Belgian Training Bust

Whenever the weather in the endurance "off-season" gets murky, I just think of Belgium. The Flemish hardmen are out training in worse weather, what right do I have to complain? Especially since there is no real "off-season" anyway. Now I am supposed to building a base, which means training hours, right? The Belgians are even more intense, they are racing cyclocross in the snow, or preparing for their biggest road races which start in just a couple of months. I have no right to complain, but I will anyway. It was cold, foggy, and damp this morning for my 3 hour road ride. I felt like I was in Belgium. It has been cold and grey for so long now I forgot what the sun looks like. Vitamin D? Not a chance, son, go pop a few hundred IU and suck it up. I was low on energy, nearly bonked, and struggled to recover the rest of the day. A quick look at the 2009 training log revealed a possible cause: it has been a long time since I rode 3 hrs. Oh well, better luck next week. On the flip, I don't think I have ever been doing such long rides this early in the season, so that bodes well for the rest of the season. On the food front, my crock pot rocks, because it cooks up a mean pot of gourmet pinto beans!