Glorious Disappointment

All last week I was looking forward to possibly riding my bike outside on President's day.  Then to my glorious disappointment it snowed over the weekend.  I say it like so because I absolutely love the snow but I really wanted to get outside and ride.  A bittersweet experience it was. 

   

But do not fear, I got a great ride in today and it's only mid afternoon.  I threw in some push-ups, crunches, and pull-ups for good measure.  The funny thing about it, after I was done and in the shower, I felt this urge to go running.  If I wasn't already showering I probably would have thrown on my winter gear and headed out.  I don't know where this energy comes from but I feel extremely good right now on this wintry President's Day!

God Bless America!

Well Rounded

With only a few months to become an amateur triathlete, I have been taking every opportunity in my busy schedule to squeeze in whatever I can to supplement my workouts.  A few weekends ago, I had the privilege of going snowshoeing with a few friends.  It was our 3rd annual trip and was as fun as ever! Here's the faithful crew:

Yes, I did steal this pic from Isaac & Megan's blog.  So thanks Megan!

The top of the ridge that we hiked to was absolutely gorgeous! It ended up being a perfect day too.  The trail we did was up Big Cottonwood Canyon.  I think we spent about 4 blissful hours on the mountain.  

I've been trying to take the stairs wherever possible.  This is the Eagle Gate Parking structure that I park in for work.  I usually park on the 9th floor.  So I get a good nine story climb at the end of each day. It's nice.

Isn't it Beautiful?!

And to wrap up this week, I played racquetball on Saturday with Matt.  It's been too long since the last time I played.  Unfortunately I was having so much fun that I forgot to take a picture.  To compensate, I found this little gem on the internet.

This is me.

  

Crankin' it Out

Starting Monday February 7, 2011, I will keep track of my training until May 21, 2011, when I compete in the St. George Marathon. 


7 Feb. 2011  --  1 hour biking, 13.5 miles
8 Feb. 2011  --  1 hour biking, 17.5 miles 
8 Feb. 2011  --  50 push-ups, 75 crunches


Both of these sessions were done inside on my Kinetic bike trainer while studying.  As you can see in this picture.  So focused!

Note the music stand holding my papers.  It was a brilliant idea that I thought of about 20 minutes before my workout.  Sometimes the papers move around too much when they're on my handle bars and it makes it harder to read.  I would recommend the music stand strat to anyone. 

Check out the white legs!  It's time for summer to come.

That's a live-action shot too!

Tricks of the Trade

Weapon of Choice

Specialized Tarmac Elite

It may not be the same Tarmac that Andy Schleck rode in the 2010 Tour de France with Dura Ace components but I love it.  I rock the 105's because they're quality components that are in the price range of a poor student like myself.  

I bought this bike at the beginning of this last summer.  I was inspired by a close friend of mine that is a spectacular cyclist and I owe her a lot because of it.  I never knew I would enjoy cycling this much!  It has cost me dearly to slowly acquire all the gear but it's totally worth it!

A bike isn't the only gear I need for a Tri.  You can see my cheap running shoes below and my sweet ace swim goggles! (Speedo brand of course) For a long time I thought I needed to purchase nicer running shoes, then I read the book,"Born to Run" and I realized these shoes may be better for me.  If you haven't read the book, do.

For the next "Tri" months, in order to be successful in my goals, I need to see less of the television and more of my handle bars.  Although on occasion the TV is what makes biking indoors bearable.

For those of you who care, the game that I was watching there while doing homework was a UEFA cup match between Inter Milan and Real Madrid.  Unfortunately Inter won.

Food Training

First things first.  In order to do well in the tri, one must give up all the junk food and crap that they eat.  I've been doing relatively well over the last few months due to some very good influences from some very good friends!  Although, with three months to go, it's time restrict my "crap" consumption by at least 50%.

In my efforts to prepare for the triathlon and other bike races this summer as well as an overall attempt to be more healthy I have learned to absolutely love things like Yoplait yogurts and many fruits.  All Items that I rarely ate before.  My favorites would have to be grapes, raspberries, and bananas.  I've also been doing well with my vegetables and whole grains.  A bowl of Multi-grain Cheerios every morning will serve you well!

This will be part of my lunch tomorrow in case you were wondering.  :)

Along with the food, my drinking habits have changed for the better over the last few months.  Mountain Dew was once the bane of my existence, but no longer.  At times I would crave it like the Tarahumara crave a raraji party.  Now all I ever crave is water.  That's really all I drink aside from the occasional juice, milk, or lemonade.  I feel a lot better too!

To save on dirtying vast amounts of cups and letting them stack up until I run out, I use this nifty water bottle instead.  I love this little guy.  It's portable, reusable, and convenient.  The best part is that I stole it from my dad.  He received this from his work on one of their golfing days, along with other stuff.  I don't think he's even used it once yet.

Note the Nivea lip balm.  Best stuff you'll ever try!