#TINAR1000 State of the Union

In case you didn't hear, or read, or see on Instagram or Twitter, I have

embarked on a simple challenge for the month of January.

It's not a resolution, I hate that word. I believe gyms and the diet industry

have taken it over and made it their own. To them the word resolution = $$$

Do I get a little too riled up about it, yes, but you should see me 

when I get going on the greeting card business and all their pseudo holidays.

Okay, so I devised a simple goal for the month of January. A way to kick off the year,

a way to give my sad little legs some much needed miles and 

some much needed muscle tone. Let's just say last year was less than stellar for them.

Here's a brief rundown of what I've put in 

since January 16:

Kilometers: 392.0

Miles: 243.6

Elevation gain: 19,399 feet

As you can tell, I may have gotten myself into a pretty big hole.

(that's what he said)

It's the 18th as I write this and I still have a long way to ride. 

Once a procrastinator, always a procrastinator. 

Let's just say, I'm going to be doing some rides that may 

end with me in a fetal position crying for my mommy 

sucking on an empty salted caramel GU packet.

My legs are doing work and I want to treat them right,

so I'm making sure they know how much I appreciate them.

As you can see in the picture above I've succumb to the sweet smell 

only Rapha can create. Yes I'm using summer embro,

it's January in the Northern Hemisphere but Southern California has been averaging 

80 degrees F the whole month of January. Using this embro gives me a chance to 

warm up my legs before leaving the house. It also gives them a nice sheen, 

gives me some added color, and makes them smell like I've been romping through a 

Mediterranean forest. I've also been using Rapha's shave and post shave lotion. 

I don't know if it helps my legs any. It's supposed to smell like Mont Ventoux.

I like to imagine I'm channeling all the great riders over 

the years that have conquered that climb.

I basically have a seance in my bathroom every time I shave my legs.

So there you have it, I'm not exactly killing it, but I'm not epically failing either.

The last couple weeks are going to have some fun with me, let's hope the weather holds up,

or more importantly, let's hope my legs hold up. I like a bit of challenge in my challenges.

If you're doing your own challenge I hope you're doing as well or better than me. 

Let's see some more photos. 

Remember, share your Instagram and Twitter pics with the hashtag 

#tinar1000 

All decent submissions will get a TINAR sticker or something useful.