Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Friday I headed out Bear Creek Rd, down to Marshal and back home via River Rd. The gusting winds, up to 30 mph, were a tough battle most of the way, but once I got on the river, they helped me most of the time. There was snow up on the distant ridges, and the whipping wind was bone chilling. The temps in the sunlit valleys, out of the wind chill, were quite a bit warmer than the temps up on the ridges.
I was feeling good and enjoying riding long again. I was worried a couple of weeks ago, because I had no desire to get out and ride long, despite the warm temps. Today, however, with temps in the low 40's, and added wind chill, I was glad to be out there turning the cranks!!
Great ride!!

Friday: 55 miles; 3.5 hrs; winds gusting to 35 mph:

Saturday and Sunday I was too tired from my past 3 days of rides to get any more long rides in. I took the kid for a couple of 1 hr rides each day though. I figure I'm still turning the cranks, still training, and getting quality time!!!

Have a great day!

Happy Black Friday

A good thing about living here is that I have options. Lots of them. I posted a couple of days ago that all of the options made things difficult. Well, yesterday I realized that I often don't decide where I am going until very shortly before I roll out the door.

I had planned to ride my Big Bent Creek loop this week, leaving from home, but that has not happened yet. I'm not quite mentally ready to ride the parkway on my mtn bike. So, yesterday morning when I got up, I decided to bail on that idea and hit a road loop that I rarely do after mtn bike season starts up again.

I headed down the river, up through Weaverville, up Reems Cr, Ox Cr, to the parkway and back home. The skies were bright blue, the sun was up, and there was a cold wind blowing. Good day for a ride. I was home by lunch time!!

The rest of the day I spent hanging out around the house. Playing outside. The kid told me he wanted to build some ramps, so that is what we did. How could I resist?
At first we built it, but then he wanted it higher, he rode that for a while, and wanted it higher again!! Yeah!

Have a great day!!

Pre Thanksgiving Ride

Wednesday the boss let me off at 11:15 am. Sweet!! I got home, ate a little food and hit the road on my road bike. I decided to get some base miles and eliminate climbing, mostly. I headed down to the river and followed river road to Marshall, turned around and headed back. 49 miles in 3 hrs, I made good time and felt good most of the way. My average speed was about 1.5 mph higher than any other time I have done that ride. And my speed was steady, another small improvement.

It's great to be riding long again, I missed it. I just did not realize how much I missed it.
Another long ride planned for today!!

Have a great Thanksgiving!!

It's Time

It's that time of year again folks, where everybody is rushing around, packing, traveling, cooking, eating, socializing, stressing.....etc. I found long ago that it is so much less stressful not to travel on or around holidays. I can spend just as good or better quality time with friends and family any other time of year, without all the traffic and craziness.

So, don't try to rob my house this week, because I am going to be here, and you will regret the attempt.

I get to ride my bike 4 days in a row, long rides hopefully, 2-4 hr rides. Yes. I'm excited about being on my bike again. My friends at my birthday ride helped me remember what a long ride is like and how fun and painless it can be (at the right pace).

But, now my problem is that I have so many options. North on the Parkway? or South? Dirt ride? where? Ride from home? Drive to the trailhead?

As usual I will most likely pick the ride from home option as this affords me more more time spent with family. I might not be getting out to the gnar of Pisgah on a regular basis, but I am getting to ride, and for that I am thankful.

Now that it is dark 15 minutes into my ride home from work, I am trying to decide on which route is safest.

Option 1: the darkened alley called the Blue Ridge Parkway. During the day, it is great. Long line of sight, people relatively respectful etc. At night, with no streetlights, it is a darkened alley way...

Option 2: Cross over Tunnel Rd, one of the busiest roads, and the sight of a recent cyclist shooting, (although I have figured out how to get across by using the timing of the traffic lights, and having virtually zero traffic for about 30 seconds), down a neighborhood rd, through the Wal-mart, Khols, Pets Smart, and 25 other little stores parking lot, up through another super busy intersection... but all lighted with street lights.

Hmmmm.

Have a great day.

4 More Weeks

4 more weeks of darkness. More than that really, but in 4 weeks, the darkness reverses. The sun starts setting later, by about 1 minute per day. Then I start to feel better.

This time of year, time moves like molasses. I dream of ways that I could squeeze in long rides. I panic about not having enough base miles. I worry that I won't have enough money for traveling, or race registration, or more importantly: bike parts. Then I panic a little more.

Then I get lost in a daydream of a perfect ride. Sunny and warm, sweat glistening on my skin that is warming in the sun. Smile on my face, pedaling up a long hill, long and scenic. Then I shiver back to my senses, because it is the end of November and starting to get cold. I throw another log on the fire and I can hear the rain dripping on the metal roof. I hope that it is just dripping off of the tree and I will get to ride to work today, and back home. Then I will get two hours of training today. And that will be enough to keep the fitness going until I can find some large chunks of daylight to ride long.

And when I get home from work, and it is dark, and I only have 2 hrs of training, I take a deep breathe. I walk inside. I smell the delicious aromas of whatever Rhonda has decided to make for dinner: fajitas, rice and beans, homemade soup and bread.... Then I put my bike away, get changed and walk into the living room. Without fail the kid jumps on me, and we take it to the couch for another wrestling match. And I relax about base miles and enjoy my time with my family.

Have a great day.

Another Weekend

The Big Birthday BBQ Ride went off without a hitch, mostly. Except for almost getting creamed by a big white dump truck with spikes on his front wheels, while riding south on Hwy 9, everything was good.

As 1pm rolled around, it looked like it would just be Mike K and me. But within 5 minutes, Gordy and Mike P showed up. OJ, Erica, and Frank rolled up on their bikes, but they had been out all morning, so they only rode the first few miles with us. It was good to chat with them.

The ride took us south on Hwy 9, up and over the continental divide. We took a left on Old Fort Rd into Old Fort. We then got on the starting mile of ORAMM, up the Point Lookout Trail. We stopped at the lookout for the picture below. On up the greenway, past Ridgecrest, through Black Mtn and back into Swannanoa. About 45 miles in less than 3 hrs. We kept a mellow pace until the end when we had slight downhill and tailwinds to push our little paceline over 30 mph!!!


Rhonda and Jubal met us halfway to refill our bottles. Everybody was excited to have the support. We only went with water at the SAG this year, so that next year, I can have room to step it up and maybe bring cookies. If you over do it the first year, it's difficult to do better the next year!!


And of course, the food after the ride was most excellent. Okie Dokies BBQ is simply delicious: Pulled pork, jalapeno hush puppies, fried pickles, mac n cheese= yum. Some other friends showed up for dinner to help me celebrate. It was great to see everyone. Thanks for making the day special. And to top it off, when I went to pay for my food, one friend told me that he was going to pay (thanks), only to find out that someone else had already paid!!! Sweet.



Sunday we headed to check out the UCI Cross Races at Hendersonville's Jackson Park. It was cold and drizzly, but Jubal got out there like a champ and raced. He was the youngest kid but rode his hardest. He tore through the off-camber turns on the grassy muddy slope, hit the uphill, jumped off, pushed the bike up, and then did a surprisingly clean remount with out losing much forward momentum. Yeah!!!

Below you seen Evie having fun in the rain. It started raining hard as the women's race got started, so we headed home. We didn't get to see Andy Applegate race, see you next time Andy.

The one and only D-Dub, showing how it's done, single speed style!

Have a great day.

Customer Service

I am very appreciative when I get good customer service. And when the service is everything that one could dream of when dreaming of customer service, then I want everybody to know about it.

I bought a wool hoodie from Patagonia about one year ago. I wore it to work, and around town. I took care of it and expected it to last.

When the temps dropped this fall I pulled it out of storage and wore it. I was disappointing to see a couple of small holed forming in the fabric. Not realizing that the company might do something I continued to wear the sweater.

One day at work a co-worker told me about his Patagonia product. He told me that his had worn out too. He wrote the company a letter asking if there was anything that could be done. In response they sent him a brand new replacement.

I didn't hesitate and contacted the company. I sent the sweater 2nd day air via UPS as they requested. It went in the mail on Tuesday, arrived in Utah on Thursday. Then the waiting began. The website advertises a 6 week waiting period. I expected to have to call several times to check on the progress.

One week later, on the following Tuesday, I got home to find a box on the doorstep. Hmmm. I didn't get excited. I opened the box, expecting to see my old sweater in there with a note saying "too bad", in customer service wording.

I was really surprised, when I opened the box, and found a brand new edition of a wool hoodie, that was actually is a higher retail value than the old one.

Great company, great service. More companies should pay attention!!


Have a great day.

It's not over!!!

Saturday, November 21st, 1pm:

I'm inviting all of my friends for a 40 ish mile, mellow ride from Swannanoah, through Old Fort, back up the Point Lookout Greenway, through Black Mtn, and back to Swannanoah. Then we are going to head over to Okie Dokies Smokehouse for some BBQ and fried pickles!!! Let me know if you want to join us!!

Bring your change!!! I am bringing some water bottles to collect spare change. Let's see if we can get enough spare change to purchase 1 bicycle for World Bicycle Relief!!

Have a great day!

Red Wolf vs Coyote

My gut told me that it was too good to be true. I was convinced on Monday that we had seen a red wolf. I have seen coyotes, and they tend to look a little slinky, like they have done something wrong and they are trying to slink away:
The animal we saw was not slinking. It was standing proud, head up, like it dared us to come mess with it. That's what a wolf should look like.

I wanted to report my finding to the Wildlife commission. I have yet to talk to a person who studies the wolves but I'll keep trying. In the meantime, I found a lot of info about Red Wolves.

There is an on-going Red Wolf Recovery Project, sponsored by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Apparently the population of wild wolves dwindled in the 80's to 17. Some very wise people captured those wolves and bred them in captivity, with the goal of re-introducing them to the wild. The Red Wolf, before we greedily decimated their population, were the top predator in the Appalachians. Now, there are none. The only known (key word) population is in NE North Carolina, where little more than 150 wolves have been release into the wild and appear to be doing well.

Cool stuff.

So, while I was initially disappointed that we had not, in all probability, seen a Red Wolf, I then realised that we did get to see a coyote. Another animal that is not easy to spot in the Appalachians.

Let's take care of our resources people!!!

Have a great day.

Balance

I posted a couple of days ago about imbalance. When something is hurting in the body, there is usually an imbalance. A muscle on one side of the body pulling everything off kilter.

Core strengthening is a great way to create balance in the body. I have tried different routines for years to get my core strong. Sit-ups, push ups, pull ups etc. But my problem is that exercise has to be interesting, and fun.

A couple of years ago, we purchase a Pilates DVD and attempted that. For some reason, the exercises hurt, not a good hurt, but painful and uncomfortable. So, on to more crunches....boring repetitive crunches.

Cue Yoga. I have never done yoga. I have heard about it, and friends have done it. I have friends who are instructors. I have been told that it is great etc. I decided to try it for myself.
I purchased this "Yoga For Cyclists" DVD and gave it a try.

I was surprised to find a workout, 30 minutes in length, that was fairly easy. The stretches are working parts of my body that I knew I needed to stretch, but did not know how. The strengthening exercises are subtle but thorough. The routine is challenging yet relaxing.

I can tell that my posture has improved, as has my position on the bike. I feel better, and look forward to what this routine will do for me over the next couple of months!!

If you have having imbalances, check out YogaFit.com for a whole slew of different Yoga DVD's. Or if you have the cash flow, join a local Yoga class.

Have a great day.

Great Weekend

The weekend was great, even though I didn't get on the bike one time. I talked to my bikes, and reminded them that there will be other weekends, but I didn't even touch them.

Saturday, the kid and I headed out to Pisgah to do some trail work. We reconstructed (?) a section of trail that runs on an old road bed. The trail ran down the middle of the road bed, which also fills with water from rain and a nearby creek. We did some rock work and zig zagged the trail a bit to keep it on high ground and out of the water.

Saturday evening, we previewed Klunkerz for the upcoming showing at the Pisgah Area Sorba Holiday Party: December 12th 7pm. Stay tuned for location and other details. They have offered to sponsor a used gear silent auction to benefit World Bicycle Relief. So, bring some old gear and have some fun.

Sunday, I told my kid that I needed to do some work on the house. He reminded me that it was Daddy/son day and that if I did that, he would not have anything to do, and I would be working all day.

Lesson of the weekend: Listen to your kids.

A light bulb flashed on in my head and I ran with the idea. I decided that progress on the project was less important than teaching him valuable life lessons. I proceeded to enlist his help with the project, giving him the important roll of measuring and remembering the measurements so I could make the proper cuts. Then he did some nailing for me. I can proudly say that he understands the concepts of fractions of an inch.

After my sweet wife got home from work, I decided to forgo my evening ride. Partially because I am not ready to ride for extended periods in the dark, and partially because I wanted to hang with the fam.

We loaded up and headed to the parkway with a picnic dinner to watch the sun set. I didn't even think about riding while we were up there chilling.

On the way back down we saw a large, dog looking animal that at first I thought was a red fox. We pulled over and watched it for a few minutes before it wandered into the woods. As we were driving again, I was thinking back to college days. I and some friends had a camp fire up in the woods. We made some chicken fajitas and tossed the leftover chicken bits in the woods, just outside of the firelight. Later, a red fox approached quietly, eating the scraps. It was then I realized that we had not seen red fox, but what I believe be a red wolf!!!

A great end to a great weekend. We all took a moment to thank our creator for the animals.

Have a great day.

Light

For the past 3 years I have been using a handle bar mounted Nite Rider MiNewt dual for my night rides. It has worked for me. When I got them, the price was good and I was satisfied knowing that I could not afford more expensive, brighter lights.

I rode those through dark, rain, snow. On long night rides. Their beams casting light, enough to see what was about10-20 feet in front of me. It is a little like riding through a tunnel. A very long tunnel.

This summer a good friend hooked me up with the Nite Rider Rage. I mounted it on my helmet for my ride home last night. As it started to get dark I switched on the MiNewt on my handle bars. I rode like that so that oncoming traffic could see me. When it got even darker I turned on the Rage that was mounted on my helmet.

That moment (and all the ones that led to it) will change my nite rides from here on out. I could see the light. Not only could I see what was 20 feet ahead of me, I could see 50 feet ahead. And I could see to the sides, down up and back. Wild. It was such a liberating moment for me. And when I passed through the little dark, spooky, wooded section, I was not nearly as spooked as I have been for the past 3 years of night rides. I'm looking forward to an extended ride in the woods to see if the fear creeps back in, or if I have found the answer to my unexplained, frustrating and inhibiting fear of the boogie man!!!


There is a trail workday tomorrow in Pisgah. Meet at the Daniel Ridge parking area at 9am. Todd Branham is heading this one up.

Have a great day!!

Not Much

Not much going on right now in the life of the Asheville Janes. The racing is over, the training is mellow. It is dark, a lot. Kind of depressing, but knowing that our bodies are intended to slow down makes it more bearable.

Interestingly, it has affected the kid too. He is grumpier and more irritable. I imagine that for the little ones, the time change and season change is somewhat confusing. After all, kids ( and some adults ) tend to see the world in about a 10 foot radius. Anything outside that boundary is something of another world. It is so important not to lose that childish point of view.

Last night I came home and found a spaceship in my living room. The futon and chairs had blankets thrown over them and were converted into a Mars landing vehicle. There was a pod on the outside for the pilot and a compartment inside for the passengers. He had even picked up some aliens which were inside the compartment. He let me ride in the compartment, and my job was to take care of the aliens: a green rubber bouncy ball, and my old Super Gonzo doll. Then the kid let me take it for a spin. That was fun.

I haven't mentioned World Bicycle Relief in a while, so don't forget to check out the cool things that are happening with bicycles in Africa.

Have a great day.

Yesterday

My ride home last night turned out to be interesting. I took a longer way home to get a little extra time in the saddle. As I was riding up one steep hill, a dog came after me from across the road. This dog is big and bouncy and probably friendly, but you never know. I was going to keep riding when I heard a motorcycle coming from behind, I slowed, knowing that if the dog came after me, he would likely be t-boned by the motorcycle. I waved my arm to the left to motion to the motorcycle that a dog was there. He slowed down and rolled up next to me, he continued to go as slowly as he could. I hesitated for split second, until I realized that he was blocking for me. I got pedaling and the dude on the motorcycle blocked for the whole 100yrd length of the dog's property, really cool!!

Then I went up and over the next hill, just over the top, as I was getting speed again, I almost t-boned a rabbit!!!

And finally, as I was descending that same hill, I saw that oncoming traffic had slowed to a crawl, with one car flashing headlights, often a warning to oncoming traffic to watch for danger in the road. It was pretty dark by this time as the sun had set and the sky was overcast. Then I saw the reason for the caution. There was a pile of leaves all the way across the road, about 6 feet wide, and 2-3 feet tall. All the way across the road, and two dudes with blowers, blowing them out of their yard into the ditch on the other side of the road. Weird.

Yesterday, ( in the post: The Swank), I mentioned that I had a change of perspective. A couple of people mentioned that I should not give up, don't be discouraged etc. I guess that I failed to communicate that I am not at all giving up. I have started training and expect to do better than last year. I already feel stronger!! But, I am not going to entertain the idea that I could beat the likes of Jeremiah Bishop on a 50-100 mile race. ( obviously if he had a bad day, flatted, etc. I would finish before him, but I think you know what I mean.).

So, no worries, you will see me out there next year, duking it out, going for the hole shot, digging deep, but not overdrawing the account!!!

Have a great day!!!

The Swank

Saturday I met Heather out at Cove Creek to do some trail marking and find out exactly where I was supposed to be for the race on Sunday.

We were both overdressed as we headed up out of the cove onto the ridge line. There was not a cloud in the sky, the sun was warming the forest quickly without leaves on the trees to provide shade. It was a perfect day for a leisurely ride through the woods. We stopped every so often to hand Kenda tape from branches, especially at trail or road intersections. We were out there for about 3.5 hrs. Nice easy riding.

Sunday, Rhonda and Jubal joined me. They were going to hang out at the start/finish while I went out to direct the racers. I headed back up the trail to Daniel's Ridge, double checking the route markings as I went. I got to the intersection a little early so I sat down to wait. It took about 45 minutes for Sam Koerber, the eventual winner to come by. By noon all of the racers had passed and the sweepers showed up around 12:20pm. I packed up and headed down Daniel Ridge to Farlow Gap trail. I hung out with a small group of folks by the creek while we waited for some folks to heckle. Sam came by, still in the lead.

I headed down the trail to the rest stop, double checking the route markings as I went. After hanging out there for a little while, I decided I should not let this warm weather and the chance to ride Cove Creek trail again, slip away. So I headed up the long dirt road to Cove Creek and headed back to the finish line.

Rhonda and Jubal had volunteered to help there. Jubal was calling out numbers as racers came in, and Rhonda was taking names. I was happy that they had found something fun to do.

It was great to sit around and chat with friends that I have made over the past two years of racing. The mountain bike community is a group that I cherish and as I stood there after dark, looking around at the faces, it was good to be among like minded individuals.

A Revelation:
As I was standing in the middle of the woods, watching the top riders cruise past, then the middle of the pack, fighting for a place in the middle, then lastly the people who were out there doing it, either because they lost a bet, or they wanted a challenge, I had a revelation.

I'm never going to podium in an open category, ever. There are lots of people who are faster than me. They have coaches, more time to train, and the talent of racing for 10 plus years. I'm not going to beat them so I'm going to stop trying. Don't get me wrong. I'm not going to stop racing, and training and giving 100%, but I am going to re-assess who I am and what I want from the sport. I have limits, and I have spent the last 3 yrs fighting those limits. I know my limits, and know what I am capable of, so I'm going to train for it and get out there and do it.

So, just know that when you see me out there, ( or if you are so fast you don't see me out there), I am out there because I want to be, and I am going to be pushing, and grinding away, because I love to be out there, and I love to be out there with like minded people. And I'm going to do the best that I can, and train hard in the rain, snow, or sun. And I'm going to get stronger, and hopefully ride faster and still challenge you. And when I don't come in in the top ten, I'm going to be satisfied, because that's how it worked out!!! (so, don't stop looking over your shoulder, I'm still back there somewhere).

Long live, long rides!!

Have a great day.

It's Friday

Finally. This week has dragged by. The past 3 weeks have. This past week went a little bit faster. Time usually seems to go by faster when I ride my bike on a regular schedule.

I'll start that again in December. I remember last year getting started with a scheduled training plan in November, and by March I was ready for a break. But with the Cohutta 100 in April, that did not work too well. So, I'm gonna ride some without a strict schedule for November and then get down to it in December.

New Leaf Adventures just announced that the Cohutta 100/ Big Frog 65 is on April 24th this year. I plan on signing up for the 100 miler like I did last year. Last year I ended up doing the 65 miler because the Wednesday before I barfed my guts out half the night for some unknown reason.

This year I am making long rides a priority. No excuses. I also won't be helping to build an addition this year so I'll have some extra energy.

The Farmer's Almanac is forecasting a colder than normal winter this year. Good thing I'll have the Super Secret State of the Art Training Center up and rolling. I'm thinking about adding an espresso bar with barista and massage therapist. I thought about a hot tub but that uses a lot of energy, I might look into a wood burning hot tub some day.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to 2010.

This weekend is Swank 65, it is filled up but come on out and volunteer, heckle,spectate etc. I'll be out there helping out!!

Have a great day.

Imbalance

This word has been stuck in my head for several weeks now. It's one of those things that I am chewing on and I have realized that it has a lot to do with pretty much everything.

In life, we need balance. For instance: in endurance racing, a person needs water, not too much or they wind up with a condition that is too difficult to spell at 6am. Also, not too little or they get dehydrated. And the amount can change due to external circumstances which include but are not limited to temperature, exertion, and diet.

On the bike, if one leg is pedaling faster/ stronger than the other, this creates an imbalance. If the handle bars are slightly twisted to one side, this creates an imbalance.

At work or on a sports team, if one person is not carrying their load, or not communicating, or complaining instead of working to reach a solution, this creates an imbalance.

At home, same issues, if one person in the family is not doing their part to contribute to the common good, there is an imbalance.

We must seek to be balanced.

Balanced does not always mean comfortable though. Like getting up early to exercise, or have some alone time. Seeking balance will push your limits and that is rarely comfortable, but often worth the discomfort.

Look to nature, you see balance everywhere. A constant was created and woven into everyday life that we can look around and see with our own eyes. Look at the ants, whatever you believe about the age of the earth, the ants have been collecting food every year, getting ready for the season ahead. Watch them, and learn from them.

Have a great day.

2010

My 2010 training starts today. It's 33 degrees outside and I think I might regret it, but I'm going to get back on the bike today.

Most training plans tell a person to set some goals for the season before the season begins. I suppose one common goal is to win a race. That would be cool and all, but my focus this year, again, is going to be to finish my race!!

In the past, my attempts to go fast and win have resulted in the opposite result. So, I'm going to continue my plan of approaching a race calmly, riding well, and finish.

My goals are to challenge myself, to do the best that I can with the time that I have to train.

And my ultimate goal is to spread the word about the "Power of Bicycles".

Thanks to people who support me in this mission ( listed in the left hand column), I'll be able to do that again in 2010.

One thing that I really learned about last year is the importance of intensity in training. I didn't realize until late in the season that I was not approaching this aspect correctly, or at all really. Once I added that in, I saw myself getting faster and stronger.

Something else I did was shorten my training cycle to 3 weeks instead of 4 weeks. I started taking a rest week every two weeks instead of every three. This seemed to serve me well and let me recover better from my longer more intense rides.

Another thing that is difficult from now through March is getting long rides in. With Rhonda working every other weekend, it is close to dark by the time she gets home. I can still ride with lights, but the the ol' fear factor comes in to play. Boo! So, I'm going to need to get creative with my time. I hope to have my super secret state of the art training center complete within a month. Then I'll be able to spend some hrs on the rollers..... ( I've never ridden the rollers more than 45 minutes, anyone have a small tv/dvd player they want to donate?).

Well, here is a toast for the 2010 season!!

Have a great day.

Scenarios

When I am faced with life's many decisions, I like to have the chance to chew on what I should do. What is the appropriate response? What will bring about change? How will it or could it affect those around me?

I play through the scenarios in my head...all of the scenarios that I can think of. I play them and replay them. I make changes and play them again. Looking at it from one angle then another.

What will benefit me? What will cause damage?

Which decision will benefit the greater good? The greater cause?

I rewind in slow-mo, then fast forward, soaking it in and letting it marinate in thought. I ponder. I wonder.

Sometimes this process takes minutes. Often times it takes years. At times a piece is missing, and I have to go back with a mental fine tooth comb and search. Other times I let it rest in the back of my mind. Periodically looking at it like an unfinished book collecting dust on the shelf. Knowing that I need to pick it up, open it and finish, at the same time knowing that now is not the time.

Only after I have gone through all the scenarios available to my wandering mind can I move on. And when the situation has passed, sometimes I move on without looking back. Sometimes I re-run the situation in my head. To watch it again. To see if I did everything I could to do the right thing.

And then I move on. I always move on, at some point. Sometimes this takes minutes, sometimes years, but I always move on. I don't have the energy to stay there. I move on.

Have a great day!

The Training Begins

November 2, 2009 marks the official start of training for the 2010 season. I am super excited. I was slated to start riding today, but instead I'm going to incorporated some cross training in the form of rest. Rest? Already? Yes, I have a head cold. Blech. Not the best way to start the season, but that's how it goes.

I worked outside in the raining and chilly weather Friday night and Saturday. The good thing is I made major progress on my new top secret state of the art training facility. I have to work on it in stages as the I get the money for supplies, but hopefully it will be ready to go in a month or so.

Have a great day.