I was up late last night. That was partly due to the fact that I wasn’t able to start my trainer workout until after 9 PM. It was also due to the excitement of Thing Two.

The training went well. It was a short one, but a tough one. My coach called for me to warm up for 15 minutes working up to 260 watts. Then I was to go steady between 275 and 300 watts for 20 minutes. The last portion of the workout was a 10 minute cool down. The core of the workout – the 20 minute section – was to be at T-cadence: the revolutions per minute where I am at optimal performance. For me, that is around 95 – 98 rpm.

I pretty much nailed it with an average of 287 watts. The average cadence was 97 rpm. While it was hard – my current Functional Threshold Power is 285 watts – I felt that I could have kept it going for a bit more. It was encouraging.

Coming upstairs I tried to wind down a bit for bed. The kids were in their beds, but I could tell that Thing Two was restless. I spoke to him and then left to shower.

Later – around 10:45 PM – I went into the kitchen and who should appear? Thing Two. “I’m not tired,” he said. “Are you too excited to sleep?” I asked. “No” he replied in his crackling, changing voice. I knew immediately that he was.

Even after I got in bed he came knocking on the door. This time I sent his mom to deal with him. This was not because I didn’t want to deal with him. It was because he always seems to respond better to her when we tried to get him to sleep. Thankfully, this time it worked!

So, why was he so excited?

Tony Martin wins Paris-Nice by Jonathan Pait, Jr.

Today, I am taking off work for the afternoon. I’m taking Thing Two out of school. I’m going to pick him up when his class leaves for lunch. Then we’re going to grab a bit to eat together before we head out for a ride on the Swamp Rabbit Trail. We’re going to ride all the way to TR and stop for a cup of coffee. Then we’ll head back to Greenville.

Once we get back, I’m going to take him to a photo shoot where he’ll get a picture taken of him and his bicycle. Of course, he’ll be wearing this Low Cadence kit for the photo. I really hope it will be a fun day for him.

Thing Two doesn’t talk much. It is really hard to find out what is going on inside his head. I’ve always wondered what he thinks about cycling. The great fear is that I will push something on him that he doesn’t enjoy.

Sometimes He will express himself with his pen. He enjoys drawing and at 10-years old, he has free handed some pretty neat stuff. That is why it was really cool to see the ruled paper sketch he drew for me. It was a scene from the final stage of Paris-Nice. He had watched the race in bits and pieces with me. Of course, he didn’t say much about it. I think the picture does the talking for him.

I won’t lie. I hope today is an incredible day for him. I want it for him. I want it for me. I want it for us.

Cycling is an activity that the two of us can do together for years to come. It doesn’t have to be racing. But it is entirely possible that we could be riding together when I’m 65 and he is in his thirties. Who knows, I might still be able to beat him up Paris Mountain.

Maybe he will choose a different outlet for recreation and physical exercise. Whatever he chooses I am behind him 100%. The years to come will reveal the tale. For today, I just hope it is a day to remember as we turn those pages.

Yes, it has been a busy week. I also mentioned that it has been an off week for my training. What this has led to is a lot of pent up stress and not much physical output. That equals frustration. Any of you who exercise on a regular basis and then miss for several days know what I’m talking about.

So, I simply couldn’t take it anymore! Even though yesterday was a very important day in my work schedule, I took 45 minutes to ride my bike. After a quick bite to eat at lunch, I rolled off from the house to do an easy spin out and back. It was the best thing I could have done — both for my training and my work.

The trees behind the house were swaying and as I rolled my bike out to start I could tell that the weather was fluctuating. Quickly I threw my rain jacket in my back pocket.  I also figured that the wind might make the ride a little uncomfortable. I didn’t care. I just wanted to ride!

It was one of those times when you find a smile spreading across your face. The weather was really just perfect. At least when the ride started there was no rain. The wind turned out not to be bad at all and was quite refreshing.

Heading down East North Street instead of my typical back road route, I managed to get green lights that allowed me to keep momentum all the way to the park. I avoided the climb on Woodland Way and turned right to head to the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Once on the trail I spun easily toward Falls Park, through A Children’s Garden (Linky Stone Park), and then to the end of the trail by the under construction Kroc Center.

Then I decided to do a little exploring and find where the trail picked up again. Following roads that seemed to be taking me in the general direction that the trail would follow, I did come upon more sections of the uncompleted trail. This led me to Pete Hollis Blvd. Once there, it was time to head back. Work was calling.

Taking a direct route to downtown along Pete Hollis took me by Hincapie Sportswear and then back toward Cleveland Park. In the park the rain started to fall a little heavy. Ahhhhh! It was sooooo good to smell the rain soaking the warm asphalt. After such a cold winter it was nice to feel the rain hitting me and refreshing me instead of freezing me!

Arriving back home I still had the grin on my face… well, it spread into a full smile. My legs felt loose and warm. The tenseness that had been building in my body over the last four days was gone. My mind was in a much more positive frame.

Forty-five minutes on the bike made the rest of the hours I worked Thursday more profitable. I’ve never been a person who takes naps. My wife is great at taking short “power naps.” I can’t. If I lay down for a nap, I’m out for an hour or more. However, I could get into taking “power laps” ever now and again. It does a body — and mind — good!