First Post: Somehwere in the beginning

October 16, 2023

Part 1 - Backstory:

2019 was an amazing year. I had a lot of freedom, sure it came with its own front loader full of stresses; but generally speaking I was very free. I had recently acquired my dream bike the podium chaser and Mary ❤️ and I rode, rode, and rode some more. It was the busiest outdoor season of our lives. I was in physical therapy for some back problems, but I felt pretty good on the bike. That fall we went to our first concert together, Dodie, and it was an amazing experience. I weighed around my ideal weight of 200 pounds. The fall was going well and we were looking forward to a wonderful winter season.

I had an early morning meeting with a company I was doing some work for. It was after a relatively recent snow storm. About halfway to my destination I got a call from an employee of my dad’s, someone I interacted with a lot for another type of work. I was instantly put on edge, I don’t particularly like this person. I battled whether or not to answer, but I felt like it was probably important. That is probably the single most regretted phone call I have ever taken. “There’s something wrong with your mom, you should come over now.” I heard him say through a broken voice. I didn’t even respond. I hung up and floored it to get to their house, where I ultimately watched my mother lose her final fight for life. I was in complete shock. I don’t know how long I sat on the couch staring down the hallway where she had been laying on the floor while the medics attempted to resuscitate her. Then I drove home, a completely different person.

I lost myself for a long time...

I tried a bunch of different medications to grab hold of any happy moments I could and treasure them for as long as I could. But depression set in hard and the weight put on fast. I gained nearly all of that weight in the first 12 months post death. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago that I found what seems like the correct cocktail of medications and supplements to maintain a feeling of peace. This is the longest stretch of time that I have felt peace since my mother’s death and I am hoping that it sticks! So wish me luck there, please.

Part 2 - Now:

So for the past few weeks I have put in a massive effort to fix my mental and physical health. I am on a path, and provided there aren’t any major bumps along the way, that will reverse the weight and sorrow of the last 3 years.

For the past 14 days, I have ridden my bike 11 times and completed 5 low-aerobic target exercises. In those 14 days I have mountain biked 41.34 miles, burning 8,986 calories! During the low-aerobic exercises I burned 1,462 calories. I am coming from almost no activity in the last three years. In fact, all of 2022 I logged less than 11 activities in all.

In this 14 day window I have consumed approximately 22,240 calories. I shoot to consume between 1,600 and 1,800 calories a day but have an allowance for 2,120 calories for days that I do a larger activity, or simply just feel more hungry. I am trying to let my body decide how much I need.

Some more biking facts:

My average ascent was 348 ft
My max ascent was 506 ft
My total ascent was 3,832 ft
My average speed was 5.0 mph

This month’s goals:

Average ascent >450 ft
Max ascent >650 ft
Average speed >8 mph