Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
First ride!
I rode the Grants Trail for the first time this morning. A totall of 5.61 miles at a pace of 12.16 mph . Not bad for a first time . I enjoyed the ride a found it inspiring. The bike preformed amazing and so did my new helmet. Blogging from the phone is a pain . So long for now .
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Which Bike???
Okay so I have my heart set one getting a "real" bike, not one from a big box store. When I first started this search I was under the impression that there was only a few types of bikes, not true. I wondered into the Trek store in Arnold, MO with zero expectations of what a modern day bike was. I explained my goals to the salesman and he began showing me "hybrids." He explained that this type of bicycle would be a jack of all trades, however thru my research I have found it is a master of none.
At 700 dollars I thought I owed it to myself to be cautious and research a ton. I had narrowed it down to a few different brands of commuter friendly hybrid bikes.
I did not want a typical road bike as it was not a friendly to my back. I narrowed it down to two models:
A Trek 7.3 FX:
As it sat on the shelf at the Trek Store it was 689.00 and was beautiful. I had mid-grade components and was equipped nicely. The price however was a little steep.
The next was the Specialized Sirrus Elite at 700.00. I fell in love with the black and white paint scheme, go figure. (cop, lol.) It had the same components as the Trek with the added advantage of a carbon fork, with an exclusive vibration damping system.
So I was 11.00 apart on one hand the Trek had the power of its name and hertiage. The Specialized was more advanced and looked better.
So I went to the my LBS ( local bike store) at Sunset Cyclery in Sunset Hill, MO.
I began to speak with a guy named Ed. He showed a true interest in why and what I was going to do with my new bike. I explained to him the same goals that I shared with the Trek guy. Ed explained the advantages that the Sirrus was going to offer me, but I was still torn. They were very very similar. The Trek store offered a 3 year tune up package with the bike. I told Ed about this and he said " I don't offer a three year labor warranty." I was starting to lean back to the Trek when Ed smiled and said "Mine is Lifetime!" I was almost sold on the Specialized, but more importantly I was sold on Ed, the owner of Sunset Cyclery. He cut me a deal on the Sirrus that I couldn't walk away from and She was finally mine.
Clyde T. Cop
At 700 dollars I thought I owed it to myself to be cautious and research a ton. I had narrowed it down to a few different brands of commuter friendly hybrid bikes.
I did not want a typical road bike as it was not a friendly to my back. I narrowed it down to two models:
A Trek 7.3 FX:
As it sat on the shelf at the Trek Store it was 689.00 and was beautiful. I had mid-grade components and was equipped nicely. The price however was a little steep.
The next was the Specialized Sirrus Elite at 700.00. I fell in love with the black and white paint scheme, go figure. (cop, lol.) It had the same components as the Trek with the added advantage of a carbon fork, with an exclusive vibration damping system.
So I was 11.00 apart on one hand the Trek had the power of its name and hertiage. The Specialized was more advanced and looked better.
So I went to the my LBS ( local bike store) at Sunset Cyclery in Sunset Hill, MO.
I began to speak with a guy named Ed. He showed a true interest in why and what I was going to do with my new bike. I explained to him the same goals that I shared with the Trek guy. Ed explained the advantages that the Sirrus was going to offer me, but I was still torn. They were very very similar. The Trek store offered a 3 year tune up package with the bike. I told Ed about this and he said " I don't offer a three year labor warranty." I was starting to lean back to the Trek when Ed smiled and said "Mine is Lifetime!" I was almost sold on the Specialized, but more importantly I was sold on Ed, the owner of Sunset Cyclery. He cut me a deal on the Sirrus that I couldn't walk away from and She was finally mine.
Clyde T. Cop
Righting the Ship.
To get this all started I suppose I should give you all some background. I am 28, married, and fat. The first two are okay the third is not. I have known for a long time that I need to lose weight and improve my physical fitness. I work as a police officer and sit in a car 12 hours a day. I left the academy a chubby 220 pounds on a 510 frame. I was in "good" shape I could run and do the basic stuff but I was still chubby. Then I started working and sitting, and sitting, and growing. After, three years I have ballooned to a scale flexing 270 pounds. I managed to overcome being a smoker, almost two years without so much as a puff.
So, fast forward to today. I know that I can't continue to go on like this. I am gaining weight slowly but surely. Weight gain has an easy recipe:
Take one part lazy,
Add a dash of sitting on your butt,
Sprinkle in a hectic sleeping style,
and top it all off with the fact that most of the food joints in town are half price or free.
Bake for 3 years and there you have it a fat cop.
For awhile I didn't care... I was fat and happy. I love my wife, daughters, and my job. I have developed a tough skin over the years and the comments from fellow officers never really bothered me, or so I thought. I started to realize that people treated me differently while on duty. Citizens looked at me with a sort of disgust, like "look at this fat pig."
I also started to see that the "bums" would try more with me. Meaning that I was having more resistings and even tho I am fat I can still fight and win. But heck if it wasn't getting harder. So I was at a loss, why was this happening. It came to me, they thought they had a shot. They saw me as a fat, out of shape, and sloppy cop. This gave them the thought that they had a chance. Some took it.
This is going to be a thing of the past. I am now on the road to a new me. But, how to get there? I know little to nothing about dieting, working out, or changing my life style. So, what to do???? I could join a gym and not go. Diet hardcore for like a week, then eat eat eat. Take pills, shakes, powders, and hell the hormones of a pregnant lady. Or....
I could try to make small adjustments to my life that will start to right the ship and point it in the direction of a new life. I knew that I couldn't do it overnight. Despite my change it diet, I knew that I needed to find a fitness outlet that would make me lose weight, increase stamina, and give me measurable results.
I was sitting on the computer one day just surfing around and my wife said, "we should get bikes." I started to laugh. The thought of this fat boy riding around made me chuckle. Well it was going to happen, if I liked it or not.
So welcome to my blog, it will document my journey to a new me. I will post when I can. So here are the stats:
As of 06-19-2011 I am 5'10" and 270 pounds. I sweat like a pig, feel like crap most of the time, and I am scared that one day I won't win the fight.
Day 1.....
Now to do it.
So, fast forward to today. I know that I can't continue to go on like this. I am gaining weight slowly but surely. Weight gain has an easy recipe:
Take one part lazy,
Add a dash of sitting on your butt,
Sprinkle in a hectic sleeping style,
and top it all off with the fact that most of the food joints in town are half price or free.
Bake for 3 years and there you have it a fat cop.
For awhile I didn't care... I was fat and happy. I love my wife, daughters, and my job. I have developed a tough skin over the years and the comments from fellow officers never really bothered me, or so I thought. I started to realize that people treated me differently while on duty. Citizens looked at me with a sort of disgust, like "look at this fat pig."
I also started to see that the "bums" would try more with me. Meaning that I was having more resistings and even tho I am fat I can still fight and win. But heck if it wasn't getting harder. So I was at a loss, why was this happening. It came to me, they thought they had a shot. They saw me as a fat, out of shape, and sloppy cop. This gave them the thought that they had a chance. Some took it.
This is going to be a thing of the past. I am now on the road to a new me. But, how to get there? I know little to nothing about dieting, working out, or changing my life style. So, what to do???? I could join a gym and not go. Diet hardcore for like a week, then eat eat eat. Take pills, shakes, powders, and hell the hormones of a pregnant lady. Or....
I could try to make small adjustments to my life that will start to right the ship and point it in the direction of a new life. I knew that I couldn't do it overnight. Despite my change it diet, I knew that I needed to find a fitness outlet that would make me lose weight, increase stamina, and give me measurable results.
I was sitting on the computer one day just surfing around and my wife said, "we should get bikes." I started to laugh. The thought of this fat boy riding around made me chuckle. Well it was going to happen, if I liked it or not.
So welcome to my blog, it will document my journey to a new me. I will post when I can. So here are the stats:
As of 06-19-2011 I am 5'10" and 270 pounds. I sweat like a pig, feel like crap most of the time, and I am scared that one day I won't win the fight.
Day 1.....
Now to do it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)