The weather is spectacular this winter here in Grand Junction. Well, for riding at least. Even with good weather, it can be possible that there is extra motivation needed to get out on the two-wheeled steed.
I usually do not have many motivation problems, just because I love riding my bike. Sometimes that can lead to problems. In my younger years (alright, I guess I’m only 23), I would spend hours upon hours on my bike in the winter. When I first moved to Grand Junction from the damp, snowy, and cold Michigan, I was way too excited. I was clocking over 25 hours a week on the bike consistently. I was loving riding without 17 layers, fenders, or studded tires. It was like winter freedom.
Looking back, I was crazy stupid
The year is long, and often by July I was burned out. It’s hard. This time of year all I think about is if I am not logging in the miles, I will be behind my competition come spring and summer. I’ve become smarter and realized that mixing up the riding and taking less pressure off is not that bad.
Fixed gear, studded tires, Moose Mitts, fenders..Glad I moved
I often race until November, then take a few weeks off before building back up for the next season. This year, I ended my season months earlier with an injury. That meant I was going to start my 2012 training a few months ahead of time. With some knee tendinitis, inconsistent riding, and small commitments that came up, I had a rough few months on the bike. I was lacking motivation rolling into December.
Luckily, after a couple years of peer-pressure, I decided to pick up backcountry skiing. While it does not fully correlate to the bike, it is a good workout and good on the mind. I spent some good days on the snow in the early a.m. hours or solo at night in the dark.
Finishing dawn patrol at Powderhorn
After Christmas, I ventured down to Tucson for a week of training. With a few days on the bike all month, sleep deprived and in a calorie deficit, I had a rough first few days. Honestly, I never felt great on the bike all week. The more days that went by, the better I felt, but still sub-par. After coming back to Grand Junction, I was motivated to get back in the rhythm and build the fitness. As luck would have it, 28 hours on the bike in a week is a good jump-start.
Feeling awful, but working on a tan!
After doing some structured training the past couple weeks and watching the geek (power) meter, it seems that I’m on track much more than I thought. So, the moral of the story is that as humans we have muscle memory, and fitness does not just walk out the door forever. Sometimes it is good to take a break, do some other activities, and refresh the mind. Well, that’s what I think, but we’ll see when I do another VO2 test in a couple weeks! I just need to remember my goals are in late summer/fall.
If you read this far, thanks. It was more of a note to myself for the next time I have these thoughts and almost retire while bonked out on Mt. Lemmon!
