Cold Feet

The hardest part of this mornings workout was the long walk from the door into the garage out to where my cycling shoes were. To say the least, the garage floor was very cold. This morning I did remember to at least leave my shoes somewhat close to the heater (not the one pictured) I keep on a timer, so at least my shoes weren't freezing. Starting out with cold feet is never good and makes for a very long and cold morning.

Right now with the temps being so cold I'm using two heaters. I have an oil filled radiator space heater on a timer that kicks on one hour before I get out into the garage. It doesn't help too much but it does knock some of the chill out of the air. But that's it, it by no means warms up the garage. The second, is the one in the picture. I have no idea what kind of heater it is, only that it looks pretty old. It does a pretty good job of warming you up but I don't trust it on the timer and it has to sit like 2 feet away from my bike to feel anything.

Despite it being so cold, I still have to run a fan on low to get some air moving. Otherwise, you're covered in sweat and it's freezing cold and that's not a good thing. Enough air to keep you somewhat dry is actually a better option as crazy as it sounds.

Most mornings I'll get by with a long sleeve base layer on top, bibs and wool socks. If it's too cold I'll throw on my old school Pearl Izumi long sleeve pullover and slip on some tights. If I'm still cold, then I need to ride faster.

I'd like to invest, a small amount, in a good heater that I can leave on a timer without having to worry about it burning down the house. Maybe an electric convection heater? Any ideas?

As The Wheel Turns

It's 18 degrees out this morning and with the windchill it feels like 2 degrees. It felt almost that cold in the garage this morning. Indoor training really isn't that bad though, once you get used to it. For me the real trick is just getting my body used to getting up so early. I dread several consecutive days off just because of that. More than about three days off in a row and my body starts to reset itself and slowly gets used to getting more sleep. That much time off usually only comes in the "off season" or if I get sick, so it's not often. The crazy thing is, I'm so used to about 6 hours of sleep that when I do get more sleep I feel like I over slept and am pretty cranky. You would think it would be the opposite.

I've successfully completed my "off season" and have transitioned into my base cycle. I'm looking forward to my training this season. It seems like each season is kind of like a science experiment, seeing how little sleep I can get away with and my body still recover enough to be ready for the next day. This year won't be any different except we're going to introduce some cross training throughout the entire season to try and reduce my trainer time, even just slightly, and still get the intensity and duration needed. Most of my training will still be done in the early morning but now maybe I'll be able to do some of it outside of the garage.

Of course as the season progresses we'll make some tweaks and changes as needed but that's the plan for now.
I enjoy the changes and new challenges.

Sent from Chad's iPhone

Dreams for a Dollar

You know who they are, that person that buys a lottery ticket every Wednesday and Saturday. That person that then fantasizes about what they will do with all the money they win. You politely listen to them go on about how everything will be so much better once they take the lump sum payout and the whole time you're thinking to yourself, "do you know you could of bought yourself lunch with that five dollars you wasted on a piece of paper the size of a post it note?"

Yesterday, for the first time since we've had the Oklahoma Lottery, I stopped and bought a ticket. I spent a whopping three dollars on it knowing I had little chance of winning. My odds of actually winning the grand prize were 1 in 195,249,054, so the odds were definitely stacked against me and like I figured, I didn't win. I threw three days worth of my morning 7-11 coffee into the OK Lottery.

I wasn't disappointed with my purchase though. In the short time I had my ticket, after work until I went to bed, I was excited and couldn't help but to dream of what I could do with all the money I'm going to win. It was exciting, it was uplifting and most of all just the thought of the possibilities put a smile on my face. The thought of paying off our car and credit card, vacations, less work and more play. Taking that trip to France like Amie always talks about. Taking my girls to Disney World once a month instead of once every three years. Riding my bike for 6 hours a day. Helping out some friends and family. College funds for my girls. I mean the list goes on and on. There were so many things I would want to do if I had the opportunity.

Maybe, the reason people buy a lottery ticket isn't because they think they will win but just for the chance to dream. To smile on their trip home from a hard days work and imagine the possibilities.

I have to admit, to me, it was three dollars well spent. Don't worry, I won't be investing a whole pay check into this any time soon.

Sent from Chad's iPhone