Today is an excellent example of my entire summer...

The temperatures are correct for biking. I will leave work around 4PM, and will have daylight. I have energy and desire. There will be a puppy at home who will have been all cooped up all day long, needs attention and supervision, and afterwards, the NFL season opens up with Steelers-Titans. SO, even if I wanted to put my bike on the trainer to ride after dark...how can I miss the opening game of football season??? This kind of stuff has been happening to me all summer, where the choice is "ride, or do something else that is equally beneficial, but in other ways".

Alas, all summer, the "other ways" have been more important. Today will be no exception, I have no doubt. The only chance lies in if my wife comes home early enough for me to perhaps only miss a little of the game while I ride...in which case, I can turn on the radio and listen to it. I suppose that will have to do.

That being said, it's time to work on building the specifcs of my off-season training program!!! This part of the year is a lot of fun for that. Of course, the real goal is to win, to succeed, to be better than I was. But how best to do it? Part of me wants to spend 200 miles a week on the trainer. That.....that is a lot of time in my garage, and I seriously doubt I have that much time to spend. I may get a week or two in with that much, but every week??? That's kinda silly. No, I think this year, the goal will be a much more reasonable 120-150 miles/week. Work it out, and it's 6 days of 20 miles and 1 day of 30 to reach the top-end of the goal. That's not all that difficult, but it is pressing just a little. It may mean that I do ten easy miles in the morning to wake up and ten harder ones when I get home. It may mean a lot of things. But it's reasonable, and that's the most important part.

So, there you have it. The goal is set, and you've all been notified, so now I'm accountable to you. If I don;t do it, you all have permission to berate me like crazy!!!