What a difference a commitment makes

Two weeks ago I was concerned that, like last year, I was ending my quest before it got started. I was concerned I wasn't on the bike enough, that the frequency needed to be increasing, not going down. Two weeks ago I believed that the path to fit was an ever-increasing number of rides,

Headaches - Travel - A New Dog - and Sloth

These are all the things I'm allowing myself to believe are keeping me from getting my ass on my bike. I'm feeling the stress of failure and want to do something about it. I'm really struggling with the migraines right now

Mind over peddles

Wednesday, a most beautiful evening. Warm, sunny, and most importantly, not so much as a leaf shaking. A perfect evening to ride. I found every reason not to go. It's not that I didn't want to go; it's just that more important things came up. No big deal--

Pack Ride

I love a pack ride. It's both social and work. Saturday morning 5 of us on the Sigh yoga MS150 squad went out for a spin. What a great day for a ride. It was sunny, kind of coolish and if you believe this, not windy. The best part was we were on a pack ride in the true sense of the word. It was like watching "The Dog Whisperer" on TV. Caesar rolling down the street with a collection of different breeds and sizes, be-bopping along with no place in particular to be. Completely unlike the club riders you see tearing it up. The usual club rides are of 5 to 10 of the same guy with the same gear on the same bike. It's a nicely organized unit with a common purpose, fitness for performance. Those groups are fun to watch as they go spreading past, taking up less room than a parked car, working together like a well oiled machine. We on the other hand were motley looking crew sporting all different levels of ride. In the group we had a hybrid, a 30 year old Schwinn Le Tour, a couple of newer road bikes and a carbon BMC, (somebody dropped a few dollars). Unlike our club brethren, there was no tight pace line, at times we were stretched out for a quarter mile. The conversation was good and our goals were all the same... Keep our asses in the saddles for as long as possible. Since we're riding the MS150 together, and it's not a race, the key is saddle time. 2 days with lots of pit stops, food and a ton of riders out on the course, could make for long days and a soar backside. The more time we get in the saddle now, the better off we will be come June. I pealed off the group at around 24 miles. They were continuing on out west of the city and I had to get to my daughter's dance competition. I am looking forward to more pack rides in the coming weeks.

Minnesota Wind Machine

Welcome to Minneapolis, where the wind comes sweeping from the plains... Both ways. Every morning on the ride in to work there is a stiff wind in my face, causing me to exert more effort and break a good sweat before work. And

My knee hurts

Like the title says, my knee hurts. When I was a kid my Pop used to get mad at me, because I would be running and while in full stride, fall to my knees and skid. He would cringe and say that I was going to wear my knees out. It was a familiar theme with my dad. He would say the same thing about the front door, or the refrigerator, "That door has only so many opens before it breaks,