Must...Keep...Going....

Okay, this whole consistency thing is now a real thorn in my side. I'm only 12 days into my 60 (48 to go!) and I'm already starting to feel like I'm hitting a wall. I really hope that I can get into a groove and forcing myself to exercise will turn into looking forward to exercise.

I ran on Saturday. It was only a half-hour and a little under 3 miles, but my shins are still griping loudly at me for abusing them. (Caren thinks I should have spent more time on asphalt and less on sidewalk - but asphalt is pretty hard too, right?)

Monday I could hardly stand the idea of getting on the treadmill - regardless of my fancy new shoes. Caren encouraged me to walk instead of run and I was only able to make it for about 10 minutes before my shins decided they'd had enough and it was time to go on holiday.

This week and the week of Christmas I anticipate to be my biggest challenges. Why on earth would you want to get out and exercise when there's food to be eaten and laziness to be indulged in?

Mostly because I want a stinkin' Rockhopper, that's why.

Consistency

In the last several years I've discovered a serious character flaw. I've observed it in some of my relatives and have often wondered if it hereditary or a product of my upbringing (no offense guys - just an observation). Regardless of where this flaw originates I have discovered I have a serious problem with consistency.

It often manifests itself in two forms: 1) inability to remain constant in a repetitive task (scripture study, exercise, money management, etc) and 2) a perpetual desire to experience something new (often manifested by a desire to try new food, become restless in a job, try to learn a new skill that I'll never succeed in, etc.). I've never considered the two related, but it makes sense that they stem from the same character flaw: inconsistency.

Caren, however, has the most consistent person on the planet and has been a major force in helping me overcome my flaw in a number of areas.

My inability to remain consistent has recently rendered my exercise efforts completely useless. One or two days a week - then a two week hiatus isn't exactly a catalyst for real change. With exercise I find it difficult to remain driven for results - mostly because my brief forays have never produced any real change and I find it easy to lose desire.

Well, I'm out to change that - at least in the exercise realm - once and for all. Caren is again aiding me in my quest to become consistent. She and I struck a deal last night: if I can exercise five days a week for eight weeks we will set aside money for a new bike.

If I miss one day, I have to start over. So it's in my best interest to make sure I do this right the first time.

Granted I'm only on Day Two of my 60 day quest, but I have high hopes. After all, I'm highly motivated - for now.

Training

Today I made several small sqeaks, er steps toward our Ride next year. It sure doesn't feel like much working out in the basement on a squeaky gazelle, but it is a step in the right direction. I think it would be good to have a section where we can log our exercise/training. I know if I saw others posting their training, it would motivate me a little more. After all..."When Performance is measured, performance improves. But when performance is measured and reported, performance improves dramatically." I posted a sidebar with a list feature. It seems somewhat lacking, but I can't think of anything else at the moment. Any thoughts? Have you seen any HTML Gadgets that can be put on the side?

Colorado's Multiday Mountain Bike Tours

I ran across an article by Ted Stedman written for GreatOutdoors.com that outlined a number of good multi-day rides. Below are a few excepts from his article.

It's no secret that Colorado harbors some of the premier mountain bike tours on the planet. But what else would you expect in a state where thousands of miles of trails and dirt roads crisscross the high country other than premium rides?

Consider it bike packing - like a hybrid cross between backpacking and mountain biking - where a tent is your mobile shelter, all your provisions are carried on panniers or an off-road bike trailer, and your bike is a vehicle for discovery.

I love that term, "bike packing."

SAN JUAN HUT SYSTEM

The San Juan Hut System's 206-mile Telluride to Moab tour transports riders from Colorado's cool alpine mountain tops to the fiery deserts and redrock canyons of Utah's Moab. This route retraces the getaway route of gunslinger Butch Cassidy's gang after they robbed a Telluride bank in 1889.

There's something to this next one. We ought to look into it a bit more.

TABEGUACHE TRAIL

The first challenge of the Tabeguache Trail is to pronounce it (say "tab-a-watch"). The second is to resist the temptation to turn around and repeat the 144-mile ride that many riders swear is the archetype of western Colorado bike routes.

Coursing across valleys, mesas, pinion-juniper forests and remote BLM range lands, the Tabeguache is a snippet of classic Colorado. The trail got its start in 1988, when a fledgling group of resource-savvy mountain bikers calling themselves the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Association (COPMOBA) dedicated the elbow grease to create a contiguous link between Montrose and Grand Junction. By connecting existing dirt roads and ATV trails with 11 miles of newly built singletrack, the Tabeguache was born.

The Mother Trail.

GREAT DIVIDE MOUNTAIN BIKE ROUTE

Hikers have the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails, fabled long-distance routes that are trophies for intrepid trekkers. Since its completion in 1997, the GDMBR offers mountain bikers a two-wheeled version of the same prize.

The 2,465-mile GDMBR is the unsurpassed monarch of mountain bike trails, the longest designated off-route route in the world...

COLORADO TRAIL

Cutting a swath across the Rocky Mountains from Denver to Durango, the 471-mile CT is a wild, daunting, epic undertaking for mountain bike touring. And it's probably the most scenic - and technical - multi-day ride offered in the southern Rockies.

Seven national forests, six wilderness areas, eight mountain ranges and five major river systems are traversed by the CT, a trail that owes its existence to volunteers and leaders who envisioned a recreational corridor linking existing trails with numerous access points.

Bike Maintenance

As I had an extra day off This weekend, I decided to get our bike fleet back in working order. I had a blowout of my tire back in the summer, and hadn't had the funds to get a new set of tires. They were due as they were over 10 years old. So I patched tires on D2's bike, my wife's bike, and D1's bike. Then D2's tire sprang another leak. I patched that only to find out that Jenny's had sprung yet another leak. Her rear tire has blown (split-down-the-side-of-the-tube blown) out 2 tubes. I went down to the bike store and purchased some rim tape even though it didn't need any that I could see. After putting the tire back on, and replacing both of my tires, the weekend was over. And now both my bike and my wife's have issues. Her rear tire is wobbly and needs to have the spokes adjusted. My derailers need to have the cable's replaced. Ugh. It is a lot of work to keep your family's fleet running!

We recently had our Aunt and Uncle and my cousin over for dinner. His dad is always finding deals on bikes and just found him a newer model full suspension that he sold to my cousin for $100. It is a Trek something or other. Good deal. I will keep my eyes pealed for deals like that.

While in the bike store, I asked to see some of the latest model bikes. There were two types of bikes that I found pretty wild. Cannondale has a bike called the "Lefty" that I am rather partial to just for its name. The other type of bike I saw had 29" wheels which help with shock absorption. While these were both out of my price range, I thought they looked pretty cool.
The other interesting thing I found out at the bike shop was a tire that Specialize makes that is near puncture proof. I bought a couple of the $26 variety. The sidewalls were not puncture proof. For $55 a tire, you can have the puncture proof version. For my model, there is a wide strip of Kevlar that is embedded in the tire. I think this is a pretty cool idea. For the ER (Epic Ride), my bike will definitely be sporting a couple of these tires. All the benefits of the foam tires, but none of the weight!

Well that is all for now. I wish I could have said that I even went riding this weekend. I will have to wait for the snow to melt.

Wadsworth Singletrack

Wow - Singletrack heaven on Saturday. At the top of the right fork of Hobble Creek Canyon there's a little trail called Wadsworth. It's only about 7 miles, but MAN, beautiful!

I didn't have tons of time to go much further than a few miles, but the ride was gorgeous. A topo map was a helpful way of getting an idea of where the trail leads to. I'd suggest we pick up one during these initial planning stages.

Average Speed: 5 mph
Total Distance: 3 miles

Realizations from a Weekend Ride

On Saturday last I hit the road for a little ride. As I've noted before, I ride an aluminum Rockhopper with broken shocks. I also had just pumped up my tires to 60psi. I stayed on the road the entire time and realized that there's a reason my bike came with shocks.

After a half hour my hands were asleep - and my teeth quite rattled. I've GOT to get some shocks.

Another realization, we've got to make sure that if we do decide to do a trail around Craig/Steamboat Springs, that we dress and plan accordingly. This came after I rode in the 35° rain for the last half hour. Awesome times.