Tomorrow is supposed to be my first morning back at Master Swim.

Below are a few reason’s why I don’t want to go:

1. It’s like 48 degrees in the morning. Brrrr!
2. I haven’t swam in exactly 2 months. Do I still remember how?
3. Getting up at 5:30 am. Enough said.
4. I feel fat and have to walk around a pool in my lame little speedo shorts.
5. My family will be sleeping for at least another hour.
6. I smell like cholorine all day.
7. Knowing that I suck at something isn’t motivation to get up early to practice it.

It looks like the whinny swim posts are back in full force!

Andy B
outsideallday.com

Dave and I did a 14 mile road spin thru Coto De Caza, home of the The Real Housewives of Orange County. It was pretty cold and by the time Dave was done doing whatever it was he was doing with his bike for 30 minutes we started our ride in the dark. It was a fun spin and gave me a real appreciation for how good of shape Dave is in. He’s like superman with the pecks and dimples.

Post ride we can ate the famous cheesless pizza from Ballpark Pizza and then headed to the 50 Mile Ride meeting at Starbuck’s. It was a good night and Carter was laughing his head off that Dave was trying to steal his pizza.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

Julie and I ordered this yesterday. It’s our big Christmas gift to the family. Amazon.com has it on sale for $168.00, which was to good to resist. Julie and I did a lot of research on what to buy and from what we understand, this is the safest brand/product on the market.

Aunt Alison and Uncle Alex are going to buy Carter’s helmet for Christmas. I’m super exicted to start riding as a family.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

For year’s I have walked by the classes at the gym with a mocking grin on my face thinking to myself how dumb everyone is the BO smelling room looked shaking their gluts to a hip-hop salsa beat. I’m not exactly sure what changed my mind to make me try one of these classes, maybe it was my brother-in-law mocking me on Thanksgiving, maybe its the year’s worth of work with little pay off for weight loss, or maybe it’s my need to look like a tool. Either way, I have on the calendar 2 Pilates work outs each week. The focus is the core and my goal is to drop to 180 pounds by March 27, 2008 for my next race.

Weekly training breakdown for December 07 through March 08:
- 2 morning swims
- 2 Pilates classes
- 2 – 3 runs
- 2 – 3 bike rides

Sounds like a plan.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

It’s a good week, a really good week, goose bumps on your arm type week (or maybe that’s just razor burn on my legs from shaving). I was off work for most of the time and was able to hang with family and still manage to get some training in.

Monday - Disneyland with Carter and Julie. He’s been 5 times in November and can eat a churro by himself.

Tuesday morning - A nice road spin with Bill Daily down Serrano Trail. It was in the 14 mile range.

Tuesday evening - Crazy Dave (the guy is nuts) and I did a 2 hour, 25 mile road ride all over Newport and Irvine. He has a great light that floods the road and scares the critters off the trail. The highlight was sushi with Robbie after. He’s a crack up and kind of looks like Jesus. Dave talks about hitting on ever girl he sees but I’ve yet to see him pull the trigger. Typical.

Wednesday - Errands, oil change, the office and Dan In Real Life with Julie. She gave the movie a 12, I give it a solid 8.

Thursday - We drove 2 hours to Lebec to Julie’s families 100 acre ranch. Carter watched the Incredibles and Monster’s INC on the way. Good movies. The ranch is at 5,200 feet. Alex, Bryan and I did a 10 mile mountain bike ride on some incredible hardly ridden single track. This was by far the highlight of my week and I plan on going back up there soon to ride it again. The turkey was good to. Julie makes a mean homemade apple pie.

Friday - Mellow 14 mile road ride around Rancho Santa Margarita. I stopped in at Rock N Road to fix my bike computer. The wind was whipping. I felt like Dave in a pro Cyclocross race I was getting whipped so bad!

Saturday - Alex and I did a long lap around Aliso Woods. We rode for around an hour and 40 minutes and then celebrated with burritos at Taco Mesa. Later that night Julie and I went to another set of movies, she saw Fred Claus and I watched Beowulf. I give it a 7.

Sunday - Carter and I did a 30 minute run around RSM lake and then played at the park. I then did my first ever Pilates class! Six pack here I come, or never.

It’s good to be back,

Andy B
outsideallday.com

With 25 days of travel in the last 40 days, stress at work, a 16 month old son, commitments to church, family, fires destroying trails, I have felt unmotivated to train. Actually, that’s probably an understatement. During my downtime in November I almost refused to. I’m sure that 90% of the people reading this post can connect with the commitments that I listed. You may have an even worse situation than me. What I find with myself is that the longer I stay away from training, the more difficult it is for me to jumpstart again.

This thought has created a larger conversation in my head. Why do I exercise? Is it because I want to win races, have a 6 pack (sike that will never happen……ever, ever, ever), train with other people, be known as the tri guy, have the privilege of shaving my legs, have great calves, because I love being outdoors, for the adrenaline rush? It’s funny because all of those things make up why I enjoy exercising but it’s one thing that has made me passionate about it and that keeps me going. Deep deep down inside I want to be healthy. I’m passionate about being a healthy person that can live a long life spent with his family. This is my sole reason for training. If training didn’t offer me that benefit I probably wouldn’t do it. I think by nature I’m just to lazy.

To answer my own question I work hard to be healthy. If being healthy is as significant of a motivator as I make it out to be then getting back at it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. I guess we will see. I’m back at it on December 1 in preparation for the Ironman Oceanside 70.3. Hopefully that gives me enough time.

What motivates you?

Andy B
outsideallday.com

Last night Dave and I met up at Sand Canyon Cyclery for a work out on their new spin bikes. It’s called The Inside Track. To be honest with you, I thought it was going to be pretty lame. Well, it’s not, it is actually super fun and an incredible work out. It is absolutely perfect for bike geeks like Dave and very fun for more so geeky guys like me.

The room is set-up with 10 or so bikes and a big mirror. In front of the mirror is a stage with a bunch of high powered fans. The beauty of the set-up is the bikes. They are all heart rate compatible and have a super smooth spin. Once the entire system is set-up with instructors, etc I am going to check out a class. Good times.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

The last 2 weeks have been strange. One of the weeks was spent in San Diego at a conference for work. I got in one 30 minute run. This week was spent trying to stay indoors as much as possible because of the fires which equals zero exercise. On Sunday I leave for a work trip that will have me gone for 8 more days to Colorado and St. Louis. This will equal zero exercise.

I know myself well enough to understand this is not healthy for me. It’s obvious that I am already slipping into really bad eating habits. My typical style is to only eat healthy when I know that I am exercising. That’s a bad habit.

As I write this I am going to make a promise to all my friends that are reading this post. Starting today, October 26, through when I return November 5 I am not going to drink any diet soda. Only water and iced tea. If your reading this and thinking this guy is nuts, you’re right, but diet soda is a huge crunch for me when I am tired and on the road.

Tonight Dave and I are going to spin on the new bikes at Sand Canyon Cyclery. I think they are calling it Inside Track. I can’t tell you how excited I am to do this.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

THE INSIDE TRACK- Training Center at Sand Canyon Cyclery

Hello all,

Seems like most of us got off easy compared to our neighboring counties during the fires, but we’re left with air far too unhealthful to ride in. Therefore, we’re opening our brand new indoor training center, named The InsideTrack, a little early to anyone who wishes to spin a little over the next few days at no cost. As many of you know, we’ve put in ten Commercial Spin bikes, complete with computers that track heart rate,effort, and cadence, etc. Our official sessions are a week away; however, since everything is up & running, we thought we’d open it up to encourage people not to ride outside right now.

The bikes are brand new from Star-Trac, and have double-sided pedals which accept SPD-style cleats on one side, and have a flat pedal with cage on the other. Additionally, we have a few sets of Look pedals on standby, and you’re always welcome to bring your own pedals in to use as well.

This offer will remain throughout the work week, and possibly into the weekend. Spin for free, but keep others in m ind if demand is high and limit your time to one hour. We have a High Def big screen up on the wall, and plenty of fans to keep you cool. Don’t be shy – it’s a great way to check out the new set-up!

Jim Manton / Owner
www.ridetheinsidetrack.com
Sand Canyon Cyclery
jmanton@sandcanyoncyclery.com
(949) 450-9906