Thursday, January 27, 2011

I'll take it!

Got blasted with snow all night last night. Over a foot in the end. Seems like this winter is never going to end. We've already had 50 something inches of snow thusfar, and there's more on the way this week. If I'm not wrong we've had a mid-week storm every week of the winter this season. Hopefully this will be my last one here!

Getting to the point, Anne is on the way! As I write this, her plane is somewhere over the Atlatic, headed to JFK! Super happy we're FINALLY going to see each other after a few months apart. The distance sucks, but I think we've both handled it well.

I'm in the middle of doing some very much needed last minute cleaning before hiking out to the airport in a little bit. The snow and bad roads is going to pose some problems, but I don't care how difficult it is to get there because I'm so psyched to see her! FINALLY!!!!!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

ReDONKulous!

This time I've really, really had it! This snow is getting to be just plain f*ckin' stupid! We're in the midst of getting hit with about another foot, and to make matters worse, Anne is spending the night in a hotel in England rather than in my apartment tonight! She was scheduled to be here tonight at 8, but because of the SFW (STUPID F*CKING WEATHER), her flight was cancelled.

This makes twice that we haven't been able to see each other so far because of snow in the past month. The good thing, though, is that she was able to book a flight for tomorrow that should arrive well after the storm is over. "Should" being the most important word. With what we've been through in the last 30 days, nothing would suprise me.

I'm all about going with the flow and dealing with the cards you've been dealt, but in all honesty, 2011 has sucked so far.

So what do you do when you're girlfriend is stuck overseas? You get on the trainer and kill your legs! After finding Anne's flight would canceled, I got a haircut, ate some lunch, and got to work trying to forget about how mad I was that she wouldn't be her tonight. I'm beginning to be a huge fan of these indoor workouts and the control you have over them. Having a power meter makes all the difference. It's amazing how much more precise power is over heart rate. Not that heart rate is bad, but it's just cool to see instant feedback instead of the lag you get when using only heart rate. Of course this isn't anything profound or new, but cool none the less.

So tomorrow is going to be a rest day as I'll HOPEFULLY be on my way midday to get Anne at the airport. If I find myself training tomorrow, I'll be EXTREMELY disappointed.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Blue Collar


Back when I was a football and lacrosse player, we used the term "blue collar" all the time to define our defense. Coach would say "Bring your lunch pail and hardhat to practice or don't come at all." I always had a great sense of pride those days becuase I might not have been the most skilled player, but I was going to outwork everyone out there if it killed me. No one worked harder than me.
I think that's what's drawn me to endurance sports. MMA as well, but not enough to have kept getting smashed in the head all day. Working hard is ingrained in all of us I think, it just needs an opportunity to show itself. Even the laziest of the lazy would work hard if they wanted something bad enough.
So today on the trainer I remembered what it's all about. I've been down lately, and for all intents and purposes a pussy. Yeah, I said it. It's vulgar, it's nasty, but that's what I've been. Complaining about the weather, complaining about being sore, etc. I got back to work today (and this week thusfar) and it's felt good. Nothing flashy, just getting in the work. Showin' up with the lunch pail and the hardhat and getting done what needs to be done. No complaints, just work that at the end of the day I can be proud of.
Ok, enough celebration, tomorrow is another day. And in blue collar terms, it doesn't matter what I did yesterday, only what I make of today.
In the words of the wise one, Big Black from "Rob and Big": "Do work son."

Monday, January 24, 2011

Back on the good foot!

Ok, enough is enough. Got through my little week long episode with a strong convo with my coach yesterday. He gave me a little Harden the f*ck up talk and I'm good to go. Being frustrated with weather and other "out of my control" circumstances is no reason to go all postal and what not, making my training suffer. You get done what you have to get done regardless of the situation. People don't care what you had to deal with, only how you finish. No one is going to ask the guy who DNF'd how his day went because they're too busy dealing with the people who did their job on race day. It might be harsh, but this is how you have to approach things if you're gonna "get stuck in and put some down!"

So with this attitude adjustment, I'm all set to go. Get some!

Excited to have my Power Tap back up and running again as well. This will make my workouts a bit better, without as much guesswork. As much as I hated it at the end of last season, I'm glad I've got it. Can't wait 'till the next bike test to see the results of all my strengthwork in the gym.

Got a new bike that I'm very excited about as well. Sette bikes have a frame, the Sette Serum that I just built up and look to have as my race bike this upcoming season. It's a carbon xc hardtail with some sweet looks and what seems to be even sweeter ride. I'm excited about riding this rocket this year. I have a gopro cam on the way (www.gopro.com) and will have some video footage of it, as well as a full review on the blog in the near future. Good things on the horizon for sure!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

2:15 "Long" Ride

*As a general disclaimer, I've been pretty negative latley, and this blog is probably gonna be a bit more of that. In reality, this is really where I'm letting off steam...so deal with it:).

Got in my "long" ride of the week at a whopping 2 hours and around 15 minutes. What the fuzz??? Oh, I remember, it's negative windchill temps that crushed my dreams of being on my bike longer this weekend.

I really dropped the ball this week. I went too hard with some workouts early in the week (in hindsight probably out of frustration that I couldn't get on the roads/trails) and basically ruined myself for any quality training later in the week. I haven't been so sore and immobile since, well, ever! And the saddest part is that I know exactly what did it. It was a dumb move to lift like a maniac on Tuesday, crush a hard trainer session on Wednesday, then follow that up with shoveling heavy, wet, snow, and then put the icing on the cake by drinking a bit too much that night. For sure not the way a serious athlete conducts themselves and a mistake that I won't be soon to repeat...hopefully.

As for the weather and this winter, I'm giving it a BIG MIDDLE FINGER right now. I'm done with trying to "embrace" the winter cold, and am now finding it to be much more of a bother than anything. The trails haven't been ridable since Christmas day, and the roads are generally impassable most days-the combination of slush and freezing temps make training outside unsafe to the point that there is no point in even attempting it. As for running, I think I forgot how to. Again, the trails and the bad conditions on the roads have made it impossible, and I'm not one to get on a treadmill easily, though I have a couple times...not happily though.

So the general lack of outside activity, or just activity itself, have me really down, and in a bad place most of the time. The ride today was fun, but after 2 hours spent with sub zero windchills rattling my bones, I had severe pain in my feet and hands, making it time to call it a day. I'm not being a wimp (the name of my blog is HTFU for God's sake!), but honestly, I gotta get out of here. I know the grass is always greener, but I just can't take the bad roads, worse drivers, and shit conditions. I've never felt more hopeless...

Ok, rant over. I'm going to make an honest effort to change my attitude for the better, but I really don't know if it's possible right now. Maybe when Anne gets here I'll finally be happy. Chances are I will!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Ah...

So just like every other day this week, with the exception of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (I guess things aren't that bad, actually), today's training, or lack there of, sucked. Since Wednesday, My legs have been absolutely fried. So much so that they're still almost tender to the touch, and I still have stiffness when I get up from a seated position. I went buckwild in the gym on Tuesday and followed that up with a kick-my-ass-to-the -ground trainer sesh on Wednesday that left me limping around like I was 90 ever since. DOMS is an understatement. This is more like how I felt after the 6 hour race, multiplied by 100!

Thursday I did an easy hour spin outside and Friday I snowshoed for another hour. Then today was zip, nada. Had the weather been better outside (still icy and freezing) I might have gotten out on the roads today, but in the end it was better to just do nothing. Instead of feeling guilty, I figure it's better to rest my still beaten legs. It's not good to have soreness this long, and instead of pushing for no reason at this point in the season, it's better to just shut it down for a day, heal, and get ready for next week. Tomorrow might bring about a few hour endurance ride, but if I'm still beat like I am I'll just take a pass.

On the positives, I'm feeling stronger than ever on the bike. My legs are sooooo strong right now. It was cool to put the power meter on and see watts that had previously been tough to achieve now almost availible to me at will. Also, I'm thinking that the shot in the arm my training has taken lately due to the shit weather isn't all that bad of a thing. Though it's screwing with my mind and getting me all frustrated, it's possibly one of the better things to happen to me right now. I never really took any solid time away from the bike after the 'cross season ended for me, and now certainly isn't the time to burn matches that I might need once the proper season starts again. There's still quite a long way before things get rolling again, and I've got plenty of time to train myself into form. I've just got to persevere mentally, eat right, and rest up. Yeah, I can do that.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Enough Already!!!!!

Kind of a goofy snow shoe pic from today's jaunt through the woods with my buddy Dan.
I've had it with the snow already. It wouldn't be so bad if it would melt, but we haven't seen the ground underneath the snow yet this year, and it doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. The snow's put a damper on just about EVERY outdoor activity, with the possible exceptions of snow showing and cross country skiing-and even those are hard to do once the local trails get "stomped" down. Then, you have the freeze effect that makes riding and running on the roads nearly impossible at times. Running can be done after a few days, but riding can be quite sketchy when there's black ice all around. I just can't deal with it anymore! I gotta get out of here!
I'm not a gym person anymore, and I can't fathom going indoors to exercise everyday. Though I've been able to do it this far, I'm missin' my vitamin D dearly!!!! When the hell is it all gonna end!?
That's really all I've got to say today. I'm just incredibly bummed about this stupid weather (and more snow is on the way aparently). Winter has definitely warn out it's welcome here with me. Go f*ck off snow!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Ride, Shovel, Feelin' good

Years ago, my mom had a friend (Natalie) that would take me to the movies. I must have been 8 or 9, maybe 10. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was such a kind thing to do. I can't remember much from that time in my life, but one of the things that sticks out most is those trips to the movies. We'd go to the theater, and then right to the diner where I'd have my normal slice of cheesecake. It was such a simple thing, but it made a great impact on my life. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but the kindhearted nature of just making time for me then is very special to me now that I'm a grown man. So when my mother told me that she needed her driveway shoveled and there was no one around to do it I jumped at the chance. We've been hit by a bunch of snow (well over a foot), and in the last days rain. The snow is wet, slushy, and most of all heavy. Shoveling is no fun whatsoever. However, as I shoveled the drive, my back aching the whole time and sweat dripping down my brow, I had to smile. Every shovel-full of snow was a "Thank you". And even then it's not enough. I'm forever greatful for the time she made for me, and I'll shovel that driveway a million more times if she needs it. I just hope I can spread kindness and good nature the way she did in my lifetime. Little things matter. Don't forget that.

For the ride today, I set up the trainer, dusted off the power meter, and got to work. Nothing crazy, but an hour and a half workout that made my legs sing. With yesterday's gym workout still making my legs sore to the touch, the efforts I did on the trainer hurt hurt hurt! I'm hoping to get out on the roads tomorrow, as we're expecting more snow tomorrow night.

At this point it's more the ice on the roads than the snow that's making outdoor riding tough. We've been hit by rain and warm temps that have made the roads full of black ice. While I'm all for riding in bad weather, it's not worth an "off-season" broken bone. It'll have to be a game-time decision.

Things are getting on otherwise. Working hard and trying to keep people motivated, but it's tough when I'm having motivation issues myself. Hopefully we can all inspire one another! Some sun and warm temps certainly wouldn't hurt!!!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Gettin' my weight-room on...

Pushed the weights again today. Missed my strength workout yesterday so felt good enough to make it up today.

I am lovin' the hell out of getting strong again. After the first few weeks of super soreness, and the change in strength program, I'm really getting into this. It's been a long time since I put some serious time and effort into lifting weights, but my body is responding greatly. Also, this is really giving me more of a reason to be desciplined with my diet. Those who know me know that I'm pretty much a human garbage can. For a long time in my early 20's, I was strict at hell with things like carbs, sugars, calorie counts, protein per pound, etc. I think all that crazy (and more times than not "unhealthy") eating habits drove me into a frenzy. When I started getting serious about endurance sports (and realized I could get away with eating a ton), I got crazy, and since have eaten everything in sight whenever I please. I haven't gained any weight-in fact I lost a whole lot!-but I know that underneath it all my performance and recovery has been suffering because of my poor diet.

It's not rocket science. Eat smart, train smart, recover smart, and kick ass. Pretty simple math. However, while I'm getting smarter, I'm not going to ditch all indulgences, just curb them slightly. Once the volume ramps up and the days get longer, I'll need to get my extra cals from somewhere, but the major portion will, of course come from the good stuff.

Otherwise things have been up and down. I'm most certainly suffering some sort of seasonal depression, and I desperately need the weather to break in some way for the better. We've been pounded with snow and cold around here thus far this winter, and it's getting old. Snow is nice, but only when it cooperates. The stuff we've had has stayed way past its welcome, and I'm really, really, really, tired of not being able to do the things I love because of the white stuff. Also, I've got that anxiety about me now, becasue of the shit weather, that people are out there training harder than I, and it's driving my fuckin' batty! Sorry for the language, but that's what it is. Little bit of a rant here, I know, but I needed to get this out.

Tomorrow I'll hopefully get outside for some exercise and I'm looking forward to it. It's been raining since this morning and warm, so hopefully much of the snow will be taken care of before it all freezes over again. I NEED IT TO!!!!!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Road Ride 2 hours

Got back out on the roads today for a little bit. The roads have been terrible lately because of the snow and the trails aren't good for anything but snowshoeing or xc skiing. I'm getting cabin fever because of the indoor workouts, so I was itchin' to get going and actually ride my bike.

Kept things mostly aerobic with some efforts on the hills. I'm feeling a HUGE difference in terms of strength as a result of the work I've been doing in the weight room. Can't wait to get back out on the mtb to see how much real power this will translate to. Also, working on my cadence and actualy riding technique is also starting to make a difference in my riding. I have much more power at a higher cadence which is pretty swell if you ask me:). Basically I'm faster with less effort so that's pretty neat.

Gotta say that I really love riding. It made me so happy to get out there and actually ride today instead of being stuck inside watchin' recordings of old races on the trainer. I'm praying for an early spring this year (like February!) so I can get back on the trails. In reality I really don't care about cold or rain, it's just this snow. It doesn't just go away in a few days-it stays for weeks! And then when it gets deep like it is now you can't even ride the mtb on top of it. Really sucks! Anyway, enough complaining...

Friday, January 14, 2011

First Snowshoe!


Fresh Tracks...not human.


Not a chance of riding this.

Underneath the snow my feets are warm and cozy!

More deer tracks.
Today's snowshoeing adventure was a step in a totally awesome direction (pun intended). I never thought it would be so much fun, or hard work for that matter, but I've really been missing a lot by not owning a pair of snowshoes. Even though the course I took was mainly flat, walking in those things is like spending hours on the stairmaster-especially when the snow is fresh and deep like it was today.
I was the first to break most parts of the trail and it was a pleasure. At first I tried to run, but soon I found out how hard it was just to walk! I'm sure more shallow snow is easier to run in, but I was more than pleased to go out for a long hike.
In the end I got in a little over 2 hours in the snow. I gladly would have stayed out for longer, but I didn't bring much food with me, only 2 gels and a 800ml of water. Next time I'll plan better and bring more. :)
Luckily today seems to have gotten me out of the "training funk" I've been in of late. Not sure if it's related to the weather, not being able to ride regularly on the trails or what, but I've been sort of down lately. Today was super fun and gave me a new form of training to look forward to. Sure I'm gonna be sore tomorrow!!!



Thursday, January 13, 2011

Winter Fun on the Way!!!

Been suffering from a bit of seasonal depression lately. This has got to be the curse of the outdoor enthusiast. Well, maybe not a curse, but maybe just a bump in the road for stubborn asses like myself that like to do something, and do it some more, and some more, and... you get the picture. Also, being stubborn and childish as I sometime am:), I also don't deal all that well with sudden change (i.e. sudden snow storms that cover my favorite local mtb trails making them unrideable!). So couple this sudden change with the fact that you can't even run on the damn things because they're so deep in the white crap, and you get a very cranky me.

That is, of course, until you provide me with a new toy to play with in the snow. It's not the same as riding my bike on the beautiful singletrack, and it's not the same as running on said singletrack, but it sure beats the hell out of running on car filled roads or riding the trainer inside and staring at the wall. What, you ask, is this wonderful new toy of mine???
SNOWSHOES!!!!!!

A couple of days ago, before we got dumped on by close to 2 feet of snow, I had the great idea to go out and buy a pair of snowshoes and enjoy the storm rather than lament it. Little did I realize, in my infinitely limited base of knowledge on such things (not sure this sentence makes sense, but deal with it!), that snowshoes can be quite the pricey item! I intended to spend no more than $100, and found the cheapest set to run about $75 over that budget. In the least, I was extremely disappointed. That is, until, I happened on a sweet pair this evening at $25 under my budget! That's right, $75 bucks for the bag pictured above, containing poles, shoes, and winter fun!!!

I can't say that I'm happy my trails are covered in snow (which will turn to water, which will turn to mud, which will turn to slop, which will BE FUN!), but at least I can get outside and enjoy them still! Tomorrow will be the maiden voyage and I'm looking to spend at least a couple solid hours in the woods. I'm going to bring a pack with some dry socks, extra set of dry trainers, food, and water and go until I get bored. Super psyched!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Kinda bummed...

I know I haven't been in the bet of moods lately, but this weather and snow are just KILLING me! I've never hated on the snow and the winter before, and actually embrace it most of the time. However, after not being able to see Anne this Christmas because of...you guessed it...SNOW, I've kind of had a grudge against it. Then, add to that the fact that my favorite mtb trail is covered in it (I know it's not a huge excuse because people still ride it in the snow, but I hate trudging and slipping around going slow all the time) and you've got a recipe for disaster.

So today, with a huge snow storm in the forcast for tonight into tomorrow, I decided to once again embrace the winter and the snow. Even though I'll miss a day of work and loose money in the process, I decided I'd go into it with a smile on, buy a cheap pair of snowshoes, and get in a great, quality day of hiking and snowshoe-running amidst the storm. A real "mountain-esque" experience right here on good ol' suberbia-island, Long Island. The only problem??? Every damn store is sold out!!! The only pair I found was $170, which was WAY out of my budget. (The funny thing is I was so pissed I almost bought a $200 BB gun with target to shoot at because I figured that would make me feel better-true story.)

So what the hell am I going to do now? I'm gonna say "f*ck it" and go running in the trails tomorrow anyway. It'll still be fun (though not as fun as my snowshoeing expididiton was going to be), and I'll get in some good fun outside. Screw it.

It's not that I hate the snow or hate the winter. It's just that I hate not having the right equipment to enjoy it. I'm bummed out that I couldn't get the snowshoes, but I'll make the best of it and still have some fun in the process. In the end it'll more than likely be beautiful in the snow, I'll take some pics, enjoy the exercise, and get poor because I'm not working:). Great day!

I'm also hoping the gym will be open because I need to catch up with some strength training. Missed it the end of last week and I need to keep the habit up or else I risk losing the desire to push some weight!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Pics from today's run 'n' stuff









Few pics from the run today. Got in some good time in the snowy woods with Lucky and then hopped on the trainer at home. I'm amazed at my current fondness for the indoor cycling sessions recently. For the past year you couldn't pay me enough to even spend 5 minutes on a trainer. I'd dodge it at all costs and even purchased specific bikes to ride in crappy weather. Funny though because two things have now happened. One, I've realized that bikes are meant to be ridden, and I ride just about all my bikes in whatever weather shows itself. (That isn't to say that I shy away from riding my better bikes through stuff like rock salt when it snows-it takes forever to clean that stuff out of every nook and cranny-but I don't worry so much about "ruining" my bikes in the rain or snow. That's just stupid talk) And two, I think that since I've become more of a "cyclist" by venturing into more cycling desciplines (i.e. 'cross, mountain biking, and perhaps road racing), I can see the importance of very precise and dedicated workouts on the trainer. Maybe it's also just a natural maturation that takes place within endurance sports where you actually learn about training and what it takes to get better.
For part of today's trainer ride (mostly to break things up a bit), I encorporated some speed skill cadence drills. Every 5 minutes I would max out my cadence (without bouncing and with low resistance) for 30 seconds. The first few reps didn't get me up to high, but by the end I was maxing out at 211 rpm. Very happy with this. And while this is really only 30 seconds of effort every 5 minutes, by the end of an hour of doing this, your ass is really kicked-IF you're giving it your best effort for each 30 seconds.
All in all a pretty good day and a nice ending to a decent weekend of training. I think I'm most looking forward to getting back into the gym this coming week and pushing the weight pile. I'm really happy with the benefits it's given me thus far.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Boooorrrrriiiiinnnnngggggg

This had to be one of the most boring days I've had in a while. After we were suppossed to get this HUGE snow storm, not much happened other than a dusting, but my appointments still felt they needed to stay home and not come in to see me. This left me with a grand total of a half hour of work this morning, and tons of time to sit on my ass with nothing to do. Sure there was cleaning I could have attended to, but why should I spend precious time cleaning when there's web-surfing to be done!? (laying on the sarcasm quite thick right now!)

So instead of really being productive, I decided to do a pretty heavy trainer workout, and THEN sit on my ass. Basically the workout consisted of a 15 min warm up, then 1min @ 90% of max hr, followed by a 2 min recovery, then repeated, and then a 15 min cool down. I did the 1 min followed by 2 min reps for about an hours worth. All told I got 95 minutes of ass in the saddle time. And I have to say this was pretty fun. I haven't broken out the trainer in a while, much less even thought about training indoors for almost a year, but this was a lot of fun. I was able to focus on the workout, and really crush each of the intervals. Like weight training, I'm going to have to revisit the merits of indoor bike riding:).

This workout was in no way supported by my coach. In fact, he gave me precise direction to skip today all together and continue to rest from my recent illness. Sorry David, couldn't help it. I was waaaaay too bored!

Tomorrow I'll be getting back on track and getting things back in order with my apartment as well. I'm about a week overdue for some serious cleaning, and I'm looking forward to donating boatloads of clothes and shoes to the Salvation Army.

Tues, Wed, Thurs...blah

Didn't train yesterday, and on the whole, the entire week wasn't much more than a piss into the wind. Since last weekend I've been battling with a head cold and it finally got the best of me by yesterday. The workouts I managed to get in earlier this week (Mon, Tues, Wed) were ok, but by no means the best I've had.

One thing I was able to accomplish yesterday though, was cleaning up the diet. I meant to start the day of right, but after some final junk food, it was off to the grocery store in between work appointments to load up on some fruits and vegetables, nutritious foods, and water (ok, the water wasn't needed, but I decided to treat myself to some Fiji water-my most favorite bottled water!:)). So while I didn't get in an entire 24 hours of solid nutrition, I am working on about 12 at current:).

The biggest reason for the shift in eating (and I've said it before a billion times) is that I want to be more healthy overall. I've eaten like crap and performed and recovered just fine in the past. Of course you could say I might have performed and recovered even better, but that's neither here nor there. The point is, first and foremost, I hadn't been very healthy in my eating options and I'm looking to change that. Of course the benefits will include better performance and better weight control (I'm up about 8 pounds right now), which to my way of thinking are just beneficial biproducts of a completely healthy lifestyle of good exercise and nutrition.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Run, Lift

Busy day at work today. All the new year's resolutioners are out in full force so I didn't have all that much time to train today. Not to mention I'm battling a nasty little head cold right now, so my motivation to train isn't all there. Still, I managed to get in a solid run and lift session today, albeit a bit different from that of what was on the schedule. The run was the same, 75 mins (though I did it on the roads because I didn't have time to drive to the trails), but the lift was a little rushed, and therefore I improvised a bit.

Lifting has been something that I've not taken seriously for some years now. When I was playing football and lacrosse, I was the biggest meathead in the world. After those sports were both done, I dabbled in bodybuilding for a while before dropping it for mma fighting. The strength training for fighting was the most exciting that I've ever done. Kettlebells, medicine balls, chains, tires, logs, etc. I can safely say there were no bicep curls or other "beach workout" routines involved. All functional, ass-kicking work, meant to make you a complete athlete, not one that just poses on a stage or beach.

Anyway, because of my deep history of strength training-generally from the time I was 14 to 26, I really have not dedicated much of my training recently to strength. Since starting triathlon and endurance sports, I've really, really, really, tried to get rid of a lot of the muscle I had earned from so many years in the weightroom. While I've lost quite a bit as I'm now racing at 175lbs from the 250lbs I weighed in college, I have come to realize that it's been a mistake to forgo all weight training entirely. It's lead to some nagging injuries, and an imbalance that is only now starting to show itself since I'm getting back in the weightroom. Needless to say, it's time to hit the weight-pile again, though in a much smarter fashion.

For the last week and a half, I've gotten into the gym with a bit of a plan to work myself back to power. I've found that I'm incredibly weak (from what I used to be), and really could use a TON of core work and lower body work, particularly if I'm gonna plan on racing the mtb quite a bit this year. So all that to say that in the gym today I hit the squat rack, did some big step ups on a bench with dumbells, and worked my core like it owed me money. I'll be sore, but I can already feel myself getting stronger in just the last week (about 4 workouts total). I'm feeling more balanced, and I can already see that my balance is being improved by working out the imbalance in my legs (I've found that the right has more power than the left-though not for long!!!!).

The work in the gym is not only needed, but it's a bit refreshing. The weather here has been crap, and the desire to get out for rides and runs has been waning. The weights are something to look forward to, and give my mind the needed break from biking and running that it needs.

Tomorrow I plan on hitting the heavy bag for a bit, jumping some rope, and punishing my core even more! First I've gotta dust off the boxing gloves though, it's been a loooong time! Can't wait!!!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Not a great start, but...

Today falls in the "are you f*cking kidding me?" category of madness. After taking a week off from training (a week that was suppossed to be spent in the company of a beautiful English girl relaxing:) ), I got back to training today with what was to be a very easy couple hours on the bike. The weather on the east coast has been pretty awful lately with plenty of sub freezing temps and heavy snow, but today was a balmy 50 degrees F, with light rain and fog-paradise considering what it's been. So after sleeping in a bit I got out on the bike. The ride was going great. I was happy. It was warm. And most importantly, I was psyched to be out riding again. Then, BAM! while shifting on a small climb, my rear derailliur cable snaps! Luckily, so I thought, the local bike shop was only a few miles away. I could certainly make it there and they would be able to hook me up with a cable so I could get home. Key words, "so I thought". When I pulled up to the shop, it was closed, and now I was even further from home. To make things worse, my brother and his fam were coming over in much less time than it would take me to get back using only my 53x11. Then I realized I hadn't brought my phone or wallet with me. Of all the freakin' times!!!

I managed to make it to my gym where I was able to warm up and call my father to come pick me and my sorry butt up. In then end I managed to get home, see my bro and his fam, and have a great time with my nieces.

Most would say this was probably a pretty bad way to open up training for the year, but I'm looking on the bright side. I got a solid hour in (I know, not much time but I'm looking on the brightside remember?), plus another 30 mins of strength work when my bike was stuck in 53x11. There you go! Sixty minute warm up, 30 minutes of strength, and a great cool down of stressing out over everyone waiting for me! Sweet day!:)

I'm hoping tomorrow will be better, but I'm a bit worried I'll continue to get sick. I had a migrane a couple days back (usually for me a sure sign of getting ill), a scratchy throat yesterday, and a headache and sore throat today. Not good, but I'll get through it. Looking forward to getting on track in this new year and starting in with some quality training.