In the Beginning.... There was, an Exercycle....
Day 67 was pretty hard yakka. I'm kind of in a bit of no-man's land at the moment. I'm north of Greymouth, but my ride tonight leaves me short of Punakaiki. I didn't even make the famous Punakaiki Rocks, which is a little disappointing because now I'll be whizzing by them on my next session....
Think my slightly shorter distance tonight was caused by a slightly later than usual dinner. Full tummy equates to a slower speed for me apparently, and hence a shorter distance. Tonight I managed 24.95 km, and it was fairly hard work.
I've discovered a new feature on the mapping I am using tonight too. A terrain feature. It's not quite as distracting as satellite, but certainly gives a lot more info than just a map.
Tonight's ride was an interesting blend of farmland and forest. Split evenly by the road I'm following. Quite the contrast in scenery.
My total distance covered so far is 1597.78 km for all the numbers geeks.
Tomorrow is a rest day for me, but I have promised myself I have to do at least one more session this week before Thursday.....
Until next time.... :)
Monday, 30 January 2012
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Day 66
In the beginning.... There was an Exercycle....
WHEW!! What a day. Cold and damp outdoors, but on my exercycle in the lounge - the weather is PERFECT!
James has suggested that he could squirt me with water to give my rides "more realism". I used some naughty words to suggest what he could do with that idea!
Was really pleased with my distance tonight, 25.89 km. Put me well through Greymouth and Runanga. I made it all the way to Ten-Mile Creek. There's some really stunning scenery in this area. The native bush, quite literally comes right to the edge of the highway. Ferns and moss-covered trees that you could reach out and touch - if it wasn't so darned wet!
Total distance so far is 1572.83 km.
Oh, and the sandflies.... Think I might harness them and get them to tow me along!
WHEW!! What a day. Cold and damp outdoors, but on my exercycle in the lounge - the weather is PERFECT!
James has suggested that he could squirt me with water to give my rides "more realism". I used some naughty words to suggest what he could do with that idea!
Was really pleased with my distance tonight, 25.89 km. Put me well through Greymouth and Runanga. I made it all the way to Ten-Mile Creek. There's some really stunning scenery in this area. The native bush, quite literally comes right to the edge of the highway. Ferns and moss-covered trees that you could reach out and touch - if it wasn't so darned wet!
Total distance so far is 1572.83 km.
Oh, and the sandflies.... Think I might harness them and get them to tow me along!
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Days 61 - 65 (present)
In the beginning .... There was an exercycle....
Well, you've stuck with me, and reached present day. I'm posting this immediately after completing my 65th session. The last 5 days between my last post and now are thus:
Distance travelled = 127.38 km bringing my total overall to 1546.94 km.
I've broken the 1500 km mark this week. Feeling quite chuffed about that.
Something else I'm a bit chuffed about, is that in 1500 km, I've shed 5 kgs. I've shifted house, got engaged, endured plenty of aftershocks, survived snow and am addressing my relationship with food. I'm feeling just a little bit proud of myself and my achievement so far.
But, I digress - on with the story!
I left Whataroa and continued north up the West Coast. I virtually travelled through Hari Hari, Ross and Hokitika. They have the most awesome glass blowing studio in Hokititka, I would certainly recommend a visit if you ever get there in person. Glass blowing is fascinating to watch.
Tonight alone, I headed north from Hokitika through Kumara Junction, yep, past the place that the Coast to Coast race starts from. The competitors will be heading off from there in only a couple of weeks. Might have to pop down to Sumner and see them arrive at the beach this year.
So, tonight, I finished my session in a wee place called Gladstone.
The next time I post will be after day 66. And if you are really keen to keep following along - I'll post after every session, until I reach The End of the Lounge. :)
Well, you've stuck with me, and reached present day. I'm posting this immediately after completing my 65th session. The last 5 days between my last post and now are thus:
Distance travelled = 127.38 km bringing my total overall to 1546.94 km.
I've broken the 1500 km mark this week. Feeling quite chuffed about that.
Something else I'm a bit chuffed about, is that in 1500 km, I've shed 5 kgs. I've shifted house, got engaged, endured plenty of aftershocks, survived snow and am addressing my relationship with food. I'm feeling just a little bit proud of myself and my achievement so far.
But, I digress - on with the story!
I left Whataroa and continued north up the West Coast. I virtually travelled through Hari Hari, Ross and Hokitika. They have the most awesome glass blowing studio in Hokititka, I would certainly recommend a visit if you ever get there in person. Glass blowing is fascinating to watch.
Tonight alone, I headed north from Hokitika through Kumara Junction, yep, past the place that the Coast to Coast race starts from. The competitors will be heading off from there in only a couple of weeks. Might have to pop down to Sumner and see them arrive at the beach this year.
So, tonight, I finished my session in a wee place called Gladstone.
The next time I post will be after day 66. And if you are really keen to keep following along - I'll post after every session, until I reach The End of the Lounge. :)
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Days 51 - 60
In the beginning... There was an exercycle.....
I think it has finally struck me that this is going to be a long haul.... These 10 sessions have seen some pretty big upheaval going on in my non-cycling life.
You won't know from where you are reading this, but between day 52 and day 53 there was a three week gap while I shifted house. A pretty big task when you realise it was a blending of more than two entire households into one, right on Christmas, having taken no time off from work to do it (so that means evenings and weekends only), whilst cleaning the new place (rental tenants had left quite a mess!), amongst all the shakes and quakes we've been experiencing in Christchurch.
The Exercycle spent nearly two weeks blocked in in the garage alone, until we could clear enough space to set it up in the lounge of the new place. But OH! was it good to get back!!
I had a day of "saddle soreness" after my first session back. I think it was the cycle expressing its displeasure at being abandoned for so long. I also noticed a drop off in my distance averages, probably due in no small part to having lost a little fitness during the break. Still, I am cranking away, having clocked on a further 249.68 km all while shifting house!
My weight is continuing to track downwards too. I have officially lost 5% of my original body weight, which is a smidgen short of 5 kgs. Although it has been a little up and down (weight wise), week by week, the overall trend is downwards, which is exactly as I want it to be.
My virtual cycle journey continued through Mt Aspiring National Park, over the Main Divide and onto the West Coast of New Zealand. Ahh, the West Coast famous (or should that be infamous) for it's gold, beer, people, rain and sandflies!! Yet another time I am glad I'm not actually doing this in person. I'm the type that the small sandflies would have carried me off into the bush for the bigger ones to eat!
I left Mt Aspiring National Park and continued North through Haast, past the Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers, the western side of Mt Cook (our highest peak) and through a wee town called Whataroa. There is certainly some lovely sights to see in an area of the country that has some of the highest rainfall. There is an abundance of something you don't see on the eastern side of the Main Divide, lush natural rain forests.
So, until next time, I'll cycle on....
I think it has finally struck me that this is going to be a long haul.... These 10 sessions have seen some pretty big upheaval going on in my non-cycling life.
You won't know from where you are reading this, but between day 52 and day 53 there was a three week gap while I shifted house. A pretty big task when you realise it was a blending of more than two entire households into one, right on Christmas, having taken no time off from work to do it (so that means evenings and weekends only), whilst cleaning the new place (rental tenants had left quite a mess!), amongst all the shakes and quakes we've been experiencing in Christchurch.
The Exercycle spent nearly two weeks blocked in in the garage alone, until we could clear enough space to set it up in the lounge of the new place. But OH! was it good to get back!!
I had a day of "saddle soreness" after my first session back. I think it was the cycle expressing its displeasure at being abandoned for so long. I also noticed a drop off in my distance averages, probably due in no small part to having lost a little fitness during the break. Still, I am cranking away, having clocked on a further 249.68 km all while shifting house!
My weight is continuing to track downwards too. I have officially lost 5% of my original body weight, which is a smidgen short of 5 kgs. Although it has been a little up and down (weight wise), week by week, the overall trend is downwards, which is exactly as I want it to be.
My virtual cycle journey continued through Mt Aspiring National Park, over the Main Divide and onto the West Coast of New Zealand. Ahh, the West Coast famous (or should that be infamous) for it's gold, beer, people, rain and sandflies!! Yet another time I am glad I'm not actually doing this in person. I'm the type that the small sandflies would have carried me off into the bush for the bigger ones to eat!
I left Mt Aspiring National Park and continued North through Haast, past the Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers, the western side of Mt Cook (our highest peak) and through a wee town called Whataroa. There is certainly some lovely sights to see in an area of the country that has some of the highest rainfall. There is an abundance of something you don't see on the eastern side of the Main Divide, lush natural rain forests.
So, until next time, I'll cycle on....
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Days 41 - 50
In the beginning.... there was an exercycle....
This section saw me achieve some milestones. I am topping 25 km per session now, as illustrated in my travel time for this 10 day bracket. 252.02 km travelled in only 10 sessions! Not only that, but on Day 44, I finally broke the 1000 km travelled mark. It's taken 45 days, but I've come quite a ways.
What really topped it was a Personal Best of 26.16 km travelled on Day 49. Was pretty excited about that. Now I have a new motivator. Not only to see how far I've travelled, but to see how much distance I can clock up in my 45 minute sessions. Am feeling pretty confident with myself right now.
This is almost becoming an addiction. I am really enjoying getting on the bike almost every night now, and belting out my 45 minutes. It's a little bit of "me" time every day. I'm finding I'm sleeping better, and I am feeling better in myself too. And of course there's the added bonus of having shed a further kg by this point.
By day 50, I have travelled a total distance of 1169.88 km. Where has my trip taken me this time? Let me tell you of all the exciting places I've virtually been. As you will recall from my previous post I was just south of Kingston. From there I headed north alongside Lake Wakatipu until I reached Queenstown. Queenstown is a real touristy stop, there's lots to do and some pretty scenery to take in on the way. From there it was on through Arrowtown, through Gibbston and Cromwell, the stonefruit capital of New Zealand. At Cromwell the roads head more northerly again, so it was up and through Tarras then back towards the west towards Wanaka. From Wanaka, I finish this leg in Mt Aspiring National Park.
My route here is a little meandering as there are a fair few mountains to navigate between. This area was made famous by the filming of Lord of the Rings movies, and it really is God's Own movie set. There are rugged mountains, wide plains, natural river terraces, alpine bowls, blue opalescent glacier-fed lakes. The scenery is from tussock grassland and orchards/wineries to alpine forests. It's a great illustration of the diversity of the environment that we live in every day.
This section saw me achieve some milestones. I am topping 25 km per session now, as illustrated in my travel time for this 10 day bracket. 252.02 km travelled in only 10 sessions! Not only that, but on Day 44, I finally broke the 1000 km travelled mark. It's taken 45 days, but I've come quite a ways.
What really topped it was a Personal Best of 26.16 km travelled on Day 49. Was pretty excited about that. Now I have a new motivator. Not only to see how far I've travelled, but to see how much distance I can clock up in my 45 minute sessions. Am feeling pretty confident with myself right now.
This is almost becoming an addiction. I am really enjoying getting on the bike almost every night now, and belting out my 45 minutes. It's a little bit of "me" time every day. I'm finding I'm sleeping better, and I am feeling better in myself too. And of course there's the added bonus of having shed a further kg by this point.
By day 50, I have travelled a total distance of 1169.88 km. Where has my trip taken me this time? Let me tell you of all the exciting places I've virtually been. As you will recall from my previous post I was just south of Kingston. From there I headed north alongside Lake Wakatipu until I reached Queenstown. Queenstown is a real touristy stop, there's lots to do and some pretty scenery to take in on the way. From there it was on through Arrowtown, through Gibbston and Cromwell, the stonefruit capital of New Zealand. At Cromwell the roads head more northerly again, so it was up and through Tarras then back towards the west towards Wanaka. From Wanaka, I finish this leg in Mt Aspiring National Park.
My route here is a little meandering as there are a fair few mountains to navigate between. This area was made famous by the filming of Lord of the Rings movies, and it really is God's Own movie set. There are rugged mountains, wide plains, natural river terraces, alpine bowls, blue opalescent glacier-fed lakes. The scenery is from tussock grassland and orchards/wineries to alpine forests. It's a great illustration of the diversity of the environment that we live in every day.
Monday, 23 January 2012
Days 31 - 40
In the beginning .... There was an exercycle....
Day 31 saw me leaving Pahia and heading north again, this time I was hitting the West Coast.
Most days I managed to surpass the 25 km mark for each of my sessions except one. It was cut short and only managed a mere 16.71 km which brought my average down. Still, at least I had got on the bike that day.
Distance covered over the 10 days was 245.24 km bringing my total distance to 917.86 km. VERY close to the 1000 km mark.
By this point I think I have to admit, I'm an addict. Sad as it may seem. There is no discomfort in my posterior and I actually feel really good when I get off the bike and record my distance. I have found a series of TV shows to watch as I cycle that take me one session to watch, and as the excitement in the story builds, I am finding I am starting to cycle, just that little bit faster.
This leg of my journey sees me virtually travelling through some of the South Island's most photographed scenery. I head north through South Westland and alongside Lake Manapouri. From there to the lovely Te Anau, then on through to Mossburn and Lumsden. This trip takes me to just short of Kingston which is at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu.
While completing this leg of the journey Spring finally starts to show itself in Christchurch and I am not needing the heating on so much when I'm cycling. Won't be long and I'll need the air-conditioning on to help cool me down!
Day 31 saw me leaving Pahia and heading north again, this time I was hitting the West Coast.
Most days I managed to surpass the 25 km mark for each of my sessions except one. It was cut short and only managed a mere 16.71 km which brought my average down. Still, at least I had got on the bike that day.
Distance covered over the 10 days was 245.24 km bringing my total distance to 917.86 km. VERY close to the 1000 km mark.
By this point I think I have to admit, I'm an addict. Sad as it may seem. There is no discomfort in my posterior and I actually feel really good when I get off the bike and record my distance. I have found a series of TV shows to watch as I cycle that take me one session to watch, and as the excitement in the story builds, I am finding I am starting to cycle, just that little bit faster.
This leg of my journey sees me virtually travelling through some of the South Island's most photographed scenery. I head north through South Westland and alongside Lake Manapouri. From there to the lovely Te Anau, then on through to Mossburn and Lumsden. This trip takes me to just short of Kingston which is at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu.
While completing this leg of the journey Spring finally starts to show itself in Christchurch and I am not needing the heating on so much when I'm cycling. Won't be long and I'll need the air-conditioning on to help cool me down!
Days 21 - 30
In the beginning .... there was an exercycle....
So, three weeks in and I'm going great guns. I'm averaging 25 kms per session, and I am actually enjoying the riding.
My wonderful partner is being encouraging, making sure I'm amply supplied with lots of water to drink. The catch being there's no cup/bottle holder on my exercycle. This means my glass of cool water is sitting on the TV cabinet - just out of my reach! His encouragement "you can drink it when you can reach it".... Sometimes I wonder about his motivations....
I'm even having some success on the scales - in three weeks I've lost 1.5 kg. So am feeling well motivated by that too.
I have covered a further 224.37 kms bringing my total travelled distance to 672.62 km. I've travelled through the beautiful and rugged Catlins area. Lovely green rolling hills, steep cliffs that stare down the Great Southern Ocean and wind-sculpted trees and forests.
I've also been through Invercargill. New Zealand's most southern city. There is an awesome private truck museum there that was started by Bill Richardson. Truly, truly an amazing place to visit (I have actually been there a couple of times in real life).
My journey has continued through Invercargill and now I am turning North, and up the awesome West Coast.
I am starting to frighten myself by how much I am enjoying this.....
So, three weeks in and I'm going great guns. I'm averaging 25 kms per session, and I am actually enjoying the riding.
My wonderful partner is being encouraging, making sure I'm amply supplied with lots of water to drink. The catch being there's no cup/bottle holder on my exercycle. This means my glass of cool water is sitting on the TV cabinet - just out of my reach! His encouragement "you can drink it when you can reach it".... Sometimes I wonder about his motivations....
I'm even having some success on the scales - in three weeks I've lost 1.5 kg. So am feeling well motivated by that too.
I have covered a further 224.37 kms bringing my total travelled distance to 672.62 km. I've travelled through the beautiful and rugged Catlins area. Lovely green rolling hills, steep cliffs that stare down the Great Southern Ocean and wind-sculpted trees and forests.
I've also been through Invercargill. New Zealand's most southern city. There is an awesome private truck museum there that was started by Bill Richardson. Truly, truly an amazing place to visit (I have actually been there a couple of times in real life).
My journey has continued through Invercargill and now I am turning North, and up the awesome West Coast.
I am starting to frighten myself by how much I am enjoying this.....
Friday, 20 January 2012
Days 11 - 20
In the beginning... There was an exercycle ....
Well, the next 10 days/nights/sessions (I cycle in the evenings generally), saw me continue on my way south (virtually of course). I left Waimate and headed down through the historic cycling town of Oamaru and continued on towards Dunedin.
The blisters had burst - or I had started to develop calluses - and I was getting into a kind of rhythm. I was also starting to notice my distances were starting to creep up just a smidgen.
As I got closer to Dunedin, I also became very pleased that I wasn't actually doing this in the real world, that I wasn't experiencing the real weather out there. We had had snow in Christchurch, a very rare occurrence in this part of the world, so was glad to be cycling from the comfort of my lounge.
Also, there is no traffic, and no hills to contend with. So, I just straight out cycle for 45 minutes (on resistance setting 6 of 8) and record my distance. I confess I REALLY appreciated that when I went through Dunedin. In the real world, there's some NASTY hills heading into and out of the port city.
In the second 10 days of my Tour, I racked up 250.13 km. Bringing my total distance to 448.25 km. I had travelled from Waimate, headed south THROUGH Dunedin, and on south, through Milton and Balclutha. At that point I left the main highway, and continued South but into the Catlins. A lovely area of the country that has some really rugged scenery.
I was rather looking forward to what lay ahead.....
Well, the next 10 days/nights/sessions (I cycle in the evenings generally), saw me continue on my way south (virtually of course). I left Waimate and headed down through the historic cycling town of Oamaru and continued on towards Dunedin.
The blisters had burst - or I had started to develop calluses - and I was getting into a kind of rhythm. I was also starting to notice my distances were starting to creep up just a smidgen.
As I got closer to Dunedin, I also became very pleased that I wasn't actually doing this in the real world, that I wasn't experiencing the real weather out there. We had had snow in Christchurch, a very rare occurrence in this part of the world, so was glad to be cycling from the comfort of my lounge.
Also, there is no traffic, and no hills to contend with. So, I just straight out cycle for 45 minutes (on resistance setting 6 of 8) and record my distance. I confess I REALLY appreciated that when I went through Dunedin. In the real world, there's some NASTY hills heading into and out of the port city.
In the second 10 days of my Tour, I racked up 250.13 km. Bringing my total distance to 448.25 km. I had travelled from Waimate, headed south THROUGH Dunedin, and on south, through Milton and Balclutha. At that point I left the main highway, and continued South but into the Catlins. A lovely area of the country that has some really rugged scenery.
I was rather looking forward to what lay ahead.....
Monday, 16 January 2012
First 10 Days
In the beginning... There was an Exercycle....
As mentioned in my previous post, this is my journey to a healthier lifestyle.
After setting the "rules of engagement" between myself and my cycle, I also had to decide on a goal.
Let's face it, sitting on an exercycle in your living room pumping your legs up and down for 45 mintues a night isn't terribly exciting. I needed inspiration, something to keep me interested - this was going to be a long haul after all.
So, I figured maybe a Virtual Tour of the country. I started with my home address and using an awesome online tool have mapped my distances. See http://nz.mapometer.com. So, I had a virtual start point for my journey.
My start point was Christchurch City, New Zealand.
I also decided to get a handle on my physical start point for myself. So, I jumped on the scales..... BAD move!! 82.5 kg of me OUCH!!
With that in mind, I threw my leg over the seat of my exercycle, and departed. I left Christchurch and headed South down the East Coast of the South Island.
In the first 10 days, I covered 198.39 km. Remember that's in bursts of 45 minutes per session.
It was HARD WORK. My body did protest exceedingly for the first 4 days. I never thought my poor wee bottom (OK, so wee is probably the wrong word to describe my behind), would ever cope with the seat of my exercycle.
Now, I think I have developed calluses on my behind, and the seat is somewhat more comfy. I had a couple of rest days, and managed the distance between Christchurch and Waimate.
Waimate is a lovely wee town famous for it's summer berries. They have a Strawberry Festival every year in November. Unfortunately for me, it was August when I went through - far to cold and wet for strawberries in winter in New Zealand.
Still, I cycled on.....
As mentioned in my previous post, this is my journey to a healthier lifestyle.
After setting the "rules of engagement" between myself and my cycle, I also had to decide on a goal.
Let's face it, sitting on an exercycle in your living room pumping your legs up and down for 45 mintues a night isn't terribly exciting. I needed inspiration, something to keep me interested - this was going to be a long haul after all.
So, I figured maybe a Virtual Tour of the country. I started with my home address and using an awesome online tool have mapped my distances. See http://nz.mapometer.com. So, I had a virtual start point for my journey.
My start point was Christchurch City, New Zealand.
I also decided to get a handle on my physical start point for myself. So, I jumped on the scales..... BAD move!! 82.5 kg of me OUCH!!
With that in mind, I threw my leg over the seat of my exercycle, and departed. I left Christchurch and headed South down the East Coast of the South Island.
In the first 10 days, I covered 198.39 km. Remember that's in bursts of 45 minutes per session.
It was HARD WORK. My body did protest exceedingly for the first 4 days. I never thought my poor wee bottom (OK, so wee is probably the wrong word to describe my behind), would ever cope with the seat of my exercycle.
Now, I think I have developed calluses on my behind, and the seat is somewhat more comfy. I had a couple of rest days, and managed the distance between Christchurch and Waimate.
Waimate is a lovely wee town famous for it's summer berries. They have a Strawberry Festival every year in November. Unfortunately for me, it was August when I went through - far to cold and wet for strawberries in winter in New Zealand.
Still, I cycled on.....
Monday, 9 January 2012
In the beginning... There was an exercycle....
Welcome to my blog.
This is a journey to health and fitness. And here is the background to my future posts.
In the beginning ..... There was an exercycle.....
I purchased an exercycle to get (funnily enough) some exercise. After assembling and putting in the lounge, it proceeded for the next few months to collect dust, and become a wonderful clothes horse - so much for getting fit!
The along came TV coverage of that wonderful cycle race Tour de France. My flatmate challenged me to cycle for 30 minutes each day that the professionals cycled.
So I did.
And I enjoyed it.
Then the Cycle race finished.... What to do??
A new challenge was required.
So, I decided to carry on cycling (around my lounge, it is an exercycle after all).
Rules of Engagement are:
Use cycle almost every day - a maximum of two rest days every 7 days is permitted
Cycle for 45 minutes
Record distance "ridden"
Starting at my Home address, map how far I have travelled that day.
Until now, that is precisely what I have done.
Now I am adding a new challenge.
BLOG it!
In my next post, I will let you all in on just how far I've come so far, and where I'm heading to.
This is a journey to health and fitness. And here is the background to my future posts.
In the beginning ..... There was an exercycle.....
I purchased an exercycle to get (funnily enough) some exercise. After assembling and putting in the lounge, it proceeded for the next few months to collect dust, and become a wonderful clothes horse - so much for getting fit!
The along came TV coverage of that wonderful cycle race Tour de France. My flatmate challenged me to cycle for 30 minutes each day that the professionals cycled.
So I did.
And I enjoyed it.
Then the Cycle race finished.... What to do??
A new challenge was required.
So, I decided to carry on cycling (around my lounge, it is an exercycle after all).
Rules of Engagement are:
Use cycle almost every day - a maximum of two rest days every 7 days is permitted
Cycle for 45 minutes
Record distance "ridden"
Starting at my Home address, map how far I have travelled that day.
Until now, that is precisely what I have done.
Now I am adding a new challenge.
BLOG it!
In my next post, I will let you all in on just how far I've come so far, and where I'm heading to.
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