Training, or no training

In contemplating whether to train or not I had 2 theories of thought to choose from.  The first being...Dont train!  I will have 3 months to work into the ride, so why waste time training for the trip.  I liked this train of thought.  Why put more effort into it than I need to, I am going to be riding anyways.  But then I heard the other side, rummors of not being able to move for several days did not sound appetizing.  The other side involved four to five rides a week for a couple of months before the ride. I liked the idea of getting practice and at the same time getting used to the new life style on a bike.

Well what ended up materializing for my training was a mix between cross-fit and a few bike rides. Starting in the end for March/beginning of April I participated in two to three cross-fit work outs a week.  Now for those of you who have never seen this work out before I highly recommend checking it out online.  It is a high intense workout for the body in a very little amount of time. In the afternoon's I would go over to my buddy Mike's place where in his garage he has a home made cross-fit gym.  My primary focus during these workouts was my legs...and they got worked.  I remember after the first few work outs I could hardly walk.  I think this was a great base for the rest of my training.  

The second half of my training involved three bike rides.  Two of which I did over 1400 feet of elevation gain in about 20 miles each.  On these rides I started to notice that I was becoming more attuned with my bike.  It was easier to turn, clip/unclip, look behind me without swerving, take my hands off the bars, and of course easier to control it at fast speeds.  For the record, I'm at zero crashes right now and hope to keep it that way.  my final ride I packed it up and went on a test run as if it was a day during my trip.  It was a 39 mile ride out and back to Horse Ridge in Central Oregon.  At first getting onto the now 50+ pound bike felt strange, I could barely hold it up.  But after riding with it for a few minutes it was easier riding my bike with weight on it then with out it on.  I ended up riding almost 19 miles in 1hour 20 minutes, and on the ride back with a head wind it took 1 hour 40 minutes.  These times really excited me, I can take a much easier pace and still cover a substantial amount of ground!

Overall I think my training was short, well rounded and for the most part has prepared me for the upcoming journey  I will be headed out the Astoria Oregon where I will begin on Saturday April 21st!  I'm thrilled and excited for this next adventure in life, be sure to stay tuned and scroll down to see me exact location on the first map starting on the 22nd.

If you see this butt on the
high way you know its
me!

Finally I would like to give special thanks to a few people who have really helped get this bike trip rolling and help keep me sane during this time of transition. Mom and Dad  came all thew way out here to Oregon this week to help move my life back to Colorado while I go on this trip.  Also during their time in Oregon they helped support me in purchasing many of the lose ends I needed for my bike including a patch kit :), food, and countless things for my tires.  They are definitely my mobil support crew which would come anywhere to help me if I needed it. Garrette has been an irreplaceable mental support, giving me someone that I can express anything and everything to and also encouraged me to stay fat with a McDonalds gift card ;). Mike and Abbey King whom helped plant the idea of biking across the US in my mind and through every turn have been there to answer any question I have had and to show me all the little tricks of the trade for living on a bike.

PS I'm still a bad speller, and I may not have spell check...so there will be missspelled words :)