April is a tough month in the Wasatch Mountains. The weather is unpredictable, with the odds that most days will resemble winter rather than summer. Ski areas usually stay open until the end of the month, so riding is the backup activity on the weekends. Weeknight workouts are a struggle and without a goal, April can turn into 30 days of excuses.
For years, we've made a trip to Moab in April to break up the shoulder season. Last year, we made the drive twice for a St George getaway and then our annual Moab adventure. These trips provide the motivation to come home from work and either bundle up or jump on the trainer. The past two years, I've joined my training mates for a final session of Max Testa Training which guarantees I'll ride hard at least 2 days/week.
This year, our Moab trip is on hold for a couple reasons. Christian is spending 20 days in April getting radiation treatments, so we'll wait until he's healthy. Joe qualified for the Boston Marathon and has been training intensely. He had a great race and finished at 3:22:08. Joe ran fast and thankfully, he and Kelly were already headed to the airport when tragedy struck.
In early March, I knew that I needed a plan for April, so I signed up for 30 Days of Biking thanks to my twitter friend @melissagerman who lives in Minneapolis. I figured if she could battle the elements and ride every day in April, so could I. The idea is to ride outside everyday, using the trainer as a last resort, to promote daily cycling. My pledge with over 3000 other cyclists across the world also includes sharing our adventures on Twitter with #30daysofbiking and FB. I'm still surprised I'm the only Park City participant, I figured a few of us could do a ride together. Maybe next year.
I knew it was going to be a challenge, especially with unknown weather, so I gave myself a few guidelines.
1. Ride a different route every day and make it an adventure
2. Ride at least 45 minutes
3. Count training class as that day's ride even though it isn't outside
4. Start experimenting with beet juice powder to see if I could see results in my training
I've kept my pledge and biked every day. Most days I can't wait to ride, while others it takes a look thru my Twitter feed for an extra dose of motivation before bundling up and heading out. I'm surprised at how great I feel both physically and mentally, 30 Days of Biking is definitely a movement. The excitement we all have for our bicycles and where they take us provides such a positive vibe compared to all the tragedy and sadness that April keeps throwing at us.
I've tried to take a photo every day and post on Twitter to hold up my pledge of sharing my adventures.
For years, we've made a trip to Moab in April to break up the shoulder season. Last year, we made the drive twice for a St George getaway and then our annual Moab adventure. These trips provide the motivation to come home from work and either bundle up or jump on the trainer. The past two years, I've joined my training mates for a final session of Max Testa Training which guarantees I'll ride hard at least 2 days/week.
This year, our Moab trip is on hold for a couple reasons. Christian is spending 20 days in April getting radiation treatments, so we'll wait until he's healthy. Joe qualified for the Boston Marathon and has been training intensely. He had a great race and finished at 3:22:08. Joe ran fast and thankfully, he and Kelly were already headed to the airport when tragedy struck.
In early March, I knew that I needed a plan for April, so I signed up for 30 Days of Biking thanks to my twitter friend @melissagerman who lives in Minneapolis. I figured if she could battle the elements and ride every day in April, so could I. The idea is to ride outside everyday, using the trainer as a last resort, to promote daily cycling. My pledge with over 3000 other cyclists across the world also includes sharing our adventures on Twitter with #30daysofbiking and FB. I'm still surprised I'm the only Park City participant, I figured a few of us could do a ride together. Maybe next year.
I knew it was going to be a challenge, especially with unknown weather, so I gave myself a few guidelines.
1. Ride a different route every day and make it an adventure
2. Ride at least 45 minutes
3. Count training class as that day's ride even though it isn't outside
4. Start experimenting with beet juice powder to see if I could see results in my training
I've kept my pledge and biked every day. Most days I can't wait to ride, while others it takes a look thru my Twitter feed for an extra dose of motivation before bundling up and heading out. I'm surprised at how great I feel both physically and mentally, 30 Days of Biking is definitely a movement. The excitement we all have for our bicycles and where they take us provides such a positive vibe compared to all the tragedy and sadness that April keeps throwing at us.
I've tried to take a photo every day and post on Twitter to hold up my pledge of sharing my adventures.
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| Day 1 : Emma's class, such a fun group! |
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| Day 2 : Rode from the house. Hoping for dry singletrack but snow covered all but a few sections of gravel path. |
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| Day 3 : Back to Emma's Class, last one of the session meant dinner out. Thankfully I cleaned the Epic the night before with Cat's Tongue Towels, my new favorite cleaning tool. |
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| Day 4 : Combined errands with a ride on the rail trail. Gorgeous views looking back to Park City. |
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| Day 5 : Friday night date with Terry. Canyons in the background. |
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| Day 6 : Another ride with Terry. Did a few loops around Park City and finished just before the next storm. |
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| Day 7 : Rain stops and roads dry out. We rode to all the ski area base areas to check on conditions. |
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| Day 8 : FatBike ride around neighborhood after snowblowing |
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| Day 9 : 1st day of Max Testa Training with Marty where I didn't have to wear the FatBike outfit |
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| Day 10 : Still snowing and cold. Rode from house to purchase paper. Ran into several neighbors so riding time was short but outside time more than 45 minutes. |
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| Day 11 : Class with Marty and all my training mates. Again, happy to take a break from the multiple layers. |
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| Day 12 : Terry scores Jazz tickets last minute! Planned to try out the new SLC Bike Share from dinner to game, but it's BYOH (Bring Your Own Helmet) |
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| Day 12 : Proof that I'm crazy. Did 45 minutes on trainer after Jazz game. |
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| Day 13 : Went for long hike with friend during the only dry part of day. Remainder of day was mix of pouring rain and snow, not worth injury or sickness so back to trainer. |
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| Day 13 : Waited until live cycling race was streaming and kept busy pretending I was doing the crit with the pros. |
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| Day 14 : Woke to more snow and 5" fresh powder for the final day of skiing! Got home in time to spin out the legs on a new gravel trail. |
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| Day 15 : Reflective ride around the neighborhood. Thankful for all I have and the ability to spend 30 Days of Biking when so many others can't. |
Click below to see how the next 15 days turned out.
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