Worth a Thousand Words...

... but knowing me, I'll end up giving you a thousand anyway.

There's a Hammer Gel wrapper and a tube under that slash.

5:35am at Common Ground

Serendipity

We took a chance that Common Ground, the coffee shop where
registration occurs, would have wireless and found we could grab our
numbers early. I avoided the temptation to grab some coffee and just
sat with MOD on a comfortable couch watching the proceedings.

Preride Complete

It's going to be an interesting race tomorrow. Not from the
standpoint of rocking a top placing, but with an eye on enjoyment.

After a few short miles of singletrack, I solidified a decision that
had been circling in my head for weeks. Next year, it's hundred mile
races and others like the Dakota 50.

I am anxious to see how the Lincoln crew does tomorrow. We've got
some people looking really good to go.

Lunchtime in Rapid City

From the Man with Three Names

Crunk Cross MPLS

"It will be easier than Moab, unless you try to keep up in drinking with me." - Johnny

Crunk Cross MPLS

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.