Adjusting to Life’s Many Winding Roads

My wife and I had a baby boy in November and it has been the most amazing experience. The experience has been exhilarating, exciting, and exhausting. There have been a few sleepless nights, there is always a diaper to be changed and yes there is A LOT of laundry. Although, I would not give the challenges up for anything, our little Henry is amazing. Who knows even he may very well be a cyclist one day.

Either way I have come to the realization of how important physical activity is in my life and without it I just cannot survive. I am sure I am not just speaking for myself when I say that I cannot survive without being physically active. However, having a new born baby who needs love and attention leaves very little time to physically exert one’s self. So when I read the following quote I was relieved that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“Control what you can control. Deal with what you can’t control!” Harry Marra

So I wanted to give you a little insight into the training that I would do during the week. “Daddy” training in preparation for the 2012 racing season. My day usually begins around 5:30 am. I get up and head down to the “pain cave” to ride 1.5 hours of various intervals and endurance type rides (depending on the periodization).

I usually head to school, teach a full day, and coach high school volleyball after school. A pretty busy day! Which can be exhilarating, exciting, and sometimes exhausting. Usually, I would arrive home around 5:30 pm to go back to parenting. This is a great time as I usually get to spend it with Henry. We eat dinner; of course diaper changes, feedings, and yes more laundry! 7:30 pm. The young man is usually asleep and I can get back down to the “pain cave” for another hour session of core, strength, and or ride. The “pain cave” is kind of my little hide away. It has everything I need. Good thing. I have been spending a lot more time down there this winter.

The weekends consist of a combination of rides at the Forest City Velodrome, outdoor road and mountain bike rides, snowshoeing, and skiing.

I bring you back to the above quote. It is important to be flexible! If the weather is not great then what are your options? You have limited time to get X performance result. How do you get there? Really you need to practice good time management skills, personal sacrifice, experience and knowledge, and a plethora of options. I think it is fantastic that we live in southern Ontario. We have so many options available to us. It is just important to know how to use those options effectively.

I don’t mean this to be a “whoa is me,” type blog entry. In fact, quite the contrary! Cycling keeps me both physically and mentally healthy. Without the physical release I would be a basket case. I would continue to ride even if it meant getting up at 5:30 am to be fit for the season. It is worth it. I am a better person because of it. I might even be a positive role model in my own son’s life. I mean he has watched enough Euro Sport already in his short life to know what it is dad is doing! With the season less than two months away, I am training hard and I am eager and excited to tackle the challenges that wait. Now go ride your bike!

Cheers,

Jeff Schiller