a.quest.for.understanding

REPOST: CW: A bike-racing heart doctor’s top-12 ‘likes’ about cycling

2011-12-29T07:36:00.000-05:00

Local heart doctor and bike racer, Dr John (no, not the zydeco musician), posted his 12 likes about cycling and they are worth sharing as they hit upon some sentiments that I have for the sport.

I would add an unlucky 13th.

13. Sharing your passion for CX with your child and seeing her get the same enjoyment, excitement, fright, and exhilaration as you do. It makes for a very special bond.

What would you add to the list?

Best Day Ever

2011-12-22T08:32:00.000-05:00

The best birthday gift I got was a bike ride with TallGirl in the mountains of North Carolina. I love riding here and I especially love sharing the ride with TallGirl. Every birthday should be like this.

K8-monster: Hot for Podium!

2011-12-13T07:03:00.000-05:00

The finale of the 2011 OVCX Series was on December 4th at King's CX in Ohio. With rain pounding the midwest for most of the week, the course was a muddy mess but that's CX. The whole family made the trip up to watch K8-monster finish out the series. K8 and I pre-rode a couple of laps of the soggy course so I could show her the lines to ride and spot the areas that she should run.

K8's race had about 50 kids in it which says positive things about the future of the sport. K8 raced really well and was not deterred by the mud. Interestingly, she fared much better than some other kids because she is a lighter rider and did not sink down in the mud as much. She was able to glide over some sections that other kids had to grind through.

The race was hard but K8 kept her game face on in her battle for 2nd place but could not quite close the door and finished 3rd. She got her place on the podium and some nice swag. That sure makes the sport fun and she's already talking about needing a real CX bike for next year. That's my girl. Her season ended with 6 races & 3 podiums. All that for a girl that learned to ride her bike this Spring.

This season was fun for both of us. I learned about patience. K8 learned about cyclocross. And we got share some quality time together doing healthy activities.

2011-12-05T21:20:00.001-05:00

File this under: You Had to Be There. The OVCX Finale was Sunday and heckling ensued. This IS cyclocross.

Kings CX 2011

Be awesome

2011-11-28T18:42:00.001-05:00

This weekend marks the OVCX finale at King's CX in Cincy. This season has been bittersweet for me. My season ended after 2 races thanks to a run-in with an airedale. That's the bitter part.

The sweet part has been introducing K8-monster to the sport. For a girl that only learned to ride a bike at the beginning of summer, she has taken to the sport like a fish to water.

Her attitude is a reminder of how fun bike riding and racing can (and should) be. She doesn't care what place she's in. She just rides. She never gives up despite the severity of the course. She just rides.

She will finish a race complaining about how hard it was and then I will see her on the course during the pre-ride of every other race - just riding. She has fun and that's the point.

She races 'Cross and she's awesome.

Peace.

Maiden Voyage

2011-11-23T22:01:00.001-05:00

It wasn't much but it was a fun first ride with two of my favorite women. I was given the green light by my doctor to return to riding outdoors when I saw him on Tuesday. I made a promise to K8-monster that she would be the first person to ride with when I was allowed.
We had a wonderful albeit a bit cold ride this afternoon. Although it wasn't what I am used to in a workout, I did feel the liberating effects of being on my own. The effects you can only feel on a bike.
That is what I have missed the most
Peace.

Watch "I am injured. I am an Ironman." on YouTube

2011-11-22T00:48:00.001-05:00

I've been telling you people: I am an Ironman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3MvFbORKEk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Gettin' jiggy with it (how to embarass your teenager)!

2011-11-18T18:24:00.001-05:00

Ok... It's time to get back to this blogging thing. Lots of living has taken place since my last post but let's just kick it off with a funny interaction with the Chicken.

Chicken and I were exchanging hip-hop text messages today. The throw down went thusly:

Chicken: yo whhuuddupp digs!
Me: Bro, that's whack.
Chicken: bro you be str8 trippin.
Me: Fo shiz, my biz.
Chicken: yous be killin it.
Me: Straight up kicking, yo.
Chicken: seth says you need to stop.
Me: You can't stop my raps because I am stone cold ripping. Thug life.
Chicken: ummmmmm...... wow!!!!! seth wishes he was as cool as you, seriously. I'm surrounded by retards.
Me: Let's get retarded.
Chicken: um...what do you mean by that homie?
Me: Now you be trippin. WHAT?!
And that, my friends, is how you drive you teenager crazy.
peace.

Two Thumbs Up for rock & roll!

2011-06-05T16:16:00.001-04:00

This kid's attitude sums up the spirit of the Louisville Short Track Mountain Bike Series. Thumbs up for rock & roll!

Loose Strings

2011-05-27T07:17:00.001-04:00

I have been mulling a post about my mom for quite awhile but I suffer from severe self-editing as I want the words to be perfect. As I walked our dog Skeeter last night listening to my iPod, a wonderful song called "Guest House" by Kri & Hettie came on and the words in the song helped shape the words in my brain. The opening lines are:

Everyday 
Every single day 
Everyday is an opportunity

An opportunity to live. An opportunity to love. An opportunity to learn. Through this experience I am trying to live MORE and love MORE but primarily, I am learning MORE.

  I am learning that life is short and doesn't always make sense. I am learning that slowing down is a good thing. That's very hard to fathom when most of my free time is spent trying to go faster - on a bike, on a run. I am learning awe-inspiring things about my family.  

Growing up you see your parents in a certain light based on who they are and the experiences you have. These are the loose strings that are tied together to form who we are. In these hectic times where reflection is indeed a scarce commodity, we rarely have time to pull at the strings to learn what sits at the core of our constitution.  

As I grow older and have a family of my own, I do find myself pulling at those strings to understand what's at the core. This war on cancer has allowed me to see my parents in a much different light and it's been another opportunity to learn - about them, about my family and about me. I firmly believe your learn more about people when they face challenges than when everything is going smoothly.

  I have learned that my dad is the king of the middle path and maintaining a steady hand at the wheel. He may grow weary but he never tires and the steady pace never wavers. This probably explains my predilection for ultra-endurance events.  

I have learned that my mom is a fighter and has no fear. She has treated this like a battle where victory comes from tackling things head on and adjusting to changes as they come along. Most of all, I have learned that she has a competitive streak at her core that she has thankfully passed on to me.

  Everyday is indeed an opportunity. I would never wish this experience on anyone but there is a silver lining. I see things differently - the fragility of life, the importance of reflection, the deep love my parents have for each other, the importance of family, the list goes on. As odd as it sounds, I am thankful for the opportunity to gain new perspective.

Everyday is an opportunity to forgive myself
Everyday is an opportunity to reinvent myself
Everyday is an opportunity to fall in love with myself
Everyday

peace.

Derby Half Marathon report

2011-05-01T20:22:00.004-04:00

My race report is a little belated but Blogger allows you to adjust the date of the post - "I'm not young. I'm just backdated!"

Despite my earlier protestations about those fine, fine folks who love running so much that they changed the historic (and traditional) mini-marathon route, I decided at the last minute to run the event. Technically Mitch Fields ran the race and had a hella good PR. I enlisted my fellow "lover of ridiculous ideas" Zack and we were good to go for the race.

The mini is such a community event but it has become a little too big for my liking but that's just the cynic in me that I have to overcome and realize that for many folks this is a big deal whereas for Zack and I it was a good long run. Zack asked me the night before what I thought our pace would be (since he has no concept of pace) and I figured we could probably go out around 7:30-7:45 pace due to the lack of any specific training for this race.

We politely lined up at the front of the B corral (note to self: next time buy a number from somebody with a better corral letter). Weather was perfect. The gun went off and the crowd of 15K+ surged forward.

Our first mile was 8:01 but felt really slow. The next mile was 7:25ish and still felt slow and then we ratcheted it down to 7:00+ and it just stayed there. I don't know about Zack but I was feeling great and figured we would just hold it at this pace as long as we could.

One thing I do love about the race is how many people I see that I know. They are either running or on the side of the road cheering for a family member or friend. Great community event.

The rest of the race proceeded at the same pace until we got to the final 5K. I thought we should back mile 10-11 down to have something left for the final push so we went 7:12 for mile 11 (not really a break) and then went 6:59 (12) and 6:34 (13). I was really shocked by the last two miles when I reviewed my Garmin file. Running that overall pace is easier when you're trying to keep up with a 27 year old.

All in all, the race result was a pleasant surprise. Normally, I would have done a bunch of specific workouts for the event and still not performed much better. It probably helps that I went into the race with a "whatever happens happens" mentality.

Now for some positive & constructive feedback for our "friends" at the Derby Festival:

Overall rating of the course: Boring. Yes, it was flat and fast but it was boring. Gone were the wonderful hills and neighborhoods in and around Iroquois Park. It was essentially an out & back course with a few turns. There also seemed to be more sections where there weren't any spectators.
Churchill Downs - Depressing. Empty tents and some old guy with some speakers replaying old horse races? I will offer my band to play in the infield next year for the race. You could do so much more.
Water stops - Just the right amount and the volunteers were awesome.
Start/Finish - It was nice to be at the same place. The finish ending at Festiville was a great idea. Unfortunately, I had to get home right after the race but the band playing and the tents were a great idea. Nothing beats the roar of cruising down Preston Street with the announcer calling names and everyone yelling. I did get chills.
The mini is still the mini - It's still a great event.

There you have it. Mr. Segal (aka The Faster Wilson) has a great report as well. Speaking of Mr. Segal... it's time to focus your attention to Short. Track. Racing.

The photo was taken by #1 Sherpa TallGirl. You can see that I'm trying to get away from the guy in the perve sunglasses. He's really hard to shake.

Peace.

Barry-Roubaix Race Report

2011-03-29T19:43:00.006-04:00

When my race calendar changed, I was looking for a big adventure. There had been talk about Barry-Roubaix in Michigan. A few Rogues had made the trip last year and were itching to get back. Thanks to an extremely understanding wife, I was able to hop on board the Rogue Racing Project train headed for Kalamazoo, MI for the race. Barry-Roubaix offers a variety of distances but if you're going to travel all the way to Michigan, then you might as well sign up for the 65 mile distance in order to get your money's worth. Right?! And we were able to guilt a few others into upgrading.

The race started at 10 AM with a balmy 17 degrees but full of sun. It also started with a "neutral" rollout to the start of the gravel but when your group includes folks like Brian Matter, Tristan Scouthen, and Clint Verran, you can forget about "neutral." We rambled along at 25-26 mph (and me rolling right over a traffic cone) until we hit the gravel. And then things blew up. After hitting the gravel, there is about 2 miles of good gravel before hitting Sager Road (the double track in the picture above). Similar to CX, you want to be near the front when you hit this section. There was lots of carnage on this 2 mile section.

The rest of the course followed well groomed (in most places) gravel farms roads through some beautiful country. I hooked up with a solid group of about 15 riders that slowly got whittled down to about 8 as we entered the second lap. Oh what a second lap it was. Every section seemed harder and people were dropping left and right. In fact, I was dangling a bit off pace but holding the distance. The group of 8 I was in splintered in the last few miles and I found myself in between 2 smaller groups. Somehow I was able to time trial up to and pass the group ahead as we made our way back into the park and the start/finish. I finished 44th overall in 3:45. I was very pleased with my ride and will be looking to go back next year. If you're perversely curious, here's my Garmin file. In fact, my CTS coach loved it so much he upped my Tempo pace 10 watts. Yippee!

There were quite a few highlights of the weekend:

Mr. Coleman (our unofficial host) makes a mean chili that was splendid post race.
Fatty rode extremely well as did Zack, Coleman, Pope, Segal and Kirk.
Kalamazoo is good beer country - Michigan is loaded with solid craft brewers.
Michael & Kacha from Stomach of Anger were there. Good peeps! Great shirts! Look for exciting news about Rogue and SOA.
Barry-Roubaix is a great event. Extremely well organized. The promoters "get it."
Mr. Osgood CAN hold his mud and I'm $5 richer for it.
If you're in Indy, get a reuben from Shapiro's deli. It will blow your diet up but it's worth it.
The Igleheart was buttery smooth and the addition of the Velocity A23 wheels turned it up to Plush +1.
Pictures "borrowed" from Andrea Tucker. Don't worry I'm planning to order some copies.

Watch more video of Barry-Roubaix: The Killer Gravel Road Race on cyclingdirt.org

Oh we bashed it real good...

2011-03-20T10:17:00.004-04:00

Last night's Bloom Bash fundraiser for Bloom Elementary was an explosion of sights and sounds at The Vernon. The goal of the fundraiser is to raise enough money for a new playground for the school. This was no ordinary fundraiser though. Patrick Fitzgerald put out a call to create a Bloom parents band and that call was heeded. In fact, it was so successful that 3 bands were formed.

Playing under the name Chutes and Ladders, each band played an hour long set of music. The first band played an acoustic set that put the evening into motion. Boasting about 10 members, the band worked through a well paced set of beautiful tunes and closed with an a capella adaptation of a Khalil Gibran poem.

Affectionately calling ourselves the And Band (we had the middle set), the band I was in started mellow (Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Hallelujah) and then built up as we went along (Folsom Prison Blues, Honky Tonk Women, Superman, Crazy [Gnarls Barkley]). One of the highlights of the evening was Mr. Skidmore bringing his father onstage to play Blue Moon of Kentucky. And Ernie has some serious chops! We closed in pure 80's fashion with Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero" (oh. yes. we. did.) that was made complete with Mr. Skidmore donning a wig, Wayfarers and classic skinny tie. And then the fog machine kicked in.

Our band was followed by, you guessed it, Chutes and Ladders who kept the evening rocking with some classic new wave and post-punk ditties - REM, Plimsouls, Blondie. They got bonus points from me for pulling out an obscure Police song ("On Any Other Day") and rocking it.

I was just blown away by the amount of talent displayed last night and The Vernon is a great venue (now... if I can just get Leaving London booked there) for a show. It was great making new friends with my fellow bandmates who really did an awesome job after only 4 practices. That's a testament to the talent in our band. I was just along for the ride for sure. Thanks to Christina, Debbie, Dave and Brad for sharing the stage last night! It was as Mr. Segal would say, "a stone groove."

peace.

2 Things

2011-03-14T21:11:00.002-04:00

I have been exchanging emails with a friend who lives in Belfast. He's a triathlete I met via the Interwebs (no... not a dating service) who is in another circle of friends. He contacted me to ask some questions about buddhism. It's been a really interesting exchange. We were both raised in the Christian tradition - me, Episcopalian; him, Catholic. We have talked about things like atheism and the ability of buddhism and Christianity to co-exist.
While I was raised a Christian, I consider myself a buddhist but what I really believe is that regardless of faith or tradition, our time on this earth should be devoted to 2 things:

Being a good person (right livelihood, right action, right speech)
Treat people right (do unto others)

Sure, life can get more complicated but if you focus on those core principles, you're going to be on the good side of life 9 times out of 10. If all of your decisions start from that point of view, it really doesn't matter what your spirituality is.

peace.

Tiny Wisdom: On Life's Beauty | Tiny Buddha

2011-03-02T22:00:00.000-05:00

3/1/11 Tiny Wisdom: On Life's Beauty | Tiny Buddha

Two basic tenets of Buddhism seem to somewhat contradict themselves - that pain exists and impermanence. I received the post above from one of my favorite blogs (really a community) and Twitter accounts (@tinybuddha). The concept of a rainbow (pleasure, nirvana, whatever) requiring both positive (sunshine) and negative (rain) to exist really struck me.

Why does it often take a negative situation to bring clarity? I wish I knew the answer. I wish I knew why mindfulness often eludes us. What I do know is that life will find a way to try to awaken us.

And yet even with uncertainty, unpredictability, and the inevitability of change, life can be so beautiful. The challenges give the victories a greater sense of meaning. The pain gives us a greater sense of appreciation for the pleasure.

We need the rain to appreciate the sunshine. We need the pain to realize the pleasure. Buddhism teaches that there will be pain but we can persevere and "we come out the other side stronger, wiser, and better able to make a positive difference in the world." Thus, while pain exists it is impermanent and teaches us to remain mindful and appreciate the here and now. Rubbing up against that pain like an old wound can help you focus.

As I search for the silver lining of my mom's cancer, I have noticed that things have changed. Conversations are more real and open. Things that used to raise the blood pressure are more easily put into their proper place in the grand scheme of things. We listen to each other. We express our feelings.

I would never have chosen this to be the path to mindfulness and I would swap places if I could but there is sunshine and a rainbow that comes with this rain. In the face of this challenge, we will come out the other end stronger and hopefully our reward is continued mindfulness and a richer and deeper love for everyone.

I highly recommend subscribing to the Tiny Buddha email. It's well written and quick to read and it now brings me additional strength and resolve.

peace.

A triathlete is born...

2011-02-27T17:26:00.004-05:00

K8-monster did it! She learned how to ride her bike in one easy lesson. About a week ago, we decided as a family to sign up for the Tri Fest which has sprint distances on Saturday and an Olympic distance on Sunday. Yee haw! The whole family gets to race.

Only one problem. K8-monster has been very resolute and steadfast in her resistance to learning how to ride a bike. Now, however, the pressure was on. You can't compete in a triathlon if you can't ride a bike.

Today would be the day. We headed up to a high school up the street. I took the pedals off and just had her scoot along and coast to get a feel for the balance. After about 10 runs down the sidewalk, she asked to put the pedals back on. I reluctantly said I would. Boy, did she respond. A few more runs with me holding the back of the seat and then letting go and then it was go time. Off she went by herself.

Here's a little video I shot when we got home and she wanted to show TallGirl that she could ride her bike.

Needless to say, I am beyond excited for her. She was just beaming as she rode along. It reminded me of the pure bliss and simplicity of riding a bike. It's not about the racing or the gear. It's about freedom. And K8-monster just experienced it. Now I just have to resist signing her up for CX races. That can wait until fall. In the meantime, there are triathlons.

peace.

What racing can teach us about life...

2011-02-20T20:26:00.003-05:00

To run with the gods, you've got to run a little harder. ~Abigail Washburn

As an endurance athlete, I am often surprised by what training and racing teaches me beyond just preparing for a race or event. The key to racing (and competitive sports in general) provides a great roadmap for living life and dealing with whatever life throws your way. You prepare yourself as much as you can and then you race your race and adjust to whatever happens during the race - sometimes good, sometimes bad. Your success is dependent on your ability to handle adversity. Anyone can be successful when things are going their way. Real champions in sport and in life are those who can adjust to the fluctuations in the game and still win.

When I was gearing up for soccer games and later in triathlons and cyclocross, I found the secret was to channel all of the energy I could gather and focus it on the task at hand. I took the anger, peace, hate, love, and any other energy and tried to pull it together and focus it. I did not dwell on the negative energies but I knew I would need them depending on the situation. Pull all of the energy in and use it. Love is the supreme energy but you need them all to come out on top.

Heading into battle requires the ability to summon all of your energies to deliver success. You need to be able to wake up feeling like you wrestled lightening and summon the energy to do it again. You must convince yourself that the pain you feel in training is insignificant to the pain that someone else is experiencing.

You feel the pain in your legs like I did on Saturday's ride and you bear down and push a little harder. The pain is nothing compared to the world. Nothing compared to what my mom is feeling. Channel all of the energies. Focus them - laser like.

Tomorrow approaches and doctors will inject the poison into my mom to attack the poison that is growing inside her. She will need to channel all of the emotions and energies she can to handle the race. She is well prepared and has a great team and she knows how to adjust to whatever comes her way. That's the key to being an athlete and the key to dealing with life.

Here's to positive vibrations!

peace.

Where do you find spirituality?

2011-02-08T22:10:00.002-05:00

I went for the first long ride of any consquence this past weekend. It was just K2 and me for a nice early season ride out to Oldham County. She was starting her journey towards racing fitness and I was just glad to be back on my bike after a week long battle with a cold/flu.

K2 has the internal challenge of expecting to always be at her peak fitness all year. I have been "coaching" her for about 3 years now and I learned last year that part of my role as coach is to be the psychologist. Funny that I found myself having major deja vu as I reminded her that she needed to go slow now to go fast later (just like I did last year). She should know this. We followed a similar script last year and she ended up making the podium at Master's Nationals (in her first attempt). She'll get to where she needs to be when she needs to be - if she'll listen... hee, hee.

That's not the main point of my post. As we are riding along, we passed a church that advertised aerobics classes. Initially that struck me as odd but as the miles passed under the wheels, I started to think about it more. The line between physical and spiritual well-being is extremely blurry. Where does the spirit end and the body begin?

So much of my well-being is tied to how I feel physically. I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad. The buddhist in me says balance is the key to well-being and I should get more balanced. It's hard to argue with that. But, the challenge we face as endurance athletes is finding the balance between our "fit" selves and our off season selves. A successful off season provides balance - for our families, for resting our body, for planning the coming year. We can't always be at our tip-top physically but even the rest is important as a building block for our season. You have to rest hard to work hard.

Which brings me back to the church sign. Over time, the role of the church has changed from providing spiritual services to a more expanded service offering. We've got churches offering sports, music, and even match making (kinda creepy but what the hey). Initially, I thought that weird but as I thought about it more I saw how it afforded an opportunity for balance for some people. This church in particular was helping their members get physically AND spiritually fit. If the body is indeed a temple, then what better way to take care of it than a little aerobics (in church no less). Again, it's about achieving balance.

Although I find my spirituality outside the confines of the church, I do laud churches who are helping their members in ways that help them achieve balance. More importantly, Lord knows the general populace needs all the help they can get on the fitness front even if it takes divine intervention.

peace.

Ride the Divide

2011-02-02T18:14:00.002-05:00

TallGirl and I, along with a big chunk of the biking community, went to see the mountain bike documentary, Ride the Divide. It's an amazing film both for its cinematography but also the look into this 2700+ mile, self-supported, "underground" mountain bike race. Definitely worth the price of admission for all of you endurance junkies.

Listening to the participants talk about the event and the mental aspect reminded me of Ironman and certainly made me realize again that I like pushing myself to the edges. You push to the edge and see what comes out on the other side. It was a good reminder of why I like those types of events (although I've never done anything of that proportion). Endurance events teach and change you. Drawing inward to summon the effort necessary to complete the event provides amazing introspection. I remember how compartmentalized I felt during Ironman. What?! Swim?! That was like hours ago. Digging into that place is isolating but also very free - singular focus can bring extreme clarity.

But it also teaches a good skill for other aspects of life - to be able to look at things in their respective box or compartment and evaluate them. This has come in handy lately (more on that later).

The movie was great although I did not have the same "where do I sign up" feeling that I did after seeing Race Across the Sky last year. I think it's something about the possibility of getting eaten by bears. Call me crazy.

Peace.

A work in progress

2011-01-20T17:51:00.002-05:00

Take 3 of a new Leaving London original:

peace.

Can we still dream?

2011-01-17T20:59:00.003-05:00

I felt a rant coming on over the last few days. I did what I normally do which is to batten down the hatches and try to wait it out. No such luck and thus, I find myself on this day of celebration for an amazing man still needing to rant. I'm personally glad I waited as it's appropriate for today.

My need to rant was brought about by the tragedy in Tuscon, Arizona and the nation's response to that horrible event. The President gave an amazing speech that was designed to unite the country and remind us that this country can do better. He's absolutely right and yet, that evening I watched as friends of mine posted notes on Facebook and Twitter that fell anywhere from "I want to watch my TV show" to "This is ridiculous. He's making this a political event. Shame on him."

I expect my President to come out in times of crisis and show his leadership by uniting us and beginning the process of healing. You may not have voted for him but he did exactly what every President before him has done in those situations. But this gets at the core of the problem. The language and actions of division have taken root and prohibit many of us from keeping an open mind and heart. Or maybe we have all just become too jaded.

Shortly after the tragic event in Tuscon, the inter-webs lit up with examples aplenty of imagery and language that were extremely dangerous. And, yes, Ms. Palin, you are indeed responsible as is anyone else who chooses inflammatory rhetoric over honest and robust but peaceful debate. Accept your responsibility and be a leader in trying to end the divisive nature of politics. You missed a great opportunity with your "hey, I'm being blamed unjustly, don't ya know" schtick. This was a time to lead and you failed.

I am left today with the feeling that a lot of MLK's dream has been realized and yet, we have a long way to go. I share with you Rep. John Lewis' tribute speech that he delivered today. It's a little over 5 minutes but worth every second. Extremely poignant!

VIDEO: Representative John Lewis' Speech at MLK Day Services: MyFoxATLANTA.com

peace.

Motive?!

2011-01-14T18:20:00.000-05:00

ESPN also confirmed that Landis has filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit based upon the argument that doping on the team constituted a fraudulent use of government funds. Landis stands to gain a portion of any damages recovered should the lawsuit succeed.

Pulled from CyclingNews report:

US Postal Service Sponsorship Cost Nearly $32 Million | Cyclingnews.com

Damn you Auto Correct!

2011-01-12T07:44:00.002-05:00

If you've ever sent a cryptic message, you'll love the site Damn You, Auto Correct.

Very funny stuff!

peace.

The Road to Awesomeness

2011-01-07T14:44:00.001-05:00

A couple of nights ago, I set K8-monster up with her own email account. She was really excited and wanted to check it every 3 minutes and it's one of the first things she does in the morning.

The best part was her declaration after I showed her how to use her account:

"Wooo!! Now all I need is a phone and I'm one more step towards awesomeness!"

Peace.

Great Lyrics

2011-01-05T07:42:00.002-05:00

The "Vinyl Lust" song on WFPK was a song by Jim Reeves called "Highway to Nowhere" and the lyrics were so awesome that I had to post them.

I'm traveling the highway to nowhere cause I can't find the road to your heart
This old road is so rough and so rocky I get lost on the highway to your heart
This highway to nowhere keeps calling your heart's at the end of the line
But I always get lost on a detour I guess I don't understand the signs
I've travelled this highway so long now but I know I'm no closer to your heart
Down this long lonesome road I'll keep traveling
Though I know I've been lost from the start
This highway to nowhere I'll follow the road's dark but I keep trudging on
And tomorrow I'll be back where I started it's the highway to nowhere that I'm on

And here's the song:

A Year in Review

2010-12-19T09:20:00.004-05:00

TallGirl and I put together this video that pretty well captures the spirit of 2010 from a Rogue Racing Project point of view. Well, it captures the spirit from any point of view since racing and social activities are so intertwined with all that we do. Like 2009, this year was filled with fun and excitement and the enjoyment of old friends and making new friends. To quote Emerson, Lake & Palmer (showing my age):

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends
We're so glad you could attend
Come inside! Come inside!

2010 - A VERY Good Year from Michael Seiler on Vimeo.

More on the future of CX

2010-12-11T11:30:00.003-05:00

Another great interview with Adam Myerson on the future of CX in the US:

Visit cyclingdirt.org for more Videos

Thanks to Cyclingdirt.org for the video and to Adam for fighting the good fight.

CX season recap

2010-12-10T10:28:00.001-05:00

Well, damn. Cyclocross season has come and gone with the finale taking place last weekend at Brookside in Indy. As usual the OVCX Series did not disappoint and thanks to Mitch Graham and the rest of the race promoters continues to get better each year. Many folks made their way out to Bend for CX Nationals but for me, it was time to pack it in for the year.

I have been reflecting on this year's series and for me it was an interesting year of racing. Last year I was coming off of Ironman and had just started the Rogue Racing Project with a fabulous bunch of folks. Even though I spent most of last year's CX season trying to get my CX legs under me after a year focused on ultra endurance, the season was a blast because of the excitement of the new team and how well everyone raced.

This year saw the addition of our bretheren (and sisteren?) in the 513 who took a great thing and made it even better (thanks, Jason & Butch and the rest of the 513). In addition to the 513, Rogue also saw some new faces like Kirk Grynwald and Jeff Hardin that added to Rogue's winning ways in the Series [TallGirl would like it noted that she broke her finger to get Kirk to join Rogue. That's how committed she is to the Project.] But even with this influx of fun and irreverance not to mention strong racing, I had trouble really getting into the season. A lot of it had to do with the demands of work and life which had turned the stress level up to 11. The end result is I really just wanted to race my bike and move on. Thus I was pretty workman like come race day. I usually showed up, warmed up, raced and headed home. Or at least that's what it felt like.

Despite a different approach this year, I am pretty pleased with the way I raced this year althoug I did get pretty tired of playing to second fiddle to Mr. Hooton. But he made racing fun (and he's rogue) and challenging this year so I am thankful for that and I did manage to get the better of him at Storm the Greens. Having my Dad present to see me win a race was very exciting for me.

This year was a bit of an experiment as I did the CAT 3 45+ races for most of the season but jumped up to Open Masters category for both the USGP and the North Carolina GP (both UCI weekends). There are some really fast old dudes in those races. The USGP and NCGP experiences were enough to tell me that I should make the leap to Elite Masters next year as well as request my upgrade to CAT 2. This is all in preparation for the Masters World Championships that come to Louisville for 2012 and 2013. You have to race fast to get fast, no?! We'll just have to see how that pans out. In the meantime, I'll be spending the off season training for some endurance running events in the early Spring and then I have a score to settle with Fool's Gold.

Peace.

Location : 224-298 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202,
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North American CX Threatened

2010-12-02T07:06:00.000-05:00

The word according to Adam Myerson:

Visit cyclingdirt.org for more Videos

Valuable Lessons

2010-11-06T15:56:00.001-04:00

K8-monster learned a valuable lesson at soccer practice a few nights ago - don't spit into the wind.

I went ahead and told her about not tugging on Superman's cape and not pulling the the mask off the Lone Ranger. She'll have to figure out Jim on her own. Kids need to figure some things out by themselves.

Peace.

Joachim Parbo wants to help you Storm the Greens

2010-10-25T06:40:00.005-04:00

And you thought the CX-y goodness was going to slow down... After a wonderful weekend of CX action at the USGP Derby City Cup, come spend time with Danish Cyclocross Champion Joachim Parbo. Learn new skills or hone the ones you have as we roll towards Storm the Greens.

Clinic content - 2hrs (beginners, children, experts, weekend warriors):

Plan turns and efforts smart, save energy, race fast.
Tricks on how to read the course to your benefit.
Drills that will make your riding smoother and more efficient.
Personalized advise for each participant, correcting errors
Cyclocross bike fit (quick personal fitting if needed)

Start time: Tuesday, October 26th - 5 PM @ RRCC, home of Storm the Greens.

Pizza & Q&A afterwards @ Perelmuter & Goldberg Orthodontics 2nd Floor, 916 DuPont Road, 40207
Racing, training, eating and sleeping
Technical discussion, brakes, carbon wheels, tubular tires etc.
(parents of children welcome)

Pay on site, cash only:
Children below 16: 15 USD
Adults: 25 USD

Parbo bio:
4x Danish CX Champ (2006, 2007, 2009 & 2010)
MA Political Science
Bike Path Inspector & Events Coor, City of Aarhus

World Top 50 rider
Best Worlds result - 31st place
Best World Cup result - 21st place
Raced in 14 countries
29x USA UCI top-10 results

Lot's of CX-y Goodness

2010-10-21T18:57:00.000-04:00

Louisville opens cyclocross course at Eva Bandman Park | Business First

Joining other cities like Boulder, CO, Louisville opened it's CX dedicated park just in time for the USGP Derby City Cup this weekend followed by Storm the Greens on Halloween. I feel so Euro. Bring your family and your cowbells out to watch some of the regions best racers alongside American and European PROs. There will be food, drinks and a festive air.

I'm from...

2010-10-14T08:31:00.001-04:00

Last night, TallGirl and I had or parent/teacher conference at K8-monster's school. We were a little early so went bide our time reading the students' work hanging on the walls. This is a picture of K8's essay. There are a couple of great lines.

"I'm from running past people..."

"I'm from wild animals..."

"I'm from loud rock music..."

She doesn't lack in the confidence or creative department either.

Peace.

Location : 1803-1813 Gresham Rd, Louisville, KY 40205,
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What I'm listening to...

2010-10-09T10:46:00.002-04:00

Here's what's spinning on my iPod lately:

Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses - Junky Star - Love, love, love this disc. Amazing songwriter.
John Legend & The Roots - Wake Up! - super collabro on classic protest R&B/Soul songs
Michael Franti & Spearhead - The Sound of Sunshine
The Avett Brothers - Live, Vol 3 - If you haven't seen these guys live, you're missing out.
Carolina Chocolate Drops - Genuine Negro Jug - TallGirl picked this one out. Traditional bluegrass with some hip/hop elements added into the mix. Check out "Hit 'em Up Style." Produced by Joe Henry

And as always, if you have a great local record store like ear X-tacy, buy your music there.

peace.

Bikes, sustainability and Ben.

2010-10-01T05:27:00.002-04:00

Ben Sollee played a special show at this year's Idea Festival. Ben has been touring the country in an unusual way - on his bike. It's unusual only in the fact that it's not how the music industry works. Between songs, Ben and his tour manager (who also rides with him) talked about the changes riding a bike made to the normal tour schedule of a musician. The most notable change was to his income.

But he said the trade off has been worth it as t brought the opportunity to feel more connected to the communities he visited. After his show and talk, he invited everyone for a night ride. There were about 30 people who rode with him. It was a wonderful and thought provoking evening. Read more about his "Ditch the Van" Tour on his website/blog.

Location : 1803-1813 Gresham Rd, Louisville, KY 40205,
Posted via Blogaway

Fall mornings

2010-09-29T08:30:00.001-04:00

Besides Spring, fall running is my favorite. The crisp air and cool temps always remind me of marathon training and the quest for a Boston qualifying time. It reminds me of many mornings running mile repeats on Emerson Ave until I finally stood in the rain and cried because I couldn't finish my last interval session. My coach's response was "yeah, I thought that last session would break you. You're ready." And he was right.

This morning was just a nice moderate paced run with Skeeter by my side (at least part of the time). What was supposed to be 5 miles turned into 7+ with the pace quickening with each mile. This is the type of run that reminds me that I love to run. Skeeter does, too.

Here's to Fall running.

Peace.

Another one to fille under "You Can't Make this sh*& up"

2010-09-22T20:25:00.000-04:00

Yoga can be dangerous to Christians' faith, says Louisville's Southern Baptist Seminary President | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal

I don't even feel right in commenting on this one but evidently the minister's faith is so fragile that a little stretching will send you straight to hell. Thanks for looking out for us, Mr. Mohler.

Really?!

The Answer

2010-09-18T16:13:00.001-04:00

The answer to the question: can you play a gig with your band and then jump into a CX race the next day?

Is NO!

Although I sat out of the Apple CX action, the family and I went out to cheer, ring cowbell and make nuisances of ourselves. Mission accomplished. The event was well run and the venue was great for participants and spectators alike. The Bob's Red Mill crew mixed just the right amount if fun and pain to make a fabulous weekend of racing.

And now, this weekend marks the first official race of the OVCX series. I can't wait until tomorrow when the southern Rogues meet up with the northern Rogues at King's CX. It is going to get loud and I expect some Podiums to be filled with the black and white.

Peace.

And there will be RAWK!

2010-09-11T18:33:00.003-04:00

Leaving London is having its 3rd show this evening at a place called The Blue Mule. I'm a little worried about the name but Mark (lead guitarist) assures me it's legit. I'm also a little worried about how my CX race at Huber's Apple Cross is going to go after an evening with the band. Thankfully, my race is not until 1:30 in the afternoon. Plenty of time to sleep.

Riis Explains Schleck And O'Grady Expulsion | Cyclingnews.com

2010-09-07T21:01:00.000-04:00

Riis Explains Schleck And O'Grady Expulsion | Cyclingnews.com

Well, basically he's a big baby who's bitter about his team disintegrating. Or they broke team rules. Your call.

A Tale of Two PROs

2010-09-05T09:45:00.002-04:00

There are all kinds of PROs. The requirements of being a PRO are different depending on the discipline. Last weekend, I learned a lot about 2 very different levels of PROness. With Ironman Louisville in town, we opened our house again to a visiting PRO triathlete.

Martin Jensen from Denmark had chosen to come to IMLou after flatting out of IM Copenhagen the week before. IMLou represented his last chance at getting a Kona spot this year. Martin arrived the Tuesday before IMLou with all of his gear and got down to getting ready for the race. Little did he know that his preparation would include a Furly ride but considering it was 10AM Denmark time, I'm not sure it really counts.

Fast forward to race day. This is where I got a behind the scenes look at another PRO. This time it was PRO Race Sherpa, Marcia aka TallGirl. Our plan was to follow Martin throughout the race as well as cheering for local friends who were laying it down on the Ironman course. I decided to handicap myself by playing a gig with my band the night before. That 4AM alarm came early (thank goodness for Furly training).

Both PROs were going through their pre-race rituals and checklists. Martin's included eating (lots), hydrating and getting all of his gear to the car. TallGirl's included maps, cameras and packing food for later. We had our backpacks for carrying cameras, maps and water. The bikes were loaded for getting places we couldn't with a car.

Race day was a blur of activity for competitor and sherpa alike. TallGirl knew where to be and when to get the best photos and be in the prime spot for cheering. We spent largest chunk of our time on the bike course rocking music and cheering on the triathletes. Martin was tearing it up on the bike course while we were working the phones, taking pictures and rocking. The job of the sherpa is not an easy one. It's spent keeping track of multiple people and calculating where they will be at certain times and where the best spot to see them the maximum number of times and for TallGirl, you do all of this and still manage to take amazing pictures at the same time.

By the time we made it to the run course, I felt like I had done the Ironman. We had switched to bikes to get around the course by now. CX bikes are a definite plus for this due to the combination of speed of a road bike but the ruggedness of an mtb when the cops order you back onto the sidewalk.

Martin had moved into 2nd place by the run and extended the gap to 3rd place out to 10 minutes which he held until the finish. Not a bad finish for a guy's first Ironman and he earned that coveted Kona spot.

When the PRO sherpa and her apprentice finally got everything and everyone back to the house, I was pretty sure I would stick to competing. It's much easier. There's nothing like watching a PRO work. They make it look so easy with no signs of panic even when the car battery dies from too much AC/DC. But it also gave me much more appreciation for those who cheer and an even greater appreciation for my wife (if that's possible).

peace.

Squirrel!!

2010-08-25T17:51:00.002-04:00

Wow. Has it really been almost 2 months since my last post?! Holy crap! Well, it's certainly not for a lack of things to say. I'm going to file it under "Distracted." I just need to find some time to kick stuff out onto the site but I often get caught in self-edit mode and never get past the draft stage. That's also what keeps me from writing more songs. How do you turn that off?

Ok. Here's my promise. I will get back to regular posting if you'll get back to regular reading. I guess I have to go first.

How long does a hug last?

2010-07-01T21:39:00.003-04:00

ALL day! Yesterday morning I went into K8-monster's room to wake her up for zoo camp and immediately after figuring out what planet she was on, she gave me the biggest hug. The kind that you feel all the way through your body. As she hugged me, she told me she loved me. Then we started our day.

Later last night, K8-monster and I were driving home for the final Short Track race when I told her that the hug she gave me lasted all day and made me so happy. She looked at me and said, "Cool."

Fast forward to this morning. I awoke K8-monster as usual, set out her clothes and headed downstairs to fix her lunch for camp. She came down after getting dressed and walked right up to me and gave me another one of those amazing hugs. She then stepped back and said, "There. That should last you all day."

And it did.

peace.

What is Furly?

2010-06-29T06:54:00.002-04:00

Many years ago, actually almost 14, I started doing early morning workouts. TallGirl and I had our first child and I would get up with her for the morning feeding and said, "well, I'm up. I might as well go for a run." My friend and running partner, Larry, had just had a kid, too, and so the early workouts began. Back then we met at 6 am. But then it kept getting earlier usually in 15 minute increments - "it would be great if we started at 5:45. I could use the extra time."

That went on until 5 am became and remains the time except for the Furly rides which started almost as many years ago when I got back into bike racing found a kindred early spirit in Dave Schmidt and we started meeting at 4:30 to ride. They were good, hard, and fast rides that made me stronger and having someone as nutty as me to join in the fun made them memorable. There are definitely some memories - sprint lines, raccoons, deer, foxes, and not many cars.

People came and went but mostly it was just Dave and me. Dave's work schedule changed but I kept the Furly going with various partners in crime. And now there's a steady group of regular and semi-regular (aka Segal) friends who like getting a good, fast ride I'm before work. Not many people have the luxury of being able to sit in a 9:00 meeting with the smug confidence that comes from having an adventure already under your belt for the day.

The final coup was getting TallGirl on board. She is now a believer and understands why I got up so f-ing early for so many years. The Furly is a staple of my training and any day that starts with a Furly is a good day.

Peace.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2010-06-22T07:51:00.001-04:00

Happy birthday to my Mom! A fabulous lady, wonderful mom and great friend! Happy Birthday!

To return to this...

2010-06-22T06:47:00.003-04:00

Tallgirl and I returned from another quick weekend in North Carolina for what is becoming known as the Summer of The Kid Swap. This time we were picking up K8-monster who had spent a week at Green River Preserve and then a week at Camp Grammy & Poppy.

We were also dropping off Chicken who will be spending a week with my parents and then 3 weeks at GRP. That's 4 whole weeks without her around. We did 3 weeks last year but that was at the peak of my Ironman training delirium and the time passed quickly. This will be tougher but she's going to have fun.

Although it was a quick weekend, we managed to squeeze in some kayaking on the Green River with my sister. It was a blast with just enough challenge (Class 1 & 2) for everyone to have fun (and get a little scared). The river was loaded with tubers and more rednecks in 3 miles of river than Deliverance had in the whole movie. But that's what makes America fun. Check out Green River Adventures in Saluda for river guiding services. They're good people especially John who had to deal with a gaggle of Seilers. Not an easy task.

An added bonus of the weekend was spending time with my dad on Father's Day weekend. It's hard to find the words to describe what my dad means to me and I am extremely thankful that I realized early in my life how cool he is. Very lucky indeed.

The toughest part of the weekend was driving back to the inferno that is the Ohio Valley right now. We have already had more days in the 90s this summer than we did almost all of last summer and we're only in June. Yikes.

peace.

Catch World Cup Fever

2010-06-11T06:41:00.000-04:00

European betting website takes a funny twist on the Zidane headbutt.

Get your World Cup on!

peace.

The Monster takes on the hills

2010-05-25T21:05:00.003-04:00

This Saturday marked a momentous occasion for K8-monster. She participated in a semester long program called Just Run. It's a co-ed version of Girls on the Run and gets kids to be active as well as teaching them good habits like eating right. The program culminated in the kids participating in the Humane Society's Waggin' Trail 5K run. TallGirl and I turned it into a family affair.
K8 was not initially enthused about participating but when she found out we were all running, she pushed all her chips to the center of the table and went ALL IN.

On our way to school the day before the race, she and I had the following conversation:

K8: How will we know where to go in the race?
Me: We'll just follow the other people in the race.
K8: But we're racing and may be out front.
Me: [I love this girl] Right, they will have a map of the course and we can study it.
K8: Cool. What will the course be like? Will it be easy?
Me: There are some good hills on it.
K8: Yes!
Me: [I really love this girl]

Race day arrived and the whole family made our to Iroquois Park which is one of the parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (yeah, the Central Park guy) and is a fairly hilly affair. TallGirl and I decided to split up and I would go with Chicken to make sure she got a good workout in and she would go with K8. Both girls had great runs. Chicken ran 29 minutes and made it look easy. We found out just prior to the race starting that the course was actually 5.3K.

K8 was a real trooper and with a mix of running the downhills and flats and walking the uphills, she completed her first 5K in 38 minutes and still had a little sprint left.

TallGirl and I were so proud of K8-monster. She was definitely struggling at the end of the race but kept pushing forward and finished strong. In celebration of her accomplishment, we went to Lynn's Paradise Cafe for some crunch cakes and then it was off to a friend's birthday party. She looked and felt like I do after a marathon but she earned it. And in my mind, she was indeed a winner.

peace.

Getting fit can wreck you... mentally.

2010-05-15T13:23:00.002-04:00

The path to fitness starts slowly. You do a little running or walking and then you challenge yourself with a 5k. And then a 10k and then maybe a half-marathon. With each successive challenge, you get more fit and your brain calibrates to this new level of fitness. That becomes your new baseline you use to judge your fitness.

That's how the spiral starts to gain speed and I'm here to tell you it can get very slippery. My spiral started spinning over Thanksgiving dinner many years ago when I made a foolish declaration that I would run a marathon (it was probably the wine or the tryptophan or both). Never the runner except to stay in shape for soccer, my family got a big kick out of that and also never let me forget it.

I did run that marathon and amazingly finished in 3:54 on very haphazard training. The spiral started to gain speed. Next thing I knew, I was doing speedwork and increasing my mileage. Then the talk of qualifying for Boston began. And the spiral sped up.

After about 15 or so marathons, my mind needed more. A friend told me about a 50k trail race down in Alabama. It was 8 degrees at the start and never warmed up. It was 31 miles of some of the toughest running I had ever done. I loved it.

This pattern continued for years as my mind and body demanded more and more until last year's Ironman Louisville. As exhausting as the training was, I really enjoyed working into the best shape of my life but now I find my mind has calibrated to that level of fitness and anything less is unacceptable.

Even though I am able to crank out a marathon on little training or go ride my bike for 3 hours with ease, my internal machinery is calibrated to last summer and a desire to stay at that level. This drives interesting behavior as the search for more extreme challenges grows.

50k trail race with 14,000 feet of climbing and snow? Sure! 50 mile mountain bike race on a single speed? Sounds like a good plan!

I know keeping yourself at peak fitness is difficult unless you are independently wealthy or a PRO and the body does need recovery. I consider myself a fairly rational person but even with this knowledge, a sense of restlessness sometimes sets in that I should be doing more and more training. Thus is the challenge of being someone who likes to see how much you can wring out of the engine you were born with. Like the first time you get your dad's Impala up to 70, you wonder if it could go 75 [Note: Dad, if you're reading this, that was just an analogy and not based on actual events.].

Pushing the envelope is big fun but sometimes it would be nice to be one of those people who could have stopped at a 10k.

peace.

Ode to great lyrics

2010-05-06T08:05:00.001-04:00

Ray Wylie Hubbard - "Conversation with the Devil"

Heard this song on WFPK this morning. A wonderful song but 2 lines were so clever that I had to share:

"I didn't take the cocaine to get high. I just liked the way it smelled."

And my favorite:

"Buddha wasn't a Christian but Jesus would have been a good buddhist."

Ray Wylie is coming to Louisville on Tuesday night and playing at the Vernon Club. Check him out.

Peace.

Images from Oaks & Derby

2010-05-03T20:36:00.002-04:00

We also ran into Erin (Fatty's better half).

Fatty stopped by our box and reminded us to add Icebox to our bets. Glad we did.

Pre-Derby juleps because it just felt right.

Derby Day brought on the rain. Casual was the order of the day.

We had beautiful weather on Oaks Day which made for an awesome day at the track. And yes, our seats are that close.

Official Kentucky Oaks/Derby Playlist

2010-04-30T10:01:00.003-04:00

Here's what's spinning on the stereo for Oaks & Derby:

I Am An Excellent Steel Horse -- Rock Plaza Central -- Are We Not Horses?
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses -- U2 -- Achtung Baby
There's A Black Horse -- John Doe -- Forever Hasn't Happened Yet
Wild Horses -- The Rolling Stones -- Hot Rocks, 1964-1971
Don't Ride That Horse -- Old Crow Medicine Show -- Big Iron World
Dead Flowers -- The Rolling Stones -- Sticky Fingers (Remastered)
Off the Record -- My Morning Jacket -- Z
Winners & Losers -- Social Distortion -- Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll
Hey Darlin' Do You Gamble? -- Lucero -- 1372 Overton Park
The Gambler -- Mike Doughty -- The Gambler - EP
Chips Ahoy! -- The Hold Steady -- Boys and Girls in America
Jockey Full of Bourbon -- Tom Waits -- Rain Dogs
Kentucky Moon -- The Kinks -- Muswell Hillbillies (Remastered)
Louisville -- The Damnwells -- Air Stereo

There are some obvious exclusions but I'll be damned if I'm going to put any Dan Fogelberg on the playlist. Share your song suggestions in the comments.

Have a great Oaks and/or Derby day!

peace.

Woo hoo... Short Track racing returns

2010-04-27T07:25:00.001-04:00

The Louisville Short Track MTB Series returns for a 6-week run on Wednesday nights starting May 26th. The series is presented by Mountain Bike Depot, Rogue Racing Project, Niner Bikes and Bob's Red Mill.

There will be races for all levels and you're sure to have fun. Even if you've never raced a moutain bike, come on out and give it a try or just come enjoy a fun evening of racing.

Contact Joe or Lindsay at Mountain Bike Depot with any questions.

peace.

Derby City Marathon Race Report

2010-04-25T20:02:00.000-04:00

On tap for Saturday was the Derby City Marathon which is the biggest race in Louisville and definitely in Kentucky. This year lived up to the hype with 15,000 runners registered to contest the half-marathon, marathon and marathon relay distances. The race is also a traditional event wrapped up in all of the festivities of the Kentucky Derby.

I entered the marathon on a whim (somewhat). I was still training for the 50K trail race in Jefferson Memorial Forest at the time when my wife (aka TallGirl) announced she was running the marathon. Who am I to question declarative statements from my wife so I entered as well. The 50K race came and went and left me with an ailing IT Band injury that quickly turned long runs into acts of futility. My new plan became to consult my "team" (chiropractor and massage therapist) to work on the IT band and to stop running in an effort to save it all for the marathon. All workouts would be done on the bike.

It all ended with me running 3 times in the last 6 weeks leading up to the marathon. The longest run was 9 miles. This was going to be interesting. My goal was to hang with the 3:30 pace group for as long as I could and see what happened. The plan worked well up to about mile 15. I had even rolled off the front of the group and put a minute on the pace group. It was about that time that my boy Zack (equally unprepared for the marathon) caught up to me. The hills of Cherokee Park really put a hurt on the IT Band and my hip and knee felt like someone was stabbing them with a knife.

Mile 19 was the point at which I said I was ready to call it quits. Lots of stretching and walking for the next mile. Then a really perverse thought ran through my mind. I remembered the yummy carrot cake that TallGirl had made and then her explicit instructions (another declarative statement) that the carrot cake was for finishers. Hells bells, woman!

Zack and I had no choice. We had to finish the race. The remaining 7 miles were reminiscent of the marathon at Ironman Louisville without the swimming and biking beforehand. Stopping hurt as much as running but we soldiered on and finally finished. I was happy to have Zack along for the ride and if that boy ever decided he wanted to be serious about a marathon, he would do well. The rest of Saturday was spent doing the normal recovery activities - ice bath, magic compression tights, and, yes, carrot cake.

Here's what I learned:
- You can run a marathon on limited running BUT I wouldn't recommend it.
- The human body can tolerate a lot of pain.
- You are stronger than you think you are.

The link in the first sentence shows all the details of the run. You can ignore that last 14+ minutes as I forgot to stop it properly when I crossed the finish line. Now, it's on the focusing on the bike for awhile. Today was a golden day as the dates for the Louisville Short Track Mountain Bike Series and the Ohio Valley Cyclocross Series were released. Whoop!

peace.

Appropriate for a rainy day like today

2010-04-23T07:54:00.005-04:00

Just in case you did not see the rain delay performances of the Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky baseball teams, here it is. Very creative and a reminder of the importance of not taking yourself too seriously.

peace.

Marketing or Political slogan?

2010-04-18T16:55:00.000-04:00

This company clearly knows its core competency. They also have a sense of humor. I suppose you need a sense of humor when your business is sh*tty. I love companies with a sense of humor.

Their slogan aptly describes our political parties as well. Both of them excel in the number 2 business especially in the slinging department.

Peace.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

The need for good habits

2010-04-10T17:12:00.002-04:00

It's amazing how easily things can sneak in and replace other activities such as posting to this blog. I just realized it has been a few weeks since I last posted anything. Technically, I had a post but I posted it to Molnar's Louisville Dirt Club blog by accident. Probably best as the post was more appropriate for it.

The distraction reminded me of a thought that's been mulling around in my noggin for quite awhile and that's the need for practicing good habits. Training for Ironman taught me the importance of good habits. Training for Ironman requires planning, sacrifice, more planning, eating right, training right, more planning, sacrifice and did I mention planning. Every minute of the day was accounted for and with a wife and kids, you have to plan even more.

Now, almost a year later, I had let some of those good habits slip. I wasn't meditating every day nor was I doing yoga or necessarily watching what I was eating. This led to a bit of malaise about training and work until I discovered what was missing.

Actually, it was a sore IT band that led to the discovery. Funny how a little injury can clarify things for you. That little (ok large) pain in my hip and knee told me it was time to get back to the basics and practicing good habits. This means saving time for meditating (even if it weirds my kids out when they see me sitting silent in a chair) and for yoga after workouts.

I've noticed that work seems a little less stressful although the only thing has changed is getting back to practicing good habits. Here's to good habits and more regular blog posting.

peace.

Blame it on the equipment

2010-03-23T06:55:00.003-04:00

I was looking for some information on a bike recently. Ok, I was in the office trying to remember if my Felt F1X had a replaceable derailleur hanger. How it got bent is not the point of the story (ok, I crashed at the bottom of my driveway - doh!).

I checked out the Google on the inter-webs and found some reviews on my bike. There were some entries on Road Bike Review and I checked them out just to see what others thought about the F1X. The first entry just ripped the bike apart for everything from the fit, geometry and individual components. Evidently the author was forced to purchase the bike at gunpoint. But it really got me thinking.

As cyclists we get equipment obsessive about everything but our personal equipment. We have this belief that if only our wheels were lighter or the bike was all carbon or the bolts were titanium then we would be better. The only thing keeping us from the Tour is not having the latest Dura Ace groupo.

I believe in having the best equipment you can afford and I believe you should take care of it. I'm still riding my Trek 5900 Superlight with 9-speed Dura Ace and I wouldn't trade it (ok, I might but....) for anything. It rides well and the Dura Ace still shifts flawlessly. I spend more time working on the equipment that many people don't want to talk about - themselves.

If I get beat in a race, I'm sure it wasn't that the other guy's bike was lighter or his wheels were cooler. Nah, he beat me because he was either in better shape or raced smarter. Sure people have mechanicals but more often than not, they just got beat.

So, to the guy who was ripping on the Felt here are some things to think about:
- Bad geometry/fit - Get a bike fit from a reputable shop or a certified bike fit specialist and then choose a bike that falls in line with that.
- Bad components - Really?! Why did you buy the bike? I raced 3 seasons on an Ultegra/105 blend and never had a problem. Take a look at the engine.
- Looks - see my point above. Were they holding you at gunpoint?

Seriously though, as my favorite mechanic says, "spend your money on the smart end and not the dumb end." I also translate this to mean work harder in your training and then consider upgrading your components.

peace.

PRODUCT REVIEW: Winston's Brand Cobble Cream

2010-03-13T19:22:00.003-05:00

One of the good things about aging is you start to learn how to listen to your body and more importantly, to take care of it. When I first started racing bikes, I eschewed conventional wisdom and tradition when it came to applying chamois creme. And this was back in the day when cycling shorts actually had a real chamois. But, after a few bouts with mmmm.... errr... issues in the nether region where arse meets saddle, I decided to give chamois creme a try. Over the years, I've tried many of the most popular and for the past year or so, I've even made my own.

About 4 weeks ago, I received a little care package from the fine folks at Winston's Brand. Winston's Brand has been making some of the finest embrocation available. The care package was an advance sample of Cobble Creme which signaled their entry into the chamois creme market. I have now put the Cobble Creme through its paces on both the trainer and the road on rides both long and short.

When you first open the container two things strike you. The first thing is the pleasant smell that I can best describe as clean - fresh but not overwhelming. The second thing is the initial resemblance to cold creme. But this is anything but your mama's cold creme.

There are 2 key components in a good chamois creme - 1) getting the right amount on the chamois and 2) the quality. The first component is more a matter of personal preference but you will also find that lower quality cremes will require more product to offer good protection for your precious bits.

Quality is even more important and this is where Winton's Brand's Cobble Creme really shines. Cobble Creme applies easily and smoothly. Once out on the bike, the creme provides long lasting comfort that stuck around even past the 3 hour mark. According to the wizard behind Winston's Brand, Aaron Hawkins, the secret is the sunflower seed oil which is not immediately absorbed by the skin and thus creates a little slippery layer between your skin and your chamois thereby reducing friction. Reducing friction is the key to ride comfort.

Need another reason for using Cobble Creme? It's vegan based which means it's all natural. This is important for folks with sensitive skin but it also won't harm those expensive cycling shorts. Although, I wouldn't recommend eating it.

After a few weeks trying it out, I've use the product liberally and still have not even approached the halfway point in the container which makes this a good value for the money especially compared to other 'brand' name products.

I've given up making my own for sure.

peace.

More photos from the North American Handmade Bike show

2010-03-07T09:05:00.002-05:00

Finally uploaded a bunch of the photos from the show. There was almost too much to see there. I spent some time talking with Kelly Bedford who was with Serotta for over 20 years and is now back making his own bikes. They are beautiful and light and he's a super nice guy who loves making bikes.

Zack and I also spent some time spreading the Winston's Brand gospel of embrocation and chamois cream (Cobble Cream). We've already received positive reviews from folks.

Honey, how much do you love me?!

2010-02-27T18:37:00.000-05:00

Reporting from the North American Handmade Bike Show in Richmond, VA. Zack and I left at 3:45 this morning and arrived around 1PM. We would have left on Friday but couldn't miss out on the Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore concert.

I saw a lot of great stuff today but the Speedvagen was one of my favorites. I even had a Molly Cameron sighting at the Embrocation Journal booth.

The thing that impresses me the most are the little finishing touches these builders put on their bikes like curly cable routers or pump pegs. And they love what they do and love to talk about their craft.

The people watching is equally amazing.

More photos and reports coming.

Peace.

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Deserted Island Dance Hall

2010-02-18T08:21:00.004-05:00

A few posts ago, I asked people what 5 songs would they want on a deserted island. The responses were interesting and consistently hit on a couple of themes:

Everyone's top 5 (or 10 or 15) changes depending on what they are into.
Why just 5? Well, I had to put a limit on it and make you work for it.
People love their music and really hated to limit themselves to 5. Agreed!

Music is definitely a consistent soundtrack in our lives. Our radio stays tuned to WFPK 91.9 or is cruising through our MP3 collection. Most of our friends are the same. Music often provides historical markers for the events in our lives. "That song reminds me of the time...." Joy, sadness, comfort, peace. It's all there.

Without further ado and in no particular order, here are the submissions I received:

Wouldn't It Be Nice - The Beach Boys
A Quick One, While He's Away - The Who
Serburne - Alabama Sacred Harp Singers
Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine - The White Stripes
The Waterfront - John Lee Hooker

Jack Straw-Grateful Dead
Hard to Handle-Black Crowes(live 2002 version with ending jam)
Tumblin Dice-Stones(Brussels Affair European Tour 1973 version for the Mick Taylor guitar solo. Like having Duane Allman in the Stones. Fat, Fat Tone!!)
I fought the Law-The Clash
Bastards of Young-Replacements
Wasted Words-Allman Bros
Sweet Thing-Van Morrison

O.A.R. - Hey Girl
Sinatra - Fly Me to the Moon
DMB - Fool to Think
Paul Anka - True
O.A.R. - Right On Time

And my list:

Three Little Birds - Bob Marley & The Wailers
Steady As We Go - Dave Matthews Band
Tear Stained Eye - Son Volt
Sympathy for the Devil - Rolling Stones
The Weight of Lies - The Avett Brothers

And yes, my list changes too but those songs are consistently ranked high on my playlist. Now head out to your local music store (e.g. ear X-tacy) and buy some music.

Peace.

ear x-tacy - Louisville music icon in trouble

2010-02-11T08:36:00.002-05:00

As my TallGirl, Anna and I were grooving to an in-store performance by the Watson Twins, we were almost blown off our feet when owner John Timmons stepped to the mike to thank them and the people who showed up in the snow. He mentioned rumors in the news and a press conference on Friday and then got choked up when he said it's been a wonderful 24 years and he hoped to have a 25th.

WTF?! A little searching on the Google-o-meter found an article in our local rag. Holy cow! This would blow a huge hole in the music scene her. Besides being one of the best music stores in the country, ear X-tacy has exposed amazing music to Louisville and promoted so many local bands you can't count them.

Even my NYC boy, John Hirsch, was blown away by ear X-tacy when he visited for Ironman Louisville. I turned him on to some Slint and Squirrel Bait.

If you're needing some music, don't fire up iTunes. Head on over to ear X-tacy where knowledgeable staff will help you find what you're looking for and maybe even something you didn't know you were looking for. For those of you out-of-towners, visit their website and place an order. Where else are you going to find your music, Borders? I doubt it.

All Hail the Horrible Idea

2010-02-06T16:30:00.005-05:00

I blame yesterday on friend Zack. I'm old enough to know better so it must be his fault. He must have slipped something in my drink. I'm speaking of the horrible idea known as the Louisville Loving the Hills Trail Race. The race offered a 15 mile and 50K (31 miles for those metrically challenged) options. TallGirl was doing the 15 mile while Zack and I opted for the 50K distance. TallGirl is obviously smarter than we are.

The race took place in Jefferson Memorial Forest which is known for its hills. The race had over 13,000 feet of climbing over 31 miles. Plus, the city had received rain for 24 hours on Friday which was followed by approximately 3 inches of snow in the Forest. Awesome.

The race was an all day affair that included a lot of time deep inside of the pain cave. Thankfully, Zack was along for the run or else I would have gone crazy from all the screaming going on in my head. The most disheartening thing during the whole run occurred when my GPS marked the 31 mile mark and I knew we still had over a mile left to go.

All in all it was a fun day with some laughs. TallGirl raced really well (3:20) and we even rallied to make it to a friend's 40th birthday party and heard an awesome band and had even more laughs before heading home to collapse in bed.

My Garmin 310 XT provided all the details of the "fun". This week will include lots of recovery before training begins for the Derby City Marathon at the end of April.

Funeral for a Friend

2010-02-05T12:03:00.001-05:00

The space occupied in our lives is gone.
Replaced with a space in our hearts and minds.
Of good times, laughter, and togetherness.

Somewhere mid prayer a baby cries as if to say
It's ok to head home; life goes on.
I'm here to take your place.

Friends and family remember him.
And sadly, the thing that he was known for
Was the very thing that failed him in the end.

Blessed indeed are the peacemakers.
Go in peace, we'll take it from here.
Know that you will always be with us

Deserted Island Dance Hall

2010-01-26T11:09:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday we had some friends over for pot luck and guitar strumming. The collection of guitarists meant a wide selection of songs. I also realized that most of our friends are really into music. That's not surprising since music plays a big part in our lives.

As the conversations turned to "do you know this one," I began to think of songs I wanted to learn which then led me ponder what would be my Desert Island Dance Hall Top 5 songs. In other words, what 5 songs would I want if I was on a deserted island.

Here's the challenge. In the comments section, list your top 5 songs including the artist. I'll post the full list including my top 5 in a follow up post.

- no debating picks (Segal)
- you only get 5 songs (again, Segal)

Have fun!

Peace.

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

The Word from K8-monster

2010-01-20T07:10:00.002-05:00

Sentences pulled from one of K8-monster's recent homework assignments:

1) When you start walking, you don't need to move your mouth.
[I think she's heard that from someone.]

6) When I go to the circus, the clown scares me.
[Same here.]

8) My daddy has a super growling power that can spread all over the world.
[Don't test me people or I will unleash my super growling power.]

12) My dogs were so energetic and smart that one dog got trained.
[Not sure what happened to the other one.]

15) Martin Luther King, Jr. fought with his words instead of his fist.
[So true and I would argue MLK had a super peaceful growling power.]

Where's your head?

2010-01-13T18:45:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I had an appointment with my most-awesome Chiropractor, Tracy. Before she got down to popping and cracking, she asked me, "Where's your head?" The question caught me a little off guard. Tracy takes a genuine interest in the physical and mental state which is one of the things I like about her. Her question struck me so much because it was as if she had been reading my mind (scary thought). My mind has been wondering for the past few weeks where it was. This process for athletes is usually an annual rite of passage as you close out one season and start to think about the next.

The past few weeks have been filled with lots of fun/great workouts with friends and family. It's been fun just doing whatever someone threw out there. 3 hour mountain bike ride in the snow? Sure. Still there was something unsettled in my mind.

The body was willing but the mind was just coming along for the ride. Over the past few days, I finally realized this fact. I have not really taken a break this year and my mind is finally telling me that. 2009 will go down as a huge year for me (and by extension my family). Here's what it looked like:

February - Mercedes Marathon - TallGirl's first (whoop) - 4:02
Training for Ironman began in earnest.
June - Short Track Mountain Bike Race Series - 4 races; Shelbyville Olympic Distance Tri
July - Muncie Half Ironman (TallGirl kicked butt in her 2nd Half - 5:40)
August - Louisville Ironman
October - December - Cyclocross season; raced every 2 weeks for 8 races total & repeated as KY State CX champ and won 4 races.

Hmmmm... no wonder I've been a little stale mentally. My friend and PRO triathlete, John Hirsch, had a couple of great posts recently about motivation. He's one of those people who loves the work and would probably do it even if he didn't race. I love testing my body to see what it can do but I have found that I do need goals out there to provide a little purpose to the work. Thus, my motivation has been lagging a bit. I need purpose.

Last year was the first year in quite awhile that I sat down and wrote out my goals. It was a fun exercise and allowed me to focus on what I needed to do. The only thing that really changed my initial goals was the addition of Ironman Louisville. Once John opened that door, I had to shuffle my goals. I missed the sub-5 hour Half IM but it was a great training day. I did not even attempt the TT as I could not figure out how to fit one in. I did hit my Ironman goal of sub-12 hours by crossing the line at 11:36. I'll call it a successful year.

Setting goals and writing them down is a powerful way to achieve what is currently in your head. Put them on paper and show them to people. Take the risk.

After I collected my wits (and still prior to being manipulated), I told Tracy that my head was in transition but it was clear I needed to figure out what my 2010 goals are going to be. I've got some ideas but they're a little smaller than last year. And yeah, I'll post them here for all to see.

Peace.

Fu-rly Defined

2010-01-02T19:53:00.003-05:00

While reading a wonderful book of poems related to the passing of another year (In One Year and Out the Other, Steve Sanfield), I came across the best definition of the Fu-rly rides (and runs):

Awake before the rest
in a clumsy attempt
to begin purely

Perfect. Happy New Year.

Images of the Holidays

2009-12-31T18:09:00.004-05:00

Snowy drive on I-81 towards Johnson City, TN. The mountains were beautiful.

The early morning sunlight on my parents' deck. Mornings are always so peaceful (at least until the kids wake up) - my dad reading by the buck stove, sipping coffee and chatting with him.

Marcia sitting with the King of Saluda (aka my dad) outside my mom's gallery - Heartwood Gallery.

The Element in its element.

Mmmm.... beer! We met our dear friends Joe & Casey at the French Broad Brewery for a pint before dinner. 13 Rebels was the consensus favorite.

Marcia with her new MacBook. We did not hear from her much after she opened it up.

My cool new hat from Marcia.

Retail done right!

2009-12-24T13:33:00.001-05:00

I decided TallGirl needed a little bling for her steed and had seen an ad in the back of VeloNews (www.velonews.com) for a company called Purely Custom (www.purelycustom.com) that did custom nibbly bits for bikes - headset caps, spacers, etc.

I checked out their website and their wares and decided to order a purely custom headset cap for TallGirl as a stocking stuffer. They arrived a couple of days ago and they looked great except for one tiny problem. One of the words was misspelled - Rouge instead of Rogue. This happens. No biggie.

I emailed Customer Service and told them the problem and that these were to be Xmas gifts. Here is where great companies separate themselves from good ones. I received an email from Christie @ Purely Custom within a few hours saying replacements were being shipped 2nd Day Air and would arrive on Christmas Eve. As the picture attests, the replacements arrived as promised.

There was no haggling. No swapping of emails back and forth except to provide a follow up with the UPS tracking number. She just took care of it. I simply asked how I could get them replaced. She went the extra mile. That's what great companies do. Folks, in these uncertain times, excellent service and standing behind your work trumps price every time.

Check out the offerings from Purely Custom (www.purelycustom.com). Cool stuff from a great company with good people.

Peace.

Now that's how you close out a cyclocross season!

2009-12-14T19:54:00.002-05:00

Storm the Greens, the OVCX Season Finale and KY State Championship, has received many reports - Frozen Tundra edition, the sentimental, of alleged mayhem, and of goodwill (read this one last to help repair the brain cells you kill reading the others - grin!). I won't rehash all of their good words. Rather, I'll just revel in how the Louisville CX community put on a fabulous farewell to River Road Country Club by throwing quite a send off party. I'll also revel in the performance of the Rogue Racing Project.

Rogue took home 4 KY State Championships and 7 overall podium spots at Storm the Greens. Not too shabby for a team in its first year of racing. Throw on top of that numerous wins and high placings by our female road racers and Ironman, half-Ironman, and marathons and you have a very successful year. Rogue has been more than I hoped it would be. I've met some amazing people whom I am now lucky to call friends. Cheering for each other as well as other teams made every race more fun for all. This is what cycling is supposed to be about. It's kids play, remember?!

I really enjoyed sharing the podium with Fatty Harris and CKW rider (and poet) Kenny Sipes. Good people for sure.

As we look to 2010, I am confident there will be more good things in store for The Project and certainly more fun and more racing. See you on the road.

Peace.

Cyclocross and Roller Coasters

2009-12-03T18:09:00.006-05:00

I love cyclocross for the same basic reason that I love roller coasters. They both scare the sh*t out of me. The fear is on many levels but has an exhilarating feeling that I liken to putting a little too much wasabi on your sushi. You have a craving to eat more as it gets hotter and hotter.

Cyclocross has that same anxiety building moment that roller coasters have with that chug up the first rise. It's called the starting line. The pit in your stomach starts during your warm up but gets really big as you await the start of the race. First the call ups and then the nervous chatter and steely looks as you eyeball the competition. You know the start is going to hurt. And you know the next 45 minutes are going to hurt - bad. Unlike Ironman which is an all day dull ache, cyclocross is like doing open heart surgery on yourself without anesthesia. You are administering the pain and yet, you trudge on. Just one more lap.

Once the race is over, you are so relieved and you swear to your body that you won't do that again and yet, you toe the line the following week seeking the pain and the glory and the fear. If you are susceptible to horrible ideas, you might even Cat up (race in a harder category) and do a second race that day. You'll swear even more that you won't do that again but the lure of the coaster is too great. You will be back next week.

There are many other things to love about cyclocross. CX is full of rituals and it's got uniforms. I love rituals and uniforms (ask my mom). Rituals and uniforms are probably a big factor behind why I was a soccer goalie. Embrocation (a whole other post entirely), shaved legs, warm ups. The list goes on. Everyone has their own ritual for preparing for a race. Some try to stay loose while others need to be alone and focused. I'm in the middle. Stay loose early and then disappear just prior to race time for some alone time.

Cyclocross is fan and family friendly. Courses offer multiple viewing (aka heckling) opportunities instead of the race start and then I'll see you in a few hours that accompanies most road or mountain bike races. They are loud with cowbells and screaming. What kid doesn't like to clang a bell and scream for their mommy or daddy? What?! It's ok to use my outside voice. Wooo hooo!! There's a communal aspect to race day as parents report to each other that they saw the herd of kids over by the big sandpit about five minutes ago and yes, I gave them $5 for lunch so they've eaten.

Cyclocross lets adults play in mud, grass, sand, dirt. Face it, most bikers are living in a state of suspended adolescence and we'll take any chance we get to do something childlike. We get to strap it on, race hard and then share some laughs and swap lies after the race. But during... it's all play. Sweet painful play!

And this is the most appealing part of cyclocross. People play hard but are supportive of each other and the sport. Gone is the pretentiousness of road cyclists who would often rather spit on you than talk to you after a race. Any sport that encourages beer hand ups has its priorities straight in my book and yet, these are no slouches racing. They'll still try to rip your legs off in the race but they'll offer a beer out of their cooler when it's done. That's awesome.

This weekend is the last race of the 2009 OVCX race series. It's also the last race at famed River Road Country Club which has been the launching pad for Louisville's cyclocross scene as well as the highly successful Red Zone program (hmmmmm... getting kids involved in healthy pursuits that will last a lifetime... need more of that). But I guarantee it will be more like an Irish wake than funeral march. Already we have a bottle of Woodford Reserve and a pecan pie offered up for the Elite Male who finishes Lanterne Rouge (aka DFL) as he will be the last person to officially race at River Road Country Club. It will be bittersweet but we'll send the old lady off in style.

Oh how I love cyclocross.

peace.

Mmmmm... Bacon!

2009-12-01T18:21:00.000-05:00

Breakfast conversation between K8-monster and her friend:

Tallgirl: Hey girls, I made eggs and bacon for breakfast.

Friend: I'm a vegetarian so I don't eat bacon.

K8-monster: (crunching a piece of bacon) Mmmmm... I'm glad I'm not a vegetarian.

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

North Carolina Gran Prix Race Report

2009-11-23T20:48:00.005-05:00

The girls minus TallGirl (enjoyed a weekend to herself) traveled to North Carolina for the North Carolina Gran Prix, a UCI weekend of CX racing. My goals were simple: my folks would see me race CX for the first time, I'd get to race some really fast people, and I'd get to hang out with General Joe Collins and the Carmichael Traing Systems (CTS) Asheville crew. Louisville was well represented by other notables such as Blaine Heppner, Drew Dillman and Teri Meek.

On Saturday, I registered for the Masters 45+ as well as the 2/3 race in the afternoon. In the 45+, General Joe (my surrogate coach) and I flew the Rogue colors. We were together for a couple of laps until some untimely chain drops for Joe had him dropping back. I ended up 11th. I was trying to close the door on the 10th spot but a crash on the off camber section before the big hill (more on that later) kept me from sealing the deal.

The course was amazing. It had everything you could want in a CX course - off camber, barriers, run up, flat power sections, woods with single track and a hill and then a monster hill right by the finish. This monster hill came after the off camber section. Then you rode up a little hill and had about 10 yards of pavement to drill it so you hit the hill with as much steam as you could. It was rideable but got harder each lap (and even worse after 12 trips up). That's also where the largest crowd gathered to cheer and jeer riders as they attempted the hill.

This shot gives you some idea of how steep the hill was. Believe me it was bad. I was pleased with my morning race and looked forward to the 2/3 race where my goals were even simpler - don't get lapped by Drew Dillman. Drew and I had horrible starting spots for the 2/3 race. That's one disadvantage of traveling to a different race series. You don't have any points and nobody knows you so you don't get the advantage of any callups. I will say this. The folks in North Carolina now know who Drew Dillman (CTS athlete and all around nice kid - yep, he's 15) is after this weekend.

Despite the presence of my family, I was surprised at how tired I was from the morning's race. I got a terrible start (Joe would argue I always have a terrible start - I'm too nice) and was pretty close to DFL. I now had 2 goals - don't be DFL and don't get lapped by Drew Dillman. I worked as hard as I could to chase down some folks to achieve my first goal. As I came through the pits heading towards the bell lap, I looked across the course and saw Mr. Dillman. Oh please... let me get to the woods and I'll be able to keep him from lapping me. I drilled it over to the woods and finished the lap before getting caught (whew). I have no idea how I finished but it wasn't DFL. Drew finished 2nd both Saturday and Sunday.

Racing another series was fun. The course was amazing due to the variety that it threw at the racers. It really made me realize we can do so much more in Louisville by looking for other places to race and train. It will make us better riders and racers in the long run. To quote Joachim Parbo: Doing the same course all the time only makes you good at that course.

Another highlight of the weekend was hanging out with Joe and the CTS folks as well as the other Louisville residents. Joe got us hooked up with goody bags from CTS and Maripage Grubic was there with the Train Right tent and trainers. The instant community with other CTS athletes and the staff is another benefit of working with CTS.

Maripage has worked with teams like Saturn and 7-11. She's a real PRO. Right before my morning race, she just appeared and said, "give me your stuff. It will be here when you're done." I almost did not know how to react. Normally I'm frantically looking for TallGirl or a friend to toss my stuff to. It felt like being a PRO.

Unfortunately, the double race whacked me pretty good and the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale afterwards resulted in major couch lock once I got back to my parents' place. Sunday morning came around and I decided to bag my race in favor of hanging with the family. According to Joe it was classic CX weather and I should have raced. Dang.

If I can swing it, I'll be back next year. They do a great job with this event and it's almost a local race since I have family and friends there. Next time, I'll be bringing more Rogues with me.

Organic Growth

2009-11-16T13:55:00.000-05:00

Saturday was an awesome day. Well, at least it was once I was done with my cycling field test. A field test is designed to test where you are from a fitness standpoint and sets your training zones based on the results. It consists of two 3-mile time trial efforts (read: all out) with a 10 minute spin in between. I then download the information from my PowerTap and send it to my coach, Ryan Kohler, at Carmichael Training Systems (www.trainright.com) who then geeks out on the data and sets my training schedule accordingly based on my goals.

That's a long description that can best be described by "They SUCK!" The first one is hard but the second one is worse because you know how much it's going to hurt. Anyhow, the test went well and I was pleasantly surprised by the results. Waiting to get feedback from coach.

The best part was that my oldest daughter aka Chicken joined me after my test and we went on a wonderful 60 minute ride. It was her first real ride with clipless pedals. She did awesome and we had a blast rolling through Louisville's park system. She complains about hills (like TallGirl) but then rips up them. Sharing a sport you love with someone you love is one of the best feelings in the world. I had (and still have) the same feeling now that TallGirl is riding.

Saturday's ride was followed with the return of the Sunday morning Rogue Racing Project (www.rogueracingproject.com) rides. It was a small but fun group (Fatty, TallGirl, and K2) but I expect that to grow once CX season is over.

Good times on the bike!

Peace.

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Rogue: The Grand Experiment hits USGP

2009-11-02T20:56:00.006-05:00

The US Gran Prix of Cyclocross made its stop in Louisville with the Derby City Cup on October 24 & 25. Even with the robust Ohio Valley CX Series, this is THE weekend. Field sizes are the biggest we see all year and this year was even bigger than last. In fact, there were 111 in the Cat 2s/3s (my race) alone. All the other categories were equally stacked. Plus, the PROs were in town. You can find some great race reports on Love The Pain as well as Ben Wilson's blog. Ben races for Twinspires and put together some great posts about the USGP as well as a slick video that features a lot of Rogues in action. Additionally, he's a super nice guy who embodies the Rogue spirit even if he's on another team and that brings me to the real purpose of this post.

The seeds for Rogue Racing Project were planted last season as a few of us regularly road tripped to all of the OVCX races. But it wasn't until a call from Oli that things started to fall in place - quickly. Around her dining room table and over a few beers, the seeds were sown. The goal was to put a team together filled with folks who loved competing, were fun to hang out with and wanted to do different things and not be hemmed in by a road-focused cycling team. Easier said than done.

Some people joined and they brought people with them. Soon the women were winning bike races, runners were qualifying for Boston and Rogues were tearing up the triathlon circuit including Ironman Louisville. But for me, CX was always going to be the season even with an Ironman completed this year.

USGP was going to be where I hoped it would all come together. I was not disappointed. Early Saturday morning, Rogue corner (at the bottom of the Green Monster) was set up and quickly became THE place to hang out. I'm sure the BBC Hell for Certain keg had something to do with it. Rogues cheer for everyone. We give beer hand ups. Molnar's kid gives beer hand ups. We heckle (good naturedly). Other teams came over to hang out. As I looked around, I noticed we have the most diverse group of folks on our team (lawyers, bike mechanics, med school students...) and yet, it works. This was exactly what I hoped Rogue would be - people competing fiercely and then spectating just as fiercely.

To my fellow Rogues, I salute and thank you for your spirit. We had people in almost every race and were second only to those pesky, Red Zone kids (who secretly are a bunch of Rogues anyway).

Oli (VEEP) drilling it.

Rogue corner with the gang.

Michael (Sham Wow) Webber putting the hammer down.

John Molnar of Louisville Dirt Club - always smiling!

TallGirl and her boys.

Me and TallGirl pre-race.

Me just past the barriers. Finished 29th on Saturday and 40th on Sunday but good enough to take the wins for the OVCX Cat 3 45+ Division.

Jimmy (Nacho Libere) Flaherty - Owner of some of the funniest comments heard over the weekend.

Everyone can use some help

2009-10-18T07:50:00.005-04:00

As Louisville heads towards US Gran Prix of Cyclocross weekend, Danish National CX champion, Joachim Parbo, was in town to provide a clinic for those who wanted to learn from a PRO and improve their skills.

[ Parbo and local cycling stud, Ian McShane ]

The 2 hour clinic was held out at our local CX course and had an awesome and diverse turnout of young and old and experienced and novice riders. In all there were about 25 people in attendance. After a brief warmup, Parbo put us through our paces. The 4 major areas he had us work on were turns (setting up for them), dismounts/remounts, sand (everyone's favorite) and run-ups.

I have never mounted and remounted my bike as much as I did yesterday. We did them slow. We did them fast. We did them until we got the hang of it. Parbo gave us a tip on remounting that was like switching a light on in my head. It's so much easier now.

[ Parbo and me - he's now the proud owner of a Rogue/LTP cap ]

Parbo is a fantastic teacher who seems to love passing on CX lore. He does it with a blend of humor and sternness (when he catches you not doing something right) that makes it fun. I laughed as much as I worked.

Some key Parbo tips:

Don't always ride the same old course or same old route. That only makes you good at that route. Change the approach or the direction to work on different stuff.
The key to cross is being fast getting back on the bike. You don't win races being the fastest through the run up. You win it by being faster getting back on the bike.
Having the right bike set up is crucial.

The clinic was money and time well spent as these tips/skills I honed will pay dividends in upcoming races.

The clinic closed with a Q&A session which provided the quote of the day. One participant asked about passing people in tight places. Parbo responded that you should always respect peoples' lines and wait until a better spot to pass them:

CX is about power and not about being an asshole. If you want to be an asshole, go into politics.

Even though he was talking specifically about CX, that sentiment applies to a lot of things (see previous post).

Parbo closed the clinic with a shout out for the Simon Burney/Amy Dombroski clinic on Thursday @ 5PM and the Clif Bar Kid's clinic on Friday. If you can make one of the clinics, I highly recommend it. All of this activity is a great lead in to USGP weekend and yet more signs that the Ohio Valley cyclocross scene is growing by leaps and bounds.

Thanks to Mike McShane and Tim Omer for their roles in setting this up.

Hup, hup!

peace.

Are you a builder or demolisher?

2009-10-06T21:33:00.004-04:00

I was reading the latest entry from Dr. John Mandrola's blog. Dr. John, in addition to being a fine doctor, is also one of the stalwarts of the local cycling community. In his post, John expresses his appreciation for the fine traits you experience at cyclocross races but he could have been talking about other cycling events as well. He summed up how I feel pretty well.

Despite its popularity (mucho thanks, Lance), bicycle racing is still a niche sport with a very tight community. When I look around at all the teams in our area, I am amazed at the constant movement and shift of personnel and teams. Rogue Racing Project is a good example of that. I had an itch, scratched it and then found there were others who had the same itch and they joined up. Even with all this moving and shaking going on, the community has figured out ways to coexist.

During my 3 year tenure as VP of Racing for Team Louisville, I saw the cooperation between teams start to grow and now it's flat out blossoming through the hard work of folks like Mark Luking, Darrell Edwards, Steven Webster, Bob Bobrow, Mike & Lesley McShane and John Haley. I could list many more but I'd still leave some folks out - just know that I know you're out there and thank you.

Through their work and the work of others, Louisville is on the cyclocross map, the Red Zone kids are winning national championships, and we've got folks going to the US Belgian Cross camp. The secret is these folks are builders. They see something - a glimmer, a twinkle - and they want to make it bigger. They understand that building is the key to long term success for the group, the sport, and for individuals.

Being a builder requires you to check your immediate self-interest at the door and have the foresight to realize that building something that is not driven by personal interest will in the long run bring back greater reward.

Unfortunately, there are also people who would rather demolish than build. They either lack the long term vision or they misunderstand how tight knit the cycling community (and don't get me started on the peculiarities of Louisville) is. Tearing down things instead of building is not a long term strategy geared towards success.

People talk and word travels fast. It traveled my way on a few occasions recently. People had chosen to demolish (or maybe sabotage) the efforts of others instead of seeing an opportunity to build something bigger. They worked against and not in the best interest of the community. Whether that was the ego or just a lack of vision I don't think I'll ever know. My real hope is that these incidents are just anomalies - mere bumps in the road - versus a new cancer threatening the good work and good names of people who have put on their tool belts to build something - bigger.

peace.

Easy like Sunday Morning

2009-10-04T17:18:00.000-04:00

Although we were sad to leave the beach, Tallgirl and I enjoyed stealing a few extra hours on the sand before heading to the airport.

Peace.
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Now I remember

2009-09-28T11:30:00.000-04:00

Sunday proved to be a day of remembrance. I remembered why I love cyclocross. Sunday's ride was cooked up by Mr Segal (lovethepain.blogspot.com). Fatty brought his girls over for pancakes made by Tallgirl who agreed to provide babysitting services while the boys played in the mud.

Joining the ruckus were Mary and Aaron from MTB Depot and Cross Supply (www.louisvilletrailstore.com) in the REALLY white kits - perfect for the muddy conditions. We spent the day doing general laps of the course and hit all the major CX stuff - barriers, sandpits, run ups. I wasn't sure what to expect since this was my first CX ride of any note since last season. Surprisingly, it went better than expected especially given the super muddy conditions.

After about 3 laps I remember thinking, "man, I love this sport!" And hanging with some of the coolest people I know made it a classic day. I'm a little closer to finding my mojo again.

First race will be Oct 11th and then USGP at the end of October. Get your cowbells ready!

Peace.

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Gooooooaaaallll!

2009-09-27T11:59:00.000-04:00

One of the best things about Fall Saturday mornings is HYR Soccer. K8-monster had her second game this Saturday. I was not able to attend her first game last week.

Sometime over the last 6 months since Spring soccer, a switch flipped in K8's head and she now "gets" the game. It's less of a scrum and following the ball. She's moving into open spaces, dribbling, and (gasp) looking up to pass. Her whole team is doing this. I was just blown away by the progress. But I was most impressed by the 3 goals (K8 says 4 but I counted 3) that she scored especially the one where she dribbled down the left wing around a defender and then slotted the ball in the lower right corner of the goal.

Seeing the light go on in a kid's head is a pure joy to see and when it's your kid, the feeling is magnified. For her, she's just having fun and I was beaming like a proud father. Goooooooaaaaaalllll! K8-monster!

Peace.

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Passing on lore

2009-09-17T09:19:00.000-04:00

This was a fun evening. Anna and I went to work on riding with clipless pedals. After a few minutes of riding in the field and a few falls, she was ready to show off her skills on the pavement. I was very proud of her. Look out world!

Peace.

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Double Shout Out

2009-09-11T09:47:00.001-04:00

Look at that... I got a shout out from CTS for giving a shout out to CTS.

Peace.

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And finally... IMLou Race Report

2009-09-07T20:45:00.007-04:00

One week removed and with a nice visit to the Windy City, I decided it was time to commit the report to blog. During the first few days, I just could not get my head around my Ironman experience but I did not want too much time to pass by for fear of losing some of the details.

Ironman Louisville was an amazing experience that I would put on the life altering scale. I hope my report will provide the details of the race but also some of the experience that made the event so special.

The days leading up to IMLou were fairly calm until the arrival of PRO John Hirsch (aka "That Which Does Not Kill Me" aka "Run Evil" aka "The person that got me into this") and his sidekick Christine (aka Holisticguru). [NOTE: The Guru successfully passed the critical K8-monster and Chicken tests.] Most of the last couple of days were spent with John answering about a thousand questions and laughing everytime I vocalized my "WTF am I doing" sentiment.

Sunday morning came fu-rly for John and I (and our race crew). John was in a tremendous mood as his caffeine fast was over and he also loves to race Ironman. I was eerily calm myself. We headed down to the Great Lawn to drop stuff off at our bikes, hit the port-a-potty and then head down to the swim start.

TallGirl drove me down to get in line since this is a time trial start and starting position is critical. She got me down to the swim start with 90 minutes still to go before the start and already the line was 400-500 yards long. Thankfully, Ken Rideout (CREW member and lovable Southie) saw me and let me sit with him. Ken's a really intense guy and very entertaining if you have 90 minutes to wait for the swim start.

The swim start kicks off with the Call to the Post and then the PROs are off. Ten minutes later the age groupers were jumping off the dock as quickly as possible. "Start Me Up" by The Rolling Stones was blaring over the PA (coincidence?! No way!). About 4 minutes later, I was in the water and swimming.

The swim went pretty well. I stayed steady and away from traffic. As I approached the turn, I took a breath and noticed a guy running alongside of me. Yes, I said running. The water between Towhead island and the shore is pretty shallow and he was able to run. I made the turn and headed toward the finish. This section runs with the current but there was not much current this year. The most glorious site during the swim occured when I could see the green roof of Joe's Crab Shack which is where the swim finished. Soon, I was emerging from the water with a finish time of 1:33 or just 3 minutes over my goal. Unfortunately, I had no idea what my time was as I forgot to start my watch at the beginning of the swim. Dang.

I entered T1 not knowing how I was doing. The run to T1 is fairly long and people are yelling and banging cowbells. I vaguely remember seeing Marcia. The exit from the swim is always disorienting for me as you've just spent 90 minutes in sensory deprivation and come out to people screaming and banging cowbells.

The changing tent is a surreal experience as you have just run through sunshine into a circus tent that is dark inside. I looked around and found a chair and changed into my bike clothes.

Funny memory: The guy in the chair next to me left shortly after I got there but turned to me and said, "You want some swedish fish." I like swedish fish so I took a couple. Thanks, man.

Then I was off on my bike.

I was going to be relying on my bike leg to move me up the ranks after my swim. I have learned (the hard way) though that I need to keep it a bit constrained or else risk blowing up on the run. The bike went really well and I kept it in control by monitoring my wattage (~ 200 watts avg for the bike leg; 20.26 mph avg). TallGirl and K2 were planted on Buckner Hill which is one of the hardest climbs of the course. It was great to see and hear them on my two laps.

Observation: Sorry tri-folks but triathletes in general are the worst climbers and bike handlers. Saw some damn scary stuff as I ripped through the field. Oh... and to the lady that I gently pushed to keep her from clipping my front wheel: "I'm sorry. That's how roadies stop that nonsense. Hold your damn line!"

I finished the bike in 5:31 which was 5 minutes faster than my goal but I was still in the dark as to my overall time so I just kept pushing. As I headed to T2, there were lots of friends and coworkers lending their support. That was awesome. Back to the changing tent where I was greeted by more familiar faces in Doug and Brian from Love The Pain who were working as volunteers in the tent. It was great to see them because I knew I could just drop my stuff and they would take care of it. Off I went.

And then there was the run. The run is always the hardest regardless of the distance and Ironman was no exception. My goal was to be around 4 hours for the marathon but around mile 8 or 9 I realized this was going to be a war of survival. I remembered what my coach Ryan Kohler of Carmichael Training Systems had told me a couple of weeks prior which was to focus on CFM - constant forward motion. Just keep moving forward however you had to do it. And that's what I did. Lots of deals were made with myself - 'run all the way to the next water stop and I'll let you walk through it.' Something about never doing this again as well as some other lies and half-truths.

One thing I did like about the run was the loop aspect. I got to see John at one point (cool.... me and John running the same event) and my friend and business partner Larry Holt who was having an awesome race (10:57). Plus, you saw spectators multiple times.

I finally saw Marcia and Kelly as I was heading back on my last loop (around 22 miles) and was super-psyched to see them. They finally gave me an idea of where I was for overall time which took a lot of pressure off as I knew 12 hours was going to happen. I just needed to decide how much I wanted to be under.

The last couple of miles were just a blur as I was really pressing the pace to finish strongly. As soon as you get near Broadway the crowd and the noise starts to grow. When I turned onto 4th Street and only had 3 blocks to the finish, my face just lit up into perma-grin as I waited for those words from Mike Riley the race announcer - "Michael Seiler, YOU are an Ironman."

My marathon time was 4:22 which was off my goal but I hit 11:36 for my overall which was well below my 12 hour goal. I'll take that.

I remember being oddly aware of all that was going on after I finished but it was more like I was watching a movie of myself. I also had a big need to hug everyone. It did not really hit me until I finally sat down at home post-ice bath with my burrito and Dogfish Head. Then, the exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks.

This is still my favorite photo from the day!

THANK YOU:

To Marcia (aka TallGirl), this would not have been possible without your love and support. I felt it during training and especially during the race. I will thank you many times and for quite awhile. You are the best wife, friend and race crew a guy could ever have. And thank you for the wonderful (as usual) pictures.

To Anna & K8, although I tried to keep my training from interfering, I know that it did at times. I thank you for your support and patience and hope that I have been able to show you that you can achieve anything you set your mind to and work for.

To my extended family and friends, I would list you out but I'm afraid I might miss someone. Thank you for the support before, during and after Ironman. It really meant a lot to me.

To Ryan Kohler, you are an awesome coach who has once again helped me achieve a major goal - first, Boston and now Ironman. Knowing I could just trust the schedule kept the anxiety level low.

To John Hirsch, I have forgiven you for getting me into this with that fateful voicemail ("See you on 4th Street, m-fer!). I was inspired by your performance last year and being able to live the experience with you this year was amazing. Thank you.

To the Rogues out there, thank you for the best year. The excitement around the team has been amazing and kept me pumped up. Great to see you out on the course. Now let's kick some arse on the CX course.

To K2, for being such a great student and for suffering through some really hard workouts behind my Tri bike at 0-Fu-rly in the morning. Same goes for you Jen!

To Marcia, because I can't thank you enough.

To Aaron at Mountain Bike Depot, for getting my bike in tip top shape and the endless fountain of cycling knowledge.

peace.

Memento (not the mint)

2009-09-03T09:37:00.001-04:00

While I'm still formulating my IMLou race report, I was struck by this. The medal represents the accomplishment while the number is tired and well used which is how I've felt this week.

I had a weird feeling yesterday that almost felt like depression as I thought about being on this side of Ironman. After putting so much time and effort into the preparation and then achieving the goal I set, I'm now sitting on the other side wondering, "Now what?!"

It's a weird feeling to not be working towards something. Maybe that's the point. You need this time to be able to marshal the forces when it is time to focus on something. For now, I'll just enjoy the float.

Peace.

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I am Ironman

2009-08-31T06:01:00.000-04:00

Official Time: 11:36:31
524 out of 2435

This is my favorite picture from the day.

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Race Day Reporting

2009-08-30T03:48:00.000-04:00

TallGirl will be handling race day updates:

www.twitter.com/bikezen
www.twitter.com/tallgirlky

Just a few hours from the start. Pitch black and quiet right now. It's as if the morning has no idea what's about to happen.

Peace.

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Different band

2009-08-29T12:42:00.000-04:00

Last year I wore the white band which signified Media access while we chased John around the IMLou course. I even kept the band on for motivation in a Half IM that TallGirl and I did a few weeks later.

I was so jazzed and inspired by the experience last year. Seeing the race from a PRO's viewpoint is extremely cool. To witness someone channel all of their focus into something will inspire. To see age groupers laying it all on the line will humble you. So I had to do it.

I am less than 24 hours from IMLou and have traded my white band for the blue band of an Ironman.

I'm already bringing everything inward. Drawing inward can be scary because you see and feel your fears. My job is to realize these fears are of my own creation and to move beyond them into nothingness. Nothing but forward movement. Forward movement towards your fears (not away) in order to bust through to the other side into the nothingness.

Thirty one hours from now, I can call myself an Ironman. See you on the other side.

peace.

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A good omen

2009-08-29T12:02:00.000-04:00

Anna competed in the Hillcrest Kids Tri this morning and took 1st Place. It probably did not hurt that she had a PRO triathlete cheering her on. Lots of cowbell!
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Our capacity to believe

2009-08-27T21:58:00.000-04:00

Humans have an amazing ability to shift their belief system during times of stress. Heck, we can adjust our belief system anytime especially when it benefits us or when it fits into how we want to view the world.

This brings me to my Horoscope for today. I normally don't read them (yeah, everyone says that) but as John (www.johnhirsch.org) and I were sitting in the kitchen talking about IMLou, I glanced at the paper and the Horoscopes were right in front of me. So, I read mine and was blown away by how appropriate it was:

"Your energy and intention are stronger than they were before and they're probably stronger than the people around you right now. This is good for you since the prize goes to the one who wants it more."

Luckily, I did not have to adjust my belief system on this one. I do feel that my energy and intent are at an all time high (just ask my coworkers). Sunday will truly be about who wants it more. Who is willing to fight through the fatigue and pain to earn their Ironman. I'm ready for it.

peace.

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There in the distance

2009-08-27T14:01:00.000-04:00

Pic from my office of the IMLou transition area being set up. Exciting and vomit-inducing all at the same time.

PRO John Hirsch arrived last night with HolisticGuru (www.holisticguru.blogspot.com). John's always fun to hang with and The HoGu is already winning hearts in our house (i.e. K8-monster likes her(we do too but we'll keep her hanging on that)). John is reporting live on his site - www.johnhirsch.org.

But, unlike a certain local d-bag, demi-celebrity, he won't be blogging during the event. That would be disrespectful.

Peace.

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Ironman JumpUP - Official Playlist

2009-08-25T20:41:00.002-04:00

Ok... here's the playlist for the week. Trying to ingrain some angry songs in my head so they become earworms and provide something to focus one. Thanks to John Hirsch for a few of these suggestions:

Adrenaline - 12 Stones
Bleed American - Jimmy Eat World
Bleed It Out - Linkin Park
California Uber Alles - Dead Kennedys
Crawl - Kings of Leon
Guerilla Radio - Rage Against the Machine
Keep It Together - Ben Harper and Relentless7
Lukin - Pearl Jam
Police On My Back - The Clash
Re-education (Through Labor) - Rise Against
Ring of Fire - Social Distortion
Save Yourself - Rocco DeLuca & The Burden
Spoonman - Soundgarden
The Strength to Go On - Rise Against
Uncontrollable Urge - Devo
Who Are You - The Who
Wild International - One Day As a Lion
Wish You Were Here - Incubus
Yell Fire - Michael Franti & Spearhead

That's all on one disc. Some old and new. I was worried old Zack (RATM) might not get along with new Zack (One Day As a Lion) but they did. What's your list of JumpUP tunes?

peace.

Hot like wasabi when I bust rhymes...

2009-08-23T13:38:00.006-04:00

Nothing says future Ironman than a stylish pink swim cap. The only thing missing was a few flowers and a chin strap. I participated in a swim in the Ohio on Saturday as part of my taper. The field was full of IMLou participants who were also there to get comfortable with the Ohio. It was a laid back event but did a lot for my mental state in preparation for Sunday (yeah... next Sunday).

I'm feeling really good about my prep heading into IMLou. Yesterday's swim felt good and I floated during my run that afternoon (8M @ 7:35 pace). This morning's ride was equally good. 2 hours with a 206 watt average and comfortable.

After the ride, I headed down to the CX course to watch a bunch of Project riders getting in some practice. TallGirl was among the riders. That's right. I said TallGirl. And, guess what?! She had fun.

Here's the gang post-workout flashing the Rogue "R." Well, everyone except Oli who went with rabbit ears. CX season is going to be a blast with all the Rogues kicking it in the OVCX Series.

One more week. Like Harrison Ford I'm getting frantic...

peace.

Pearl Jam - Mini-mentary

2009-08-23T13:16:00.001-04:00

Pearl Jam - Backspacer Short

Great little vid on PJ's upcoming release "Backspacer." Reminds me of the best message I received on the bottom of a Magic Hat Lucky Kat: "what could be better than a beer with Eddie Vedder." Nothing.

A post of posts

2009-08-19T12:13:00.000-04:00

I had intended to post this great story last week about how everything clicked on Thursday but then life threw a curve and coupled with a need to conserve energy I just never wrote it.

The gist of the post is I had a transcendental day of workouts last Thursday. My morning run was fast and effortless. I was making lots of plans in my head and the run just flew by. That's when I got buzzed by an owl. Not once but twice. It was very cool and must be good luck. My swim that evening was equally effortless and swimming in my lane was my former self. He was dragging his feet wasp-style and just wrestling with the water. It served as a good reminder of how far I have come in the pool.

The curve?! Someone entered our house late Thursday night/early Friday morning. While they only made off with some cash and credit cards (all replaceable), someone had entered my castle while my family and I slept upstairs. That can really rock your foundation. Tallgirl and I have been a little creeped out and extra paranoid since. The hunt for a dog will begin to heat up after Ironman.

Saturday was my last big training effort. I did 93 miles on the IMLou course and averaged 19.7 mph and 210 watts which was encouraging. I followed that with a 30 min run.

Sunday was a huge highlight. Chicken (aka my eldest) competed in her first triathlon. She came in 2nd Overall and 1st Female. WOOT! Most importantly, she had fun. You can see a picture of her finishing at: www.rogueracingproject.com.

The last few days have been an up and down of emotions but my head is still screwed on properly as we enter the last week. One week from today our dear friend and Ironman PRO John Hirsch (www.johnhirsch.org) will be arriving to "bring the ruckus!" Can't wait for that. Plus, I have all sorts of questions about transition and gear bags and...

Peace.

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The Taper Begins

2009-08-11T12:46:00.000-04:00

"There will always be suffering. The trick is to not suffer over the suffering."- Alan Watts, Zen master

The long journey is nearing its completion and the tapering has begun. Besides a couple of key workouts, the primary focus is on resting and rebuilding for the event.

This is one of the hardest (honestly) parts of endurance racing. The training volume has steadily increased to a point where your body just keeps redefining 'normal.' Taper week is a slow wind down but your brain tells you weird things - you're not doing enough, you're gaining weight, etc. The taper, however, is just as important as the training. It's here where your body rebuilds itself to handle the event. Your brain gets rested to provide the focus and motivation that you'll call on repeatedly during the event.

The ultimate goal is to head into the race feeling somewhat like a caged tiger or since I'm in Kentucky, a thoroughbred who just needs to get out and run. The challenge is keeping to crazy pre-race thoughts and jitters to a minimum.

A few things I have been thinking about recently:

I am extremely lucky to have an incredible family who has supported me throughout this which I'm sure has not always been easy. They are/will be a source of strength for me.

I am also lucky to have great friends who keep me motivated and often accompanied on my training adventures. You mean a lot to me.

The human body is an amazing machine. You can keep throwing stuff at it and it will respond by getting stronger.

I have seen many parallels between Ironman training and buddhism. The training teaches you that there is suffering and your brain has to learn how to deal with that. I have found it helpful to break everything into smaller chunks so as to not try to eat the elephant in one bit.

Surprisingly, I'm fairly calm but expect the anxiety to rise up a bit as the appointed day gets closer. But, I'll be ready to find that inner calm.

Peace.

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Too good to be true

2009-08-05T20:20:00.002-04:00

Ok... a bike named Segal. Made in Israel. Segal, you've been holding out on us. Why do you ride that BMC?

Thanks to BikeSnobNYC for bringing this little bit of funny.

Weird Scenes

2009-08-04T21:38:00.000-04:00

And so the race dreams begin. I haven't had the panicked "I left my timing chip at the hotel" dream that I often get before marathons. I'm sure it's coming as last night's dream was about making sure I had all the gear bags packed appropriately.

I was able to get it out of my head by saying that my friend and PRO John Hirsch (www.johnhirsch.org) will whip some Yoda-like knowledge on me when it comes to that. It worked.

Peace.
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Perfecto

2009-07-31T17:14:00.001-04:00

Driving through Ohio the reflections on vacation have begun. In addition to a Blackberry/Internet free week and some relaxing times with TallGirl's family, I enjoyed one of the best training weeks yet.

Need an open water swim?! Just step out back and dive off the dock into Perch Lake (pic). We mapped a 3/4 mile loop. I got 3 solid swims in this week with the final one being 3 laps of the lake. Good confidence builder for IMLou.

Surrounding the lake were mountains and more mountains. The climbs here are different than North Carolina (steeper and a bit shorter) and you were either going up or down. The terrain is way different than Kentucky. That made for good work on the power. I was even able to mix in some dirt road (eat your heart out, Segal) riding by doing the 1.5M climb on the backside of Perch Lake (pic).

The only downside of riding from the lake is the daunting 1.5M climb back to our rental house. The climb averages 6-7% but has a couple of sections that kick up to 10-11%. That sucks at the end of 3+ hours on the bike.

And guess what?! You get to run up that mofo, too! Woot!

The rest of the time was spent hanging out on the dock, paddling around the lake or visiting with family. There always seemed to be some new cousin spending the night. Very cozy but fun.

On the Tour front, I did miss seeing the last 2 Tour stages but got caught up via the NY Times. I also read that Senor Contador let his youth get the better of him as he slung mud around. Not real becoming of a Champion.

The last few weeks of training are now upon me. I dare not look at the countdown ticker over there to the right. The day will come.

Peace.

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