Archive for November, 2016

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Mental today

November 30, 2016

Today was another great ride outside – it’s a bit chilly here in SoCal and today’s morning ride started with a temp of 35 degrees. That’s cold for us wimpy Californians but I still made it out on the roads in the dark. I had to really force myself at one point to go out. I was dressed and ready but my brain just was pushing back. This was one of those days where it’s so easy to just listen and stay inside – maybe hit the trainer instead and call it a day still well done. But, in my eyes I need to be pushed. I need to get outside my comfort zone. I need it to be hard sometimes.

Today wasn’t a hard physical ride with a time of just over 90 minutes and most of that time spent in Z2. Instead it was that hard mental game. Get dressed, it’s cold. Get the bike, ready oh gosh it really is cold. Load the bike in the car and drive to work, cold and windy too. You know you could just go to spin instead. Unpack the bike and prep for ride, geez did the car just say it’s 35 degrees – eek!

All that mental noise – ever had a day like that? Me too and I’ve given in before. I’ve let myself off the hook and just made it easier on myself. I’ve even given myself kudos for still working out. But I’m trying to push past those days. I want to push my limits of comfort. I need to do things differently in order to perform different next year. Do the same get the same. So today was different and it was fine, in fact it was kind of fun. In the end I had a good workout and accomplished the goals I had for the day. That’s all I can ask of myself – good job Jon!

I believe we are all trying to do our best – this doesn’t men we make the right decisions every time. Nor does it mean that everyone is a good person with good intentions. I am living as positive a life as I can and will believe in everyone until they show me otherwise. Be your best!

 

Ride safe everyone!

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Try this again!

November 29, 2016

I’m back!! It’s been way too long since I last put my finger on a keyboard and started typing out where I am. I’m still not sure about all of this actually. It’s kind of a tough thing to do and stay on top of with everything else I do. But like anything else, if I want it to be then I have to make it happen. I’m not sure if I will be a full-time blogger (nope) but I want to get things going again and start writing about my journey.

  • So what’s been happening?
  • Well on a high note – I’m still plant-based. Yup it’s now been over 2 years now and I’m still eating plants. Who would’ve thought I could give up burgers and cheese…
  • How’s it going? OK. I’ve experimented with a couple of fueling strategies over this past year. The first was a high protein way of eating – 1g of protein for every lbs and then managing fats and carbs. This led me to a lot of powders and bars. At first I was advised to have higher fat numbers along with the high protein but it saw me gain 10+lbs and not drop much in the way of fat. I did put on a bunch of muscle which is nice for the mirror but not for the cycling world.
  • What did you do about it? Well, I was slow to react, believing what I was being told that my body would turn a corner and burn off the fat. This finally led me a month or so ago to switch back to a strategy that I first went plant-based on….. Just eat whole foods and lots of fruits and veggies.
  • Any changes? Yes a ton! I’ve lost 6-9lbs. (depending on day) so far and feel great all the time. Well that except when I revert back to some vegan junk food I’ve used once in a while.
  • Anything else? Totally!! My workouts are better than ever as well. I just set my best 5 minute and 10 minute functional power thresholds and all this only a few months after recovering from my broken bones.
  • Wait, what? Broken bones-did you crash? Yes I sure did, in a big way. I broken my left collarbone and two ribs on my left side as well. Those injuries had me off the bike for a month. Now I’m back and ready to get back to a whole new level.

So that’s where I’ve been lately. I’m hoping to keep this blog up and maybe even add more content if I can ever figure out how to do it. Want to help me?? Please, please, please??

Ride Safe my friends!

Jon