Gotta Ride

So, I'm cycling. Been cycling for the past three months very steadily with increasing amounts of mileage. I had been thinking about using it to commute since I only work 3 miles from home (but I make it into a 10-mile route), but push came to shove when the car became unreliable and I'd used up all my AAA call for the year. I couldn't afford to pay for a tow if I got some place and my car wouldn't start again, so I've been nursing the car along with very infrequent trips and mostly biking.

I don't have a lock for the bike, so I don't use the bike to go to the store or anything like that. It's strictly for commute and for exercise.

Now the exercise thing is baffling because quite frankly, it isn't a great way to lose any weight unless you are burning it up on a racing bike or doing marathon endurance types of rides constantly. A little commuting? Doesn't really do much for you, and I've always maintained that from the hips up, the rest of you is just along for the ride.

At first it was only commuting that I was doing, but I had a goal to be able to make it to the beach (10+ miles each way depending on route) and back, so I kept pushing myself to try a little more, and one day I just went for it. No problem. It was lovely. So I've been doing rides a little further. Now I'm doing a 35-miler once a week on top of the commuting. My longest ride has been 43 miles. I want to do longer rides during the week and also on the weekends.

I had lost 20 lbs so far... but now I've gained back 5 and want to cry. Meltdown would be more like it. I haven't figured the balance of nutrition yet. I don't really have to change anything for the daily commutes, but for the longer endurance rides, I don't know the proper nutrition yet. I don't know how to feed my body on a longer ride to keep my energy sustained without overloading on carbs because I really only need them that one day.

I do think I will cut the sports drinks out on the commute days. No need for that, but I'm not sure I will cut them out for the endurance rides.

Vicious cycle, that's for sure.