Harbor to the Bay

Bench Press Goal Accomplished!

Megan Sawyer — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 18:04:40 +0000

FOLKS – I DID IT. I BENCH PRESSED OVER 125LBS. In fact, I pressed 135lbs!

In a twist of fate, my trainer and I miscalculated the amount of weight we put on the bar this morning and, lo and behold, I ended up blowing past my previous personal record of bench pressing 120 lbs. Today, I benched 135lbs on the flat bench, and I did it 3 times with 2 repetitions each.

This has been a huge effort for me to aim for and to accomplish. I appreciate all the support from people through these last several months.

Happy Pride Month!

Megan Sawyer — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 12:57:35 +0000

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Happy Pride Month, y’all! June is the month of coming out and new beginnings and coming out again and again and again. I’m a trans individual. And it takes a lot to come out all the time. And in case you missed it (ICYMI, for those hip with the acronyms), so many trans people and kids are being punished for being honest and authentic to themselves, from not being allowed to play sports on teams that align with their gender to being restricted from bathrooms or having businesses be forced to have signage that potentially “outs” a transperson just trying to perform a bodily function.

Be nice, y’all. And ask about pronouns, and share your pronouns. And mind your own business in bathrooms, unless it’s a matter of #I’llGoWithYou.

Updated goals for H2B19

Megan Sawyer — Tue, 25 May 2021 17:30:07 +0000

After some careful thought (and a lot of not running), I’ve decided to update my goals for #H2B19. Running isn’t my thing, and it’s something that I really am not good at motivating myself to do. I know that was the point of my goal–to get me to do something that was hard. But I also want to do something that is enjoyable and that I feel like I can accomplish.

To that matter, one thing that I like doing is weightlifting, and as a trans individual, one thing that makes me more comfortable in my own body is building out my pectoral muscles. My max bench press was 105lbs (pre-pandemic) and currently I can struggle to push 95lbs. All this said, I’ve got about 4 months to lift about 10 more pounds each month.

My new Harbor to the Bay 19 goal (in addition to the ride goal) is to bench press 125lbs by Sept 25, 2021. It will take training, and it will take me getting to the gym to work not only on my chest muscles but my core and back too. It’s more than just one piece of me. In the process, I think it will help me to connect to myself as well.

First ride for H2B19

Megan Sawyer — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 16:09:22 +0000

Yesterday was my first ride for Harbor to the Bay 19. It was a fast 30 miles, under 2 hours. I pushed myself – I wanted to get back on my bike after the winter and really air out the engine. It felt great.

Today, I’m doing my first 5k for H2B, starting my tracking [ … Read More →]

Wind, rain, and foggy glasses

Megan Sawyer — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 13:56:10 +0000

Regardless of the weather, the training ride must go on. Although, I will be cleaning road grit out of my chain for days to come!

When the threads show…

Megan Sawyer — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 20:15:51 +0000

…the tire must go!

I went for my first ride with a new saddle, and 35 miles in, realized my tire threads were showing and a blowout was imminent. Thankfully, I was close to my wife’s work – good thing I didn’t choose the other route!

Here’s to another ride another day!

New seat, new bars, new goal!

Megan Sawyer — Fri, 28 Jun 2019 14:19:18 +0000

Dropped my bike off at the shop last week to get a new saddle and handlebars (and a tune-up while it’s there…). I can’t wait to get out and ride. The wind through your helmet vents, road dust on your glasses, bugs in your teeth…the life!

I’ll be posting periodically as my training ramps up. [ … Read More →]