Can't stay clean...

Dang, how long ago was it that I posted a pic of a potentially sore throat? Well, I'm not officially ill again. But I feel it back there. This time I'm going headlong into it. I ran on the treadmill while watching "Law and Order: SVU". TV might be more or less predictable, but at least it gives me something to watch while I'm not feeling well enough to run outdoors. I'm going to cut this short as I don't need to post another dark pic of my throat. And, I suppose the best thing is sleep.

What it's all about...

Certainly, there are those weeks where one must just get out at the end. Stress builds. Committments pile up. This is why I do triathlon. This is why I swim, bike, and run. But there is nothing like a good 2-3 hour "just for the heck" of it outdoor bike ride to enjoy the outdoors. Tempuratures were in the 20's. It was bright and sunny, but plenty of wind was out there to keep me humble. Of course I rode the fixed gear bike on this wonderful winter day. I have completely forgotten what it's like to not be able to coast on my bicycle. I don't even give it a thought now.
Here is a picture of my ride near the end of the workout. Note the crashing waves in the back and a bit of snow on the ground. This is after about 30 miles and a couple hours. Nothing like the fresh air. Sure, I had to thaw for a while once I got home. But, I wasn't reduced to anything unhealthly.
Shortly after I took this picture, I succssfully avoided my favorite coffee shop (Alterra on the Lake). I new it would be hard to get back on the bike and in the 25 degree weather after a cup o' joe. Ahh well then, time for a decent nap. Until next time.... 

Brrrrr.. -1

When the numbers go negative, then we know it's getting cold. I still hold some hope that I can get out this weekend and horse around on the mountain bike for a couple hours. Otherwise, I'll have to add to my training numbers by riding rollers and running on the treadmill some more.. Rather an indoor brick perhaps would be appropriate. Totals thus far are 5 hours 19 minutes. That turns out to be 3250 meters swimming, 30 miles of biking, and 10.3 miles running.. Seems like not that much, but it's good to get going again. I think this year I need to make consistency and frequency happen.. Hopefully the rest will fall into place.

The Price of Dedication

This is what it looks like after I get up, suit up, and get the dog out for a walk. This is actually near the end of the walk, when it's starting to lighten up. It's always curious to me that there aren't more folks out at this hour. I realize it's cold at 5:oo am in Wisconsin. But certainly folks are reading the papers and cooking breakfast by now, right? It strikes me how quiet it can be at these hours.. It's true, there are other dog walkers. And even if there are breakfast cookers and paper readers, how would I know this from the sidewalk. Ahh well, not long after this, I'm grabbing my swim bag and heading for the pool. This year I swim until I learn to do so.. I can't give up on my stroke this year. It's coming around and just needs a little more care and attention. Then, I just can't forget about it.. We're almost there. Hang on... 

Back in Action

After a week completely off due to illness, I had a week of swimming only. And "swimming" meant very short workouts monday, wednesday, and friday. Finally, I hopped on the bike today. It was snowing here. Much of the day we were blanketed with big, fluffy snow flakes. The snowy weather was blamed mostly on the lake effect. With the Olympics and all the great motivating commercials on, it was impossible to skip the biking today.. It's good to be back.
I rode on "the rollers" while watching the Olympics. This was a bit of a brave thing for me. I'm new on rollers. I have a hard enough time staying on them without trying to watch ski jumping. But, I managed quite a personal success. Not only could I stay on the rollers with the TV on, I actually watched some of the Olympics. In additition, I managed my first "roller" related unplanned dismounts. No real damage was incurred. I'd guess one would not want to do that very often for best rim life.
Among other events, I saw the 15k skate skiing today. That looked like great fun. Maybe I can give that a shot in a winter or two..
Mantras of the day: Sleep is good.. Watch your intake.. I definately feel the tide going in the proper direction for the first time since I started getting sick.

'Ello Milwaukee

Meet my Milwaukee Bicycle Co. "The Orange One". This is a pic of just the headbadge. Undoubtedly, you will see more later. But I have to keep you wanting more. I can say this is my first fixed gear, and I don't know what I have been doing all these years without one. What could I have been thinking? I love that bike. The other day, I went out on it for about 2 hours. It is no longer any big deal to do so. It doesn't bother me that I can't coast. And even in the final minutes of my ride (when I somehow started freezing after being fine for the first 100 minutes), it was cool. The "no coast" requirement is still a feature in my book. If you like biking and don't have a fixed gear..... Well, as Ferris once said, "if you have the means, I highly recommend it." Or something to that effect. While I'm on it, I ain't shilling for the "Milwaukee Bicycle Co." folks. Alterra neither (more on that later). 

Strep this on?

Do I have any cavaties? Was I at the dentist's office or just got ahold of a mini-mouth cam? Turns out my wife has strep. This is a pic of my mouth from the phone cam. I don't see any disease in this picture. On the other hand, if my throat gets much more sore, I'll be making a call to Dr. S.
This is all important to life as I know it. My resolutions this year include: training more consistently, losing weight, sleeping more, etc.. Most of which sums up to having more energy and being generally happier (for me). The bad news is, I can pick any one or two of these items and do them to the max. As long as everything is moving along smoothly, most of the things I do encourage the others to fall in line. As soon as work, family, life, or illness (mostly illness, brought on by excess work and/or not enough sleep) needs a bit more, the balance shifts. From there, it's not hard for all of these to fall out of line. This usually causes some seemingly extensive recovery period. Mind you, recovery is the right thing to do before going back into heavy workouts.
Long story long, I'm in one of those lulls. And mentally, it's tough to be there this early in the season. I write this as a reminder to keep my eye on the line and get sleep before it gets out of hand. On top of all this, it's Febuary in Wisconsin. I will ride out the storm. 

Shadow of Myself

Went out to walk the dog today. New camera phone is handy, but the pics show up a bit bright. If the camera phone proves fun, I may have to start carrying around a real camera. Luke, the dog, is a real trooper. He just loves to be out running around, seeing other dogs, and generally enjoying himself. Here he is wondering what the heck a camera phone is, and why I'm trying to get all artsy with my shadow on a 1 megapixel camera. Smart dog. 

Just What the World Needs

Another blogger. Well here I am. If you're out there listening, then hoo-ray. I hope to learn a little something of myself and perhaps others at this new venture. Mostly, I want to get to taking a few more pictures out in the world. Perhaps, I'd even comment on them. In the mean time, let's see if I can't lose a little weight, train for a triathlon or two, and keep work and family afloat. Cheers.