Rain days are one of the things totally out of my control. I woke up on Sunday morning to do a ride before 5 am and found it raining and wet. There wasn’t a lot I could do but go back to sleep. Flake days, however, are much more in my control. Despite the fact […]
Being accountable for your workouts is a way to make sure they get done. I’ve been finding out that using social networks like Twitter and blogs like this one and You’ve Got to Move it Move it (a group health blog that I participate in) is a way to hold myself (and others) accountable for […]
What’s realistic in terms of your goals? That’s a tough question. I think when I started this journey back in 2002, if I said my goal was to lose 80 pounds, I’d have thought of myself as crazy. Yet here we are, more than 80 pounds later. Of course, that 80 pounds took years to […]
Editor’s note: this entry was written before yesterday’s entry, “What 40 Miles Looks Like”. How much of getting into shape is psychological rather than physical? My guess is that it’s about 75% psychological and only 25% physical–if not closer to 100% psychological. Yes, you have to physically exercise to get into shape, so it’s not […]
It’s a Sunday. I traded training days this week–instead of doing my long ride on Saturday and my midlength ride on Sunday, I did my midlength ride on Saturday and I’m doing my long–this time, 40 miles–ride on Sunday morning. It’s also a day when I want to go to Sunday morning service (starting at […]
The day after, in this case, anyway, isn’t about the morning following a one night stand, but rather the day after you start on your exercise regimen. If you’ve been pretty sedentary, there’s certainly a strong chance you’ll be sore. Muscles you’re not used to using–heck, muscles you didn’t even know existed!–have been used harder […]
The relationship between a cyclist and bicycle is not unlike a marriage. Many scoff at the concept, but when you’re relying on a piece of machinery powered by your legs to take you 100 miles in a day and it’s the only thing between you and the pain of pavement at 50 miles per hour, […]
This week, like so many April and May weeks over the past few years, is being spent on the beginnings of trying to work myself into “century shape”–the shape I need to be in to ride 100 miles. It’s early in the season, but it needs to happen. I’m skipping over to week seven of […]
Livestrong Philadelphia is not all that far off. Less than two months. I’m getting down to it. I’ve already ran two 5Ks, an 8K, a 10K, and a 13K this year, plus a 100K bike ride. I’m not where I want to be–but it seems I never am–but that’s not going to stop me. I’ve […]