Why you ski....

I've been struggling with the whole bike/ski thing since I finished college. When I was young and not too smart I used to race all summer on the bike and then race all winter on the skis. I think one year I did over 50 races! That's alot for a young kid. Today it’s a challenge just to get out and do something, anything is great, but with work and the kids it’s not always practical. The balance between work, home and keeping fit is not an easy one, but I guess that’s the challenge these days. Not winning so much, but getting out and enjoying being fit. That's part of the struggle. Bike racing is just plain fun, but you have to get to the group rides and really work on the top end. Skiing just makes you fit as can be, upper body, core and lower body. That's why it’s hard to commit to one or the other, so that's why I'm trying to develop a plan that can maybe satisfy both of the sports. As if either one wouldn't be a challenge enough with a 3.5 year old and a 1 year old!

This is a good example of why skiing is a good thing...check out the abs on these NMU skiers!

The positive of being sick.....

Boy...oh, boy....I don't recommend getting pneumonia a couple weeks before X-mas! It sucked, I got to spend 3 days in the hospital and to top it off all of us were sick during the holidays :( Anyway...not eating for 5 days will do wonders to jump start a weight loss program. I think I was around 180lbs just after stuffing my face full of turkey for a couple days in November. After being sick I was down to 167lbs...now a month later I have stabilized at around 170lbs, which will make hitting 165lbs in the next 5 weeks not too hard...I hope!?

I have had about 2 months off....it has taken about 5 weeks to feel normal again(if that is possible) after the pneumonia. This week I have actually gotten on the bike trainer a couple times and have done some crunches and pushups a few nights this week. Baby steps for now....

I'm pretty focused/excited to do a couple roadie races this summer...I even sent away for my USCF license...Cat 3. My goal is around 6 races - Allen Park, Dexter, Lansing, Ada, Rochester, and Rock City Crits. The ultimate goal is to keep fit. Keep the weight down to 165lbs and be able to run, bike or ski any day of the week, any time of year.