Restart?

It's been about 18 months since I last posted anything to this site.  It wasn't intentional, it's just the way things go as life moves on and things shift and change.  In my case, it was a trip to Europe for two weeks and the start of a new job that pulled me away from blogging in the summer of 2017.  Furthermore, I just wasn't doing the types of events that were worth writing about anymore.  In fact, I wasn't doing much at all beyond the occasional half-marathon, and a handful of triathlons.  And even at that, my approach  to these races had shifted, and not for the better.  Instead of putting in the time and carefully preparing for these events, I found myself doing the absolute minimum amount of training (often because I was busy with work), and then hoping I could "hang on" to finish each event.  I usually managed to do that, but they weren't accomplishments worthy of writing down.

There are some folks that don't believe in the annual ritual of setting New Year's Resolutions.  Personally, I don't necessarily write these commitments down, but I see the start of a new year as a chance to renew commitments, accept new challenges, and generally try to live a better life.  So I'm trying to lose some weight now, commit to exercising more frequently, drinking a little less beer, and generally trying to live life a little better. I'm also trying to get back to do some of the things I've enjoyed doing in the past, like writing this blog.

On January 2nd, I registered for the Triple Bypass bike ride, a 120 mile jaunt between Evergreen and Avon, Colorado taking place in July.  It includes climbs over three passes and a total elevation gain that comes in just a touch under 11,000 feet.  It isn't the most "epic" thing I've ever done in terms of endurance sports (the 2013 Collegiate Peaks Ultra and the 2015 Ironman still rank highest in that regard), but it will definitely be a challenge.  You can read about my training leading up to this event, as well as a thorough race report when all is said and done.


So that's it for now.  Look for an upcoming post in the next couple of weeks on "The Tour de Zwift,"  which is the start of my training for this event.  Thanks for reading and welcome (or welcome back)!