Top secret tree stand location.
Once Christmas is over, and it will be sooner than I'm ready for, I hit the doldrums of my year, winter. I'm not a fan of cold weather and I don't like training when the temps get below 70. I get cold easily and have a tough time warming up when the mercury drops below 50 deg. And while I've learned how to dress and prepared for winter riding, it still takes a toll on my motivation. Before the weather starts warming up in March, I have a limited supply of "get up and go" to draw from to get me through the coldest months of the year. I rode yesterday in a light rain and about 55 deg., and while it wasn't a bad day to ride, it got me thinking about the amount of mental energy it requires to stay fit during the cooler months. My emotional bank account is filling up right now while I take it easy on the bike and do a little hunting and also spend some time in the gym getting strong and healthy again. By December I'll start getting serious for our first big race of the year, Rouge Roubaix. It's a very delicate balance for me to stay fit right now while also replenishing my emotional batteries. Ultimately, I'll tire of the easy days of fall and that little part of my brain that likes to suffer and punish, will begin to wake up again and start having it's way with me in the cold, dark and wet days of January and February.
Overlook Hill, 55 and drizzly
But for now, it's my Strength and Conditioning season and I've set some lofty goals to be achieved by the end of the year. My strategy in the gym evolves a little every year, this season is no different. I've noticed over the past few years that ex body builder types tend to be very fast on a bike, at least once they've lost a lot of their muscle mass above the chest. I always wondered why this was until my coach sent me a study that linked absolute strength as a key factor of performance in endurance sports. The article simply suggests there is an economy of movement the stronger one is as well as a lactic acid benefit for longer duration efforts. They both sound good to me! With that I set out to be the strongest skinny person in our gym this fall, at least in the leg area. Not sure how I'll prove it one way or the other, but I have an idea that if I can leg press over 1000 lbs 6 times, I should be pretty close. I'm not too far away now but those last 200 lbs are a real bitch. I'll keep the blog updated on my progress and maybe throw in a pic or video as proof.
