App Induced Energy Crisis

07/23/12 41m

Last week I started using an App to track my calories and exercise, because I thought it would be good for me, because I like the Quantified Self movement, and because my friend J. found good results with in. So I downloaded the app and followed the directions.

In five days I had lost eight pounds which is perhaps immoderate. Saturday was a bit problematic in that I had no energy at all. The tank was empty, the engine was shot, zip, nada, bupkiss. I cancelled a ride with a good friend in town for the weekend on Saturday; I cancelled a road ride in Washington County on Sunday; I cancelled a scheduled ride Monday morning. Turns out, it really matters how you set up those Apps, and which parts of them you decide to pay attention to.

I suppose that if Flip Wilson were working it today, he'd come out as Geraldine and say "the app made me do it".

I kind of screwed myself into a box and took a few days to climb out of it. Although I am faux-blaming the App, it is of course my own fault and it shows how deaf I am when it comes to the mythic "listening to your body" that I hear so much about. Arggh. Idiot.

I took a short ride Sunday afternoon and that worked out.

Today (Monday) I did a fair amount of eating, and in the middle of the day I went out for another short ride on the Montour Trail. I knocked off to meet a friend and I did not balk at the Vanilla Latte, I grabbed it by the throat and drank it like I stole it, or however one asserts Alpha-Latte-Quaffer status.

Then I went back out on the trail for a slightly longer ride, from McDonald out to My Big Fat Greek Gyro in McMurray, located right off the trail. Had an excellent gyro, got back on the trail and returned to McDonald.

This was my first ride over the new bridges at Morganza Road and Georgetown Road - topic of a future post. 41 miles and I feel a bit of the mojo returning. No app entries today.