Friday, February 27, 2009

The Slab


We got the slab poured yesterday. Jubal was sick so he got to stay home and watch the action. The cross beams that you see are embedded into the slab and will be used to attach the sub floor to so that we can then nail a finished wood floor. It the 2 inch space we will put some sort of insulation.
We should have it framed in sometime next week, unless of course the weather decides otherwise.



It was great. The truck driver basically sat in the cab, pushed some buttons to release the concrete, and raise and lower the chute. I held on to the chute and swiveled it back and forth while Hap and Thomas spread the concrete.


After we were done, I took off for a nice 3 hour mtn bike ride. I parked at Rice Pinnacle, rode around Bent Creek, then up and over to Mills River, up Trace Ridge, down Spencer Creek, then back to Bent Creek via Sidehill. What a great ride. I got back to the parking lot after dark, but it was warm and I felt really good.
This is what I look like after dark when a flash goes off in my face at point blank range.



Have a great day.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Concreke

Today I get to stay home from work...and work. As Jubal says, we are getting a load of "concreke". We are pouring the slab. The ground has finally thawed enough that we can level the dirt and pour today.

I am also meeting with the developer from next door about the drainage from next door and how we can keep a river out of my yard. My property is below his and the drainage was not a problem back in the day when it was 1/2 and acre of grass growing. Now that there are 3 houses and a paved driveway, all the water immediately form a creek flowing through my yard at the edge of my deck.

The city was out yesterday talking to them and they have a plan that they want to run by me. We'll see how that turns out. I really don't want any of the drainage flowing through my yard. Depending on who moves in, there is no telling what kind of waste will be washed down. Any suggestions?

Have a great day

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Fun Times

The weather felt great even though it was only 35 degrees. I think that the longer days have a lot to do with it. Or, I am just a little crazy. I left the office and rode around camp property, following old logging roads up to the saddle, then down the trail that would lead to the 4-H camp:







My goal for the ride home was to make up time from this morning. It was 20 degrees, and I opted to have Rhonda drop me off at work, since Jubal's school is nearby. A secondary goal was to find a dirt road that climbs up to one of the ridges behind Rockmont property. After a couple of failed attempts, I found it, but ran out of time and only made it about half way up.

I incorporated big gear hill climbs in my ride home. I like these workouts. Switch to a more difficult gear, grind uphill, watch my heart rate rise, recover, repeat. It hurts but I like it.



So, on Friday, hopefully I will be able to explore all the way to the top of the road, and what I will find, I don't know.

Today, I get to drop the truck off at the shop, ride to work, then come home and get the site prepped to pour concrete on Thursday. We should have it framed up by the end of next week!!!

Have a great day.




Monday, February 23, 2009

Get in the game...

This weekend I took the vinyl siding off of the front side of the house. Underneath that was this beautiful old asphalt siding. Hmmm, I wonder if I can find some of this at Home Depot!!
Here is a picture of the forms and area that we are going to pour the slab. The plan is to pour that on Wednesday.


Tomi of Tomi Cogs is trying to get to the Breck Epic, he has entered a contest to blog his way through the entry fee, then blog about his experience. I don't know Tomi, but I did buy one of his cogs once and it was a quality American made in his shop product. I dig that, and you should too. I think he deserves your vote, so go to this link, and vote for Tomi. And if you can't think of a good enough reason to vote for him, not only is he gonna ride single speed, he will ride fixed gear. That means he won't be able to stop pedaling, unless he stops riding, and he is not gonna stop riding, because he does not want to let you down after you took the time to vote for him.... ready....go....!!
I talked with Brendan of Siren Bicycles last night. It sounds like he will be able to get started on my ride in the next couple of weeks. I'll keep you updated.
Have a great day.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Friday Adventure Ride




After work on Friday I was finally able to get up the ridge from camp and over the other side. After 20 minutes of riding up hill, and a 30 minute hike a bike, I made it to the top of the ridge. Now I could either drop down on the ATV trails to Bee Tree and ride pavement back, or try to ride the ridge line over to Eden Rock.

With the sun setting I decided to drop down into the valley. Cruising down the ATV trail that turned into double track was quite fun. I was concerned that I would run into a disgruntled land owner and possibly be shot, but that never happened.

After about another 20 minutes of riding down, I came out on a dirt road that led to a paved road, and I eventually found my way back.

Wow, that place has some potential. Now I just have to figure out who owns the land so I can get proper permission to be on it!!
Saturday after Rhonda got home from work, I hit the Blue Ridge Parkway on my road bike. The goal was to get up to Craggy Gardens then turn around and head back. Since I didn't leave until 4:30pm I knew that I would be out past dark, so I put my lights on the bike.
When I left the temp was right around 40 degrees. The temps drop fairly quickly as one rides up higher, but I was comfortable. I felt really good and was keeping a moderate pace. The sun was dropping and the ridges looked like they were on fire.
The wind was gusting around some of the corners and I made a mental note for the way back down, when I would be going 35-40 mph.
I got to the entrance to Craggy Gardens right about the time the sun set. The gate was open meaning that I could go all the way to the Visitor Center. I thought about it, started to keep going, then turned around. A lot of reasoning went on in about 30 seconds.
As it turns out, I was really glad that I made that choice.
After about 2 minutes of riding down, I noticed that the temps had dropped significantly. There was no way to keep warm. The wind was blowing against me and I was riding down hill. I attempted to pedal but when I did, I went faster and the wind chill got worse. I put it in an easy gear and tried to spin. I was cold. I was more than cold. My shoulder muscles were stinging from tensing up, trying to keep from shivering so I could maintain control of the bike.
I finally came to the tunnel, I slowed way down because there was no wind in there. As I coasted through I started to feel warmer, but as soon as I went out the other side, I got cold again.
I was miserable, I wanted to be home, but there was nowhere to go but down. I finally got down the mountain and onto the roads to home. I was no longer worried about maintaining my heart rate, but rather attempting to warm up. I was pretty much all out the last 5 miles to home. I never really warmed up, until much later, after a lot of food and a hot shower.
Note to self, when the sun sets, it gets really cold up on the mountain!!!

Have a great day.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Up and Over

I decided to stay on Rockmont property for my ride last night. It's gonna be tough to get my hours in this week with Rhonda working, so I decided to use the time riding rather than driving. I was also set to go race pace, so why not ride race pace on some difficult terrain. That would keep it real!!

It got cold. It was colder than when I rode in in the morning, and so I was just a bit under dressed. I got on the bike and into the woods. Going all the way to the logging road on the edge of the property. What follows is about 30 minutes of up, some of it pretty steep.

Part of my goal is to find a trail that goes up and over the ridge, to the other side, giving me more options for my commute.

At one point I saw the remains of an old logging road going in the direction that I wanted to go. I go on it, hiked 30 yards and found what looked like a trail. Unsure if it was a hunting trail, game trail or hiking trail, I tried to follow it, but soon lost it.

Back on the logging road, I continued up. Almost as far up as I could ride, I noticed another trail that went off the side of the mountain. It looked like it went down into the next valley. Cautiously, I dropped in. I reminded myself that I would have to hike back up if the trailed petered out.

After about 2 minutes, I realised I was at the spot that I had been shortly before, and not been able to find the trail. Now that I was heading down, the trail was more clear. So, I continued down. Suddenly, the trail was cleared of leaves. Cool. Then I passed some sort of large sized gazebo shelter. I knew that the 4-H camp property was over here, maybe it belonged to them. On down on to a more cultivated dirt road. After a couple more minutes of down, I came out on the main road of the 4-H camp.

Cool, I now have an back way, although quite steep, to get to and from camp.

I road most of the way back up the mountain to the Rockmont property. On the way back up, I made a mental note of another dirt road, leading of in another direction. Hmm, another road for another day.

It was getting really cold by the time I got back up to the ridge. I took a little detour and headed back to the truck, then home.

Today. Brrr. It is 19 degrees right now....

Have a great day.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Mid-Winter Spring Rain

I got caught in the rain last night on my ride home. Fortunately it was 60 degrees and felt great. A taste of what is to come. My only concern was that the temp was going to drop like a rock before I got home. It didn't happen. I loved it.

Today I get to do some race pace workouts. Sweet.

There has been quite a bit of discussion in pro road cycling about the use of radios. I got to watch the Tour of California yesterday, online. I see the same scenario play out time after time. The race starts, then the breakaway specialists start to do their thing. After who knows how many attacks, a few guys finally get away. The peleton settles down for the next 80-100 miles. Then the guys in the cars start doing the math, and suddenly the peleton gets the signal to pick up the pace. Then 1 mile from the finish line, the 1,2,3 sometimes a few more who have been out front all day long, get reeled in.

I say get rid of the radios, let's have some suspense back in the race, instead of the racers being pawns, let them make the call as to when they should and should not chase.

Have a great day.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Here Comes...

...the rain again.

It is definitely raining this morning as I type this. 100% chance of rain. And it does not look like it is going to let up. Another roller session tonight.

Last night I lasted 57 minutes on the rollers. That is a record for me. My previous PR was 42 minutes. I started off in the shed, and after 15 minutes got really hot. The temp was 45 degrees, so in the fading light I moved the rollers outside onto the little concrete stoop in front of the shed. That was much cooler and I was still dripping with sweat.

The neighbors deck is about 60 yards off to the side and they had a clear view of me. I'm pretty sure they think I am crazy. They keep their distance and whenever their kids wander towards our fence they call them back.

So, I rolled on my rollers for 57 minutes. They sat on their deck and looked at me while they smoked cigarettes, I hate cigarettes.

I did cruise intervals. I was able to add time to the intervals since the last time I did them. I kind of like doing these. I had heard horror stories about them, but I can see the necessity of them and so, like many other aspects of cycling, I embrace them. Fun stuff.

We the blocks are laid for the addition. The next step is for my contractors to come take a look and decided the next step.

Have a great rain day.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Spoiled

The warm weather we had the past week and a half really spoiled me. It's 20 degrees outside now and I don't want to ride. It might warm up by the time the sun comes up , but I'm not banking on it. (bad choice of words in these times).

Speaking of the economy: Everyone is trying to find someone whose fault it is. I have not heard anyone accept the blame. From the banks who loaned the money, to the people who borrowed the money, I have not been able to pinpoint any one group of people who are at fault. Sometimes I don't really worry about whose fault things are, I just like to find a solution and move on. A lot of times in crisis, no one is at fault, per se, it is simply a matter of education.

I think there is need for that in this situation as well. But, I'm not the one to give financial advice. I will tell you that we make every attempt to live below our income. If we don't have it we don't spend it, and we wear our shoes until they have holes in them and fall apart.

Times are difficult, but with a little creativity, you are going to be ok.

And lastly, if you have been blessed with more than enough, even just a little bit, consider helping someone who is struggling. We are all in this together.

Have a great day.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Fine Weekend

Friday Morning:
We got the footers poured:

We caused quite a scene in the neighborhood. Traffic was backed up and people we walking back and forth.

Valentines Day: Typically everyday at the Janes residence is Valentines Day, so when the actual Day rolls around, I have to try really hard to do something special:

To the left you can see one of the monstrous modular homes that was recently installed, the rock work in the center is part of the present:


More rock work around our veggie garden, and in the background, the newly installed picket fence:



The rock work around the garden, to the left, at the bottom of the privacy fence, I also installed a long flower bed for Rhonda. She we very excited to see it when she got home.




After wearing myself out on Saturday, doing all of those projects, I woke up on Sunday to get ready for my Lactate Threshold Heart Rate test. This test consists of warm up then 30 minutes time trial pace. The last 20 minutes, I record my average heart rate and that is what I use for the basis of my workouts. One key element is to go into this test well rested.
So, back to waking up. I woke up, sore and stiff from all of the projects on Saturday. I considered not doing the test. Another factor helping in this decision was that it was 36 degrees outside. Brrr. I have put this test of for several weeks because of the cold and decided I needed to at least get out and try it.
So, I went to the Mellowdrome and went at it. The result? Average HR is exactly the same as last time. Cool, that means that I either did the test wrong, two times or I am doing it right. Unfortunately, I did not record my distance for the first test from a couple a months ago, and don't know if there was any improvement. But I feel confident that I have improved and am not going to stress about it.
So, in 4 more weeks, I'll do another one, and in the next 3 weeks I will be doing some drills that will teach my body to deliver "power" to the pedals.
Have a great day.




Friday, February 13, 2009

Pain

I started getting worried about my shoulder yesterday. It had been four days since the crash and the pain was about the same. One of my co-workers was a massage therapist before coming to Rockmont, so I went in to ask her about it. Then she started prodding and poking the area. She poked really hard a couple of times and really made me flinch. We stood around discussing her diagnosis.

I started to feel a little lightheaded. Ok, I though I must be a little hungry. Then I got a lot lightheaded and tingly. Then my ears popped. I decided to lean on the table. The room got a little foggy, I sat on the floor while my co-workers looked at me like I was crazy. I told them what was happening and they laughed. Not a menacing laugh, but a " oh wow, this is kind of weird" laugh. After sitting on the floor for a couple of minutes I was able to get up as the fogginess had subsided, and the dizziness left.

I continued to ice the shoulder throughout the day. We had decided on inflamed Bursa because after the icing, most of the pain was gone.

Feeling a little better, I decided to pick up some landscaping rock on the way home. I loaded about 15 large rocks into the truck and felt about the same. I iced the shoulder again on the way home. When I got home, I unloaded the rocks, and laid them in place.

The rocks serve two purposes. One is for aesthetics, the other is part of my skills course. Pretty cool.

So, after they were in place, I got my bike out and rode the course a couple of times, then went to dinner with Rhonda. Amazingly, the shoulder started to feel better, a lot better. And upon waking this morning, almost all of the pain is gone. Yeah!!!

Have a great day.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Greenway News

Yesterday I wrote about my excitement about the future Greenway System here in Asheville. Later, I read this article in the Asheville Citizen Times!!!

City Council voted 6-1 , and devoted a large sum of money to the Greenway project connecting Carrier Park to Hominy Creek Park.

Wow, very exciting news!!!

I also found out that 73 people showed up for the trail day at Richmond Hill on Saturday!!! 73, that has is close to the record trail work day for the area!! Awesome!!

Keep up the good work Asheville.



Have a great day.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Improvement

This week is a rest week. That means that I get to ride slow enough to enjoy the view. The cool thing is, that when I got home last night, my ride duration only a couple of minutes different than my time used to be when I used to hammer to and from work everyday. I interpret this to mean that I am way more efficient on the bike and am now properly training. Very encouraging.

The past 6 days, we have seen some most excellent weather. I have been wearing shorts everyday and loving it. I don't like being encumbered. I'm sure that we still have some cold days to go, and with the warmth we are experiencing now, it will be that much harder to ride on cold days. But my guess is, in about 4 weeks, we will see warm weather coming to stay, with one more major winter storm in the last week of March.

I am really excited about Asheville and where the surrounding area is headed regarding cycling. SORBA and the city have been working together for a while and the groundbreaking at Richmond Hill was last Saturday. Every time I ride through Azalea park, I now get to ride on the dirt down by the river instead of dodging cars on the pavement, I get excited about the prospect of a greenway running from Asheville to Black Mtn., and beyond.

What does it take to keep these projects rolling? People, time and money. The greenway system will take time, but I get the feeling that it is picking up speed. More people are getting involved and taking interest. More people are getting excited about getting fit, getting exercises and staying healthy.

And a good solid greeway system is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle.

Check out this power point presentation and get excited!!

What can you do to help? I believe the most important thing is to get out. I believe that there is power in numbers and that when the city and county see that people are getting out and wanting more space to play, then this project will gather more momentum.

Also, attend any city council meetings that are held concerning the project. Again, power in numbers.

Volunteer, even if you only have time to help out with a project once this year. Don't feel bad, we all have stuff going on, and are busy. But that one time is going to help a lot more of your neighbors than if you did nothing.

So I challenge you to get out, enjoy yourself, help your community and have some fun!!!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Footers

I never realised how much work goes into building an addition. I had originally considered doing this project myself. While I think that I could have done it. I am so glad that I am hiring someone to do it. If I had worked on it evenings and weekends, it would have taken about 1 yr. It is nice not to have the stress of tackling this project. And my training would be nil, and we cannot have that!!

The footers are dug:

Rebar laid:


And we are approved to move to the next step:

The next few steps will be to pour the footers/slab and then get started on the sub floor. Most of that should happen this week. Then when the framing starts, that will go fast too!!

As far as training, this is a rest week for me. Which means I get to take my time on my rides and do some skills work.

When I first got this bike I cut the handlebars just a little too short. But after riding it, I felt comfortable, or so I thought. Yesterday, I changed them for some longer ones and rode around on the skills course. I felt so much more stable. Interesting. The wider platform makes for more stability. I can't wait to get out on the trail and see how it feels.

Have a great day.

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Sunday, February 08, 2009

Snake Creek Gap #2

This was a great race for me. I took 20 minutes off of my time, and in the process learned more about my pace, how hard to go...and how hard not to.

The weather was awesome upon arrival to Dalton. We got checked in on Friday afternoon then took off to find a playground for Jubal. We were successful and while he and Rhonda played I chilled on the park bench, watching the world go by around me.

I was peaceful, excited, but not anxious. I knew my numbers, I knew how hard I had trained and I knew that I would control my instinct to go hard. I also remembered the good feeling of finishing last time and not feeling like I was going to die. That is a feeling I will always cherish, even if my time was not a personal record.

Saturday morning came early, and since we had all slept well, we were all ready to go. I took off for some coffee and chai from Starbucks, ( chai for Rhonda ), and then to registration. At 7am I intended to beat the crowd. Although they had advertised a 7 am check in, they were still sleeping when I got there. That was fine though, I decided to come back later. I just don't do well with the large amounts of chaos before a race. I like to get to the start, and get my stuff together. I know what I came to do, and I am ready to do it.

I went back to the hotel for breakfast with the fam, we loaded up, went back to check in, then to the start line. I was feeling really good and in my excitement, I warmed up about 30 minutes too early. Oops. Not a big deal, I'll just eat some more.

I got to the start line first, in a group with Andy and Wild Bill. 3-2-1 - GO!! We took off pretty fast and a pace line formed quickly. I missed it then decided to expend the energy to get on. I think that was a good move, but then I was feeling good and kept that pace for the next hour, that was a bad move. I should have let up at the first long climb, I didn't know it then but I would pay later.

I had decided to use this race as a test to see what my target race pace should be. After getting some advice from people I trust ( you know who you are, thanks for the great advice!!) I settled on a pace. But then I thought my numbers my be a little bit off, and since this was not an A race, I should go just a little bit harder and see how I felt. That rationale was that I had never really gone race pace for this amount of time and I didn't really know what my race pace was/is. I now know what my race pace is, and am excited to try it out in 4 weeks.

So, after 1 hr, I finally slowed down, to a pace that was more manageable/survivable. I made it to the halfway point and felt good. In the first 17 miles I got passed by Harlan Price, who pulled a group of 5 other guys past me, (thanks Harlan), Nate Wyatt, and Garth Prosser. (Really, the only reason I try to get on the start line first is so that I will get to see these guys out in the woods, doing their thing).

After the halfway point, I let Todd Branham pass me.....and go on without me!!!

It was the long gravel climb up to the last 8 miles of single track that things started to go bad. I was actually feeling good, and had a decent pace, was relaxed, and felt that I was going to make good time. Then a girl passed me and said that she would give me $10 for one of my water bottles. I had been thinking about an hour ago that I would do really well at a race where they decided who was the winner, according to who helped other racers the most. Anyway, I debated quickly which bottle to give her. One bottle had some nuun/energy mix and the other had my meal replacement shake mix. I decided to give her the bottle with the meal replacement shake. Assuming she would not want the shake, would dump it out and fill it at the next rest stop, I chugged it, most of it, and gave it to her. I let her know what was in the bottle, but she took it anyway. Then all of a sudden my gut felt heavy, uh oh. So, to compensate, I started sipping at the nuun mixture in my Camelbak. Then, for the last hour of the race, I felt slightly nauseous.

I think the combo of chugging and the hard start finally got to me. I slowed down a lot. I walked a lot more sections, and bobbled a lot more than the first race, when I was sick and rode under my targeted race pace.

I ate a gel about 4 miles from the finish, and felt a little bit better. At 2 miles, I was ready to be done and kept spinning. When I hit the dirt road at the water tower, I was so relieved. I was also pleased that I did not see anyone behind me. I cruised down the dirt road and hit the pavement. A voice startled me. Two guys whipped around me. Awww, I was NOT going to let someone pass me on the pavement and beat me to the line. I sprinted and latched on to the closed one while the other pulled away. I thought about trying to gap to the first rider, but decided not to. I drafted, waited, looked ahead, the guy was drafting a car, I drafted some more, the guy in the lead, 100yds up was not drafting anymore, I hit the gas, dropped the guy I had been drafting, stayed on the gas. The guy in front went around the last hairpin turn, 200 yrds to the finish, I hit the turn, 150 yds to the finish, 100 yds to the finish, I cranked it up, 50 yds, kept pushing, 30 yds, passed the dude and crossed the finish. At least one of the guys I had started with, so that felt really good!!!

So, now I have chosen a pace that was too hard for me, one that was not quite hard enough. Next time should be my personal record.....unless it snows!!!

If for no other reason, you should come check out the SCG Time Trial, because you never know what you will see:
In the middle of my warm up this limo complete with rack pulled up, sweet!!!


Here is a picture of me stalking Andy Applegate, watching his every move......
The start line


Jubal helping me with race prep, he is one cool kid, so is his mom ( my wife ).
Content:


Kookie was there for me on the drive home:

Sunday I did an easy road ride with Stephanie and Brian. Two cool cats!!! Snow up on the parkway.
One of the many views.
We got up to this gate and were disappointed. Why in the world they don't want bicycles up there I do not know. I'm glad that we were not planning a ride to Mt Mitchell, this was already disappointing.Here is a great picture of one of the tunnels. I had gotten a gap on Stephanie and Brian hoping to get a good pic of them coming out of the tunnel, which I did, but I almost didn't. I came through the tunnel at a cautious speed, got out of the tunnel, slowed, stood up to get ready to unclip. The front wheel locked, skidded, I felt the earth ram into my side, I groaned, sat up, did a self check. Nothing hurt, I looked around, some hikers down the road were looking at me, I threw my arm up in the air and said " I'm alright!!", reminded me of a commercial on tv. I got the camera out and took the picture. All that in about a 1 minute span of time.

Fortunately, nothing really hurts. I have some sore muscles, which I am sure will be more sore tomorrow, but I got off without any permanent or even long term damage. And this is a rest week!!!

And lastly, our foundation and footers are dug, need to get them inspected before pouring some concrete!! Sweet..
Have a great day!!











Thursday, February 05, 2009

Thursday Night Ride

The work has officially started on the house. Yesterday I took the lower rows of siding off of the house so the contractors could measure for the footers and slab. They started digging today.





Tonight's ride was cold. 1hr at 24 degrees. Not much snow left but a beautiful quiet evening in the woods. It was very relaxing.

A picture of Lake Powhatan in Bent Creek, covered in a sheet of ice.

I was thinking tonight on my ride about cycling teams. I think that it will be a really cool day when, for instance, someone wins the Tour de France, and that person brings the whole team onto the podium, because they could not have won without the help of their friends.
Give credit where credit is due.


Have a great day.



Richmond Hill, Asheville NC

Some very exciting news about an in-town trail system in today's Asheville Citizen Times:


"Mike Brown thinks it's time that cyclists got to ride their mountain bikes in the city.

And after three years in the planning, he is finally seeing a multi use, forested trail system come to life. In early January, Brown and the Pisgah Area Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association, a local mountain biking club, signed a memorandum of understanding with the city to develop about 5 miles of trails in the woods of Richmond Hill Park, a 171-acre swath of woods just north of downtown." (AC-T)


This is very exciting news. But is gets even better. You can help!!!



Please get out there, get excited, do your part, and then enjoy. This will eventually be one of the destinations on the county wide Greenway that is in the works!!! So get a shovel, grab some gloves and come on out. It's also gonna be 60 degrees on Saturday!!

Have a great day.

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Snow in WNC

We got another snowstorm of sorts last night. About 1 inch of snow, and the roads are covered with ice. Schools are closed but with a high of 26 degrees, I opted to go to work as I would go crazy being inside all day.

I had a great workout on the rollers last night. Some more intervals. I like intervals.

Gotta go get some work done.

Have a great day.

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Sitting Here

I'm sitting here at almost 7am this morning, debating with myself, my good sense and my driving desire to follow the training program. The wind howls outside, 29 degrees and I have no idea what the wind chill is. I do know that it is cold again and I am burned out on the cold. I try to be tough and convince myself to ride, after all, my friends all over the country, in much colder weather, are out in it.

Hmmm!

But, I am burned out on riding in the cold. I crave some warmth. I was spoiled this weekend riding in short sleeves and 60 degrees.

Hmmm! Yup, yup, yup. So, I'm going to ride the rollers tonight after work, and maybe tomorrow. It is supposed to get warm later this week and I'll hit the road again. I just need a break from the cold rides to work!!

I was reading the Siren Blog and was very excited to see what Brendan is up to. He has made the move to Tuscon, AZ and has a pretty cool warehouse workshop complete with hang out, I mean business meeting loft. I think that a road trip in the next couple of years is on my to do list.

I'm also getting my calendar set for 2009. There are a lot of options out there this year. Way different from even a couple of years ago. I'll get my list up soon so you know if you need to be scared or not!!!

Have a great day.