61 days left

Well, 61 days to go and things are not quite looking good.

I've had no on-the-bike training as yet, as I'm still trying to get the bike fixed. There are problems with cable routings through the frame of the bike, and it may take the shop to fix them. I've had two strong swimming sessions and some good track running work, so there is some headway. Still, 150 miles in two days on a bike - man that is coming up awfully fast.

Spending time in Houston working at a customer every week has also made getting training in difficult. Losing two days on the the road each week will eat all the time up in a hurry. So it looks like a daily schedule change is in order, with early morning workouts the only way to go. My friend Bob in Houston takes me swimming or running when I am in town, a very big help.

I got a Lance Armstrong training guide, which has a 7 week, high intensity training plan. Well, I've got 8 weeks, so if I can get that plan working, I've got a good chance to finish the ride healthy. I am amazed at how simple the program is, and how much he depends on a heart monitor and meal planning. He and his coach absolutely manage his training program as if he were a machine. No lie.

Meanwhile, I've started talking with friends about the real meaning of the ride, raising funds for research to combat MS and Diabetes. Just starting to get some responses. Hopefully will see more soon.

Happy Valentine's Day boys!


Postscript:

Spent time today and got the cables routed. Kim used a clever sewing trick to fish threads through the holes. Neat! You can see orange ribbons runnning in and out of the frame holes in this photo:

Now the bike shop is working on rebuilding and tuning it all. These bikes are more complicated than cars - yeesh.