New Year Revolution

OK, maybe not a revelation or a resolution but a "revolution" an overthrowing of the old, a reversal. December has been miserable. With snow, sickness, family, holidays, work and little time or physical capacity to ride or train. I've held my own on nutrition through this period, not gained or lost but now that it's over except New Year's Day, I can get back moving again. So January MUST be better than December.

The sun is out this week in Germany, but it's -6 C with a windchill of -15 which is about 21 degrees. I figure if I go ride 25kmh the windchill is 8 F. Ouch! But it's SUNNY, honest sunshine. I can feel the vitamin D just by looking outside at the sun as I sit at my desk.

The new year ride looks like it'll be outside and the weather should be clear but in the low 20s. I think it'll be slow but I'm just going to ride and enjoy it.

I mentioned the holidays being tiring? After days of literally bouncing around from excitement about Christmas for a couple days, we got the boys in bed by 10pm and put the presents out. We got to sleep around 10:30 pm. My youngest son, who just turned 6 on this past Sunday, came running down the hall at 1:40 AM (yes, that's right 0140 or as we in the military say "oh dark thirty" or in this case "holy %#$@ it's early) on Christmas morning after having peeked into the living room and it was all over at that point. No going back to bed, so we got ourselves and our 8 year old son up, made coffee and within 30 minutes they tore through the presents. There was no tracking who gave what to whom. Imagine a feeding frenzy of piranhas and during the middle of it trying to get them to chew their food and stop eating with their mouth full. Not gonna happen!

They didn't get a nap or rest at all and it took us a good two nights to recover. I've discovered that when you have a bad night sleep you need at least two good nights to get recovered. Sleep is SO important!

What am I going to do on New Years? Well ride either in or out and pull together a training schedule for January and then update my blog on the 2nd after I register for Nove Colli in Italy. I'm not sure where the 100 miles came from, I think we started doing that in Tucson with Ralph Phillips and his clocktower group back a few years ago but it's become a standard. I've had to do it inside on the trainer and that's harder than outside!! Almost as hard as the masochistic sessions on the rollers in a dark room . . . get your bike on the rollers, turn down the lights, no tv or music and just go . . . for two, three hours. That was training in the 1980s and I think into the 90s, don't know if anyone does that anymore. It really was hard!

taking more time off

I'm almost done . . . with the stinking holiday and winter! Ick! Of course skiing last Saturday nearly killed me but it was fun with the family. My boys have no fear and it's great seeing them enjoy something so much.

No new year's resolutions, just going to remind myself about why I'm losing the weight and what I want to do in 2009. I got accepted on a team in Nurnberg that races track and road so I'll have some social interaction. Nurnberg is only an hour away so that's not too bad.

Merry Christmas to all, hope Santa brings you some good bike gadgets, spare parts and puts some lube, a tube and a Hammer Nutrition Bar in your stocking.

Oh, and on New Years Day? . . . do 100 miles. It's for your own good, I'm going to.

Flu and Chili

OK, my wife told me so but I stubbornly said "nah, I haven't been sick in years" so I didn't put it as a priority to get the flu spray. Well, Happy Thanksgiving sniffles led to a full on head cold Friday and Saturday. No problem, as long as it's above the neck right? Sunday was so so but Monday and today have been death but not warmed over as I don't have a fever. Couple degrees above my normal of 95 but I have all the other symptoms: headache, shakes, nausea, weakness (couldn't physically get out of bed this morning), stuffy nose etc.

Obviously no training in days not even the strength or motivation to get on the trainer and just turn the legs. Heck, walking downstairs takes twice as long as normal! But I can still stretch, just need to move slowly but the aches seem to be better afterward.

So where am I at now? Well, I don't trust the scale since I know any loss is probably due to dehydration so if I'm really low I'll drink more water. The nutrition is good, still struggling to make sure I eat. But aerobically and strength? I'm going to really be hating the first workouts and rides after I get better. The kicker is that after all this I have to go back and start again although my weight will be less, my fitness really is suffering.

Oh, and I turn 43 tomorrow . . . yippie! and I have to cook a pot of chili tonight. OK let me explain. In Germany the tradition is that on your birthday you bring in food for your co-workers who help you celebrate your birthday by eating your food and shaking your hand. Don't ask, I just know this is the cultural thing. So I found a recipe for Barry Goldwater's Arizona Chili (since I'm from Arizona and my dad and Barry were friends - he had an awesome house, was there a couple times) which I need to start tonight. No canned beans, will soak them tonight and they'll take 5 hours to cook but since I'll be up coughing at 4 am that gives me plenty of time. :-) Probably not a lot of spices since the food here is pretty bland. Oh, and it's no big secret just google barry goldwater's chili and you'll find it on the net.

So, get that flu spray or shot and take care of yourselves. I'm going to crawl back into bed now and dream of riding through sunny Spain or Italy or Tucson.