New shoes, school, and more miles…

I finally got some new shoes (Specialized S-Works) and they’re working out pretty well.  They’re super light, pretty comfortable, and have a handy ratcheting wire fastening system instead of the typical straps.  I’m happy.

School has started so my time will become more limited, but I think with my current schedule I should have no problem getting in the training that I need.  I sort of piled all my classes into one horrible Monday, which should give me plenty of time throughout the rest of the week.

Base miles are going well, in order to prepare for the longer races that I will be facing this year, I’ll be trying to do at least 2 60mi rides per week.  In addition to the rest of my rides, this should give me 13-15hrs per week.  This should go on for the next month… then we’ll see what the training plan says.  I’m back to keeping an eye on my weight — though I don’t ever intentionally try to lose any.  I’m hovering just under 130lbs which is just where I’d like to be.  I think things are going well!

Welcome back, base miles…

Well, I’ve entered the base phase again.  I’m doing five days of low intensity riding and a sixth day with some hard efforts.  Once I get my gym access back, I’ll also start hitting some light/high rep weights.  I’ve gone back and read some of my posts from a year ago and I’m happy to say that I’ve lost the 4 extra pounds that I had hoped to.  Yes, it took a year, but it was healthy and natural weight loss brought on by training lots and eating lots as well.  Things are going really well and I’m motivated.. let’s hope this keeps up.

I’m Excited

This is kind of funny. Now that the cycling season is winding down, I’m getting really excited about racing again. I’ve had some really good rides lately and am enjoying my time on the bike. I’ve also had too much free time to watch racing and look at new gear. This is a good sign though… already being excited about it before I’ve started prepping for the new season makes me confident that I will have the same eagerness come April.

In other news, my precious Vittoria shoes are on their last legs. They’ve served me well for about 3 years but they’ve stretched and are wearing through. I’m not quite sure what I want to get, as I’ve never really been shopping for them before. That is, I got my first shoes when I was a complete newbie and didn’t really know what I was doing. We’ll have to see… I don’t want to downgrade so I’ll be looking for a carbon sole. Maybe Sidis? I don’t know.

Also, I’m working on getting my eating habits back on track. I’ve been avoiding fast food and I’ve been baking a weeks worth of chicken on the weekends so that I have healthy food available when I’m busy. My weight is in a good place (~130lbs), I’ve been getting lots of sleep, and I’ve got lots of energy. Overall, things are going very well.

I’m excited!