays for free (now that I've payed the club dues). After 10, it'll cost $1 each week. As long as I plan for Tuesdays to be a non-homework night, I should be able to do this. I might do an occasional weekend race too, but not until I can hold my own in the training races.

So, how did I do? I think I'm making progress. I've still got a long way to go, but at least I'm moving forward.

Goals

Since my original plans regarding racing and training got somewhat derailed by this move, I've got a new list of goals to work on this summer, some easier than others.

1. Find a team I like. UofR has a cycling team, but I'm going to make sure I don't just join up because that's where I go to school. There are other teams in the area and I want to check them out before I decide.

2. Lose some weight/fat. I'm near the heaviest weight I've ever been, although I'm also in the best shape I've been since my first knee surgery. I don't really care what my final weight ends up being, but I do want to decrease my % body fat and that will result in weight and inches loss. I'm guessing about 15-20 lbs, which should put me down about two sizes. I don't have a scale right now, so I'll be watching measurements and weighing myself occasionally at the gym.

3. Fix my diet. I am now 100% in control of the food I eat and the food available to me for the first time in my life. I can and will make sure that I eat healthy foods and avoid junk. Reduce fat and avoid simple sugars and I should be good. I'm also trying to add at least some veggies or fruit to every meal, and using produce as my snacks and desserts. Obviously this will help a lot with goal #2.

4. Get back to regular lifting. I didn't even manage once a week for my last month in Portland. I need to maintain all the muscle I've built and my feminine physiology isn't doing my any favors. I need to get myself to the gym, as much as I don't like it.

5. Find a yoga class. I loved yoga and it's one of the best stress relievers I've ever found. Plus it's a great workout for building and toning muscle. I'm not exactly an elite cyclist that needs to do nothing but ride and I think the added strength and energy will help me a lot. I think I can get free classes through UofR. If that's true, I'm signing up.

6. Train smarter. Mostly this involves getting a heart rate monitor. I'm not very good at the perceived effort thing, especially when I'm by myself. I have a tendency to ease up too much when I should be going all out or pushing too hard when I should be recovering. I think having a number in front of me will help a lot. It will at least help me know how I should feel depending on the goal for that ride/interval.

7. Race as much as I can. Money and time are going to become significantly limiting factors once school starts. Transportation might also be a problem. But I still love to race and will do whatever it takes to get out there and do it.

My commuter bike will be here by Friday. I'm already itching to ride.