With or without

Here it is Friday morning and I still have a little bit of packing to do.  Nothing major just a few items of clothing which are currently in the dryer.  After that, it will be time to eat breakfast, and fix a bottle of water so I may start the process of making sure I am fully hydrated. One would accomplish this by drinking like a fish and then bugging Dad to stop the vehicle every hour or so because I have to pee until we arrive in Springfield, Oh.

Earlier this week, I posed the question of whether or not I would be washing away funk or mojo if I washed my Oakleys.  I wasn't able to come to a clear cut decision based on the responses but here are a few of them 

-Becky "Wash your funky sunglasses. Your mojo is in your blood; no worries about washing that away. So, grab some soap and get to cleaning.  Thank god they haven't invented scratch-n-sniff websites."

-The Beautician  "You will definitely be washing away mojo.  Do not wash them!  I once wore the same pair of underwear for an entire undefeated season while I was playing travel elite soccer.  We continued to win because I didn't wash away the mojo in my pants."

-Metro  "Feel free to wash them as it is not mojo, just funk.  Just like hoes in different zip-codes don't count, mojo cannot cross county lines.  You have to make it fresh wherever you go."

-Jenn  "They just look nasty.  You should really clean them."

Some very valid points were made from talking to people about this subject but the only one that truly makes a whole lot of sense was Jenn's.  I am not very superstitious but I am to a small degree and because of that, I have decided to not wash the glasses until after I return from Calvin's.  With or without my mojo I will be traveling sure of exactly one thing... my glasses still stink.

Lucky charms

I had taken all my gear with me yesterday morning in hopes of getting a ride in by making the commute home. They were calling for 30-40% chances of t-storms in the afternoon but I was hopeful. A quick storm came through just after lunch which left everything soaking wet and the air terribly thick and humid. Just before I was getting ready to leave I checked the radar and noticed a big green, red and yellow blob heading for the house. It looked like I would have been dry for the first half of the ride but then it would get a bit sporty. I made the executive decision to just ride over to Endorphin where Jenn was doing some strength training. It would allow me to get in a few miles while stretching my legs out.

I think I made the correct decision because as we were coming back across the bridge we saw these boom clouds ahead of us. Yes, that is the scientific name of them.


Shortly there after, it was one rainbow after another...





Was mother nature taunting me and questioning my manhood for not riding home? Was that a way of saying that I would ride like a world champion this weekend? Or is someone just trying to "steal me lucky charms?"

Flat to rolling?

In preparation for this weekend's Calvin's Challenge I was reading some recounts of the previous year's racers. Most of them were in agreement that the long course could be characterized as flat to rolling. I took the gps along with me when Znels and I went out on Friday so I would have something to compare the elevation graph of the course with something here locally which I have been riding recently.

The long loop which has 713 ft of climbing per 51 mile lap

Home-Powhatan Half Century Profile with 4652 ft of climbing per 51 miles.

It would appear that I am comparing apples to oranges. Some of the recaps mentioned how bad the wind blew the entire day. I am beginning to think that the biggest threat from the course is going to be what mother nature has in store rather than any sort of lack of climbing legs. There won't be any hiding from the wind on such a flat to non-rolling course. I am off to bed now to ponder whether or not I should wash my sunglasses as I am getting opinions from all sorts of angles which deserve a post of their own.

Funk or Mojo?

Yesterday, Znels came over and I was able to talk him into taking a spin through Powhatan with me. We went a little bit longer than what he was originally thinking when he asked me if I wanted to ride but he managed to get through it without a hitch. We ended up with about 51 miles in once it was all said and done. Beautiful scenic riding out there that is for sure.

I did notice once again, that my sunglasses are starting to smell like funk. It isn't just a little bit either, I can really smell them once I get them close to my face to put them over my lovely green eyes. The ear socks also look a bit funky but they do not stink.


My dilemma is, I could easily just wash the frames in a mild soapy water concoction and change out the ear socks (which I already own) and the frames would look and more importantly smell like new. But if I do it, would I be washing away some of my mojo or is what I am smelling just the remains of my mojo's funky movements?

One test passed....One to go

Two weeks past, I got word that I would once again be lucky enough to be considered as part of Powerbar's Team Elite. I was very excited to hear the news as Powerbar is amazing at taking care of their athletes. As part of being on the team, they make available an endless amount of nutritional and training articles. You can also test and become a certified Nutrition Pro through them which means you can then host nutrition clinics. Well I took it and passed it.

If I could I would wear this like a sheriff's badge

Well all know, I have notoriously been a huge hypocrite when it comes to nutrition. I can talk about it in an educated manner all day long, but when it comes time to put the plan into action, I usually fall terribly short. In the past month or so, I have been trying to hone the on the bike nutrition in because Jenn had planted an idea in my head that I could still do certain things. What were they you ask? One was ride my bike, for very long periods of time. I have been ENJOYING being on the bike all year so much so, I usually put it before the household duties most of the time. Hopefully, all the time I have spent in the saddle combined with actually eating on the bike will help me pass my next test...

Taking place on May 1st, 2010

Birthday Weekend

Last Friday was my 30th birthday. Last year at this time I was not looking forward to it very much as I was sure it was the beginning of the end. This year thankfully for everyone around me, I had/have a completely different outlook. I started the day off by sending my mother a "Happy Birthday" greeting. She and I have the same birthday. I then met up with Zach for a nice cruise through the Varina area to the Battlefield.


Once again Le Antique was on a search for his relatives. We didn't give him anytime to look this go around however, as I had a date with Jenn for lunch. She was hosting a cookout at work which benefited the March of Dimes. I ran over there ate lunch, chatted a bit and then like a bandit, I stole her smart tag.

I then met up with Mom and she and I went over to the Home Depot to do some flower shopping. Mom had brought a package which my sister had sent for me. She said it was the best gift in the world and she came pretty damn close.


Onto HD we went as I was on the hunt for some accent foliage to put out on our deck. We found some and headed back over to the house to get them into there rightful new places.


Mom and I then headed back over to their house and met up with Dad. He then jumped back into the car and we met Jenn down at the Strawberry St Cafe for dinner before heading over to the newly renovated Diamond for a Flying Squirrels game. One of the reasons I love Spring so much is because of baseball. The stadium was much nicer than it used to be prior to the R-Braves leaving town and the staff actually seemed as if they wanted their fans to have a nice enjoyable family outing. I would highly recommend a game.

Saturday morning, Jenn and I woke up and met the TnT crew for a visit with the 3 sisters, 1 crazy cousin and a messed up horseshoe. It was a great way to start the morning before we had to scurry back to the house to prepare for the cookout we were hosting for a few friends and family. Thank you to all who came out and those who couldn't we certainly missed ya!

Relaxin

This weekend consisted of no physical activity what so ever. I ended last week with 10 hours in the saddle for a total of 194 miles. Very close to the 200 mark and would have been there easily had my conference call not been switched to Monday. Ah well! This evening when I got home from work, I took the pups outside to play. Tomorrow starts the week with a commute home once again.

Petra and Sage (im)patiently waiting

Sage has mad hops

Got it!

Looking for history

Tuesday I set off for a little bit longer of a ride than the usual 40-50 miles I have been doing on my days off. The plan was to ride up through the city down through Varina, turn a quick lap through the Battlefield and then head back home via Riverside Dr and Old Gun. I knew it was going to be a hot one which actually turned out to be a record breaking day so I carried 3 bottles, two on Le Antique and one on my aging back.

The ride started with fresh legs which were putting out some power without very much effort. That was until I reached the city and all the stop and go traffic due to lights really took a toll on my legs. Once out of the city it felt as if Osborne Rd was never going to end. For those who have never ridden it, Osborne Rd is FLAT and STRAIGHT. Stopped at the entrance to the park for a photo op at which time I took the opportunity to switch my bottles around.

Le Antique wanted to stop and look for long lost relatives

A quick lap through the park and I was headed back to the city for another round of stop and go. Once over onto Riverside the heat really started to get to me. I was almost out of fluids in the 3rd bottle so I decided to stop and fill up at the top of Old Gun in Salisbury. I ended up going through 5.5 bottles in the 4 hours 19 minutes I was on the road. The ride ended up being 79 miles long. I am not sure I will do that particular route again, as I really did not have any fun going through the city.

Got myself a very sweet tan line. It actually isn't as red as it looks in the pic but it is getting dark. Especially for a pasty white guy like myself.

Yesterday, I ended up riding home from work once again. I have started doing this at least 2-3 times a week now. Just as I had hoped there really wasn't anything exciting about it as my legs felt fine.

Today, I headed out to what is becoming one of my favorite routes to do once again. I used to ride out the Powhatan way quite often when I first started riding the road. Not really sure why I stopped but I did. Now I have ridden twice in the same number of weeks and I am really enjoying it. The route is about 45 miles long which can be shortened or lengthened to suit my fancy which is nice. It contains a lot of climbing mixed with a healthy amount of flats in some parts.

The entrance to the radio controlled airplane field. I hear it is actually quite exclusive.

Just like yesterday, my legs felt good and I was able to put in a good ride while maintaining/conserving energy by keeping my HR in check. The wind was kinda nasty today as the storm is coming in this evening but that just meant it was also cooler than on Tuesday's ride. I have one more day of commuting home tomorrow before what looks like 2 days off the bike until Monday.

New Name

Awhile back there was some buzz around one of the local forums about how to appropriately name your bicycle if you were indeed the type of person to name your bikes. I was in agreement with others that the name should just come to you. You should not have to force a name that may or may not fit the bikes personality just for the sake of giving it a name. Well after last weeks Westcreek ride, the La Raza will now affectionately be named Le Antique from hear on out.

Friday, Jenn gave me the go ahead to go purchase my birthday present from her. Le Antique was in need of a new drivetrain and rear tire from where I rode it flat for a mile or two on Wednesday night. So I ran over to the shop and picked up a couple of new shiny bits. Please do not stare too long at them as they will hypnotize you into thinking your bike is dirty.

Out of the package

Shiny new shifty bits

Saturday morning, Jenn and I took the younger looking Antique out for spin with the Team in Training crew. We met them at Westcreek which was stupid busy. I was wondering why so many people wanted to ride that place on a beautiful Saturday morning. Weeknights I can understand, weekend mornings not so much.

So we left Westcreek and headed into Goochland. The Spring scenery of the country roads was a nice change of venue than the around the Vista of Views I get when I ride around the burbs. The nice thing about that route is that I now know street names and traffic levels of some of the roads around Westcreek which means I won't be confined to turning laps around Westcreek on Tuesday nights while Jenn is working out with Endorphin.

Gotta run to work in a few, but remember folks, Old can be the new new if you just throw some money at it and/or believe. Happy Easter!