So I struggle with the urge every day to put something up on facebook about biking. How far I have been riding...how awesome it has been...how much weight I'm losing...etc. Sometimes I win the struggle and refrain from posting (because I'm sure most people find it annoying to read someone's status updates, when they're all about exercising). Other times I give in to the awesomeness I feel and post it regardless.

Anyway, a thought occurred to me this morning. Hey, I have a blog. This blog is purely about me. Coincidentally, it is also owned and operated by me. I can just say whatever I want.

So, here goes.

I've gone riding at a lot of parks over the past few weeks. I've been to Tribble Mill, Harbins, Rock Springs, Bay Creek, Mulberry, the other side of Mulberry, Ivy Creek Greenway, and Suwanee Greenway. All of them have their positives and their negatives. I have found, however, that there is one park that stands head and shoulders above the rest...Mulberry Park (actually, I think it's really Little Mulberry Park, but I don't really pay much attention to the signs when I arrive or when I leave).

The main trail at Mulberry is a 2.2-mile loop. With the exception of one stretch of about a quarter mile, it is all wooded (read: shaded...meaning I only sweat 3/4 of a gallon, rather than the full gallon). There are hills, but they aren't ridiculous, "chain-buster" type hills. They are just enough to challenge a rider to push harder, so as to not fall into complacency.

I ride this trail (usually) 4 laps in the morning and 4 laps after work. Each visit to the park results in 8.8 miles. I make sure to park at least 1/10 of a mile away from the entrance to the trail, so I can be honest in saying I rode a full 9 miles. This results in 18 miles a day. That's not too shabby if you ask me, considering that just a month ago, I was thrilled in averaging around 6 or so.

I don't really know that I'll be able to work this daily total up. This, however, is due to time constraints alone. I know it's probably frustrating for Kimberly when I don't get home every night until almost 7:00. I really appreciate her flexability and willingness to see me get into better shape...which brings me to my next point.

As I stated in my last (and so far, only) blog post about biking, I was not sure how much, if any, weight I had lost. Well, I know now. I have lost 23 pounds. As of Tuesday, June 15th, my weight was 267.0 lbs. I have no idea when the last time was that I was in the 260's. I definitely know I haven't been that low in the 6 years Kimberly and I have been married. I still have a long way (like at least 60 more pounds) to go, but so far I feel I'm off to a great start, and it doesn't seem nearly as daunting as it did a month ago.

Right now, I'm looking forward to a couple of things:

1) A week from this Saturday, I plan on going to ride the Silver Comet Trail. This starts in Smyrna, GA and goes all the way into Alabama. Naturally, I doubt I'll be able to ride all the way to Alabama, but I plan on starting around 8:00am, riding four hours, and turning around to ride back. Given my estimated average speed (and that this trail is mostly flat, from what I understand), I am estimating that I can cover somewhere from 60-70 miles just in one day. I'm pretty excited about it.

2) The following Saturday, Kimberly, Cohen, and I are leaving for the beach for a week, as we do every year with her family. Normally, this is a time when I let myself go, even more than normal. This will not be the case this year. I'm taking the bike with me. I plan on getting some BIG miles under me over the course of the week...and I won't have work hanging over me, limiting the amount of time I will have to ride.