#30daysofbiking by TTM

Below is a blog written by my husband Jim.  He took a 30 day challenge to ride his bike in April. Doesn't sound too hard does it? Especially if you love to ride bikes huh?  Read below and see how it went.







So there it is, in all it's glory.  My #30daysofbiking all summed up.
How did it start? I stumbled on a "Challenge" on FaceBook.  I was to commit to 30 consecutive days of riding a bike.  Who doesn't love a good bike ride?  Well let's see...me on cold, rainy, snowy, drizzly, grey, windy, freezing COLD days.  Which it seems that we received many more of these types of days than my favorite type of sunny and 75 degrees with a light breeze.   Gray days make it tough to throw a leg over a bike and head out.  So I told myself that "1 mile is better than none!".  This became my sort of my mantra for those nasty days.

My commitment to the #30daysofbiking was that I would ride a minimum of 1 mile every day.  Why only a mile? Life, it has a way of getting in the way of those little things that we want to do for ourselves. Besides that why set goals you can't reach?  It's ok to have easy attainable goals. Just because they seem overly simplistic doesn't mean it will be easy.   So I chose 1 mile distance and time didn't matter. Everything doesn't have to be race.  It seems at times that when I hit a group ride the pace picks up and race mode happens.  Sometimes I just like to ride my bike and check things out. So 1 mile, no time limit.  Reality is though that I would ride many of these days at 1 mile or so and it wouldn't take less than 15 minutes from putting on a helmet to clicking stop on the Strava or GPS.
I rode my bike everyday and though I might not have felt like it, and believe me I had dozens of excuses lined up, I did it anyway. It's done now so here is the Top 5 things I learned riding my bike everyday for a month.


#1 - Sometimes you have to just HTFU and do it. Yup, just walk out the door and grab your bike and pedal.
#2 - You can ride a bike and clear your head in ten minutes. It's sometimes that simple. Betcha keep riding when it happens.
#3 - I didn't lose any weight? Nope, probably gained a little as my goal was to ride my bike not lose weight. If I was shooting for losing weight I wouldn't have had those beer runs on the calendar as bike rides. But my goal was simpler, just ride my bike every day for at least a mile. You want to lose weight? Don't eat shitty food and do something besides watching other recreate.
#4 - The streets in my neighborhood look like crap, and need some serious maintenance. Time to call city hall.
#5 - Always think about how your are transporting those bombers of beer before you buy 3.  When all else fails walk over to the curb and drink one. She will be just as happy as you, if you only bring her one beer back.

What's next - Dirty Kanza 200 training of course.  200 miles of Gravel Roads in 1 day on a bike. My time to beat - 19:30 minutes. After reviewing my April mileage on Strava(24 hours of riding, 195 miles total. Longest ride was 20.7 of singletrack and gravel road) it appears I may be a bit behind in the DK training plan.  I guess I better get out the Chamois Butter cause the new leather Brooks saddle is gonna get to know my sit bones really well over the next 31 days!

I have a new mantra for DK200 this year - 200isbetterthannone!

GETCHASUM!!!

Even you can ride a bike, people learn everyday.

Written by Jim Davis

Lifestyle Doesn't Take A Vacation

Recently my husband and I surprised our eight year old with a Spring Break trip to Florida.  We told her the morning we were going to leave, you should have seen her face.  We would be driving our Subaru Outback the 800 miles to Pensacola, Ft. Pickens Campground to be exact. We would be staying in hotels for three nights and at the campground for three nights. Our vacation was going to be an active on because we planned it that way.  In my opinion, vacation does not mean sitting around all day on a beach drinking alcohol and eating endless amounts of crinkle bag chemical laden non-foods or slamming pizza and cheeseburgers. That is no longer my lifestyle and I certainly don't want it as my vacation.

While vacations are not the time to lose weight they are not the time to add a notch on your belt either.  We went for long walks on the beach, several hours at a time.  We went on many hikes, a hike of a historical monument, a hike at Blackwater State Park and several hikes around our campground. The trail was literally just ten feet from our tent. Of course our bikes went.  We rode them as much as we could.

  Sydney definitely got the most miles. She received a new bike for her birthday the week prior and was really enjoying breaking it in by doing hot laps around the paved campground.  She made two friends, a brother and sister duo, and they had street races for a solid hour.

Now I am not saying it isn't okay to splurge a little , I enjoyed several delicious high octane micro-brews and indulged in some of the creamy sauces. Beyond that I did not step out of my box of normal eating.  I ate fresh vegetable platters, salads, fresh fish and basically what I would have eaten if I was at home.  My spurge was definitely the beers and I am happy with that.

Along with eating right and exercising we made sure to get our sleep.   We were in bed relatively early every night and asleep by ten our three nights in the tent. Morning came and we were up by seven.  A quick breakfast and coffee and we were off to the beach to find shells. Walking and running in sand was a fabulous workout.

I planned most of our snacks which helped keep us on budget and kept us from overeating when we did go out.  I brought along granola bars, bananas, apples, trail mix, nuts, grapes, cut up cucumbers/tomatoes, baby carrots, hummus, whole wheat crackers, cheese sticks, peanut butter, nutella and yougurt.  I whipped up a special batch of tuna salad that morning and cut up some peppers.  We used one cooler for cold foods, one cooler for cold drinks, and one cooler for all other items. We have an orange box that we keep all our cooking stuff in, jet boils, baggies, foil, cooking and eating utensils, pots, trash bags, paper towels, you get the idea.  This system worked out well for us and probably saved us a couple hundred dollars.

I hope you will be able to use some of my tips on your next vacation.  I just wanted to get you to think a little differently when you go on vacation.  You don't have to come back from it exhausted, experiencing stomach distress, feeling guilty, and ten pounds heavier. Make a few changes and you can return feeling healthy, well rested and happier than when you left. 

Happy Birthday To My Carrot

The folks on the Biggest Loser have a HUGE carrot, several in fact, dangled in front of them to entice them to drop the weight.  With 250,000 reasons to drop the pounds does that make it any easier?  Or winning an expensive vacation or car?  When I stepped on the scale and saw 220lbs staring back at me I knew I had to do something.  I also knew that a diet wouldn't help me.  I had to find a carrot. I needed a carrot.

My beautiful daughter came into the world on March 16th, 2006.  She was definitely a gift.  I had been told I couldn't have any more children after my son was born.   She came into the world loud and proud and nearly jumped off the table.  From first look I could tell she was something special and deserved more than I could give her. I was not worthy of her. I had a lot of work to do.

I had to change, there was no way around it.  I did not want my daughter to meet the person I had become. She could never meet this overweight depressed version of me.  I had to get to work, I figured I had about two years to reach my goal. I would be 40 years old by then, oh geez.  I would need to drop roughly 80 pounds and get my mind right.  I could get healthy, fit and fabulous in two years, right?   I wanted to be a good role model and I wanted her to be  proud to call me her Mom. So... I went for it.

I was determined to give Sydney the awesome, fit Mom she deserved. I started pushing  her in a stroller that May when my doctor released me for exercise. I've got to tell you that it was extremely hard getting my body to move, I had been sedentary for nearly five years. I had to dig deep.  I couldn't let this "hardness" stop me.  I couldn't because every time I looked into those tiny beautiful baby blue eyes I knew I had to keep going.  As she grew I shrank, it was wonderful. We walked everyday, sometimes twice a day. As the weeks passed walking became a habit and I started to look forward to it.   There was a lady in the neighborhood that called me "the incredible shrinking woman", she has no idea how that comment kept me going. ( I still think of that comment )

I continued to push Sydney in the stroller until she was about one year old, then we graduated her to a backpack.  I carried her everywhere.  We hit the trails more and went on overnight  trips. I was very happy to be in shape to be able do that.  That year we took a three day backpacking trip, it was amazing.

Those eighty pounds did not have a chance. My walking evolved into running and I took up cycling when she was 15 months.   I re-learned what to eat and found what I liked to do, what worked  for me.  I did NOT go on a diet, I found a lifestyle.  A lifestyle that agrees with me, one that makes me happy and healthy.  And I tried something new... I loved myself through ALL of it.  I let the old habits of being critical and just downright mean to myself go.  I never got anywhere by punishing myself, I had to stop those behaviors to get where I am today.

Time has passed so quickly. My daughter will be 8 years old tomorrow. I am proud to report that I have kept my promise to myself and to her over these years. I have not gained back a single pound.  I continue to strive daily for a healthy body and healthy attitude.  Truth be told... I am also looking forward to my 45th birthday at the end of this week.  How many people can say that?

Happy Birthday to my carrot!  I love you to the moon and back.

Be Brave Contest

*******Edited.  Deadline for photos is March 20th.







I am a huge fan of contests and decided it was time to have my own.

Very simply... If you want to enter EMAIL me a photo or PM me one to my LivingOutLoud Facebook page of you doing something brave.

The photo could be your first selfie with a shirt off.

I uploaded this photo and my computer crashed and
I couldn't take it down 

Or maybe a photo of what you looked like covered in sweat from your last workout.

Perhaps a photo of you doing something that scares the crap out of you.

Not a fan of water but I went whitewater rafting

I am terrified of heights but I made it to the top and eventually down

I was never so relieved to touch the ground

Maybe you want to share something extreme.


I used to have long blonde hair, I had over 12 inches cut off.

And then I went RED!

Now that you have the idea..... get creative and send it to me.  Deadline for entries is  Thursday, March 13th 2014.  I will compile all photos and place them in an album on Facebook.  Photo with the most LIKES wins. Easy peasy. You will be rewarded with this beautiful Patagonia Canvas Bag ($25 value) if you win.

Thanks for playing along.

Tooth Troubles With A Lesson

As I sat in the dentist chair on Thursday Feb 13^th I had many emotions going through my head.  I have dreaded going to the dentist since I was a small child.  Through no fault of my own, my teeth have always been an incredible mess.  I was told they were too big for my mouth and that I had a tremendous overbite.  I had fangs (four of them) in the front, and all of my teeth were all crooked.  By the early 1980’s I had a mouthful of metal.  My braces were not the cute little ones (nearly invisible braces were not invented yet) , I had the ugly big bands that wrapped all the way around my teeth.  I had to have five teeth pulled before getting braces.  I had to sport those braces for over SIX years.  I endured the pains of getting them tightened and wearing rubber bands that always broke in my mouth when I opened it.  I didn’t open my mouth often or smile much for that matter. In my senior year of HS they were finally removed.   I went through the next 2 years losing and buying retainers.  I remember buying at least seven retainers over that period and then giving up.  Within a year I was back at the dentist having three of four wisdom teeth pulled.  In case you have lost track… I am almost twenty now.

Around age 24 I was back in the dentist chair complaining of front tooth pain. This time my dentist was a woman, she said some awful things to me about how I took care of my teeth. She made me feel like an awful person.  I explained to her that I had been in and out of dentist chairs for many years now and that I did take care of my teeth.  After she cleaned my tooth and gums I never saw her again.  I did not see another dentist for almost two decades. 

In 2010 I went on a search to find my then 4yr old a dentist.  I found a great guy not far from the house.  My daughter took to him immediately and so did I.  He answered my questions, looked me in the eye and treated me with respect. Very simply, he just had a way about him that I liked.  I became his patient and went in for my first checkup in almost 20 years.  I had one cavity.  Whew.

  The following year, 2011, the front tooth pain returned in that exact tooth so long ago. Very nervous, I went to see him. Even then he could not understand why it was infected. After further examination, He told me I may lose it.  Tears started to well.  He put his hand on my shoulder and told me he would do the best he could to save it. He put my mind at ease by saying that. However, he went on that he could not guarantee anything, it may last a month or it may last forever.  He cleaned around the tooth, performed some magic and I was on my way.   It was unfortunate that I lost some gum tissue and a small part of my root was exposed.  While it looked horrible at least it did not hurt.  That part of my tooth had been stained from years of drinking coffee and it made the tooth appear to look rotten at the root. There was nothing I could do about it, bleaching it was not an option.  Upon leaving I vowed to take even better care of my teeth.  There was no way I was going to lose a front tooth.

My luck ran out on Tuesday, Feb. 11^th.  Brutal pain returned and I was back at the dentist. My checkup two months previously had showed everything was fine. He told me he was surprised that I was able to keep the tooth healthy for the past two years. My mind said,  ”obviously not good enough since it was time for the tooth to go”.  It needed to be removed and then he would file down three of my front teeth to attach a bridge.  I was not excited about this development and terrified at the thought of him taking my front tooth.  I have no expertise in this area.  I left the office with my head hung low and a prescription for Vicodan and some Penicillin. Very sad I drove home.  I felt like a huge failure. I felt ugly.  I could not even imagine what I was going to look like and felt like I was never going to smile again. 

The morning of the procedure I went to the gym to get my frustrations out.  I beat myself up all day about having to go through this.  I should have been more diligent.  I should have brushed and flossed my teeth even more.   I continued to tear myself up while I sat in the chair and they explained the procedure again.  My main job was to keep my mouth open, sit still…and hold back tears.  The Dr went to work and the extraction was painless.  He looked at my poor tooth saying “this is a beautiful tooth” and “structurally sound, strong tooth”.  He could not figure out why it was rejecting my mouth.  He put on some magnifying glasses and that is when he saw the small crack.  My tooth had a small hairline crack in it at the root of it.  He asked me if I ever had any trauma to my mouth.  I told him I had not.  He then informed me that this was NOT my fault.  There was nothing I could have done to save it.  I felt a wave of relief wash over me.  He and his assistant went to work and made my temporary bridge and installed it.  I was in and out within 1.5 hours. 

I go back in a month and get my permanent bridge. From the looks of it I will be very happy and smiling in no time at all.  The temporary looks great and matches my other teeth so closely that I don't think anyone will ever notice.  I have every confidence that the permanent bridge will be perfect.

I wanted to share my pain with you because I learned something during it.  No one can beat you up more than you can.  I said some horrible things to ME and was way too hard on myself. I can’t take those mean words back, those thoughts don’t just disappear into the air. I should have never been that hard on myself, whether it was my fault or not. I should have never treated ME that way and I should never treat ME like that again.  It has taken me years to learn to love who I am and I almost destroyed all of that hard work because of a tooth.   Silly huh?

Making Lemonade

You know the saying....  To be honest with you, that is exactly what I have been doing for a while now. Something happened in early October.  The fact that I can't put my finger on exactly what happened frustrates me to no end.  Be that as it may..... my left hip region/IT Band has been nagging at me ever since. The first thing I did was cut my running in half and used my foam roll even more.  I figured the problem would work its way out.  Here I am 5 weeks later.

 My IT band is still delivering an uncomfortable, dull ache, that never seems to go away.  Now I am not talking about PAIN, it is completely tolerable, about a three on a ten scale.  My 'situation' does not stop me from mountain biking either. Riding my bike is not painful.  That is a bonus.

 While I would prefer to run outside as many miles as I please,  I have made peace with busting it out on the elliptical. I have upped my gym time to replace my running deficit.  If you play with the cadence and the incline you can get an amazing workout on it.  I am kinda weird about touching the actual machine so I don't hold on to it. I get to  feel "the burn" in my belly since this forces my core to work more.


  Making lemonade isn't so bad if you approach it the right way.  Sometimes I have to shift my goals a bit, that doesn't mean I give up on myself and give myself permission to fall apart.  Been there, done that. I do not recommend it.


I have a really fun but highly challenging run coming up on December 14th at Pere Marquette State Park. I have been looking forward to this race for an entire year.  This is one of the most organized group of friendly volunteers I have yet to experience at an event.  To sweeten the deal...many of my friends will be ther.  With a cap of 700 runners chances are good I will make a new friend.  Last years race was extremely hard and somehow I managed to PR.  I was hoping to do even better this year but I do not believe that is in the cards for me.  No worries, I made peace with it and have focused my efforts toward staying positive and getting strong in the gym.  Regardless of my end result it will be a good day.

Thanksgiving Day hike

 The trails are beautiful this time of year. You should get out there, with your family.

My little monkey slept well that night

Diet vs Lifestyle

  When someone loses 75 lbs everyone wants to know how they did it.  If I had a dollar for every time I was asked "how did you lose the weight" I would be quite wealthy. While I have always enjoyed sharing my story, I often got the feeling nearly everyone was disappointed with my answers/advice.


I wan't able to share a magic potion or special drops that melted their fat away. No fairy dust, no pixie pills to make them slim in a month. I wasn't able to say it was easy.  I did not have a recipe for a secret weight loss shake or some special 'sprinkle stuff' for them to put on their food.  I could not give them the number to my 'wrap' consultant who magically made my waist smaller and thighs no longer rub together.

In 2006 I was a new Mom and roughly 75 pounds overweight and my blood pressure was extremely high.  I had never been this out of control before.  I knew what I had to do, it was like nothing I had ever done before. I was NOT going on another diet. This time I was going to change my lifestyle, change what I ate, change how much I exercised, change the people I hung out with (most of them had to go), change my outlook on life, and the hardest one... change the way I felt about myself.  Little by little, I got where I am today. You hear it all the time.... "It's a lifestyle, not a diet". Well, it's true.

You see....I did not starve, or use any SlimFast shake/bar meal replacement crap, not once.  I ate food, real food, lots of vegetables, leafy greens, fruits, and you know.... all the foods that contain one ingredient, such as broccoli, spinach, sweet potaoes, blackbeans, etc..  Getting my body moving was next. I bought a pair of descent running shoes and began walking, pushing a stroller. I walked everyday for at least 30 minutes and raised my time to an hour when weather was nice. I began finding excuses to spend more time outside. I spent my weekends in the woods hiking with my family or riding my bike.  I found activities that I liked to do, running/cycling, and the weight came off while I enjoyed myself, really it did.



Along my journey I added small changes like drinking more water and keeping track of my food intake. The internet was very helpful while I researched food.  Four years ago I looked up my favorite fast food restaurant, I have not eaten there or at any fast food place since. In June of 2007  I quit watching so much Tv, cut down to less than an hour, and got reinterested in my own life.  I also quit watching and reading the news, if it doesn't happen in my house I wasn't interested.


Changing your lifestyle does not happen over night.  In order to be successful I suggest taking it day by day, changing small things and getting them into your routine making them habits.  I remember taking a good, hard look at myself in the mirror and telling myself what I needed to change, what I wanted to accomplish by these changes.  By talking to myself, looking me right in the eyes, I realized I could no longer lie and pretend I was happy with who I saw in the mirror.  Not only my outside, but my insides. After some soul searching I was able to see that I was the only person who could change these things.  I have control over me, what I eat, what I think, and what comes out of my mouth.  

I had good days and bad but I never gave up. At 44 yrs old I am in the best shape of my life.  I have noticed that the better I eat the better I feel.  The better I feel the better I eat.  Quite a healthy cycle to be stuck in huh?