Spring has sprung

The 2010 spring season has brought many blessings.

It's wonderful to be back in my house! I'm all settled in, and couldn't be happier with the way things have turned out. The improvements made during the renovation are all working out wonderfully, and I'm thrilled to everything restored & returned to the way it was or better.

Well, admittedly, the lawn is still a trainwreck (as it always has been), but that's pretty low on my list of priorities ;)

I've been blessed to meet many new friends both in & out of recovery, and both in & out of the running/triathlon communities. Life is good! One recent acquaintance has me particularly excited about the future, and I'm thrilled about that.

The '10 race season is off to a great start too! This season's training saw a slower & rougher start than last year, so I was getting frustrated, but then it finally began to click & fall into place...

My first "race" was the MDRA Mudball Classic last Saturday, and it was a hoot! I love that race because it is so laid-back and it has such a fun & celebratory atmosphere. I love getting to see my MDRA friends there, and it was the first time I've seen Steve this year - we had a great time catching up, and he gave me some awesome info for my IMWI training - thanks Steve!

Last Sunday, I enjoyed my (then) longest bike ride ever - 45 miles out-n-back on the Gateway Trail. Good stuff!

This weekend, I had this season's first half-marathon on Saturday morning - the Get In Gear. It went very well - though it wasn't my fastest half marathon split, it was much faster than I anticipated. I really couldn't be happier with the results. The weather was rainy & cold - you all know how much I grumble & whine about that weather before a race, but once I settle down into my pace out on the course, that weather is always just about perfect, and I'm all smiles.

Congrats to my friends Rachel & Willie who both PRd their 10Ks, and Mary who PRd her half-marathon. And to Steve, who massively PRd his half on Saturday (not GIG) - 1:22 - wow!

After that race, we celebrated with yummy Day By Day Cafe breakfast with my wonderful GF and my dear friend Rachel and some of her friends - a perfect way to cap off a great morning! I even got in a great swim that afternoon at the Midtown Y. A leisurely evening spent with my lovely GF capped off a fantastic day :)

On Sunday morning, I woke up early to head out to the Minnesota Ironman Bike Ride. I was just planning to do the 65-mile route (they offer 30, 65, and 100 mile options). It was cold & rainy again this morning, and I came very close to not doing the race at all once I got there and realized how wet & chilly it would be. But, I decided to man up & press on...

Today's BIG mistake: I picked up a course map at the check-in table, but stupidly stuffed it in a jersey pocket without even looking at it. My reasoning? "Well, surely the course will be very clearly marked at the split points, and I won't need to worry too much about looking out for that turnpoint..."

Admitting that, I know all my Herk peeps out there are shaking their heads: "Route study, and then clock-to-map-to-ground, Hydro! C'mon now!!!" You'd think such preflight & inflight skills would still be second nature to me, but I arrogantly decided to blow off my pre-mish planning. Trust me - lesson learned!

OK, so off I go... I had planned to be self-contained on the 65-mile route. Though there were rest points along the way, my plan was to do the 65 without stopping - I had enough water & fuel on the bike to make it happen. Well, that was the plan, anyway...

The first 50 miles were cold & wet. It was rainy, chilly, and windy. There was a rest stop at mile 50, and I finally decided to take a break to warm up a bit. I peed, grabbed a cup of coffee, and jumped back on the bike. I admit that it occurred to me then that I didn't recall a 50-mile stop being part of the 65-mile course, but I still didn't understand I had missed the 65-mile course turnoff (which was quite a ways behind me at that point). But do I stop then to confirm my suspicion on the course map like any sensible person would? Of course not! Ugh. So...

I start getting excited as my Garmin tells me I'm at the 60 mile point, but as I look around, I notice that it does not appear that I'm anywhere close to Lakeville (the Lakeville senior high school is the start & finish of the race). "No worries!", I reassure myself, "Surely, I must still be on the 65-mile course"

...It was then that those uncomfortable past-life memories of "Uhhh, hey Nav... What's in SCNS right now?!?" started to surface in my mind... As the Garmin mileage ticked closer to 65, reality set in - I am still out deep in farm country, and am definitely not on the planned 65-mile course!

The legs were understandably sore at that point (after all, my longest ever bike ride till this point has been those 45 miles a week ago), but I was still feeling fine overall, so I decided to suck it up and push out my first-ever century (100-mile bike ride).

Those last 50 miles were drier - only light occasional rain, but the headwinds & crosswinds were brutal. My decent average speed over the first 50 miles dwindled to a frustrating crawl through those winds. I made one more rest stop at ~80-mile point for more sugar & coffee, and then finished my first century with a big smile on my face!

I'm very tired right now, but my body feels good - sore, but it's a good, contented soreness, and nothing hurts - I'm very happy about that. I'm looking forward to a great season of many great race events coming up!

These last two weekends have combined all of the wonderful things about my spring so far - time spent with with my amazing GF, other wonderful & dear friends, and good/fun/successful training events & races.

Tonight, I reflect what a huge gift that sobriety has been in my life - all of the many blessings I enjoy today are only possible because I am sober. By God's grace, I will continue on this path, but it's a journey I take one day at a time. And I like it that way - it keeps me humbled & grateful for each day I have in this incredible new life of mine.

I hope your spring is off to a wonderful start as well!

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Now playing: cage the elephant - ain't no rest for the wicked

Note to self...

Replacing a blown tube on Ubu is a PITA, thanks to her particularly finicky cup-and-cone hubs.

Oh well - at least it wasn't the rear wheel. After some maddening past wrenching experiments back there, I just don't have the patience to take that Rubik's Cube apart anymore. Drivetrain issues or anything that involves the removal of Ubu's rear wheel is the only thing I'll make a trip to the local bike shop for these days. On the plus side, Ubu's kevlar tires are still holding up like a champ - the tube leak was on a seam near the valve, so after a quick patch job, we're good as new!
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Now playing: limp bizkit - rollin'

Somebody pinch me!

But not on my ulnar nerve. The Ergon GX-1 mountain bike grips I ordered sometime last season for Boo-Boo are finally arriving to me this week. These things caused a lot of stir when this svelte new design first debuted, but then they suffered one "they're right around the corner! no, seriously, this time we mean it!" production delay after another. I had given up on ever seeing a set, but good ol' Speedgoat has hooked me up with one of the first sets they got in. Yeah, stupid little things like this make me happy ;)

Just had to share some bike-geek excitement there. Carry on...
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Now playing: U2 - hallelujah here she comes

Slacker!

Yes, I've been a rather lazy blogger again lately. Recap time. This week, I ...

... am still hating this bitter cold. Ugh. Bring spring. ASAP please.

... went to another home buying seminar. Not as comprehensive or informative as the previous one I attended, but still helpful. I've now got a good wealth of resources & info to look hard at whether or not this will be a good time for me to buy. My primary concern is that the ever-worsening credit crunch is going to make for some very wary lenders in the near future, and that could be an issue. Although my credit is excellent, I still am worried about overall financing conditions in 3-4 months. It's not a pretty picture. Yes, it's a buyer's market in terms of property availability and prices, but as banks grow understandably leery & reluctant about lending out precious clams after getting burned by so many foreclosures, then... well, you get the idea. This crazy real-estate market is going to get a heckuva lot more interesting & turbulent before things start to settle down! Meh, I'll keep moving forward and just keep an eye on things...

... started participating more regularly once again in the MTBR.com forums. Getting psyched for riding!

... am watching season 5 of "24". Holy non-stop action, Batman! Sheesh, every single episode so far of that season is nuts! It's no good to have the whole season just sitting there right in front of me. No good at all. I must have something better to do. Right?!? ;)

... am reading The Historian. Again. Wicked awesome book. I'm not generally a fan of the whole Dracula genre, but this book is amazing.

... am not getting nearly enough sleep thanks to aforementioned DVDs and book. Hmmm.
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Now playing: mazzy star - fade into you

Wanna ride...

I am doing some annual maintenance on the bikes today, and I am definitely excited for spring and the new riding season to arrive! Call me a wuss or not a "real" rider if you will, but I detest riding in the winter. Cold & snow is not my idea of fun on a bike.  Oh well.  On the bright side, this is pretty decent weather for a nice long run - I'll knock one out this afternoon.
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Now playing: st etienne - spring

Drool

Me likey. Me want.

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Now playing: metallica - wherever i may roam

Perspectives & passions

One of my female coworkers is a rather upscale dresser. She has a designer sweater that came with several large holes in it, and - although I don't understand it myself - this sweater is apparently quite the deal in terms of what's fashionable these days. When she wears that sweater, she inevitably gets ribbing from we vogue-oblivious urchins (most men, in other words). She generally takes it pretty well, but I'm sure it must annoy her to some extent. 

I've often wondered what would possess her to buy such a sweater in the first place, but I learned recently that I don't have to look very far to find the answer...

I was showing off my bikes to a buddy who's new to riding, and I was telling him the story of how I built up my single-speed 29er over last winter - explaining why I made certain choices of this part over that, this configuration over that, etc. I was discussing Pookie's Brooks B-17 saddle, going on & on about what a great, classic saddle Brooks produces, and how I got the idea to "hack" it from MTBR.com:

"Oh, it's such a fine & comfortable saddle, and it ended up being just perfect for the Niner!", I gushed exitedly.
So, then he looks over my Santa Cruz Blur and innocently asks why I don't have a similarly comfy Brooks on her too.
"Errr...", I stammered, grimacing horrified as I pictured a now suddenly oh-so-clunky-looking Brooks on sleek lil' Boo-Boo!
"Uhhhh... well, that just wouldn't look right at all... errr... it's just not the proper saddle for the Blur", was all I could pathetically muster as I deflated under the full weight of the fact that I was actually a haute couture bike fashionista!
Is this what I've become?!? We shared a good laugh over it all, but it definitely got me thinking...

All three of my bikes have very different & distinct personalities, and I do indeed dress them accordingly. Although most people wouldn't appreciate the effort I put in to do that, I realized that I do it for my own satisfaction - and that's what matters!

The takeaway? Different stokes for different folks ;) Do what makes you happy - live & let live

Happy trails & good dirt! ...errr... Snow! Whatever...
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Now playing: pailhead - don't stand in line

Lookin' around

I had a very enjoyable ride last night. I went to Salem Hills after my evening meeting, and it was a nice way to close out the day. Peaceful, quiet, and pleasantly uneventful.

The trail is in good shape, although there are some trees down here-and-there from the most recent storm. No biggie. On one rather twisty section, there was a larger tree down, and I had to get off the bike and climb through & around the carnage. I needed a break anyway, so I sat and rested a bit. It really was a very beautiful night.

It occurred to me, as I sat there drinking my water and sucking down an energy gel, that I kept primarily looking up at the trail ahead and to the sides of where I was. I hadn't looked back to where I had just come from. So I did. It immediately struck me as being somehow darker than everywhere else - in reality, this was just a coincidence of the trail itself - the previous section was a downhill switchback to where I currently was. I thought to myself, "Man, that would be quite a gnarly challenge to reverse & go back that way."

And that got me thinking - nothing like waxing philosophical out in the pitch-black woods, right? ;) ...The past being darker & difficult, the path ahead being "brighter" and easier to navigate - things along those lines. Then it occurred to me that I was starting to sound like Bob the junkie (Matt Dillon), in that scene from Drugstore Cowboy, describing his aversion to mirrors: "You never look at the backside of a mirror because when you do, it'll affect your future because you're looking at yourself backwards. ...No... You're looking at your inner self and you don't recognize it because you've never seen it before." Haha, yeah, maybe something like that, I guess! Sheesh, ya gotta marvel at the way we addicts' & alkies' minds work sometimes!

So, I laughed at myself, climbed back on my bike, and contentedly finished the lap with a grin on my face.

Happy trails & good dirt!
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Now playing: minor threat - look back and laugh

"I'm... so... scared..."

I have done a few night rides now with my new bike light, and it's been a blast! It's really bright; a huge improvement over the weak-sauce light I bought many years ago. I only rode in the woods once with that older light, and that experience kept me off the trails at night until recently.

When I first bought that old light, I excitedly decided to try it out that very night. This was when I lived in Arkansas, and although I had several hard-core riding buddies, none of them had lights at the time. So, I headed off solo to the Camp Robinson trails (just north of Little Rock). I had planned to just ride on one or two of the easier, shorter loops to see how this whole night riding thing worked. Well, my new-found zeal soon emboldened me to continue into some of the deeper, more intermediate trails and all was going just fine. It was a moonless night, and the deeper trails at Camp Robinson really are out in the middle of nowhere, so it was a very peaceful and pleasantly surreal first-time night ride experience - right up until I suddenly flatted a tire...

Like my new light, I had this older light mounted on my helmet. I laid the bike down and proceeded to unpack my bag and ready the wheel for a tube swap. That's when I really noticed just how incredibly quiet that deeper section of the trails was. At first! Then the noises just seemed to steadily increase. Leaves rustling, sticks crunching, branches rubbing and snapping, etc. From all directions. I would hear something (close by?!?), and then swing my head up to look, and (of course) see nothing. Now, I must point out that this was about the time The Blair Witch Project was out, and I had seen it recently. And me nervously swinging that darn helmet light beam all around was reminding me of that movie more & more with each passing second. And the noises seemed to get closer each passing second. Somehow, despite my increasingly shaky hands, I managed to get the new tube on, and I raced back to my car faster than I have ever done before or since. I was so thoroughly freaked out by that experience that I have not biked any woods at night until now, so many years later...

So, it's been good to have some very positive night ride experiences lately. I still ride solo, which is kinda scary, but that's OK - it builds character, right? ;) I just ride at an nice-n-easy pace and don't do anything crazy. And riding Pookie (rigid singlespeed) helps keep my riding not too aggressive, so that's worked out well for starting out. That new light is very comforting in how bright it is. Much more confidence inspiring. However, no flats or mechanical issues on these last few rides, so I'm still not sure how I'll handle that whole scenario again... And let's hope that I don't have to find out anytime too soon!

Happy trails & good dirt!
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Now playing: cake - the distance

The sky is falling!

There's a thread on MTBR.com discussing the merits of dusting bikes' inner tubes & tire casings with talcum powder, and someone pointed out that talc is (potentially?) a carcinogen-level substance.

Sheesh, whodda thunk it?!? And here I am, a big fan of said talcin' technique for my rubbery bits... Stuff like this makes me wonder if I should be amazed that I'm not yet six feet under, or even just growing a pinky toe out of the middle of my forehead. Apparently, I live quite dangerously (albeit largely obliviously)! I think I like it that way - I'm not ready for the bubble just yet ;)

Stay safe out there, kiddos!
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Now playing: filter - hey man nice shot

Pookie lives!

And even Munch's screamer is stoked on the glad tidings.

Pook's hoops arrived on schedule today, and I got 'er all built up this evening (some pics now posted in her gallery). I didn't have a chance to do anything aside from riding around the block a few times to test the brakes out, so I'm excited to get Pooker back in some good dirt ASAPly.

However, I'll be busy with other stuff tomorrow (hosting a lasagna dinner - wish me luck!), and it also sounds like rain is definitely enroute. So it goes - I'll get on the trails again soon enough, and will just have to be patient until then...

Happy trails & good dirt!
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Now playing: electronic - feel every beat

Wheel good news

It's wonderful news, I must say…
Pookie's new hoops are on the way!
Packed up today, in Brown Santa's sleigh,
Scheduled to arrive sometime Friday!

But, alas, I'll only believe it when I finally get "hands on" that yummy box… After all, my luck with much-anticipated Friday deliveries hasn't been so stellar (there were two other botches before the one I mentioned in my first-ever blog post). Already, UPS is showing the tracking status as an "exception". However, they reassured me just now that was only for a weight adjustment, and that the package should still be on schedule for Friday, but I'm not gonna get my hopes up yet. Maybe I should rattle some chicken bones at those mischievous weather deities who are the usual suspects behind my delayed Friday-delivery buffooneries...

At any rate, there seems to be a pretty decent chance here that I'll have Pookie up & running over the weekend – that would be most excellent! Heck, I'll still be excited even if the delivery does rolex till Monday - it'd still be sooner than I was expecting before...

Happy trails & good dirt!

Good dirt!

What a great couple of days of mountain biking I've had! The weather has been beautiful, and everything has just "clicked" especially well for me yesterday and this morning. I felt particularly full of confidence & energy; it was the most fun I've had riding in a while.

On Friday, I did one monster long ride hitting 3 different trails from Bloomington to Eagan to Inver Grove Heights. Boo-Boo ate it all up in spades and wanted more, so we went out early this morning for a quick spin too.

I honestly cannot fathom (for me) a better full-boinger bike than Boo-Boo. She handles sooo very nicely in every possible respect - I can't help but get a big contented grin on my face every time I clip in and start hammering.

And all that makes me hugely excited to get Pookie back in the mix. She'll be my dream build of a singlespeed 29er when I get the new wheelset on; I can't wait! I am truly blessed to have my awesome bikes, and I am grateful for the happiness (& life-lessons!) they bring to me.

Happy trails & good dirt!

Unlucky!

Grrrr. It appears that Pookie's new wheelset is delayed another few weeks. I don't yet have any more details. I know they will be well worth the wait, but it's still frustrating to be one bike "down".

Boo-Boo will have to trooper on as the main steed for a while longer, but that's OK - she loves being the center of attention...

Happy trails & good dirt!

e.13 STS (part III:final)

And there was much rejoicing... The new chainguide is a success - washboard trails and brake bumps got nothin' on me now! To give a little history, I used a bashguard & inner plate "sandwich" as a chainguide when I first went to a 1x9 setup. That worked well for my initial 32t chainring setup, and later for my 34t chainring. But, I found over time that I would be most comfortable with a 36t chainring, and that initially sounded fine since 36t is the max limit on any available inner plate design. Pushing that max limit was OK on most terrain, but bumpier stuff was regularly throwing my chain - no good at all. So, I looked to get a more aggressive chainguide system, and now, the e.thirteen SRS-W is rockin' it furious bomb-proof stylee. Mad props & many cheers to e.13 for working with me to get it right with Boo-Boo's VPP frame...

I've only had a few rides on the new Cinder tire up front, but so far I'm liking it - hooks up very nicely, and isn't too slow.

I gave Boo-Boo a good cleaning for tonight's photo-shoot, and posted pics in the "My Spoiled-Rotten Kids" Boo-Boo link over to the right... I should have pics of Pookie up in a couple of weeks.

All's well that ends well...



Happy trails & good dirt!

e.13 STS (part II.V)

My original STS is actually now a SRS-W (since e.thirteen names this series of chainguide by its backplate ID), and is now up & running. So far, so good - it looks quite gnarly and bomb-proof. I don't think I'll ever have to worry about dropping my chain (bouncing it off the ring). I'll take her on a few rides and then have final pics of Boo-Boo along with a ride report posted by mid next week.

Pookie has a new wheelset enroute (one of the used wheels that originally came with her had a catastophic hub issue, and the other one is now retired as my wheel maintenance & building practice wheel). The new ones are still a couple of weeks away, and then I'll have "final build" pics of her up as soon as possible.

Happy trails & good dirt!

e.13 STS (part II)

Yep, that STS backplate won't work. Imagine that, e.thirteen was right all along! Whodah thunk it? So, a backplate exchange (for a SRS-W) is in the works. Meh, what's another few days, anyway? *sigh* Stayed tuned for Part Drei...

Happy trails & good dirt!

e.13 STS (part I)

Nuts! Boo-Boo is going to have to wait until Monday for the next experiment in perfecting her ever-deepening money pit of a 1x9 drivetrain. Scheduled UPS delivery yesterday was slipped due to some flooded local train tracks. Or that's what they told me, anyhow. Who knows. And those kinda raw deals (weather, schmeather!) are always on a Friday delivery - it never fails. Serenity NOW!

I'm anxious to see if I can get an e.thirteen STS chain guide to play on the Blur's VPP frame or not (e.13 doesn't think so, but I want to check it out and they are curious to hear what I come up with), and was looking forward to having this weekend to play around with it. It looks soooo close thus far (half assembled), but until I get that new chainring, I'm just getting teased staring at it hanging in the stand. I'll post pics when I get the mods complete (one of these days!).

I must say that the Panaracer Cinder is a beast of a tire - I just mounted a 2.25 up front on Boo-Boo, and I can't wait to try it out. I know already that I'm either going to love it, or completely hate it. And I thought Pookie's Rampage had some hella knobs goin' on, but that Cinder is a real piece of work!

And "so far, so good" with the Nokon & Avid Full Metal Jacket frankenhousing I installed for Boo-Boo's transmission. I think that'll be a long-lasting winner of a combo. I'm quite pleased with how well that turned out.



Happy trails & good dirt!