Wishy Washy

 End of the year, tired, not sure if I run or I ride. New shoes, running feels good again. Back on the bike,  knee feels good. Do I run or do I ride.

 This time of year is always a pain for me, deciding on what races to do. Or should I even do any races. 50k's?, endurance MTB?, cross country with the kids?, duathlons? Makes me wonder, can I still enjoy being active without the competition? 

 Iv'e been lucky lately, and was offered a spot on a new road cycling team (Cherry Street Cycles) so that helped me choose some cycling events. And this team will afford me the time to race some mountain bike races with the kids as well.

 I think I will still run my normal amount of running. Maybe sneak in a race. Maybe not. A duathlon would be real fun. But there will probably be a road race or MTB race on the same day. If the kids want to race, I think that would be the big decider. 

 I could just become a triathlete?....Then I would need a new bike....No, I don't think I could hang out with a bunch of people who use the word bike as a verb.

wish·y-wash·y

  [wish-ee-wosh-ee, -waw-shee]  Show IPA

adjective

1.

lacking in decisiveness; without strength or character; irresolute.

2.

washy or watery, as a liquid; thin and weak.

Origin: 
1685–95;  gradational compound based on washy

....Later

Damn

...Later

My new favorite video

 There are four different riders on this video. The first guy has skills, the second guy is "haulin it", the third guy is sick (Thomas & my favorite), and the fourth is...well he's riding "The Full Nelson". 

...Later

No taxation without representation

Many of us love this oleaginous spread, and the price in middle Georgia seems to be rising do to its popularity. But the French have gone to far. They are moving for a tax on palm and coconut oils. Which forms much of this hazelnut/cocoa wonderfulness. The French media is calling this  le taxe Nutella....Nutella tax. Just think, what if we were taxed on this, and maltodextrin (Gu, Shot Bloks, sports drinks). What would we as endurance athlete's eat? We would have to eat like we did years ago. Pastries, cookies, PB&J's. And dare I say....Fruit! 

 Well until this happens, eat up! 

And Thanks Mr. Pietro Ferrero for your "Supercrema gianduja"...Later

Up and Down

Going up

Going down...Later

Taco's and Trails

 The words "taco's for dinner and I'm going for a trail run" should never be spoken within  an hour of each other. 
 I wasn't planning on eating one before I ran, but as I was tasting the kids dinner I ended up eating one. About 52 minutes into my run at L.H.Thomson, I placed an "ABC taco" on the trail. It sure did taste better the first time. Now my stomach felt terrible, so I planned on taking the radio tower loop bypass. I then thought, if I ever want to regain my "ultra runner" status, I should suck it up and finish the whole lap. Then I heard someone shooting a gun on top of the radio loop....so the bypass seemed like a good idea again. 
 I ended up with a very good run. I have 120 miles on my new Asics scouts, and they feel really good. Although If I buy another pair I will buy a half size smaller. 
 Only a couple of weeks until the L.H.Thomson marathon. I have some good miles on my feet. Pine Mt., Pinhoti trail, countless laps at Thomson, and my regular lunch runs. I'm excited about the race. Because I feel good and finally a race close to home so I don't have to travel...Later

Minimal or Maximal

  Minimalist running shoes, there are several definitions for a minimal running shoe, (minimal drop, minimal features, minimal cushion). Recently I've been running in a couple of different minimal shoes, New Balance MT 110's, and Brooks Pure Grit. Both minimal drop, features, and what I consider minimal   cushion.

 The bare foot crowd says the Brooks shoe is a high cushion shoe...Aaaa whatever! The  cushion is soft but not "high". When I run in them, I can feel my feet hit the ground, and I feel every rock on the trail. After just a short run my feet feel beat up. Maybe if I could run fast, they would not hurt my feet. But as it is, I am slow and plod around the trail. Not the shoe for me. I now really like these shoes for after run (or ride) shoes. Light and soft cushion I would say.

 Then there is the New Balance MT110. I have a lot of miles on these, but all runs are one hour or less. I  made one attempt to have a long run (20 mi.) in them at Dauset trails, took two and a half hours, 14 miles. I was so ready to get back to the truck. My feet were killing me. My calves hurt, my knees, my back...Let me back up, I had just started picking up my mileage when I made this run, so these are probably normal aches and pains. But I have since had other trail runs in them and I ended up swapping them out for my old trusty 450 mile worn out Columbia Ravenous, and my feet felt O.K. I now will save these shoes for runs of one hour or less, or for a race (short race).
 The MT110 has minimal cushion, 4mm drop, minimal features. I like this shoe for short runs. The Pure Grit has minimal cushion, 6mm drop, minimal features. I do not like running in this shoe. So where am I, maximal shoe for me. Maximal cushion that is. I can give or take on the features of a shoe. But I think a lot of cushion is what I need. 8mm to 10mm drop I think. I would like to try another 6mm shoe, but one with firmer cushion.

 Now for my new shoe, Asics Gel Scout. High cushion (firm), 8mm drop, more of a traditional shoe. I have 70 miles on these shoes and so far they are great. At first I was not sure because they felt stiff and too firm.  Maybe because they are so different from the other two shoes. After my Pine Mt. run of 24 miles (Tower to Molly Hugger & back) they started to feel much better. So after 5:22:00 in these shoes on a demanding trail like Pine Mt. and no issues...I'm "digging" these new Asics. Great traction, great rock protection, and still soft enough to run on pavement.
 Maybe not the "trail feel" that the minimalist crowd always talks about, but I like the fact that I can plow through the trail in these shoes with good feeling feet at the end of my run. Much like the way my 29er does. A maximal shoe perhaps. The endless search for the perfect shoe goes on...Later

REI survival tools

 For those of you who like to shop at REI. Here is some good Christmas ideas:

12 hours of Dauset and stuff

 Casey, Thomas, Gavin, and I went to Amerson water works park today and completed "O" coarse #1 (beginner coarse) set up by Andi Berger. She has set up four total. Each getting more difficult. They are designed to be navigated without a compass, so as to teach the kids to use land features instead. 

We did well, and had fun, and had a little detour at the river. Thomas, and Casey wanted to try coarse #2, but Gavin was having none of that...err and I was tired of caring him around like a "sack of taters". So we had a picnic and played on the playground. 

 If the kids want, we might try a real orienteering meet this winter. Andi is hosting one in November at FDR state park. This would be a good one, but that's Pinhoti 100 weekend. 

 Oh ya, 12 hours or Dauset. You get out of a race what you put into it. Meaning, not much training, not much racing. I only completed 6 laps. My hands, neck, and back were killing me. Every lap got more painful, so it was pointless to me to press on. I remember thinking "I might need to write my name at work on Monday". Then I could hear Dave of Gone Riding on the P.A. "spaghetti is ready" that's all it took. I was done. Five Dauset races, and the first time eating the spaghetti. Mmm! It was a good time anyway, Hanging out in OMBA town. Well, training starts Sunday for next year....Later

NOT prepared, NOT ready

  12 Hours of Dauset, 2012 edition. I will be racing on pure guts this year. At this point last year I had 1880 miles on the mountain bike, and 396 of that at Dauset. This year I have 289.9 miles on the mountain bike, and 28.4 at Dauset. OHHH! THIS RACE IS GOING TO HURT. But I must race, this is my favorite of the year. Iv'e done this race 4 times (12 hr. solo), last year being my best.

Photo by Mark D

Ray and I put in some miles at Dauset recently. We rode a steady pace, and my back and upper body felt better. (I rode 28 miles out there the week before and that hurt bad!). All of the road racing I did this year really made me soft. So I must pay my penance (a punishment in token of penitence for sin). Road racing is very fun, and fast, but endurance mountain biking is fun, satisfying, and really test ones toughness. 

 I have one more week to "cram for the test". I think I have the fitness, just not sure about the toughness! And I won't have a crew this year, so it will be a true solo race. I think I will be fine here. I just have to make sure all of my nutrition and gear is ready to go for quick pit stops. Like I will use bottles this year instead of a pack. Now I need to come up with 13 or more bottles. 

 What ever happens it will be fun and tough...Later

Corsa per la maglia rosa

                           La corsa piu' dura posta piu' bello del mondo

Saturday 5 May 2012

Big questions

 Racing....so when does it began to be fun? Or no longer fun. When does it become an addiction? 

 Take a 6 year old boy racing in a 6-8 year old cross country race. Coming in last place and not even realizing it. Then saying, "daddy, can we still ride some more". Thomas and me, (with Gavin in tow) rode the kids race coarse for an additional hour and a half. With a small break in between to watch some of the "big boys race". We did many, many repeats of the single track section. Over and over, picking better lines each time. "Daddy, I was 5 seconds faster that time, I bet I can do it faster" Is that addiction or is that having fun. 

 Addiction is when something consumes your life, by that I mean dictates your life style. Or is that just your idea of having fun? Is it fun when you win every thing you do. Is it no longer fun when you stop winning? What if you've never won and you still race. Is that having fun or an addiction? Is it still fun or addiction when you secretly wish your friends have a bad race (one that your also participating in). Or is that just something all together different. What about cheering for everyone? No matter who they are. Is that having fun, is that just enjoying life?...I think so. 

 We should all take a lesson from the children around us. Enjoy the moment. Take in the day fully, let the fresh air expand our lungs and celebrate life. 

 So lets set a good example, and show that you can have fun with a healthy addiction. Be good to each other, appreciate and respect strengths and weaknesses. Kids learn bad behavior and pour sportsmanship from their parents. Its not a natural trait of children. There is a difference between being competitive, and being selfish and...well just not nice. 

 Remember, KARMA is always watching....later

Monkey on a stick

 Haven't been posting much lately. Been riding a lot, a minuscule amount of running (10 mi. a week).  Ball practice has started,  and basically life slapping me in the face   ( you know whenever you get on a natural high, and then it brings you back to earth).  

On top of Lavender Mt. (Some wealthy guys drive way)

My daughter is studying the galaxy in science class, so I've been getting some pretty cool questions lately. Man, kids are so much smarter know a days.  We've found some cool videos on the"web". 

So lately I've felt like a monkey on a stick. 

....Later

2:03:03

 The 2012 edition of the Albany race weekend. Two hours, three minutes, three seconds. Felt more like twenty hours. 5th place for the TT, missed the podium by a second. Short 2.3 mile course, twisty, and three inches of water in the turns. Very tight race. 9th place for the crit, Heavy rain all day...made the break, but one guy went down right in front of me. Sending me off coarse, past a white Lexus, and shooting the gap between a light-post, and a big oak tree. Bunny-hopping the curb, then back on coarse. When I recovered, the break was already around turn four. FRENCH TOAST! I yelled...Six laps to go stuck in the middle. I held on for 9th. 20 seconds in front of the group. Good for second place overall.

 Sundays road race, new day with no rain, but wind gusts up to 30mph was reported. The starting road was very narrow, and with 66 Cat-5 racers it was a nervous first few miles. Buck and one other guy took off for about a six mile break. It worked out good because the chase caused some fifteen riders getting dropped. Soon as we all settled down, another attack, and three guys got away. I thought about joining the break, than I thought about staying with the first place guy. Who I had marked earlier on. I remember thinking "I can still bridge that gap"....but cooler heads prevailed, or was I just chicken. All this thought processing took place in about a half a second. Must be the amino acids....The race was 34 miles long and at 24 the pace started to get really ramped up. I kept myself close to the front for the whole race to ensure I wouldn't get stuck behind everyone. I did more work than I should have (and Buck reminded me of that) but Team Doulos and Team Big Ring worked well together to keep John Eddlemon and me out of the wind. John got 3rd overall. We ended up dropping the competition, we swallowed up two of the break, but Nathan Robinson stayed away for a solo victory, two minute gap. Impressive! I finished with my first podium on a road bike. 1st place for the overall.
 Side note: Buck is my man! A few times I got hung out in that horrible wind, and Buck immediately had me covered. He turned himself inside-out to protect me, covered all attacks, and brought them back. Buck, "you da man". And with all sincerity....SEMPER FI
....Later

Team Doulos debut

10th annual Tundra TT sponsered by Lillie Glass company. Awesome one of a kind craftmanship. The trophies went to the fastest woman, and the top three overall. 

Doulos represented well, Tony 2nd-Masters 35, Dave 4th-Masters 55, Randy 9th-cat5, Bill-11th cat5, and me-10th cat5. Cat5, two top 10s out of 73, not bad. Randy had a great ride, I thought he performed very well. Bill and I did our best holding off all of the fast people. 

Dave missed the podium by 6 seconds, and dropped his chain, twice! Tony got second, and he is not even in form yet. About three hundred racers, and we got four top 10s. 

Look out Georgia, looks like the start of a good season!!

Cool commercials

Too bad I'm not getting paid for these. But cool just the same

                                     

Remember this one!

                                     

Good riding

 I sure have been lucky with the weather lately. Typical Georgia winter, 36 degrees one day and 72 the next. But when it came time to get on the bike, sunshine. Might be cold or hot, but sunshine. Hope I didn't just jinx myself. 
 Iv'e had a great team ride, where we did some Perry/Roubiax practice laps, I learned a lot from that. Anytime on the dirt road is a good time. 

 Then I had a milestone ride where I rode with the Macon baselayer, to Dowdell Knob and back (final Baselayer ride of the year). 144.1 miles, avg 19.1 mpg. Now that was in a well organized group of I think 16 people. Good rollers all the way there, up Hines gap, up to Dowdell Knob, then steep rollers back to Macon. Dowdell Knob is where President Franklin D. Roosevelt would have a picnic, overlooking Harris county near the Little White House.

Just hanging out with the Prez

 So I've had some good miles lately. I hope I can carry them into the spring, because the new season of racing is just around the corner. 

 Speaking of spring racing, check this out.

Awesome! 

UCI world tour

	From	To	Event	Ctry	Class
	17.01.2012	22.01.2012	Tour Down Under	AUS
	04.03.2012	11.03.2012	Paris - Nice	FRA
	07.03.2012	13.03.2012	Tirreno-Adriatico	ITA
	17.03.2012	17.03.2012	Milano-Sanremo	ITA
	19.03.2012	25.03.2012	Volta Ciclista a Catalunya	ESP
	23.03.2012	23.03.2012	E3 Prijs Vlaanderen - Harelbeke	BEL
	25.03.2012	25.03.2012	Gent - Wevelgem	BEL
	01.04.2012	01.04.2012	Ronde van Vlaanderen / Tour des Flandres	BEL
	02.04.2012	07.04.2012	Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco	ESP
	08.04.2012	08.04.2012	Paris - Roubaix	FRA
	15.04.2012	15.04.2012	Amstel Gold Race	NED
	18.04.2012	18.04.2012	La Flèche Wallonne	BEL
	22.04.2012	22.04.2012	Liège - Bastogne - Liège	BEL
	24.04.2012	29.04.2012	Tour de Romandie	SUI
	05.05.2012	27.05.2012	Giro d'Italia	ITA
	03.06.2012	10.06.2012	Critérium du Dauphiné	FRA
	09.06.2012	17.06.2012	Tour de Suisse	SUI
	30.06.2012	22.07.2012	Tour de France	FRA
	10.07.2012	16.07.2012	Tour de Pologne	POL
	06.08.2012	12.08.2012	Eneco Tour	---
	14.08.2012	14.08.2012	Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian	ESP
	18.08.2012	09.09.2012	Vuelta a España	ESP
	19.08.2012	19.08.2012	Vattenfall Cyclassics	GER
	26.08.2012	26.08.2012	GP Ouest France - Plouay	FRA
	07.09.2012	07.09.2012	Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec	CAN
	09.09.2012	09.09.2012	Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal	CAN
	29.09.2012	29.09.2012	Il Lombardia	ITA
	10.10.2012	14.10.2012	Tour of Beijing	CHN