Good Bye January!

This was definitely, no doubt in my mind, one of the longest most drawn out months I have ever lived through! I will be so happy to see the month of January finally end tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow is the last day of January, hooray! The weather this month has been the worst! Cold and snow and rain, BOTH snow and rain, hail, and high winds! Needless to say I did not get many opportunities to ride my road bike outdoors this month. I did get a few mountain bike rides in but only one road ride. The road ride was on a sunny but cold day. Joe, Jackie, and I rode on the Orting Trail. We did have a good time on this ride. It felt wonderful to be outside in the fresh but chilly air. I must admit the start was difficult at first because of the 39 degree temperature that afternoon but the brightly shining sun made it feel a lot warmer than it actually was!

Because of the cold weather this January I went to a lot of spin classes at my gym. Don’t get me wrong, the gym and spin classes are better than nothing. The gym and the spin classes will help keep me in shape until I can finally go outside and ride! But still there’s nothing like the feel of the wind and the sun on you. There’s nothing like riding on your real bike on a road outside! It definitely beats indoor spin classes any day in my book. Plus the views you see on a real ride! Beautiful trees, streams, pastures, and mountains that just lift your spirits. Yes, I would have to say that the real thing is definitely by and far the best!

I need to also get serious regarding my training. This July 31st I will be riding in the 2008 RAMROD (Ride Around Mount Rainier In One Day). That is just six months away! I will need to build up my mileage until I will be able to ride 154 miles in one day. Not only ride 154 miles in one day but ride it plus climb! Total elevation for the RAMROD is over 10,000 feet! This spring and summer I also want to participate in many organized rides. And I want to start running again. Not a lot of miles, no more than 3 miles minimum to 5 miles maximum. I hope to run at least 5 days a week. I feel that running will help build my stamina and increase my metabolism. I also believe that a little bit of running will benefit my cycling. It will “round out” my training.

So I say good bye to January. Good Bye to snow, cold temperatures, high winds, hail, and icy rain. I want to say hello and welcome to spring. Hello to sunshine, warmer temperatures, tulips, robins, dogwoods blooming, spring bicycle events, and the beginning of a new riding season! :)