So I joined Brady and his Triathlete friends for some LT intervals. They met early and had a freezing cold swim while I just rode to Lake Manawa from home. We all got a nice warmup in.
The plan was to do a lap of the course as a group, send one person off at a time the next lap for TT efforts, do another group easy lap, then do a pursuit dealie where the slowest person from the first effort gets sent off first while the fastest guy goes last.
I had forgotten the plan was to do this 2nd TT effort and probably went way too hard on the first one. I did the 6.62 mile lap in 15'20" so at an average of about 25.6mph. I was extatic with this time since I really haven't been training seriously this year. Never mind that I had on a skin suit, lycra booties, shaved arms/legs, and aero bars. I needed all the help I could get. Now Lucas; the guy that I chased on the first lap, had no aero bars, skin suit, or lycra booties. His first time was only 20 seconds slower than mine. Sheesh, that's one strong mofo. On the 2nd effort, I again chased him, but I never came close to seeing him. His 2nd time was 15'26" whereas mine dragged out to a 15'36".
So that was a great way to spend a Saturday morning. I hurt alot now, but it was fun and I need this type of motivation. Now I think it's time for a nap.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Nice mellow weekend.
The woman and I had a nice 3 days together. Since she's been working at Goodwill, her days off are usually Wednesday and Saturday. So when she saw that she had the entire 3 days off, she was just a little giddy about it.
Saturday was Michelle's little sisters' graduation. So we attended the ceremony then headed over to her mom's place for the celebration. Much food, fun, and badminton were had by all. Then, she got her graduation present: a Nintendo Wii. The new video game systems are crazy. They connect wirelessly to your network with ease, the graphics are amazing, and they come with too many buttons. Anyway, we played lots of Super Mario Smash Brothers, which was a lot of confusing fun.
Sunday we got Michelle a bike. I had taken her into the bike shop just a couple times before and nothing really interested her. But after the days got warmer and she test-rode this bike she said, "If I get this bike, I will ride it." So Sunday, we got it and we rode. Now, this is the first bike ride she's done in a few years, so making it from our place to the Keystone and up to Dodge was a pretty big accomplishment. We'll probably start out with a ride during the week and 1 or 2 rides on the weekend. She wants to get into shape and the bike will be better for her since she stands all day at work.
Monday was spring cleaning time. We cranked up the stereo, opened up all the windows and went to town on the place. We've lived in this place for about 8 months now and still had some unfinished organizing to do. That, and laundry. And dusting. And sweeping. It's amazing with hardwood floors, you can sweep every three days and still feel grit when walking around barefoot. Makes you realize how much crud must get ingrained into carpet. The cats are also starting to shed, so vacuuming our stairs and upper floor has become pretty common.
In all the cleaning commotion, I spaced out Chris's graduation party. So sorry to Chris and Bryan! I missed out on some good times with great friends. Congratulations Chris.
Other than that, not much has been going on. My hammies are super tight from either the cleaning or the badminton. Not sure which or why. I guess everytime the birdie fell, I had to pick it up. And I spent alot of time hunched over with dusting and such. Guess I need to do some stretches at the desk.
Hope everyone else's long weekend was well used.
Saturday was Michelle's little sisters' graduation. So we attended the ceremony then headed over to her mom's place for the celebration. Much food, fun, and badminton were had by all. Then, she got her graduation present: a Nintendo Wii. The new video game systems are crazy. They connect wirelessly to your network with ease, the graphics are amazing, and they come with too many buttons. Anyway, we played lots of Super Mario Smash Brothers, which was a lot of confusing fun.
Sunday we got Michelle a bike. I had taken her into the bike shop just a couple times before and nothing really interested her. But after the days got warmer and she test-rode this bike she said, "If I get this bike, I will ride it." So Sunday, we got it and we rode. Now, this is the first bike ride she's done in a few years, so making it from our place to the Keystone and up to Dodge was a pretty big accomplishment. We'll probably start out with a ride during the week and 1 or 2 rides on the weekend. She wants to get into shape and the bike will be better for her since she stands all day at work.
Monday was spring cleaning time. We cranked up the stereo, opened up all the windows and went to town on the place. We've lived in this place for about 8 months now and still had some unfinished organizing to do. That, and laundry. And dusting. And sweeping. It's amazing with hardwood floors, you can sweep every three days and still feel grit when walking around barefoot. Makes you realize how much crud must get ingrained into carpet. The cats are also starting to shed, so vacuuming our stairs and upper floor has become pretty common.
In all the cleaning commotion, I spaced out Chris's graduation party. So sorry to Chris and Bryan! I missed out on some good times with great friends. Congratulations Chris.
Other than that, not much has been going on. My hammies are super tight from either the cleaning or the badminton. Not sure which or why. I guess everytime the birdie fell, I had to pick it up. And I spent alot of time hunched over with dusting and such. Guess I need to do some stretches at the desk.
Hope everyone else's long weekend was well used.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
I wouldn't call this eye candy...
but, I plan on buying some of this when it comes out.
Dave is truly a funny guy and if he doesn't charge Assos prices for his butt butter, I'll put it into regular use.
Dave is truly a funny guy and if he doesn't charge Assos prices for his butt butter, I'll put it into regular use.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
I'm doing a half marathon this weekend....
...on my bike. This event is happening Sunday morning and I'm volunteering to help ride along for assistance. I've actually never been to a marathon(or half) so this will let me see if I ever really want to think about trying it some day. If anyone wants to join me for a long sloooow day in the saddle, I'll be leaving my place around 6-ish am to be out at 108th and hwy 370 by 7am.
On a side note, my latter June/early July trip with my dad out to Pennsylvania just got more exciting. Poolboy and his team of miscreants are shipping back overseas to partake in the Tour of PA. So we'll have plenty to do in the 2 weeks I'm taking vacation.
On a side-side note, the 2nd unannounced part of my great discoveries post was that I thought about getting a "do-all" bike frame and build it up with spare parts I have. I know, however, I'd end up buying extra stuff too. So I have since decided to "do-all" with stuff that I already have. My Fisher Ferrous is one sweet ride and the frame I was thinking about is in the same ballpark as the Ferrous. So with some tweaking, I think I can make it my year round commuter/gravel road rider/mtb bike. The only other biking to cover, fast road rides, will be taken care of by my current road machine, the ever trustworthy aluminum Lemond bike. So I can sell my Bianchi (which is a great bike, just too big, too heavy, and not off-roadable) and make do with what I currently have. I'm starting to make some headway on my huge debt load so that feels really good(if you want want to experience what a financial punch to the gut is like, ask me how much debt I have sometime). Any new bike purchase/racing plans would put a halt to that progress, so I must maintain course and live as simply as possible.
Good luck to all of you doing the TT this weekend. I'll be doing some overtime hours at work that morning wishing I could be meditating about bunnies and lollipops to quell the searing pain of my legs/lungs.
On a side note, my latter June/early July trip with my dad out to Pennsylvania just got more exciting. Poolboy and his team of miscreants are shipping back overseas to partake in the Tour of PA. So we'll have plenty to do in the 2 weeks I'm taking vacation.
On a side-side note, the 2nd unannounced part of my great discoveries post was that I thought about getting a "do-all" bike frame and build it up with spare parts I have. I know, however, I'd end up buying extra stuff too. So I have since decided to "do-all" with stuff that I already have. My Fisher Ferrous is one sweet ride and the frame I was thinking about is in the same ballpark as the Ferrous. So with some tweaking, I think I can make it my year round commuter/gravel road rider/mtb bike. The only other biking to cover, fast road rides, will be taken care of by my current road machine, the ever trustworthy aluminum Lemond bike. So I can sell my Bianchi (which is a great bike, just too big, too heavy, and not off-roadable) and make do with what I currently have. I'm starting to make some headway on my huge debt load so that feels really good(if you want want to experience what a financial punch to the gut is like, ask me how much debt I have sometime). Any new bike purchase/racing plans would put a halt to that progress, so I must maintain course and live as simply as possible.
Good luck to all of you doing the TT this weekend. I'll be doing some overtime hours at work that morning wishing I could be meditating about bunnies and lollipops to quell the searing pain of my legs/lungs.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Shabbos: A plan
Since Mike posted a two-part revelation that only included one part, we've all been left panting for the conclusion. Let's all gather and pant together.
That sounds dirty.
Anyway, tomorrow is Shabbos, the day of riding. And since nobody's racing, how about meeting at Bike Masters for the 9 a.m. group ride? If you want to get punchy at the front, we can do that. If you don't ... well, you can ride with the guy who shows up on his hybrid. Kidding, kidding. It'll be a good chance to get some quick work in.
Now, what about rain? Well, if it's raining at 9, I'm going back to bed. I'll just ride later. And no, I'm not riding the trainer or rollers. It's outside or nothing. A day off probably wouldn't hurt, anyway.
So that's the plan. See you there.
That sounds dirty.
Anyway, tomorrow is Shabbos, the day of riding. And since nobody's racing, how about meeting at Bike Masters for the 9 a.m. group ride? If you want to get punchy at the front, we can do that. If you don't ... well, you can ride with the guy who shows up on his hybrid. Kidding, kidding. It'll be a good chance to get some quick work in.
Now, what about rain? Well, if it's raining at 9, I'm going back to bed. I'll just ride later. And no, I'm not riding the trainer or rollers. It's outside or nothing. A day off probably wouldn't hurt, anyway.
So that's the plan. See you there.
Monday, May 05, 2008
What will I think of next??
Sometimes I don't feel like a complete tool. Sometimes I figure things out that really makes me feel smrt.
Ride into work this morning: 43 degrees. Not bad, but needed a long sleeve something, light gloves, a cycling cap under the helmet, and knickers to keep the knees functioning. Since I was in commute mode(strictly riding to and from work), I didn't need any fancy cycling clothes, just comfy looking street wear. I just wore my Shimano sandals with wool socks, cycling shorts under my knickers, a Nike longsleeve running shirt (Bryan, I think I have the one that you've raved about and yes, it's purdy dern good), Nike short sleeve running shirt over LS shirt, my favorite Defeet mid-weight gloves, and cycling cap. I was just right for the 20 minute jaunt in mid fourties weather.
Ride home from work: 80 degrees. All the aforementioned items besides sandals, shorts, and short sleeve shirt were too much for the ride home. At first I tried stuffing my socks, gloves, and cap into my knickers pockets, but it was very uncomfortable. Then I looked at the long sleeve shirt I wasn't going to wear and thought, "That would make a pretty nice fanny pack." So I laid the shirt out, placed the cap, socks, and gloves in the middle, folded up the body part, then used the sleeves to wrap around my waist under my shirt. It worked perfectly. I again, had just the right level of clothing for 80 degrees and was happy as a camper riding home.
So that was my first bright idea of the day. My 2nd one is a much more involved revelation (HA!) that will take another posting tomorrow when I'm not so tired. I'm back to the 6:30am - 3:30pm shift and 10pm is officially calling-it-quits time. Stay tuned for my 2nd amazing discovery that just might involve the conjuring of a new bike.
Ride into work this morning: 43 degrees. Not bad, but needed a long sleeve something, light gloves, a cycling cap under the helmet, and knickers to keep the knees functioning. Since I was in commute mode(strictly riding to and from work), I didn't need any fancy cycling clothes, just comfy looking street wear. I just wore my Shimano sandals with wool socks, cycling shorts under my knickers, a Nike longsleeve running shirt (Bryan, I think I have the one that you've raved about and yes, it's purdy dern good), Nike short sleeve running shirt over LS shirt, my favorite Defeet mid-weight gloves, and cycling cap. I was just right for the 20 minute jaunt in mid fourties weather.
Ride home from work: 80 degrees. All the aforementioned items besides sandals, shorts, and short sleeve shirt were too much for the ride home. At first I tried stuffing my socks, gloves, and cap into my knickers pockets, but it was very uncomfortable. Then I looked at the long sleeve shirt I wasn't going to wear and thought, "That would make a pretty nice fanny pack." So I laid the shirt out, placed the cap, socks, and gloves in the middle, folded up the body part, then used the sleeves to wrap around my waist under my shirt. It worked perfectly. I again, had just the right level of clothing for 80 degrees and was happy as a camper riding home.
So that was my first bright idea of the day. My 2nd one is a much more involved revelation (HA!) that will take another posting tomorrow when I'm not so tired. I'm back to the 6:30am - 3:30pm shift and 10pm is officially calling-it-quits time. Stay tuned for my 2nd amazing discovery that just might involve the conjuring of a new bike.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Hey, do you feel like throwing up?
Come to Hummel Park around 9 on Saturday morning. I'm doing hill repeats. It's gonna be awesome.
Or not. But I'll still be there.
Or not. But I'll still be there.
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