props to my Pops

It's been a great week so far. Legs feel good considering I've moved into tempo work, the sun is shining away, and i've got an after-work mtb ride planned. I also just received a note from my dad that he did his first 40+ miler on the road yesterday - at 18-19AVS including many stop and go road crossings. For someone who's only been riding fo a few months, it is truly a remarkable accomplishment to be this far along...

Less than two years ago my dad was just like most other hard-working, fifty-something dudes. He was losing fitness, had been dealing with minor injuries and was losing power & distance in his favorite hobby - golf. He decided it was time to get fit. Fast forward through 12+ months of tedious doctor appointments, weights, swimming, jogging, spinninig classes, general fitness training, and now road biking - and this guy's turning into an animal! His long-term goal is to compete in mtbike enduros, so my mom and I got him a road bike for xmas so he could get the feel of being back on a bike and get the muscular endurance necessary for his future endeavors. He's now found a group of fella's to train with and is well on his way to meeting his goal - and as a side bonus, is hitting the golf ball a hell of a lot farther. How sweet is that?

As for me, all winter and spring i've also been working on increasing muscular endurance through longer daily rides. At the end of last year, I knew that if i was to be a podium threat in the 24 hour and enduro-scene, increased base training was necessary. I used to swear by the outdoor-only training plan (for mental toughness - or at least that's what i told myself while pedaling through yet another new england winter), but when it became apparent that we were in for an especially snowy cold winter, I snagged an indoor trainer (aka, the pain machine) from my boy Jamie at Western Cycle. Within a few days on the trainer, a nice routine developed. While spinning, I eat breaskfast, drink da' java and watch the weatherman make forecasts about as accurate as a game of lawn jarts. Jenn arrives from her 6am morning run in the Fells with Bronte and then hangs with me while i spin. Bronte shakes her tail. It's all good.

Later today are hill intervals. Rob's joining-in as well. He's been a great training partner this winter and spring for the long rides - and now he's getting into the tempo work at the same time as I, so it works-out nicely... it also helps that we ride at a very similar tempo - something that can be hard to find. While it can be tough to look forward to something that is going to cause one pain, pain is one way you can feel mentally ready (as well as being physically ready), so you find yourself looking forward to the hard workouts...