Let's get it started

So I suppose a little background information is in order given that this is my first post... I'm an accomplished blog reader but a complete novice when it comes to actually creating my own. Please be patient while I try and figure it out. I'm afraid this blog will mirror my riding: Full of good intentions and high expectations but never quite reaching its potential! Oh well, I suppose the reason riding is so addictive is because "getting fast" is such a puzzle. Perhaps the blog will shed some light on what I'm doing wrong.

I rode & raced as a kid growing up in Boise, ID but never really amounted to much. I started riding with my cousin Scott and friend Nathan in order to earn the Cycling merit badge for scouts. At the time my ride consisted of a BMX bike with a bag strapped to my bars that I used to carry a water bottle and snacks. 25 miles doesn't seem like much now but back then it was a major accomplishment. For the 50-miler I rented a 10 speed from the local shop and rode to-and-from Caldwell where we enjoyed a nice rest stop at my grandparent's for breakfast. Soon after I graduated to my Dad's old Raleigh that we "upgraded" with a pair of clincher wheels (to replace the long dead tubulars), a 6 speed freewheel and a new saddle (the original Brook's was a rock after years in the garage). The wheels were Mavic MA40's and Performance hubs if memory serves me. The Raleigh was replaced a year later with a Schwinn Circuit (anybody remember those sweet white & gray Shimano Sante components?!) and finally a Specialized Allez Epic with 105 two years after that. While I did a bit of racing as a Junior, my major accomplishments were riding the Tuesday Nighter with the "fast" group (this took about 3 years of suffering to accomplish!) and finishing the 1991 Ronald McDonald Century in 4:17. I always seemed to leave my legs at home when it came to actual races!

Once I started college the bike took a back seat to dating, a mission and marriage. After 12 years off the bike I talked my wife into letting me buy a Trek 5200 frame built with 105 components in the fall of 2003 so I could ride with a friend who had just purchased a road bike. Needless to say my promise that the extra weight would "melt off like butter" proved true (cheesy thing to say I know but it was the best argument I had at the time) and here I am, 15,000 miles and 50 pounds later, back at it trying to figure out how to ride faster just like when I was 16.

Anyway, for the past week I've been sick with a cold I picked up from my kids. Basically anytime my kids are sick I follow about a week later, no matter how meticulous I am about washing my hands, eating well, taking zinc lozenges, going to bed early, etc., etc., etc.. Frustrates me to no end, especially considering that my wife almost never picks up their colds. Oh well, at least it has given me another week of rest from the bike which will probably end up being a good thing down the road (no pun intended). However, after limiting myself to three 20 minute sessions of easy spinning on the trainer to prep my legs for some quality stretching I'm ready to give it a go on the road tomorrow. I'm shooting for 1-2 hours of easy riding before the BYU game assuming I wake up feeling ok. The weather looks prime next week so I don't want to go too hard tomorrow and setback my recovery.