Gearing up to gear down...

Well, with the weather bad, my pants too tight, my attitude screwed and racing season kicking off in five or six weeks, it's time to buckle down, hit the trainer, suck some weight and try to keep the legs from atrophying into tiny chicken wings before the weather breaks and I can get some builds in.

So I gritted my teeth and hit the trainer tonight for 90 minutes of zone 2 time with some intervals. It was a bit different than my uncommitted trainer sessions - a few of them - over the last few weeks. It was more focused and a bit harder.

I noticed that I was walking with a bit of a slump and cursing all the way downstairs into the basement getting ready to ride. That's good. It takes some desperation to drive me into the right mindset to take my training really seriously, but I know from last year, once I'm in that mindset, I'm good to go for a month or two, in the serious training groove and on my way. I'm grim, a pain in the ass to be around, kinda humorless, usually low on beer in the fridge, and kind of snappy around people I should be nicer to. I don't make small talk with the staff in my office. I curse people out when I'm driving. It's not a healthy outlook.

But when I hit the mindset last year, I lost 30 pounds, went from getting lapped in "C" training races to comfortably hanging out in the front of the lowly Cat 5 packs and actually being around for the sprint at the end, and to not being the slowest guy every time on the HON hillride. (just almost all the time, but still, for a big fat crit specialist, not a bad deal).

So yeah, short version, this crap-awful weather, the burning butt torture device (AKA trainer) and the impending race season has pushed me into full-on asshole mode. It's necessary, and although I can feel my temperament getting sort of nasty and shitty, it isn't a bad thing. It's what it takes to prepare for tough challenges ahead.

Bring it on, beaches. Bring it on.