Training is goooooood.....

I am truly enjoying training! I don't know what the difference is. Maybe it's a few weeks of killing myself in the basement or it's a different type of training than I did last year, but whatever it is, I'm liking it better. Last year was a lot of the same types of training, every time. It was either hours upon hours of riding back and forth on riverside drive, or running the same flat loop at carrier park, but my god did it get dull and boring. There was never anything new to see, nothing new to accomplish, just grinding out mile after mile. This time I've been using new venues, no real specific plan other than to run/ride for a while. I'm doing hills, mountains, roaring downhills, windy roads, trails, etc. It's just been so much more fun. Where last years training felt like a job, this year it's been pleasure. So that being said, yesterday I went for my hour bike ride. I was sort of trying to get out of it, but of course the wife says, "oh you can go for it now, dinner will take a bit longer than that." Dammit, gotta go. So I did. I rode from my house, out weston rd to mills gap and just rode that for a while. It's slightly rolling, mostly flat. But wow has my fitness improved. I don't know why. But for a while there I was cruising along at 22 mph with my heart rate only around 130 or less. Amazing! Even the climbs I was moving around 18 mph and my HR only climbed slightly. It was such a great ride. My runs have been similar. I've been moving at a pretty good clip, feeling a bit wiped, buy my HR is still staying on average in the 150's. It's climbing by the end, but I've been able to move pretty fast at a fairly low rate. I'm loving training this go round! Can't wait to keep it up!