Monday, January 17, 2011

2011- Excuses and Goals

Sunday I finally got outside and was able to enjoy the snow.  Last week it dumped about 6 inches of snow and all week the conditions have been perfect for cross-country skiing.  All week I kept telling myself I would break out the skis but I couldn't find the motivation to get off the couch.  I kept telling myself it was too cold, or the skis didn't work properly the last time I used them and I didn't want to mess with them this year, etc. (the skis I use are hand-me-downs that have been of legal drinking age almost as long as me). 

Despite all my BS excuses, I finally decided to give it a whirl and went cross-country skiing with Conrad (the wonder dog) for about an hour or so.  I had a great ski.  Here's a picture of Turkey Creek I took while skiing.



After about an hour, I started getting tired and Conrad starting getting ice between his paws, so it was time to call it a day.  I wish I had gone earlier in the week because the snow was already too melted to be worth a crap.  Hopefully it will snow again this year.  All this got me thinking about excuses.

Basically, I realized I had been a complete turd all week.  Every single time I go riding, skiing, etc. I'm always glad I got out, even in the most nasty, crappy, and miserable conditions.  (see gravel grinder post).  I know this, but even still, I fall victim to laziness.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Gravel Grinding

Chris Locke's Parkville Gravel Grinder (1/9/11) served as my first outside road/gravel ride of 2011.  Hopefully, it will also be the only ride (outside) for 2011 where temps are less than 20 degrees.  My water froze solid in the bottle before mile 2, and my hands were numb before I left the parking lot--it was really F-ing cold.  Luckily, the pace never jumped up too high because I had no water and my gels froze in the container.  Towards the end, my legs felt pretty heavy and I'm sure the lack of nutrition didn't help.

All things considered, it turned out to be a great ride once my hands finally warmed up.  We got in about 35 miles of gravel/ road in 2.5 hours.  Fun ride.  Thanks to those who put it on.

  

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