Margie Arndt Pool Plunge

I rode my bike again today but cheated mostly. I rode over to Monroe and caught the bus downtown. Then I transferred over to Good Ol' Number 74 for the ride out to Liberty Lake.

The quarter mile from where the bus dropped me off was hard going because I was riding into the wind. I felt pretty spent when I got to work.

This will mark my fifth day of riding the bike this season.

I went out for a good ride at lunch so I did actually get some exercise. I'm going to try and ride home from downtown rather than take the Good Ol' Number 4 up Monroe.

Tonight is the annual Margie Arndt Pool Plunge over at my neighbors. We're doing it there because they have a pool. Also, we're doing it there because Marge would jump in the pool every year on her birthday. It's been about six years since she died but Tammy has wanted to keep the tradition going. 

Because of all the Covid stuff going around, I'm not sure who will be there or exactly how we'll do it. Maybe well spaced out and a couple of starts.

Fourth Bike Ride of the Year

I believe this is my fourth day riding my bike for this year. However, I'm not sure I can really count it. 

I hopped on the bike this morning and rode over to the bus stop next to the Mosey Inn on Monroe. It doesn't take more than 3 minutes to get there.I caught the bus there and rode it downtown where I transferred to my Liberty Lake bus. So, I didn't really ride all that much.

I did this because I am noticing my failing stamina. It's really getting bad. My legs begin to burn as soon as I start peddling. When I get to the top of my hill on the ride downtown, I am good and well out of breath. It takes me five minutes to recover when I get to the bus downtown.

I guess I should keep doing this as much as I can. It just doesn't feel like I'm seeing any improvement in my endurance. The next time I write, it could be from the gutter where I collapsed.

Bike Riding

I rode my bike to work today for the third time this year. I don't know if I have mentioned this somewhere in one of these posts, but I am woefully out of shape. By the way, I am well aware that I have mentioned it many times.

So far, the weather has cooperated...until today. When I left the house there was a light gentle rain tickling my face. It was more like a mist.

Once I got on the bus, the clouds got a little more serious. My bike was drenched to the chain when I got off at Liberty Lake. I just wiped down the seat and rode the quarter mile to work.

End of Lent - 214.8

Today is the last day of Lent...for me. Susan considers Easter the end of Lent. Others say that Good Friday is the last day of Lent. I'm ending it today because it is convenient for me. I'm drinking my first beer at noon.

I expect it will be fabulous.

I reached my lowest number in weight loss during this season of Lent. Today, I am 214.8 pounds. That's all going to be ruined when I drink beer but I still would like to get to 210. I would really like to get to 200 but that requires dedication that I do not possess.

218.6 - Bike Day One

One of the first signs of Spring is when I ride my bike to work. Generally it is a late first sign of Spring, as I have never ridden my bike to work in April. It's usually late May at the earliest.

I rode my bike today. At least, I rode it downtown and rode the bus out to work. It was a chilly Covid-19 free ride and it took about 13 minutes. The total distance from the house to downtown is just about two miles.

I intend to keep this up. I need to get myself in shape. I was sucking wind when I got to the bus stop. The good news is there was no chest pain.

The other good news is that at no point in the ride did I have to get off the bike and push. That was a concern. There is one hill on the southbound route that is steep but only a short block long. The north bound route has a gentle hill that is three regular blocks long.

They both tap me out. I want to improve that. But I was able to peddle up the hill this morning without pause. But I sure was breathing hard.

The other thing I learned is I can leave at 6:35 AM and still have plenty of time to catch the bus.

So I've got that going for me.

Flattened Out at 218

The "Stay Home" order has officially been extended to the first of May in Washington State. That is not surprising. The buses continue to be empty as I ride to work in the morning. Streets are pretty sparse of traffic. Toilet paper continues to be the hottest commodity on the market.

The biggest thing this has brought to light for me is how often I touch my face. I'm trying not to but it is hard.

I have been making regular use of my Netty Pot. Not every day but at least a couple times a week. The result of the Netty Pot are fabulous. I can breathe clearly and feel very unplugged. For about 15 minutes. By the time I'm getting dressed after my shower, I feel the sniffly nose again. Oh well, I think it's better to clear that crap out every now and then than to do nothing.

I even heard today that clearing your sinuses is really good for combating this virus. 

I have leveled out with my diet. It doesn't seem as I will loose much more weight. Easter is just over a week away and so I am really going to concentrate and eat correctly and sparsely.

March Blood Pressure

218.6

I don't have much to say today. The era of the Covid-19 Pandemic continues and probably will for the next six weeks. Even that may be optimistic. The thing is, nobody knows.

Susan and I watched a YouTube video last night from a New York City Emergency Room Doctor. He talked for about 30 minutes and answered a bunch of questions. 

The info he gave was reassuring.

I'm trying to follow the guidelines this guy espoused. Namely, wash your hands...a lot. Don't touch your face. Keep other people at a distance.

I want to get a mask. The main reason is to remind me not to touch my face.

I'm still riding the bus to work 3 out of 4 days. Here's what the extra long articulating bus looked like this morning.

I was the only passenger.