Sunday, January 25, 2009

Where Did It All Go?

Two weeks ago I find myself in some nicely improving form. About 10 days off for the holiday's gave me plenty of time to rest, ride, & eat... ahh the life of a cyclist, if it could only be this way everyday. The legs were coming around well, the power was improving, and the general aches & pains were gone due to gym work & yoga. Riding again was fun & motivational as turning the pedals over was easy.

Fast forward to the past week and the form is gone. Constant left calf cramps sting like a dull needle in the leg. Its an annoyance more than anything & better than the 2 days of constant stomach bug that had ruined any hope of Andrew Gold this past saturday.

This week the team heads down to Georgia for a 4 day training camp. Yep the Devil Went Down to Georgia. Hopefully the bug will be gone & the legs will be ok so I can steal some souls on Brasstown Bald.

Monday, January 05, 2009

Remember December?

Happy New Year? Where the hell did December & the holidays go? Back to life, back to work, back to the blah of a cold winter with only 1.5 hours at best to ride the bike after work.

This holiday I told myself I will remember December, what I enjoyed from it, and what I'll do to make next December better. This year I got an early start on the holiday spirit by watching a "A Christmas Story" early. This is by far the best Christmas movie ever made or ever will be made.

With the thought of Momma's Little Piggy fueling me until vacation started, I was excited to go to NoVa and visit my Sister, Mother, & Niece . I brought the bike as usual & planned on staying for 5 days.


Lesson 1 learned: 5 days was not enough time. I had so much fun chasing my niece around the house, taking her to a bike shop & letting her wreak havoc, and giving her my "toots" as presents that it makes me want to almost get married & start my own family. Almost...

I also enjoyed watching my favorite "A Christmas Story" movie on 24 hour loop. And this is where the sadness crept in. Once the 24 hour loop ended, I felt like my Christmas had slipped away, even though I still had 3 more days with the family. Lesson 2 Learned: Bring my DVD & play it on 96 hour loop (that'll make everyone happy) & they have no option in their happiness or madness as this is Uncle Dan's only Christmas request.


As is tradition, I got plenty of riding in. NoVa is so flat compared to Blacksburg that I feel like I have extra gears cruising around at 25mph. I did my traditional 75 mile ride into Washington D.C., saw the sights & got the hell out quick as there was plenty of tourists visiting to see Obama's Inauguration Stage being built. Lesson 3 learned: Kashi GoLean! bars kick ass on the bike, tons of protein for the long burn, low fat, & easy on the gut.


So now begins the next Countdown to Christmas. I'm sure 2009 will bring plenty of fun adventures, but come early December I'll re-read this & remind myself, take the whole 12 days off, I triple dog dare you.