I can continue beating the dead horse about how fast time goes. Instead, I will offer this complaint.
WHY DOES IT GET DARK AT 5 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???!??!?!
eh hem. Anyway....lets get into what has been going on around here.
The answer is....not much really. Just living life you know. We are coming into the Holidays, so plans are getting added in and the schedule is busy. Normal for this time of year.
I signed up for Barry Roubaix, however I am just on the waitlist. I knew it would sell out, but the stars didn't align properly that week. Its ok though, I am only down the list a bit and I am confident I will still get in. I signed up for the 62 again. I need to get out there and get it done in 2025. Last time I tried that distance at Barry I tanked about 35 miles in because of the heat. Well....that is what my 'main' excuse was. In reality I was just too out of shape to ride that far.
Lumberjack 100 registration opens in about a month, and I plan to sign up. Fingers crossed I can get in again. I need to have some redemption after 2023 and 2024 didn't go so well. Remember in 2023 my frame gave up on me about 52 miles in. This year I had elbow surgery and missed 3 months of riding. Then followed that up with stomach surgery that pushed me out another few months. So, 2025 is the year of redemption.
There will be other events lined up for 2025. I do want to stick to more mountain bike races. So the regular Yankee Springs TT will be on the schedule. As well as others like Peak to Peak, maybe Mud Sweat and Beers, Bear Claw Epic, possibly Ore to Shore. I miss the mountain bike races and the series. I want to get back to my roots. So while I still will do some gravel races (Barry, Dirty 30, Cow Pie, Fast Fiddy) I really want to do more mountain bike events.
Training has been going ok honestly. I am on the bike a few days a week, and I am doing my weight training 3 days a week. I am feeling pretty good overall, other than a newly developing cough this week. Fitness wise, I am feeling comfortable on the bike. My average power and speeds have been much higher than in the past. I am finding routes (Zwift) that have climbing. My focus is to build fitness and endurance, along with adding in the climbing ability that I have always lacked. Dropping 50 pounds has helped, but I am still over 50 away from my goal. So I keep riding and getting a bit stronger, all while the scale slowly moves towards my ultimate goal.
What is holding me back? As usual, myself. I can list a pile of "reasons" (excuses) but they all come back to the guy I see in the mirror. I am working on how I deal with stress, self confidence, and emotional eating responses. This combination means that I need self care and self love that I have always struggled with. I have been better, and I will continue to improve. I will continue to be a work in progress. I know I will never be perfect. Perfection is unattainable, but that doesn't mean we don't strive for it.
When I am stressed, I have been sitting and resetting instead of wandering into the kitchen for a terrible snack. Most days I win that battle. Some I lose. But I am winning many more days that I am losing. I keep moving forward one day a time because I know I have to answer to myself in the future. When I worked with a trainer a few years ago she taught me a lot of things to ask myself in certain situations. An example is when I have a bad snack in my hand I should ask myself "how will this benefit my future self?". This has been on my mind a lot this week because it is a very helpful mantra. If it doesn't benefit me....why the hell should I eat it. My future depends on the decisions I make now. Gotta make sure those decisions are good for my health and emotional well being.
Not many weeks left in 2024. But I have a weight goal I want to achieve. It will do great things for me physically and mentally if I can hit it. And if I miss, I will still be closer to my ultimate goal. Tweaks daily and continued physical movement are my success keys.
Keep moving forward friends.
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