Today I have found my next goal/hurdle with cycling. I attempted to ride up and over Paris Mountain. Big emphasis on attempt! I made it half way up but by that time my legs were shot. Never before have I worked so hard to go so slow!
A day or two later I was riding a new route I had found near to my house. It had a good mix of hills that seemed somewhat challenging but enough downhill to be able to recover and it had a lot less traffic than my other routes. I rode the route in the car first and then on the bike and was pleasantly surprised. Those hills that I was judging to be challenging while in the car really weren't as bad as I thought. Especially not when I compared them to the mountain I tried a few days prior. They got me winded for sure but I could handle them and then position myself for a good transition into the next with out slowing or needing to recover.
I guess its a good thing to have tough situations test you at times. It can really put things into perspective since we all tend to be a little over dramatic and blow thing out of proportion. I know I've been going through some really trying times recently and, at times I remember thinking "can it get any worse" and "I'm not sure I can handle this" but those times passed and somehow I found the strength and determination to handle everything that's been thrown my way so far. You just have to keep pushing and doing your best.
So Paris Mountain....you may have bested me this time but you best believe I will be back to try again and, one day soon, I will be the one who will come out on top!
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Friday, October 3, 2014
Newbies will be newbies
Those of you who have known me for a long time already know this about me......I absolutely have to know everything there is to know about something once I get started on it. When I got started in fishing, it wasn't enough for me to buy a fishing rod and tackle, I had to know how to be able to make them and its been that way with everything. Its kind of a nerdy thing but its what I do and so when I got started with cycling it was no different.
I was given a bike so I didn't get to research that to death but I did read countless articles and watch hours of videos about getting the perfect fit before I had the chance to get it professionally fitted. I read everything I could find about how to ride in a group and by myself. Watched tons of videos to get tips and pointers about climbing hills like a pro and various other topics. Then it came time to move into clip-less pedals. So, me being me, I watched videos and read about which ones to get, how to install them and set them up, and, most importantly, how to get out of them so you don't fall.
Everything I came across said that you WILL fall while getting used to the new pedals. Everyone WILL fall???? well I am certainly not everyone and I will not fall. I got my pedals, installed them on my bike and set up the cleats on the shoes. I then sat on my bike in the living room after my little one was asleep and practiced clipping in and out with each foot for an hour or so while watching TV. I felt very confident in my ability to clip in and release after my practice session and I was excited to try them in the real world!
The next day, after Allie was at daycare, I took my bike out for my maiden voyage into the world of clip-less pedals. I rode circles around the parking lot for about 10 minutes clipping in and out with each foot the whole time. Now it was time to actually stop. I approached a part of the parking lot with a curb and slowed down to give me plenty of time to react. I un-clipped my right foot, slowed and came to a smooth stop and firmly planted my foot. I did it!!! my first stop and I didn't fall!!! I got so excited that I leaned a little too far the other way, lost my balance and fell on my left side. I stood up, picked up my bike and looked around to see if anyone else saw me. Oh well, at least I got that out of the way early.
So I guess "they" are right. Everyone falls while getting used to the new pedals and I am no exception but at least it gave me a funny story to tell people and it will help keep me from getting too serious about this new hobby!
I was given a bike so I didn't get to research that to death but I did read countless articles and watch hours of videos about getting the perfect fit before I had the chance to get it professionally fitted. I read everything I could find about how to ride in a group and by myself. Watched tons of videos to get tips and pointers about climbing hills like a pro and various other topics. Then it came time to move into clip-less pedals. So, me being me, I watched videos and read about which ones to get, how to install them and set them up, and, most importantly, how to get out of them so you don't fall.
Everything I came across said that you WILL fall while getting used to the new pedals. Everyone WILL fall???? well I am certainly not everyone and I will not fall. I got my pedals, installed them on my bike and set up the cleats on the shoes. I then sat on my bike in the living room after my little one was asleep and practiced clipping in and out with each foot for an hour or so while watching TV. I felt very confident in my ability to clip in and release after my practice session and I was excited to try them in the real world!
The next day, after Allie was at daycare, I took my bike out for my maiden voyage into the world of clip-less pedals. I rode circles around the parking lot for about 10 minutes clipping in and out with each foot the whole time. Now it was time to actually stop. I approached a part of the parking lot with a curb and slowed down to give me plenty of time to react. I un-clipped my right foot, slowed and came to a smooth stop and firmly planted my foot. I did it!!! my first stop and I didn't fall!!! I got so excited that I leaned a little too far the other way, lost my balance and fell on my left side. I stood up, picked up my bike and looked around to see if anyone else saw me. Oh well, at least I got that out of the way early.
So I guess "they" are right. Everyone falls while getting used to the new pedals and I am no exception but at least it gave me a funny story to tell people and it will help keep me from getting too serious about this new hobby!
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Life lessons from long runs
When I started running I expected to get sore, to lose some extra weight, and to possible gain some self confidence and a sense of accomplishment. I never though I would learn an important lesson about life. It was on a long run, when I was really struggling and bashing myself for not doing as well as I had hoped that I realized that this is only one run and I will have many many more in my life and at least one of them will be better than this one so why worry and complain. Just knuckle down and get through it!
Life is not a straight, level road. You don't travel at one speed nice and easy through it. There are bumps and hills (at times some damn big ones). You don't set a personal best every you go out for a run. Sometimes you have a really bad day and it feels like you've never ran before. When that happens we write it off as a bad day and know we can try again tomorrow but we don't seem to do that in life.When we hit a bump in the road of life, we tend to feel like all is lost. This is the worst day ever so therefore my life is over.....but its really not. Its just like a bad run. You can always try again the next time and, if that one is bad too, you can try again........again.
I have been through a tough time recently and, I have to be honest, have struggled with being angry and bitter. I haven't always remembered that there is usually another chance to do better or to have a better day. I guess we can't always be optimistic and upbeat huh?
I'm sure in over romanticizing running but I don't really care. Running and exercising in any form have really helped me get through this tough time and see that shit happens and we can get over it and that's exactly what I plan to do every day from here on out!
Life is not a straight, level road. You don't travel at one speed nice and easy through it. There are bumps and hills (at times some damn big ones). You don't set a personal best every you go out for a run. Sometimes you have a really bad day and it feels like you've never ran before. When that happens we write it off as a bad day and know we can try again tomorrow but we don't seem to do that in life.When we hit a bump in the road of life, we tend to feel like all is lost. This is the worst day ever so therefore my life is over.....but its really not. Its just like a bad run. You can always try again the next time and, if that one is bad too, you can try again........again.
I have been through a tough time recently and, I have to be honest, have struggled with being angry and bitter. I haven't always remembered that there is usually another chance to do better or to have a better day. I guess we can't always be optimistic and upbeat huh?
I'm sure in over romanticizing running but I don't really care. Running and exercising in any form have really helped me get through this tough time and see that shit happens and we can get over it and that's exactly what I plan to do every day from here on out!
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Is it really bad or can you find the good?
This morning I competed in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure 5k run. I have been looking forward to this race for a while because it is a wonderful cause and my good friend lost her mother to breast cancer and was running with me. I haven't been able to train as much as I had hoped but I was feeling good about where I was and had set a goal of finishing in under 26 minutes. I felt this was an easy goal since I finished my last 5k in 26:18.
The start of the race went well and I headed off at a slightly fast pace to get a little separation from the big group of people and then settled into a more sustainable pace. I use Map my Fitness to help me stay aware of where I was on the course and just how much I'm pushing myself and every time it updated me, it was telling me I was on track to finish in the time I wanted and that I was looking to set my fastest average per mile pace! This continued all the way to the 2.75 mile mark where I stepped it up a bit so ensure a good finish. My app counted me down......3 miles in 24ish minutes.......3.25 miles in 26 ish minutes.....3.4 miles in .....wait what?!?! Since when does a 5k have 3.4 miles??
So, long story short, I finished the race in 27:10. Nowhere near what I had hoped for and I could be upset at myself for this and frustrated that the race seemed longer than it should or I could try to find some good in it. I cant change the course length. I cant change the time I finished in but I can be proud that I set my fastest per mile time and that I pushed myself the entire race to go faster and harder even when I didnt think I could.
As everyday people who are running, cycling or really doing any activity, we need to focus on why we are doing it and who we are doing it for. I am doing it for me and only for me. Every time I head out, whether its a training session or a race, I am only competing against myself and as long as I do my best I should feel proud.
We should all strive to do this. Don't worry about what place you are in the race or what your friends are doing. Just focus on you and try to find something good about what you are doing. This will help keep it fun and keep you doing it for a long time to come.
So get out there and do something good for yourself! Set some goals you never thought you could reach or simply take a stroll around the block but GET OUT THERE and find the good in what you are doing. No matter how good or bad you do, you are always doing better than those who are sitting on the couch!!!
The start of the race went well and I headed off at a slightly fast pace to get a little separation from the big group of people and then settled into a more sustainable pace. I use Map my Fitness to help me stay aware of where I was on the course and just how much I'm pushing myself and every time it updated me, it was telling me I was on track to finish in the time I wanted and that I was looking to set my fastest average per mile pace! This continued all the way to the 2.75 mile mark where I stepped it up a bit so ensure a good finish. My app counted me down......3 miles in 24ish minutes.......3.25 miles in 26 ish minutes.....3.4 miles in .....wait what?!?! Since when does a 5k have 3.4 miles??
So, long story short, I finished the race in 27:10. Nowhere near what I had hoped for and I could be upset at myself for this and frustrated that the race seemed longer than it should or I could try to find some good in it. I cant change the course length. I cant change the time I finished in but I can be proud that I set my fastest per mile time and that I pushed myself the entire race to go faster and harder even when I didnt think I could.
As everyday people who are running, cycling or really doing any activity, we need to focus on why we are doing it and who we are doing it for. I am doing it for me and only for me. Every time I head out, whether its a training session or a race, I am only competing against myself and as long as I do my best I should feel proud.
We should all strive to do this. Don't worry about what place you are in the race or what your friends are doing. Just focus on you and try to find something good about what you are doing. This will help keep it fun and keep you doing it for a long time to come.
So get out there and do something good for yourself! Set some goals you never thought you could reach or simply take a stroll around the block but GET OUT THERE and find the good in what you are doing. No matter how good or bad you do, you are always doing better than those who are sitting on the couch!!!
How it all began!
Its March, 2014 and me and a few coworkers are getting ready to compete in a local charity mud run. I wasn't in the best shape of my life but I felt confident that I would survive this. We really didn't do any sort of training before the big day so this was a really good measure of where I was starting from fitness wise.
The day came and we were filled with excitement and nerves as we waited at the start line. The official started the countdown....5......4.....3......2.....1....Go! We were off and now the nerves were replaced with adrenaline.
Long story short, it wasn't that bad. I was definitely wiped out but not as badly as I was expecting and that got me thinking about my health and where I wanted to be. I thought if I live a healthy active lifestyle, then my wife and daughter will also be more inclined to do the same. So the very next day, while all my coworkers were complaining about how sore they were, I went to the gym and ran on the treadmill.
Day 1: Ran about 1/4 mile on the treadmill and thought I was going to die! Now I remember why I have always said I am not a runner. This sucked but still I went back on day 2.
Day 2: Much to my surprise I ran a little over a mile before I died and I actually enjoyed it a little more! I had such a great sense of accomplishment everytime I pushed a little further.
Day 3: Ran 3.4 miles! That the first 5k distance that I had run in over 3 years and I really really enjoyed this run. I think I am hooked.
So that's how it got started and how I've progressed from there. Every day I push a little harder or go a little further. Every day I set new goals and come up with a plan to help me achieve them which leads to my newest goal......Completing a long distance triathlon in 1 years time. Follow along with me and see how I am going to go from running roughly 10 miles a week on average to competing in a multisport race that will cover 70.3 miles in 8 hours. Its going to be a hard journey but should prove to be an interesting one!
The day came and we were filled with excitement and nerves as we waited at the start line. The official started the countdown....5......4.....3......2.....1....Go! We were off and now the nerves were replaced with adrenaline.
Long story short, it wasn't that bad. I was definitely wiped out but not as badly as I was expecting and that got me thinking about my health and where I wanted to be. I thought if I live a healthy active lifestyle, then my wife and daughter will also be more inclined to do the same. So the very next day, while all my coworkers were complaining about how sore they were, I went to the gym and ran on the treadmill.
Day 1: Ran about 1/4 mile on the treadmill and thought I was going to die! Now I remember why I have always said I am not a runner. This sucked but still I went back on day 2.
Day 2: Much to my surprise I ran a little over a mile before I died and I actually enjoyed it a little more! I had such a great sense of accomplishment everytime I pushed a little further.
Day 3: Ran 3.4 miles! That the first 5k distance that I had run in over 3 years and I really really enjoyed this run. I think I am hooked.
So that's how it got started and how I've progressed from there. Every day I push a little harder or go a little further. Every day I set new goals and come up with a plan to help me achieve them which leads to my newest goal......Completing a long distance triathlon in 1 years time. Follow along with me and see how I am going to go from running roughly 10 miles a week on average to competing in a multisport race that will cover 70.3 miles in 8 hours. Its going to be a hard journey but should prove to be an interesting one!
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