hehe....I usually try try again, just because I'm so freakin' stubborn! I absolutely refuse to let fear or apphrension stop me from doing something I KNOW I can do. Once upon a time, I used to. Now, I guess, I have a different outlook on life, maybe from being older...I dunno.

The training is sortof stalled at the moment. I still do the Saturday a.m. rides, and those have been between 43-50 miles over some mild & steep foothills, depending on the route. But, the weekday rides, with the time change and the time of year, are gone, and since I work during the day, I can't ride then, either. My husband's work schedule changed, as well, and he's working both Saturday and Sundays now. I can't ask anyone to watch my kids for me BOTH days, so it's just Saturdays for the moment. There's an awesome ride they do every Sunday too -- hill training, bigtime, up in the real hills, not the foot ones! I'm thinking of switching my weekend ride to Sundays, but my sitters (either my mom or my best friend) both attend church on Sundays. I'd have to find someone else. Bummer, bigtime!!

I'm taking three classes at the Jr. College this semester (the last three I need for my AA degree), two are phys ed classes, the other one is a Philosopy class, and its HARD and demands alot of my time here at home (umm...supposed to be working on my paper right now, bad me!), so that, combined with work being very busy & working late some nights, makes the trainer hard to get on, too. The two phys ed classes are Volleyball (limited cardio) and "Walking for Cardiovascular Fitness". I have to show up with the class on Mondays, where I've been jogging laps lately instead of walking. Ran a mile the other day, then walked another mile, fast to keep the hr ticking. For the class the rest of the week, the instructor (a swim coach) is letting me log my miles & trainer time instead of walking, so that's been cool. I convinced him to let me use the bike for the cardio bit when I told him I have a hrm on my computer. He likes to see how many miles I was logging, and how fast, etc. But, now the miles have gone way down. A good sign, though, is that when I do get on the bike, I still feel good, and can handle a 50-mile, 18+ average speed ride with not much problem. If I can keep that up, I'll be ok. The first race I'm looking at is the end of February.

I might start bringing my bike to work again, like I did last winter, to ride during lunch. I would only get maybe 30 minutes of ride time (out and back), but it's something, and that's better than nothing. I tried to get the Personnel Dept to let me set up my trainer in the lunchroom before, but they were worried about liability. Heck, I'm willing to sign a waiver...just let me train!! We have a new Personnel Mgr now, though, so I'm thinking of making an appointment with her to talk about it again. I seriously will sign a waiver, so I don't have to go out in the elements and traffic to train.

BUT, the good news, and possibly the light at the end of the tunnel, is that my classes only have a few more weeks (uughh, finals!), and then I will have more time. And, my husband is trying to get a different position at his job, one that has WAY better hours...Mon-Fri, weekends & holidays off. He's looking good for that, so he's told.

So, there's hope for stubborn people like me. Hope your training is going better. Do you know your spring race schedule yet?