Philip Nelson's Blog (5)

It is all over and I had a wonderful sleep of nearly 12 hours in my own bed. The simple pleasures really are the best. I am still unwinding this experience but very quickly the difficult things are fading and a warm fuzzy glow is emerging. Here are a few quick take aways. As I planned for my part of the ride it was all about the training to handle the load. That was important, but we were all surprised by how much the team impacted our ability to get things done. I don't think we really underst… Continue

What sound does a Badger make when ready to get out of Dodge on bike? We decided: "Ruf, Ruf, Ruf." After months of preparation, training, fund raising and logistics, we are ready to roll. All of us are well, so that's a plus for openers. So far, only a few frictions amidst a lot of bonding. It;s 65 degrees in Oceanside and overcast. But we'll be in the high desert soon, where temps are in the 90s. I used to train there as a Marine artillery officer, so I know it gets really hot during the day an… Continue

I've made my donation form available online. You can download the form, write a check and send it too me and get our eternal gratitude! So, please do. If you would like to donate in the name of one of the other team members, just write in the margins who's name you would like to donate in and I'll make sure they get notified. Either way the donation goes to the same place, but I'm sure any team member would apprecia… Continue

My first post I mentioned that I didn't want to say too much about my good day because the sport can be very humbling. It didn't take too long for humble to raise it's ugly head. Last Thursday on the same pack ride, I got destroyed by some of the same riders. This time it was on the easy flat section heading back to Green Bay. I wasn't feeling very well on the long climb and was slower than I've been for a few weeks. I'll attribute that to more long hours, but I'm not too worried because I'll st… Continue

Today was a good day. I've been reasonably good about sticking to my plan, but as we all know, in the moment, it can be pretty hard to see progress. Looking at my training log, I can't say that I'm overly impressed with my effort. Still, it has been what I planned to do. I looked at this ride and thought that the most important things to do would be improve general fitness base, of course, but then to focus more on shorter interval… Continue