Intro to Blog

Welcome to my blog. My intentions in setting this up were to create a history of my daily training, plans, and progress. Will anyone read this? Me, maybe. I may forget after a week or two also. Kinda play it like I race. My goal is always to finish well, but the actual plan creates itself as the race unfolds and the pedals turn.
I have been racing now for two seasons, upgraded to category 4 in July of this year, and have set a goal to upgrade to 3 by July of oh-nine. I started riding a road bike in August of 06' primarily for fitness. I was a rock climber, avid hiker, and out of shape. At 6'2" I was pushing 230, drinking a bit above moderately, and even occasionally smoking. The first season of riding was painful - I was embarrassed to be on a road bike, uncomfortable in spandex with the flab hanging, and could average nearly 10 mph on a 8 mile ride. But, regardless of how painful it was, I was smiling while I rode, and I was king after. It gave me a sense of accomplishment, and genuine pride. I decided to buy a magnetic resistance trainer for the winter and see if I may be able to shed a few pounds for spring riding. Maybe even keep up with the guys I rode with.
At the time I lived in a small 2 room basement apartment in Union, Maine. I worked for 9 hours a day at the office, came home, and hoped on the trainer while I watched the Simpson's from 6 to 6:30. Eventually got away from the TV, and I set up 20 minute rides using my ipod, then 40, then 45. I still listen to the same tunes when I train now.
I also invested in a scale, and was amazed when I realized I had lost nearly 10 pounds. I monitored my weight pre and post ride, and was delighted to see the pounds melt off. I set a goal of 210, and started watching what I eat. Then a goal of 200. I counted calories. I remember the day when i saw 198.2. People started asking if I were sick. I smiled, and replied "I may have caught some sort of bug"
That spring, on a new Fuji newest 4.0 that I had treated myself to, I went out for my first ride with the group I had rode with the previous fall. They were amazed as I glided up hills, and powered out tempo on the flats. Someone asked if I had trained to race, and up until that point I had never thought about it. Since that moment, I have not been able to stop thinking about it.
In fact, I need to go right now to get in some miles on the rollers. Late season training for me is rollers to fine tune my form - I have the Portsmouth crit on Sunday. Tomorrow I'll talk about my first racing season. Spin. Go.