hi there! my name is Nina and this blog is dedicated to my journey to a better me through riding my bike. (a word of warning: i do not like to use capital letters when not absolutely necessary, so please don't kill me for using lower-case. actually, my handwriting is all capitals, but i do not want to appear to be yelling over the internet, so this is easier. thanks.)
i have been developing an interest in cycling for a few years now. i absolutely love mountain biking, but living in flat indiana doesn't give me much of an opportunity, so i've settled for road cycling, which i love just about as much. i've ridden a few weekend-long rides (120mi) and one week-long ride just a month ago called Cover Indiana (350mi, 7days) to benefit Habitat for Humanity. i am always up for enjoying a ride in order to help out a cause. my greatest inspiration is my uncle, who is what i would call a professional cyclist and would take me along on rides when i lived with him for a few months. he's the one that taught me how to ride up steep mountains and not break a sweat. i really love riding and think that it would be a great way to lose weight and get fit.
i am a student at purdue university and will be graduating this december. i have just finished summer school courses and now have nothing to do. i was not able to obtain an internship and part-time job opportunities have been horrendously low. but i am not the kind of person to hang out on mom's couch and do nothing. i'm very project-orientated and decided to make myself the project of the summer. of course, i will still be trying my hardest to find a part-time job, and i plan on volunteering at the animal shelter and other community projects, but i will concentrate most of my efforts on building a better me.
my bike. ah, now that's a story. my bike is actually my mother's first bicycle that she bought when she was 16. (so yea, it's about 35yrs old.) it is a woman's red 10-speed Panasonic. yes, Panasonic did make things other than tv's, once upon a time. the bike was actually quite top-of-the-line when 10-speeds were making a break-through. unfortunately it's not so glorious anymore. despite that fact that it weighs a ton, my dad fixed it up so that everything works smoothly and it's a pretty comfortable ride. there are only a few things i need to upgrade when i get the funds, and i am sure i will be writing about any mechanical issues, tune-ups, and upgrades as they come along during my journey. let's give a name to the bike in order to properly inaugurate it and give it good luck...out of ideas right now, i'll have to think about it. do you have any good names for a red jalopy?
i've said 'journey' a few times already, but i don't want to give off the wrong impression. as much as i would LOVE to take a forever-long ride to who-knows-where on my bicycle and watch the pounds fall away, that's just not so possible when you are a young female with responsibilities. in order to do that, the most important thing to get would be a riding partner, and it's not so likely that i will be able to find someone with time that is as crazy as me. so when i say 'journey' i unfortunately mean the daily rides that take me to 'enchanted' places and then bring me back home at night. i am hoping to get in at least one over night ride this summer, maybe i can pay someone to join me, haha. also during this experience, i will be doing other kinds of exercise: volleyball 3 times a week, free group classes at the gym, and definitely taking advantage of the beautiful pool just outside my apartment building. of course i will document all these since they do impact my weight loss goals.
so, goals. goals, goals, goals. gotta set them in order to achieve them! here they are:
1. lose weight. i would love to have the body i had when i was 16. unfortunately, that was not that many years ago. i'm 5'7", so my ultimate goal weight: 160lb.
2. get fit. this is a little different that just losing weight. i would like to be able to have more energy and endurance in doing everyday things. currently, i'm decently good at jogging 5Ks and riding for days, but man, i hate stairs. i haven't gotten to the point of giving up completely and taking the elevator, but i'm huffing and puffing before i get to the top of the second flight. it really discourages me, and i really want to improve things like that.
3. become a better rider. currently, i wear the "Orange Helmet." on the rides i've done, this is synonymous with "Last Place." i created the Orange Helmet idea since my helmet is bright orange and i'm sure it'll go down in history. i have never had a problem with this because i looked at the bike tours as something to enjoy at a pretty leisurely pace. besides, the tour ain't over 'till the last rider crosses the finish line! i guess i could have gone faster, but then i don't think i would be here today with all this enthusiasm. i like to have fun when i exercise, otherwise i would just be sweating it out in the weight room and hating every minute (the only minute, right before i give up completely). however, i do envy the riders that have ridden ahead of me and i love reading about the professionals who've won races and such. so i would definitely love to join them.
i have a lot of motivations. the more motivations, the better chance to keep me on track! so here they are:
1. i will be studying abroad in London in august . i have set the countdown date on the side bar to august 7, the day we fly out. i would like to look and feel my best when touring the city,meeting important people, and showing up in many, many photos.
2. while in London, i may have the chance to visit my best guyfriend who moved to Scotland 2 years ago. i haven't seen him since then and i would love to be able to show him the Nina that he knew, instead of the Nina that looks like she let herself go. plans have not been finalized yet, so i may not actually be able to see him, but it's still a good motivation.
3. school starts again in the end of august. my best girlfriend will be back in town and we're looking forward to a great fall. would be nice to start off my last semester with a bang!
4. train for the Bucket 100 ride that i do every year with purdue habitat. this october, hopefully i can pass the orange helmet status onto someone else!
5. i am graduating in december. can't look like a walking refrigerator in mourning clothes when going across the stage!
6. gotta look good for the recruiters. i'll be spending a lot of time looking for full-time jobs and must feel good about myself during interviews.
7. starting a new career. i hope to have a job by the beginning of next year and must be able to fit well in and look good in formal, business, casual, and business-casual attire for every occasion. if i do end up getting a job with the company i interned with (cross my fingers!) i would really love to see the look on everyone's faces when they see how much i've changed.
8. do it for myself! i don't want to feel ashamed of myself being the big person in the back of the photograph surrounded by petite girlfriends. gotta fit in!
9. rack up the miles. weight loss is a big deal, but might as well see how many miles i can cross during the journey!
plan of attack! just hopping on the bike may not be enough to accomplish my goals. i'm thinking the best way is to separate my ultimate goal into smaller goals with deadlines that are not too far in the future. Phase 1: Be 200lbs by August 7, the day i fly to London. if i am able to accomplish this goal successfully, then i will move onto Phase 2, which will have another weight goal and deadline. and so on and so forth. if i am not able to accomplish Phase 1 like i wish, then i'll have to do some restructuring and focus on the problems that need to be fixed. so full-throttle onto Phase 1!!
i plan to ride every day, at least 10miles during the week and at least 25miles during the weekend. if the weather is not good enough to ride outside (sometimes it's fun to ride in the rain though), i will hit the gym and jump on a stationary bike. also, i would like to look into taking a Spin class, i've never been and i'm kind of nervous, but we'll see. i also plan on using my bike as my main form of transportation. i rarely ever drive my car, instead am a frequent bus rider, but since it's the summertime, i might as well enjoy the nice weather. i don't even have to ride alone, since both purdue and the local community have cycling clubs. the purdue cycling club seems a little too professional for me, so i think it'll have to wait. but the wabash river cycling club sounds just perfect for my level. it would be great to join the club because then i can have someone to ride with, meet people during group rides, and use the database of the many mapped routes all over the area. there are also a lot of resources on the website that i should take advantage of. i will be able to use Google maps and the like to map out my own routes since they have a bike option now. there are so many paved trails around the town and some start just right outside of my door. so there is pretty much no excuse for me not to be able to glue my rear-end to the seat and ride away the pounds!
i bought a book recently called "The Time-Crunched Cyclist." i flipped through it at the bookstore and got really interested. it's written by Lance Armstrong's trainer and is directed to the cyclists out there that want to get fit and fast but do not have much time on their hands. i do have time right now, but when school starts up again, i would like to be able to keep up a riding schedule between classes, meetings, projects, and exams. i like the book because he maps out different riding regimens for different leveled riders and follows a 11-week fitness program. i'm good at following a set schedule, so i think it'll work for me. another book i got at the library is "Every Woman's Guide to Cycling." i thought this book would be good in order to gain more basic knowledge about riding and would be more personalized for me. both of these books are also good because they talk about proper nutrition and give other healthy tips. i have not yet started really reading either of them, but will update you on interesting facts or ideas that i come across as i read, or any other information i may find.
there are a few things i hope to get out of this blog. i've tried keeping workout and weight-loss diaries before, which have motivated me because i always like to fill up the pages with my scribbles, but i have found that i do lie to myself. and then eventually give up or lose track or whatever other dumb excuse. but i believe that this blog will help me maintain a daily entry since it'll look weird if i miss a day, and keep me from lying, because i would then be lying to other people, and i would never do such a thing! so, everyday my typical blog will describe the ride that i did that day, my current weight, anything i may have read, any interesting things that happened, my anxieties, excitements, or any other feelings i may be experiencing, events that may have gotten in the way, good and bad food that i ate, etc. i like how i could add a day countdown to the blog, so that i am constantly reminded of my motivations and the few days left to accomplish my goals. also, i hope that my family and friends and other people will visit and comment on my blog and encourage me throughout this ride "to a better me!"
