Muddy days...

--Heading out for my muddy day


How nice is it sometimes to lose your inhibitions and to act like a "big kid?" Lately, I have had so much fun playing in the mud on my mountain bike. It is always funny to me...you start out trying not to get too muddy and by the end of the ride that is all out the window and you are covered in mud and plowing through every bit of water and mud you can find. I always have the biggest smile on my face. Aside from a little grit in my mouth my teeth are the only things not covered in mud.
Post rides sophie and I usually head out for a mud run up in the hills behind my house. Some ranchers own most of the land and it is wide open. I love it b/c there is so much freedom running up there and it is seconds from my front door. There are some trails but part of the time I am just running through wide open fields, never really sure where I will end up. I never see anyone, except a lot of cows. To me, this is the best type of running...no boundaries, no people, just freedom. Plus, sophie loves to roll in all of the cow S!$* and I just love cleaning it off of her ;)
Training has been going really well. I am just focused on getting back the fitness I lost through the month of december. I feel like I am getting stronger each day and the motivation is at an all time high! I am pumped to be training and I can feel my competitive fire burning stronger. I look forward to putting in the hard work so that come May and June I am ready to lay it down.
Get out there and enjoy all that mud...there is nothing wrong with being a kid again!

--This is where I spend my early mornings (when it's raining)...slaving away on the trainer and, man, is it making me strong!


--Wow, where did all that hair come from? Enjoy it while it lasts...it's gone in March! Now, get out and ride!

Good times in the snow

So, last weekend mike, reto and I went up to Tahoe for some xc skiing. Let's just say we had a blast and got in some solid workouts. It was so nice to be up there doing something a bit different. I am a firm believer that xc skiing is an incredible way to build fitness and I promise that I will be back up this winter hitting the trails hard!

--Taking a digger


-The prius did well once we got those chains on...who would have thought?!

Despite all the rain I have been getting in some training and it feels good. I feel like I am pretty out of shape but I think things will come around pretty quickly for me. As much as I would love to be outside putting in the base miles it just isn't going to happen for several more days. So, I am confined to my trainer but that's okay b/c trainer workouts make you very strong! Along with plenty of time on the trainer I have been getting in some longer endurance runs, core work and just a few swims. I will be in the pool a little bit over the next couple weeks and then I will hit the masters workouts hard once feb. rolls around. I think 4 months of tough swimming will put me in good shape for the season. I tend to get burned out on swimming so I have put it off until feb...I think this will serve me well come sept. and oct.

--Big Mike loving it in Tahoe!

My newest sponsor

I just picked up 2008 sponsorship from Maxxis...they make the best tires on the market without a doubt! I am excited about this b/c tires and tubes can be pretty expensive and the cost over a full racing season can really add up.
Get out there and ride!

Mountain biking is fun, period!

Yesterday I went for my first mountain bike ride in a while and I realized why I love Xterra so much. I just feel like a kid on my mountain bike and that is a great feeling!
Training is going well (although it is really tough when you are out of shape!). Still only light workouts but I am getting my body used to training stress and it feels good. I will take feeling out of shape and slow over sick without question.
So, I fired up a batch of matisse and jack's chocolate power snacks last night and I added some peanut butter to the mix...all I can say is AWESOME! Seriously, order some of these bars and put in the PB...you won't be disappointed! Warning,they are addictive and I can't stop eating them. I have to fight Jess for them though...she loves them as much as I do. I just hide them when she's not looking =)

I will be putting in some time on the bike and in the water over the next 2 days then it is up to Tahoe for some cross-country skiing. Reto promises me this is the fastest way to build fitness...we'll see if I can even make forward progress on those big sticks! I am looking forward to it...mixing it up a bit is always good for the mind as well as physically.
Take care and stay away from my chocolate power snacks! Oh, and they are great with espresso.

Let's get this party started (but keep your fingers crossed for me)

-My first morning back...heading out for a short run with sophie.

So, yesterday marked the beginning of my 2008 training. As most of you know I have been knocked out with illness for pretty much the last month so I can't even tell you how good it feels to be out on the open road again. I think I have had a smile on my face for the past 36 hours...just knowing that I can train gets me giddy!
I also picked up my new fully built road bike from the shop yesterday and after a 2 hour ride this morning I am happy to report that Elite Bicycles knocked it out of the park...I love this new bike! It is so quiet, smooth and it fits perfectly. Two Elite bikes and two perfect fits...I believe Elite, I believe!!! You guys are amazing. Thanks for the support!



Well, need to head out but man am I happy to be back in action. Keep your fingers crossed for me...I need to stay healthy.

Update

I thought I would post to give you all an update on how I am doing and what I am thinking. Well, I can happily say that I am recovering and I am feeling much better. The last few days have been brutal and I am just glad that the worst has passed. I still need a few more days of complete rest to fully recover so my weekend will be spent in bed but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...finally! I just want to stay healthy for the remainder of the year...that's my number one goal.
I have obviously been thinking a lot about how my season is shaping up or not shaping up I should say. I have gone back and forth about whether or not to race this season. It is easy right now to feel down and to fill my head with negative thoughts b/c, let's face it, I have had two major set backs already this year and I haven't done any training for basically 4 weeks. Plus, I did finish last season completely burned out and ready for a major break. I am a person fueled by emotion and I need strong emotions to race fast...this has been lacking for me since october so I think it is quite normal to be wrestling with whether to race in 2008 or to take a year break from racing and just train whenever and whatever I want. However, this being said, I know what type of person I am and I know that once I get back out on the trails my competitive spirit will return and I will be motivated more than ever b/c I have been laid up for a month.
So, I will get back to training once I make a full recovery (hopefully by monday) and I will evalute how things are going throughout the first couple months. I am pretty sure that my fire to race and go hard will be burning strong and things will come around for me but I have promised myself that if the desire just isn't there to race in 2008 I won't force the issue. I must say that I am so excited to be active again and I think this excitement will continue for a long time. Never before have I been out for so long. I guess this is a good thing. Quite honestly, I needed a long break and these setbacks will serve as serious motivation in the coming months. Like I said before, I am fueled by emotion and nothing will evoke that emotion more then being overweight, out of shape and getting my butt kicked by people that shouldn't be even close to me. So, deep down I know I have the desire to race and I truly want to BIG this year and show everyone what I am truly capable of.
When I looked at my training plan I actually realized that if I peak for alabama and richmond I will be able to get in 3 base phases, 2 build phases, and a peak/race phase. This is contingent on starting my training January 14th. So, in reality, I am starting my annual training plan at just the right time. Sure, in an ideal world I would have been healthy for the last month and putting in some light training to prepare my body but, starting January 14th will leave me plenty of time to be in shape for races in June and I run less risk of burn out come nationals and worlds in october. I think this is key as it is so important to be hungry to compete in october b/c, let's be honest, the two biggest races of the year fall in october just a mere 3 weeks apart. So things are looking on the up and up and I think the key is to not focus on what has happen but rather on what is going to happen. I don't dwell in the past but, rather, prefer to focus on what I can do to make the future brighter and I think this attitude will serve me well as I begin my 2008 Xterra campaign.
Here are some pictures from the holiday...I did have a few adventures during my week of being healthy =)



--Saw some racing at the track...it was amazing.


--Oh, glorious snow!


--The skinfit lifestyle

The joy of a new bike...

It feels so good to open a bike box from Elite Bicycles b/c I know what's inside is going to be killer. I took my new full carbon Elite road bike out of the box this morning and I had the biggest smile on my face...it's christmas all over again!
Thanks to the boys at Elite!!!!! www.elitebicycles.com




Checkout the frame and fork. This baby will be in the bike shop today to be built up. I can't wait to hit the road with this little carbon gem!

Xterra All-American

For the second year in a row I was named as an Xterra All-American.
Checkout the link below to view the article.

http://www.insidetri.com/portal/news/news.asp?item=111601

--This finish at nationals earned me All-American status

Oh, the rocky road...

I wish I could say that my training has been fantastic and I am getting stronger everyday but, just like 3 weeks ago, I am sick. I really can't believe this and, quite frankly, I am feeling pretty down about the whole thing.
Like I have mentioned in previous posts, I try to stay positive when I am sick and I use my time to build my focus for the upcoming season. However, this time around I am so frustrated b/c I hardly ever get sick and I have been sick twice in 4 weeks. I just want to get my 2008 training under way since now is the time to start focusing and working hard.
I would guess I have a few more days of down time and I am already stir crazy. I just can't wait to be back out on the trails and feeling fit.
So, the past 4 weeks have been very hard mentally and, given all of the time away from training, I start to wonder if I will ever be as fit as I need to be to achieve my goals. The Xterra season is very long so I know deep down that I have plenty of time to get to where I need to be, but every sick day only pulls me further from where I need to be at this point in the year.
Happy new year everyone!