Follow up

I got the ride in yesterday.  I made my way over to the picnic loop (and enjoyed every bit of the irony of sitting in traffic with a bike on the back of my car) and logged 17 miles.  As of today, with 28% of the week completed (Monday counts as the start and each day is roughly 14%), I've logged 17% of my mileage target and 17% of my time-in-saddle target.  Tonight I'll log another 15 miles at least in probably another hour in the saddle, which will will give me 32% mileage and time at the completion of 43% of the week.  If things continue on pace, it looks like I'll have hit 35% of my weight loss goal for the month by Sunday, too (no weekly targets on that).

Data driven results, baby.

I certainly like riding more than I like running.  Sure, there's a simplicity in running--just grab some shoes and something to keep your junk from bouncing too hard and you're out the door.  And biking is far more complex with the machinery and the gear and the maintenance and blah blah blah.  Running is cheaper (shoes [$100] and not much else) and biking is way, way, way more expensive (bike [>$300], shoes [>$75], pedals [>$50], helmet [>$50], bike maintenance [>$200/yr], glasses [>$75], padded shorts [$>$40]).  And there's that whole primal biology thing about running when the endorphins blow up and the eyes dilate and you salivate and the thought of catching that beast you've been chasing for the last hour or so....  or maybe that's just me.

But when the wind is whistling in your ear and you're flying at speeds that man was not designed to achieve and the only thing protecting you from the elements--the hard, unforgiving, abrasive element of concrete--is a thin film of lycra, there's just something beautifully dangerous about that.  It's a different kind of primal.

And to think just 2 months ago I was considering selling my mount.

Silly me.