Snelling M 123- my goals were modest, and luckily so- to stay on for one lap out of five.
The first lap went by quickly, but nothing too crazy, I stayed sheltered on the lee side and tried to avoid mishap.I must say, the masters ride exceedingly smooth considering 100 guys in a headwind on a 15 foot roadway, a couple of small kerbumpity- bumps, but a big difference from the cat 4's.
We turned onto Keyes and I could see the lead fellows jumping hard up the hill, one unfortunate fellow dropped his chain, causing a bit of swerve and such and needing a sprint to get back right there over the hill, where I found a long single line of pain awaiting me.
I moved up about 20 spots in the line following wheels, but then felt like I was in a good spot and hung on, looks like I should have moved up more, I came off with the rest of the bunch from behind by the feed zone and was screwed sixteen different ways to Sunday.
Rode for a couple more laps, then just lost interest when a rain drop hit me and I turned left for the car.
Monday morning quarterbacking-
for someone that is reasonably strong in the wind I certainly have been riding poorly in it since I jumped in with the big fish.
I need to just hang it out there a bit more, push for the front of the race harder and let the natural aggression fly, a little less smarts and more legs would have kept me on for oh, I dunno, maybe another few miles?
Sunday I went out with Jimbo in the pouring rain for three hours,fenders, jackets, and bad attitudes a' bristling.... I think I speak for both of us when I say we will stew about this one for a while and hopefully learn our lesson....
On the flip side, the team rode well as a whole, several victories in different categories was very cool to see, and the juniors raced way hard, two of them taking falls and getting up and finishing very well, great stuff!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Dinuba
Good fun for me and the Vickerator
wonderful digs down south and a great ride whilst checking out the Sequoia TT course on Sunday.
My main goal was to finish a entire 123 race, my first real one since upgrading last year, ummm, that was fun.
Lot's of jammin', Dip hoppin', learning the nuance of the one move that's gonna go somewhere when the mob loses interest, all great fun.
Oh, and I finished, last, but I kind of went for it with a couple to go like I was gonna catch Joel and Tony by myself :-)
3's race was a hoot, those boys were full of piss and vinegar for a few laps, then things settled down quite a bit, not so much struggling for the wheel going on...
Again the innocous little roll-off caught lots of folks unawares, and general disorganization did the rest.
I got so excited I forgot what damn lap we were on and was perfectly set up for 1 more to go...... you know the story from here...doh!
The field got schooled by the boys from Santa Barbara, fun in these Central Valley races, new faces lead to confusion at times, but good hard racing and that's loads of fun, baby!
Los Banos Starbucks- turkey sammie, hot black coffee, and the new Jack Johnson CD, and I was home in a jiffy.
wonderful digs down south and a great ride whilst checking out the Sequoia TT course on Sunday.
My main goal was to finish a entire 123 race, my first real one since upgrading last year, ummm, that was fun.
Lot's of jammin', Dip hoppin', learning the nuance of the one move that's gonna go somewhere when the mob loses interest, all great fun.
Oh, and I finished, last, but I kind of went for it with a couple to go like I was gonna catch Joel and Tony by myself :-)
3's race was a hoot, those boys were full of piss and vinegar for a few laps, then things settled down quite a bit, not so much struggling for the wheel going on...
Again the innocous little roll-off caught lots of folks unawares, and general disorganization did the rest.
I got so excited I forgot what damn lap we were on and was perfectly set up for 1 more to go...... you know the story from here...doh!
The field got schooled by the boys from Santa Barbara, fun in these Central Valley races, new faces lead to confusion at times, but good hard racing and that's loads of fun, baby!
Los Banos Starbucks- turkey sammie, hot black coffee, and the new Jack Johnson CD, and I was home in a jiffy.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Stupid oatmeal update
So, as well as the last recipe went over here
( probably because I followed someone else's lead on that one )
I went for it last night with kind of whatever I could find and stuck it in the crock-pot....
I usually like bananas, I like walnuts, and I like almond butter.
I was hoping for a banana- bread kind of concoction to fuel me out on the long ride today.....
No cigar.
Who would have thunk that bananas would look like a nasty tofu dog chunk after cooking for 8 hours on low?
Kind of a blackish sticky mess with nasty tofu dawg bits....
I'd post a pic but the camera officially died- I'm thinking about a D40 from Nikon, we're pretty casual photographers, but I hate shutter lag.
And my buddy's D50 was really fun to play with a few weekends ago.....
Rocky Hill recon tomm., yeah!
( probably because I followed someone else's lead on that one )
I went for it last night with kind of whatever I could find and stuck it in the crock-pot....
I usually like bananas, I like walnuts, and I like almond butter.
I was hoping for a banana- bread kind of concoction to fuel me out on the long ride today.....
No cigar.
Who would have thunk that bananas would look like a nasty tofu dog chunk after cooking for 8 hours on low?
Kind of a blackish sticky mess with nasty tofu dawg bits....
I'd post a pic but the camera officially died- I'm thinking about a D40 from Nikon, we're pretty casual photographers, but I hate shutter lag.
And my buddy's D50 was really fun to play with a few weekends ago.....
Rocky Hill recon tomm., yeah!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Yum yum eat em up
I liked this so much last week after staying at the Vicks' I had to, no make that needed to make this before the Sunday Diablo ride.
Easy,
lot's left over for nuking,
and stuck to my ribs for 4 hours of ridin' today.
Good stuff!
I used soy milk in vanilla flavor instead of the half and half, and used raisins and apples, since we had them.
Also put a bit of cinnamon in there.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours,
Ingredients:
1 cup steel cut oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dates, chopped
4 cups water
1/2 cup half and half
2 tablespoons honey
Preparation:Spray inside of slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients except half and half and honey in the slow cooker, cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours. Stir in half and half and honey, and serve.
If you like more texture in your oatmeal, you can toast the oats before cooking. Place them in a shallow layer on a cookie sheet and toast them at 350 degrees F. for 15-20 minutes, stirring once during cooking time, until oats are a darker gold color. Let cool completely before you combine with the rest of the ingredients in the recipe.
Stir well before serving. 4 servings
Cook Time: 8 hours,
Ingredients:
1 cup steel cut oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dates, chopped
4 cups water
1/2 cup half and half
2 tablespoons honey
Preparation:Spray inside of slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients except half and half and honey in the slow cooker, cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours. Stir in half and half and honey, and serve.
If you like more texture in your oatmeal, you can toast the oats before cooking. Place them in a shallow layer on a cookie sheet and toast them at 350 degrees F. for 15-20 minutes, stirring once during cooking time, until oats are a darker gold color. Let cool completely before you combine with the rest of the ingredients in the recipe.
Stir well before serving. 4 servings
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
A Tuesday Worlds' file
Well, back on the TACX today, my little ones' hanging out with me today( cough cough), so a quality garage session is about as good as I can do.....
( a note- this post started yesterday, another day on the TACX is in my future, dang stomach flu :-(, and clear skies too, training inside when the sun is shining sucks! )
There was some discussion yesterday about matches to burn, this is something I always marvel at in the upper ranks of racing, this physiological ability to sustain attack after attack, or perhaps their early attacks aren't really that taxing on their systems, even though I'm dying like a fish out of water back there with the rest of the fodder :-)
( a note- this post started yesterday, another day on the TACX is in my future, dang stomach flu :-(, and clear skies too, training inside when the sun is shining sucks! )
There was some discussion yesterday about matches to burn, this is something I always marvel at in the upper ranks of racing, this physiological ability to sustain attack after attack, or perhaps their early attacks aren't really that taxing on their systems, even though I'm dying like a fish out of water back there with the rest of the fodder :-)
So anyway, this was at least part of the reason for all the power spikes kind of around the 30 minute mark, every time they would slow and balloon a bit, off I'd go., like a German Shorthair after a bird.
Trying to get ready for all that attacking/ jumping in the upcoming crit season, something in the tuneup racing I have been struggling with a bit. A whole 'nother ballgame with the onesies and twosies in the mix :-)
Get the jump, settle down, and hope the group broke apart.
I got in eight of these little digs- if you figure a match for me is between 360 and 400 watts, that's eight matches right there.
Then a nice threshold climb up the hill; I pulled into the climb , not the smartest thing to do, but for me, this ride is all about training, and it really frosts me when folks behave like it's a race out there and never take a pull or challenge themselves,, maybe if you pushed yourself more on the group ride/ interval session, etc., more results would come your way, I dunno. The worst thing that's going to happen is youll be last on a group ride that goes out and back, anyway.
Funny, I kept the group in sight- after a initial suffering/ slump in the body over the bars when they jumped on the lower reaches of Calaveras, I was able to keep within myself and pull them back to about 30 seconds, not too bad, considering the previous sufferage.
We then descended and began heading back, we have a sprint point at about 68 minutes into Tuesday Worlds that I lead out my teammate for, a big spike here, it felt tuff, but considering how hard I should be pulling with 500 to go, actually kind of mediocre.
You can really see the effect of the earlier work by this time in the ride, and rather than just kind of guessing at/ letting the inevitable denial take it's course and claim to be Geert Steegmans on the leadout, the numbers don't lie a bit.
The best part about geeking on the PT so far- the reality checks :-)
The trainer video of the day- tour 2001 again. Ullrich Vs Lance. Just ridiculous the battle between those two.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Paskenta
Recovering with some guacamole and root beers, chips are food, etc.
Actually a good game today, about the second game I watched all season( the cross gets in the way of such pursuits)
Gracias to Vick and his family for hosting me, a great dinner last night with old friends and new ones, getting a bit of 411 on the masters' cycling scene is always fun.
Vick and I were forced into a garage ride yesterday, and the forecast was gloomy for Sunday, but that storm blew itself out, leaving snow on all the ridges around Chico, very nice.
With the forecast the ride was smaller than last year, a light south wind pushed us along out of Chico, then we turned left.....
And that shit blew up.
I followed Vick as he turned the big diesel up to 8, passing lots of riders. He made it on while I lollygagged and got dropped again, kind of a varying focus for me, from pondering my navel and thinking about guacamole to getting back to sanctuary one rider at a time and dialing the suffer-meter up to high.
The pack was probably down to 30 by now before Corning, things were settling a bit, although a few riders were doing the whole blasting up the gravel on the right move, a few close calls and then the inevitable crash about midpack, not sure if that behavior caused it or not, but it definitely struck me as a bit dumb for a training ride in February.
I missed it, but Vick caught the tail end, all good though, but a couple guys looked to have busted collarbones, and sore ribs.
The front group was gone, but we rounded up some stragglers and formed a nice paceline, turning left on Black Butte and a 75 mile cutoff.
I really like the riding up this way, we did 30 miles probably of focused riding without any stop signs before we had to slow for a bit as the crash was taking it's toll on a couple of fellas.
Calls were made, and after dropping off the wounded, we headed back to town, picking up a big group of century riders.
One more nice hard segment there at the end, some good race pace, I just looked at the file, the last 10 minutes Vick and I were with one other guy trading pulls to the empty finish line, the power rose on every pull, and the HR was flying by the end.
Nice race simulation, now hopefully this allergy thing is just that and the training isn't derailed, a good week has been planned if I can hang, topped off with some Copperopolis Loops or something equally stupid and hard on Sunday....
Actually a good game today, about the second game I watched all season( the cross gets in the way of such pursuits)
Gracias to Vick and his family for hosting me, a great dinner last night with old friends and new ones, getting a bit of 411 on the masters' cycling scene is always fun.
Vick and I were forced into a garage ride yesterday, and the forecast was gloomy for Sunday, but that storm blew itself out, leaving snow on all the ridges around Chico, very nice.
With the forecast the ride was smaller than last year, a light south wind pushed us along out of Chico, then we turned left.....
And that shit blew up.
I followed Vick as he turned the big diesel up to 8, passing lots of riders. He made it on while I lollygagged and got dropped again, kind of a varying focus for me, from pondering my navel and thinking about guacamole to getting back to sanctuary one rider at a time and dialing the suffer-meter up to high.
The pack was probably down to 30 by now before Corning, things were settling a bit, although a few riders were doing the whole blasting up the gravel on the right move, a few close calls and then the inevitable crash about midpack, not sure if that behavior caused it or not, but it definitely struck me as a bit dumb for a training ride in February.
I missed it, but Vick caught the tail end, all good though, but a couple guys looked to have busted collarbones, and sore ribs.
The front group was gone, but we rounded up some stragglers and formed a nice paceline, turning left on Black Butte and a 75 mile cutoff.
I really like the riding up this way, we did 30 miles probably of focused riding without any stop signs before we had to slow for a bit as the crash was taking it's toll on a couple of fellas.
Calls were made, and after dropping off the wounded, we headed back to town, picking up a big group of century riders.
One more nice hard segment there at the end, some good race pace, I just looked at the file, the last 10 minutes Vick and I were with one other guy trading pulls to the empty finish line, the power rose on every pull, and the HR was flying by the end.
Nice race simulation, now hopefully this allergy thing is just that and the training isn't derailed, a good week has been planned if I can hang, topped off with some Copperopolis Loops or something equally stupid and hard on Sunday....
Friday, February 01, 2008
Jam
I've been trying some new things with the training this spring- very time limited, so the intensity has been up.... well, that's a rather vague term, actually.
I've been experimenting with blocks of threshold followed by one or two days off, it's been exceptionally productive. While I never had a power meter before, and only got tested once in a blue moon, which means I have no real numbers to go by in the past, but I do believe in learning to listen to your body, and the legs are beginning to feel good, starting to feel some souplesse while turning the pedals.
A damn fine feeling for riding so little.
I love to spend hours just riding, believe in doing hours of suffering in the hills lugging my 81 kg's around and attend the church of the Two-Wheel most Sundays.
Hopefully this summer I'll be able to get out there in a meaningful way, but right now, this is a good good bang for the buck.
Paskenta will be a real test of my garage-riding abilities, the forecast is kind of a crapshoot, but it sounds like a bit of wet in store for us.I like that gravel road, idiot that I am.
Good thing the new bike isn't built up yet, not ready to defile it yet on that kind of day....
I've been experimenting with blocks of threshold followed by one or two days off, it's been exceptionally productive. While I never had a power meter before, and only got tested once in a blue moon, which means I have no real numbers to go by in the past, but I do believe in learning to listen to your body, and the legs are beginning to feel good, starting to feel some souplesse while turning the pedals.
A damn fine feeling for riding so little.
I love to spend hours just riding, believe in doing hours of suffering in the hills lugging my 81 kg's around and attend the church of the Two-Wheel most Sundays.
Hopefully this summer I'll be able to get out there in a meaningful way, but right now, this is a good good bang for the buck.
Paskenta will be a real test of my garage-riding abilities, the forecast is kind of a crapshoot, but it sounds like a bit of wet in store for us.I like that gravel road, idiot that I am.
Good thing the new bike isn't built up yet, not ready to defile it yet on that kind of day....
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Conconi
I'm a perverse individual that likes to geek on different tests, thresholds, pacings, etc.
Doing the ramp test is a great way to see response a little slower and clearer.
Noticing Aet has moved up a tiny bit, and putting a wattage number to the HR is good stuff- I could ride a IM right now at 220 watts with no problems, good to know if I decide to tilt at that particular windmill again.
LT is very clear, no real change in that now for years, and wattage is in close relation to the 20 minute test.
Time to start doing some real riding outside soon I hope....
Inlaws have been in town and I've been eating way too much and training way too little, time to get down....
PAskenta next weekend, praying for sun....
J
Doing the ramp test is a great way to see response a little slower and clearer.
Noticing Aet has moved up a tiny bit, and putting a wattage number to the HR is good stuff- I could ride a IM right now at 220 watts with no problems, good to know if I decide to tilt at that particular windmill again.
LT is very clear, no real change in that now for years, and wattage is in close relation to the 20 minute test.
Time to start doing some real riding outside soon I hope....
Inlaws have been in town and I've been eating way too much and training way too little, time to get down....
PAskenta next weekend, praying for sun....
J
Saturday, January 26, 2008
20 minute test
Very close to the last Conconi test I took, I'll do that tommorrow, but a very pedestrian 303 watts for the FTP, 318 as the avg, then minus 5% for the FTP.
Last Conconi was 321 for the LT, guessed off the VT while I asked myself how I was feeling and talked mindlessly in the garage, a amusing sight, sweating, nasty, maybe a little mouth foam, trying to write wattages down while at LT is very very hard :-)
Nice pacing on this, the HR rises very very smoothly up and goes over LT in the last 5 minutes, I pushed the last minute, but wanted a accurate FTP for a hour, so a good representation...
Lance and the boys on the garage TV,Tour 2005, yesterday was the gift stage to Basso, watch Overcoming and then watch the old videos of this stage, interesting.
Today was a hard stage when Voeckler loses the jersey, Jens has to wait to help Floyd pull back Der Kaiser, and Lance was just crankin' it up when I shut the TV off for the day.
Good motivation for tommorrow, Lance breaking them down.
Picture is Deep Creek, Big Creek, up thecreek? Can't remember the name, but I remember the pain, Climb To Kaiser 2007.
Friday, January 25, 2008
graphs, figures and numbers
Hit the garage for some pain today, my first whirl at a power profile test, and man......
Thats some rather limited potential I'm a workin' with.
Some quick impressions-
The trainer is accurate, but it seems like I can get way more watts on the road,I can do much more than 500 for a minute, I think.
The sprints are very tough to crank up there as well, I ended up just using my numbers from last weeks' Friday Night Lights at the old crit course.
My 5 minute number seemed about right, at 373.
Tommorrows fun in the garage consists of the 20 minute test, but going off of the last numbers, my profile almost looks like a division sign with a deep V.
My guess is the TACX or any trainer with a electronic brake is much better with the steady wattages, where the tire can't slip a bit.
Update tommorrow, hoping for a meager improvement after the hard work the last two weeks.
Thats some rather limited potential I'm a workin' with.
Some quick impressions-
The trainer is accurate, but it seems like I can get way more watts on the road,I can do much more than 500 for a minute, I think.
The sprints are very tough to crank up there as well, I ended up just using my numbers from last weeks' Friday Night Lights at the old crit course.
My 5 minute number seemed about right, at 373.
Tommorrows fun in the garage consists of the 20 minute test, but going off of the last numbers, my profile almost looks like a division sign with a deep V.
My guess is the TACX or any trainer with a electronic brake is much better with the steady wattages, where the tire can't slip a bit.
Update tommorrow, hoping for a meager improvement after the hard work the last two weeks.
Rest week
40 degrees and getting ready to snow up on Skyline and Snake tonight,wind in the 20's already, next big storm rolling in, you can feel it, it should hit around 0400, damn cold even with 3 layers on.
A good time to blow off the calorie restriction a little and pick up some caldo tlapeno from Taco Zamorano on Foothill.
Rest weeks suck cause I love to eat and eat a lot.
But chicken, potatoes, carrots, rice, and corn tortillas are good foods for the soul.
And the soul needs a little comfort on a night like tonight.
A good time to blow off the calorie restriction a little and pick up some caldo tlapeno from Taco Zamorano on Foothill.
Rest weeks suck cause I love to eat and eat a lot.
But chicken, potatoes, carrots, rice, and corn tortillas are good foods for the soul.
And the soul needs a little comfort on a night like tonight.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Eye Chart
MR DUCKS !
MRNOTDUCKS!
OSMR!
CMWANGS?
LIB!
MRDUCKS!
A afternoon of wind and sufferin' out on the fremont mudflats will make a sumbitch a little crazy...
MRNOTDUCKS!
OSMR!
CMWANGS?
LIB!
MRDUCKS!
A afternoon of wind and sufferin' out on the fremont mudflats will make a sumbitch a little crazy...
Friday, January 18, 2008
For Mike and Steve
swiped from the wattage list....Kind of hard to make out, but I like how it clarifies some of the different language used to describe the same thing.....
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Santa drives a UPS truck
Well, Ive been saving my pennies for a while now, e-baying a few items for fresh new toys, working through a few nights to feed the cycling monster in the garage, and was able to bust it down for these babies
Keith has been a fantastic sponsor for lots of Norcal teams and while I had read the reviews, the term " these (fill in the blank here) are comparable with ( blah blah blah) ones that cost hundreds more is waaaay overused .
But after riding them for a few rides now, I honestly am very impressed.
Sprints friday, very solid, no whippyness at all.
Some interval work during the week on them, but mostly I stayed inside in my little house of pain with a fan and a fixie on the TACX.
Saturday finally came and I took then on one of my favorite rides, Morgan Territory looping around to Northgate and back home, a solid 85 miles.
Hopped on the HOP for a minute at Highland/ Tassajara and got off that bus at MTR, where I waited for the ChromeMan for a spell, then we made our way up.
Going counterclockwise isn't my favorite way to go on this route, the descent was muddy/slimy/holey and needed much care, the winter storms really slammed the canyon back there.
But the wheels, man.
Doing some big gear stuff up MTR they were solid as a rock.
Descending was full of bunnyhopping and basically cross riding, the 30x's were very predictable.
We rode west and then climbed Diablo, again, the wheels were very solid. Keith had told me they would be stiff, with a Powertap hub and DT spokes, there just isn't a lot of spoke with a deep section rim, but I really dug the feeling of the power going down to the ground.
When the 30x's really blew my mind was descending Southgate, though.
Perfect tracking and once they spun up, felt like they held their velocity very well.
I've ridden some pretty good wheelsets,Eurus, Zipp, Kysyriums these are definitely right up there if not frankly better. I don't get caught up in the latest and greatest much,I like steel bikes and steel single speeds more, but the whole package of ceramic bearings, solid build, and excellent rim weight, epecially with the Powertap is kickass.
Taking them up Calaveras tommorrow, looks like a very nice day to suffer........
J
Keith has been a fantastic sponsor for lots of Norcal teams and while I had read the reviews, the term " these (fill in the blank here) are comparable with ( blah blah blah) ones that cost hundreds more is waaaay overused .
But after riding them for a few rides now, I honestly am very impressed.
Sprints friday, very solid, no whippyness at all.
Some interval work during the week on them, but mostly I stayed inside in my little house of pain with a fan and a fixie on the TACX.
Saturday finally came and I took then on one of my favorite rides, Morgan Territory looping around to Northgate and back home, a solid 85 miles.
Hopped on the HOP for a minute at Highland/ Tassajara and got off that bus at MTR, where I waited for the ChromeMan for a spell, then we made our way up.
Going counterclockwise isn't my favorite way to go on this route, the descent was muddy/slimy/holey and needed much care, the winter storms really slammed the canyon back there.
But the wheels, man.
Doing some big gear stuff up MTR they were solid as a rock.
Descending was full of bunnyhopping and basically cross riding, the 30x's were very predictable.
We rode west and then climbed Diablo, again, the wheels were very solid. Keith had told me they would be stiff, with a Powertap hub and DT spokes, there just isn't a lot of spoke with a deep section rim, but I really dug the feeling of the power going down to the ground.
When the 30x's really blew my mind was descending Southgate, though.
Perfect tracking and once they spun up, felt like they held their velocity very well.
I've ridden some pretty good wheelsets,Eurus, Zipp, Kysyriums these are definitely right up there if not frankly better. I don't get caught up in the latest and greatest much,I like steel bikes and steel single speeds more, but the whole package of ceramic bearings, solid build, and excellent rim weight, epecially with the Powertap is kickass.
Taking them up Calaveras tommorrow, looks like a very nice day to suffer........
J
Friday, January 04, 2008
The New Style- DDR
Last weeks' opening up workout on Saturday.....
Damn, I guess I'm not that serious.....
Saturday, December 29, 2007
A little perspective
The last LARPD today, and the weather finally got a bit cross-like, enough to give the mud that nice slimyness that gets all over the place but doesn't stick.
Lots of fun fighting for last for me, but I still has a blast.
Cesar is riding on another planet right now on that SS machine, it's all I can do to avoid being lapped. Good for him, he obviously did his homework and put in the miles and hard work. Dude got 3rd today in the open A's race with some tough company in the house.
A lot has happened to me since the first LARPD, I rode home from the first one in rippin' shape from a summer of long miles and many hills, holding my weight down at 81 kg and roughly 6 percent pizza and a occasional donut. I finished mid pack in the open A's in 103 degree temps, pushing a ridiculous 48 x 17.I remember being completely stoked about the season's possibilities.
That night, my mom lapsed into a sub conscious state as the final infections raged through her body. After a long night just to get her admitted to St. Josephs because her primary care physician didn't want to come down to admit her personally, she stayed there for 5 days, until I made the decision to take her to hospice, where she finally had some peace, and after 4 days of vigil, she let go.
A day or two later, I flipped my bike over a podunk whoop de do while JRA at lunch and piledrove my face and head into the ground.MAny x-rays and chiro ensued,and Dr Richard did a great job helping me be able to turn my head again.
I was able to race, albeit gingerly, and it took me a while to plunge off the side of a drop again without touching the brakes.
Around late October I pounded myself again, JRA at lunch again, and swore to stop just riding around like that. This time I bruised my coccyx, and there's nothing like violent prison sex with your saddle to get your mind off hammering.
Seeing me get in and out of bed I look like a old old man. My neck hurts, my ass hurts, and god knows what else will be the flavor of the day post race . Sleep this fall has been rather skimpy, to say the least.
Back to LARPD after a fall of mediocrity, December 8th. I used a 42 x 16 that day on a sticky course and definitely had problems pushing it. Grumpiness ensued, followed by bitchiness, like I'm getting paid to be wanking it on two wheels.
A burrito fixed some of the problem, and we went home so I could finish building my kids new bedroom set and at least finish one damn thing this year.
I got a call that night that my dad had broken his hip in a fall and was headed to St Joe's.
It's getting to the point I don't want to answer the phone after a race.
Today I headed over to see him at his new rehab place after LARPD.
I got him cable into his room and he was having trouble with the TV Ears he got for x-mas.
The therapist came in and we went to PT together.
As I watched him struggle to walk 15 feet down a walkway , I reflected on todays' stair run up, and the eight or nine times up that thing.
I really can't complain.
Lots of fun fighting for last for me, but I still has a blast.
Cesar is riding on another planet right now on that SS machine, it's all I can do to avoid being lapped. Good for him, he obviously did his homework and put in the miles and hard work. Dude got 3rd today in the open A's race with some tough company in the house.
A lot has happened to me since the first LARPD, I rode home from the first one in rippin' shape from a summer of long miles and many hills, holding my weight down at 81 kg and roughly 6 percent pizza and a occasional donut. I finished mid pack in the open A's in 103 degree temps, pushing a ridiculous 48 x 17.I remember being completely stoked about the season's possibilities.
That night, my mom lapsed into a sub conscious state as the final infections raged through her body. After a long night just to get her admitted to St. Josephs because her primary care physician didn't want to come down to admit her personally, she stayed there for 5 days, until I made the decision to take her to hospice, where she finally had some peace, and after 4 days of vigil, she let go.
A day or two later, I flipped my bike over a podunk whoop de do while JRA at lunch and piledrove my face and head into the ground.MAny x-rays and chiro ensued,and Dr Richard did a great job helping me be able to turn my head again.
I was able to race, albeit gingerly, and it took me a while to plunge off the side of a drop again without touching the brakes.
Around late October I pounded myself again, JRA at lunch again, and swore to stop just riding around like that. This time I bruised my coccyx, and there's nothing like violent prison sex with your saddle to get your mind off hammering.
Seeing me get in and out of bed I look like a old old man. My neck hurts, my ass hurts, and god knows what else will be the flavor of the day post race . Sleep this fall has been rather skimpy, to say the least.
Back to LARPD after a fall of mediocrity, December 8th. I used a 42 x 16 that day on a sticky course and definitely had problems pushing it. Grumpiness ensued, followed by bitchiness, like I'm getting paid to be wanking it on two wheels.
A burrito fixed some of the problem, and we went home so I could finish building my kids new bedroom set and at least finish one damn thing this year.
I got a call that night that my dad had broken his hip in a fall and was headed to St Joe's.
It's getting to the point I don't want to answer the phone after a race.
Today I headed over to see him at his new rehab place after LARPD.
I got him cable into his room and he was having trouble with the TV Ears he got for x-mas.
The therapist came in and we went to PT together.
As I watched him struggle to walk 15 feet down a walkway , I reflected on todays' stair run up, and the eight or nine times up that thing.
I really can't complain.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
happy holidays
Holiday Trifle-
2 pkg. Vanilla Pudding ( not instant)
quart of milk
1 angel food cake
1 cup raspberry jam
4 cups whipping cream
4 bananas, sliced
canned cherries in syrup 1 can
canned blueberries in syrup 1 can
canned blackberries in syrup, 1 can
canned raspberries in syrup, 1 can
Drain all cans of berries and reserve 2 cups liquid. you can mix berries or keep separate.
1 cup slivered almonds
Early in the day before.... make vanilla pudding per directions on package, then refrigerate until chilled.
1 cut angelfood cake into 1/2 inch slices, layer across bottom of a trifle dish or other 10-12" across dish approx. 12 inches deep.
Spread raspberry preserves on cake
spread layer of bananas
Spread layer of berries
drizzle berry juice ( 1/2 cup per layer)
spread layer of pudding
spread small layer of whipped cream
place another layer of angelfood cake slices
continue with layers 3 times...
cover with wrap and chill for a day or two.
Before serving, top with remaining whipped cream and almonds.
Watch W/kg ratios go spiraling into the abyss.........
Sunday, December 23, 2007
break it down- tale of the tape
Easy to see where my season fell apart, the months of September and October are particularly bad from a training time perspective.
For me, a very average athlete I have always done best around 15 hours a week.
I typically set my hours a little low and then try to exceed them( gives me a reachable goal), but I've had trouble even making these conservative numbers this year :-(
Typical masters racer, too much life getting in the way, it's important to realize this stuff doesn't pay the bills.
Looking at the big picture, I hopefully will complete the entire CCCX series this year, that's a first.
I definitely improved my technical skills some this year, the sand no longer fills my heart with dread...
I figured out a few things that work for me on the singlespeeder and will have some sweet sew-ups and race wheels for it next year.
My running got much better, as I ran up the steps at Live-no-more for the ninth time Saturday,I realized I used to always be walking by the fourth lap.
Small victories are still good un's.
Perhaps this influenced my state of mind as I had a good time on Saturday even as I got last place in the A's.
I could have gotten second to last but after sitting on a A40 guys' wheel for like 4 laps I felt it was only right to help him get to the next guy up the line( ended up incinerating myself and getting dropped off, but what the hey, papa didn't raise no punk), a small field all together, A's, SS, Masters A, and junior A.
3 crashes/ wild moments kept things interesting, I tried to avoid the mayhem and stay in a group, this course will punish the man that goes it alone, especially on the big backside.
Props to Shane and his crew for a great local series, making the rodeo grounds SO much better than I expected.
Peace To All,
J
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