Below 270 Red Ribbon Ride fight AIDS HIV + Grand Marais trail run

Here we are doing "The Gabe" on the Red Ribbon Ride. It was really a great ride this year. I did 297 miles over 4 days to fight AIDS / HIV. The first day I did a century with my friend Steph to the right in the picture. We stopped at Dairy Queen and got a treat. Just as I was going to pay the cashier she said it was already paid for by a friend of the ride. How sweet this was, this was also my 6th year doing the Ride. It was the 10th anniversary of the Red Ribbon Ride and I decided I will ride for 10 years, at least.


     I had a happy moment when I got on the scale the day before the ride. I hit 269.7, getting below 270 has been my target weight since the ride last year. I look at pictures of what I looked like 2-3 years ago and I can't believe I let myself get so big.


     Well the ride rocked,  I ate a little to much and drank a lot of water, I ride with a 100oz Camel pack and 2 20oz bottles. 


The day I got done I was 12 pounds up from the day we started. It did come off this week as my body got back into my regular habits. 


This week, I started running . I did 5 miles at the YWCA Tuesday, 2 Miles with Angie on the trail Wednesday and 3.9 miles on the trail with the kids last night. I am gearing up for the Fisherman's Picnic trail run in a week. It's a 5 mile trail run on the mountain in Grand Marais MN. My wife is going to walk it, my daughter is going to run a mile and my older son is going to run 1/4 mile. It should really be a blast.


     Last night as I was running I thought to myself. WOW it is nice to be able to run again. I never want to be to fat to run again.  I still need to keep up the diet and exercise but I have come down 50 pounds and that is a long way. I hope you are reaching your goals in this wonderful life. If not, regroup and start at it again. It's not about winning or losing, it's about playing the game.


-Peace


Gabe

Day 4 Minnesota Red Ribbon Ride 2012 heading home Fight AIDS HIV Minnesota

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Red Ribbon Ride and Winnipeg Folk Festival 2012

The above picture is of the Hope House ride. The weekend before the 4th of July I did about 140 miles in 90+ heat. I have been gearing up for the Red Ribbon Ride all year and I am almost ready. Today I got on the scale at 273 just 3 pounds from my Ride start goal.  I have not been doing much weight training but a lot of walking and biking.

Last weekend I went to the Winnipeg Folk Festival in Canada with my daughter. I think we must have walked over 10 miles a day. We camped in festival camping and endured 14 hours a day of sun with no shade. It was really a blast and it helped me drop a couple of pounds and condition for the heat. Last year we had a combination of thunder storms that almost closed Rochester on day 2 and 110 heat index on the last day.

After the Red Ribbon Ride I am going to start training for the 5 mile trail run in Grand Marais during Fisherman's Picnic, I hope Angie runs it with me this year. I did invest in a Garmin Forerunner watch. I have yet to load it with my Enewleaf data but I want to get a foot pod and bike attachment before I can really use it. I have been really watching what I eat and making sure I drink plenty of water and sleep enough. Most of us do not sleep enough (8 hours) or drink enough water (8 Glasses or more) either of these things can make you more tired and gain weight but both together can be disastrous to a diet.


I hope to write next week when I am below 270. You know how it goes, as a parent you are doing a million things and some times it seems like you and your weight loss come last. But if we want to be alive as long as we can for ourselves and our kids we owe it to everyone to stay in shape.


keep up the good work.


-Gabe