This week marks the end of my 3 week hiatus from training and being “serious.” The hallmark of a successful break from rigorous training is the gradual transition from “I’m doing nothing right now, and it’s awesome!” to “I CAN’T WAIT TO START TRAINING REALLY HARD AGAIN!!!!” I definitely started getting that itch last week when Coach started talking about the buildup for Trans-Sylvania Epic. After that, I haven’t quite made up my mind on the season, but it’ll fall into place as everything else plays out.

A new fixture in my training is, for at least the foreseeable future, the Tuesday/Thursday weights & Mixed Martial Arts classes. I enjoy having an interesting side hobby for cross-training, and this is fun enough to fill the time I was spending on yoga classes. What happened to yoga? Well, I really enjoy it, and I think it’s an excellent way of cross training, but I just find that I’m more drawn to the new challenge of fighting. I still plan on keeping up with some easy at-home yoga and at least a weekend class or two whenever possible. Aside from mountain biking, I have the attention span of a cracked out squirrel.

You know shit’s getting serious when you feel the need for one of these.

Now, it’s time to start logging the base miles. The new road bike has added additional motivation, as it rides like everything I’ve ever wanted (imagine that!) The short wheelbase would probably freak most people out, but I like the feeling of being able to steer with little input other than a shift in body weight. Talk about a dream bike…