Happy Halloween! I'm taking the kids out for trick or treating tonight....maybe I should dress up as a MTBer and get some candy too?

Got some more riding in.....a really good ride yesterday. Very windy but had the tailwind all the way home and was really flying. I'm having trouble getting in long rides though....yesterday was 3 hours and that is about as long as I've been able to get. Bad weather, other obligations have cut down on the time. But I've started the gym so hopefully that will help. Focused on my legs but will do upper body to balance it out.

I'm anxiously waiting for sponsor responses these days. Sent all the proposals out mid September so they should be coming soon.

Steve

The weather outside is brutal. I am determined to get back out on the bike as much as possible for base training but the weather isn't helping. Case in point this morning. Wake up at 7am. Still dark out. But dry. Have beakfast and check the temperature. 2 degrees. Pretty cold but I've got the gear. Rain supposed to hold off until Noon. Head out around 8am. A fair bit of wind making it quite chilly but I can take it. Then it starts to rain. Heavy rain. I am 40km away from home. Luckily I have a tail/crosswind. Made it home in a little over an hour, but I am drenched, especially my feet. They are frozen solid. Soak in the bath for 30 mins but still chilled.

I hope the weather gets better!

Training has begun

I have ridden my bike much over the past month or so. Trying to just take it easy and re-motivate for the 2006 season. The weather hasn't been that great which makes it difficult to get started but I am officially off. I got my gym membership squared away and will be spending lots of time there doing plenty of different things. I've built an entire training schedule for the next 11 months so it will be interesting to see how well I stick to it. If I can keep close I should definitely seem some improvement for next year.

I've sent out my sponsorship proposals already (done about a month ago) so now it is more of a waiting game. I am anxious to get things organized on that end as it makes a difference on planning some of my races for the new year. I still plan to focus on endurance races, but will also participate in some standard races and maybe even a road race. This was one place I was lacking this past year.....just not enough actual racing under my belt. Nothing simulates racing like racing....you just give a totally different effort from when you try to copy race conditions while training.

Did my first workout with weights last night and boy are my legs sore. I've got a session booked with a trainer next week to hone in my plan to make sure I'm doing the right things for my plan. I know what I want to do and areas I want to improve but need someone to build a proper plan for me so I don't overdo it too much.

Today is a rest day and then back out for a road ride tomorrow. Those are becoming more challenging with the short days and cool mornings....but I'll live with it.

Steve