Goals: Wave One

A blog can sometimes be a pretty good self motivation tool; really, in a number of ways. First by reading other rider’s posts about all the hard training and suffering they’ve been enduring I can motivate myself to get out and do some work. On that same note, I am motivated to train and suffer so that I can write about it as well. More importantly though is the follow through pressure that goes along with posting goals and intentions. See Kyle at Pedal’n Around for example. That fool’s gonna have a lot of people to give him a hard time if he doesn’t bust his ass this season! Oh, and of course should he arrive to a group ride or race on a new bike or sporting some new fancy gear, there will be an audible tsk, tsk from the pack around him for the obvious disregard for goal number 2 ;) (This is also a personal goal of mine for the year and I will hopefully be welcoming at least one new ride to my stable this year…)

While things don’t always work out the way we intend despite this extra motivator it is at least one more little thing that just may help us to get off the couch on that cold rainy Saturday morning and complete the 4 hour base ride we’ve talked about all week. Some of the things I’ve done in the past using this blog have been my goals for races. A lot of the ones I mentioned (and often proclaimed loudly my intentions of completing) often fell through for one reason or another, but in the end the blog mixed with my desire and quite possibly stupidity tend to lead to a completion of my goals.

Without further ado, I set forth my first and second goals for the 2008 season:

Compete in the 24 Hours of Big Bear mountain bike race in West Virginia: I’m already signed up on a team of four, though we’ve currently only got three of us. (Anyone want to join) Nothing to serious here as we’re signed up as just for fun and none of us knows exactly what to expect, but it’s still a 24 hour race and if nothing else should be loads of fun.

The other is to complete the Leesburg Baker’s Dozen mountain bike race: Also, already signed up (I think) on a tem of three. Also should be a blast.

The rest of the season and year’s goals have yet to be established but I do have plans to race a good number of times. I don’t have any illusions of catting up this season as I’ve got too much other stuff I want to do this year, but experience and more importantly I plan to have fun and hopefully help propel some teammates to strong finishes where possible. Chris in particular is aiming straight at a very solid season with probably the best pure training mindset on the team at the moment.

I do plan to race as much of the Greenbelt series as possible since it is just down the road from my place, so maybe a B race win will enter into the fray at some point, but I won’t hold my breath at this point.

Personally, I need to finish paying off some unnecessary debt and then get started on house stuff. I’m itchin’ to get to work on the kitchen but I want to clear out the other debt before I put myself even deeper in debt with a home improvement loan. I’d also like to finally get away for a real vacation; even if it’s just a week hiking the Appalachian Trail, I need to get away for an extended period of time.

Anyway, I know I said I don’t resolute, and so I claim these are not resolutions; year goals yes but not resolutions. Resolutions are made to be broken and these goals are meant to be kept. Here’s to a solid year of fun and excitement, both on the bike and off it.