I’ve got about 900 songs on my Zune and about 90% are what I call power songs. Metal, rap, techno. If it’s carrying a beat that would make a room full of nuns break out into a full on prison brawl the second the play button is pushed, you can bet it’s on my play list.

My music isn’t designed to pump me up for a race or amp up my aggressive driving. I don’t bob my head to the driving beats to put me in the right mind set to push myself against another rider. Every song, every beat, every push of the volume control is to prepare me to meet me head on.

There are two people living in each of us. The one who wants this. He or she wants that win, they want that sick run with the perfect lines and the power of a rocket powered hot rod with the pulling power of a diesel truck hauling the mail down an empty highway. Then there’s the other person living in each of us. They want to sit at the computer, watch the rain from the inside, and hand you excuses on why you should take it easy today instead of putting in some weight training action or that training ride.

I hate that person, but the Force is strong with that one.

It’s a daily battle between the forces of Dedication and the evil régime of Excuses. Somedays it’s easy to choose my side and press on. Other days…I align myself with the darker side of humanity and fall to the wayside-a causality of my own laziness.

So, to pump myself up for the greatest battle I face every day (the one against me) I turn up the Dragonforce put my head down and pick up the weights. I go for the run. I put in that practice ride. I sprint it out. I throw on one more 5lb stack, and I go for another down hill run.

So, as winter continues and the weather continues it icy march into January, join me in the greatest fight you’ll even know-the fight against yourselves.

Get some.