Back to school

I'm back at it again...school, that is. Overall, I would classify my break as relaxing and recuperative in terms of intellectuals stresses. During the break, I'm pretty sure I didn't read anything academic other than skimming a few abstracts last week. Most of my reading came from web-surfing and the occasional magazine flip-through. (BTW, I never seem to start a magazine at the beginning...usually, I begin in the middle, make my way to the back cover, and then go back and cover whatever skipped at the beginning...it must be some sort of savant indicator). In final days of winter break, I began to get bored and eager to begin again. Like every semester, I've come up with some goals and ambitions that I can only attain in a vacuum with no confounding elements and variables. For instance, the other day I made some Excel spreadsheets that map out my weekly classes, assistantship, TA, and workouts. Sprinkled in between those blocks are designated studying times. This morning, I went a step further and made a play-by-play for the entire week. Pretty much everything is mapped out on this spreadsheet. I almost went to the extent of appropriating specific time blocks for meals, but decided I need to give myself some freedoms. Through this neurotic method, I hope to maximize my efficiency. Now that my training is kicking up a notch in terms volume, I need to be as time-conscious as possible. With that said, I give this a month before I crack and revert back to my do-what-I-feel-like form of time-management. If I stick to it, however, I could quite possibly experience my most productive semester of my life. Here's to hoping...

In terms of training, NIFS has become my new faithful companion. With weather that would put northern Belgium to shame, many of my rides have been forced in doors. I loathe riding indoors, but at least I can tolerate it for up to 1.5 hours a day; after that, it becomes to mind-numbing to bare. For that reason, I started lifting again this season to fill the void left by non-existent miles...something I haven't done for the past couple of years. After realistically evaluating my past season, I came to terms with that fact that my strength and pop have diminished a bit since I stopped lifting. So, for the past month-and-a-half I've been pumping iron two to three times a week. Already I can tell something is different...I'm much more hungry...not hungry in the figurative sense, I mean literally hungry. I eat like a mad man now and breathe even less than I did before when scarfing down the calories. Thanks be to the pagan goddess of weight gain that a commercial-grade blender arrived below the x-mas tree. This thing is awesome, I can convert all of my favorite high-caloric and high-protein solid substances into a single vat of viscous goop that I don't even have to chew. It's completely brilliant. Since it's arrival, I've tacked on 3 extra pounds after creating a new, completely liquified "meal" of the day that falls between lunch and dinner. Hopefully the extra weight manifests itself in the form of muscle...I could really use some more of that stuff if I ever want to manage a little better in a bunch sprint.