Training Up (Part II)

Hey there everyone... been a while, huh? 

I've really been neglecting my "personal" blog a bit lately (is it just me, or am I always saying that these days?)  Of course, I've been writing plenty over at http://www.OregonFilmandTVDollars.com and if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you know that I've been "sharing" plenty online... but I haven't really had the time to sit down and do much personal writing of late.

One reason for this (alongside the general "actor hustle" of going to auditions and networking events, and making time for family, and taking care of the house and family, and... and..) is the time I've been spending on my bike.  You might remember my post at the end of June where I talked about getting ready for the annual Portland Century bike ride.  Since that post, Dad and I have decided to go on the 70 mile ride instead of the 40 (because of construction, the 40 has been lowered to a 33 mile route, and I'm already riding 30 miles at a stretch, so there's not much challenge in that any more...) 

So, I've been hitting the trails a couple times a week, adding more and more miles to the routine as I try and get up to 70.  I've also been tracking my mileage, fitness, and diet on http://www.mapmyride.com (you can find me at "HaroldPDX" on that system if you want to see what I've been doing) - it's been a big help in training up.

The trick, of course, is finding the time to push the mileage up past my last ride... I only ride about 12 or 13 miles per hour, so the farther I go, the longer the ride takes... and that's less time I spend in the office, or chasing down connections that might bring work.  On the other hand, if I'm on the bike I'm not sitting in the office obsessing about the bookkeeping or the connections that might bring more work :)  In fact, I have to be honest here... if I didn't have the Century to train for, I probably wouldn't be spending so much time on my bike; it'd be one of those things I'd think I "should do" but never got around to doing... because I'm in training, I'm outside enjoying the air and the view and... well, getting more fit.  So, when I think about it, I'm probably doing myself more good than harm by getting out of my little cave and pedaling.

Anyway, if you care to track my progress and see the routes I've been riding, set up a free http://www.mapmyride.com account and become my "friend" on the system... or just watch the Twitter or Facebook feed; my rides should start posting on those services soon.

And if you don't care, that's ok too... I'm sure many of you are tired of hearing me jibber-jabber all the time :)

Hope you're all doing well...

Harold

Training Up...

Yeah... so I'm a little sore today.  See, I'm "in training."

Somehow my dad (who's become quite the avid bicyclist in the past few years... in fact, he's ridden the Seattle to Portland Classic twice thus far, and he'll be doing it again this year) talked me into riding the Portland Century bike ride this coming August... and I haven't been on my bicycle for at least a year.

Now, I'm not planning on riding the full 100 mile trek on August 21st... that'd be madness given how little I've been on my bike.  I did agree to join him on the 40 mile route, though... which means I've got to get some miles in on the bike between now and then.  That might be a little challenging, given my wacky schedule, Portland's unpredictable weather, and the other "X-Factors" that can come up in Trish and my lives... but it's something to shoot for - and let's face it, I could use the exercise.

So, yesterday, I took a ten mile trip from my house to the nearest post office (had to mail some invoices...) and back.  It didn't destroy my legs nearly as bad as I thought it would... we'll see what happens as I start to expand out to 20 and 30 mile trips.

So, if you Portlanders see me wheezing on the side of the road, you'll know what's going on...