As part of this new spark, I’ve decided to use a different theme and look.  I’ve also started a new fitness blog, Into Fitness, where I talk about my crazy workout and training.  So look for some postings there as I get started.  Just launched it today.

The bike shop where I bought my bike set up the unit and mounted it for me, and they entered my profile information correctly. I weigh 176 lbs, and my bike weighs 22 lbs. For the first leg of this morning’s bike commute to work, I wore my Polar F5 HRM in addition to the Garmin. Granted, I know the Polar does not account for the weight of the bike, and maybe other things the Garmin does.

But typically for my morning commute (about 11 miles, 45 minutes total), the Polar tells me that I burn about 375-450 calories. The Garmin, on the other hand, says that I burned 948 calories, which is a little more than double what the Polar indicates.

I know that I probably do burn a little more with the additional weight of the bike factored in, but it seems unlikely to burn double the amount.

I’m tracking calories because I’m manage my weight with a calorie/food/exercise database called MyFoodDiary.com. (I’d like to lose four more pounds.)

I’m going to use the Garmin measurements for a few days and see if my weight management is significantly affected. With more calories burned, I have a larger allowancce for meals, etc. so I imagine that if I tend to eat a couple of hundred more calories than normal, it may retard my weight loss.

Any thoughts about the Garmin HRM feature? I had a similar experience with the Garmin Forerunner 405, and ended up returning it for a refund.

I’ll probably keep the Garmin regardless because I like the other cycling computer features, but I think the HRM feature is probably one of the weakest features this unit offers.

Gerry

I’m writing to comment about the poor customer service I have experienced a few times in my visits to Trek Bicycle Superstore in Vista, California. The latest occurrence was yesterday, April 23rd, specifically with one of your employees, Andy, who was working at the main counter (I visited the store two times during the time period of 4:30 – 5:30 PM).

I visited the store yesterday to purchase a Niterider headlight. At first, I was interested in a helmet-mounted model, but became disinterested in the model because the price was too prohibitive. As Andy was helping me explore headlights, he was fiddling with something that he was working on. Multitasking is fine with me, but his body language and verbal communication told me that he was too busy to help me. I wanted to ask more questions about the other kinds of lights, which I did ask. However, because of his “too busy” attitude, I felt this non-verbal pressure to hurry up and leave him alone so he could get back to what he was doing.

I had finally decided that I wanted the Niterider MiNewt headlight, and asked Andy if it could be installed if I brought my bicycle in. I asked him what the latest time was that someone could help me with the installation. Andy said 4:30 PM, even though he knew it was already 4:45 PM. I had some other questions, but he brushed me aside saying, “Go get your bike, and then we can talk about it.” I then asked if there was a quicker way to get back to San Marcos where I live without having to get on the 78 freeway, which was traffic-congested at the time. He replied, “Not really. Good luck.” I thought he was extremely rude.

So I found an alternate route back home, and made it back to the store with my bike. I decided to purchase the headlight system, and try to install it myself, even though I had the bike with me. I still brought my bike into the store when I made the headlight purchase to see if it could be installed for me anyways. The time was about 5:20 PM. Andy said there was no time to install the headlight, and that it would cost $25 to install. And yet there was another person sitting in a chair behind him doing nothing.

It’s hard to believe that such an “easy” installation (according to Andy) would take so long since it was only 5:20 PM and the store closes at 7:00 PM. Furthermore, if employees can afford to be sitting around doing nothing, it’s even more difficult to believe that there was not enough time remaining to install the headlight system.

Ultimately, I went to Sport Chalet in San Marcos where they installed the system for free.

I can’t say that I won’t visit Trek again to throw a few dollars here and there for supplies and accessories. But as far as major purchases of bikes and such, I will never spend that kind of money there. I don’t care how many Tour de France winners ride Trek bicycles. That alone does not make the poor customer service a non-issue that can be ignored. I find many of the employees there to be rude, condescending, and arrogant. The Trek web site slogan is “Improve your life. Ride a bike!” It calls people to get into cycling. As a novice and new bike rider, I have to say that the slogan and the attitude of Trek employees do not match. I’ve spoken to a few other cyclists in the area. When they have visited your store, all have experienced this attitude to which I’m referring.

I’ll be sure to spread the word to all my family, associates, and friends. Don’t buy Trek. You’ll be treated poorly when you go into their store.

I’m writing to let you know how pleased I am with the new road bike (2008 Specialized Allez Elite) I purchased from the Solana Beach Store.  Additionally, I want to commend the efforts of one of your employees, Dan (sorry, I don’t know the last name, but he works on the sales floor).

My first experience with B&L was last week at the April 14th Triathlon 101 meeting.  Dan greeted me when I came in the store.  I must have looked a little nervous and timid since I don’t know much about bikes.  But Dan made me feel welcome, and immediately I felt comfortable as I waited for the meeting to start.

Even though I decided not to pursue getting involved in triathlons, I went back to B&L on April 19th to have a used bike checked out that I was considering for purchase.  Dan again helped me, and provided a fair and objective assessment of the used bike.  He did not give me a sales pitch for a new bike, and even said that the used one would probably work well as a first bike for me for a few years.  Dan also spent a considerable amount of time helping me select and fit cycling accessories like shoes, pedals, and a helmet.  He worked patiently with me, explaining things.  As a novice, I never once felt talked down to or like he was too busy to help me learn more about all this cycling stuff.

Ultimately, I decided not to buy the used bike, and made up my mind to dive in to cycling and get a new bike.  Trek Bicycle Superstore in Vista is about 10 minutes from my home.  But I have to tell you that they are very rude and arrogant.  They act like they are always too busy to help (even though many times there are personnel just standing or sitting around doing nothing).   Every time I walk into that store, I feel like a moron for asking questions because their body language communicates to me that they have to condescend to answer my “lame” questions. 

So ultimately, based on my experience working with Dan, I chose to drive to Solana Beach, which is about a 45-minute to an hour commute from my office downtown to choose a bike from your store.  And of course, I wanted Dan to help me.  My fitting appointment was at 4:30 PM on April 22nd, and Dan patiently finished helping me complete the purchase of the new bike and assorted accessories at 6:30 PM. 

Since my purchase only two days ago, Dan has helped me on the phone numerous times.  I seem to have a million questions that pop into my head.  His customer attentiveness and service are exemplary.

I can’t say that I won’t ever go to Trek again since it’s so close to my house.  But it would only be to throw them a few dollars here and there for assorted things.  As far as major purchases of bikes and such, I will keep my business with B&L in Solana Beach.

Thank you, and please extend my praises to Dan at the Solana Beach store.

Sincerely,
JoeBruin88

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind tornado. First the hard drive on my MacBook crashed a little over two weeks ago… and I had no backup of some very important data. Attempts to recover the lost data were unsuccessful since the drive was physically damager beyond recovery. On that hard drive was all the work from my current Master’s degree in progress and the past year’s finances and spreadsheets.

Needless to say that was very stressful on top of my already full work week. Replacing the hard drive and reinstalling the software was my second top priority behind working out at the gym. I finally got my financial records in a state that is usable. But after this trip, I need to rebuild all the documentation for 2007 income taxes.

I didn’t even pack until after midnight today, as I spent three hours uploading photos for work to our photo repository. I forgot how long it takes to upload.

Maria and I saw three people that we knew at the airport. I saw Gary Jacobs waiting for his order at McDonalds and was immediately reminded of the nightmare of working at the really crappy school called High Tech High. We also ran into our friend David Drinkwater who was flying out of town on business. And then Maria saw her friend, Pam, from work who was on the same flight as us to Atlanta.

Delta Flight 12 to Atlanta: I’m pretty exhausted right now from not sleeping last night. This flight is about four hours long and I did take a short nap at the beginning o the flight, but the seats are uncomfortable on my tailbone.

I’m starting to look forward to this trip now finally. No worries from work. School can wait since there are no set deadlines for my school projects, which allows me time to catch up due my hard drive failure.

This is the first trip where I checked two bags and Maria only checked one. I have one bag devoted just for work out clothing and tennis. My 10-year old nephew wants to play tennis. Since it will be freezing cold, we’ll have to play indoors. I have not played on an indoor court before so I’m looking forward to doing that for the first time. I’m curious about what my daily exercise routine will be. I am afraid of gaining weight / fat back. But during the trip, I hope to do my ab routine daily and jump rope to burn some calories. Unfortunately, I won’t have access to a gym so there won’t be any weight lifting.

Delta Flight 66 to Zurich: Exhausted most definitely. Hungry for sure. Had to connect our connecting flight to Zurich right away at another concourse. The Atlanta Airport is gigantic. I heard someone say it’s the largest in the world. So it required a train ride to our connecting departure gate. We boarded the plane right away, so no time to get a bite to eat. Then our flight was delayed two hours because the altitude meter (altimeter?) was damaged and needed to be replaced. Tried to catch some sleep while waiting to take off. Airplane flights are very boring. This nine-hour one was no exception. I didn’t feel like reading anything or watching either of the on-flight movies. So there wasn’t much to do except try to get some sleep. Slept in fits and bits only. Airline food… yum yum. Just kidding.

The first two verses speak to me about Christ as our example, One who serves others and who lived a life of sacrifice. In fact, Christ continues to live a sacrificial life interceding on our behalf to the Father day and night. While on earth, his mission led to the Cross of Calvary. He was born to die. The song describes Him as beautiful; and He is beautiful simply for the reason that He stepped into human history to accomplish what no other person, no other philosophy, no other act of mankind could accomplish. And that is to exact both justice and mercy at the same time once and for all — it is that for which he came to satisfy the penalty of our sins while at the same time demonstrating the boundless mercy of our Heavenly Father.

During this time in my life that God has brought me low to be humbled and broken in spirit, I hope– especially for my family members who didn’t see Christ in my life before– that they see the new tenderness in my eyes, the forgiveness that replaced bitterness and anger, and the sacrificial love that will empty my life for them. That’s what I feel when I listen to the third verse. I am driven to live not for myself, but will do anything no matter how humiliating or costly to show that the love and power of Christ is real in my life.

While the fourth verse speaks of the beauty of my precious bride, it mainly speaks of the beauty of the Church. It speaks of a beauty that comes about by transformed lives who serve others while eagerly waiting for the Savior to return. The light in the Church’s eyes is the fact that when you look into the eyes of the Church, the very soul of the Church, you see Christ Himself. I pray that when people look into the eyes of my soul they see Christ. I know I have a long ways to go before that is more of a reality. But I believe I’m on my way, starting where it’s most important; and that is in my own home and family.

The fifth verse is a call to follow the same mission of Christ, to show others that He is real, powerful, and there waiting for those who don’t know Him yet, as well as sustaining those who do. I want the taste of my words to be sweet when I tell others of the love of Christ, of His forgiveness. It will only taste that way if I also taste and eat of the bread of His life. May it be so, my beautiful Savior.

How Beautiful by Twila Paris

How Beautiful the hands that served
The Wine and the Bread and the sons of the earth
How beautiful the feet that walked
The long dusty road and the hill to the cross
How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

How Beautiful the heart that bled
That took all my sins and bore it instead
How beautiful the tender eyes
That choose to forgive and never despise
How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

And as He lay down His life
We offer this sacrifice
That we will live just as He died
Willing to pay the price
Willing to pay the price

How Beautiful the radiant bride
Who waits for her Groom with His light in her eyes
How Beautiful when humble hearts give
The fruit of pure love so that others may live
How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

How beautiful the feet that bring
The sound of good news and the love of the King
How Beautiful the hands that serve
The wine and the bread and the sons of the Earth
How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

Mercy for the Memories
By Geoff Moore/Steven Curtis Chapman
Psalm 103 | Jeremiah 31:34

Can you hear me broken hearted
All you prisoners of your past
Come and find your freedom at last
There is mercy for the memories
That hold you in your pain
Come and stand in the cleansing
Of forgiving rain

Chorus
For as far as the eastern sky is to the west
And as deep as the ocean’s deepest depths
Your sin has been carried by a God who forgives and forgets
Come find mercy for the memories and rest

All you hiding in the shadows
Of innocence you’ve lost
Come and find your healing
In the shadow of the cross

Chorus

 I might give up blogging all together since I’ve been kind of bored by it lately.  Or I may convert this to my other photoblog.

Dear Lord, forgive me, for I fall short and sin by my very own nature. While my human body is a reality, help me to not be consumed by it. Lead and guide me with the Holy Spirit.

I really liked the part that said, “Don’t assume that others in the church are praying or that a spiritual leader doesn’t need prayer.” We oftentimes think of leaders as being perfect in the ways of the Lord, but they are human just as we are. As deep and commmitted their life is to you, they still fall short and need you in their lives. Help us Lord to praise them and encourage them.

Dear Lord,

I want to thank you for the freedoms that I have in this country. Though it’s not perfect and for sure there are many things left in our country to change, I thank you that I am privileged to be a citizen here. Thank you for all the opportunities afforded to me while growing up here. Help me not to be a complaining American, but rather a grateful one.

At this point all I know is that Jesus is Lord, is King, and He has a much greater plan for any of us than we actually know. For that reason, we should not question why things do or do not happen, but instead, we should see how the situation allows us to practice our faith. No matter what, we will worship Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man.

Dear Lord, you supply me with everything I need and more. May I show you gratitude and give cheerfully so that I may find peace in You.

This truly shows the importance of a father and the role he plays in a son’s life. I feel that as we delve deeper into our walk with Christ, our relationship as father and son grows stronger. I pray for this growth to continue.

Raising a child is a huge honor and privilege. But it’s also a serious responsibility. Dr. Stanley challenges you to closely look at these three areas. Do your kids know you’re there for them? Do they feel your love? Do they find comfort in your hands? Ask God to show His love for your children through you today.

God, if I only had one prayer to be answered by you before I die, then let the answer to these three questions always be YES.

I feel most alone when faced with a temptation to sin and choose the wrong thing. I see You there with me Jesus as I face the struggle, but it’s me that chooses to turn my back on you.

The legacy of these saints is to trust God and have the courage to follow Him, even when obedience is inconvenient or difficult.

Let me obey you when it’s inconvenient and especially when it’s difficult. I think I face this situations when I’m “lazy” and respond with my emotion and my flesh. It’s obviously easier to take the easy way out and give in to the wrong thing, like dishonoring you with my tongue and my thoughts. It’s more difficult to choose the higher route of patience, kindness, gentleness, forgiveness, and understanding.

Jesus, thank you for reminding of this lesson first taught to me many years back at UCLA. I thank you for Dennis who was in my life at the time. We had a whole study on running the race with endurance. And it vividly comes to my mind again as if I were still 20 years old. Remind me that I’m still in it for the long haul, to discipline my mind and body, so that I may still be of use to you.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Thank you Lord for reminding me of these verses. These are the same ones that Dennis shared with me and challenged me to memorize and meditate on them while I was working at The ChartHouse restaurant. What a life-changing experience that was. Please continue to remind me of these verses when my attitude suffers. I want to remember that I need to do all things to honor and glorify you.