December 2009 – BACK TO ACTION!
Hello friends!
Well, the hand, shoulder, hip and pride are healed and I was back on the bike a week after the crash, all bandaged up but happy to get back on the bike! The very first ride after an accident is always a bit sketchy, especially when going at faster speeds — I could feel my feet wobble a bit at the pedals. The nerves didn’t last too long, however, and after a good 20 miles, my body felt like it was back to normal!
Discovered a new ride to add to my weekly venture, a ride that begins in Eastlake and heads eastbound towards the 5, heads north to the 54, eastbound to Bonita and from Bonita through National City and Eastlake, goes through 5 wicked climbs in less than 12 miles. Its one of those rides where you can wake up at 7 in the morning, get a good strong ride in and be back at your house by 1000. Love it.
I’ve made the decision to take the plunge and finally put something to rest that I’ve been thinking about for a long time since the AFC Half-Marathon back in August 2009 — and sign up for the Rock n’ Roll Marathon scheduled for June 2010. I am a bit nervous about the run as 26.2 miles is going to be quite the painful ordeal, and the training to get there will be rough, but I’m excited for the challenge and from all my riding buds who do double duty as runners including a number of great friends made from the Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge, I’ll have a great amount of people who can give me great advice on my training over the next 6 months.
This winter, my wife Becky and I had a chance to head out to visit her family in Minnesota, which was a fantastic experience, getting to spend time with her family, who for the record, makes the best food, from prime rib, to lasagna, to homemade desserts that only the Midwest can offer. While I gained a hearty 7 lbs from the great experience, it would’ve been so much more had it not been for the snowshoeing I did with my sister-in-law Missy and her husband Scott and putting in time at my dad-in-law’s great home gym which allowed me to pop in 14 miles on the treadmill! And for the record, snowshoeing really is like cycling and it uses almost all of the same muscles and cardiovascular movements to hammer up hills and spin on the flats by taking short quick steps. It’s the perfect cross training for folks who don’t live in ideal cycling weather like us spoiled San Diegans!
I hope everyone has a great new year and I hope you take the opportunity to get back in the saddle, lace up the running shoes, hit the gym or pull out the yoga mat and burn off all those calories you gained over the holidays! Nothing brings balance like burning muscles and clearing your mind of all of the stress and challenges that we face everyday.
If you want to set some goals for future races/rides both on and off the saddle, now is the time to start training and put your goals in motion!
Gran Fondo Century Ride – 3/7/2010 – http://granfondosandiego.com/
American Diabetes Association – Tour de Cure – 4/17/2010 – http://tour.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/TDC551018030?pg=entry&fr_id=6800
La Jolla Half Marathon – 4/25/2010 – http://www.lajollahalfmarathon.com/events/events5e3a.htm
Rock n’ Roll Marathon San Diego – 6/6/2010 – http://san-diego.competitor.com/
Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge – 10/17/10 – 10/23/10 – http://www.challengedathletes.org/news/events.htm
Happy New Year everyone and thanks for all of the great feedback along the way!
Also, as a huge San Diego Chargers fan, I speak for a bunch of San Diegans in showing both my excitement and support in the Bolts comeback from a 2-3 season record back in October, to finishing at an amazing 13-3 with an 11 game win streak heading into the playoffs!
As yours truly finally won his very first Fantasy Football Championship in 6 years, I’m hoping the “happy karma” can spread to my Chargers.
Hopefully this is our year to go all the way and bring home a championship! GO CHARGERS!
-BB