So the rain continues to fall, but fortunately it looks like it might be exiting the area by early tomorrow morning.
I went to the bike shop today to pick up my good 'ole time trial bike come road bike and on the way back swung by the hardware store to pick up some screws to fasten my speedplay spring assembly and metal plate to the three-hole adaptor. I found the screws, but as it turns out they won't stay tight. Long story short, I've called Speedplay and after talking to a very nice guy named Steve in customer support/tech, I'm getting the screws I need ... for free! Speedplay is in the business of making their customers happy and even though I ordered these pedals/cleats used on Ebay, he still recognizes the value of taking care of a potential future customer. Now I just have to wait until the screws reach Riverside. Until then, unfortunately no biking for me (not that that's a huge change from the status quo, though).
And unfortunately, me knee continues to bother me. Although I've spent no time on the bike for several months now (with no serious training since the end of October), my knee can't seem to get its act together. The strength training I did in India, McConnell tape from the physical therapist and these new Speedplay pedals ought to give me the best fighting chance for pain free cycling.
The other update is with regard to my personal training certification. I've tentatively decided to go ahead with certification through the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association). Even though the certification is difficult to get (only roughly 9,600 have been awarded since 1993), with it in hand, my odds of being employed vastly improve. The certification lasts for three years (as opposed to two for several others), allows me to work with special needs populations (elderly, sick, injured, etc.), and provides me with materials which will prove valuable when I begin to take on clients (personal training plan formatting instruction, video demonstrations of proper exercise technique, etc.).
I've already begun to prepare for the course (which I will sign up for in mid-February) by reviewing human musculature diagrams and muscle-specific exercises. Today I'll be headed to the gym for the first time in a long time to put some of the knowledge I've been acquiring to use. Though a big part of me still recoils at the thought of putting on muscle (cycling is all about power to weight and I'd like to weigh as little as possible) , I know that in order to be respected by clients, I'll need to have at the very least improved muscular definition as well as a bit more mass. Plus, doing as many of these exercises as I can on a regular basis will only improve my retention of their names and the muscles they work.
Interesting note: I think by far the coolest muscle I've come across so far is the sartorious muscle in the leg. It wraps like a snake from the outside of the hip, across the top of the rectus femoris (the middle quad muscle) and attaches to the inside of the knee. I've only ever seen it in runners or body-builders. I think it's pretty safe to say that you won't be seeing it in my legs anytime soon!
