Christmas Calculations

Eggnog, carols, advent calendars, too much good cooking and family are all reasons why I love Christmas time. I like to think of myself as being a traditionalist when it comes to the Christmas which is why this is my favorite time of the year. My favorite thing about Christmas however, is that it holds the power to bring everyone home to be together even if it's for the shortest of days. Christmas to me means family and that will never change.

With friends, family and acquaintances all coming back home at some point during the last couple of weeks, I have been asked frequently why I like to do ultra endurance races. For the longest time, I didn't have an answer that even I believed. Sure I love to ride my bike, but that couldn't be the sole reason as to why I would want to put in as much work on the bike as I do.

Last Sunday, my family all got together and celebrated "Welch Family Christmas". This is the weekend when both of my siblings and their families come home to avoid the chaos of running around on Christmas Day. After watching my niece and nephews open their gifts with such honest excitement, I had an answer as to why I enjoy racing.

As I mentioned earlier, I define Christmas as simply "family". That is also how I will now define the reasoning behind my racing. You see, I couldn't race without the support of my loving wife and family. They are there to ensure I stay safe in the chasing of my dreams all the while cracking the whip to get the most out of me. They haven't missed a single race since the beginning. For that, I am grateful.

For the longest time, I hadn't realized that I was blessed more so than others. Instead of having just one Christmas a year, I can now use the following formula to calculate the number of Christmas' a year I get to celebrate. (1+X) where X=the number of races I enter in a given year. And that is all the motivation I need to put in the time on the bike this coming year.

The Night for Suede?

The day has come and tonight is the night.  As I sit here going over my presentation ten or eleven last times, my mind took a turn.  It is now questioning whether or not I can make it through an hour at the front of a room speaking to friends, family and strangers.  Will my legs buckle underneath me or will my normally cast iron stomach turn south robbing me of my dignity and ruining a pair of new suede shoes which belong to the unlucky soul in the front row who decided to wear them out on the town tonight?

After a few minutes of wearing a confused look on my face as the voices in my head debated all the possibilities, calmness returned.  After all, ultracycling is not only about having the power to turn the pedals over a hundred thousand times or the ability to sit on what some perceive to be such an uncomfortable seat for so long.  No, the hardest part for the rider is having the mental strength to know that everything they have done in the times leading up to the race was the work and now they can race the race while enjoying all that comes their way.  Having faith in the preparation will keep you calm when the time comes to do what you do.

I am honored to have been asked to do so and look forward to introducing the sport of Ultracycling to those who are able to come out to Endorphin Fitness (8908 Patterson Ave) tonight at 7pm.  The weather forecast isn't calling for rain so your shoes might even be safe.

400 for 3000

Monday December 3rd at 7pm, I will be giving a presentation on my experiences while preparing to qualify for the Race Across America. We will touch on training, nutrition, the Ohio Challenge and the ultimate goal of RAAM. This presentation is open and free to everyone so invite your friends to come out to Endorphin Fitness (8908 Patterson Ave) with you. You can RSVP by emailing register@endorphinfitness.com

Thank you to Endorphin Fitness and Powerbar for hosting the event. I look forward to seeing everyone on Monday night.

The Timing has Me Thinking

It's funny how things tend to fall into their places when they do.  When a string of things fall together at a seemingly unrelated time, it certainly makes believing there is a higher power involved with our lives very easy to do. 

A month ago, I returned home from Ohio where I qualified for the Race Across America.  Since then, I have spent a week relaxing, a week riding and two weeks of being sick.   I once worked for a gentleman who would preach "Failure to plan is planning for failure."  I am not sure who originally said this but it has stuck with me over the years.  As I began to feel better this week and my body was beginning to feel incredibly antsy, I started to look towards next year's training and racing.

Now, it's unrealistic that I get all my ducks in a row to take part in the RAAM in 2013 but I do plan on racing more and putting the training in so that 2014 isn't so unrealistic.  2014 would also be the last year of my current two year qualified status.  One night earlier this week while I was trying to put together a preliminary list of races I might have the slightest bit of interest in doing next year, I got the craving for a cold glass of juice.  

That is when the first of two signs arrived that would make me believe 2014 would be the year.  I reached into the fridge for the pitcher of juice and saw there was not enough left to fill my glass.  No worries, we always have an extra can of Dole's delicious 100% not from concentrate pineapple juice on hand.  As I was opening the new can, I couldn't help but notice the stamp on the top.  (Reminder that RAAM takes place in June every year.)

After letting that little nugget sink in, I went back to meticulously, putting together my extremely tentative race calendar.  Then on Thursday, after a long day of power testing and halloween hayrides I received a letter from the Executive Director of RAAM.  The second sign in as many days that 2014 should be the year.  It was something I had been dreaming of for a long time, my official invite to participate in the Solo Division of the Race Across America.

How all of these things could happen within days of each other is beyond me.  With the exception of one of us, the timing of these events was certainly out of our control.  Whether 2014 becomes a reality or not, only time will tell.  One thing we can be sure of, is they have given me an incredible amount of motivation to continue working hard down this path.  And I intend to do so.