Training Day

You know what yesterday was?  72 degrees.  Seventy Two Degrees.  Seven.  Two.  Two words that amount to "amazing".  One of those days where I left work and didn't know where I was going, but was sure it would be good.. real real good.  And it was.  20 miles of goodness, even the part riding straight into a blast of wind.  That part was great, in fact, because the blast of wind was warm and refreshing not attempting to murder me with it's coldness.  

So I thought a lot, and figured out that I need to ride a lot in the next two months to prep for Dirty Kanza.  My legs are awesome, which I was honestly a bit worried about yesterday - the 20 mile sprint didn't phase me at all.  What worries me a bit is my mass, weight, chub, superchub, fat, etc.  It's painfully obvious that the problems I have on longer rides with hydration is because of said mass, and I'm not sure how to keep from fighting the dehydration monster yet again.  I am most certainly going to try out some products recommended a while back, but the big thing is ridding myself of the mass.  Trial, error, etc will be preformed to re-lose some of the 30 (uggh) pounds gained over winter and add a little more to it.  

Winter sucks, that much is very clear to me now, but what sucks more is losing rythmm.  For three years in a row now I've had awesome summer weight losses followed by winter gains that negate half of the loss.  Every year it starts at Thanksgiving with a little too much food, which throws nutrition off but I seem to keep moving with exercise so it's a plateu of weight loss.  Then it goes out the door by the time New Year's is over as the nutrition has gone out the window, and by then the winter has worn on me enough that exercise is "meh".  Come spring, I make a post like this, vow not to do it again and.. 

Yeah. 

Nuff said, basically.  I've got a plan, I've got momentum, and that's how I roll.  

Two interesting things.  First, I've developed what has to be the tastiest lunch wrap ever.  1 whole wheat tortilla (120 cals), 1/2 Boca burger (50 cals), 1 dollup hummus (uhh.. 20 for arguments sake, much less probably), and some lettuce.  190 calories of pure tastiness erupt when consumed, seriously.  Two of those and I was pretty full and fueled up, amazing how that works.  Also is hummus the best thing ever or what?  On lettuce, on a sandwich, on anything.. it's the new salsa. 

Second, more deep, it's painfully obvious to me that unless you find peace in yourself you can't find peace anywhere else.  Think about that for a bit.  When I was big, really big, I was a judgemental, critical, prick.  Now parts of those things exist, but for the most part I see the best in everything and everyone.  It's nice, really, to have that peace and see that good.  Maybe not the weight thing, but maybe more the cycling thing did it.  Seriously, reaching those points where life is amazing on a bike, and life is tough, and life is downright impossible gives a new appreciation to life itself.  Gives a whole new realization that life is, really, too short to care, to judge, and to be anything but peaceful and happy.  

Spring = best. thing. ever.