Some background - I grew up playing sports: softball, basketball, volleyball, martial arts. In college I played D-1 basketball, intramural volleyball, indoor soccer, softball, and flag-football.There was always a goal in mind... win the tournament. make the playoffs. win a sparring match. achieve my next belt. make 1st team all district. win county. win sub-regionals. win regionals. And a plan to reach that goal always came with it... and surrounded by my team we worked toward our goals.
In my twenties I focused on volleyball & tennis. practices leads to season wins leads to tournament appearances and possible wins. That was the plan, no biggie. Just have fun with it.
So back to cycling. Last year was my first year of cycling and I was fortunate to be on a sponsored team. I did my best to train when I had a chance given my work schedule and it was good. But it could have been better. My non-cycling friends thought I was crazy all the time and effort I put into it... But compared to my cycling friends, it was nothing...
I think this qualifies me as a cyclist... but what about the next level? In November my cycling team hosted a workshop for endurance athletes. The first part of this workshop was about goals. Jim Cunningham (Greenville Cycling Center) explained to us the importance of setting goals in many levels. So I did - Place in a Cat 4 Women's Road Race, Place in the top ten of the Women's Cat 4 SC RR Championships, Complete my first Triathlon, Complete my first half-marathon. So there are the goals, but how whill I get there?
It is with this in mind that I begin the new year and have decided to start something new: a plan (a REAL plan) to achieve my goals. I will be working with a friend who is starting a new training business to manage my workouts, nutrition, and overall health. I will work on my body composition, core, flexibility, caloric intake, miles in the saddle, speed drills, strength trng, swim stroke, runs, all with intention of reaching my goals - the most important of which are my cycling goals. <-- Gotta win some races and keep those sponsors happy right?!
I'll be posting updates to the plan here... for your perusing pleasure... looking for ways to stay motivated! Especially as work and life get in the way!
Before I let you go... I gotta promote my latest cycling gift from the hubby:
To go with my super cool GHS Every Woman Team kit... I have a shiny new Pink Castelli Riding Cap... sporting some Italian flag ribbon... It is definitely too cool for school. You might even catch me wearing it while typing away on this blog...
cheers!
Looking forward to it, Nikki!
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