Redoubling My Efforts

Hi, my name is Patrick and I was referred here by my wife, jjclem07. She seems to really enjoy the features of the site and suggested I give it a try.

I'm coming off a disappointing season where my marathon dreams were hampered by a nagging knee injury and my cycling miles were only a third of where there were just two seasons ago. I kept bouncing from one training routine to another hoping to catch that lightning in a bottle and actually complete a 26.2 miler on foot. The realization is starting to dawn on me that, as I grow more frustrated, I am moving away from an activity that I truly enjoyed, cycling. I'm not fast enough to race but I do enjoy a long bike ride through farm country and maybe to climb a tough hill once in a while.

I rode my first century (100 miles in a day) back in 2006 and have managed to include at least 3 or 4 a year up until I caught that stupid marathon bug last year. With my cycling way off from where it used to be (2500-300 miles a year), I can see where a few extra donuts have settled around my midsection and will continue to do so unless I get my priorities straight. That's where MFP comes in.

By holding myself accountable for the food I shove in my mouth, maybe I can pick up on patterns and behaviors before they turn into six Reese's Cups served with a dash of self loathing. Today was my first day with the food diary and , the four chocolate cookies aside, I think I did pretty good. I've certainly had worse days!

For what it's worth, I'm pretty excited to see what's in store here at MFP and some of the success stories that are already unfolding.

Sincerely,
Patrick