The Wind Blowing 

April is almost over, and so is National Poetry Month. So to close out the month, I offer one more for your enjoyment:

The wind at your face
Pushing against you
Demanding of you
Challenging you

Blowing against your ear
It's all you can hear
Nothing to think about except the wind
Never letting you forget it's there

The wind at your back
Pushing against you
Rewarding you
Moving you forward

The beating of you foot on the ground
The beating of your heart in your chest
The stretch of your leg
Reaching for extra speed

And with that, I also offer a few hints for those of you who are training for something like me. Spring is the perfect time to go out an buy new running shoes. You'd be surprised what a new pair on your feet will do for you. I just bought a pair of Nike Air Max Motto III's to replace my Nike Pegasus'. The Pegasus' were nice, but I only bought them last year because everyone had discontinued speed laces on all their shoes, so I was starting fresh. Apparently enough people complained because speed laces are back on the Motto's (which I had the year before).

Training tip number two. When was the last time you checked the fit on your bike? Check your seat to make sure you have the right height. A 1/4 inch can get you a mile an hour.

Training tip number three. Stretch! Amazingly enough, stretching before exercising doesn't do much at all. Stretching after working out, when your muscles are warm and limber is well worth it, especially if you're biking. Having tight ham strings adds resistance on your down stroke which costs you speed.