New bike's in, WOO HOO!

Picture Published

I had a picture published in the latest VeloNews gallery.

Post Christmas/New Year Catch-up

We had a nice low-key Christmas. We visited many of the local relatives and had a few cocktails. The week of Christmas was scheduled as a rest week in the training plan. It's a good thing because we spent an awful lot of time in the car. The day after Christmas we headed down to Southeast Missouri to visit with more of my family. Michigan, Florida, Alaska, Nevada, Kansas, Illinois and Missouri were all represented. During the week we had a couple opportunities to ride the Lake Wappapello Trail in the Lake Wappapello State Park. It's quite a bit different than riding in Michigan. The climbs are as steep as Michigan climbs just a lot longer. Plus, there's rocks, big and small, littering the trail. I spent most of the time concerned with breaking an arm and not knowing where the nearest, or any, hospital might be. They were nice low-key rides with plenty of breaks for safety and rest week sake. We also got a nice hike in at Mingo Wildlife Refuge. Add in the packing of my granny's house and it's a safe assumption that we got our 4.5 hours worth of training for the week.

We returned the day before New Year's Eve, the ride home seemed quite a bit longer than the ride down. We got a late start (I need my beauty sleep) and arrived back in Lansing around 9PM. New Year's Eve we got up early and went and picked up the puppies. After that I, pretty much, vegged the rest of the day. I was supposed to ride but I was exhausted. We went out early that night to meet with Chris, who was up from Kentucky and preparing for a deployment to Suckistan. I had a couple pitchers there and we headed to Dirk's place for a little party. There I consumed three-quarters of a bottle of tequila and struggled through a game or two of Guitar Hero (it sure looked easier on South Park). We called it a night early (for me/late for everyone else) and got home in time to watch the ball drop and get to bed.

New Year's Day I was still feeling less than motivated. I felt pretty content to sit around and watch the outdoor hockey game. Despite it being a great game I was convinced to give xc-skiing a shot. We went out to Burchfield, rented some equipment and I floundered around for an hour in the snow. I actually had a pretty good time and if I could be convinced that we'd have consistent snow, I'd likely buy the necessary equipment. I spent the rest of the week trying to catch up on my missed training. With Andrea's birthday, an unexpected funeral and oddly scheduled hockey games the attempt was good but unsuccessful. Now I just need to get back on the horse and stay consistent. No need to dwell on lost opportunity, unless I lose a close race come spring.

My new team bike, Rocky Mountain Vertex 70, should be shipped today. The new Bowflex should ship soon alleviating those nasty trips to the gym.