….since I rock and rolled

So, it’s been a long time since I posted. A lot has happened between now and the last post but I won’t go into great detail in one post. Here are the major updates.

In the Albert Lea triathlon I ended up 2nd in my age group, and 21st overall. The water was freezing. It made for numb toes off the bike and an interesting run.

Last week I was in Pittsburg for work. I had no internet access so I couldn’t really post or email or read message boards. It felt like I had been deleted from the world. The conference was good, I got to see my younger sister, and I got effed up with some old friends that I used to work with. The training and wallet took a little hit.

Over the weekend my parents were in town. We spent some time working on the house, went out to eat a lot, say BodyWorlds, which by the way was freakin kick ass, and basically relaxed. I raced on Saturday in Owatonna. The swim was a half mile, the longest of the season to date, and I rocked it. My legs were pretty dead from the traveling and drinking with friends in PA, and I ended up 5th in my age group and 22nd overall. On Memorial Day I went on a 3 ½ hour ride with G. She is training for the MS 150 and needed someone’s wheel for her ride. I was more than happy to oblige.

Now I’m back at work and really swamped. I’m heading to Duluth tomorrow for a big project meeting that I am leading and I’m totally not prepared for it. I think I’ll be up for a while tonight. No races this weekend, well none that I’m doing. I am registered for one but Dave agreed with me in that racing three weekends in a row is not the best idea.

The end is near

Friday afternoons are a great time for a new post. This weekend looks to be pretty good. I think we will be having drinks on the deck tonight, possibly riding to a few local establishments later on. Saturday Girl Carl said she wanted to see the new house, so I imagine some bike riding and beers will be involved there too. Sunday I have a race in Albert Lea. Distances are a ¼ mile swim, 20 mile bike, and a 4.2 mile run. The swim will be interesting as it will most likely be everyone’s first open water swim of the year. My legs have been feeling really dead this week. Even in yesterdays swim I could feel it. That’s saying a lot because my swim technique involves little to no kick. I plan on testing them early in the bike and if they feel good really hammer it, otherwise use the race as a high intensity workout and really pay attention to the signals my body sends out under different race conditions. Racing is a constant learning experience, and you can never simulate race conditions in a training workout no matter how hard you try. Either way the race goes I’m looking forward to it.

I just bought tickets to Body Worlds for next Friday. My parents get into town on Thursday morning for a long weekend and thought this would be an awesome thing to do one night. Friends of mine saw this exhibit in NYC a few months back and said it was freaking amazing. I’m really excited about it, my parents visit, and all of the activities we have planned for the weekend. Some of you may meet them as I’m sure I’ll post where we plan on having drinks over the course of the weekend. They are really fun to hang out with. I scheduled a last minute race that weekend because they have never seen me race a tri. I’m sure we will all enjoy that. I’m sure my race nerves will be in overdrive that day since I’ll really want to do them proud.

Hope everyone’s week is winding down smoothly and you get a chance to relax and enjoy the weekend. I’ll post a race report and let you all know how it went.

Ice Ice Baby

Lake swims in early May in Minnesota are overrated.

I road my new fixed gear to Nokomis to meet up with the other MN Tri Clubbers. It was great to finally get on it and ride farther than my neighborhood streets. I definitely need to change the gearing 48x15 is way too big for me. Anyway I got to the beach and we all slipped/forced our way into our wetsuits and headed into the water. Temperature reading was 58 degrees. Thank god for neoprene! After the first 300 I was feeling pretty comfortable in the water. It was pretty windy, so swimming into the near white caps was less than fun. I swam around 1000 meters and got out. The whole point in getting in the water was to ready myself for the race this weekend in Albert Lea. I didn’t want my first open water swim of the year to be in a race. Early season lake swims are sketchy enough for me, no need to add in the chaos and often time’s brutal mass swim starts all at once. After the swim I ran 6 miles and then rode back home for some well deserved dinner. It is so great that it’s starting to stay light out till late in the evening.

T3, you were right about the cool factor. Well I guess the majority of the folks were great. There was one older alpha male type there that I can tell if I workout with the group on a regular basis the two of us will clash. Type A personalities are rampant in the Tri culture and I can usually shrug everyone’s ego off, but this dude was over the top. Maybe he was having a really bad day. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt

Smokey you are about to enter a world of pain…

So I rode in my first criterium last night. For those of you reading that may not know what this is, it’s a bike race where the course is a loop and there are a set number of laps, in this case twelve. I had never ridden any type of mass start bike race, so needless to say I was a little nervous, more anxious than nervous I guess. I drove home from work, packed up the bike and headed for OPUS. The Cat5 (Cat 5 = beginning racers, Cat 1= bad asses) race started at 5:45 and I was leaving at around 5:00, I figured I had plenty of time. Well, traffic was bad and it was farther than I expected so I couldn’t stop to get cash if I wanted to make the race. I knew that registration was at an Einstein Brothers Bagels, so I assumed they would have a cash machine. Wrong, no cash machine anywhere. So I was late, had no money, and the registration was about to close. Luckily I found another team member and bummed the money from him. Thanks again Jason. The first time I meet you I ask for money, great first impression! Anyway I get to the registration table and I find out that the Cat5 race has closed and they are going to put me in the Cat4 race. Sweet titties! I’m really glad I decided to race tonight.

I caught up with Tuffy and told him I would be joining his race and he was as shocked as I was. The advice he gave me was to make sure I hold my line in the peloton no matter what. He said that everyone would be racing really close and if I made any sudden moves I would likely take other riders out or get bitch slapped after the race. I was feeling better about my decision after every minute that passed. Oh by the way I showed up with a bike that was having minor mechanical issues. I had recently changed a pulley in my rear derailleur and now it was having some trouble shifting. I thought I was going to get there in time have someone take a look at it.

This year I had been reading the race reports of other teammates in their first season of racing. The first few races their goal was to finish with the main pack. I adopted their goals as mine and rolled up to the line. We took off and I had some trouble clipping into my pedals, I finally got it sorted out after the second lap. The pace was quick, but I was hanging with the group. The pace would go up as high as 39 mph, and slow to around 18-19. We were racing close but I felt really comfortable. Every three laps there are sprints in which the top three riders get points. This is where my wheel fell off. The paced picked up and I lost contact with the group at the end of the third lap, which consists of an uphill sprint. I caught back up with them before the climb on the 4th lap, but then lost them for good. Another lesson learned: A bike that has a shifting mind of its own, especially once you start cranking uphill, is not a good race bike. I did however meet my goal of finishing with the main group, though I had another lap to go. Yes I got lapped in my first crit. Super, super sweet.

I wanted to stick around for the rest of the races but Jason had to drive back to Mankato and I needed to get to the ATM to get cash for him. Sorry about that Cat6. I drove home with my tail between my legs, ate dinner and walked the dog, then headed to the YMCA for some more punishment, this time in the pool. I am tired today. After work I’m heading to Lake Nokomis for my first open water swim of the year. I imagine the water will be cold and dirty. I’m meeting people from the mntriclub so hopefully they’ll be half as cool as the people that I’ve met through Cat6.

Test this bitches..........

This is why my ribs hurt after Drake Relays

Just wanted to figure out how to load pictures.....or whatever

A day in the life....

So I’m starting this post with almost no idea of what to write about. I mean I have a ton of random thoughts in my brain right now, but no real way to tie them all together. Here are a few things that I am sure of 1) I am tired all the time, 2) Our roof is leaking, 3) I just got a promotion at work 4) I really want to buy a new bike and might do it tonight, 5) oh and did I mention that I am tired a lot?

So lets start with 1 (and I guess 5). I’m not sure what to really make of this. It’s not like I am staying up late, drinking a 6 pack or even getting up super early. I go to bed at like 10:30 and get up at 6:30, eight solid hours of sleep. When Louie, aka the alarm clock, gets up I would rather chew my right hand off than get out of bed. I’m not sure how safe my commute is, considering I never really remember it. I think its one of those things where you are completely coherent while you are doing it, but once its over you are so tired it has been completely deleted from your memory. Or I’m just sleeping while driving to work! Maybe my workouts have ramped up in intensity and I’m just getting in better shape and haven’t noticed it (as far as perceived effort in the workout), except for feeling tired the next day. I’m not whining here but 2 workouts a day plus an 8 hour workday and commute really start to wear on you. Done.

2) Yeah the effing roof is leaking. This past Friday before heading to Alexandria, G looked up at the ceiling in the living room and saw that the paint was starting to bubble/foam where water was apparently coming in from our awesome roof. When we moved in there was a water stain on the ceiling but on the Truth-in-Housing form the previous owners said they had never had problems and the water markings must have been from the owners twice removed. Bullshit, so much for the validity of Minneapolis’s Truth-in-Housing Program. Anyway, we have 3 companies coming out on Monday to give us estimates. Based on conversations with friends and co-workers, its probably going to be between 4-6 thousand dollars. SSSWWWEEEEETTTT!

3) This should at least help with number 2. My boss cam into my cube yesterday and shook my hand and congratulated me. I was like “For What?” He asked if I had gotten my letter, dated May 2nd (which he had a copy of), and obviously I hadn’t. Anyway my promotion was approved by THE BOSS. What this basically equates to is that I am past my probationary period and I get a hefty raise. Good thing, I have a new roof, couch, lawnmower, heater/ac unit, and so many other home type to pay for. Point of number 3, even when you feel like you may be catching a break and getting ahead, someone somewhere has the power to put the smack down. Seriously, who is the guy who is like “Allan seems to be doing pretty well taming his spending, saving some money, making good decisions. Hey Jimmy, push the smack down button and get him strapped again.” My big raise was spent before we even moved into the house apparently.

4) Based on number 2 is this a good idea? Well if the two unnamed all powerful jokers are going to keep me strapped financially, I might as well give them a hand. Besides a new bike is always a good idea! I’m either going to get the Raleigh Rush Hour (new at a bike shop), or a Surly Steamroller (used off ebay). Both fixed gear with a flip flop hub.

Did I mention that I’m tired?

Relaxing Sunday......And Then

So a quick update on the race results. Turns out I was 21st overall and 6 out of 38 in my division. The bike average was 21.4 and the run was 6:25. My swim sucks. I was 89th in the swim but 18th and 17th in the run bike and run respectively.

Anyway after a good race on Saturday G and I had a great Sunday. I got up early and played with the dog in the backyard and had some coffee. Once G got up, we got on our bikes and headed to the Sunnyside up Café for brunch. The weather was freakin awesome. We sat outside to eat and people watch. Good cheap eats they got there. After we were fully stuffed we got back on our rides and headed to freewheel. I needed to replace a pulley on my road bike if I plan on racing OPUS on Tuesday. Not sure if that will happen or not. G is thinking about starting to commute via bike. We looked at racks and bags for her at freewheel. Man it would be sweet to live that close to work and be able to ride there without messing up the rest of your training schedule. After pricing things out and picking up the new pulley we headed to the Town Hall to have a drink. Man I was totally supporting the Cat6 sponsors. Turns out they weren’t open yet so we went to the place across the street. I’m not even sure what the name of the place is. Anyway we sat outside and had a drink before heading out for Nicollet Island. It was G’s first trip there and it was cool since the river was up pretty high, the weather was nice, and there were people out and about. We swung past Elsie’s and thought about stopping for a drink, but thought 2 for 1’s at Liquor Lyles sounded better. We stopped in for a few drinks and nachos before heading home. Total ride was like 25 easy miles.

The relaxing part of the day was over though. I foolishly decided to start weeding the flowerbed/garden in the back yard. Man that totally blew! The last owners obviously hadn’t done anything with that thing for a while. I ended up digging everything out. It took me like 3 hours and some sever back strain. Now we have a big dirt area and have to decide what we are going to plant before Louie decides it’s his own little play area to dig holes and roll in the mud. We ended the night with the Sopranos, some Old Milwuakee Light and a shower. Overall a pretty awesome weekend.

Off to the Races

Well race season is officially underway for me. This past Saturday was the Chain of Lakes Triathlon. It was a sprint distance race (600 meter swim, 13 mile bike, and 3 mile run). Almost all of my races this year will be sprints, though the distances vary for each race. I’m pretty much sure the sprints vary the distances based on the location amenities, support of the town in which the race is being held, amount of volunteers they can round up, and probably on the race series or crowd of racers they are after. Anyway this race is part of the tri Minnesota series, the Queen series in the state (the King being the Midwest Multisport series). Here’s how the race played out.

We spent the night in Alexandria, MN at the high class Super 8. They allowed the dog which was really cool and pretty much the deciding factor on where we stayed. I got up around 6:00 on Saturday, walked the dog, and then made my way down to the continental breakfast. We loaded up the Jeep and headed to the race. Man it was effing cold out. A grey, cold and windy morning perfect for jumping back into bed and bagging the race. Once we got to the race site I checked in, set up my transition area and then started warming up. I went for a brisk 15 minute ride and came back freezing. This was with a fleece, hat, and pants on. I couldn’t wait to be soaking wet on the bike during the race. I racked the bike and then went on a run. I did about 1.5 mile with some speed work and was feeling great. I fixed up the transition area and headed into the gym. Oh yeah I forgot to mention that this was a pool swim. I will NEVER do a pool swim triathlon again. I’ve said this after every pool swim race that I’ve done, and have somehow managed to find them back on my race calendar. This will be the end. By the time I was done warming up, it was like 8:15. My heat didn’t get into the pool till 10:45, so much for warming up. Once the race starts the transition area is closed so my shoes and bike were off limits. Sitting in the bleachers for 2.5 hours watching others start racing really starts to wear on you. By the time we were set to go off my motivation was shot. Oh well here we go. We had four people in each lane and I was somehow elected to lead our group out. There’s nothing worse than starting out a swim with three other dudes right on your heels. It ended up making me start out way too fast and totally threw my rhythm off. G was at the end of the lane counting laps for me so it was cool to have her involved in the race and that close up. I estimated my swim time at 12:00 minutes and ended up with a 10:30. I ran out of the building and headed to my bike.

T1 was pretty quick, 54 seconds. By the time our heat was on the bikes the sun had come out and warmed things up considerably. I eased into the bike until the first slight downhill and then started to really hammer. The wind was with me for the first half of the race so I tired to take advantage of it as much as possible. The course was pretty flat and well marked, though I almost missed a turn. Low oxygen supply to the brain makes you feel like you are at about the intelligence level of a 5 year old. Once I turned into the wind I put my head down and hammered as best I could. With about a mile to go I let up and started spinning to loosen my legs up for the run. I racked the bike, put on my shoes and race belt and headed out. T2, 30 seconds, average bike speed 21.6 mph.
I started the run and my legs felt like lead. It took till about mile 1 to get them turning over with some ease. I started to push it a little, though we were going into the wind again, then thought to myself “I have no idea what type of pace I have going here.” At one point some dude said to me “Man you are cruising” which gave me the motivation to crank it up a little more. Before the race started I checked the run course and set a point where I would put it all out there and go for broke till the finish. I hit my checkpoint feeling good so I let it fly. There was an uphill finish and my legs were feeling it. I knew I had finished the run faster than I expected because G was not ready for me and I crossed the line before she could get the camera out. I finished the run with a pace of 6:52 per mile. Unofficial time was 1:08:54, fast enough for 20th overall and 6 of 35 in my age group. Overall I was real happy with my results. Before the race I set a goal of a bike speed of 19 mph or more and a run of 7:15 or less. I reached those goals pretty handily. My next race is May 21st in Albert Lea. It has a lake swim so I really need to get out in the water. Man, not really looking forward to that. I hope the wetsuit still fits and the beers over the winter haven’t done too much damage.

Everyone is Connected, Except for Me

So it seems like everyone that I run into lately is somehow connected to the biking world. Last night on my run I caught up to another runner and decided to be friendly and run alongside them and strike up a conversation. We were chatting for a while and he was saying how he hadn’t been out on his bike lately because of all the rain. He also mentioned that there were a few riders in the area, the most notable being of the last Flanders. He told me where in the neighborhood Flanders and his posse meets for their rides and that I should show up if I was interested. I politely thanked him for the information but told him that I just recently joined a team that was around for all of the reasons Flanders wasn’t, encouragement not elitism. He said, yeah I know what you mean they are big road snobs. Anyway, he asks me what team and I was like, Cat6 bitch. Then he was like “Oh yeah, that’s Tylers team right.” And then I was like yeah, recognize! Turns out he is a Sugoi and Scott sales rep. I guess he’s trying to get Freewheel to carry Scott and has given Tyler a bike to test ride. Skids if you are reading this lets get that thing on the road on a Mendota ride, unless you already have.

So the point of this post is to say that a lot of people that I run into lately have cool jobs working with things that are super interesting to me. While I on the other hand have to be sitting here in this cube, staring at the computer waiting on the co-working geriatrics to either retire or die before this place livens up a bit. No real human contact to speak of for 8+ hours a day can really wear on a person. To think only 34 more years to go!

Delayed Damages

Like a hangover that when you first wake up its not there, but then slowly builds and really sets in by the afternoon, so are the effects of the Drake Relays. It appears that I either broke a rib or have a severe bruise or muscle pull in my upper right abdomen. Based on my last post it would be difficult to tell where any of the activities could have lead to such an injury. Well, you had to be privy to the juicy details to be in the know. Anyway yesterday I did a 35 mile ride after leaving the Freewheel expo. I wanted to test out my proposed commuting route and get a feel for how long it would take me, turns out its farther than I thought. I may need to do some more planning. My chest only hurt when I was climbing up hills or really pushing the tempo, not a big deal if my first race wasn’t this weekend! Hopefully this week of mild workouts leading up to Saturday will give my body time to heal. The most amazing thing about yesterdays ride was that I happened to get out on the roads for the whole two hours of the day when it wasn’t raining. Man this shit has got to stop. I have a softball game after work tonight, as long as the rain holds off. We’ll see how the sore chest responds to swinging a bat. I may need to play DBD, designated beer drinker.