Tis the Season

Don't you love this time of year when the leaves starting turning to orange and red, but you can't see them on your run because it's still way too dark that early in the morning? I love it too!

This morning was the first I wore pants on my run in a long time. I'm glad I did; it was frosty out there. I have various appendages that are susceptible to freezing temperatures, so in addition to pants, I wore gloves and a watch cap.

frosty morning

I'm always tempted to put on way too many clothes, but this morning I did OK. I didn't get over heated at all. In the past I've tried to keep a log of what the weather conditions were, what I wore, and how I felt. It would be a lot easier if I kept that up and then referred to it before putting on that hoodie and then tying it around my waist half way through the run.

The other thing I think about when it gets chilly is that just a few weeks ago I was complaining about how friggin' hot it was out there. So what's better to work out in, hot weather, or cold? Or to ask it another, more creepy way, how much do you like to sweat?

Am I Lazy or Just a Wussie

My in-laws acquired a few chickens and the hens are laying eggs. They gave us a couple dozen eggs and I boiled three of them this morning for my AM protein. I don't know why but I feel just like a peasant in feudal France eating these eggs. I don't know if French peasants even ate eggs. I guess because someone I know actually gathered the eggs it makes them more rustic.

The French today enjoy watching pro cyclists ride through their country in a spectacle known in English as "Le Tour de France." If at forty-one I ever hope to compete in le Tour I need to start training on the bike. But getting outside and actually taking your bike with you is such a hassle! There's traffic, weather, and who knows what else?

Enter indoor trainers. I'm contemplating getting one of these things but would obviously like to make the right decision before I plunk down however many francs these things cost. I read a few reviews on Amazon and I have read about other cyclists using them, but I'd like to know if they'd be right for me. At least one plus I see with them is you're training on your own bike, so maybe it wouldn't be exactly like training outside, but at least you're sitting on your own saddle.

A pricier option is a stationary bike. This option worries me a little because I've rarely ridden one that felt anything like riding a real bike. I did ride one at a Y recently that was pretty good. It had aero bars and everything. I looked at the reviews for the Proform le Tour trainer, but the reviews are mixed, people aren't happy with the customer service, and it weighs in at about €926. That's a lot of bread for a peasant like me if I don't end up liking it.

Or, should I just go outside and ride? Wouldn't that make more sense? After all, if you want to do triathlon and cyclocross, you have to get used to the weather. I know I can read the All Seasons Cyclist and be well outfitted for any condition, and I do hope to make it out more this winter on my 'cross or trail bike, but sometimes I'd like to go down to the garage in the morning before work and knock out forty-five minutes of riding without too much hassle.

One other issue I complain about regularly is the lack of good roads around my town. I live in a thriving metropolis with a population of about 9,000 people. You would think there would be a good country road where I could ride for miles and miles without even thinking about it. There are some roads, but they don't have shoulders, and with the curves and the rolling hills I'm too nervous to get out on them. So I do most of my long rides on the Katy Trail, an old railway line converted to a biking trail here in Missouri. It's OK and I appreciate it being there very much, but it is flat and covered in fine gravel, so it's not exactly like riding on the road either.

If you have any suggestions, let me know. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to go and gather some lovely filth.

The Doldrums

What should you do after the last race of the season? Take a significant amount of time off? Keep training? Sign up for more races? Eat potato chips and hotdogs for lunch? (I did that last one today, so check.)

It's hard to decide how lazy I should be. What I do know is I don't want to start from zero when I do start, so, I took about a week off in September, and started working again at the end of the month. Nothing heavy, just weights, some running, and swimming.

Wait, what? Swimming?

Yes, I actually went to the pool twice since September 23rd. Since I started triathlons three or four years ago I never hit the pool after September until February. And this time I have a new approach. I am no longer going to just put in laps and try to hit a certain distance. I will do a number of sets and make sure I hit some time goals for those sets. For instance, swim four laps in four minutes, and then beat that by two seconds the next set. That sort of thing. (Our indoor pool here in town is 25 yards long, so a lap is 50 yards, and not 100 meters.)

I also plan to take paper and pen with me to the pool to record my sets and make sure I'm making improvements. I see a few soggy notebooks in my future. How do real swimmers record their workouts? They must have something.

Anyways, I did it the other way all those other years and never got any better, so I'll try it a different way and see what happens.

Otherwise I'm still sitting here in the doldrums, trying to get motivated, and trying to decide if Ironman is for me. Hey, they're racing in Kona this weekend. If that doesn't motivate you, what will?