My “Walk to Remember” was intended to be a bike ride.
As I’ve mentioned before – many times – I’ve lost quite a bit of weight, going from 300 lbs down to 170-something:
The “before” and “after” pic. I went from 300 lbs to 170-something pounds.
For the most part, I lost the weight by walking and jogging. Today, I decided to also incorporate biking into my exercise regime. I intended to ride my bike along a 19 mile section of the Sacramento River trail, between Caldwell Park and Shasta Dam.
The first 11.2 miles were great. There were challenges, for sure, but I was up for them, and it made me proud to be able to climb Heartrate Hill, which is a notoriously challenging climb.
Other climbs were nearly as difficult, especially after I’d been riding for awhile. I decided not to hurry. I wanted to stop and enjoy the scenery, and to take photos.
Along the Sacramento Trail, between Keswick Dam and Shasta Dam
Here’s where things changed:
I took that screenshot right after my tire went flat:
I was already 11.2 miles into the ride and in the middle of nowhere. At the least, I faced a 9 mile walk to Shasta Dam, or I could go back 11.2 miles along the path I’d already traveled.
I decided I still wanted to reach Shasta Dam, even though I now had to walk and push a bike along.
The views made it all worth it.
After 9 miles, pushing a bike along the Sacramento River Trail and up the steep road to the top of Shasta Dam, I finally made it to Shasta Lake City, where I caught a bus home.
Between the Bike Ride and the walking, I put in 20.45 miles today, and burned more than 1,500 calories.
