Hills, heat, haze, Ohio valley in summer

A couple of people have told me lately that I've been bitten by the cycling bug. They are correct. Two or three have said they are proud of me for sticking with it and confessed they didn't think I would have.

I took smoking cigarettes and replaced that activity with another. First was walking and then trying to run. Second was cycling. The walking/running slowly faded as my enjoyment with cycling increased.

I love to ride. It's hard stuff. I said in my last post that I need more rural rides with hills. I rode a club ride last night that was fantastic and a couple of hills were very hard. I arrived at the ride start about 45 minutes early. It was in Southern Indiana and I was unsure of the total time it would take me to get there from work at the end of the work day. The temps were in the low 90s and had an air quality alert. This was the first time I did this ride and began to worry about the heat and such. What I found out is that 85% of the ride was in the shade and the temps dropped by at least 10 degrees in the shade and more at the bottom of the valleys. I managed to bugger my other knee, not as badly as I was on the left one, but got some nice road rash.

Riding these hills are hard for me. But I don't want it to be easy. I want and need a challenge right now. I've set goals of averaging 100 miles a week on the bike. Now I'm thinking that needs to double next spring. But I have to figure out how to do that and still get my work done and not upset my husband even more by not being at home much.

Dixie rode with me last night. She's close to my age, single, and is from Illinois. She raced quite a lot until last summer. She has been coaching me, giving me tips and helping me on the hills. I mentioned to the ride captains last night that I suck at hills and Dixie said, "I'm gonna kick your butt! You are doing great, but need to be positive about yourself." I am working on the positive while trying to maintain my realism. I told her that I won't quit and I won't.

Rode Monday and Wednesday. Had long work day on Tuesday and I didn't get home until 11 pm. Temps were 95F today and not so good air quality. Thought I'd ride tonight, but this ride would not be shaded and cool like last night. I'm not sure my asthma would do well on a day like today. I'll do an easy ride tomorrow. Then 50 on Saturday morning. I think I'll limit my urban rides to 2 a week max. Too many traffic lights. One fellow cyclist said that those rides are when I need to do my sprint workouts - race to the next light when the current one turns green. Sounds like a plan!

I want to do a century in September. I need to get more miles. I want to race in the spring, so I hope I'll have enough base and time in the saddle that I can be somewhat competitive (age group).

6 Months of Tobacco freeness on Jan 23, 2008

It is a fantastic thing to be able to declare. It will be, tomorrow. I'm excited and know other things now fill the void. I haven't counted the time as much lately as I did early on. Hell fire, 48 hours was HUGE!! My quit buddy, BFF, is supposed to join me for a celebration dinner after work tomorrow. If it weren't for her purchasing the Chantix and declaring her quit I'm not sure I would be where I am today.

She helped me focus all that frustration and excess energy into brisk walks. They could be around the block or several blocks to make over a mile. Breathe in some fresh air, clear the cobwebs between the ears and get the blood pulsing through your body. She and I have been there for each other, grab coffee, talk through all those things that happen in life with spouses, children, and colleagues. Sure has made it healthier than grabbing a 10 minute smoke break a few times a day.

There have been many people to stand by me, support me, and encourage me along the way. I need to make sure and thank them all in some special way. It's been great that my Sis and Hubby quit a few weeks later. I've made some new friends with cycling and hoping to grow that list even more.

Anyone wanting to quit smoking should talk to their doctor about Chantix. There are side effects, some much more serious than others. I had tried everything and never could quit. Chantix helped me to create an opportunity to break into a healthy lifestyle.

I will spend less time talking about not smoking and more time about life, adventure, fitness and anything else that comes to mind. Hope it's not a huge bore. I'm not sure I'll have any more milestones to count, at least not about tobacco freeness. This one has given me the confidence to go for more goals.

I haven't taken any Chantix since Wednesday

I was taking half a pill Sunday thru Wednesday and missed Tuesday completely. Maggie mentions that you can buy a pill cutter, I didn't and probably should've. But I got frustrated and very tired of taking the Chantix anyway.

So Thursday was the best day I had experienced to date. Met with my boss over lunch and discussed mid-year (I know we're way past mid-year). All in all it was a good conversation. I had located a client facing opportunity in Europe and he agreed! Several people providing feedback on my strengths and opportunities stated I needed exposure to clients outside of the US. I was on cloud nine! (Prior to lunch I had convinced myself that there would be one reason or another why there was somthing else that would be more appopriate.)

I had dinner with my boss and a former boss Thursday evening. She is my favorite person I have ever reported to. She's a wonderful mentor. We chatted, told stories, ate sushi. It was a great time!

I got home and had a blast online with a few friends. My quit buddy tells a terribly funny story on herself about falling during her run/walk. (Sometimes I have a hard time believing her stories). She wound up peeing her pants after her dog trips her and she takes a hard fall on hands and knees.

Two other friends are in Dallas for a client meeting. I get this email with a picture attached. K took a pic of J following a dinner theatre. An actress is hugging and kissing all over J. What a hoot!

Then, outta the blue I hear about mid-year promotions that came out. I reacted badly, very badly. Didn't sleep all night and dwelled on it way too long on Friday. I puton my workout clothes, packed my work clothes and left for the office at 5:20 am. I plugged in and took off about 6 am for a run/walk to the riverfront. Wish I had run longer and walked less, but I didn't stop even at stop signals. Plan on doing this at least twice this week coming up.

I wanted a cigarette more on Friday than I had for the last 2 weeks. My quit buddy was in meetings most of the day. I walked the block around our building 3 times, by myself. It worked. I didn't want that cigarette because of the physical addiction. I wanted it, because that what I've always done in stressful situations; I've smoked like a freight train.

I wish I hadn't done that. I wish I hadn't found out about the promos. But you know, could shoulda woulda is always the easy rationalisation.

I was wrong, very wrong. I am a hard worker, and I know I have areas for improvement. We all do. I want to be promoted, but wierding out and getting pissed doesn't do anything but make it worse. I hate it when I act like a child. ARGHHHHH!

Stressful times are unpredictable and come in varying degrees of stress. I can get through them without a cigarette. I can, I have, I will not smoke tobacco again. This is my promise to myself. Hell, if I'm lucky, no matter if I ever get another promotion, I live longer. I'll be able to breath, walk, run, ride my bike and enjoy myself.

I got out on my real bike today. I am so freakin' outta shape! I need to learn patience. I went around the neighborhood circle including 2 cul de sacs. I made it with no stops, but my heart was pounding and I was breathing so hard! The front tire is low and I couldn't get the seat adjusted to the right height. Gonna get out on it again tomorrow and try again. About an hour later, I rode my stationary for 15 minutes. I made a conscious effort to work harder than ever.