Well, this has been a slow month for riding unfortunately. Ok, prepare for a brief bitch session:

My shoulder has been bothering me for a few months now. First, I gave up swimming - thinking that was the problem. When that didn't help, I went for a cortosone shot. No luck. So I thought riding could be part of the problem. So, I took the first full week in November off. Still no luck. Well, one morning I woke up and my shoulder was killing me. I thought it could be that I am sleeping on it funny. So my wife and I switched sides of the bed (after 12 years of marriage, not an easy task!!) and after 2 days it actually felt much better. But the progress was short-lived.

I then rode to work once (#2) in the following week, but due to other issues and my attitude, that was the only ride that week. The following week was Thanksgiving week and we went on a week long vacation. During that time, my shoulder continued to feel worse instead of better. So now I'm going to take some more aggressive action - I just got an appointment with a chiropractor for tomorrow. I've never been to one, but I prefer alternatives to surgery and cortosone.

But that didn't stop me today for ride #3! Today was a beautiful ride, but I took it nice and easy - didn't watch the clock at all, just enjoyed! I'm planning on riding at least 3 days/week moving forward (except for Christmas week). Oh, and since I gained about 10 pounds in the last 3 weeks (I eat like a pig, so taking time off from exercising is BAD), I'm going to track my weight for all to see:

• current weight: 203.5 (I like to be precise!!)

Ride on!!

Oh boy. Riding home last night was my first "NIGHT" ride since last winter. It definitely takes a little getting used to.

No, not me. But I don't look dissimilar. I have white blinking lights on the front and red blinking on the back. I'm ordering a couple more because I saw a guy last year wearing several and it was impossible to miss him. In fact, while riding at night might be more unsettling, it's probably easier for cars to see you with the blinking lights.

Another twist to my ride last night was that traffic was backed up for a couple of miles. I was gliding slowly past cars on the shoulder when there was some, but I also went off road slightly when necessary. Not sure that was a good idea - especially in the dark where it's difficult to see what I'm getting into.  Also, the drivers are stressed due to the traffic and I don't need to piss anyone off.

Anyway, it was a good ride - Welcome to November!!

Ride on