Last weekend I went on training ride #2. Yes, #2. That makes two weeks between my first and second training rides.

Completely unacceptable.

There’s always a reason to miss a training ride whether it be work, errands or a friend who’s come to town that you haven’t seen in ages. (All happened.)  However training doesn’t mean going out for a little bike ride when you feel like it.  It means riding on a regular basis and pushing yourself beyond your limits.  That being the case, I made an effort over Memorial Day weekend to dedicate myself to legitimate training.

On Saturday I rode 30 painful miles.  A bowl of cereal was all I had in the morning leaving me with very little energy throughout the ride.  I felt nauseous at times and struggled to recover to full strength until a few hours after finishing.

Sunday I took a break from biking but went to the gym to for a cardio and ab workout.  I’m trying to do everything I can to combat back pain so mixing in a core workout at least once a week is key.

Monday brought quite a bit of rain but I was able to find a 90 minute pocket of sunshine to complete another 20 mile ride.  Thanks to a hearty lunch and a well planned stop during the ride for Powerbar nutrition, I was able to finish this ride with ease.

Feeling a little better about my effort, I found resources on the LIVESTRONG race website offering up a 12 week training program.  I now sit 13 weeks away from race day.  Despite being quite intimidated by the course map, I have faith that I’ll be make it through if I stick to the program.

Tomorrow I look forward to some eggs and bacon before another 30 mile ride.  However this time I’ll be joined by my Northern Virginia training partner, Mike.  An old college friend of mine, he’s known Gerald since they were very young.  Looking forward to the company.