Fun loves Company

Been training pretty consistently, but not all that hard. Basically I am keeping my weight down and starting to work on weaknesses without getting too serious or too intense. Run a few times, trainer on the TT bike two times and then a bit of mountain, cross or road biking. As often as possible with others, but sometimes by myself.

Last week I did run almost 18 miles and this week I am already at 12. If you had asked me last year if I would be running 10k's at 5 to 6am like they were nothing I would have said something like "are you flippin' out of your gourd?". My weight is consistently down even with an enormous bowl of Halloween Candy that we (Stacie, Audrey, myself and others (Thom)) devoured. I dont dare add up the calories and grams of HFCS and Hydrogenated oils I ingested.

I am treating the running like the cross or time trialing and mountain biking if you can believe that. As I run I work on cadence, landing on my heel as softly as I can and lifting my foot as quickly as I can. I keep my arms in tight and moving forward not out to the sides. Keep that momentum going forward where it helps. Basically if I am going to run I want to run right and I want to be able to do it fast if need be (like a 5k or part of a Du or Biathlon). I have also learned that just like bike racing I cannot sprint worth a darn.

And me being basically a pack type animal I like to do these things with others. One of my dogs makes a great running partner now that shes old enough and its cold outside. Oh to be able to run like a dog (a Spaniel/Collie mix no less). I think those POS pro athletes hitting the CERA and HGH and EPO should just do a little Spaniel/Collie DNA splicing!! Endless energy and a sprint to beat all. The only odd side effect I suppose would be a craving for squirrel and doggy biscuits at the end of every bike race. But i could use that. Picture a squirrel standing just past the finish line taunting me with a piece of bacon in its mouth. Want it? Come and get it boy..... AROOOOOO!!!!

But as usual I digress. And who would think that I would be running at 6am with not the "boys" but two moms from the elementary school my daughter goes to? Not me. Its actually fun to get to talk school and life outside of bike racing (though one of the mom's I helped to buy a new Triathlon bike this summer). So we still talk bikes, but mostly school and what our kids do. I really enjoy it and am thinking about taking up knitting next.

Ive had to run alone too and that hasnt been too miserable. But it hasnt been fun either. But I have a lot on my mind these days and its good to zone out a bit and try and sort out all my ideas and thoughts and dreams and goals for the upcoming racing season and in life too. There are never shortages of voices in my head...er...maybe I should put that another way?

Heres one thats presented a bit of a dilemma for me. Its sort of a question right now. Would you do something that would require a lot of effort and sacrifice because you thought you might be good at it, not necessarily because you wanted to do it or loved to do it? Does the end justify the means? Is that how that saying goes? I always screw up the sayings. Here is what has been eating at me a little bit. You know between worrying about FTP, my dsimount and remount, weight or something silly like making and saving enough money to send Audrey to college? YOu know it will cost nearly a Trillion dollars per year by the time shes 18. OH, I digress again (or does this post have any purpose at all?).

Should I start training to do a Triathlon? Simple question, but anything but a simple answer. I think in the end I will do one someday as a challenge to myself, but I really LOVE to race my bike against others. And by that I dont just mean pedaling the bike fast. I mean the strategy, the team work and the dynamics of road racing is something that I really, truly love. Yes I time trial too, but I dont just time trial. This is the complete opposite of my thoughts about racing mountain bikes where I would expect to be awful and just do it for fun. I feel like doing Triathlons is only because I might be decent at it. I am not sure at any point (except maybe the bike) that I would think i was having fun. Weird huh?

And finally last night WE went mountain biking. The trails are almost undetectable under the leaves. But with Chris there leading the way and unlocking some mysteries to me about where certain turns are I finally found some of the paths that I kept missing the last two weeks.

And like running, mountain biking is another sport that is more enjoyable with others. Sure you can have fun and go at your own pace and redo sections or obstacles till your satisfied with yourself, but when you fall and land on a small tree, hear it crack and it breaks and you fall again, pell mell down the side of a hill, isnt it better to know your buddy got to see it and laugh about it later? I think so.