What the heck?

It's been raining a lot here on the weekends lately. It's getting slightly frustrating. Monday through Friday, 70 degrees and mostly sunny. Saturday and Sunday, 45, rainy, and cloudy. Not so conducive to bicycle riding, so I've been out running and swimming (not really swimming) as much as possible. I was able to get out last Sunday, and the ride turned slightly frustrating. I set out to climb Flagstaff in Boulder to get some more climbing in my legs. It was a perfect blue Boulder day, and I was cruising up Flagstaff. About halfway up, I decide to get out the saddle and hammer a bit. As I stand up - POP!!! - a spoke blows on my back rim. I don't know what it is about me and spokes, but I blow probably 4 a summer. I make it a point to make sure my rims are tensioned correctly and am very conscious about putting too much power into them when I'm cornering, etc - but now it's happening when I stand up out of the saddle. It was at this point that I decided it probably wasn't a good idea to keep going up the mountain, as the descent would be pretty dicey on a less than stable rear rim, so I snapped a few photos and limped on home. It was frustrating, especially since I was just getting into a good climbing rythem, and the weather was perfect for a few hours in the saddle. I've got all summer though, so I thought for saftey's sake, I'd live to climb another day. Beautiful though:
Landers and I did make it out for a pretty decent ride on Thursday evening. It was a bit chilly, but great to get out and spin the legs - especially with Landers since we haven't really riden together much this spring. We didn't kill ourselves, and enjoyed a nice after work ride. He's getting significantly better, and I'm confident he will continue to do so as the Bicycle Tour of Colorado approaches.

I got some SWEET new running shoes this week - last year's model of the Structure Triax 12 from Nike. I wore model 10 for the past 2 years, but can't find them anymore, so I upgraded. I love this shoe, it has the perfect support for my running style - but I can tell that I've waited just a bit too long to freshen up the shoes - as my knees get a bit tired after runs. Check 'em out, vintage neon green, think Andre Agassi Neon Green. I'll get a photo up soon, but they are sweet.

Off to enjoy the rest of this rainy day. Hopefully, the motivation to go for a quick run will hit me soon, if not, I'll just keep on the coffee :-)

E

Wheezy Jefferson Weekend

So I finally got out on the bike for an extended ride this past weekend, and got to finally ride with Matt Anderson - the mastermind of our Bicycle Tour of Colorado ride. First off, he shall forever be referred to as MANderson - that guy can freaking hammer! He was burying Sawyer and I all day. Granted, he was on a Kuoto Time Trial bike, and I had a chest cold from Satan, but even if he were on my old Schwinn and I had the lungs of Lance Armstrong, I would have still gotten my butt kicked pretty good.

The weather was fantastic, and chest cold or not, I needed to get out on the roads. We ended up riding about 41 miles in 2h 03m - so just over 20mph average. Told you, MANnderson hammers. I rode in aero for most of the ride, and it felt good. I need to get the headset lowered quite a bit to get in a bit more aggressive aero position, but I'm glad I am figuring these tweaks out now. I'm going to tinker with those changes this weekend and see how I feel.

Other than the bike ride, I'm trying to kick this cold. I have more herbs in me (thanks to my beautiful wife) than an apothecary, and I think they are working. My cold has progressed pretty quickly, and I'm feeling much better tonight. I went for a run tonight - a short run, but a run none-the-less. I felt like Wheezy Jefferson, but it was nice to be outside in the perfect sunset hours. Tonight was more about getting some fresh air in my lungs than burning off calories, so it was a success.

That's all I've got tonight - go check out rideforthehangout.blogspot.com - and if you are interested in making a donation to our cause, shoot me an email. Peace, love, and hamburger grease.

E

Bicycle Tour of Colorado

We're riding for the HANGOUT. The Bicycle Tour of Colorado is a 6 day, 513 mile ride from June 21 - 27 - complete with 44,000 feet of vertical climbing. Guess I'm going to have to get my ass out there and climb some mountains!!!

The HANGOUT is a really cool - small - organization that helps to support people with Traumatic Brain Injuries. We have committed to take over the fundraising for a gentleman who in the past has raised over $5,000 per year for this great organization. He is in Med School this year, so we are picking up the slack!! Somehow, I fear that raising the money will be the easy part. It's going to be a really really cool experience regardless, and it's going to be even cooler since we are riding for a purpose. We've created another blog to keep track of our training for the ride, our fundraising goals, and our feelings. We'll probably post a lot about our feelings. Either way, check it out, it'll be a really cool blog: rideforthehangout.blogspot.com

On the triathlon front, I have been a bit of a slacker lately. My diet has been spotty, my workouts short, and my motivation lacking. I feel like I'm under a lot of stress (work, money, getting our house replumbed, etc.), and that is translating to a lack of motivation - which leads to short, uninspired workouts and a lack of concern for my diet. Our house is going to be finished this weekend, so I kind of am viewing that as the beginning of my training season. The diet has come around in the past few days, and I've at least strung together about 7 days of workouts, even if they are only 20 minute long runs or 1,200m swims. It decided to freaking blizzard today, so I went to the gym and sat on the stationary bike for about 30 minutes and punished myself, and it felt oh so good.

I am praying for the weather to clear out so I can get on the bike for real on Sunday. If not, I'll go for a sloppy run and try to stretch it out a bit. And the diet, oh the diet. It'll come around, I just need some patience. Now do me a favor, go check out my buddy Mike at mikeane14.blogspot.com - he's dropping pounds like the SEALs drop pirates. That's a lot, just in case you were wondering.

Hugs.

E

Finally, Aero Bars

Man, it's been a freaking wonderful early spring. The weather has been just awesome (I'm actually hoping for some rain/snow soon!!) and I've been riding and running my ass off! Last Sunday, I took a run at Flagstaff, a great short little climb in Boulder. It's super steep to start, and then levels off a bit as you go up. It's a pretty good gauge as to one's fitness level this early in the season, and it told me I need to be climbing a LOT more. Regardless, it's beautiful at the top of the climb, and I spent a few minutes just taking it in.

Landers and I rode into Golden from his house on Thursday night. The Golden ride is awesome, as on the way back, you literally ride right through the Coors Brewery - the smell is amazing. This leads to a really nice stretch from the Coors Brewery almost all the way back to Sloan's Lake and Matt's house. It's a great ride, and the weather couldn't have been better.

Today, I finally got the aero bars on my new bike and took it out for a spin. I rode up to Boulder Res and rode the better part of the 5430 Sprint Triathlon bike course. This was another great test of my fitness, as I know what I can do it in, and today was a bit off pace, but pretty decent for March. I rode 35 miles today in about 1h 45m - so nearly a 20mph average. I'll take that in July, let alone March.

I'm taking it easy tonight. Going to try to get some more miles in tomorrow if the weather allows. I made some gluten free pizza (freaking delicious) and am now having a bit o' red wine (Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre - also freaking delicious) and flipping back and forth between March Madness and the World Baseball Classic. I don't care what you think, I'm loving my Saturday night!

E

I heart OJ

Here's Landers on last weekend's ride, having a ball. Might I add, that's some pretty good photog work over the shoulder...

This week has been a really odd one. When I began my pursuit of getting healthy and training, I could never understand how someone would prioritize work over their health, and skip a workout because work was too consuming. Until this week. I've never had a job that I truly cared about until now, and not once, but twice did I skip a workout because I got caught at work too late. It was a really tough decision to make, but maybe it's partly my body telling me that it's okay to take a break. I decided that this weekend was one to catch up and get some solid workouts in.

We spent the night at my mom's house last night and had a really relaxed morning with some coffee, eggs, bacon, and strawberries. I haven't had OJ for a while, and had some as well. I went for a good run when I got home, and I'm amazed at the energy I had. I think the fruit and juice were really welcomed by my body and were a great fuel source. I've been gluten free for about a month, and with that have reduced my carb intake. Moving forward, I'm really going to experiment with fruit and alternative carb sources for fuel, but also trying some protein fueling to see how I do.

Anyway, the run was great, blue bird skies and a good breeze to keep me cool. There is a good hill on the route I ran today, and it's a good barometer of my fitness levels. I didn't dominate the thing today, but I definitely wasn't sucking wind too bad when I got to the top, so I'm pleased with the fitness level on the last of February. I'm surely ahead of where I was at this point last year, and I'm going to keep hammering away to make sure I have a great summer. So today was about a 5 mile run in about 35 minutes, so roughly 7 minute miles with some rolling hills. Me likey.

Off to have a glass of wine, and get some rest. I have a big ride planned tomorrow, I'm pumped to get on the bike again. Last weekend was a good teaser for spring and summer.

E

Been a while!

Well, it's been a while since I've been on here to post! Work has been killing me, so it's taken everything in me to get out there and workout, which I've done. At the very least, I've been trying to get out for at least 3 miles at night, or get to the gym for a lift. I have been working though. And that's the important thing.

We spent the weekend in Steamboat. Our friends have access to a 2,000 acre ranch in the middle-of-nowhere Steamboat. It is about a 45 minute snow shoe from the parking area, and we snow shoe-d back and had a wonderful time with no TV, Radio, Internet, and Cell Phones. We learned cribbage and drank wine, and had crab legs. It was absolutely wonderful.

The snow shoeing is a fantastic workout, and I'll get some pics up ASAP!!!

If you get a chance, head over and throw some workout love to my buddy Mike: http://www.livestrong.com/profile/keanems/

E

Mid-Winter Run

It's been really warm lately, and I've been loving it. Once the holiday's are done, I usually start to get a little bit ready for spring, but football usually holds me over. I can cook and watch football all winter long, especially if it is cold and snowy out. Making a nice stew when it's dumping snow makes me happier than Barry Bonds at Balco. But once the football ends, I'm ready for baseball, triathlons, and BBQ's. So the nice little warm spell we've been having has been fantastic.

I got out for a quick run this evening. The other nice part is that it's been light out until about 5:30pm, which allows me to leave work about 4:30 and still have enough daylight to get a run in. Not riding during the week yet, but I'm thinking by mid-March, I'll have enough daylight to get out and spin the legs. But until then, the rides will be on the weekend, and I'll lift, swim, and run during the week. The run was fast and easy, and really refreshing to get out and move after a stressful day at the office. It was more stress relief than a workout, but I'm always in a much better mood after a quick run.

I got a great swim in last night, and it's amazing to me how I don't really feel fit, like truly in shape, until I start hitting the pool. Maybe it's the having to take off my shirt and wear spandex in front of a gallery of treadmilling observers (our pool is lined with windows, and on the other side are all the treadmills, the only thing they can see while running is the pool; talk about pressure!). But I usually combine swimming with some core work, and I feel like a true athlete when I start back to the pool again. I'm usually most burned out on swimming by the end of the summer, so it usually takes until mid-January again until I'll get back in the pool on a consistent basis.

Well, I'm going to finish my wine, go read a bit of the new Inside Triathlon mag, and hit the hay early. G'night mates.

E