When January 2019 rolled around, it was go time. I had made adjustments to my work schedule and now had more time to ride. I dusted off my nemesis the indoor trainer, and got back into our home gym for some weights and treadmill time. I did some running on the treadmill, but mainly my time on it was focused on walking. My parents got a new treadmill with some nice programmed workouts that felt a lot like the hikes we do on our trips. I was tearing up the walks 3-4 days a week to lose weight and prepare for hiking so I can go farther on the next trip. I want to do the difficult hike up to the top of Mt. Timpanogos the next time we go out to Utah.
The first few weeks on the trainer always feel the same. An hour of riding in place feels like a day of doing just about anything else. But motivation helps. I was the heaviest I have ever been. I was determined to lose the weight. I soon found myself logging 2+ hour rides on the trainer, broken up by pilates exercises. You just need good viewing material. I did some old cycling workout videos, but it was episodes of The Office and NCIS that got me through those long rides. I also watched a fair bit of bike races I missed at the end of last season and some current cylcocross races.
I got outside many days too. My road rides were aimed at three hours in length to try to build my endurance back up. They were slow, but often filled with suffereing as my endurance was terrible. Combine that with the reduced caloric intake with trying to drop weight and you have an excellent recipe for some bonking and riding the struggle bus the last hour back to the house. The trail here at home is covered with leaves and holds up very well to the winter wetness and freeze-thaw for the most part. I split some days between road and mountain just to give my mind a break and still reach the three hour mark.
I decided to skip the first Montgomery Bell Winter Time Trial Series race as I knew I was far from ready. The people at those races are always so critical that I don't want to go anymore unless I know I can be halfway competitive. I was still working to build up my budget for the year so skipping it would also help with that. I instead did another cylcocross practice race at my parents' house. We had a good time on another tough course that pointed out my lack of fitness.
The Tour Down Under is always a sight for sore eyes when it arrives in January as no road races have been on TV in several months. It is motivating to see the peloton in action, especially when Richie Porte goes cray on everybody up Willunga Hill. One day I would like to go down and watch that race while visiting all those areas in Australia. Shannon has been down under back before she met me so I think it's only fair that she take me one day. Until then, I can just use the motivation to get me out into the cold. I kind of joked around about a "Tour Down Yonder" here in the sticks of Tennessee last year. It turned into sort of a training camp with me getting in four good days of training on the road. It was cold and I highly doubt I would have been out there that much if I hadn't been motivated by the Tour Down Under. I even rode one of the days in the rain. It seemed like a good tradition to start so I was back out late in January, again logging in four long days with one being in a cold rain. I'm so glad I have some of the Pearl Izumi Amphib Tights. I don't use them often, but when you need them, they are invaluable.
By the end of the month, I was getting better with my endurance and suddenly the three hour rides were not so bad. The weather began to get a bit better with more days in the 40s than in the 30s, though we did get our fair share of rain. I knocked out a 3 1/2 hour trainer ride. One day I want to do 100 miles on the trainer. It sounds stupid even to me, but the torture involved with 100 miles indoors draws me in. One day. Not this year, but one day. I also have some other endurance goals to check off eventually like back-to-back centuries on consecutive days and a 200 mile ride. All three of those have been on my list for far too long and need to be done.
My Mom joined me for the first outdoor hike of the year. We got in a tough, cold 4.5 miles in drizzling rain here on our home trail. My Mom walks like she is on her way to a Black Friday sale at JC Penny. I have to really focus to keep up with her. Even then I find myself having to jog for a second every few minutes to stay on her heels. She worked me over and I was kind of glad to see the heavier rain finally arrive and end our outing.
On the last day of January, I was able to lay down a few fast laps on the trail on my mountain bike. It was the first fast laps I had put in since the end of November. I couldn't believe how much I had improved. It was a 21-degree day and I was wrapped in clothes, yet I still felt snappy compared to two months ago. It really helped my motivation as I knew I was doing the right thing and starting to see the results in only one month of work. There is still a long way to go, but the change is already very noticeable.
The progression continued in February. More on that in the next post.
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