Friday, May 29, 2009

Big Dose of Reality

It's going to be very hard work.

Yes it is....

The human body is an ungrateful creature, laze around for a couple of years stressing out on the job, school, life in general. Watch a lot of cricket, movies, whatever, while snacking on your favourite snack and what happens ?? you find yourself at 250 lbs, I mean how unfair is that ????

I went riding last night and learned a very valuable lesson - DO NOT RIDE IN THE EVENINGS ON THE PORT ROYAL ROAD. "Why ?" you may ask, "because of the bloody wind !!" says I.

I did a 5 miles this evening and it was torture. First I started out late and had only gone about half the distance when the sun just took a quick dip below the horizon, I swear, one minute it was there big and bright and the next, it was gone.I turned back quickly as I did not have any lights on the bicycle and wanted to get back before it got really dark, and that is when the problems really started.

Immediately on turning back I felt it, the wind was full blast on my face and the pedaling got very difficult. I soldiered on determined not to give up. I am sure I did between 10-12 minute going out and this was reduced to probably less than a quarter - IT WAS TORTURE. I made a quick stop to prevent a heart attack and continued onwards towards where I had parked. I nearly made it but ended up pushing the bicycle part of the way as the road had become completely dark and I didn't want to get hit off by passing traffic.

I arrived home to a proper teasing from my wife, who had insisted that I go out earlier, took a long cold shower and stretched my aching body for a good 15 minutes. My side and back ached fiercely as I was probably hunched over while battling against the wind. It taught me an important lesson though - it will take hard work to undo what years of neglect has brought on.

I am moving in another week or two and am setting up a small gym in my new digs. I already have a Bowflex and will augment with a bench and some dumbells. I love resistance training and am dying to really get back into weight lifting.

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Target Miles for 2009 - 1,000 miles
Target Miles for May 2009 - 30 miles
Amount of Days Cycled so far - 4 days
Total Miles travelled - 19.35 miles
Total Miles Needed for Month - 10.65 miles

Target Miles for June 2009 - 150 miles

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Take these Broken wings........er..... Pedal ??

Oh man, I am so disappointed.

I went riding this morning again with Wayne and broke a pedal. Well not exactly break the pedal, it would seem that the guys who put together my bicycle didn't screw the pedals in properly and the right one had actually cross-threaded when going in, so the pressure I exerted on it this morning caused it to just come out.


I started out well this morning and by 5:15am we were off, Wayne decided to pace me and it worked. I settled into a nice rhythm and just kept on going and going and going. Last week I made about 4 stops (5 minutes each time) in doing 12.2KM (7.5miles) but this time I had only stopped once for about 2 minutes before passing the halfway mark of 6.2. I stopped briefly to get circulation back around the "family jewels" area and a drink and passed the spot I turned back at last week feeling very good. I knew I was nearing Port Royal and was determined to reach there and back for a grand total of 17.6 KM (10.93 miles) when, on reaching the 7.4 KM mark my foot flew off the pedal, or so I thought.


The pedal had come lose and despite help from other riders who stopped, it was hopeless getting it back on as it was cross-threaded pretty badly. I took a seat on a rock and watched the sea while Wayne rode on to Port Royal (I insisted he complete his ride) and then head on back for my van. A Lot of the riders inquired if I was ok as I waited and pretty soon Wayne was back and we were all packed up.


I am dropping off my ride at a cycle shop later on today for replacement pedal and to get it checked out by a professional. I want to know basic maintenance and also top get a small pouch so I can carry my wallet, cell phone and some Allen keys and such if I get into any problems.

I have asked Wayne to get a frame for a road bike for me, so I can start slowly putting together the parts. I want that to be my pet project over the next few months as I continue getting into shape. There is a Kingston to Negril 140 miles run later on in October and I really want to get up to speed enough to try and complete between 20-40 miles of if. I figure if I get in shape and increase my riding between now and October, I should be able to tackle 30 or 40 miles as I am on the cusp of doing 10 miles already.

That is my main motivator for the next 5 months.

I might also be changing my ride, my friend Veron wants to start riding and I might sell him mine and buy Wayne's Rambo. Wayne is now very comfortable with his road cycle and is putting his Rambo up for sale, it has been modified and is a whole lot lighter than my current ride.

MORE LATER.

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Target Miles for 2009 - 1,000 miles
Target Miles for May 2009 - 30 miles
Amount of Days Cycled so far - 3 days
Total Miles travelled - 14.35 miles
Total Miles Needed for Month - 15.65 miles

Target Miles for June 2009 - 150 miles

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Star Trek: 2009


I have been a huge Star Trek Fan since seeing Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan sometime back in the late 90s. I am also an avid reader so I devoured the novels for about 5 years before falling away, losing a lot of interest during the time of DS9 and Voyager and the last 2 Next Generation movie.

Star Trek has been around since 1966 when Gene Roddenberry took his wild and wacky idea that in the future we would have moved beyond certain human tendencies that are dominant today and have established a world government, living peacefully at home, directing all our energies in exploring the galaxy and co-existing peacefully with other races. It was an amazing series and dealt with issues of war and peace, the value of personal loyalty, authoritarianism, imperialism, class warfare, economics, racism, religion, human rights, sexism and feminism, and the role of technology, but above all else it was just damn good television that made actors like William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForrest Kelly, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig and James Doohan househld names. Who in the world has'nt heard the expression "Beam Me Up Scotty!

The series was successful enough to last 3 years, but exploded in popularity when it went into syndication in the 70s and has since produced:
Six Movies with the Main Cast

  • Star Trek: The Motion Picture
  • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
  • Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
  • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
  • Star Trek V: The Final Fronteir
  • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
4 Spin Off Television Series

  • Star Trek: The Next Generation (87-94)
  • Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (93-99)
  • Star Trek: Voyager (95-01)
  • Star Trek: Enterprise (01-05)
4 Movies with the Next Generation Cast
  • Star Trek: Generations
  • Star Trek: First Contact
  • Star Trek: Insurrection
  • Star Trek: Nemesis

For a franchise that has not been afraid to push the envelope and evolve, why the need for a new movie bringing back the classic characters ?
Simply put - The franchise was dying. Like James Bond before it, like John Byrne's Superman relaunch in 1986, like Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Retuns, like Christian Bale's new Batman movies - every now and then a face-lift is needed.

Star Trek had gone through its various incarnations and with help from Rick Berman and company had progressively lost popularity. The tone had changed from the 60s - Kirk solving problems by jumping in head first and using his fists and/or phasers to solve a problem, to Jean-Luc-Picard's noble presence which demanded negotiation and rationale before taking action if necessary. It did not help that for every good Star Trek movie that was produced there were a few duds in the lot (Final Fronteir, Insurrection, Nemesis) and that also extended to the series (Enterprise).




I saw Star Trek on Saturday night and at the end of it I proudly proclaimed that the franchise has been reborn in the capable hands of JJ Abrams. Known for his Executive Producing popular TV series Alias, Fringe, Lost, Felicity and others, Abrams took up the task of re-introducing a Star Trek that would have mass appeal beyond the core supporters (Trekkers, Trekkies). His solution was to go back to beginning of James T. Kirk and crew members of the Enterprise and "re-tell" their first meeting and then to "take it from there....." He ran the risk of alienating millions of Star Trek fans worldwide and not attracting a wider audience and had to straddle a fine line in doing so. His solution to the problem was to do a time travel story and have the subsequent events branch off on a seperate timeline leaving the original intact.

I won't get into details about the plot and story, just to say that JJ Abrams delivered Star Trek on full warp drive with space battles and explosions and feeling of intense danger the likes of which have not been seen since Star trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. We no longer felt that the characters were sacred and changes were impossible.


Lenord Nimoy's appearance to hand over the batton to the new crew was handled well and his character was integral to the story, and while the discerning among us saw plot holes and coincidences large enough to drive a semi-trailer through, it did not distract enough to lessen the impact of the movie. The cast settled into their roles comfortably and I expect them to grow into the characters bringing their own unique personalities to bear in the near future.

Star Trek is back - Hip Hip Hooray !! JJ Abrams already has plans for Star Trek II sometime in 2011 and this is one Trekker who will be waiting with anticipation.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Hit the Road Jack and dont you.............

give up no more no more no more !!!


I went riding this morning for the second time. My plans for riding around the block during the week got railroaded due to some very important issues that required a lot of time dealing with. I got up at 4:30am and got myself a cup of tea (Tetly and condensed milk) and a large glass of water, loaded up and headed out ariving at the destination at about 5:20am. Wayne showed up at the same time and we spent a little time adding 2 bottle holders to my bicycle and pumping tyres. Wayne had put together his road bicycle from various parts and it looked great but we had a problem, his front tyres were leaking so we had to patch tube. Knowing how slow I was and that sun would be a problem I started off leaving Wayne to do his patching.


Slow and steady was my motto with proper breathing. I was hydrated this time unlike last week and found the going easy enough. I kept at it, passing the spot where I turned back last week and kept on going. I made 2 stops heading out and going back mainly because a not so nice by-product of cycling is that you get cramped in the region of your "family jewels" and I would stop until the sensation comes back. Charlie and his 2 friends have been good to me my entire life and I intend to keep them alive and happy for another 20-30 years.


Today I did a whopping 12.2KM (7.58 miles) heading out and back a big improvement on the 7 Km (4.35 miles) I did on the first day considering that half of that 7Km was pushing the bike back. I was on the orad for a little over 90 minutues which translate to an average of 11.87 minutes per mile ? That's really pathetic, but I am not worried abut that right now. I could have kicked myself though as another 30 minutes of riding would have taken me right into Port Royal. I had 1 500ml bottle of water and one bottle of Gatorde to keep me company and that was enough to keep me hydrated.

I am now back home and am getting some chicken for breakfast, not fried or stewed, but jerked. I am watching what I eat but am not on any strict diet. I know weight loss will come if I increase aerobic exercise and add weight training, so as my body gradually adjust, so will the training regime. I will be back on the road tomorrow to repeat what I did today as the body feels just fine, no aches or pain.

Thinking of getting a simple heart rate monitor, the little one that you strap onto your wrist so I can monitor my heart rate while riding. A really good aerobic workout involves getting your heart rate up to 80% of maximum over 30 minutes of working out, so I need to determine what my regular heart rate is and work towards 80% while riding. It is also a fact that the more fit you are is the slower your heart beat so I would like to monitor my progress on that.



1st Picture - Moi posing with Wayne's road bike

2'nd Picture - My bicycle

3'rd Picture - Wayne

Saturday, May 9, 2009

It's Not An Easy Road



"They see the glamour and the glitter and they think it's a bed of rose, who feels it know..." - Buju Banton

I strated riding this morning, I am discovering aches in places that I never know existed before. You all should know that I am a huge cricket fan and one particular sledge of Arjuna Ranatunga of Sri Lanka by Shane Warne ran through my mind while I was huffing and puffing away this morning "You get no kudos for being a fat, unfit f**k." :)
The route was a 8.8 km ride from The Officer's Club near Norman Manley International Airport out to Port Royal on a nicely paved stretch of road that is realtively flat. It's used by many cyclists from the beginners to the hardcore professionals who rush past like a bullet train, calling out to overtake and ensuring that I keep my wobbles to a minimum and not cause a pile up.

We started at 6am which was about 30 minutes later than we wanted to, Wayne was up last night late working on his road bicycle and slighly overslept. We made some adjustments to both bikes and off we went very slowly. Now I haven't done any serious working out in over 3-4 years and while my job keeps me on my feet on and off throughout the day I am seriously OUT OF SHAPE, and it showed up pretty early but I soldered on until about 3.5 Km where I stopped and refused to go any further :) Wayne continued onwards to Port Royal after a bit of fussing and I made an attempt to ride back to the car, but ended up walking and pushing the bike for about 3 KM, at least whether riding or walking I am getting exercise (I thought to myself). The sun was ripping at the time I stopped and I realised that we would have had an advatage if we had started earlier. The big riders who barrelled past me going and coming were all so pleasant and encouraging, most slowed down and asked if I was ok while I was walking back and many told me not to worry as the more I did it the better I would get.

I have started and stopped exercise routines before and know that I need to take things slowly and give my body time to adjust and most importantly STICK TO IT. I will be up again on Wednesday morning when I will do a few circuits around my neighbourhood ( a few inclines there) and again on Saturday where we will see if I can go 4 or 5 KM this time :)
The ride from the Officer's Club to Port Royal is 8.8KM one way and my goal is to be able to complete that and stay alive, then increase that distance to both ways. I am going to need to adjust my diet to help with the weight loss aspect and also try to quit my worst habit - PESPI COLA.
I love taking pictures and from time to time will pepper here with photos of Jamaica, etc. so look out for those.
1st picture - Part of the route
2nd picture - Building in Port Royal

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Maybe Cycling ..................

I have always wanted to........

Yeah, I rode a bicycle as a kid, up and down Norway Terrace with my sister and the kids in the neigbourhood. I had a Chopper or a Thomahawk or whatever the heck that bicycle was called. I also skate-boarded a lot too.

Skip to the early to mid 90s and a very good friend of mine named Paul cycled a lot, a heck of a lot. He asked me to travel with him one day while he rode around the eastern end of the island - Yep, the eastern end of Jamaica. From Kingston to Morant Bay to Portland to Annotto bay and on back into Kingston, a total of about 140 miles in one day. I carried a couple spare tyres and drink and food for him like bananas, grapes, bulla, water and drink. He still rides and he was featured in the Gleaner a couple Sundays ago. He was also one of three persons in Jamaica to do the first Kingston to Negril ride back in 1991, a couple years before I met him. Now he does the Kingston to MoBay to Negril to Mandeville to kingston route once per year - Whew !!

I have decided to use cycling to get my aerobic workout.

I have been talking to an acquantance of mine Wayne about it, he picked up cycling a couple months ago and stopped by the house one Saturday morning to show me his bicycle. I rode up and down the road a couple of times, marvelling at how unsteady I was and worrying if I was going to break my damn 40 year old neck (well, 40 in another couple of months) Then I found out that my neighbour (distant neighbour) also cycles in the morning and that just sealed the issue, I would have someone to ride with in the mornings to keep me company and keep me motivated.

Now I dont have a wad of cash lying around, so I went bicycle hunting today and saw a few units that will serve me well as a start-up unit, until I really get into it and maybe get a real road cycle (Mwahahahaha !!! :) ). Gonna give it a try and see if I like it.

I have a problem with jogging as it hurts my knees and very long aggressive walking hurts my back in a weird way, so I cop out everytime Antoinette gets up at 5am to go walking. With work and school I had half convinced myself that I dont have the time, but that is a damn cop out and I will not use that excuse again.

I will link up with Wayne tomorrow if possible and show him what I have in mind, see if it is a proper enough fit and then hit the road on Saturday for a light ride. I will do some light riding over the first couple weeks and increase intensity as I go along.

My doctor gave me a full blood workup to get done months ago, and I will stop off and do that next week, and then tell him what I am up to exercise-wise (Yeah, yeah, I know I am doing this part backwards).

So wish me luck and start the countdown with me.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

No use procrastinating - It starts now


No more excuses - No time, too busy with work, too busy with school, too tired, yadda yadda yadda.


The big 40 beckons August 7 and I took a picture recently at school and the size of my gut was depressing.
I have always been conscious of my weight but never really done anything about it over any period of time. I have joined the gym on and off over the years and find that once I get past the painful first few days I actually enjoy working work, getting sweaty and feeling my arms and chest pumped, but invariably work and personal stuff encoaches, finances might get a little strained and the gym is usually the first casualty.
I read a lot, I have all this accumulated knowledge on training, weight lifting, aerobics, nutrition and I have done nothing about it and that has to change or I will be a "diabetic heart attack" just waiting to happen at 50.


I am starting and will chronicle my advances here weekly at first and then more often as I proceed. Right now I am 6', 245lbs with a huge waiste.


The target is to get down to 190lbs by August 2010.


I have every intention of achieving that target before August 2010.