Whoa, it's been a while. I have hit the road a few times for 40+ mile rides and am heading out tomorrow on a 50 mile ride. It worries me a bit because after 3.5 hours and 40+ miles, I am beat! I'd like to blame it on my crappy bike... hopefully when I get some new gear, things will get easier. A few times, I was peddling my butt off only to be passed quickly and effortlessly by someone 20 years older riding a fancy looking expensive bike. We're supposed to be getting sponsored by a local bike shop soon and can't wait to get rid of my rusty egg beater!

3 hours

I'm up to three hours on the trainer. It's kind of a rough 3 hours. I watched a movie yesterday and when it was over, I still had 1.5 hours left! Also, I am going to have to start breaking up the hours. 3 is my max at night after a long day at work, so I might have to wake up early and get some hours in. One benefit... I hit the pillow and I am out for the whole night!
Friday... weather pending... 50 miles! I'll try to hit 100 by the end of the month.

40 degrees + 30 MPH wind = an awful ride!!!

In my pursuit of various athletic sports over the past few years, I have discovered a few things that make me ask myself "why am I doing this?" First, I never though I could feel as miserable as when we would get out on the lake to row at 6:30 am, when the temp was 35, the winds were in your face and there was a steady drizzle. I literally spent an hour in the shower trying to get my core back to 98.6 degrees! Second, your lungs truly want to leap from your throat and scurry off the mat when you are wrestling your heart out against someone that is aiming to snatch one of your limbs and snap it in half. Third, riding a bike isn't as fun when it is in a 30 MPH headwind and the temps are just above freezing. That is what I encountered today. I actually was yelling back at the wind to stop for just a second and allow me to catch up. I knew I was in trouble when I went down a huge hill and the wind slowed me almost to a halt. I'll get used to this right? Ahh, comfort is for the weak!

Training has continued for 2 to 3 hours a day. Usually a two hour bike ride followed by an hour cross training at the gym (hitting the heavy bag, etc). I miss ju jitsui and sparring with the MMA team but I suppose staying healthy is most important right now. The last few years have proved tht I am a magnet for injury!
I am on a 4 day work week which opens up Fridays for long distance training. It will be a nice change from biking in the house! Although, time flies when you throw a good movie in.
I got some exciting news from the organizers. Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to be at our launch in San Fran. I never put celebrities on a pedestal but c'mon, this is the Terminator, "Dutch" Schaeffer, Jack Slater, Ben Richards, and of course Douglas Quaid (Total Recall). If you were a boy growing up anywhere in the US during the 80's, this guy was THE action hero.
Also, I got wind that they are filming a documentary about the trip. Not sure how I feel about that. I am wondering if the crew will be getting into our business... We'll see how that goes.
Well, I'm off for my first 4 hour ride. It is a bit chilly, so we'll see how far I actually make it!

Training has been pretty uneventful. My butt is killing me from hours and hours on the trainer. At first it was simple to jump on the bike and hammer out a half hour here and there whenever I was up to nothing but I am itching to get out on the road to change up the scenery a bit. My living room can get a bit boring at hour two!

The flu???

I am pretty sure I have the swine flu. I feel like I got hit by a truck. Yesterday i had what seemed like a bad cold and then it carried over into today with a fever, headache, cough, etc. As a result, I haven't trained in three days. I am not too worried, my body needed a bit of a break. I am hopefully going to ease back into it tomorrow. Until then, it's weird fever dreams for me! Lol!

Well, the funeral is over and family is beginning to head back across the corners of the country. Funerals are an odd mixture of sadness and happiness. It's so good to have everyone come together but I wish it was on better terms. Also, we take time to honor and pay tribute to a loved ones life and that tends to be inspiring. I wish we could find a way to do that while they are still alive...
My training is coming along. I've seemed to gain weight which is odd. I blame the change in workout routine. I am going to need to figure out a long distance cardio nutrition plan because every extra pound is going to kill me through the Rockies!
Until this weather clears up (rain and snow in the South!!) I am going to be stuck training indoors on my cycle trainer hooked up to my mountain bike. My goal is 30 minutes before work, 30 minutes at lunch and 2 hours at night.
That's all for now!