Life is Adventure

One more week and I am back to the bike after a brief break due to the broken toe you see pictured above.  I have been taking advantage of the no biking and paddling a lot.  My arms hurt, my legs are aching from bracing in the boat and I love it.

I hope to be able to start hammering 20+ mile rides soon and start building my milage from there.

The ice in Upper Kamath Lake has gone missing and I am now free to paddle more than short laps in the unfrozen spaces.  Today I took a trip out in the deceptive looking weather, I thought it would be warm. 

It was fun, I battled a slight headwind and waves on the outbound trip but had the waves at my back on the return trip.  A nice 16 mile trip took me somewhere near 3 hours so I can't complain, especially with the headwind heading out.

Tomorrow is a biking day.

I wasn't really paddling in the ice today... too much.  The lake was frozen over mostly still but it was still a great day to go out and enjoy the water.  I could see a wake in the ice about 30 feet out so I am sure that one good wind storm will break up most of the remaining ice.

It is great to have more than a single lane to paddle back and forth in.

More winter fun coming soon...

Failure lasts till your next attempt, quitting lasts forever.

I am not a warm climate person.  This summer has not been too bad in the PNW where I live but still having temps in the 80s and 90s have taken their toll on my training.  I just don't handle heat well.

When the conditions don't favor your body it is not the end of the world to take some time off.  I try to stay cool and not over do it in the heat.  Early mornings are a great time for summer exercise but it isn't always possible to get out early.

Stay cool and stay hydrated in the summer sun.

Being physically tough sometimes just isn't enough.  Sometimes you need to be able to say you can even when your body says you can not.  Being mentally tough is one of the biggest advantages you can have over another person.

I am a positive thinker, I don't know how to say "I quit" or how to stop just because things are getting hard. 

Quitting is a state of mind, being mentally tough will help keep this thought out of your head.  Say you can do it and believe yourself and you will be able to achieve the impossible.

We all get wrapped up in doing things and get so busy that we forget to have FUN.  This can be at work, at home, or even while out having fun.  Getting out and having a little adventure needs to be fun.  Training days need to be fun.  This is an important point that a lot of people miss.

When you are out training don't forget to stop and smell the daisies.

We all are guilty of going all out trying to get faster and stronger.  I can understand wanting to be faster and stronger.  I am not doing this for work, it isn,t like I am training to get on a team.  I am out there for fun, I want to enjoy my time outdoors and have to remind myself occasionally to slow down and enjoy it a bit more.

Next time you go out and bike, run, walk, paddle a boat, or anything else slow down and enjoy the world around you.  It is all about having FUN.

Some people ask me why I do it, why train hard, why go for bike rides so far out of town that walking back would not really be an option.  Why kayak down the river here till my arms are tired before turning back.

There is one simple reason.  I don't know how far I can go if I turn back when it is comfortable to do so.  I have to push myself.  I have to test the limits and then try to do a little better next time.  I am not just talking about time, or distance as a challenge but how hard can I go for all that time.

I will ride 20 to 40 mile loops on my local trips most of the time.  I can ride farther in a day, I usually am only out for 90 minutes to 3 hours.  I push my limits by trying to go faster and harder each time.  Sometimes the return ride is excruciating, but it is easier the next trip out.

Testing your limits is a good way to improve at everything.  Try something new, try something harder, try to do it faster or better, just get out there and go for it.

Having a routine is important to any training plan.  Sticking with the routine is the hard part, but is the most important.  At first a routine will be hard to do and will sometimes test your resolve but after a few weeks it will seem like cheating or somehow a failure to skip a day.

I am a fan of cross training.  I bike three days a week and on two or three of the others I go kayaking.  These days I alternate to give my legs a rest evey other day and my arms a rest the biking days.  This has been a good way for me to build my strength and not over exert myself by training too many days in a row of doing the same thing.

I do skip days if the weather is too rainy or windy to bike or kayak.  These days I will try it do a session on the indoor trainer while watching a movie or documentary on Netflix.  I don't always do this but I like to try to keep to my routine so that I an strong for some upcoming rides over long distances.

Pick your own training schedule and stick with it even if at first it is hard to shuck with.  After a while it will become habit and you will love it.

Part of my training for biking and kayaking among other things is my diet.  I believe that eating the right things can make a difference in not only your ability to perform well at sports but also make a big difference in life.

First off I want to make it clear that I am NOT a medical or nutritional professional and you should seek professional advice before making changes to your routine or diet.

I eat a simple diet but it packed with all shots of great things to keep you going.  I like pizza and chips as much as the next guy but I try to keep these to a minimum. 

I have begun juicing about a month ago and it is amazing.  I love the veggie juice that I make myself, I never really have been a fan of the premade vegetable juice products.  Juicing whole natural vegetables is a big part of my daily diet, I have it for breakfast every day.  Some people lose a ton of weight juicing but I have only lost small amounts of weight but that was not my prime reason for doing this.  I wanted to be healthier and more fit and diet can play a major role.

I have a vegetarian burger that I make out of bulgar wheat and walnuts.  This is a staple in my diet, I can change the flavor every time I make it by musing up the spices I use.  I eat it like cereal, in tacos, burritos, mix it with beans for a chili just to name a few uses. 

I eat fruit and veggies every day in addition to my juicing.  This is important to help get fiber and roughage in my diet.

I am trying to eat healthy and help myself to stay fit by having a proper diet.  I think I am achieving this goal and am loving it.