Wrapping up 2015

What is possible when we push ourselves?  Entering 2012 I was a 300+ lb couch potato.  One day that spring I was down on the ground rolling around with my dogs and had trouble getting up... just standing up was enough of a workout that I thought - "wow! I am not very far away from a day where I cannot get up on my own."  That day I started looking around, and if by magic a few days later a friend mentioned VSG... I looked into it and it seemed right for me so after a bit more investigating, I jumped.

The clear issue would be maintenance.  I decided on cycling - it was the one exercise I enjoyed as a kid.  I jumped into it and re-discovered my inner joy - and an athlete hiding inside 120 lbs of fat.

This year, less than 3 years post-surgery, I started endurance racing.  I did better than I hoped.

I raced four sanctioned 12 hour endurance races:

Bessie's Creek, 12hr Time Trial, 223.7 miles - Age Group 50-59 1st Place
Calvin's Challenge, 12hr TT, 233.0 miles - Age group 50-59 1st Place
Texas 12Hr TT, 132.5 miles - 10th overall (was super hot that day and I abandoned due to cramping)
12 Hour TT Championship, 212.4 Miles, Age group 50-59 2nd place

I ended up in 1st place for 2015 in the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association's 12 Hour 50-59 age group

So after 58 years of being a non-athlete, I became one!

Overall I rode over 6,200 miles and climbed the equivalent height of Mount Everest - over six times - Strava (a site for recording your cycling stats) has a cool graphical way to see your year at a glance:

I can't thank everyone on this (and other OH) forums enough for their help along the way.

Have a great 2016!

Tom

Hi Tom,

Impressive just doesn't seem like enough! I so admire your athleticism! Your transformation is amazing and inspiring. 

Thanks for your suggestions yesterday. I went with my partner and a 4 miler was pushing it for him. I quickly realized all the leg work I do at the gym and being able to easily do 4 miles of interval training on the elliptical has prepared me to make the transition to biking very easy. After our ride yesterday I went to the gym and completed 3.5 miles of intense interval training. That got me to thinking about what I can really manage. I'm planning another 4 miler with Ron and my brother for tomorrow and then and 8 miler for me on Saturday and a 10 miler on Sunday, if the 8 goes well. 

Thank YOU for your guidance along the way. Your viewpoint using data has always been very helpful to me - especially those times I got caught up in the emotion of being an outlier! 

Happy New Year to you. 

That's great!  Intense Intervals on the bike are the best "medicine" as well for making rapid progress.  One way to do intervals is to do "hill repeats." You find a challenging hill and go up, then coast down, repeat!

You probably have a great cardio-vascular system from other exercise and now just need to get your legs to match in the pedaling mode.

One way stronger riders make it work with less fit riders is that they'll ride the uphills more aggressively and then wait at the top for the slower group members.  This gets both groups an appropriate workout.  Of course if you're a lot better, you can do the hill twice... I've been "lapped" like that a few times.

You are simply amazing, Tom! 

Happy New Year! 

Hopefully "you ain't seen nothin' yet" :)

My 4-person team will be racing in the 868 mile "Race Across the West" in June (Oceanside CA to Durango CO), attempting to break the age 50-59 team record of 51 hours.  We're doing it to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.... https://www.facebook.com/scorcherscycling

Seriously, the people that I'm impressed with are the ones that get knocked down a few times with problems and keep getting back up and fighting... I come here and draw inspiration from their stories.

Congratulations on your amazing achievements. I so wish I could ride a bike again but I live in the mountains is it just too much for a 60+ yr old with bad knees. I do ride when I travel to flatter places though. I have progressed from 2 miles walks each day to easily being able to 7-8 miles and still taking care of my household responsibilities. So I am moving along. You are an true inspiration though. Please continue to post about your new adventures in cycling.

Congratulations on quadrupling your walks!  Yes, the mountains are tough... I do a lot of indoor training (I have a computer controlled device I can put my bike on) that is as challenging as I want it to be - although nothing beats an outdoor ride.

Please tell me about this device as I have been considering something similar. Thanks.

There are many... but this is similar to the one I use: Wahoo SNAP

There are some neat computerized things like Zwift where you can ride in a virtual world - the software controls the resistance on the trainer so you feel like you're climbing a hill.  There are also videos that sync with the trainer

Wow!  What you've done is amazing, good for you!  Have a wonderful New Year.