fun run

easy 2007 Chicago Marathon participants. i am not drudging up that wicked past.

i have not been running much, but decided to go ahead and log the first race of "my" running season. despite being preregistered i almost skipped my local 5k for two reasons; under trained and the Giant looking oh so said and lonely in the garage.

top it all off with a hard 38 miles on the bike the previous day and a robust Greek dinner and a bottle of wine while movie watching and i was in full on sabotage mode.

the 5k distance didn't worry me. the speed needed to run a 5k did. sure, i could go out and take the run easy, but i rarely do that. i knew i would try to run it fast (for me) and that could put me and my IT Bands in harms way. nothing would have pissed me off more if i had to shut things down due to the 5k need for speed.

i managed my way through the race. it had a large turnout of 700 runners. i like to start near the front to avoid all the potential drama of running a race like this with large numbers. for the life of me i can't figure out why they let kids and others who clearly will be walking part of the run line up at the front.

anyway, i went out fast. way too fast, but i wanted to get ahead of pack drama. a teenage kid next to me went down when he was tripped from behind. maybe someone was trying to tell him something. at mile one my legs were good, but my Pastichio was sloshing from left to right in a pit of Red Guitar. good times.

i logged positive splits (that ain't good my cycling friends), but hit my goal of finishing under 24 minutes. official time was 23:27. this put me 114th out of 714 and 10th out of 50 in the 30 to 34 male age group. slower then last year, but faster then my first year.

i was pretty tight and sore on Monday, which had me running to the massage therapist. i highly recommend them to anyone who puts their body in spots of bothers like i do. i was back on the road running an easy 3.5 miles today.

next up is a couple 10Ks in early November. i would like to log another couple 5Ks too with one in October and another in late November. oh yeah, i need 107 more miles on the bike for 3000. totally going to knock that out soon. very soon. this weekend soon. anyone want to ride?

peace out.

cant shake it....

the image has been in my head all day.....

i did a local bike shop group ride this morning. this is a pretty peppy ride normally coming in at 20 mph or faster. just not much attacking or sprinting.

around mile 20 we were hitting it pretty hard. i was off the front with two others when a female rider went down hard. we set up just a bit to clarify directions, she was just behind me and her front wheel turned on her. she went over the bars and face planted. it was horrific looking and sounding. the ass of the bike flying up and her torso crashing down............

she was riding a full on tri set up (Cervelo) and no one is really sure what happened. the way the front wheel turned on her she could have it the brake? hand slipped and turned it? something happened? the road was smooth as butter and the bike looked fine post crash. maybe just a lapse in concentration? i really dont know.

she managed to get to the shoulder on her own. there was lots of blood. paramedics stated she had a fractured jaw. it was nasty and really shook us up. i wish her the best.

retired

this band signifies an important time in my life. a time of transition for me. a time for change. for that reason it was important to me. i don't care what anyone else thinks about the band or its perceived meaning. to each his own and i would never presume to judge their reasons.

two years after putting it on it broke. in a horrific cycling crash? no. it broke while playing with my 3 year old daughter. i cant think of a better way for it to have happened.

peace out.

Pics, cause it happened....

the gang




me and my hammer.

post ride chitter chatter HERE.

peace out.

the good and the bad...

i rode my bike today. i rode it pretty well. i didn't have it, but i managed my way through the 67 miles and hung with the lead group. i found myself in a spot of bother once or twice that is for sure. mad thanks to Shider, ColorChange, and CyLowe for keeping me with the group that first loop. those boys were flying down the road and i was a wheel sucking king.

you know, it is easy to ride when everything is clicking. when the training, the legs, the bike and the weather all just come together. what fun is that though. i am cyclist and i enjoy a little suffering. i enjoy seeing how i respond to it. i really wanted to drop off the lead group on the second loop, but didn't. i kept thinking, just hold the wheel, take your pull, and get to the back. it hurt and i enjoyed every bit of it. man, i got issues.

i didn't have time for the full 100, but it was 67 miles at a 21 mph average.

Psimet did a great job organizing this ride. riding with the BFNIC Gang is always a blast.

this ride was the good. my self loathing was the bad. it is not me and i have been forbidden from attempting it ever again.

peace out.

self loathing....

i am not a big time self loather, but being off the bike for 7 days with a my seasons last big organized ride coming up has me thinking i should give it a go.

first, i want to ride my bike. i am not sure i remember how. i hurt my left hammy and knee running this past weekend. i have been eating like i am training for a marathon, which this year i am not. i am out of form, out of shape, fat, injured, and in no way ready to roll for 100 miles this Saturday.

such is my life. always stuck in the middle of the A and B groups.

how did i do?

Running Love..

i had to run this weekend. i like running, but i am not ready for the transformation yet. these legs of mine still have some cycling goals to reach before closing the book on my 2008 season. luckily, it seems after three days of rain we are free of it in the Chicagoland Area for a while.

cardiovascular wise i felt like i could run all day. well, most of the day. OK, maybe an hour. with me the key is how the IT and Hamstring hold up. will that left leg fall off or not? it is tight, but i still have it with me. so that is good.

preparing for the upcoming Psimet Cycling Invitational could be tough this week. the shorter days and cold temps aside, i got this work thing going on that wants to suck all my free time. damn you work thing. i may just roll into the ride with some 12 days off the bike. of course, i will still bring my hammers.

later.

baby got a new pair of shoes..

just as we enter the last portion of the season, my Giant is ready to roll. the mad mechanic finished up my wheels last weekend. i took them out for a spin this morning. me likes them. they are lighter, stiff, and more responsive then my original set. i didn't even think i would notice a difference, but i did.

add in my the new compact crank, fancy red cable housing, and new Ultegra pedals and the Giant has had a nice makeover this year. peace out.

edit for the specs: Formula RB hubs (Speedcific branded) with Kinlin 30mm rims. Front 24h radial with DT Revs. Rear 28h 2X NDS DT revs, 1X DS DT comps.Weigh in at exactly 1550g for the set without skewers, tape.

that ride...

every year there is always one ride where it all seems to come together. you know, the weather conditions, the mind, the body, and the bike all just click together. i am not looking to prematurely end my season, but Saturday's ride was that ride.

i decided to be crazy, get up at 4:50 am, and head up North for the Spin Doctor's Saturday group ride. this is a well established club known for serious riding with speed. ColorChange, from BikeForums, is a memeber and does this ride every week. i was also meeting up with Psimet for the ride AND to pick up the my long awaited new wheel set.

i was out the door at 5:20 am and arrived at my destination in S. Elgin just prior to the stated 6:15 am roll out. the group was smaller (7 or 8 total) then i anticipated with Psimet and I being the only non members. we rolled out at 6:20 am.

i was told this ride is fast. a club training ride is a bit different then a normal Saturday stroll in the park. it is a bit hardcore with pacelines, designated sprints, attacking, bridging gaps, and so on. i was a bit nervous at first as i am a notorious slow starter. i held my on the first 20 miles. i took some pulls, short ones, but i did my part. i didn't want to blow up......too early.

around mile 18 we took a quick natural break. at this point they were stating that this was the fastest first leg they had done all year. interesting i thought. the two new guys must be doing something right.

after the stop the effort picked up. there was a designated sprint that i took no part in. i was not aware it was coming which left me positioned too far back. the next pull i took put me in a little pain. i pulled too long. in fact, just as i was getting ready to move over and back, the group flew around me on the left. lesson learned for me. get your arse off the front before blowing up.

i should note that during the second leg i had a brush with a motorist. i was left of the paceline working my way to the back after a pull. instantaneously, i hear car back and bet buzzed by a Mustang. he was flying down the road close to 50 or 60 mph. everyone else was pretty pissed about this. it was close, but it was so fast that it didn't really shake me up. later Psimet stated he thought he was going to have to make a call to my wife and that the driver actually swerved toward me.

back to that ride. i ended the ride strong. i was able to chase down a few attacks, grab a wheel or two of some attackers, and finish the ride out front with one other rider. i didn't have superhuman legs and the effort hurt like heck at times, but i rode well. plus, i had a ton-o- fun riding with this group. i even think i got yelled at?!?@!

as i rolled back into town with the attacker (my just made up nickname for him) he stated we were at 22.3 mph average for the ride. the fastest they had done that ride all year. the two new guys did indeed hold there own. I'm not saying, I'm just saying.

Final Stats show it was a very zesty effort for 50 miles at a 22 mph average pace.

lately i have been a mileage whore. i hit the wall at the end of July chasing 700 miles. i turned myself inside out getting that very number in August. it is very satisfying to see the benefits of those miles and efforts. for a bit there i was just stuck in the mud.

later.