Sunshine + 70 degrees + bike = happy girl

I just finished the perfect bike ride. The weather is spectacular, slight breeze, 70 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. It was on my normal trail, which is only ten miles round-trip, with several good hills, but it was just a gorgeous ride today. I stopped in at the gym for a 45-minute upper body strength workout, then I rode home.<br /><br />I can't believe how much the trail has changed in just two weeks since my last ride. Daisies, peonies, sweet peas, Dianthus, lavender, and roses all growing wild and all were all in bloom along the trail. I didn't take many pictures since I was sort of in a hurry, trying to keep my heart rate up. <br /><br />At one point when I was trying to keep up with a couple of skinny guys on bikes, both wearing identical racing gear (like they were a team), the bikes had skinny tires like racing bikes. As I was pedaling my heart out to keep up with them my heart rate was at 161 (my resting pulse is 50, so 161 is high for me). They passed me going up a steep hill but then I caught up to them and stayed behind them for about three miles until I decided to back off. I didn't want them to think I was stalking them or something, and it was wearing me out!<br />Two hours and fifteen minutes, bike ride and gym, I burned 700 calories according to my Polar F6. I can't imagine an easier or more fun way to burn calories. <br /><br />When I got home I grabbed a bowl of cherries out of the fridge. I counted out 35 cherries and enjoyed them, savoring each sweet, icy cold cherry, for 3.5 Points. So good! I can still eat fruit, I just have to count the Points. <br /><br />I feel so much better after my bike ride. I'm still a little upset by the six-pound gain, but I know I can pull it off quickly. It's not here to stay. <br /><br />Vacation next week at my sister's house won't be a foodfest either. My sister is notorious for not eating. She's always eaten like a bird, but since my brother-in-law (her husband) passed away last fall she's lost all interest in food. She even asked me yesterday what she should buy for me to eat, I told her I'd just eat whatever she eat. That's a guaranteed weight loss right there.<br /><br />I've decided I'm here to stay in blogland. I had thoughts this past week to stop reading blogs and stop writing. It seems that lately a lot of people are abandoning their blogs. Sort of sad. I really believe my blog has helped me stay on track for three years. Even if no one reads it and even if it doesn't really help anyone, it helps me. Therefore, I'm here to stay.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Peonies there were growing wild along my bike trail, right among the blackberry bushes. Check out the sky. Remember, this is Seattle. Land of the eternal monsoon season. Summer is finally here and it took it's sweet time getting here!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefCSEQnQiEnfgMrjwtJtEt3o1shpmEFFO8ZzxYj0pffBrnFgNCsjiYUCyxuxW0C0Xk0DyS47wR9YI0Q5dzeuqNVugdbDQff18BR7MlWx8Tp2FM6r57ggFdflTmk5d66XLHDxbHgQxVAJt/s1600/Peonies+and+green+blackberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefCSEQnQiEnfgMrjwtJtEt3o1shpmEFFO8ZzxYj0pffBrnFgNCsjiYUCyxuxW0C0Xk0DyS47wR9YI0Q5dzeuqNVugdbDQff18BR7MlWx8Tp2FM6r57ggFdflTmk5d66XLHDxbHgQxVAJt/s400/Peonies+and+green+blackberries.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Some sort of flower, growing wild.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwKIzFhQ2u5Lz1qhcxO6RF_a5qJZ03KwZkzF-x8rJIyb9suG1_0lKNzWqNnqBr0L3dhWlw0vpxyqXxHnzO4YncAHKBbxWbhr1SNFAtBj4IVSv8GmOEeLlPJusM-inTEN2bWty6fH_HN-89/s1600/flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwKIzFhQ2u5Lz1qhcxO6RF_a5qJZ03KwZkzF-x8rJIyb9suG1_0lKNzWqNnqBr0L3dhWlw0vpxyqXxHnzO4YncAHKBbxWbhr1SNFAtBj4IVSv8GmOEeLlPJusM-inTEN2bWty6fH_HN-89/s400/flower.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A picture my husband took at the Gorge last weekend. It looks better than the ones I took.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1g2h1mEUxWVm9sAVtkbm7ui7jxkcxjRKVEcyMRe6zhzzl3jlUD1i4KVwYfhbb7bKsC3H5R1e19lwqDlCMUbZRNfLxcVxXantSGV6gqcey0FgoppCEp8P9Ky6kNDIwMmmGzv_4gD9NellQ/s1600/Gorge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1g2h1mEUxWVm9sAVtkbm7ui7jxkcxjRKVEcyMRe6zhzzl3jlUD1i4KVwYfhbb7bKsC3H5R1e19lwqDlCMUbZRNfLxcVxXantSGV6gqcey0FgoppCEp8P9Ky6kNDIwMmmGzv_4gD9NellQ/s400/Gorge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>

Sunshine + 70 degrees + bike = happy girl

I just finished the perfect bike ride. The weather is spectacular, slight breeze, 70 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. It was on my normal trail, which is only ten miles round-trip, with several good hills, but it was just a gorgeous ride today. I sto…

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