Putting in the Miles

Spring has sprung in Richmond it seems. We may still have a cold spell hit us but lately it has been super nice and finally drying out. The pollen count is high which has really got my allergies kicking. But I am enjoying this weather none the less.

On Wednesday, I was tempted to go for a ride but Wednesdays is my day to work my upper body and core. So I did a fast 2 mile run in my Five Fingers. I over did it a bit and my calves paid the price. More on that later. After my run, I did my upper body and core workout. I have really started to get into these workouts. Especially the post workout smoothie. The protein powder, fruit, and milk smoothie is a great motivator to work my muscles hard.

The next day I was limping along. When running barefoot, which is essentially what I am doing now, the calve muscles are engaged more so then when slogging around in shoes. Striking on the mid foot puts more strain on the calves and I should really work up to it gradually.

After work on Thursday, the weather was again super so I boogied on out to Poor Farm and did a hard 70 minutes of riding on the mountain bike. It was a great workout and afterwards I felt pretty good. Yes, I could feel it in my knees but it was nothing that some ice would not take care of.

On Friday, I was limping around work as my calves were still sore. That night I did my core and upper body workout again followed of course by the protein-fruit smoothie. We had a late dinner that night which of course puts me to bed later than I want but there was really nothing I could do about it.

On Saturday, I did not set an alarm and got up when I got up. I needed the rest. After my egg sandwich, banana and orange juice, I suited up for a long bike ride. I rode from my house down to the river which is about 10 miles on the roads in traffic. Then I rode all the trails and then rode back for a total trip of about 30 miles with about 10 on the trails. It was a pretty long ride for a mountain bike trek and I felt pretty good.

When I got home I worked in the yard for about 2 hours before heading out to dinner and then to Whole Foods to shop. Our cart was mostly full before ever getting out of the produce section. We got so many fruit and fresh vegetables. I just love the site of a cart full of fresh and nutritious food. Buying all this great stuff is the first step to eating right. We have gotten in the habit of eating better and it is really paying off. We both feel a lot better and have less and less cravings for junk food, soda, and other comfort foods. I don't feel like we are denying ourselves anything. On the contrary we are rewarding ourselves with proper food.

Now I am officially pooped.

My favorite way to bring in the new year

In 2006 I had done my first ever 10k and my first ever Triathlon which was a difficult race. In the Fall of 2006, I continued to play soccer and ride my bike. As 2006 ended I had not committed to any races in 2007. I knew I would probably do the Monument Avenue 10K again because it was not only fun to race but also training with my church group was fun. Beyond that, I did not really plan any races.

First I had to plan my New Years Day epic adventure. I had started a tradition the previous year of doing a very long bike ride with as many friends as possible. The previous year was just my friend Chris and I. We rode our mountain bikes from my house all the way out to Ashland to Poor Farm Park where there are some good mountain bike trails.

This time around, I had invited a bunch of friends to do the same ride- ride from our friends house out to Poor Farm, ride the trails, and then ride back. I had about 6 people lined up to do the ride. I awoke to the alarm at 6:00 AM on New Years Day. It was pouring rain. I was not sure if we would still be doing the ride or not. I decided that I better plan as if we were so I could be prepared. I ate my bananas and granola and drank my Red Bull. I put on on my riding gear and was pretty much ready to go when the phone rang. It was the first person dropping out. Soon after that call, the phone rang again and another person had dropped out. I called Mario and he was also out. But apparently Bill was up for it. He was on his way to Mario's. So I headed out in the pouring rain to ride over to Mario's house where we would meet and then head out to Poor Farm.

To summarize the ride, it was a great ride. It poured rain the whole time though. Not just drizzle but pouring rain. Bill and I rode hard on the road as if we were in a road race. We had to keep pushing it so we would stay warm. Parts of the road were under water which really slowed us down. When we got to the park, some of the trails were totally under water. We rode for about 45 minutes on the trails before stopping for a quick snack and then making our way back home.

The ride home was tough. Bill lead most of the way. I stayed on his tail so I could draft. The water was spraying off his tire into my face but I did not care. I wanted to stay close to him so the draft from his bike would help me along. There is one word to describe my friend Bill and his biking ability. Bill is a BEAST. He was nice enough to slow down when I fell off the back. We rode back to Mario's, went inside real quick to say hello and then made our way back home. It was a 45 mile ride in the pouring rain. I will never forget it. It was perfectly epic. A great way to start the new year.