Mall racing anyone

Copied this video from another blog. It must be in Europe somewhere, it's not something you'll see around here.

Driving

Driving to work this morning was an adventure. Snow and blowing snow makes it really difficult. Specially when you have a 32 mile commute that normally takes 45 minutes. It took me 1:10 to get to work but I made it. A couple of sliding episodes but nothing bad. The worst part, it's not supposed to get any better during the day. I'm leaving early, I'm not fighting traffic on my way home.

More snow

Winter is back, was never gone just resting. We already have a couple inches of snow and by tomorrow should have close to a foot of snow in some areas. I haven't even been cross country sky yet Maybe I'll go Saturday. This mornings drive wasn't the greatest but it wasn't too bad. My only gripe is that the metroparks roads are not plowed early and I drive through there quite a bit on my way to work. There's times that they are just crunchy ice and very slippery, good thing I drive an all wheel drive Vibe. But even with the all wheel drive I've been pretty close to hiting the ditch a couple of times this winter, sliding on the road until the wheels hit pavement instead of ice. I'm hoping we don't get a lot of snow on this side of town so I can ride Saturday and Sunday. We'll find out by the end of the day tomorrow.
Later

Sunday Ride

Good ride today. 3:46 out and back to the lake on the parkway. Roads were dry and the sun came out and warmed us up. We had a bit of a tail wind and we probably rode a little faster that we wanted to at the start but everything evens out sooner or later. We slowed down a bit and stopped a few minutes to change a flat. On the way back it was pace line and not much talking. I rode my single speed road bike and the rest of the gang rode mtb's with road tires. I probably averaged 95-105 rpm's for the whole ride, great for the legs. After been sick for 3 days I felt really good.

The lake was frozen as far as the eye could see. I'm taking pictures with the phone until we get a better camera.

Finally

went out for a ride today, still didn't feel like riding last night. Put in a couple hrs and felt better than I thought I would. Went down to the valley up Snowville and back to Strongsville via the park. Not the best roads in terms of hills to test how you are feeling after fighting a stomach virus for 3 days. I probably should have done the Valley City loop that I do during the summer which is 90% flat, but it worked. Felt good the entire ride didn't push it much just rode at a good pace. At least 3 hrs tomorrow, we are riding at 9:30 from 130th and the park going north towards the lake. Hope to take a few pictures then.
Talk to ya tomorrow.

Sick time

The past couple of days I've been home sick with a stomach virus that knock me out. I've only had 4 slices of toast, gatorade and gingerale. I feel a lot better today after having a total clean up. haven't been this sick for a while. The worst is over so I'm planning on jumping on the trainer today and se how I feel. Hopefully I'll be able to have a nice dinner tonight and hold it. I'm hoping I can at least ride for a couple of hrs tomorrow. Is going to be 35 and sunny with nice clean and dry roads.

The Day After + ice racing

The Day After bonking on the trainer my legs felt a little heavy all day. I took Monday morning off and hit the rollers for 1 hr at 95-105 rpms. Once I warmed up I felt better. I've been trying to figure out what cause me to feel that way and all I can think off is that I didn't eat anything else after breakfast. I didnt use any heed in the bottles only water but I've done it before. Maybe going from two hrs of riding in the cold to the trainer did something to my body, who knows.

It's been 3 weeks since I started the first phase of my training and I already see changes. Before I would spin at 85-95 for an hr and now I'm doing 95-105 naturally and feeling the same way. Tonight I just hit the trainer for an easy hr of z2 spinning using a 39/23 at 95-102 and never went over 125 bpm. I just wanted an easy spin to lossen up the legs after this morning spinning class.

Which I almost didn't make it, I didn't re-set the alarm and got up at 4:50 instead of 4:06, had to hurry up to make it in time.

On other news some mtbers have been ice racing at Findley State park. I wanted to go last Saturday but had two spinning classes, maybe I'll make it this Saturday.

They are using studed tires in case you are wondering. You can make a pair yourself. Take a couple of old tires and from the inside screw the screws where they protrude out at least 1/4 of an inch. Use duct tape to cover the screws and mount on an old pair of rims and you have a set of winter wheels to fool around. You don't even need gears, make it a single speed ice racer.

For today

Coach training plan called for 2:35 on the bike. With the roads a little sloppy with the little snow we had last night and the last few days, any other year I probably would have done a hour on the trainer just to do something. Today I drove to the park pulled the single speed out

got ready and headed out to Berea on the bike path. Two miles down the path I jumped on the road, the path was ok but to icy in some spots and all I need now is to fall and brake something. As it turned out traffic in the park was very light and drivers were very nice. Rode to Wallace lake took a couple of pictures and

turned around. Rode back to route 82 turned around and rode back to the covered bridge and guess what, turned around again and started heading back to the car. Rode past the car for another couple of miles and finally rode back to the car. I only had 1:52 went I hit the parking lot the temps were dropping, (I started at 29 and it was 25) so I decided to do the last 40 minutes at home on the trainer. I was 25 minutes into the last 40 minutes when...believe it or not I bonked hard riding the trainer. First I started losing the rpm's went from 95-100 rpm's to 70-75 and couldn't speed up. I haven't bonked like this in years, yes I have felt weak but never out of it. I started shaking, couldn't stand straight, wow. I don't know how long I sat before I was able to go upstairs and eat a candy bar and a recovery shake. I crawled upstairs took a shower and slid back downstairs and started eating everything within reach. 3 big chunks of meatloaf, (my wife makes a kick a.. meatloaf) half a bag of organic blue chips, 3 big and I mean big scoops of ice cream, which I haven't had any in at least 3 weeks, finished the fruit recovery shake, another candy bar and 2 slices of organic wheat bread with what else, organic jelly and another candy bar. I have to say I feel preety good right now and I'm not feeling guilty for eating that much. I'll be more careful next week, I only had breakfast and nothing else before I went out to ride. I can't believe I was so dumb. Nothing would have happened if I had Hammer heed in the bottles but I went out only with water.

Rolling rolling rolling

It took all of 10 minutes to start going once I got over the fear of sliding off the rollers. I rolled for 50 minutes and held on to the treadmill handle bar for just a few seconds. I know I have good form on my bikes from the years I've been riding plus I've been told many times that my form is very good. I can ride without wasting too much energy for long periods of time, I look stiff on the bike but I ride very relaxed. A good fit is important to be able to keep your form on the bike. Get fit to your bike if you haven't get over the illusion that you can do it yourself. Anyways, check the video I took of me riding the rollers. I look like a dork wiht the headband, I forgot to take it off.

Time to blog

Haven't had a lot of time to blog lately so I'll try for a long one today.
Training is going great. Trying a new resistance program with your own body weight and it's killing me, at least until I get used to it. Lots of lunges and single leg lifts, dead lifts and using the physio ball a lot. My butt muscles are crying "no mas, por favor". I do all my indoor riding on a trainer all winter long, so I decided to buy rollers,

I tell you, I fell a few times until I got smart and put it on the treadmill and held on to the handles and I was able to get a feel for it. Rollers are to make you spin better, work on your cadence and form on the bike. It's going to take me a while to be able to ride without holding on to the treadmill but I take it as a challenge if I don't break something first.

Friday afternoon to Saturday morning we a pretty good storm blew by that left 10-15 inches of snow in the area depending where you are at. I got up at 6am to get ready for my two spin classes in the morning at the rec Ctr., took a look outside and there was at least two feet of snow in front of my driveway and everybodies driveway on the street. The plow had just gone by and left every driveway buried. I had breakfast and headed out at 6:30 to fire up the snow blower and make my neighbors happy, then I remember that since we've hardly had any snow worth shoveling I had not fill up my gas can. I used the two cycle gas from my weed wacker and leaf blower and if it smokes it smokes, I didn't care, I had to try to drive out I after I cleared a path wide enough to drive out. I showed up at the rec ctr and only 6 brave souls made it to the first class. 11 showed up for the second class out of 16 bikes, not bad considering the road conditions. Aftre the classes I went home had lunch and finish clearing the driveway. No complains here, my friend Juergen had to dig himself out of 36 inches of snow just north of Baltimore. Who's laughing now good ol buddy.

I've never seen 36 inches of snow fall. The most it's been 20 maybe 24, that's a lot of snow. Glad it was you this time. And glad you had the power restored "only" after 5 hours and it didn't last too long.

Finally, even though the high today was only 24 (but sunny) I decided to ride outdoors since some of the guys were going to ride at Hinckley at noon. I showed up around 1:30 since I went to Church in the morning and they were just getting done. Ray decided to stay and ride with me and he end it up with almost 4 hrs for the day. I rode my steel single speed mtb and it worked me pretty good. Ray turned his road mtb to a 1x 9 which I may just do the same to my steel SS. I end it up with 1:43 and a lot of small little hills thanks to Ray. I was planning on just doing laps around the lake but the roads were  icy to even try it.

I felt good today and put in a good effort on the hills trying to keep the cadence up and powering over the top. Afterwards I took a few pictures and headed home to a freshly made batch of chocolate chip  cookies courtesy of my wife. How's that for recovery food.

And a few more pictures of the small waterfall at Hinckley plus the ducks playing in the frozen water.

Computer meltdown

Had a computer meltdown 2 days ago, everything just went to ... Nothing worked My wife was having a meltdown herself not being able to do her facebook thing. But thanks to me she has a new phone (sprint pixie) that can do all that and more. And she didn't want it, go figure now she can't do without it.

Started a new phase in my training on Monday in preparation for Cohutta and Mohican. Can't believe I did 1:20 on the trainer tonight, mostly high cadence intervals and 20 minutes of climbing with 5 minutes standing up with 30 sec. accelerations every minute. I'm beat I haven't been on the trainer that long in years. I usually last about an hr. but time went fast tonight. Tomorrow is resistance and my spin class in the am with another hr on the trainer. Maybe I'll ride outside tomorrow night the temps have been in the low 30's godd enough for a couple of hrs outside.
Later, thanks for reading.

Craigs List Add

This is from an actual Craigs list add in Savannah, Georgia.

AN ACTUAL CRAIG'S LIST PERSONALS AD


To the Guy Who Tried to Mug Me in Downtown Savannah night before last.

Date: 2009-05-27, 1 :43 a.m. E.S.T.

I was the guy wearing the black Burberry jacket that you demanded that I hand over, shortly after you pulled the knife on me and my girlfriend, threatening our lives. You also asked for my girlfriend's purse and earrings. I can only hope that you somehow come across this rather important message.

First, I'd like to apologize for your embarrassment; I didn't expect you to actually crap in your pants when I drew my pistol after you took my jacket.. The evening was not that cold, and I was wearing the jacket for a reason.. My girlfriend had just bought me that Kimber Model 1911 .45 ACP pistol for my birthday, and we had picked up a shoulder holster for it that very evening. Obviously you agree that it is a very intimidating weapon when pointed at your head .... isn't it?!

I know it probably wasn't fun walking back to wherever you'd come from with that brown sludge in your pants. I'm sure it was even worse walking bare-footed since I made you leave your shoes, cell phone, and wallet with me. [That prevented you from calling or running to your buddies to come help mug us again].

After I called your mother or "Momma" as you had her listed in your cell, I explained the entire episode of what you'd done. Then I went and filled up my gas tank as well as those of four other people in the gas station, -- on your credit card. The guy with the big motor home took 150 gallons and was extremely grateful!

I gave your shoes to a homeless guy outside Vinnie Van Go Go's, along with all the cash in your wallet. [That made his day!]

I then threw your wallet into the big pink "pimp mobile" that was parked at the curb .... after I broke the windshield and side window and keyed the entire driver's side of the car.

Later, I called a bunch of phone sex numbers from your cell phone. Ma Bell just now shut down the line, although I only used the phone for a little over a day now, so what 's going on with that? Earlier, I managed to get in two threatening phone calls to the DA's office and one to the FBI, while mentioning President Obama as my possible target.

The FBI guy seemed really intense and we had a nice long chat (I guess while he traced your number etc.).

;In a way, perhaps I should apologize for not killing you ... but I feel this type of retribution is a far more appropriate punishment for your threatened crime. I wish you well as you try to sort through some of these rather immediate pressing issues, and can only hope that you have the opportunity to reflect upon, and perhaps reconsider, the career path you've chosen to pursue in life. Remember, next time you might not be so lucky.Have a good day!

Thoughtfully yours,

Alex