Do you see him?
Yeah!
Well that aint me! I am however a man who's spent 41 years on this revolving piece of space debris. I've been a bachelor for the majority of it and I've learned a few things.
When I was 15 my father gave me a book titled "A Bachelors Guide to Life" the book was designed with the Oscar Madison type male in mind. These were the mid 80's and man was barely out of the Archie Bunker easy chair. Along comes some forward thinking genius who saw what man was going to have to evolve into and tried to give him some help. Unfortunately he was thought of instead as a comic one hit wonder and went the way of other 80's pop culture.
I though did not see him as such. I understood and I learned and I listened and I became the epitome of a Renaissance man. I've backpacked my way from the heart of Texas across the Pacific ocean all the way to Australia and back. I've crisscrossed the US and lived all along the Northern bank. I've been married and divorced twice. I've worked as a plumbers assistant installing all types of pipe. I've worked in restaurants doing any job. I was in the Navy where I worked in supply. I've been a ship board fire fighter and a land based one as well. I've been an EMT and a Paramedic. I've been thrown out of bars, worked in bars and got so drunk on Guam I burned one to the ground! I am a Jack of all trades, Master of none. What I don't know or can't figure out I'm willing to research, try out and teach to men. All the while with one very simple mantra in mind. "What's the use of having balls, if you're not willing to use them?"
That doesn't mean I want myself and all the others to be knuckle dragging neanderthals either. I do however think that men as a gender over the last forty years and more specifically the last twenty have become increasingly less manly and instead a lot more effeminate. Well we're going to do whatever's necessary to change that. In this section we're going to discuss our daily physical therapy and by that I do not mean medically ordered physical rehabilitation. I mean our daily PT! Those of you who currently are or have served in any military branch anywhere in the world should understand what I mean by that. We will be discussing our daily physical training exercises as well as (OH did I mention in my current/former jobs tirade I'm a cyclist, No, OOPS) our DAILY riding, we'll also discuss some random side project that either I come up with or y'all suggest. I highly recommend getting a few things if you intend to follow this blog AND keep up physically.
1) A stationary trainer for in home with your road bike. A road bike!
2) An Ipod with the free playlist Motion Traxx downloaded from Itunes specifically episode 2 "Quick on the draw 180 BPM"
3) The cycling training DVD from Carmichael Training titled "Cycling for POWER"
4) A home weight set or gym membership because as of 9/1 I am living in a new building with a gym included.
5) If you have an Ipod touch, Ipad, Iphone or Droid then download the free app Map My Tracks you'll be glad you did later.
6) Goals, actual real and defined short term, mid range and long term goals.
These are all things I'll be using as I train for multiple upcoming events, we'll talk about each of them as I discuss my goals. As I said these are all of the things I'll be using, whether they work for other people or not, I don't know, but they work for me and that's what I'll be talking about. My day to day training and whatever else is going on. I've been in Chicago now for about 1 1/2 years when I moved here I stood 5'8" weighing 245lbs and wearing a size 44 waist that was Feb. 2010 by mid June 2010 through perseverance and hard work I was down to 172 lbs and a size 30 waist and I've maintained that for over a year now. Like I said I don't know if this works for other people but it's worked for me. You're welcome to follow along with me and even join me, But by all means, anyone considering doing so should speak with their private physician before beginning ANY exercise program and certainly one of this high intensity.
OK now that the legal dept.s happy let's get back to talking about goals. I have a few and even if you don't join me in preparing for them I hope you'll follow and support me as I do. Lets list them.
1) Oct. 15th, 2011----What's so important about that date? It's the day of the Midwest Spartan Race a 3.5 mile foot race through mud and multiple obstacles. OK no big deal it's just 3.5 miles right WRONG here's where this old silver back gorilla throws a wrench in the works. You see I'm poor so the only way for me to enter this race is for me to volunteer for this race and volunteers gotta be there early. So rather than get up at 4am to drive 92.6 miles to get there early since the first groups at 9 what we're going to do is train so that I can bike down the day before, camp out, run/work the race, camp out, ride back the day after. That's 188.7 miles over 3 days.
That's not including all the walking I'll be doing while working the race nor does it take into account any wrong turns or side trips while enroute to or from. Why are we doing this? Cause we've got the balls and we aren't scared to use them! This is our SHORT TERM GOAL!
2) Mid May 2012----This is the time of year each year that the National EMS memorial Bike ride takes place. The group is otherwise known as "The Muddy Angels". I've ridden with them once before in 2008 and was no where near in the shape I am now.
This was the 2011 route
May 14–Boston to South Kingston, RI
May 15–South Kingston, RI to Riverhead (Long Island), NY
May 16–Riverhead, NY to Westbury, NY
May 17–Westbury, NY to Bangor, PA
May 18–Bangor, PA to Ephrata, PA
May 19–Ephrata, PA to Gettysburg, PA
May 20–Gettysburg, PA to Alexandria, VA
May 21–Ending Ceremony/celebration
This was the 2008 Route
NY to Staten Island Ferry through NJ to Princeton
Princeton to Wilmington, DE Via Philadelphia, PA
Wilmington, DE to Easton, MD
Easton, MD to Annapolis, MD to DC
DC to Skyland Drive to Skyland Resort
Skyland Resort to Staunton, VA to Lexington,VA
Lexington, VA to Blacksburg, VA to Roanoke, VA
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Skyland Drive it picks up outside DC at sea level then climbs the Shenandoah Mountains to the top where the Skyland Resort (Cabins and lodge house) is located. It then runs along the top before descending down the other side. Now that's a nuttastic ride. All you can do is look down at em, take a deep breath, put your head down, start pedaling and hang the hell on!
What's in store for 2012? I have no idea but I'm not scared of it and I'm willing to state right now, route unseen, I will ride it! Why? Because, I've got balls and I'm not scared to use them! This is our MID RANGE GOAL!
3) Summer 2013----Oceanside, CA to Annapolis, MD 3,000 miles in 10 days! Otherwise known as "The Race Across America" The Grandfather of endurance races. It's a four man relay team or single rider race 300 miles per day or 75 miles a day per team rider.
2011 Route
Yes that's right a four man team plus support staff and vehicle/s. I'm one, who wants to join me in any of the other capacities? Who else has the balls and isn't afraid to use them? This is our LONG RANGE GOAL!
Well those are my fitness goals for the next couple of years and I hope all of you will join me either as a casual observer or as a cyber workout partner. If you do though please be sure to speak with your doctor first. You and you alone take responsibility for your actions by following me! If you do follow me and this doesn't kill me or you I guarantee that we will get in and stay in the best shape any of us has ever been in. Since this is the first week of this blog we're going to forgo our side project this week in order to establish our workout plans and regimens.
