Day Sixty Two...

I was a bit disappointed to wake up this morning to find that the forecast was for rain. I really wanted to head off to work on my new bike on a hot sunny day. Instead it was a bit overcast and gloomy.

I knocked back a shake, pumped up my tyres and headed off to work. I really pushed it hard trying to see what the bike would do. I threw ir up and down kerbs and tried a few hops and jumps over drains. The bike performed very well and I got to work very quickly. I was delighted. I parked up in our underground bike park at work, this safe place give me confidence that it will not be stolen.

I popped up to my desk to say hi to my team before heading for a shower. We have nice showers and changing areas in the office which really encourages cycling to work. When I got back to my desk after freshening up I hit the hard reality of the day. Being away for a week plays havoc with my diary. I had 14 meeting requests for today and 1015 emails waiting to be read. Argh.

Apart from that the day as great. I had more comments today about my weight loss than ever before. One guy said, "you're not big Andy anymore" and another took the mickey out a a large friend of mine saying "you're the biggest guy in the office now".

I wore some trousers today that I'd never worn before. I bought them about four years ago, but they were always too tight. They're almost too big now. I have three pair of trousers a size smaller that I last wore in 2000 and I am looking forward to getting into them. My belt which I wore at the largest setting since I bought it in Chicago in 2004 is now too large and will need another hole in it.

At the end of the day a thunder storm passed close to work and I was a bit edgy about cycling home in the pissing rain, but I managed to dodge it. However, the cycle was really hard. I had no energy whatsoever. I did this cycle regularly at a weight 50lbs higher than I am now, but I've never struggled like I did tonight. I guess that I need to have a bar or a food pack before leaving to give my blood sugar a bit of a boost. I didn't feel out of breath, but my legs wouldn't respond to my commands.

The other thing about not being on a bike for a while is the "sore bits". My sore bits are gently throbbing away on my chair as I write this post. The soft tissue always takes a while to toughen up, so I'll just have to ride it out. In a week or two it'll all be fine.