Time to Get Back to Work

Tomorrow I head back to work after two weeks off. It will be interesting to see how my training progresses. I don't think I'll be riding at night; I don't have all the night gear and I'm not that eager to run into cars that won't see me. I'll go to spinning on Monday mornings and aerobics on Wednesday mornings. I'll find out if I can get up early enough to ride a few miles on the other mornings before I have to take my daughter to school and then head to work. I think January and most of February will be spent getting up to the 15 and 20 mile range on weekends, then I'll probably sign up for my first races in late February and March. I've been looking at several bicycle club pages, and I don't think I'm fast enough for some. Others are too far away. There is one near me that sounds interesting; I'll try it after a few more weeks of training.

I've enjoyed reading Steve Sievert's Thursday cycling column in the Houston Chronicle. It's been a good introduction to the sport for me. One link he pointed out is http://www.bicycletexas.com/bike_links.htm for finding links to bike clubs and rides.

One problem with the MS-150 warm-up rides is that most seem to occur on Sunday mornings. I assume the vehicular traffic is less on Sunday mornings, but it sure does make it hard on those of us who attend church regularly to get training. Since I'm an usher captain at my church, I need to be there on a regular basis to fulfill my volunteer obligations. I'm sure that with prayer and planning, I can both train for the MS 150 and practice my God-given gift of hosting.

Oh yeah, I did ride this afternoon, 9.15 miles. It has been really humid in Houston this weekend. Humid and warm. It felt like it might rain at any time, but I never felt any drops. I looped through several neighborhoods and rode the path at the nearby park. I still avoid riding on major roads--I take the sidewalk instead. I'm just not up to riding the curb to avoid fenders yet. I'll get there soon. Anyway, it was a good ride.

Happy New Year!

Dustin