And so the season begins again..

Jim Merrifield

And so the season begins again. Wait! When does the new season really begin? When the skis come off? The first day in the pain cave? After a rest from cross season? When you decide it is time to start loosing weight? The first outdoors ride after the new year? I have heard a lot of definitions but I think it is when you say to yourself "time to get seious". Well, it is time to get serious.

This winter, I have been focusing on strength - in the gym and on the bike. I have been in the gym a couple days a week focusing on leg strength on the sled. Can't do squats any more because of decrerased shoulder flexibility (can't grab the bar when it is correctly positioned on my back) but I am not sure if my back will tolerate the weight any more. I was backpacking in Wyoming last fall with wife Jan and figured I would be in reasonable shape just coming off bike season but just could not schlep the pack uphill lke I used to. I was working way too hard. In years past, I always lifted during the winter but had gotten out of the habit the last couple years, focusing on other things whether it be skiing or trainer work, thinking these would work just as well. Nope. Back into the gym.

The trouble with focusing on leg strength is that other stuff has to be reduced. Heavy weights and volume do not mix. I have been on the trainer doing intervals of various sorts but the trainer time has been relatively low. And while we have been skiing on the weekends, even that was not as much as usual. So reality hit home about a week ago. We had a (relatively) warm week and so I decided to commute home by bike. I got a ride into wirk with Nicole, my neighbor and car pool mate and though it was colder than I thought it was going to be, I started the ride home. I live 34 miles from work (so my canoe-racing wife has a home on the river and also the short commute into work) - a commute that takes less than 2 hours unless the wind is seriously unfavorable. Well, it was very shortly after starting the ride that I realized that IT WAS TIME TO GET SERIOUS! Admittedly, I was wearing a LOT of clothes and that takes some power away from the pedals but DAMN, I was slow! It took me about 20 minutes longer to get home than what it usually takes in the summer. I was trying to keep my effort constant and at a maintainable level and still with 45 minutes left to ride, I was running outta gas. Oh well, turn on the head lights (getting dark by then) and man up.

I knew this was going to happen - work on strength and bike endurance and power suffer - but still, IT IS TIME TO GET SERIOUS! I trust this will pay off later in the season, that my power will be a notch up when it counts but right now, a part of me wonders if I haven't hosed myself. The last couple years, I hit early season pretty fit. I did not go thru the "I hate early season" blues. But I never really came around like I would have liked. I hope that the decision to try to regain lost strength will pay off but for now - I HATE EARLY SEASON!