It's That Time of Year

Yup, It's that time of year again. That time when the evening get dark before you can boil a pot of water on a propane stove. That time when warm apple cider and hot cocoa sound better than an ice cream sundae or a snow cone. That time when you have more and more frequent "blustery days" and a jacket does you better than a tank top and flip flops. It's fall (or Autumn for those who are more particular) here in Texas and I am enjoying ever minute of it! While those states in the northern part of the USA have already been getting an unhealthy dose of winter, those of us in Texas have just started to nibble at the deliciousness of a few sub 80-degree days. Sometimes, in the midst of scorching bike rides and run workouts beneath the blistering sun I forget how much I like being outside! When the weather is nice it makes life just plain enjoyable! I love that.

Along with the cooler weather has come a (much needed) offseason for me. Following my disappointing DNF at the Toyota US Open I wasted no time starting my offseason right. I ate bad foods, drank some alcohol (but only in moderation), slept in every morning, and generally just tried to make myself a blob as much as possible. I absolutely loved every minute of it too!! After about 10 days of that I started to get the itch to be a little more active. I'd throw in a run here and there and started doing about 1 workout a day. Nothing serious but I do enjoy being active. After another 10 days of that I was fully refreshed and looking forward to starting some hard work again. NOT!

After my 3 week break I showed up at swim practice on Monday at 5:30am unsure of whether I wanted to start this whole "training" thing again. I met with my coach later that week and she reassured me that there would be very limited intensity in my training and my main focus for the next 2 months was going to be- swim, bike a lot, run, strength and to get out and have fun. Now that I can do. So with renewed vigor and ever increasing drive I am now 2.5 weeks into the first real base season I've ever had. I don't feel like I've lost much fitness since the US Open but I am very mentally refreshed. My training is pretty unstructered. My coach tells me to bike x hours this week and run y hours then I figure out when I do it. It's a great set-up that lets me be flexible and enjoy it which is nice especially with all the traveling I'll be doing in the upcoming weeks.

All this to say it's that time of year. That time to build a solid base for next year. That time to have fun and ride the mountain bike and run some trails. That time to enjoy a few extra desserts and drink some sugary apple cider. That time to have fun and enjoy the weather. I love that time!