Singletrack!

This past weekend was awesome weather. It was 70 degrees on Saturday and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ride. We got word that TK Lawless was dry and clear so we geared up and headed down to the middle of nowhere just north of the Indiana/Michigan border. It was an interesting mix of people as Dwight, Jay, Summer, Mike, Dwight's Nephew, Bill and I headed out.

It didn't take long....and I got shot straight out the back of the pack....again. TK Lawless is super tight and twisty in the beginning and the end...and I don't corner very well because my center of gravity is high, so I was really slow...and out of sight they went. I kept chugging away and was just simply enjoying being on my Epic for the first time in 2014. Eventually I caught up (because they were nice and waited for me) and the trail opens up with some climbs. There is just under 10 miles packed into that tiny little park and it is amazing to see people that might be 300 yards ahead of you....or a few miles ahead of you. The trail twists and turns and comes within an arms reach a few different times. A nice change of pace compared to Yankee Springs and Fort Custer...and a ton of fun. Eventually I got back to the car after my first lap and everyone was there waiting for me. We regrouped and headed out for another lap.

It was supposed to be just an easy lap but I got dumped out the back right away again. I kept them closer, but eventually they were gone again. I was just riding my pace....no reason to try to kill myself to keep up...I know they are all faster than me....but I am faster than I was last year....so I wasn't nearly as far behind. I crested a hill and saw the group waiting for me again. I rolled up to the group and slowly maneuvered through them and kept going. I was in the lead! I was actually in the lead longer than I thought I would be when I heard Dwight coming. He passed me on a hill and Summer was close behind him and they were gone...boom. That's ok, still a handful of people behind me.  TK has a cutoff at the 6 mile mark but I drove down there and was feeling pretty good so I chose to keep going. Managed to not be the last person back to the car!

Felt pretty good riding 20 miles on singletrack. Especially with sore legs from running 2 miles a few days before. Any singletrack is good....it was a long wait this year. Overall I am feeling pretty good. My daughter started soccer practice tonight so I ran....actually ran 3.1 miles on the track around the sports complex. I might pay for it, but I need to boost my weight loss program. Fort Custer Stampede is in 3 weeks and I want to be sub 240 or even sub 235 by then so I can gun for podium. Right now there is nobody signed up in my class so I like my chances!!!

Moving forward!

Happy New Year (resolutions....eh goals)

Happy New Year to everyone.

I know not everyone believes in making resolutions, but I am making them....under a different name. I am going to call them goals. But first.....I want to revisit last year for a second.

2013~
First off, I didn't have the best year. Lots of blah blah this and blah blah that. It is over and done. What I did actually accomplish....that makes me proud. I did a 5K and I ran the entire distance other than to get a bottle of water. Not bad for a larger guy like myself. It was fun, and this will get touched on in my resolutions goals for 2014. My race season was not as good as I hoped, but with all of the heart attacks and major injuries in the cycling community I will take getting through this last season as a win. Family always keeps us busy but it is always worth it. Meg got invited, and will be going, to tour with Blue Lake Performing Arts in Europe. She is amazing! Izzy did her very first race and did very well. It was a tough course and she did her best...making our team and her parents very proud! Zoe did amazing in her dance too and is learning more and more every day. Zack started driving and we actually did some snow training tonight. Never a dull moment in our house!

But...that is the end of last year. It is a new year and I am setting my resolutions goals right now....right here. It will be the typical goals that I have set before....but this year is different and I will reach the goals I set.

1. Weight: on this day next year I will be under 200 pounds. I have 65 pounds to lose as of today. In 52 weeks that is only 1.25 pounds per week. Not terrible. It is attainable. So...how do I go about reaching this goal? Nutrition. Exercise. Attitude. I will eat better....I have no choice. It is about my health. As my weight has creeped back up I have had more trouble sleeping...with a touch of apnea rearing it's head now and then. Gotta drop the weight...so I can reach goal #2.

2. Ride faster: seems simple enough when #1 is achieved. I did get down to 235 pounds in 2012 and I felt freaking amazing. I was faster and my handling skills were solid. It was so much more fun to ride fast and keep up with the group....well...sorta keep up....but not be so far behind. how is that?

3. Run more: this will be a key difference for me. I actually don't mind running as much as I thought. After the 5k last year I only ran a few more miles for the year. I am going to run more this year. Still thinking about how far....how many miles.....I will get back to this.

4. Ride more: duh. It is more fun to ride more. Just gotta do it. Simple. How many miles? Well....I would like to say 10 miles a day for a total of 3650....but that seems aggressive. 5 miles a day is only 1825 miles per day. I will set this goal at 200 miles per month or 2500 miles for the year. That comes down to just under 7 miles per day. Totally doable.

5. Be happy. This means that I need to focus on the positive and push out the negative. As a realist this will be the most difficult thing on this list.....but.....I can do it.

So to recap:

1. Be sub 200 pounds....down 65 pounds.
2. Ride faster
3. Run more.
4. 2500 miles for the year
5. Be happy.

Here we go.