New Home & Focus for 2008

Mallie Meanders

It's always worse the second day...

Wednesday Activity:
2 Hour Road Ride

Though my legs were a bit sore yesterday, I spun them out with a good warm-up on the bike and they didn't hinder me too much. This morning they're tight as all get out. Ouch. I should have known. After a hard leg session, it's always worse the second day after. It's a weights day again, but I'll be going hard on the upper body today, and just stretching out the lower body with some low weight, high rep DLs.

It's time to start making and finalizing calendars, isn't it. 2008 is right around the corner. We're making plans at Casa Dein, as well. More me than el Jefe. The DH races never post dates this early. I tried to see if we'd be going to Icycle this year (nighttime, freezing cold DH race), but the site expired. That doesn't bode well.

I have some definites. I have some maybes. And I have some months/events about which I'm totally unsure. But that is what this time of year is about. Plotting, planning, budgeting time and money. Figuring out if the dog has to be boarded, or if one of us will be home while the other is away.

So I'll leave you with my definites, and I'll ponder some more on the maybes. And I'm sure I'll post some maybes that will have to be changed later. It's all part and parcel.

2008 Definites (not in proper date order):

At least one Snake Creek Gap TT
24 Hours of Sebring
BURN 24 Hour
Baker's Dozen
Lumberjack 100
Fools Gold 50
12 Hours of Dauset
13 Hours of Santos

Two For Tuesday

TUESDAY's ACTIVITY:
90 minute spin on trainer
75 minute weights

Gotta make up for missing a post yesterday!

Tomorrow's ride is probably going to hurt, as today's full body weight workout was pretty leg intense. Squats, deads, good mornings...all sure to make my hamstrings scream as I try to move tomorrow. Oh well...all for a good cause, right?

Missed a post...

BUT, not a workout!!!

Monday Activities (Active Recovery Day)
30 minutes full body, light weights
45 minutes yoga

Yesterday got away from me with work and nasty rainy weather induced blahs. Never got to post, missed my second day of thirty on the posting front. Sigh.

But I did get in the workout, and I did stay on track with my food, despite the grey and gloomy day that seemed to require me to search out chocolate. I didn't succumb! Another few days and the craving for junk will subside and sugar-free jello will seem a treat again!

On tap today...90 minute easy spin on the trainer. The sun is out and shining, but the trails will be wet and muddy and the roads possibly under puddles, and I've got to stick close to home due to work...so I'll get in those ninety and maybe a bit more, while prepping my pardukey for any bad weather days in my future (there will be some, even in the relative warmth of GA).

Not letting the blahs get me down, at least not again!

Countdown to Christmas

Today's Activities:
1 Hour Interval Session on Trainer
20 minutes upper body lifting

What? No the blog isn't going to turn into a holiday festivity extravaganza. It's just that as of today, there are 30 days until Christmas. Yep! And I've been in need of something to smack me across the face and/or boot me in the pardukey to get back on track after the wedding. So I gave myself a thirty day task with a countdown.

In these thirty days I'm going to complete a real weight training course, as well as get the necessary base miles and hours under my chamois. I'll also be dialing in the diet, which I've let get too far off track with stresses and overindulgence.

You may ask, won't it be hard to stay away from the yummies of the season. Probably not too hard. I'll be working from home this month, as my boss knows and appreciates that I get more done here than at the office. So there won't be co-workers bringing in yummies. And once I get into the groove again, I generally lose cravings for the bad stuff. It usually takes me 4-5 days to get into the groove, so you'll all be expected to help hold me accountable.

I'll soon be receiving my next training plan from Coach Musto, which will take me through the holidays, so I'll have something to plot and plan around. I know many of the rest of you are also diving back in after off-time, so I'm hopeful that you'll support me while I do the same for you.

Today was the first day on the trainer since last year. I forgot how much my pardukey hurts the first few times back on the trainer. No standing or change of position means sore girl parts. But they'll sort themselves out soon. I also forgot how much I sweat while riding indoors. I was toasty and drippy when I'd completed my hour. Nothing like intervals to wipe you out.

The last part of my countdown goals is to post every day up to Christmas day, so that the blogosphere and all the cool folks within it can help hold me accountable and encourage me to get on the bike even if it's cold and wet, even if I'm tired, even if work is stressful...yadda yadda.

Day 1 of 30, COMPLETE!

So here I am...didja miss me?

So much to catch you up on. But, first and foremost, the blog's moving up on my list of important things, again. It fell toward the bottom with all the wedding schtuff. But now that the wedding's behind me, it's time for training to move back up to the top of the priority list.

THE WEDDING: Was beautiful. And exhausting. It was three days of non-stop running and doing and errands and girlification. Pictures are slowly trickling in, so there's only a few to post now.

My sister, the gorgeous bride...

It wouldn't be a wedding without the "chicken dance"...
that'd be me on the left, with the bride and groom

The bridal party rode to the reception in an open trolley,
so I'm looking a little windblown...but you can see I'm pretty girly!
Jeff, me, my sister Robyn, my brother-in-law Mark

RETURN TO THE BIKE: Sunday just didn't happen. We got home around 2:30 in the AM and Mallie, who normally can't sleep past 6:30 or so, didn't get out of bed until 10 AM. Then I spent the bulk of the rest of the day there. I was toast.

Monday saw an hour long spin and some yoga. Tuesday was supposed to be a 1.5 hour ride, but as I slept only 1.5 hours the night before (my schedule was all out of whack), I was barely able to walk through doorways, let alone ride a bike. Wednesday was a 2.5 hour SS MTB ride. T-Day saw me doing a 2 hour road ride on the SS. It started sprinkling 6 minutes in, then raining at the 15 minute mark. But I did the full two hours. We'd planned a trail ride for T-Day, but that didn't happen, so I shuffled things around.

Today, tomorrow and Sunday all have hours of planned riding and I'm looking forward to them!

TRACKING TRAINING: I'll be adding some sidebar links and new categories over the next day or two. It's back on and DEcember's going to see lots of miles and lots of strength training.

We'll talk about nutrition in the next post!

hope you all had a fantastic T-Day and that you're all enjoying an easy Black Friday!

Leaving Today...Back At It On Sunday

After a whirlwind morning which will be spent transporting the dog to the vet for his mini-vacation (he loves it there), picking up my dress, grabbing last minute items (I need a black bra, and maybe a different color nail polish...not sure the one I initially chose is "natural" enough...what do I know?), I'll be heading up to Atlanta for two and a half days of wedding intense girl time with the sister and her other main bridesmaids.

Hopefully it will pass fast. As I won't have my bike. I'm taking up some crocheting (yeah...I'm girlie in that way) and some Christmas cards (might as well get 'em written early, especially as there will be plenty of downtime on Saturday - make-up and hair begins at 11:30 and goes until 4 o'clock or something).

What do I dread most? The picture taking. Why? Because it's November and we're wearing strapless dresses. Somehow I don't think Karen's going to approve if I throw on my denim jacket to ward off the shivers! I'm so cold natured. Plus, I'm not particularly photogenic. I get a weird rictus look when I smile on cue. The digital camera is going...so I'll have someone document my transformation into a complete girl!!! Sigh.

Now...on to the other portion of this post. My slackness of late.

It's not difficult to eat healthily. It's just easier to eat junk or not eat at all. Either way your metabolism revolts and you gain back the pounds you lost.

It's not difficult to get your workouts in. It's just easier to let work and other stress get in the way (this wedding for example). And even though my coach tells me that sometimes life gets in the way, and though I appreciate her allowance that the three weeks have sucked, it doesn't mean I can't do everything in my power to get back on track.

So, we're coming home Saturday night. I can't spend the entire night at the reception, and luckily the sis knows and understands this about me. And after a little sleep-in (maybe a whopping 8 a.m.) for Mallie, I'll be out on my singlespeed, doing everything that I should have been doing these past three weeks.

I'm going to ask some of you to keep me accountable. You'll know who you are when I start posting regularly next week.

Thanks for sticking around through the lack of posts and the lack of bicycling when I did post.