Race Report #1

So we made it back safely from NC. It was an action packed few days, though we did manage to relax a bit. Here is the abbreviated summary of the trip. More stories and some pictures will surface in the future I'm sure.

Friday
We got into RDU around 4 and picked up the sweet ass Town and Country Minivan. G and I immediately headed for the bar and waited for the rest of the crew to join us. We sat outside in the awesome weather and had 2 beers. Before heading to Charlotte we stopped by some friends place and then continued on to pick up the rest of the road crew. We finally left Chapel Hill around 8. Oh yeah, on the way out of town we picked up some Sparks for the road. It took like 2.5 hours to get to the hotel, just in time to catch the start of the Tarheel game. We ended up crashing at 12:30, and then got up at 4:30.

Saturday
We stopped for pancakes at IHOP for breakfast, checked in, and got the bike and legs warmed up. The run ended up being a mix between road and trail. Man it was freakin hilly and had lots of exposed rocks and tree roots. I made it through the first 5k without a twisted ankle. I pushed it too hard though and felt like crap getting on the bike. The bike course was a 5 mile loop that we did three times. I forgot about the hills in NC. My lungs were good, but my legs were not so happy with the hills. As I approached the bike dismount line I felt my right calf start to cramp. Man it was hot, hilly and humid. I got my legs under me and pushed through the second 5K. I felt much worse than the first 5k, but ended up with almost the exact same time as the first.

I ended up 3rd in my age group and 30th overall. I was happy about getting an early race in, but was not all that pleased with my times. I averaged under 8 min. miles for the runs and just over 21 mph for the bike. I just didn’t have very good legs. But hey, I did manage to come away from the race with some hardware (I never actually got the hardware though because we left before they had the awards ceremony. Our checkout time was fast approaching and we wanted to shower).

We made it back to Chapel Hill in time to watch the Buckeyes fight there way into the Final Four. After the game we went out for dinner and then to a friends birthday party. I drank more than I had in the past two months and was curious how I would feel on Sunday.

Sunday
Felt better than expected. We had breakfast and then headed out on our bikes. We got a later start than I had wanted and it was already getting warm outside. After 60 miles we my legs said, after yesterday, that’ll do. After the ride I crashed on the couch for about 45 minutes before heading out to watch the Tarheels choke. The day was what I imagine a professional athlete's feels like (sans the slight hangover and plans to drink more later that night). They wake up and eat and then get ready for their workouts. After they are done they sleep till they are ready to either eat or workout again. That would be a sweet life, damn genetics. After the game we hit Chapel Hill and closed down the bars. Funny not many kids out after the disappointing loss.

Monday
Felt like shit. Only got like 25 miles in. It was pretty much a wasted day in terms of riding. We did get to sleep a lot and hang out at Weaver Street. What is this thing called air conditioning they have here?

Tuesday
On the bike early and got another 60 miles in. The weather was overcast so that helped with my sunburn. That night we had dinner with friends and a late night movie.

Wednesday
Back to MSP and reality. Vacations are great until you get back to work.

Overall it was a great trip. I really miss those country roads in NC. I think I should spend an entire week there next spring. The biggest problem is having people to ride with on a regular basis. So either Jeff needs to get a bike, or I need to bring a biking friend with me. The race gave me an early indication of where I was fitness wise, and prepared me for the Gear West Duathlon. From what I hear it is a trail run with lots of hills. I came home with some age group hardware and sweet tan lines. Now I’m off to the gym for a session of squats and lunges to get my legs in shape.

And We’re Off

Our flight leaves at 1:30 today. I can’t wait to get out on the road. I was super excited to get on the bike till I read Smithers’ post about the pain he was in after a long road ride down south. Oh well, a sore neck and taint will be better than the boring hours spent on the trainer the past 2 months or so.

I got the bike packed into the case last night with little trouble. The exciting thing is always unpacking the box, checking for damage, and getting the setup the same as before you took it apart. I plan on putting thing together tonight in the hotel room as we watch the UNC game, hopefully they roll tonight. The Buckeyes game gave me a freakin heart attack last night. The last couple of games Oden has gotten into foul trouble. I’ve been watching him pretty close and it seems like he is getting frustrated about the physical play and jersey holding from the defense. He has showed less control in his anger and has resulted in some stupid fouls, at times I think close to flagrant. He’ll need to keep his composure Saturday against Memphis. Ron Lewis can only carry the team so many times.

I have a feeling the race on Saturday will be pretty slow, and I may puke at the end. It’ll be nice to get some red-line time in the legs and lungs though. Besides I need to burn off the Raspberry Cheesecake G got me from Cold Stone Creamery last night for my birthday. I think she got the Fat-Free one though.

Brick…Not the Ben Folds Type

Last night was my first major brick of the season. I had an hour and twenty minute ride that included some heavy climbing drills. Off the bike I had a forty minute run. I was out of gels so I had no food during the workout. Needless to say the last 2 minutes of the run I was walking down the path of a big time bonk. I have no idea how far I rode as the battery in my computer went out on me. For the run I had to stay in HR Zone 1 (<146) and I managed to get 4.5 miles in. Except for the last few minutes I felt really good. According to FedEx my new shipment of eGel will be at the door sometime tomorrow.

Ford, an American Icon

So it appears that Ford’s financial troubles are much bigger than anyone expected. In this article on Yahoo, it says they posted a loss of 12.7 billion in 2006. The article talks about how they are selling off their high end ventures (Aston Martin for sure, possibly Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo). The thing that really made me decide to post anything on this was this quote that I found really amusing.

“You can cut costs as long as you want to but at some point you're going to end up looking like Nicole Richie and it's not going to be a pretty picture. You have to start building revenue."

Man the US loves pop culture. It’s sad that if you don’t keep up on it at least a minimal amount, an article dealing with financial/economic issues may become even more esoteric. Not because you don’t understand economics, but because you haven read US this month.

The thing is the AFP article is right. Ford needs to start making cars that Americans want to buy. When was the last time you heard someone talk about being in the market for a new car, and that they were considering a Ford (Well besides T3)? The general American public (not T3)loves cars that are fast, loud, and good looking. That’s what Ford was built on and of course the pick-up. Get back to your roots and give the public what they want. A car that will allow them to thrown down some sweet burn-outs.


This was pretty cool to see today too. Glad I got 30+ years to build the nest egg.

Boring Workout Crap

Workout Totals to Date (Since 12/4/06)*

Swim: 26.3 Miles (2.9/week)
Bike: 410 Miles (45/week)
Run: 153 Miles (17/week)
*Includes 8 days off for sickness

Next week we are heading to NC for some good road riding. I can’t wait to get back out on those roads. Besides friends, I’d say that’s the number one thing that I miss. You would only have to ride for like 5 minutes and you were out on back roads in the country. People were used to having bikes on the road, so there was little to worry about in terms of asshole motorists (not to say there were none). The best though was having the option year round. I hope I can remember all of the roads/turns. I’m sure it will all come back to me. I need to boost the bike mileage. Relying on the trainer for building base miles is less than optimal. It takes A LOT of effort to stay on it for 1.5 hours. I think my absolute breaking point is 2. To this point all of my bike workouts have been 1-1.5 hours, so 15 – 25 miles depending on the workout. It makes it tough to rack up the mileage.

To date the biggest improvement over last year at this time is my swimming. I changed up a few things with my cadence, and now I’m able to go longer distances. Once I’m comfortable doing like 2000 all free and no stopping I’ll really start to focus on increasing my speed. I think this is where my biggest gains in overall time will come from though.

While in NC I’m gonna race a duathlon. I plan on taking the first 5k easy, then really hammering on the bike and the last 5k. It should be a good indicator of my early season fitness. The folks down there have already started the racing season, so I don’t plan on bringing home any hardware. My next race will be two month later, the Gear West duathlon. Based on where I am in NC, my coach and I will be able to really focus my workouts. I’ve heard that that race is pretty tough. It’s at the Orono HS, and based on the cross race I went to there this past fall, it looks to be pretty hilly.

Time

Now I know what time I was heading home the other night, 10 past eat. Thanks to Natalie Dee and The Oracle for this.

Holy Shit Man!

Two days ago I had to stay a little late at work. As I was driving home along the Mississippi, I could just barely make out some figures running across the floodplain. They were a little hard to see because it was dusk. I pulled over to take a closer look and saw that they were a pack of Yetis, reaping the rewards of a fresh kill. Man the Yetis must be loving all of this snow lately. It’s so easy for them to disguise themselves, springing on their prey at the last minute. It should make for some fat Yetis this spring. For those of you who run or ride after dark, keep a watchful eye on any moving snow piles.

No New Bikes for Me

I didn’t win the Powerball last night. We did however win the snow lottery. Man, I had to shovel three times in a 24 hour period. My lower back is feeling it. Whenever I’m out there shoveling I think of the movie Beautiful Girls and the scene where Natalie Portman critiques Timothy Hutton’s shoveling technique. It’s a great snowy Saturday/Sunday afternoon movie. Check it out if you’ve never seen it. I fell in love with Natalie Portman because of it. She had amazing lines written for her and she pulled them off spectacularly.

The men’s room at my work recently got a new air freshener scent. The crazy thing is that it is the exact scent that used to be at a bar that my friends and I would go to after work in NC (The Sunset). Every time I walk in there now I have a flashback and feel like I have a decent buzz. I hope the memory doesn’t get replaced with this hell I call work.

The weekend is a few hours away. No real plans for us. We are having brunch with friends tomorrow, and I have workouts both days. Otherwise I see a lot of relounging for us. I’m about ¼ of the way through a new book that I’m really in to, so I can also envision some time with coffee and reading.

New music recommendation: Tom Vek, We Have Sound.