The picture above says it all! I have been pretty silent lately, for good reason! It has been very busy. Vacation, work, family, and any spare time has been spent riding or running! The SPIN! rides have been unbelievable this year! We have been averaging close to 70 riders at each ride the last month. Even with the extreme heatwave, people were riding there bikes and then hanging out and eating some pizza. It makes me smile to think about all the people who have been riding with us over the past few years. I remember when we were excited if we had 20 riders on any given night. Don't get me wrong, I am still happy when anyone shows up to ride with us, but this has been the best year for attendance. It tells me that many people are turning to fitness on a bike as an outlet and/or social activity! Because we love to socialize and talk about biking as much as we do riding at the SPIN! rides. If you have not been out to one, come and join us before September 17th. That is the last scheduled ride before we all meet up at the Tour de BBQ on October 1st! If you have yet to experience the Tour de bbq, it has become an instant KC cycling must ride over the last few years. The money raised goes to fight Cancer right here in the KC Metro area and the food is the best of any ride you will ever encounter. The post party event is unreal down at the P&L District across the street from the SPINT Center. I am definetly not going to miss any of the festivities at this event and if your family or friends do not ride, have them meet you after the ride for one heck of Party! You will not regret it.
So, the road to my next events has required a lot of changes in my training. It also has me re-assesing the rest of the racing year. I have had to cut back on some events due to the increased volume of training and adding the running to the program. Change is something that had to occur in order for my body to adapt to the new demands that will be placed on it during the longer endurance events. So, this month has Zero racing, but September, October, and November will both have a mix of running and Mountain Biking events to close out the racing season. Cyclecross is on the horizon, but I am not sure what my decision will be on racing Cross for 2011? I will most likely enter a few events, but it is not a major focus. I am looking down the road at 2012! Some major events are already booked and on the calendar and they will require more focus, preparation, and planning than most of the events require. I am fine with it, as I will see the family a bit more and have no racing pressures going into the holidays for 2011. Usually I am full on with Cycle cross and it goes right up to Christmas. By December, the season will be over for me and should be a nice little off season!
But, there are still races to be raced and a lot of miles to put in over the next several weeks to get ready for some new events this Fall. I am embracing a lot of changes this month physically and mentally. It is good to do this, it is healthy to imput stresses on your body that require yourself to dig a little deeper. Sometimes, I just enjoy the training more than the racing, I know it is a sickness that I have had since I first laced up my speed skates and felt the exhilartion of going fast for a long time, just ask my cousin Mark about my training sessions back in the day. But, at some point, I need to be let out of the cage and see what is in the tank? I will be doing this a few times in September, October, and early November. Other than that if you see me slow to stand up, or walking a little gingerly, it is all good! That means i am putting in the required efforts, to make the changes necessary to reach that next goal and provide myself with the opportunity to get to the next level, whatever that will look like?
Life is good! Train smart, train right, and the rewards will come your way!If the season ended today for me, a big smile would always be on my face thinking about the 2011 racing season. But, it is not over and there are still some races that our team is focused on and I am a part of that focus. Besides, there are only 272 days left until the gun goes off at Ironman Texas, going the distance is the goal! I am not sure what it will feel like crossing that finish line? But, I am going to place myself in the position to enjoy every step of the way!
See you on the road, at SPIN! Ride or in the dirt!
GO!
