Our first 10-plus miler

We just got home from our first 10-plus mile bike trip. The weather, as I said in my previous post, has been unbelievable for any time of year in Oregon. But, good heavens, it is the middle of February! Kids are out playing, the birds are singing, people are mowing their lawns, dogs are fetching frisbees...  I think it was right around 60 degrees when we left home around 3:00pm. Had to teach this morning or I would have likely left earlier and enjoyed more of the outdoors today. Ah, looking at the snow piling up in the Northeastern U.S., I should not jinx our good fortune by being astounded. Therefore I conclude that there is nothing atypical at all about this weather, and things should go on just as they are.

I thought we might return to Bald Hill today, but we found a long bike route through campus and over to the Willamette Park here in Corvallis. Never realized what a great all-purpose walking, hiking, and biking path Willamette Park had until I found it on the Bike and Pedestrians page at the City of Corvallis website. I think I linked that map once before, but here it is again if you're new to Corvallis, and want to bike or hike; the purple paths on that map are my favorites. Here is also a Google map of our route today, which goes through campus, then Avery Park, then down to Willamette Park.

The whole ride today had a nice leisurely college feeling about it, and I strongly recommend it (but take the Campus Way bike path from 53rd right into OSU from the west side rather than from Harrison - which is what we actually did, but I couldn't figure out how to map a route on Google down a designated bike path). This in total was a nice 12.6 mile ride. There were very minor hills, but while still getting in shape, they can be just a little tough (even tougher when you are in 12th gear and try to shift down to 6th gear, but your derailleur does what it wants and leaves you climbing in 12th. Ay caramba!). But I made it to the top of two short hills in 12th gear, watching Pedal Poppers sail by me in 4th, cruel world. My thighs, despite being tree trunks, felt like they were going to explode. My face, which typically turns red under such levels of exertion, may have scared some of the village children. At least one dog looked at me in a funny way. But I pressed on.

The view is beautiful along the Willamette, which is a nice reward for getting out of the house.
Here we are, Sprocket and Pedal Poppers, at about the half-way point of our short adventure. This is where the trail gets nearer to the river.

In terms of prepping ourselves before we up our exercise levels each day, we stretch and add some quick protein and calories without going over our daily caloric intake. We're currently working on both weight loss and healthier living in general, so while we work to lose weight, we don't want to lag ourselves down with horrible sugars. Before exercise, I start with 6 oz. of Tillamook Yogurt, a tablespoon of granola, and 2 tablespoons of unsweetened organic peanut butter (which I just eat off a spoon separately). These foods provide a quick 400 calorie boost, with protein, so it does the job. I simply replace my lunch with this and head out the door for exercise, so I am not adding many calories. When we return home, we juice all veggies. We bring just regular water with a squeeze of lemon and a handful or two of dried cranberries for the trail if we need a boost.

Now, I have had some friends ask me how I get by without any wheat. The answer is really not as hard as it seems. We really aren't consuming a lot of grains at all in comparison to our previous unhealthy diets, but we do have them from time to time. In general, we use grains, seeds, and beans in moderation where we would have eaten mostly wheat and potatoes in excess in the past. Grains are not bad if we choose the right ones. The photo to the right, kind of shows what we're going with. Last month we had more of the quinoa pasta around than the brown rice pasta, but we visited a different store this month, so this is what we found. Those Chia seeds can be spendy, but they are a superfood with antioxidants that help scrub your arteries clean, and you don't really need to consume a ton of them. Two teaspoon added to yogurt or to juice is fine. I do this a couple times a week. They do have a higher calorie count than you would imagine for itty-bitty seeds, but they are good calories that also give you an omega-3 boost.

I also mentioned I have dogs. Maybe you saw my little chihuahua in one of my previous blogs, but I also have two wonderfully rowdy labs. Part of our getting in shape is for them. They need us to be more active. My youngest and newest dog, is a perfect dopey dumb-dumb who managed to lose a leg somewhere early in his life before we adopted him. To most, he's Leo "the three-legged wonder dog," but to me, he's Wompit, with his thumping clumsy tail. Clearly, I like nicknames, so Ziza, the Chihuahua, is also known as Zipper Z. And Cassie, my queenly intelligent lab, is just Cassie. She is too perfect to have any silly names, but you can call her Francis if you want. This is what they look like running toward me out of excitement when I arrive home each day. And, of course, this is followed by sloppy hugs and kisses. And that is pretty much all I have for you today. More is soon to come, including a low-fat gluten free pizza recipe invented recently by yours truly. Hope your days are going well wherever you are. Thanks for following the adventures of Pedal Poppers and Sprocket. Hope to catch you again soon.

-Sprocket