It’s rare that Chris and I do anything “off the couch”.

Admittedly, we like the training for goals as much as we achieving them. We’ve thrown out some serious BHAGs for this year and have been putting ourselves through the ringer since the end of 2016, preparing for big events and adventures around the globe. Here are a handful of things that we’ve dedicated ourselves to in preparation for our travels.

Body Work
Yoga – We started our practice over a year ago and it’s been life changing. For me, it was the first time in my athletic career where I had no expectations and just wanted to do something that I didn’t need to be good at. It’s been a twice weekly habit that’s become very grounding for me. It’s also made me a stronger cyclist, especially on the days I carry my camera pack.

Training for the New Alpinism book – Chris and I used to do a bit of climbing and mountaineering. Although our focus is now bikes, we still follow the sport, including its training regimens. Enter a book called Training for the New Alpinism. It’s a self-guided training manual for athletes to train for their mountaineering goals. Thankfully the book has translated well for us towards our biking goals.

Chris spent most of 2016 following the program. I decided to join in late last year after my last photo shoot of the 2016 season. I was feeling really worked after shooting a multi-day backcountry endurance race. I didn’t like getting whipped so I committed to getting more fit for the 2017 season. Fast forward 4 months and I’m really psyched about my strength, fitness and mindset.

Riding
Living in Golden, CO means we’re smack dab in the middle of a honey hole of great trails, both dirt and paved. On any given day, we can head out for 45 minutes to 4-5+ hours of riding.  We’ve mixed up the training between mountain bike adventures on North Table Mountain and exploring Denver via the Clear Creek, Bear Creek and South Platte greenways.

Food

I love to eat (who doesn’t, right?) so food has been an integral part of our training regime. It’s been especially fun to discover good eats in various neighborhoods throughout the Denver Metro area. One place that we’ve gravitated to is The Noshery – easy access from the Clear Creek greenway. It has great coffee, delicious pastries and, drum roll please,  smoked salmon, potato waffles covered in maple syrup.

Although we do try to eat healthy foods, we also believe in the theory that long-distance riding and touring requires “diesel engines”. This means that when you’re hungry, and the only thing available is a giant-sized Payday bar at a gas station, you eat it. This mindset has served us well in our past adventure travels, especially exploring abroad. It’s actually fun to have permission to eat “bad” food.

With a green light for junk food, the only thing left to consider is me being vegetarian. I’m actually an ovo-lacto-pescatarian (sea meats only with eggs and cheese). In my past travels to Asia, I’ve done ok with my special-needs eating. On our upcoming travels to Vietnam and Cambodia, I’m not sure I will survive the long days of pedaling without meals that include a few land meats. Only time will tell.