Self Talk

I'm not the guy that points to left field.
I sign up.  I line up. I go.
I bite off more than I can chew, then take a good solid run at the pile.
From when the gun goes off, until the finish line I'm pushing myself there.

I'm racing no one.
I'm overcoming my own demons and limits.
I'm racing me.

I'm not the guy that writes it all down and tells you how it's going to be.
I'm going to see it my way.
I'm going to soak it up.
I'm going to take what the day gives me.

A good friend once told me:
"Never forget how cool it is to show up, put your toe in the sand, and jump in when the gun goes off. The difference between doing that and driving by and wondering is the difference between living and dying"

I'm no poet.  Does it seem like I've been watching too many Nike commercials?

It ain't really about racing, of course.  It is about picking stuff to do and doing it.  As fate would have it, the thing I picked this weekend is the Fat Tire 40.

See you there!  Look for the tall hairy dude in the 29nSNGL kit. Well, there may be more than one fitting that description.

Dusting Off The Old Blog

Intro

It has been a while since I have had the time or inclination to write something out here.  I want to say that I have either been too busy to do a writeup of the great things going on, or it has been much of the same. ( in a way, both )

On with it then, I have hit a worthy cause for peeling open the blog again (translation, I'm pumped).  Kick back, this might take a minute.

How Did I get here?

It all started a couple of months years back.  I was going out and reading a bit of icebike.org.   Somehow I ended up looking at pictures of double rimmed Surly bikes at Arrowhead 135. A seed was planted.

Back when I was doing Ironman training, I vividly recall the weekend snow rides I would do in the winter.  A couple days in the basement on the trainer and I would be raring to get outside even if it was just to slide around in the snow for an hour.  It was good for my demeanor.  My mountain bike at the time was only loosely equipped for the job.

Cut to about a year ago.  A whole pile of my buddies who previously had not seen use for a fat bike, went in on a bushel (or some seemingly large quantity) of Pugsley frames and secretly built them up, hidden in their workshops/basements.  Then one day, "look what we found! They are so fun!"

Here's where the timing gets better for me.  At some point this year, Surly announced a Moonlander.  I was immediately hooked by the name, paint, fatness and really just the whole package.  A couple months back I notice Angry Catfish bicycles + coffee says "we can put you on the list" or some such. I put a few feelers out to the local guys, but no one seemed as certain as those guys.  Maybe they know Surly, and maybe they are just good marketers ( apologies in advance if I just offended the Angry Catfish guys by possibly attributing marketing skills to them ).  Anyway, the release date was close enough to a birthday of mine, that I started calling in favors.

... Skip the part about shaking nervously / excitedly for a couple months while waiting ...

Through the magic of the Internet and a really patient shop owner at Angry Catfish, we worked out the painstaking details.  I plan to write a separate post about what a great job they did.  ( We'll skip the pickup / awesome shop experience for now in the interest of - ahem - shortening this post ).

Cut to Sunday.  The extra large Moonlander has pedals, and is ready for it's maiden voyage.  But wait a minute.  Let me just take time out to say that the XL Moonlander is on the order of one of the biggest bicycles I have seen.  I am at least 6'3" and time has long passed since I have gotten on a bike and even considered there was such a thing as "stand over height".  Any pictures you have seen do not do the Moonlander justice.

What did I think? (a.k.a. The Ride - a.k.a. Pics or It Didn't Happen)


We'll skip right over the flat I got (and walk home because I hadn't chosen a bike pump yet).

Do not ask me to compare it to the other fat bikes, I haven't ridden them enough to say.  All I can tell you is it is an incredible joy to ride.  I loved biking already, but this bike puts a smile on your face from the moment you look at it.  Once you are riding, it's difficult not to just laugh out loud.

In my opinion, this bike (or perhaps fat bikes in general) are game changers toward the vein of "just biking".  There was no triathlon to train for, no group ride where I was just trying to hang on.  It was me on a bike riding down the beach in 40 F temperatures in the wee hours of the morning.  I was listening to the waves crash on the beach and just soaking it all in.

Very relaxing.  I am now waiting anxiously for snow.

OK then, one more shot without the flat.

I will try to cajole someone into riding with me so I can get a shot of me on the bike.

What Day Is It?

I happily made it past the new year without some sort of resolutions post to not follow. Unfortunately, that trend held on a bit too long. This post isn't going to be anything ground breaking, but I thought I'd catch us all back up.

Thing one:

I have a healthy rivalry with my bro-in-law. We have a showdown at Racine 70.3. It's his first 1/2 Iron thing-a-ma-jig. We'll have fun with it. He'll likely accidentally get top 10% in age group or some such.

Thing two:

Happy to be back in Chequamegon Fat Tire 40. The "incident" one week prior to last year's race left me a bit rattled. I've got my 29'n'SNGL crash replacement duds! I am full on ready to use some of that karma to claw my way off the back end of the pack.

Thing three:

We will skip over thing three, as it relates to swimming. I think I have a secret, evil (not really) plan to do at least so-so this year in the triathlon swim.

Thing four:

Seeing as I can count that high, I'll throw in that UWM was courageous enough to allow me into their Masters in Computer Science program. I would guess this means increased workouts to deal with all the studying effects. Plus, I believe it comes with pool privileges (incentive to keep passing grades).

Thing five:

Don't talk about fight club. Or whatever. I love putting things out on the blog in a way to say "hey, I was there." and "If I can do it, you sure as heck can." Yet with a few items/goals/whatnot it seems that putting them on the blog breaks some code of silence and causes havoc on my "plans". Therefore, we won't be discussing my success and/or failure with respect to weight (secretly, it has been going well lately -- SSHHH ).

The real thing:

I have wanted workout consistency for a long time, and this year I have pushed for it. Sometimes that blows up in my face. When it's good, it's really good. When it's bad, well we just won't mention those days. Just glad to be here trying.

OK, I guess the mic still works. Let me see if I can find some flow to this thing called blogging. Wish me luck. Say "Hi" if you see me out there.

First Ride

Today, I hopped on my bike. I went out looking for that old demon that knocked my on my butt about a month ago.

I didn't see any demons. I'm not sure I would have recognized them. Being the first ride since the crash, it felt like the first ride in a very long time. Leaves were on the ground. There is no race to prep for. Everything seemed completely different. It was just "a ride". It was good to get out.

It was an easy ride, in that I didn't have anything but easy in me. It was hard, because easy still took plenty out of me.

As I look to future goals, I must admit it's hard because I'm oh so far from them. Yet if I'm not careful, I will attain the goals before i know it.

For today, I am just enjoying pedlin' squares on a beautiful fall day.

Still Here Spinning

Ebb and flow. Yin and Yang. Sometimes I can be in the groove and not post, missing all sorts of grand items. Other times, it's sore throats, allergies, oncall schedules and whatnot. These are the challenges that separate the regular folks from the superhuman cyborgs. All I hope for is to push through and grab back on at the upswing.

Post-ebb, I'm on a few week roll of some flow. I installed some wrist saving technology on my Singular Swift. I've been able to get out on some local dirt, for a few minutes here and there. I'm still crashing here and there while getting used to it. I'm super anxious to get out to the Kettles.

My internal clock is rolling back. I find myself waking up for some fairly early morning workouts in an "almost ready to fly" state.

Running is still here and there. It's in the background, hanging around, ready to pounce anytime I don't quite have enough time to bike. Today I had a great 70 minute run. It's been a while since I've done favorite timed run of 70-100 minutes. I need to keep those around.

I was able to participate in the L-B-L spring classic, pulling down a scientifically guesstimated 67 hard fought miles for the day. I got a few miles in with the boys. And a few more in with the girls. In between, there was wind, rain, gravel, long john donuts, imagined hot tubs, and cow dung. Hanging with the fast guys on 2-3 straightaways was a blast and a half. It was totally worth getting dropped like a rock (twice) on the corners / uphills / gravel. I'll have to work on that. Then getting the best of both worlds, I got to chat with the women while we took the long way back to Luxemburg. I was awarded with frozen toes, a Belgian flag, and some ravioli upon finish. Hard to argue with that day. Made it home in time to hobble around with the kids.

OH yeah, my Chequamegon Fat Tire 40 check cashed. Woot!

Much more going on, I'm sure. This is what I'm sharing for now.

Coughing Fits

Anxiously heading into 2010 with a similar list of improvements I'd like to see. Hoping to get even closer to that fit picture I have of myself. I have spent a few weeks of regular, consistent riding and or running here and there. Alternating weeks of some horrid uber cough have left me taking some time out.

Yesterday I hit up the local doc, knowing I had waited the essential "how long has this been going on" period of 7 months (or 2 weeks).

As I sit typing this, the antibiotics are taking hold. Ready to rid my body of that horrid cough so I can put it back to work. Time to grab the hammer and start molding it into shape.

I foisted myself out of the stone ages and picked up a front shock for that there new 29er I got last year. I'm calling it an opportunity for extra downhill courage with the added benefit of saving my "not getting any younger" wrists. We'll see what happens.

Pay No Attention

Do not look at that guy riding his bike. Instead look at his surroundings. I can speak for the slow guys (or yesterday slow guy), it was a great day to be out there. And if I can do it, you can too.

Thanks to Russell for the photo.

I needed that

A couple hours of toe freezing action on trails and the road with some CX tires was just what I needed. I will give a nod to the fact that mentally it took a bit of heavy lifting to convince myself to go. Always remember that it's better once you get out there.

My toes are thawing out. A hot shower and cup of hot chocolate is in order.

All This Talk of CX

Chequamegon is in the books.

Cyclocross is the thing to do, for sure. I will vow to spectate at a few races or more. But here is the current situation.

Work is changing. Oncall is happening. I've got the trainer setup. Temps are diving. Mind you, I'll be using the oncall excuse to ride inside. I love to ride outside when it's cold, but somehow don't dig it when the temps are falling. What can I say?

Running seems to be creeping into my schedule. I don't know what that means, but I'm all for it. Especially if it gets me through winter lighter vs any other weight.

There. That's the quick and dirty.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-chequamegon Fat Tire 40

I went into my sophomore Fat Tire 40 effort with a few guidelines:

• Stay off the brakes.
• Take the roll out easy. Last year I had the cold, hard evidence of popping on the first hill in the grass. There I was immediately wondering if I had stupidly forsaken my race. I didn't want to be there again.
  
• Stay off the brakes.
• Carry as much momentum into the hills as possible. Spin! Push! Pull! Drag! Then if that fails do some CX practice.
• Stay off the brakes.
• Did I mention stay off the brakes?

I rolled it out nice and slow, way in the back. Bro-in-law was hanging with me and yukking it up. Bubba and crew went by in no time. I said "hey" and settled in to ride my race.

When I hit the grass, I started working my own version of what felt like magic. Finding my rhythm. I thought bro-in-law was shortly behind me, but in truth he said I pretty much left him right there. At the first big down hill I donated one of two brand new Gatorade filled bottles to the ditch and kept going. It was a sign I didn't need the weight.

My memory of the race course wasn't so good. I decided to do CX practice for a few of the steeper hills in effort to save my legs for later. It was for this reason I took turns passing and being passed by another single speeder on a rigid bike. Me taking a bit more pounding on the downhills, her getting up the hills a bit better.

Somewhere fairly early on, I heard a clicking coming from the drive train. I was certain I had tightened it all down. The EBB had loosened and I needed to fix it. After figuring the problem and tightening I was off and going again. I was a bit miffed to see all the folks I had just passed with my uber-uphill-momentum thing going by. Chain tightened, I attempted a sweet CX mount of which there is luckily no evidence. Off again I went.

I couple times I was caught barreling down a gravel road in the wrong spot (deeper gravel section). No harm, no foul. Mental note for next time, look for the good part of the road if possible.

Most of the time I was working slightly harder than I thought I could for this race. I wondered if it was going to come back and bite me. I wondered what those around me though of the huffing and puffing. I was just hanging on and hoping to surprise myself.

On the upshot, I had really forgotten how much downhill there was. I was laughing with excitement down more than a few of them. Happy to have the recovery. Yet there were certainly times of "relax, you can do this". Even a few bumpy downhills, I went a bit too fast and joggled my brain more than it should have. I was fine, but secretly wishing for a bit of front suspension.

Cutting to the chase. I kept checking my watch, racing my race and keeping an eye on my four hour goal. Mind you, there is little you can do about time goals mid race except check on their status. I was keeping a decent 10 mph average, perfect for the goal. What I didn't know was how the dooming fire tower hill or it's successors would treat my beloved average.

Fire tower hill. I walked/pushed most of it. (Note for Russell, this is where I passed Randy. Not quite realizing it was him until later). One final check of the watch and I was still on my 10 mph average. It could go either way here folks.

Somewhere out there, I ran into a fellow blogger and chatted a bit. We bantered about who was ahead. I'm sure we traded spots a few times due to elevation changes and our various ways of dealing with it. No matter who got the shorter time, she wins. Her team was holding the beer for her at the finish line.

I did my best to stay off the brakes while the miles counted down. I'll admit to tapping the brakes once or twice in a "I made it this far I AM NOT crashing now" kinda move.

Somewhere in here I started realizing that not only sub-4 could happen, but I could also beat last year's 4:52 by an hour. Push, push, push.. Don't give up. Don't stop. Stay off the brakes.

I wasn't in the running for "most donut holes ingested", but I had 1-2 at each of 3-4 aid stations. No gels where harmed in the riding of my race.

Once seeing "5 to go", "3 to go", and even "2 to go" the miles were absolutely flying by. My fun was nearly to an end. Though I want a remeasure as that last mile did seem about 3 miles long.

That last little cruel uphill on a single speed where I have to will myself not to get off and walk, then I was over the finish line in 3:49!!

I stood there for a good bit soaking in all my glory. Holding my bike up. Then a shower and a bus ride to pickup the car in Hayward. All the while thinking "I'd still be riding last year". Today is Monday and I'm still smiling. I know 3:49 is pretty far back, but competing with myself, I've just had a pretty good race.

I ran into Rick who was soaking in an outstanding result. Then hung out at the Jay and Marty party for a bit yukking it up with those guys. Thanks !!!!

I said "Hey" to Evan at 53x11 coffee on Sunday, bought some finely flavored caffeine from him. Then we caught a few minutes of the CX race. Shortly thereafter, we loaded up and headed back.

What a perfect weekend!

WORS Suamico

Here's a fun one. What a great day it was. Just enough rain in the prior days to harden up the trails. Then "bam!" race day it was nice and sunny.

I had to pack in a full day of 2x2hr driving, a race, and yukking it up with the boys. All of this while "watching the dogs".. Meaning I left home at 8:30, just in time to squeak into the last parking spot before the hwy (yeah that was me on the corner). I got geared up and registered, low stress pace but "just in time" all the same.

Sans watch, I was hanging out by the start, then heard "hey the singlespeeders are going".. This allowed me to roll up the back all covert style before anyone knows they even have to deal with me.

Having geared up one, it took everyone a bit longer to get away from me on the flat. I hadn't ridden trails for a few weeks, and so my brain needed some time to get used to single track mode. The second half of the course seem to go smoother on single track. Mostly, I focused on staying out of the way, and trying to "give it the beans" the Chequamegon like sections.

I must say, getting passed by the two elite trains is super impressive. They are about the easiest folks to get passed by and call out way ahead. Their speed is unfathomable.

I thought I held off the comp riders, but looking at the results, perhaps a few of them got a lap on me before I finished.

When all was said and done, I busted out a "top 10 finish" in Sport SS. You'll have to look at the results if you want to know how many of us there were. I'm good with this. My numbers are improving.

A quick cup of smoothie at the "Muddy Cup", and I was headed home to let the dogs out. Missed out on post race food, I'll catch you all at Chequamegon.

P.S. Still digging that new Singular Swift 29er hard.

Again.

Again.

I hear it in my head. It is not the "again" of a child not wanting to do another chore.
I hear it in my mind. It is not the "again" with a hint of do I have to?
I hear it over and over. It is not the "again" of a question.
Those uncertain meanings to again do not exist in my head.

I feel it with my heart, the again of determination.
I see it with my mind, the again of consistency.
I hold it in my hand, the again of persistence.

This is the again you may hear from your martial arts instructor.

Here I am again.
Losing weight.
Riding consistently.
Getting where I'm going.
There have been setbacks before, there may yet be more.

Like riding on the trail, I take that same old obstacle with an new determination and confidence. I will take it this time.

Last time at the Muir blue trail, I cleared the last hill. Then, I did it again.

This week, I pulled through some pretty ugly number of hours in front of a computer screen. Figuring and fixing, again and again. Somehow I broke my old mold of giving up workouts while on-call. I managed 5.5 hours of basement, mile-less riding.

I have a long way to go, but I'm clearing new obstacles.

I do not share this to gloat of what I can do. I share with the humble wish that you can too.

You may not mountain bike. You may not work on-call in front of a PC. Whatever your obstacle, stand up and do it again.

True Story

So, I had a broken spoke. I replaced it on my own. Then there was a slight wiggle/wobble in the rear wheel. Just to be safe, I drug over to Ben's and spent a 5er for a few minutes of insurance. And yes, there were no wiggles after that. Well worth the trip.

I got the thing all back together and in hope of tomorrow being open trails. One last check. I spun the front wheel to make sure it was in straight. Then I wondered, had I crashed unknowingly? front looks so untrue it's ridiculous.

Thinking the way to fix it was to tighten up the spokes that had unseated/settled ( as that was the likely cause ). I now know the error of that logic.

In any case, later after the beach party I'm going to sit w/ my bike upside down in the living room and see if I can't fix it. Otherwise, tomorrow's ride will be fixed gear and as far as I feel like going. (guessing far)..

I was cranky tonight.. Good ride, but I yelled at a lady to get off the phone and drive.. not really like me. Breathe. Just ride.

Not sure if it was the Milwaukee Orange One, or the fatty jersey. I got mucho waves from the other biker peeps today. Perhaps everyone was just happy the sun came out maybe.

See you out there.

Yet Another Decent Weekend

Just mashing around the Muir trails again. There were some wet spots out there, so I didn't take any more time off. In fact, I was feeling pretty slow. Though in the end, my time wasn't really that slow.

After one lap, I ran into Coop and Anne. Anne let me lead out my second lap and never had to climb over me. It was cool to have some like-speeded company. Coop went blowing by at some point.

The win for the day. I cleared the hill just after mile 9. Now I just have a few spots to get right/regular and I'm on the the blue loop clean. Sounds easier than it might be for a bit.

Catch you out there.

Alienating Half My Base

Over the past weekend, I was signed up for the Spirit of Racine Half. I had Friday off to get all my race gear ready. I have done the race every year it has been there, starting back in 2002.

I bagged it. The official reason was my heel had me not running for the last few months. I went trail riding Friday, and again Sunday. I had an absolute blast. I'm getting (oh so slightly) faster. It was totally worth bagging the race. I'm off the hook and never have to go back unless I want to.

On the other side, I saw some folks in the results that I would have liked to have seen, and encouraged.

On to Chequamegon!!

Biting Off More Than You Can Chew

This last weekend was the Levis Trow WEMS race. It included the Wisconsin Single Speed State Championship race. Here are some random thoughts with respect to my experience there. No excuses, just observations.

It was only the third trail bound excursion I've had on my new 29er Singular Swift. Yep, love the bike.

Two grueling 12+ mile loops. It was a beautiful, if not increasingly warm day. I rode up with a good group and met a few other regulars responsible for me even attempting the race. I recall last year TmonT saying "you need to check this place out, but might want to get your chops up first". Yet this year there was no mention of chops. So, I went. (probably should have had more chops).

The lead out and the beginning single track was delightful. I was even equipped to handle this part with my beginner riding.

Ascending the bluffs was something else. I had a gear that could do it in some spots, and legs that couldn't in others.

Occasionally, my brain talked me out of a few semi difficult spots. I've assured myself that any one of these spots on it's own would be very doable, but stacked up into this 25 miles of "what did I get myself into?" went slightly beyond my reach.

I rode planks, bridges, rocks, roots, switchbacks, ascents, descents and any number of other fun little obstacles. I had some minor hiccups, to be expected. Thankfully, nothing left me laying there for the ticks to devour me.

Somewhere past 1.5 laps, I went full-on-toast mode. Upon reflection, I was perhaps dehydrated in addition to being cooked. I pushed in spots, cursing my inability to pedal no more. I stopped at the last aid station, grabbing a few orange slices for the coast into the finish.

Not far from the end, I heard "here comes the elusive one". Then an announcer that I know not where his all-day-enthusiasm comes from called me in as the last SS champs racer of the day. I'm sure they were all really happy they didn't have to come out and save me somewhere on the trail!

I'm looking forward to taking my new experience back to the Muir trails.

Last, and most important.. It's good to finish with a smile.


Big thanks to Velogrrl for the photo.

Pictures

Or it didn't happen.

First Ride on the Singular Swift 29er

While it's fresh. This morning I hit the South Kettles on my new rigid, steel framed, Hayes Stroker, Sun Ringle disc-o-flea, Sugino crank, Phil ebb, 19T endless kickass cog, Singular Swift via the Peddler of Prairie himself. Here, in no particular order, are my thoughts.

It was a beautiful day. I abstained from any brewed beverages last night for the full, early rise effect of getting more riding in. I was going to go for a 5am alarm, but once we were home and crashed it was later than I thought. So, 5:30am would have to do. Jump in the rain-box, grabbed my stuff, made some espresso, and one trip back in for my forgotten ipod, and I was out the door minutes past 6am.

At Muir and ready to ride about 7:30, I tweaked things and just made sure it was all ready to go. Tightened up the pedals. Realigned the front brake, fixing the UFO sound. And one red loop just for warm-up and grins.

The momentum of the ride is incredible. The bike wants to go much faster than me. It doesn't lose speed, save when I am braking or heading up a hill. When I'm "just peddling along" I feel like I'm going faster and much easier than I was on my old bike. (insert tidbit about 15 years of improvements in bike geometry advances).

It took me a bit just to get used to how it felt over bumps. I'm accustomed to a squishy old front suspension. I'm much more upright on the swift and could lean in and bend my elbows. Though, I felt I had to duck quite a bit more.

The good and bad of uphills. The momentum factor had me speeding up some hills and struggling on others. It seemed much more difficult for me to buckle down and hurk the rest of the way up the hill once it was too steep. This could just be a matter of finding the right spot to be in when I am climbing. Also, I'll guess the wider bars on my list will help the up hills.

Dare I say, everywhere else was a win/win. I won't talk times because mine are pretty slow. But, my first loop was a medium effort with a few short stops for a sip of water (not long enough to let the mosquitoes gather). It was at least 5 minutes faster than my last loop on my old bike, where I was really pushing it. I went for loop 2 and wore out at the end. I did well the front half, but wore out on the back half.

The big win, I was grinning most of the time. Which is what counts.

If I didn't mention it before, a big thanks / shout out go to the folks that helped me put this together (and listened to my whining waiting for it).

Rick
Russell
Tim
Marty

And of course my wife.

Now I just gotta get this thing out to a ride/race or two before the big Fat Tire. I'll have to chat with my council about Levis.

Evidence

A.K.A. What I've been doing in the dungeon today.



The frame is pretty. After all the painstaking advice giving to me about how to photo a bike, I got to the 11th hour and just had to take an evidence shot. Yep, it's here. I have the parts I have on it. Shortly hoards of folks will come teaming out of the woodwork and help me with the last bits (or are those termites?).

While I have the photo up, yep recently they've been doing some gas upgrades around here and that pipe sticking out of the wall used to be a meter. Isn't it nice how that ugly old meter isn't there anymore, just that beautiful pipe.

Time for bed, been up since 2 AM.

Parts

Oh blog, how I have neglected you lately.

props to Endless for being there and recommended.
My LBS always gets a nod. But the chain was recommended, then the recommendation was refined. Then maybe I got it wrong over the cell phone connection. We'll see.

I gotta say, accumulating the parts is nice. And I'm almost there. But the backbone of the entire new 29er bike project is slated to be in sometime this week. No word yet.

No worries. I will wait out this without concern. It turns out last time I went to the woods to ride, I checked a tree. Thus, this week I'm nursing a hockey injury without ever playing hockey (apparently checking boards can cause such). I hope to have this diversion and on-call all taken care of about the same time the build for the new bike is d-o-n-e. With a little luck, this could turn out well.

I won't tell you I plan to take a bunch of photos of the build process. We know that once I have the stuff, I won't be stopping the grease gun to take pictures. I do hope to have a nice looking end photo I can put up once we're all complete. Bonus if I can take a few pics in between.

See you on the other side.