Monday, February 28, 2011

Bike powered parade

Jammin in the jungle to the beat of one...one speed that is. The afternoon parade through the Animal Kingdom was human powered.



Thursday, February 24, 2011

Come and Gone

Another two days have come and gone.  I haven't done anything worthy of writing about unless you consider stuffing my face constantly with a small hope my hunger will subside.  Today starts another day with no physical activity on the books unless I go for a late night run in the middle of the night in the Sunshine State.  Don't confuse it with the place the sun don't shine which is actually a small town in the Sunshine State.

The next week hopes to be a relaxing one with Jenn running a half marathon Saturday morning.  A few days inside the Disney parks and a few more days of doing who knows what.  I am taking my running shoes and watch with me in hopes of burning a few calories so I don't come back with the extra luggage I so graciously donated when we did our Spring cleaning a couple weeks back.  Praying my hip won't flare up and I'll be able to do more than one without ruining the rest of the week.  Stay tuned for pictures and such.  I'm sure I will take some at some point, maybe.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Monday, the day much of America's working force dreads as it means an end to the weekend and its back to the grind we call work.  Yesterday, was President's Day which meant everyone but government employees had to combat a case of the "Mondays".  It is a highly contagious disorder which spreads rapidly and often has people considering extreme measures to end it.

While looking ahead to the week and realizing how tough it was going to be to get some saddle time in, I too went to an extreme measure and I pulled a Revolver.  One symptom of the "Mondays" is delusion sets in early and gets worse as time passes until you ultimately just pass out and awake the next morning with a sigh of relief that you survived yet another bout.

For me it started with a couple mildly delusional thoughts of warming up on the rollers before firing off 15 revolver rounds into my heart, lungs and legs.  At some point the delusion became a frantic hysteria and I fired off one more killer round which saw my heart rate reach its highest point since about the same time last year.

Cooler temps and night rides are going to be the name of the game for the next two nights.  Then Jenn and I board a plan for Orlando for a week in the warmth of Mother Nature's sun.  She is running in the Disney Princess Half Marathon with her sister.  We haven't had a true vacation since our honeymoon so it will be nice to slow down for a couple of days. 

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Headwinds

Wow, what a day yesterday was.  The sun was high, temperatures were ideal Spring temps and the wind was blowing like only mother nature can get them to blow.  With the winds projected to be at a sustained level of 20 mph and gusts up to 40 I left the house about an hour before the meet up time for the Saturday morning Team in Training ride.

This week we were doing one of my favorite rides which leaves from the Cloverhill Recreation Complex which has now been renamed Horner Park.  It took me about 45 minutes to make the 14 mile ride over due to the Westerly blowing headwind.  Once arrived and we all had gathered, I gave a quick description of the course so the Team would know what to expect.  "It is all flat except for the hills."  Really?  Did I just say that?

The Team did a great job battling the wind all morning long.  There was only minimal complaining about it and those were mostly made sarcastically.  They just kept turning the pedals over and enjoyed the country scenery. 


Once we finished I still had to make the ride back to the house.  The ride home was certainly faster for a couple of reasons.  No headwind, legs were warmed up, I had eaten a couple packs of Powerbar Gel Blasts (which I may have new favorite flavor, Raspberry) and I was racing the clock to get home as fast as I could to help Jenn at least a little bit around the house before some friends came over and I fired up the grill.

Friday, February 18, 2011

This week has been a somewhat tame week for getting my workouts in.  Monday I was taken hostage and forced to do intervals for a short time period.  Tuesday night I was able to get in a really nice ride which happened partly because I sometimes forget to pack stuff.  I was supposed to ride over at Westcreek with the TnT crew.  The last couple of weeks I have been leaving slightly early so I can get in a few extra miles prior to meeting up with them and then once the ride is over, I ride back over to the gym where Jenn is usually working out.

The days are getting longer already but I still need a light to get to and fro safely.  The last two weeks I have only needed to turn my headlight on for the last mile of the 9 mile ride over to Westcreek.  This week I had to leave earlier than in the past due to forgetting to pick up the light from the charger in the morning.  The result?  Photographic evidence of the viewing of my first sunset over Westcreek for 2011.

 It was much better in person.  Crappy camera phone, meh

Wednesday night was a wash in terms of me getting in a workout however Zeb and I did watch people workout at Gold's Gym for 4 hours.  We were there hosting an informational booth for the store and educating Joe Public about Spin Class enhancements and outdoor riding.  It was received well and we have been asked back to do it again at the beginning of the month.

Yesterday, I was able to get in a short but long for me run of 4 miles.  I hadn't run longer than 3 miles for many a moon but I may have found the solution to my hip flexor issue.  Many doctors may tell you hip flexor problems can be solved with stretching and other remedies.  However I have found the miracle drug politeness.  You see, I asked my hip very nicely with a "please" and a "thank you" to not blow up on my last night because I wanted to be able to walk today and tomorrow.  I couldn't feel it at all last night and this morning it is only mildly sore like a 2 out of 10.  Success!  Now where do I get a patent?

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Hostage Taking

Spring fever is in the air!  Well at least it is in my mind.  The only downside to this time of year is it is still cold in the mornings and evenings which means if I want to ride in the warmth of the day I need to do so in the middle of it which only works on two days a week and even then the chances of it happening on both days are pretty close to slim and none.

Yesterday was Valentine's day and while everyone was spending it thinking of their own personal someone(s), I did the same.  Having to close the shop, I knew if I was going to get in my workout in the morning.  Sensing that I didn't want to get all dressed up to combat the morning coolness, the leader of Sufferlandia barged in yelling and screaming.

He started screaming something about how things would be alright if I just put on my ruby red slippers and got on the bike.  He made me slip on Le' Antique's special Friday night,  "Screw me tonight" thong. Because he was waiving his Revolver around in my face and I didn't know how to respond to his perverted requests but to comply.
 

Seriously what kind of stuff is this guy into?  Intervals that is what.  Lots and lots of suck butt intervals.  16 sets of them.  48 minutes later he put the Revolver back into his pocket and left just as abruptly as he came in.  Only I was left felling tired, abused and trying my best to not break down in agony while crying out for help from Jenn.

Monday, February 14, 2011

A day early

"Hey DJ keep playing that song all night, On and On and On"  This past weekend one was of those which got a bit away from me ride wise but not on the productivity side of things.  All week long, I had been looking forward to the weather on Friday and Saturday and then things changed at work which meant I would have Sunday off as well.

Friday came and went with me spending very little time outdoors.  I had been looking for to doing a 70ish mile road ride but bagged that when Mother Nature decided to not turn up the temps until later in the day.  I had other things to get accomplished and didn't feel like being cold.  I am over being cold on rides.  Bring on the Spring.

Saturday morning I left the house early to ride over to Laurel Park to meet the TnT Team for our Saturday morning ride.  25 miles over, 30 with them and things felt good. That was when I could forget about the pulsating wobble which was coming from my rear wheel which started at mile 24 and was caused by a broken spoke.

After the ride on Saturday, Jenn and I stopped by the shop and picked up a new spoke so I could repair my wheel.  The plan was to go out on Sunday at some point once it warmed up.  I awoke with a different plan however.  An early rise had me watching a handful of cooking shows which were still on the dvr.  I got the idea that since I have to close the store on Valentine's Day I would see if Jenn wanted to cook a nice dinner with me and celebrate the eve of Valentine's Day.

The menu was set.  We were going to make homemade ravioli with a homemade marinara sauce.  A side of jalepeno cheese bread and for dessert vanilla ice cream topped with fire-roasted strawberries off the grill.  Now that we had dinner plans, Jenn and I some how motivated ourselves to do some spring cleaning around the house.  We converted the third bedroom into a bedroom and not a room with a bed frame in it.  We finished cleaning up the Cubs room (err the office).  Outside we got the leaves out of the flowerbeds, filled the holes the pups dug in the backyard and spread out the remaining portion of the dirt hill which has been holding our driveway hostage for the past year and a half.

A quick trip to the grocery store and we began the cooking process.  We were given a pasta machine for Christmas and hadn't found the time to use it just yet.  We pulled it out made up a ball of dough and started rolling it out.  We learned a couple of things, 1)Don't clamp the machine to the table without a cloth underneath it.  It will gouge the table.  2)Ravioli dough needs to be thinner than what we made it.  We didn't know how thin it should be so we guessed.  It was turned out to be a little too thick. 3)We need to find a better stuffing recipe.  The one I choose was a simple one which we had all of the ingredients around the house but it lacked a certain punch.  4)A ravioli tray would make things easier not only for speed but for portion control.  We made some of the biggest ravioli I have ever eaten.


 The marinara sauce was a simple recipe and it made a lot of it.  Even after our meal we were left with about 2 quarts of it.  Into the freezer it went to be thawed for a later day.  The cheesy jalapeno bread was a nice change to the traditional garlic bread.


Then came the dessert.  Shortly after we were done with dinner I went outside and fired up the grill.  I pulled the strawberries out of the refrigerator, stood them up in a pie pan and put them on the open flame.  I went inside filled two bowls up with vanilla ice cream which was sadly store bought.  We wanted to make homemade because we were also given an ice cream maker for Xmas but the bowl has to freeze for 15 hours.  15 hours we didn't have. It is now in the freezer awaiting its next call to duty.  Off came the strawberries and then they were placed on top of the ice cream.  Delicious!



Happy Valentines Day to all you kids who actually wait for the day to arrive.  I now need a workout.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Go slow

Dr Dre once said, "Today was a good day".  Even though I am writing about yesterday it still applies but I am not talking about it being good because I didn't get killed in a gang related activity as he was.  Unless of course you consider all of the cars on the road a gang and then it would be true, I didn't get killed in my daily life of gang bangin.

The ride over to Westcreek to meet the TnT crew for their Tuesday night ride went by very quickly.  I cannot put my finger on any one reason why it would have been so quick but it could have something to do with there being enough light left in the day for me to make the trip over without turning on the headlight to see, my legs just seemed to be firing on both cylinders (although Phil Ligget would never describe my legs as bronze pistons just driving the pain.  At least not this early in the season.) or maybe because I was riding through rival gang terroritory and didn't see many members at all.  The ones I did see must have feared recourse if they messed with me as they all showed crazy respect.

Once I arrived the pace dropped dramatically for the better part of the evening where I started a different type of endurance training, dealing with the cold!  With temps hovering just a couple (that's 2) degrees above freezing topped with not really moving my legs in a fashion to build up any heat in my cylinders my hands and feet went cold very quickly and stayed there.  At one point my upper lip was so numb it felt as if I had just visited the dentist and a local was injected into my lip to keep me from feeling the pain.  It made it hard for me to talk which I am sure was a pleasant side effect for the others.  I am just glad I didn't have drool running down my face.

After the ride was over I still had to make my way over to Jenn who was chillin at a local coffee house with one of her girlfriends.  The cylinders where on fire again and didn't want to stop.  According to the Garmin (which I couldn't see in the dark) I was pushing 28-29 mph for a bit over 2.5 miles of mostly flat road.  It felt great although I didn't think I had that kind of power in my legs already.  I probably will never have that power again.  It just goes to show you the old adage is true, You have to ride slow to ride fast.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Here we are at the beginning of a new week.  The weekend followed suit as last week and was over before I knew it.  Yesterday Jenn took Petra back to the vet for another X-ray.  We were extremely relieved to be told she should be fine.  Still not totally sure what was causing her stomach to be upset but she is back to chasing Sage around the house and doing her best to eat us out of house and home. 

This week should be another week of decent mileage but more importantly time in the saddle.  Today will be an off day but I plan to be on the bike Tuesday through Saturday.  If Mother Nature doesn't throw too much of a curve ball to use Thursday night I plan on getting a 50-60 mile ride in on Friday.  The pace probably won't be too exciting but the time in the saddle is more important at this point in the season.  Who knows, maybe on Saturday morning I may get in a nice long ride as well. 

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Where did you go week?

Looking back at the week that was I am not sure where it went.  It was here and then gone before I knew it.  I was able to get in a good number of workouts without too much effort.  Seems as if I am starting to get into some sort of routine.  Really? I haven't had a training routine in about 5 years.  I am more of a fly by the seat of my pants kinda guy.  Last minute decisions to ride usually provide the best moments on the bike.

Monday's workout was spent on the trainer in front of the good ole boob tube.  I opened the windows, turned up the tv real loud and closed the blinds.  That way all my neighbors good here would be a gunshot every 2 minutes and me wincing in pain for 48.


Tuesday I rode with the TnT peeps inside of Westcreek.  Jenn was out of town so I headed over right after work to get in a few extra miles before meeting up with the rest.  I didn't really want to push the limit.  Just a nice easy spin through the creek.

Wednesday was a beautiful day with temps nearing 60 degrees.  It may have been slightly over 60 degrees but I don't remember that far back. With age not only does the hair start to go but the memory does as well.  Although, I did hear last night you can exercise your memory by doing some sort of exercise followed with socializing with peers.  My memory has no chance, as I usually head straight for the shower and chow hall (dinner table) after a workout.  After work it was a bit too dark and traffic seemed high for the time so instead of attaching lights to the bike which weren't fully charged, I grabbed my running shoes and took the pups for a run.  All three of us passed out for the night almost immediately afterward. 

Thursday and Friday - my legs still hurt from the run.  Was it a good idea?  Sure it was!

Saturday, started with a lot of radar watching to see if the weather was going to break to get in a ride with TnT after the kickoff party in the morning.  We ended up moving the ride to Sunday morning which I cannot participate in due to household income obligations.  I thought I was going to go home and jump on the rollers for a bit to stretch my legs out since they hadn't done anything but yell at me since Wed.  Instead, I suited up and went for a short ride up Old Gun to get the legs stretched out.  The ride went by pretty quickly in less than an hour but did a decent enough job of stretching the legs out.



Once home Jenn and I had to make the decision to take Petra into the vet.  She had been throwing up all night and it continued into the morning.  Fearing she had eaten something and was having trouble passing it we took her down to the docs.  On the way, we came across someone who was a bit too excited to get their boat to the water.  I know it was raining but the runoff on the road isn't enough water to make a boat float.


The docs took a few X-rays of her belly to reveal two masses.  One mass was food they said.  The other was a question mark.  It could be food.  It could be something foreign.  He prescribed no food for the rest of the day and to bring her back for another pic this morning.  Hopefully that question mark will have shifted and/or is gone.  If not she may need surgery.  She hasn't gotten sick since early yesterday evening so maybe that is a good sign.  Crossing our fingers...

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

End of January

Well here we are and the 2011 edition of January has come and gone.  It means a couple of things, time to look back and compare this year to last year and my plates on the car are due to expire shortly which I should probably take some action on fast.

Last year I was just as motivated to get my rear into gear due to it being the "New Year" and all.  Had a few pounds I didn't want to follow me around anymore and nothing on the schedule until the end of February when I made the decision to go out to Calvin's.  This year I put Calvin's on the schedule almost immediately due to how much fun I had last year.  Walking afterward wasn't too much fun for about a week while my rear healed but fun none the least.

Last week I had started to compare my saddle time monthly totals of this year and last year for the first month of the year.  I had started to feel a bit worried as if I hadn't been putting in enough work through the month of January this year.  Last year I had expectations of being competitive but I didn't foresee being able to produce a result as I did.  I have silently been telling myself in the back of my mind that I want to show up in better shape this year.  A better plan may also work but being in better shape will allow me to fly by the seat of my britches when the plan goes out the window.

I pulled the reports for January 2010 and compared the saddle time to this year.  Even though it didn't feel like it I actually was about two hours ahead of were I was last year.  The workouts are pretty close to being the same type (mostly indoor interval work) which means I actually have about two more hours of intervals in my legs this year verses last year.  That doesn't sound like much because it isn't but it does help to ease my mind in knowing I am not behind where I was last year.  I felt great in the Spring after a Winter of interval work on the trainer/rollers.  Now I should be able to rest my mind for a bit although that little guy on my shoulder is always telling me to "Go harder!"