CitiBike is here!

Obviously I haven't blogged in a while but I had to do a quick entry on CitiBike because I've been waiting for this day for a very long time...

What is Citibike, you ask? It's a bike share program, similar to those in other cities across the country and around the world. Basically you rent a bike for a short period of time/short distance and return it to any other dock (not necessarily the same one). I describe it as a supplement to the public transit system we already have in place. These are not all-day rentals for tourists who want to ride around the park, and they are not meant for long distance trips (more on that later). They are simply, the way I see it, to go short distances. For me, I envision them as replacing things like a long walk or a bus ride if I happen to not have my own bike for whatever reason.

Now, Citibike was supposed to launch LAST spring, then it was pushed to summer, then pushed further out. Then there were problems with the software which delayed the launch again and finally - to add insult to injury - Hurricane Sandy wiped out half the fleet of bikes. Because of that, less bikes and less stations ready for installation, but with over 6000 bikes and 300+ stations they planned to install them in Manhattan from 59th St and down, and a few in Brooklyn (none in Greenpoint... yet). (The entire station map is here)

Earlier this year we were told it would launch this May. But with all those delays I doubted I would really ever see the day it would happen. Then, on April 15, annual memberships became available. I immediately signed up.

Just to explain the memberships, there is an annual membership, which I bought. It's $95 (+tax) for the year. That entitles you to unlimited rides up to 45 minutes long.   

Then there is a 24 hour pass, which will cost you $9.95. Or a 7 day pass which is $25. (full details on pricing are here) Both of those plans give you unlimited rides up to 30 minutes at a time. (Note: if you are low on time but still need to ride, just dock it and take out another one!)

For me, the annual membership makes sense because as long as I rent a bike at least 50 times, I've more than made up for the cost that I'd spend on the bus or subway for the same number of trips.

A new launch date was finally set: Monday, May 27th. And last week my key arrived! (*note: after you receive your key you must activate it online before attempting to use it at the kiosks)

Today I had no plans other than riding. I had to wear something blue to match the bike (for photos, naturally)

I knew where I wanted to start out - in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at the dock on South 2nd St off Wythe. I love this street & view! There's the Williamsburg Bridge in the background.

I put my key in to release the bike from the dock 

While curious people looked on, I adjusted the seat and jumped on for my first ride!

A moment later, riding on Wythe

Headed to the bridge on South 5th St

On my way to the bridge who should I run into but Dmitry (my photographer & official photographer of #BikeNYC). He was on his way to City Hall for the Mayor's press conference for bike share. We rode up the bridge together and I asked him to get a photo of me when we got to the top. Fortunately he was early and had time to do that for me.

after an exhaustive climb up the ramp

Dmitry grabbed a shot of me for my Instagram -

and one for his own Instagram -

Dmitry shot this - he saw me on my approach to the bridge from the Brooklyn side

Impressions from my first mile, including the ramp up the Willie B from Brooklyn?

OH MY EFFING GOD! THIS BIKE IS SO HARD TO PEDAL!!! First off, it's fairly heavy - 45 pounds - but my Hello Kitty bike is 50 and I often have stuff in the baskets making it closer to 60. Citibike has 3 gears. HK is single speed. Yet, HK is infinitely easier to ride up the bridge. It seems Citibike is really not made for steep hills - I was pedaling furiously and felt like I was going nowhere (which is one reason I would not want to use this on a long trip!) but after a lot of effort, I got the job done...

After that, Dmitry headed to City Hall and I was on my way to Union Square -

basic reminders on bike rules in NYC

I made it to my destination and docked her at Union Square

From there I went to Sephora & Whole Foods to do some shopping. Just out front on 14th St was a lady selling fresh cut mango. This, to me - the mango ladies - is the official start of summer. Naturally, I had to buy some.

After doing my errands, I returned to Union Square and took out a new bike. I headed down Broadway -

Passing another CitiBike station 

As I waited for a light I noticed this time my bike had Spanish instructions!

every bike has a bungee in the front to carry up to 17 pounds worth of stuff. very handy!

Nearly every other CitiBike station I passed had curious onlookers.

Suffolk & Stanton

This was my first time returning to Brooklyn over the Willie B on a CitiBike

at least this time I knew what I was in for!

Tried to get my favorite shot but missed it

Just about at the top on the Manhattan side...

I made my way back to Williamsburg to return the Citibike to a dock and unlock Isabella. As much as I enjoyed my adventure on CitiBike, boy was I glad to see her!!

Here are my initial impressions from my first ride:

• The gears: There are 3 gears and they are set in such a way that even in high gear you are pedaling your ass off. I estimated having to pedal about twice as much as usual to go the same distance (I came to that number because I know how many times I have to pedal to get from Delancey to the top of the Willie B on Isabella: 100 But with the Citibike, that same distance caused me to pedal 195 times)
• First Gear: You will never, ever have a reason to use this gear. Trust me. And if you go into it accidentally, you will find you can't pedal fast enough to keep up with it. For the most part, you'll use gear 2 and if it's flat road/downhill, gear 3 (see below).
• Third Gear: even on flat road, in this highest gear, you are not going to be able to go very fast. It's not because of the weight of the bike, it's because you have to pedal so much! I could barely make it to green lights that normally I would have no problem making in time.

• Hand brakes: Oh dear god, it will take me a very long time to get used to a front hand brake. It took me months to get used to the left (front) handbrake on Isabella. If you're used to them, this shouldn't be a factor.
• No coaster brake: Again, for most of you, this will not be an issue but I'm used to pushing backwards on my pedal and stopping. I don't like that the pedal keeps going back and around.
• The seat: It's very comfortable. that seat might be more comfortable than either of my own cruiser seats.
• Storage: The bungee cord in the front is super tight and great for carrying your stuff.
• Illumination: I love that the lights are activated simply my moving the pedals. this is genius.
• Docking & Undocking: Getting the bike out of the dock can be tricky if you don't know what you're doing. I got it on the 2nd try. After swiping your credit card or using your key, wait for the yellow light. About 5 seconds later, the light will turn green. At that time, you have to lift it by the seat to slide it out. Returning it is similar - line up the front thing in the slot, wait for it to turn yellow and then green. (I was nervous about re-docking it, not sure if I did it correctly. I kept checking and rechecking that it was securely back in place - I don't need to get charged $1000 for an unreturned CitiBike!)
• Turning: You know that expression "turns on a dime"? No one will ever use it to describe turning on a Citibike. You have a much larger turning radius than you will expect - It takes a lot more room to turn. This was especially noted trying to get onto the Willie B from South 5th St via that very sharp turn.
• The ride: They ride very smooth and feel very sturdy - even over cracks & bumps and cobblestone.
• The App: I love the app! It shows where all the stations are and has a timer you can activate so you are alerted when you're running out of time (you don't want to pay the overtime fees!) Again, if your time is nearly up but you have more riding to do, just dock your bike and take out another one to avoid the fees. (note: the station locator wasn't working today but I'm sure it will be online soon)

In summary, I'm thrilled to welcome CitiBike to NYC and think it's a great addition to our public transportation infrastructure. I would definitely recommend it. And it looks like there's currently a $15 discount off the annual membership, which means you can get a year's worth of 45 minute rides for $80 instead of the full priced $95. That's a great deal!

If you aren't sure about riding in the city, or want to know more about CitiBike, attend one of their classes. I went to the one at Bicycle Habitat on Lafayette and can tell you from firsthand experience that not only are they full of great information (especially for new street riders) but you'll get a pass to try CitiBike free for a full day!

Now that I'm recovered from that initial ride, I'm ready to do some more. See you out there on a blue bike!

Update

Hi blog readers, I know it's been a while. I'll be honest. I have no idea if or when I will ever write again. I just don't have it in me anymore.

Anyway, hope you're all doing well. Happy New Year.


(edit: Yes, I hid all my archives. I released a few of them. Releasing them is a very time consuming process and I don't know when I will finish. But this explains why you are sometimes seeing old posts suddenly show up in your rss or email. I hope that explanation helps since I'm not taking time to answer comments or emails. Also, if you've been a reader for a while but have never contributed to any of my fundraisers, please consider giving to the MS Society so I can climb to the top of 30 Rock again. Thank you!)

Forever

Having chronicled my entire weight loss journey online has had many benefits, as well as a few drawbacks. The benefits are plenty - the verbal & photo documentation of my experience, the ability to capture and then relive the highlights as well as the lessons from the setbacks, having met readers who became real life friends, and somehow, without even meaning to, providing inspiration, encouragement and entertainment to others. Drawbacks are much fewer but include being very visible and as a result, so vulnerable to scrutiny and criticism.

The reason I'm bringing this up is because I want to talk about my current weight. I've mentioned in a few posts over the last year or so that I'm above my goal weight. I don't think I need to mention this often, as I feel it's obvious from photos. But I'll address it here, officially. Yes, I'm above my goal weight range. I haven't been within that range for about a year.

I know that if you’re a friend or loyal reader, this news will probably not come as a surprise, nor witll it effect your opinion of me negatively. And I'm sure you wouldn't say anything mean or hurtful to me. I point that out because if or when something similar happens to you, I want you to be just as kind to YOURSELF. Forgive yourself. Do not say hurtful things to yourself. Think about what's going on and change it. But always love yourself.

So, how did this happen? Unfortunately, a little too easily. Before reaching goal, I spent my entire life abusing food and eating pretty poorly. I have a lifetime of unhealthy habits that are not entirely behind me yet. They may never be. I say all the time that I don't ever expect to be cured. I don't believe there is a "cure" for this condition. It's all about management and I simply haven't been managing it as well as I could have been. I knew when I reached Goal and Lifetime that the journey was not over, that I would need to work at this for the rest of my life. And I accept that. But I stopped being as diligent as I know I need to be. I let outside things get to me that I shouldn't have, and allowed myself to return to too many old behaviors too frequently. If I had to summarize, I’d say that I didn’t keep my priorities in order.

If you're wondering why I allowed that to happen, well, part of me is wondering that too. I’m not really sure I figured it out yet. Sure, I can blame things that happened TO me (situations/things in my life that were beyond my control) but the fact is I don't allow myself to think that way. I'm not a victim. No one made the decisions I did except me. The bottom line is that "things" happen to all of us. How we choose to react to them is all that we’re in control of. And I didn't always choose or react as well as I could have or should have.

So why am I telling you all of this? Well, I'm writing about all of this for a few reasons - first, because I thought I should address it since people occasionally ask in comments and because it’s part of my weight loss journey, so it belongs in my blog. But also because I think it helps others to see the reality -- that the journey doesn't end when you reach goal, and it's not easier because you're at goal. We have the same ups and downs after goal that we did before goal, but we just keep at it. Because it's not about being perfect. It never was, and I certainly never was! It's about patience, compassion and kindness. It’s about determination, perseverance, living life, having a good time, being healthy and making the better choice more often than not. It's figuring out how to create a new healthy lifestyle. One without shame, deprivation, negativity or abuse.

I also wanted to write about this because I get comments and emails from readers every single day - and the message is often something to the effect of how I inspired you in some way. It still boggles my mind to read some of the amazing things I hear from readers. When I hear the impact and effect my words or actions had on you to take a chance and try something new and healthy, I'm incredulous. I often think "Really? Me? I helped someone do that?!" I love that you share those things with me, thank you. It’s beautiful and amazing and sometimes difficult for me to even comprehend that I was in some way able to give you the confidence in yourself to take a chance and start to do something.

I mention that because since I’m not currently at goal weight, it can feel a little awkward hearing those things right now. For a brief moment, I think “But don’t they see I’m not at goal weight?” But then I put it back into perspective for myself and realize that being at goal weight is not the whole picture. I got there once and I can and will get there again. But I spent a whole lot longer *not* at goal weight than *at* goal weight and I still inspired many of you along the way. I believe it's my perseverance and determination - not me being "perfect" - that inspires many of you. So let this post inspire you too. Let it inspire you to see that no matter what, you never give up on yourself or your healthy lifestyle. Things may distract you from time to time - that’s part of life - but it’s never over unless you stop trying.

Know -- and accept!-- that there will be dead-ends and detours and dimly lit paths but the journey doesn’t end. You find another way. You keep going. Because even though there may be a few twists and turns and rough patches, those are few compared to all the great, exciting, awesome, life changing and wonderful parts of the journey. Never lose sight of how great your healthy new life is. Just pick yourself up and keep going. Vow to never give up. Because this is forever. I'm in it for the rest of my life and I hope you are too. :)


(In case you're wondering - I think I'm around 150 right now. And just to give you an idea what I look like, I took this on May 19th after the Brooklyn Half Marathon.)

Video Blog: The Empire State Building Run Up

I'm taking a break from reader questions this weekend and instead devoting this week's video blog to talking about the Empire State Building Run Up. I was going to do a short follow up post since there were a few things I forgot to mention in my post on Tuesday. But since I wanted to show off my medal too, I figured why not do a video post?

(for those who do not see the embedded video below, here is a link to the Flickr page where you should be able to watch the video)

In short, this is what I mentioned on the video:

1. I wanted to thank my real life friends who donated (I feel like I made it sound like I was only thanking my online friends in the last post)
2. I did not stretch before or after (as usual)
3. I was never once tired or sore during or after the event
4. My Dad commented on how I appeared fine after the event (I was) but that other people looked like they were going to collapse (haha! amateurs!)
5. I was so careful to pace myself that I may have not pushed myself hard enough. I know this because my eyebrows were in-tact when I finished (I always sweat them off when I run or do my stair workouts at work). I didn't even start sweating until I was somewhere around floor 56, and it was just a little on my forehead.
   

And what I also wanted to mention, but it's not on the video:

• This occurred to me after the event and it's been driving me crazy since - I wanted to point out that it's not 86 flights - it's 86 floors. And considering we starting at floor 1, that means it's only 85 flights.
• Regarding my time, I hadn't factored in the time it would take to get from the starting line and into the stairwell, and then around the other climbers. That being said, even if I factored it in, it wouldn't shave more than 1 minute off my time, if that much.
• I did not touch the railings at all - I didn't pull myself up by them and I didn't even use them to pull myself around the corners faster. I did the entire thing hands free!
• One of the comments I received was from a reader who seemed surprised that I only burned 227 calories. I am not surprised by this at all - like I said, it's ONLY a 20 minute workout. Twenty minutes of cardio is 20 minutes of cardio - whether you're doing stairs, running, jumping rope, whatever. Since I keep track of my stats, that was what I expected. This is also why I kept mentioning that I wasn't going to celebrate with any crazy amount of food. I knew I would not be burning that many calories (it's also why I went to the gym later that afternoon).
• Judging from people's reactions to this event, I want to point out that it looks so much more challenging from the outside - If you think of the entire thing "85 flights!" or if you stand on the street and gaze up from the sidewalk to the observation deck - the totality of the task might seem mind boggling. But the thing is, when you're in the stairwell, you don't see the whole thing. You only see what's directly in front of you. And at that point, you're just putting one foot in front of another. You won't see the enormity of what you're doing as you're doing it. You just do it. You Just. Keep. Going. I think this is a great analogy for the entire weight loss journey, or anything you want to do in life. Yes, you have the end goal in mind (in this case, the observation deck/finish line, but this could also be your goal weight or any other goal you have), but you don't let yourself get freaked out about that, or scared at how far away that end goal might be. You just tell yourself you're going to do what you need to do right now and take it (literally, in this case) one step at a time. And whether you're climbing 85 flights of stairs, running 26.2 miles or losing 100 pounds, you'll get there - when you get there. It takes as long as it takes. Just never, ever give up.
• Lastly, I forgot to include a link to the entire set of Flickr Pics.

Fitness Adventures: The Empire State Building Run Up!

This post is dedicated to everyone, everywhere suffering from Multiple Myeloma and the friends and loved ones of those who are sick. The following list are the friends and family members of my blog readers who currently have, or unfortunately lost their battle with, MM. In honor of them, I wore their names on my back today:

Like any greatly anticipated event, I'm sort of sad it's over, but here's the recap!

5:00 am get up and get ready!

Full hair & makeup, of course! And rhinestones and sparkly eyeshadow - why not? But just look at that quad muscle! Where did that come from?!

Of course it was below freezing (again) and there was a fresh coating of snow and ice (will this winter ever end? ever?) Here's how I looked before I left the house (yes, those are Hello Kitty earmuffs) -

I wasn't leaving anything to chance with the MTA - I had 3 possible routes planned. And fortunately, I got very lucky - waiting only seconds for a G Train to Court Square, then a couple of minutes for an M to 34th St.

When I emerged in Manhattan, and turned south on 34th St, I saw her. Through the fog. There she was!

 

It was lightly snowing as I approached her. Isn't she gorgeous?

I cut through the Starbucks in the ESB lobby and absolutely loved this NYC mural -

It was just about 7:00 am as I made my way to the registration area. I finally met the 2 women from the MMRF who I've been emailing for months - the ones that accepted me on their PowerTeam, Alicia & Jane (thank you again, ladies!). However, I didn't get to speak to them much as they were both busy working and I was frantic. Why? Well I may look all cool on the interwebz, but I'm really not.

As much as I look forward to these events, I get very anxious before them. Part of that anxiety is that I don't like to socialize before the start because I have my own rituals/personal to do list in my head. You know, things like: get photos, tweet updates, hydrate, get info about the event, check into Four Square, make bathroom visits, check hair & make up, talk to myself and have my 'getting in the zone' thoughts... If that wasn't bad enough, I was really thrown when they told me they had no bib for me! Worse, that I had been REJECTED! (I was rejected in the "invite only category" but forgot that when I registered to be part of the PowerTeam I did not use my last name. It was eventually sorted out - thank you Alicia & Jane! - but I became very panic stricken that I would not be able to climb). Unfortunately for my Dad, he arrived right at that moment when I was really upset. "They don't have my bib!" (I actually started crying, I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to do the event!) When I did get my bib, I was so relieved, you have no idea!

Some of that anxiety behind me, I asked my Dad to do his job - help me get my bib on and get a photo of me -

I had some water and a quick pre-event bathroom visit:

I got in line and met Natalia, a blog reader from South Africa (with a lovely accent!) who was also a member of the PowerTeam!

She was good enough to get a photo of me & my Dad as we waited to begin -

Finally, we were led down the escalators-

Self portrait on the way to the lobby -

passing through the lobby-

and to the starting line-

A lady from the PowerTeam offered to get a photo of me at the starting line and it came out great!!! (look at my right arm! Wow!)

While waiting there, I had the pleasure of meeting King Kong. Today he was climbing the ESB on the inside :) I wasn't going to get a photo with him, but someone insisted. I'm glad they did, It's actually very cute-

But then another photographer (with a real & enormous camera, he looked like press) insisted King Kong pick me up - you know, in his arms! - which he did! The photographer instructed me to scream, which I did. I don't have a photo of it, but one might turn up in the news somewhere!

But no more fun & games! It was about to begin!!

I have a short video of the few seconds before the start of the run -

From there we all funneled through the doorway -

And before I even realized what was happening, it had begun! I don't even think it hit me until I was about 8 flights up (which is probably how long it took for me to get to a nice open spot) I have no idea where I was when I took this shot, but my eyebrows look phenomenal! Look at those arches!

I really paid no attention to the floor numbers, I just kept walking, keeping a good pace. Not too far into the event, I realized a man was on the outside of me, to my left. I didn't turn around to see him, but I had a feeling he was using me to pace himself since he wasn't passing me. Either that or he was enjoying the view. Just kidding - it was the former.

At one point I looked up and realized we were in Stairwell S, on the 39th floor. Since S is my first initial and 39 is my age, I had to get a photo of that -

Here's another short video just past the halfway mark -

and proof I do sweat (though it took me dozens of flights to break a sweat)-

As for what was going on in my head -

This stair climb was very different than any other for me, mentally. Normally I spend some time thinking about the number of flights because I have to keep track. This time I knew I didn't have to count or keep track of anything. Other than that, I would normally think about my blog - things I want to write about - little things that occur to me share - drafts I need to work on - ideas I get from questions, comments or emails I receive from you - things I forgot to mention in a recent post.

But today was totally different. My thoughts were much more present-focused: "Think about what you are doing right now! Where you are! Don't miss out on what is going on around you! You're in the EMPIRE STATE BUILDING! Think about what it took to get here! How many people - most of whom you don't even know - donated money to the MMRF - not only for cancer research, but for you! For you to have this experience! Think about what it means that total strangers have so much care and admiration for you, that they are inspired by what you've done and what you're doing right now! Think about what you've accomplished in the last 4.5 years! Think about the old you - Did you ever in your wildest dreams even think this would be physically possible, or that you'd have the desire to do something like this? Think about all the people whose names are on your dedication bib and the countless others that have this senseless disease. Think about how lucky you are to be healthy and able to do this! Think about how awesome it is to be you. Right here. Right now..."

It was because of all of those thoughts that I almost didn't even notice I was walking up the stairs. I'm serious. My body just keeps going. It's like I said with running - I'm a machine. My body knows what to do. I just have to work on my breathing. My body doesn't want to take a break. It just wants to keep going.

It wasn't until around floor 72 that I remember thinking "My heart rate has been really high for a while and I'm *really* thirsty." My body wasn't sore or tired, my heart was just tired of working so hard, but I knew I'd be fine. I knew I was almost done with this incredible event. But to distract myself from my heart rate and thirst, I took more photos. I like this side shot of me walking up the stairs -

And this is reminiscent of my "on bike" shots I like to take -

You might be surprised to hear that it was in the last 20 or so flights that I began passing people - men! - not because I started going faster, but because they had started slowing down. As I was approaching a guy who appeared to be in very good shape, around my age, he said this was harder than a marathon. (I thought "Are you kidding?! A marathon is 5 hours, this is only 20 minutes! How on earth is this harder than a marathon?!") And as I passed him, smiling (in hair & make up, mind you), I encouraged him and told him that he could do it. (he did, I later saw him with his medal)

And in the last 10 flights, I realized my friend was still right beside me. I still hadn't turned around to look at him but congratulated him for keeping up with me, and told him it was a pleasure walking with him. 

And then before I knew it, I saw we were on the 84th floor! Only 2 left!

It's blurry, but this is the door to the observation deck!

I emerged outside on the observation deck, and tried to grab video of my crossing the finish line (which I did, kind of. warning: you might get dizzy watching this...)

The reason that video is so bad was because I wanted to film the finish but I had to drop the camera in order to pose for my overpriced photo, remember? Arms in the air, victorious & smiling as I crossed the finish line. I managed to do that, at the expense of the video, but we'll have to wait a few weeks to see it...

Unfortunately we couldn't hang out on the deck since other climbers were coming through, so I didn't get any photos up there. We were ushered back inside, but that's ok, because that's where they were handing out the medals! There were about 6 people with arms full of them. I ran straight towards the middle aged Spanish guy and told him to put it on my neck. He did, and I hugged him and actually teared up!

Then we took the elevator down from 86 to 61 where our guests (and snacks) were waiting.

I marveled at my first medal as I walked -

After being reunited with my Dad, who should I meet, but the guy who kept pace with me! This is Les. I had no idea what he looked like since he was behind me the whole time, but obviously he knew what I looked like. The funny thing is - it turns out that while he and I were doing the stairs together, my Dad & this man's wife (who could not have possibly known that he & I were side by side at the time) had been talking to each other - about us! Strange coincidence indeed!

After that, I finally had a bagel -

And then my Dad & I went back downstairs. Here we are in the lobby -

As for my finishing time - well, it was over 21 minutes, which wasn't what I hoped for (I wanted to finish under 20 with an ultimate goal of 18), but that's ok. I still did it, and had a great and unforgettable time. And at the end of the day, that's all that matters to me! I always say my goal is to finish. It's nice when I can meet or exceed a time goal, but for me finishing is the most important thing. And I finished! I did it! 86 floors! 1, 576 stairs! I'm awesome!!!

Here are my heart rate stats for the day:

• Total Time: 21 minutes, 42 seconds
• Minutes in Cardio Zone: 21 minutes, 42 seconds
• Percentage of Time in Cardio Zone: 100%
• Average Heart Rate: 169
• High Heart Rate: 187
• Total Calories Burned: 227
• Total Flights: 86

But it was only 9am, so my day was far from over!

Dad and I left the ESB and walked over to Grand Central Terminal.

Goodbye, beautiful Empire State Building! I'll never forget you or this magical day!

First I took my usual photo in the GCT bathroom. But first time ever while wearing a medal!

While in Grand Central, Dad bought me a celebratory vegan cookie while I frantically tried to sign up for the 5 Boro Bike Tour. I think the entire earth was trying to register because it was impossible to get on. I tried for nearly an hour until I had to go to the dentist - you know, across the street in the Chrysler Building (that's right - I visited my 3 favorite buildings in one day!). I showed off my medal to the ladies in the office and posed in that bathroom as well -

After my dentist appointment I headed back home to Brooklyn. And yes, I wore my medal home on the subway. Over my coat. For the world to see! (Except that no one did. I was all alone on the 7 Train...)

I made it home and showed the cats (but they just seemed confused that I was home so early).

Isn't it amazing! I love it!

And then for fun, I weighed myself. This is the smallest number I've seen all year! (please disregard my un-feminine Flintstone feet)

Woo hoo!

But wait, there's more!

I eventually got myself registered for the 5 Boro Bike Tour! See you on May 1st, NYC!

And as I mentioned in the pre-blog, while the awesomeness level for the ESB event was clearly off the charts; workout wise, it wasn't a big deal. So while I waited for my pics to upload, I went to the gym and ran 3 miles. I had a pretty great pace, too, just over a 10 minute mile!

And what do you know? I got another medal! (though this one isn't nearly as impressive...)

Finally, after cleaning up, it was the moment I was waiting for - my celebration on Park Ave with my Weight Watchers leader, friends and fellow members! Before I got there, Melanie actually counted out 86 bravo stickers for me (I'm holding them in my hand) and gave me a chance to talk to the group to talk about my experience (and show off my medal, of course!).

But I especially love this picture, with her giving the thumbs up in the background (and you might recognize my friend Malaika in the foreground, clapping)

So it was a big day for me - and I want to thank all of you who had a part in it - who donated, who cheered for me, who sent me tweets, texts & facebook messages and comments today (way too many to respond to), who thought about me and who celebrated with me. Thank you so much for being a part of a day I will never forget.

xo Sheryl