February is here already and my goal of writing more regular blog posts to document the trials and tribulations of 2016 landed me with a single entry in January. Teaching is definitely a serious time commitment and days are filled with a busy routine of answering emails, regular meetings, scheduled commitments, conversations with students and parents, and oh the teaching time. This being said, my training has been pretty limited to the bicycle commute before and after school, and fitting in what I can on the weekends, when we are not catching up on house chores, running errands, and the good ol’ fashion day-to-day living.
I do cherish my morning and evening miles on the American River Parkway. This opportunity allows me to clear my head and I mentally go over my daily checklist, have some creative time to ponder, and most importantly just appreciate my time outdoors. The afternoon sessions sometimes have a heart-thumbing let-it-all pace to clear the air of the frustration of poor choices in the classroom, while other times it is tranquil as I simply decompress gently. The sunrises and sunsets are spectacular and wildlife is always abundant. A colleague of mine, who also commutes by bike, mentioned he spotted a bald eagle last week. I haven’t been so lucky but loads of deer, skunks, owls, mice, coyotes, and a great blue heron.
This past month Melissa and I began a change in our eating by starting the Whole 30. My goal was to change my relationship with processed sugary foods, and this plan eliminates all processed foods, grains, and even dairy. I was a bit nervous taking on such a strong-willed challenge while facing my students, hoping I wouldn’t get irritable or have low-energy. The first few days were a struggle, but I quickly came to realize just how great I felt after eating a healthy salad, or sweet potatoes versus the traditional sugary snack.
Melissa and I signed up for a mountain bike race series of 6 races at Granite Bay over the next 3 months. The first was January 17th and I can honestly say I had a few butterflies. It had been years since I entered a bike race, especially a mountain bike race. I had only seriously been riding this thing for just over 6 weeks, and know that confidence must be built up over time. I was to complete 3 laps of just over 6 miles, most of which was single-track, and a few sections were quite technical.
The first race proved to be just the right distance as my back was a bit achy towards the end. I finished 7th overall and won the 30-39 age group. Melissa unfortunately snapped her chain just over 4 miles in and was forced to walk her bike back to the finish. She would have redemption on a later day.
The second race added a lap, and with a little more distance, came a little more strategy. I felt the tempo was a bit slower, but I still somehow managed to burn a few too many matches early on, as I ended up falling off the lead group of 3 and finished 4th in the Pro/Expert race, while winning the 30-39 age group. I always feel that racing the clock is a better measure than opponents, so it won’t be until this next race when I get an even comparison. I do know that nutrition is key, and despite it only being 1 hour 46 minutes, it is long enough for the system to need some calories, in which I wasn’t able to take many in, due some in part not consuming processed sugars, and secondly, eating on a mountain bike is considerably harder than the open roads. Looking forward to hitting more dirt trails.
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