40 days and 40 nights

Yesterday marked 40 days into the new year and it seemed like a good time to update you with the "off season" happenings.

I started the year at 235#'s and for the entire month of January I stuck to the 90/10 program that had previous success with. However, on my tough trainer nights under Coach Rob, I noticed that I felt like I wasn't able to do my workouts because I just didn't have enough juice in the tank. Starting with February, I altered my 90/10 approach to include some simple sugars (after 2PM) on days when I was scheduled for the tougher workouts, and I have been VERY happy with the results thus far.  I finally started feeling like I was nailing my workouts with the addition of a few "unapproved" snacks.  (I should clarify that the nutritional plan was NOT implemented by Rob, but rather something I took on myself, in addition to hiring Performance Coaching Services).  So far, I am down 15 pounds and starting to look and feel like a cyclist again. 

Before #1

After #1

Before #2

Before #2

I always thought a coach would have unrealistic expectations about the amount of time that I would be expected to be on the bike. When you work full time and often in excess of 65 hours a week, with family commitments and other obligations, free time is often a precious commodity. But in truth, the coaching has only amounted to roughly 8.5-9.5 hours a week. I work out most nights for about an hour and then about 3-4 hours on Saturday. Those hours mostly suck, because I don't get home until 6-630 and that means Im on the trainer.  But daylight is increasing and it won't be much longer until I am able to do more of my rides outside, without fear of getting hit by another car.

One of the rides I DID get to do that wasn't on a trainer was when I went to Rays Indoor Mountain Bike park with Billy Slutz.  It was my first time on the mountain bike in a LONG time, but it was also the first time we took Mackenzie and let her try her Strider on the various obstacles in the beginner rooms. She had so much fun and liked it so much that she wanted to hit the big jump room with her best friend Addie.  Since then, every morning when I wake her up to drive into the office with me, she gets a big smile and asks if we are going to the bike race and the"big room".  I think we may have to take her there this weekend just so she keeps up her excitement in the sport!

She will be hitting this tabletop and catching air before we know it

making her own lines over new obstacles

She didn't like the banked turns because she couldn't put her inside foot down easily

She was HELL BENT on riding in this room.

But it hasn't been all inside riding either.  I went out with EJ, Devin, and Jim Mock and did 56 miles on one of the many nice weekends we've had this winter. While I survived, I want to thank them for their patience, as I was definitely the burr under the saddle when it came to keeping things moving. I was feeling good on the first half of the trip and started to tank it coming home from Monessen. By the time we hit Elizabeth, I was on fumes.  Thank goodness I knew Pattis Pasticceria was waiting for us at the end of the ride, and thats just about all that I could focus on for the last hour of the ride. Man, was it worth the effort to make it there.  Good stuff!

About to crush some calories!