It’s a good week, a really good week, goose bumps on your arm type week (or maybe that’s just razor burn on my legs from shaving). I was off work for most of the time and was able to hang with family and still manage to get some training in.
Monday - Disneyland with Carter and Julie. He’s been 5 times in November and can eat a churro by himself.
Tuesday morning - A nice road spin with Bill Daily down Serrano Trail. It was in the 14 mile range.
Tuesday evening - Crazy Dave (the guy is nuts) and I did a 2 hour, 25 mile road ride all over Newport and Irvine. He has a great light that floods the road and scares the critters off the trail. The highlight was sushi with Robbie after. He’s a crack up and kind of looks like Jesus. Dave talks about hitting on ever girl he sees but I’ve yet to see him pull the trigger. Typical.
Wednesday - Errands, oil change, the office and Dan In Real Life with Julie. She gave the movie a 12, I give it a solid 8.
Thursday - We drove 2 hours to Lebec to Julie’s families 100 acre ranch. Carter watched the Incredibles and Monster’s INC on the way. Good movies. The ranch is at 5,200 feet. Alex, Bryan and I did a 10 mile mountain bike ride on some incredible hardly ridden single track. This was by far the highlight of my week and I plan on going back up there soon to ride it again. The turkey was good to. Julie makes a mean homemade apple pie.
Friday - Mellow 14 mile road ride around Rancho Santa Margarita. I stopped in at Rock N Road to fix my bike computer. The wind was whipping. I felt like Dave in a pro Cyclocross race I was getting whipped so bad!
Saturday - Alex and I did a long lap around Aliso Woods. We rode for around an hour and 40 minutes and then celebrated with burritos at Taco Mesa. Later that night Julie and I went to another set of movies, she saw Fred Claus and I watched Beowulf. I give it a 7.
Sunday - Carter and I did a 30 minute run around RSM lake and then played at the park. I then did my first ever Pilates class! Six pack here I come, or never.
Since early October I have been on the road. It has been amazing with hints of drudgery. Traveling is a gift. Put me on the road and I thrive. Add three-hour meetings, hierarchy, tense over-achievers and I forget to smile or say thank you. So before the next trip to the desert begins tomorrow I thought it would therapeutic to get some waves and type out a few pictures.
Sunrise run to the Juarez border through downtown El Paso with day workers passing me heading north; a cold AM hot tub in a Phoenix thunderstorm; a morning walk in Kentucky’s fall colors across a gravel road past a pond reflecting the reds, yellows and oranges of an approaching winter; mid-day taxi cab ride down Las Vegas Boulevard passing through the consumption capital; a lunchtime run next to the Rio Grande in downtown Albuquerque – picking up cactus and scarring my leg; afternoon miles through Monument Valley Parkway and Colorado College; Sunset body surfing with friends on the North Shore; Bronco Greenbay MNF and a Favre 82-yard OT pass; after dinner wine, while Kellen slept, with Chris and Khristine.
Now that is all down on the screen I reflect on how amazing it has been.
Yesterday morning, before I packed my suit for Tucson, I paddled my way through a light crowd at the jetty near where I live. A two-foot wave popped up and I turned my blue single-fin Jacobs towards the shore. Two strokes and I rushed to the nose. Placing my feet over the nose – the jet fumes disappeared and I found myself gliding through.
Not that anyone has ever referred to me in this way but with teaching, parent conferences, and trying to maintain a workout schedule last week, everything seemed like a chore. This weekend was a total release of this balled up tension as I spent a little more than six hours on the bike just cruising putting in some long steady base miles. It was another no-brainer realization that exercise and the outdoors are two of the greatest drugs we can give our bodies.
Get outside, exercise, and release that unwanted Holiday tension that is going to start building or do as I do don’t shop.
Due to the fires whiping out Whiting Ranch, Limestone, Harding Truck Trail and the Modjeska Grade where is everywhere riding? I’ve been in O’Neil Park a lot lately and have noticed tons of additional MTB traffic.
With 25 days of travel in the last 40 days, stress at work, a 16 month old son, commitments to church, family, fires destroying trails, I have felt unmotivated to train. Actually, that’s probably an understatement. During my downtime in November I almost refused to. I’m sure that 90% of the people reading this post can connect with the commitments that I listed. You may have an even worse situation than me. What I find with myself is that the longer I stay away from training, the more difficult it is for me to jumpstart again.
This thought has created a larger conversation in my head. Why do I exercise? Is it because I want to win races, have a 6 pack (sike that will never happen……ever, ever, ever), train with other people, be known as the tri guy, have the privilege of shaving my legs, have great calves, because I love being outdoors, for the adrenaline rush? It’s funny because all of those things make up why I enjoy exercising but it’s one thing that has made me passionate about it and that keeps me going. Deep deep down inside I want to be healthy. I’m passionate about being a healthy person that can live a long life spent with his family. This is my sole reason for training. If training didn’t offer me that benefit I probably wouldn’t do it. I think by nature I’m just to lazy.
To answer my own question I work hard to be healthy. If being healthy is as significant of a motivator as I make it out to be then getting back at it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. I guess we will see. I’m back at it on December 1 in preparation for the Ironman Oceanside 70.3. Hopefully that gives me enough time.
With the cold weather coming the purchase of a new beanie just felt right.
The North Face Soma Swirl Beanie – Women’s
I picked up mine in brown. Little did I realize that it’s a woman’s beanie. Oh well, it looks good on me
In light of the Orange County fires it feels all the more necessary to continue on with the 50 Mile Ride. So yes to answer all of the questions, the ride is still on. If you would like to volunteer to help with the ride please comment on this post and I will contact you back. If you haven’t signed up for the ride yet please do so by going to http://www.50mileride.com. 99% of the money that we raise goes to ProjectRwanda.org.
Get involved and come and have a good time with 500+ other riders!
This past weekend racing cross was fun, yet frustrating with mechanical problems in both races. The first was in the single-speed race as I was doing well and on my last lap, my chain decided to jump off my singleator (better change that product review) and cog, leaving me on the side of the course putting my chain back on and moving back to 4th place.
The second was the better of the two. I was doing well in the race and as I came around on my second to last lap my seat post snapped. I went into the dry creek bed portion of the course and came up the other side a little to fast smashing my genitals against my seat, which caused the post to snap from the force of my pelvic thrust.
The result of my thrusting was me leaping off the bike like a cat being hit with water as I flew about eight feet into the air. After a short rest, rubbing my boys and picking up my saddle. I remounted my bike carefully to finish the race (18th yes!).
I don’t mind losing but I hate Mechanicals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
