Training has been going very well this year. I haven't had any injuries yet which is a big plus. Every year by this time I have a problem with my foot, hip or back but so far I have managed to avoid the frustration of not being able to workout. I did catch a nasty chest cold from my daughter that slowed me down a lot over the weekend and since then I have had trouble getting back on to the training groove. I am suddenly feeling the need to be lazy or I guess you could say I am not feeling very motivated. This happens at some point every year and I am wondering what I can do differently to fight that little voice in my head that says, stay in bed. You can run later and then later comes and the little voice says, you have been working hard. One more day off isn't going to kill you. I have only missed a few days here and there over the last few weeks but I don't want to let these little bumps in the road turn into a problem. I think some sunny 70 degree days would help my state of mind. I can't complain about the winter weather we have been having because winter hasn't really shown up this year.
THE NEW BIKE
So I have finally come to a decision regarding my new bike. Yes, I know I have most likely put way to much thought into this but that is how I role when it comes to this kind of thing. I have been wrestling with the idea of Trek, Felt or Blue since September. I learned about the Felt DA4 about two months ago and I was intrigued by the integrated front end design. What I discovered is that the Felt DA4 is a faster bike than the Trek Speed Concept 7 series but not as fast at the 9 series. The Trek 7.8 comes with a pretty sweet set of Bontrager wheels but I already have my SRAM S60 wheel set so wheels are not an important factor. The Felt DA4 does come with a nice set of aero wheels that I can use as back up wheels if I need them. I will put the wheels that come with the Felt on my Serotta and us that bike for cruising with the guys when we are not training or for rides with my wife and daughter. I plan on ordering the bike from The Bike Zone in Greece and can't say enough good stuff about them. Chris who I spent the most time handled my thousands of questions without getting frustrated and my thousand questions don't come all at one time. I think of something and call him then I think of something else and call again. This went on for about four weeks and he never got sick of me calling. At least he didn't let on that he did. If you are looking for a good bike these guys are who you need to go see. They now their stuff and will give you a good deal.
What has two thumbs and will be super fast on...
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| THIS BIKE |
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| WITH THESE WHEELS |
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| THIS GUY |
MUDDY RUNNING
I went for a trail run on Sunday expecting the ground to be somewhat frozen only to be surprised by the extreme amount of slop that I had to contend with. I pulled into Black Creek Park and decided to start my run by going up the hill the kids sled down and found it to be a little sloppy but figured that is was just because of the low lying area. I got to the top of the hill and started down one of the main trails that turned out to be very messy. The upside to this was I found some great single track trails to run on for the first half hour of my 1.5 hour run. After I finished up on the single track trails and got back onto the main trails where I spent half my time trying to avoid the water and mud by walking over logs and running through the brush. About 45 minutes in I came to one of the larger wet spots and was about half way across balancing on a big fallen tree when this guy came glopping through the mud and water (I don't think glopping is a word but it fits). He looked at me and said, "can't turn back now"! At that moment I decided to man up and get wet and dirty. Wet and dirty is a total understatement but the wet part wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I expected that my feet would freeze but they were fine. By the end of the run my legs were toasted from pushing through the mud and slop. I have run on the beach before and this was much harder. It made this the hardest run I have been on at least a year and a half. When I got home and showered I could feel the full effects of the run. My muscles were sore from my feet to my hips. I have new respect for the Tuff Mudder races. They are only 10 miles long but running in the mud is no joke!
I am hoping I have a chance to try the minimalist running shoe offered by INOV-8 and give my thoughts. Until then stay safe and enjoy your training!
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