Because Matt Waite Said So

You know those people you meet, who always have to have the latest and greatest gadget? When their phone doesn't have the newest app, they're the first ones firing up the 3G (oops - 4G) connection to download it. A new ad in Bicycling magazine touts a high-tech TT frame which saves 0.0002 femto seconds on a 40K and they're the first on the waiting list. You know - Those people who signed up to be the first commercial space tourists. Them...

Well... My friend Matt Waite isn't one of those types - But the guy just can't bring himself to appreciate a blog page unless it varies from time to time. As such, he has been harping me to update this one for a couple of weeks now.

I feel it's necessary to oblige Matt, because if I don't, he'll grind me to dust on the next group ride just to drive his point home. I don't feel like begging for mercy just yet this season, so I'm going to cook up a new post instead.

Well, since the time in Telluride, I've had some major ups and downs. For the sake of brevity, I'll summarize in an orderly fashion...

On the positive side:

• I Got to ride outside with James and B. Fosler... In January! For 4+ hours too. The ride was great, and I definitely felt the base that I had been working diligently towards since November.
  
  
• I've summed up my training volume and calculated that, on average, I've been getting about 10 hours per week indoors (until recently... See below). Considering that most of this has been endurance and tempo work, I'm feeling pretty confident in my base for the race season.
  
  
• I'm sticking with my lifting schedule (until recently), and finally achieved a long-awaited goal of putting up "plates" (135lb) on the bench. For me, this is good progress... and I don't really want to put on any extra upper body muscle now. My squat has increased by 50lbs for the same number of reps, and I've finally honed my dead lift technique.
  
  
• I'm feeling pretty comfy on the rollers, though I still need to work on that no-handed one-legged stunt.
  
  
• I've increased one gear at my LT since the early fall. Not sure where this lands on the wattage scales... I hope to get a power test done soon.
  
  
• I am officially racing collegiate category A! HEYA! This has been a goal since my freshman year, and with my category 3 upgrade this summer I qualified to race with the big boys in the MWCCC. I'm really excited.

On the negative:

• Got sick in CO. Started to fight it off, but the ride back in a cold van with little sleep definitely didn't help. Felt better during the first week of school. Got sick again, and stayed sick for about 12 days. Finally got over it yesterday, as far as I can tell.
  
  
• Due to sickness, I haven't been consistent in my training for 9 days. I don't think this will kill me in the end, though, and I'll choose to see it as an extended rest period. Considering that it all fell about 2 weeks before our first collegiate races, it may have been for the better anyway.

You know what? That isn't so bad, really. It seemed so much worse while I was in the midst of whatever strain of the plague I had. Looks like things are shaping up well, actually.

I plan on posting much more regularly now that the spring racing scene is starting up.

Here's some of what to expect in future updates:

• Shenanigan alerts/updates from upcoming UW-Cycling events and race weekends.
• Race reports and training/ride stories.
• Details on the upcoming season with Team Wisconsin/MC2 (Our kits are sweet - Think '09 Lotto Team)
• Pictures!
• My top 10 list of reasons why the Trek Stores of Madison should be your LBS.
• USA Cycling Collegiate Nationals
• School - (Hint... I've decided "Brian Stoveken, Ph.D" has a nice ring to it...)
• A thorough review of my favorite coffee shops.
• Some essays regarding critical thinking (or lack thereof) and the perception of science in our society.

There - Even the likes of Matt Waite should be pleased with all of that to look forward to.

Until then - Best regards, and thanks for reading.