Easy Like Sunday... Afternoon

Corey, Troy and I made a run to a missile silo North of town today. For them, it was easy despite riding and organizing the GLGA the day before, for me, not so much.

Mindset

This quote has been rolling through my mind a lot lately. With nearly every night spent coaching sports for my kids, it all flies by while very little gets done, particularly in terms of fitness.

World's Collide and Subside

This was found by friend and co-worker, Josh, the same cat who joined me at the Amstel Gold.

Intentional Full URL: http://emberapp.com/jamfactory/images/death-before-derailleur

Documented

Colorado Sighting.

And When I Say "Of Course"...

... I mean, "Of Course!"

Experimental Theatre

I've been experimenting with a heart-rate monitor a lot lately. It was pretty obvious after a few rides that once I go above a certain threshold, I'm done in about three seconds. So, today I decided to go out and ride 50 miles right below that mark.

Smart training? No idea, but it felt very good to blow out all the cobwebs (and I little silly to keep looking down at my wrist.)

Nature did put me in my place though, with above ten miles to go a bird decided to drop a pile on my wrist and no amount of water seemed to be able to wash it away. Avarian flu here I come!

North Bend Bound

Travelled NW 40 and County Rd 25 toward North Bend. Despite not
making the entire route, my friend Mike chalked up his longest time on
gravel and longest overall ride. He'd have make the entire distance
but time wasn't on our side.

The Streak May Be Over

Kerkove has some skills

I'd been wondering and worried about this for a while. While I haven't always been at my best for TI, I had so far managed to get to the start line each year. A scheduling version of being "between a rock and a hard place" has year six looking incredibly unlikely. Perhaps new events will lead to fresh motivations and new scenery.

Right now though, I find myself feeling a bit nostaligic. Five years is a long time.

Haircut 100

Getting the mop trimmed today... Maybe it's time to buy in to the mullet.

Ride It Like You'll Blog It

As they say, there are only twenty-four hours in a day ("and only twelve notes, a man can play...") So, between coaching two teams, having a third practice to attend and a peach of a week at work, this little square peg in a round internet was ignored and, at times, simply forgotten.

But while you can remove an local XC races as options due to a youth sports conflict, the Dakota 50 is still out there asking for consideration and a reasonable amount of fitness to be present at the start line.

South by Southwest

Saturday. I hit a quick run before rolling a solid three plus hours with Sam and B. Minks. Sam got me lost in town but I regain bearing outside of town as we made a nice loop out of the South side of town, closing things down on the Road Island. The ride ended with the pleasant surprise of a table set path-side offering free vegetables. Score.

Them's good eating...

Saturday Night. More family coming first as both kids had things keeping them up late and, by extension, handing Mrs. Snob and I the same fate. (Though she got the worst of it.) Mod's ride was not an option, but B. and Sam were up for more and we took to the pavement yet again.

Heading East back around Branched Oak

A little light Dakota 50 talk, some remnants of yesterdays ride in the legs and a dash of headwind made it another nice effort.

An angle usually reserved for Cornbread

Via Johnny

Exit Strategy

What started as a simple effort to gain back some lost fitness ended in the simply conclusion that I would make a horrid meteorologist.

Quick natural break

After heading north for about an hour and a half, thunder and lightening made themselves known to the West. After concluding it was heading my way and riding for home, it soon seemed I might be riding right into the weather.

Trying to figure out which way it's going

Soon enough, I was on South 14th realizing that I have nothing on Les Neesman. With weather all-around, I headed toward what I know best, some place that serves espresso

"Let's go with a triple..."

Assorted Snobbery: It's Been an Interesting Week...

... but not on the bike.

The Cronin crew played host to a British soccer coach over the past week. While I wasn't overly surprised that he wasn't familiar with Graeme Obree, I was fairly shocked to find he drank Bud Light and listened to The Doors, Led Zepp and classic rock. As I said to John and Sam, "What kind of cultural experience is that?"

However, what was fun was simply talking Scotland with him and discovering that they use miles instead of kilometers for driving distance, have a lot more land mass that I had thought, and, as you might expect, that BraveHeart was incredibly inaccurate from a historical perspective.

With the kids busy for three hours in the evening, basemiles had been on my mind. Build back up, get strong, etc. etc. However, when my commute felt like a century on Monday, I backed off the bike time and spent each evening out at the pitch watching the crew. It seems there will be a bit more 'ease' involved in easing back into it.

Not that I don't like sleeping in, but this is ridiculous.

Cycling Vogue

Creeping Back

I found myself coming back to life a bit this morning, leading to my first time on the bike since 9 Mile. The pinkie IF and I commuted and, while I wouldn't say I felt a spring ready to burst from my legs, at least I was riding. The glands are still a bit dodgy but at least things are going the right direction.

A telltale sign things still aren't right did rear its ugly head on the way home. Someone in a hurry to get home nearly drove into me at a street crossing. Generally, this prompts something from me; a hand on the trunk or a middle finger salute. Today though, nothing. Not even a head shake. I locked up the brakes, paused and moved on and that is just not like me.