My new year's resolutions

I overdressed for yesterday's bike ride with Jake, and took my heavy old plodding touring bike. I didn't want to get my good bike dirty in with the sand on the sidewalks, the puddles and the crappy snow that was all over the place.

Jake rode his road bike, and then proceeded to kick my ass. And still I had fun. I was worrying over nothing yesterday. My passion for biking hasn't diminished, and now I can't wait to get on road bike and start building on my biking fitness. Jake road about 25 miles yesterday, I got in about 21.

Today, though ,was significant because it was in the mid 60s and I wore shorts for the first time in about five months. To me, the first shorts day of the year is the real start of the year, and it's most appropriate to talk about resolutions on that day.

So here are mine. 

Athletic goals:

Take more walks. Do some yoga whenever I can. Make sure I do some kayaking. Run and bike and don't worry about a race that's coming up -- just go. Go mountain biking after work once in a while. Do more trail running, especially on Rib Mountain. Do more speed training down at the cemetery on the mile loop. Don't worry about how speed. Race to run or ride, not the other way around. (Racing is the best way to develop fitness, and fitness makes everyday training more enjoyable.) Have fun.

Mental health goals:

See above, especially the yoga and long walks and not worrying about times. Write in this and other blogs more, and don't worry about whether it's any good or not. Try to put together some audio podcasts, maybe makes some video stories. (This is for me, and not for work, but work will benefit, too. When I'm happy at work, I'm happier all the time.) Read more. Noodle around with the guitar. Have fun.

Time to get rolling

Maybe spring is here.

The snow cover is melting, leaving behind sand, soda bottles, beer cans  and frozen chunks of doggie doo-doo that are melting into small pockets of smelly brown goo. Yay spring!

It also seems that the cross country skiing season is over. I'm gonna miss it. I think one of the reasons I like cc skiing so much is that I'm not very good at it. It seems like every year I learn something new, figure out a better style or find a new waxing tip. By the end of the winter, I feel like I'm almost mediocre.

Last weekend, after we got a dumping of a half foot of snow, was terrific for skiing. I went 20 kilometers around the outside of Nine Mile County Forest Recreation Area, and was completely knackered. It was the first time I went that far on skis in what, three years? And now it's over.

So today I'm meeting Jake for a bike ride, probably around 14 miles or so. I'm not all that keen about it. Which is disturbing. Because usually I'm slathering to go for a ride about this time. Without that yearning, it feels as if I've lost touch with a high school friend, and I'm not ready to reconnect. I'm hoping that the ride today will touch off a spark, because if I don't like riding anymore, I spent $2,000 on a fancy carbon fiber bike two years ago for nothing.