Wednesday, April 22, 2009

ride to live!...live to ride?

With the demise of the Derailers series I've decided to stop racing. Injuries and burn out have contributed to this decision. I still might show up for MW challenge if they have it and I might show up at Peaksview park this summer since Jerry is going to school a few miles away but I have no plans to ride the gerbal wheel in perpetuity just to lose a few pounds/seconds that never seemed to make a difference anyway. I've shifted back to the hiking, exploring, fishing, foraging, and hunting that I had given up for a time before I started riding due to bad lungs and knees. Ten years out from my decision to get healthy I now weigh about what I did when I started but I'm in much better shape. I quit smoking 9 years ago and that coupled with the outdoor activities allows me to maintain good a good cardiovascular system and better bone bone mass than the bike alone was doing. I still grab my now old yellow fsr and go for a spin but I don't feel the need to push the limits like I used to. It could come back anytime. I still talk about racing often and refer to examples from my experiences in discussions of Jerry's running and training. I may have to sell off some equipment at some point if I find I'm not using it. I've never been good at that. My almost new giant carbon road bike is very dusty now and lacks a saddle since I swiped the old padded wtb one to use on my fsr for more comfort. I never got used to the higher gearing it has with the compact crank setup despite my using mtb gears on the back as some folks noted on the old schwinn super sport. It's spring and I have allergies as usual. Doesn't keep me from going outside.

The bottom line may be that organized training is more stress than I need and the mood to just go for a ride is much more fun.

See my new blog coming soon that better reflects my activities. link to follow