Day 6 of 30 Days of Biking: Sorting Hats, Punctured Tubes and Losing Weight (without losing your mind)

First, an update on Day 5. The Sorting Hat has gone. Sometime between 8 pm last night and 8 am this morning, he up and buggered off. There were other Sorting Hats up and down the street, and the hole in the road is certainly still there, but the Sorting Hat is gone. Much luck to him! I sure hope some crafty teenagers haven't stolen him and turned him into some kind of bong, or something.

Meanwhile, I've been having a lot of bad luck with flats, lately. I noticed that my back tube had developed a small leak on Thursday, and after attempts at patching it up, it was still leaking. There seemed to be a string of cracks around the section of tube -- as though it were rotting apart -- so I just went ahead and replaced it with a brand new tube. Of course, on my way home last night, I swerved to avoid a ruby red piece of someone's brake light but still managed to clip it with the rear tire. Inevitably, the brand new tube now had a sizable puncture. My leisurely ride home suddenly became a race to see how far I could go before I'd have to stop and pump the tube back up. In all, I had to stop about 4 or 5 times in 7 miles. I think my arms got as much of a workout as my legs did. (I had a spare tube, but decided to gamble riding home versus patching/changing at the side of the road.)

Taking a break to pump the rear tube up.
I like the crazy way this road bends as you reach the summit.

The good news is, the patch I applied when I got home is still holding, some 10 hours later. I made sure to go over every inch of the tire, pulling out tiny slivers of glass and sharp gravel stones, just to be sure.
The bad news is, I decided not to ride in to work, today. Nature has gone back to playing cruel tricks, and this morning was particularly bitter and cold. Since my boss has the day off and asked me to come in on a Saturday, I figured I'd just drive in and get the day over with. I can always go for a short spin, later on. Well, we'll see if I actually do.

On a more personal level, I've dropped about 2 pounds since last week. I haven't made any major changes to my diet, aside from eating fewer carbs on days when I don't ride to work, so I'm feeling quite satisfied instead of starving at the end of the day. If this keeps up, I should be at my goal weight in about a month, successfully burning off the weight I put on over the Winter.

UPDATE: I made good on my promise to go for a ride today. Took a 16 mile turn down into Drums and then across the valley in Conyngham. It was a beautiful ride; I felt better than I have in weeks.