2012

Despite popular opinion, it turns out that the world may not end in 2012. After all of the Mayan prophesy hype, you would have figured someone might have just asked the leader of the Mayan Council of Elders or something. But nah, we had to wait for the good word from NASA.

I have to say, the impending doom and destruction was going to be the perfect excuse to drop out of school and spend the last year of human existence riding bikes and having fun. And after four months of course work and final corrections on my thesis which I will defend this Wednesday morning at 10:30am, dropping out of school is about the only thing I can and want to think about. The fact that we will live to see the year 2013 necessarily requires some creative excuse crafting to explain my quiet exit of academia. Alternatively, I can make a concerted effort to skillfully rework my scheduling and time management as it relates to the school/bike ratio.

Why? Because in 2012, I have goals... and none of them have to do with academia.

I am slowly beginning to piece together my race schedule for next year. As I await date confirmation on the MASS series, 2012 and contemplate which of the Ultra Endurance races I will ride in, I realize that I have one central goal:

Get faster.
The SS women's category There is no SS women's category, but I ride a SS bike. I am often asked why I put myself through such pain and discomfort, and there are a few answers to this question: First, I have only ever ridden a SS mountain bike. I wouldn't know how or when to shift even if I had the option. The second reason relates to my personal finances. When I got my SIR 9 frame, I simply didn't have money to put some sassy deralieur on the bike. The third (and most important but probably not last) reason is because I am a purist - a purist as it relates to look, but also a purist in the emotional state that is achieved through the brutal pain of climbing on this bike.  Jill says it better than I could.

My goal is to hold my own in the women's open category. When I race in the women's category, rarely do I come in last; my goal however, is to finish closer to the front of the pack. Similarly, it would be awfully nice to be able to hold my own in the SS open (read: men) category.

To acheive this, I am in the process of developing a multi-faceted game plan for the winter months.

1. Ride 4 times a week.
Last year, I had the advantage of about 800 miles of riding with 50 pounds of gear during three weeks at the beginning of the season to build strength and stamina. I won't have that opportunity this year, so I am going to have to be a bit more consistent with start training. Winters in Kingston are brutal, so a significant portion of this may take place on a trainer in front of my growing collection of cycling movies.

2. Lift weights.
I hate the gym because it looks like this:

But the gym houses all of the equipment necessary to follow the training plan I am creating thanks to my favorite bedtime reading. Some times at the gym seems more bearable than others. 6am, for example has far more athletes and far fewer image obsessed folks. My goal is to lift twice a week.

3. Do more yoga.
I am a certified yoga instructor, but haven't practiced regularly for about a year and a half. I have watched my body become increasingly inflexible and I have lost some of my upper body strength. By letting this happen, I have increased the potential for injury. None of this is good. Hence: do more yoga.

By the time mid April rolls around and I'm back in PA, I'll hopefully not be too much slower than folks who are fortunate to live in a nicer climate. If all comes through (and I will know later this month) I may also have a charming little house to my name right on Chester County's 50 mile green arrow road bike route. It is in close proximity to a couple of local land trusts with dozens of miles of trails and surrounded by literally thousands of acres of conserved and open land (you can't even imagine the cyclocross potential!). The house is also half a dozen miles from two of my summer employment locations and just down the road from a favorite local drinking hole.  Residing there definitely ought to keep my priorities straight.

In the mean time, I'll just hope that money will fall out of the sky in the form of external funding. Speaking of which, I did (along with a few other folks) get a small grant for a food history project. I have decided that any money made from time spent on that project will go toward my racing funds this summer - or the rebuilding of my front wheel.

And now that I have successfully procrastinated on the grading of final papers, I will attempt to get back to work.