Being Held Accountable

So the last time I checked in, I filled you in about my new rules I was planning on living my life around. And like any significant change, I have to be held accountable or its easy to fall back to my old, unproductive ways.  So today, I am publicly updating the masses to hold myself accountable for the changes that have been implemented…

As for Rule #1, Ride the damned bike, I feel have done exceptionally well thus far.  Since the start of the new year, I have only taken 6 rest days from the bike. I’ve logged over 20 hours in the saddle and about 270 miles.  Unfortunately, most of the miles have been riding my trusty Cannondale R600 on the indoor trainer. Mack’s dad and grandmother have been less than dependable on taking her on the days that they are scheduled to, and with Amber going to school full time during the day and working nights and weekends, Baby sitting duty naturally falls on my shoulders. Mind you, I will never complain about getting to spend more time with her, it just proves to be very difficult to get outside on the bike. Lets just say I eagerly await 50 degree temps and pulling the baby trailer. But in the meantime, I am committed to this change and that means that I am on the trainer at least 60 % of the time.

Hate this view, but its one of the necessary evils to be ready to go for the Morgantown RR

Rule #2, Crosstrain. So far this is an area that is still slacking. But I have recently started doing upper body and core workouts . Because its been on such a limited basis, I personally consider this a failure thus far in my training season. And to this, I publicly make a promise to my teammates to step this area up. Crossfit anyone??

Rule # 3 is to Drop a lot of weight. And it has been slow and steady progress. I weighed in at the start of my offseason at 241 pounds. This morning I stepped on the scale and I am down 13 pounds.  I haven’t had to make a significant change to my diet yet, but I HAVE made a conscious effort to eat better foods and reduce my sugar intake. My pitfall is usually craving caffeine and since I can’t stand coffee, CocaCola has always been my go to beverage of choice.  I’ve given black and/or green tea a try but it just doesn’t seem to satisfy my thirst. But giving up coke (well, for most mornings anyways) is working and each day I step on the scales about 3 pounds lighter than I was the week before. Call it baby steps I guess.

Rays MTB Park on 1-1-14... 241 pounds

Rule #4 is to Set Goals.  While I have several significant goals (like reach 210 pounds again, average 20mph on solo training rides, take back my KOM on Ruff Creek Hill, and ride 5000 miles in this calendar year) its about setting smaller, attainable goals for the short term  goals. Having a rear wheel sensor for my trainer bike helps me keep motivated because I have a series of mini goals I plan to achieve on it. Some of these short term goals are as follows:

Average 16mph for an hour

Average 17mph for an hour

Average 16mph for the week

Average 18mph for an hour

Average 17mph for the week

Average 19mph and hour

Average 18mph for the week

Average 20mph for an hour

Average 19mph for the week

Average 21mph for an hour

Average 20mph for the week

Average 20mph for a 2 hour trainer session

(bold goals are already accomplished J

Rule #5 is HTFU. With this artic cold wave we have going on, it  is REALLY testing my commitment to this particular rule. But thanks to Nalini’s collection of Fleece Lined Tights, braving the sub zero temperatures has been easier than expected.  However, there have been a few times that I have succumbed to the temptation to skip an outdoor ride opportunity.It doesn’t help that on one of the winter rides I did go on resulted in my finding a large patch of ice buried under a layer of snow and followed that up with a swift exit from the vertical position in exchange for the much less preferred horizontal position.  Regardless of this mishap, I need to get passed this mental block and put the tire to the path, sSo again, I give myself a FAIL for this rule thus far as well.

 

Although technically a horrible picture from a composition stand point, I think the steam rolling off me in sub artic temperatures indicates just how cold its been lately.

My new rules have definitely helped with my training but there is still lots of room for improvement. I want to thank my teammates for doing their part to keep me on point. I need to thank the awesome folks at Pathfinder for putting together the care package that my trusty trainer steed needed to get her back into riding shape (its truly amazing what a new chain and cassette will do for a bike. And since I haven’t been able to make it down to the store, finding the beautiful green Pathfinder bag hanging on my door knob is always sets the tone for the rest of the night!)  And I want to thank Kenda too, because the Nevegal tires I ordered for the mountain bike are perfect for the mostly  snowy conditions I’ve been riding in this winter (although I have found out that they are not the best tire for riding on ice)  Also  special thanks to Shawn Geiger, Billy Slutz, Nikki Bee, and Stephanie Lamb for getting out there and riding with me this winter. I’m planning on practicing rule #5 this Tuesday for tacos at OTB, just so you know.  I also want to thank former teammate Jerry Audet for the random emails and texts that offer valuable online training resources, or words of wisdom, or even a swift kick in the ass. I also thank Mack for finally learning to entertain herself for an hour while I ride the trainer in the corner.  And a thank you to Amber for putting up with having a bike on a trainer and a repair stand with a box fan clamped in it, all left in the corner of the living room of our small apartment. While unsightly, it does eliminate the excuse of not wanting to set up the trainer every night.  And finally, a thanks is offered to you the reader for staying tuned to the endeavors of a fat and lazy bike racer.  Stop back later and check out my progress.