Summer of Sweat: Part One

Mon, June 29th, 2015 (Englewood, FL) - I love training. Not more than competition but there is a real sense of purpose that comes from pushing yourself to a new level with a clear goal in mind. This is my second day of an eight week build up to the fall Cyclocross season. Last year I tried CX for the first time and fell in love. It combines all the things I love about Mountain Biking with all the things I enjoyed about BMX Racing. Last year I could only afford to do 4 races but this year I have sponsors and a schedule. A little help goes a long way.

As for the process, I'm already sweating. Weighed in at 175.6 and will check that number as the summer goes on. I have a series of conditioning exercises plus CX riding blocks all lined up on my white boards (Of which I have 3). I'll be keeping careful track of RPE's, nutrition, hydration, miles and hours on the bike as well as personal records for each exercise in my home gym. I plan to suffer, OCD style! It is crazy hot every day and most of my focus is on intensity.

If you are wondering about all the creepy pictures, those are from today's session. They were filmed using video then taken out as snapshots. I wanted to do a video diary but I still don't like how I look and sound on camera. Anyway, Day One was very quick and Day Two was nice and mellow. For the first two weeks I'll be keeping things simple in order to fulfill required training blocks and establish proper habits. After that we start to push the pace.

If you want to follow my progress check back here over the next eight weeks. I will eventually get the courage to post video of some sessions and talk about how things are going. In the meantime be sure to check out my sponsors.

Bicycles International of Venice, Luksha Reconstruction and SixSixOne.

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