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

The Heat Is On

This morning it was back on the trainer. After my nice little siesta it was time to get motivated and get to spinning. It was nice and cold this morning and since it was below freezing outside I had both my heaters on...for a little bit anyway. Trainer time kind of sucks right now because my resistance unit is jacked up. I've already contacted my POC at Kinetic and they are sending me another one. That will make my third resistance unit. It's like half way siezed up and the wheel doesn't freely spin. It still works but is like ten times the normal resistance. So, this mornings ride, with an average cadence of 101 my average speed was 15.2 mph and my average wattage was 211. That sucks. I can't wait until my new one gets here. This mornings workout was more like a strength workout than anything. The people at Kinetic are great. Never any fuss or questions. I send them some photos of what's going on and a description and they get right back with me and within a day or so a replacement unit is on it's way.

Sent from Chad's iPhone

Give Thanks

In ten minutes it will be 8 o'clock which means that Diego is almost over, it's about time to brush Addi's teeth and say her prayers and my long Thanksgiving weekend has almost come to an end. It's been a great weekend. I finally got some quality time with all three of my girls, something that's been lacking over the last few weeks. We also got to spend some time with each of our families. I'm already looking forward to Christmas weekend so we can do it all again.

Somehow on Friday I manages to start feeling like I was coming down with a cold. It amazes me, I've worked 80+ hour weeks the last three weeks, taken time off my bike just so I could be rested enough to work and not fall asleep as soon as I get home and manage to stay healthy. But as soon as a long weekend hits I get sick and in four days only manage to get two hours in on the road. Now I'm sick and when I really need to rest I can't because I've already taken too much time off. So, tomorrow it's back on the trainer bright and early.

Tomorrow I also start back tracking every calorie of every piece of food I even think about eating. I stopped doing that when I took my little break off the bike. I know, that was the wrong time to stop watching what I was eating and I should of been watching it more closely. It's kind of a package deal to me though I guess. It's been kind of a rough month or so for me and I guess I just didn't want to bother with it.

Tomorrow morning I hit the trainer, track calories, get a little closer to closing this job out and the whole time I'll be missing my girls. It's always hard for me to go back to work after a long weekend or vacation because I get attached to my girls and look forward to seeing them each morning. Back to the 5:30-8:30 daddy, I guess. That's another topic though.

Time to say our prayers.

Sent from Chad's iPhone

Have A Little Heart

It seems like I get in these phases where I have time to blog and I make several entries and then things get busy again. I look forward to blogging and hope things start to get a little more balanced in the near future.

If my life were like a bike race, we'd be hitting about the 500 meter mark. Meaning, everyone is starting to fight for position, you're rubbing shoulders with the guys around you hoping everyone can hold a line and you don't lock handlebars and the rubber stays on the road. It's a very hectic and exciting time, it's a time when you make friends and you lose them just as fast.

One of my current projects, the OK Heart Hospital-South Campus is five days away from final punch. We have been working 60 hour weeks and last week I had over 80. For the most part this has been a great experience for me. I've learned a lot of lessons, some good and some bad. I feel like this job, at this point, consumes my life. There isn't a moment of the day that I'm not in some way thinking about this project. Whether be who to put where, how to layout the days schedule, what materials to order, who isn't carrying their load, the list goes on and on. From the time I wake up, to the time I go to bed. It's all part of the job, I guess, and will be wrapping up shortly and once completed it will all be worth it.

I'm already looking forward to my next project and the opportunity to use what I've learned here there. But I'm also looking forward to a little less stress, spending some time with my girls and not saying, "sweetie daddy's too tired for a piggy back ride", and riding my bike.

Lunch is over now, so back to work I go.

Sent from Chad's iPhone

Changes

It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes - TuPac

You might have noticed a few changes on my blog, most notably for now would be the sponsors listed on the right hand side of the page. It's that time of the year again, time to start recruiting sponsorships for next season. We have got some great new sponsors on board for next season and few devoted current sponsors that have decided to stick around. I'm excited to get to represent both new and old sponsors next season. I plan on keeping everyone up to date on what each of our sponsors offer and also if they might be offering any type of specials throughout the year. It's the least I can do for the support they bring to the team. So, please check out my sponsor list and if you see anything of interest to you there, give them or me a shout. I'd be happy to put a call in for you to any of them. Look for additional sponsors within the next few weeks.

Within the next few days you'll also notice some other huge changes. I've got a new team name to unveil along with all kinds of other juicy stuff.