From the December 2005 Newsletter
Don’t let the calendar fool you. By now, most racers have had more than enough time to recover and rejuvenate from a season of racing. Yet many persist in taking it easy through the winter, losing valuable fitness that was gained through the training and racing of the season past.
If you are one who likes to quote, “It’s only December,” I have a message for you. While you slumber away in zone 1 or on the couch, guys from Louisville, Cincy, Nashville and pockets from Indy are cranking up their trainers with steady state zone 3 efforts, interspersed by leg-searing lunges, or perhaps strength building muscle tension sets.
One of the premiere racers in Kentuckiana, Patrick O’Donnell affirms, “I’ve always felt the key to a good season is to come out with a strong spring.” For those of you hiding behind the gray fog of December, there are only about 80 days until the first spring race, and approximately only 65 days until Schabobele.
Even Chris Carmichael advocates maintaining intensity through the winter in order to retain fitness gained from the previous season. Furthermore, maintaining a minimal amount of intensity through December will fend off any further weight gain you may have experienced to this point in the off season.
The path to the podium is a difficult road, marked by sacrifice and commitment. If you strive for the podium in 2006, that path begins today.