Today was Chicago's Bike The Drive. This is where they close down Lake Shore Drive in the morning and open it up for bikers. To go all the way north and all the way south and back is a round trip of 30 miles.
A year and a half ago I weighed 600 pounds.
A friend who is losing weight also did this last year. I told her I would make it one of my goals.
Today I biked 30 miles.
It was cold--around 50ish--and it was very very foggy. But that didn't stop me. I started out nice, and made it the first leg of 7.5 miles in decent but not great time. I went from 18th Street (Soldier Field--1800 South) to Bryn Mawr (5400 North).
That's me in the white shirt.
Going back to the half way point was easier. It was a bit more "downhill" and I had a bit of a tailwind. The only rough patch was the bridge around Navy Pier. If you're from Chicago, you know that's a rough hill. Here I am on that bridge:
The third leg involved going south to 57th Street (5700 South). That took me to the Museum of Science and Industry. The southbound leg was pretty good. It was more level, and again, I had a tailwind. By now my legs are starting to feel it, not to mention my buttocks.
The last leg was rough. It was getting to the time where they move the traffic off Lake Shore Drive and on to the Lakefront Trail--a bike and jogging path that runs right on the lake. With no windbreaks, the headwind was fierce and COLD. And did I mention all the fog? My arms were bedecked with bedew. My shirt wasn't dry and it wasn't from sweat. Anyway, my sister and I (she went with me) decided that we weren't going to the party at Grant Park where they had food (we pre ordered sandwiches). We were instead going to end our trip where we started it--in the Soldier Field lot. Total round trip of 30 miles. And it was a good thing we did, too. Just after we got into the garage, it started raining heavily.
Here's what 30 miles looks like: