Saw it was...

...time for a change. Blogger has some cool features that let you toy with the look of your blog, so I thought I'd "explore the space" a little. Indulge me, if you will...

Local Bike Shop

If you cycle, and you have a local bike shop that you love, then stories like this are well known to you. I dropped my bike today at World Cup Ski and Cycle for a tuneup (front derailleur isn't as crisp as i want it and overshifts in the big gear), new bar tape, a computer wiring and a new seatpost (set back farther because I have a longer femur and it postions me in the saddle better). In dropping the bike off, I said to the guy that I had a triathlon coming up, so if he could possibly get it done by Saturday, that would be great. He replied that they were backed up, and it might take as long as until Sunday or Monday.

I just got a call and the bike is going to be ready to go at 8.15. The shop closes at 8.00. They jumped me into the line, and are going to work a little later to get me done and back on the bike. now THAT is service, and it's why i shop there, and send people who are looking to buy bikes there.

Swim Night...

I went over to the local middle school for a swim on community night. It was most definitely community pool night. There were loud, screaming kids as far as the eye could see/ear could hear. I could not believe how LOUD it was

They had one lane of the pool set aside for lap swimmers. When I got there, there was one other woman in the swim lane. As I walked over there, three kids from a local Boy Scout Troop hopped in. This, I was sure, was going to be "the suxxor." The kids kept swimming into me and the other woman, until I figured out a way to go around them. At first, I was pretty annoyed, but then I thought about how tough it was to keep focused; and how I hated getting bumped into while swimming, and how I had to keep my head up occasionally to look for other swimmers. It occurred to me that this was actually going to be a better practice for a triathlon than I had originally thought. I considered swimming on top of them or kicking them, just to make it thoroughly authentic, but decided against it.

It was good to get in the pool. I feel like I am not going to die, now. My goal for this triathlon has changed from surviving the swim to not embarrassing myself on the swim. Noble, I know.

Notes from the Road

I FINALLY got to spend some time in the saddle, riding my bike in warm weather and sunshine. I went out for an hour and a half on Saturday and another hour and ten today. All in all, I covered a little over 44 miles with 1700 feet of climbing. Fol owing, some observations:

It might be tempting when you come up to a station wagon and there is a kid in the back to wave or make a goofy face. But then you realize his parents are listening to Slayer...backwards...and you think better of it.

If you're a nurses with a shock of bright red curly hair, you should not wear polka dotted tunics...unless you work for Ringling Brothers.

I can deal with a headwind. But, when you deal with a headwind for half a ride, it is patently unfair for said wind to reverse direction at about the same time you do. It just is.

If the Spanish Inquisition had wanted to be successful, they would have given the Infidels bicycles and sent them out to attack hills. Think about it: you think it's pleasure, but it quickly turns to pain, you start talking to God, and if the hill is big enough, eventually you see Him.

In all honesty, I spent some good time with Him on these rides. On god rides, there comes a point where everything is clicking and your mind is free. I often turn my mind in those moments to God.

I saw a guy riding a Victory today. I caught up with him at the light (I'm not sure he was that happy about it) and told him I liked his bike. We chit-chatted for a bit and then he said he didn't think his bike was heavy enough to trip the light sensor. I showed him where to stop his light, on the sensors, and explained that they are magnetic. I don't think he got it. I wished him well and we went our separate ways.

I saw a guy with a Got the Nerve? t-shirt and told him I was going again this year. He said he hoped to seem me there.


The Susquehanna River is really quite beautiful. It's a little high and muddy right now, but it's a nice place to ride.

It's a bad idea to forget a water bottle. ALWAYS.

I still love my Cannondale!

VT Friday

For my brother, proud Virginia Tech graduate, and for Hokies everywhere....

I am sick and tired...

...of riding on a trainer...

...of being cooped up inside...

...of running in near-freezing temperatures in APRIL...

...of cycling in 35 mph winds.

Today I declared war on Mother nature, grabbed my hybrid and headed out. It started to sleet a little, along with the aforementioned 35+ mph winds. I decided to take a detour and LENGTHEN the ride. It ended up being a little over 6 miles, paltry by my usual standards, but much longer than I anticipated when i went out. I'm done with it!

Trainer Time...

I have decided there is very little that is as nind numbing in the world as time spent on a bicycle trainer. That having been said, it was an hour and fifteen minutes of saddle time that I would not have had yesterday, and at this point, in my shape, everything helps.

And, with a Nor'easter on its way in, the trainer may be an even bigger part of this week. ****sigh****

Group Ride

I went for a group ride on Tuesday, my first long ride on the new bike. It occurred to me how out of shape I am as I rode with a group of three B riders. The last time I rode with a B group, I actually led sections of the ride, pulling at the front for others. Not today. Not only was I barely able to keep up with them, but I was constantly getting shelled out the back on the hills. They were a good bunch of guys and took it easy on the downhills, allowing me to catch up, and even waited for me on a couple of occasions. Fortunately, I wasn't the only one who struggled that day. There was another guy who had a bit of a harder time too...but he is 66. Still, being on a bicycle is a good time to think about things.

STEVE
Last year, the Harrisburg Bicycle Club lost a good guy when Steve passed away from a heart attack, coming back from a ride to Cape May. When I first made the jump up to riding with the B level riders, Steve was the first person to approach me. He made me feel comfortable about making the jump and riding with them, which I will always remember and appreciate. I rode with Steve a lot in the last two years. He was always quick witted, funny, self-deprecating in the way that cyclists often are. Steve had the most unorthodox pedaling motion, hammering the poor things like Jan Ullrich in a fit of anger, pounding the pedals, the pavement into submission.

The four of us spent some time on the ride talking about Steve, reminiscing. I didn't know him well, didn't know him at all outside of cycling circles. But, what I did know was that he loved to ride, was always quick to help someone out, and never had anything bad to say about anyone. He always seemed to have a smile, enjoyed a cold beer at the end of a hard ride, and really loved to take his turn at the front and hammer all of us. I'll miss him.

Lefty
It was also my first long ride since losing "Lefty" to testicular cancer last August. At one point in my riding career, I wanted to be like Lance, but this is not exactly what I had in mind. Toward the end of the ride it was hard to get comfortable on the saddle. It's strange to think about a "lost boy" on my ride, but I did. I can still ride; I am blessed.

Accident
And, to hit the trifecta, it was also the first long ride since being run over by a truck last September. Again, the long layoff took my fitness on the bike down to zero. More than that, I spent a lot of time looking over my shoulder. One of the things that has happened since the accident is that I relive it. Not a lot, but I do. I see it all in my head, and it's hard to chase away. I've long since stopped trying, and now I just try to roll with it, going back through it like a moviegoer, except that at the crucial parts, I am in the movie. Sometimes it's a total reenactment, which isn't that bad. Other times it ends differently. Worse.

I liked being back out there. Having three other riders gave me some cushion, as people give a wide berth to packs of cyclists. Still, I spent a lot of time thinking about the accident. I watched cars and trucks coming up behind me, and I watched them pass me. I made sure they saw us, moved over a bit as they did so.

Conclusion
So, all in all, it was a bittersweet ride. I loved being out there, on my bike, riding again. It was a good way to say goodbye to Steve, to Lefty, and to hopefully begin to exorcise some monsters. I can't wait to get out again.

New Kicks

I haven't bought new running shoes in ages (read as 4+ years…yikes!). After my recent groin injury, it seemed like a logical first step. The logical second step will be increasing mobility and range of motion.

Anyway, I went to the local running store because it has been so long since I’ve bought shoes. The guy looked at my shoes then asked, “So, what are you running in now.”

“Ummmm…these,” I replied, indicating my Adidas runners from the 1940s. I could see he wanted to say, “No. really.” But he stopped himself.

“You know you should replace your shoes every 400-500 miles?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

Well, let’s get those off and we’ll see what’s going on. After some discussion and observation, we determined that I was a little flat footed. This was news to me, because tradionally I have had a medium to high arch. I guess with age my arch has fallen. This was in keeping with what I believed. The higher arch-support on my shoes, coupled with my flatter arch was rolling my foot outward too far. I tried on five or six different shoes. The Aasics had a larger heel box that kept slipping (I was surprised by this), the Adidas had a small toe box (not good) and the Nikes were too narrow overall. I narrowed it down to the Brooks and the Reeboks, took both out for spins around the shopping center (at one point, one on each foot) and ended up choosing the Brooks GTS.

It’s a lot lighter than my old shoe, and the cushioning, while not as thick as the Adidas, was every bit as comfortable. Furthermore, I felt like my foot was striking more on the flat of the foot than the heel, and rebounding with a cleaner, softer roll of the foot.

Later that evening I went out and went for what I thought was a light run. My groin was feeling a little better, and I thought a gentle run might help stretch things out in a good way. Sure enough, things started to loosen up, and I felt the mobility returning to my hip. The tightness dissipated quickly as I continued forward. The hills were harder as it’s been a while since I hit them, but cruising on the flats seemed much easier. I came around the last turn for home and stretched out a little. No problems.

When I hit my watch at the end of the run, I could not believe what I saw. I had run my neighborhood route, covering 2.27 miles, in less than 20 minutes. I had to look twice. That's an 8.8 pace!!! That’s one of the fastest times I have posted on that route.

My hope was that I would feel that good in the morning. I finished with active stretching and a hot tub. I did feel better the next day.

Advertising

Propel is doing some funny ads right now. I'm not a fan of the product (just me) but these are really cool. CHECK THEM OUT HERE. I like the Stress Monster best, but maybe it's just because I love Pressure from Queen and David Bowie.

This one makes me smile...


And this one still makes me laugh...

Happy Easter!

One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Matthew 22:35-40

LiftSTRONG!

My friend Alwyn Cosgrove is one of the top fitness minds in the country, having written for men's Health and Men's Fitness magazine, as well as contributing to books, touring on the lecture circuit, coaching and running his own gym. In short, the man has probably forgotten more about fitness than you and I will ever learn...if he forgets anything he has learned.

On top of that, Alwyn has beaten cancer...twice! Because the man never rests on his laurels (or elsewhere, it seems) he brought to together the top names in the fitness, sports, and health professions to create an amazing resource of health, fitness, and training information. If you are into health, lifting, nutrition, fitness, or just about anything that touches these fields (or you want to be), this is a must-have resource. At over 800 pages, it will be an essential component to anyone's fitness and training library.

ALL of the proceeds from the LiftSTRONG project will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In typical Alwyn fashion, he is picking up the tab for all of the production costs.

For more information, including a list of the authors and to order your copy go to LiftSTRONG.

Maiden Voyage

It was a beautiful spring evening, the kind that makes you glad you're alive, and that you own a bicycle. I snapped my helmet on(!!!) and clipped into the pedals. I took a quick spin up to talk to my daughter, who was playing with her friends on the swingset up the road. Then I turned around, hit my watch, and started pedaling.

It amazes me how well this bike responds. The transfer of power from thought to legs to pedals to bicyle is near-instantaneous. I rode down to the bottom of the street and hung a right turn, up the hill my daughter had successfully climbed several days earlier for the very first time. I switched into a lower gear and just rose up the hill. I was huffing a little at the top, (and I know this is a cliche') but this bike climbs like a...

I made the left, then the two rights that take me down by the local supermarket (Quality. Selection. Savings. Every Day.).

This is a flat stretch and the road just unwound in front of me. Cars passed me, giving me a wide berth; I have to admit I was pretty nervous, being out there for the first time since the hit and run. I spent a lot of time looking over my shoulder. There are some pretty bumpy stretches through there, but the bike just glided over them.

I came upon some road debris as I went down past the Highmark building; the Cannondale went everywhere I wanted it to go. As I hit the rolling hills, followed by a long climb to Holy Spirit Hospital (where I said a silent thanks to the doctors, nurses and king's horses and king's men who put me back together again) the bike just kept rising. Again, I realized how out of cycling shape I am, but the bike was way more than my equal. I was almost ashamed at how much I was holding it back.

I made the turn and went down some back roads into Lemoyne, then back into Camp Hill, made the loop on 21st Street, back past the hospital and headed for home. This gave me the opportunity to test the descending capabilities down some of these hills. It was like gliding on a razor blade. Everywhere I wanted to go, the bike just went. It's much "twitchier" than my old bike though not in a bad way. Perhaps "responsive" would be a better way to describe it. My turns were so much tighter on the C-dale.

I cruised into the driveway as the sun was dipping below the horizon. It was a twelve mile ride, over some fairly hilly terrain, that I (in spite of my out of cycling-shape self) managed to cover in 46 minutes. I was a little more than surprised when I calculated out a 15.7 mph average. It's not going to win me any races, but for where I was, I was more than just a little pleased.

I REALLY liked my old bike: Fievel was a steel Raleigh Professional with Shimano Ultegra compnents and he was smooth and sure as the day is long. But the Cannondale (as yet unnamed) is more than his equal in every category except components. The Raleigh was Ultegra, this is 105: the shifting isn't quite as crisp and exacting in the C-dale. The Cannondale climbs amazingly well with no shaking, torsion or waste of movement/power. It descends just as well, equally comfortable with wide sweeping arcs or quick adjustments to avoid junk on the road. The bike is stiff where you want it, with absolutely nothing lost in the translation of power to the pedals. This was especially true when I got up out of the saddle to make a light. In the saddle, the carbon fiber took over, evening out the road and giving me just enough feedback to let me know what was going on in the road (this is where the Look 555 lost me), but not so much that I felt like I had to pull over and readjust the fillings in my teeth (the Orbea Onix I tested made me feel like that).

So, all of that to say I LOVE MY CANNONDALE! Now, if I could shake this nagging groin injury, I would be really stoked to be back up in the saddle again....cold weather and all.

Reminder

Cannondale

Here are a couple of shots of the new bike, a Cannondale Six13 Team 3. I love it!

Tonight...WE RIDE!!!

I am going to pick up my bicycle today! I am soooo excited. I went over to World Cup Ski and Cycle (terrible website, excellent service!!!) on Tuesday and test road pretty much every bike in the shop. I narrowed it down to an Orbea Onix, which I decided was too stiff, despite the all carbon frame. The tighter weave made the feedback from the road a little harsh on my 40 year-old bones.

I also rode a beautiful Look 555, but it felt dead, the polar opposite of the Orbea. I was getting no feedback from the road at all. It felt sluggish in the turns and didn't transfer the power from the pedal to the bike very well. This really surprised me, as going in to the test rides, this was the frame I was looking forward to riding the most.

The Scott CR-1 also scored high. It was plush but responsive and had a smooth, easy feel about it. The styling on it is really sharp. I was sure this was the bike for me. There was a bike I rode early in the trials that i really liked, and I decided it would be good for a biko-a-biko test ride tournament. I took the Scott out one more time and liked it a lot...until I sat on the other bike.

I knew just noodling out of the parking lot this was going to be the winner. I hit the road. It was giving me feedback like my old steel bike, but not harshly like the Orbea. It was plush, but it wasn't "dead" like the Look. And the responsiveness through turns and up hills was just too much to ignore. I had found my winner; I had found my bike...in less than one hour, I am going to pick it up.

I will introduce you to my bike this weekend...

Video Triathlon????

My video-montage Ode to Triathlon...

"SWIM"


BIKE


RUN

The Running Man

I'm coming back to running more and more. I've been out twice this week already, in the early morning before dawn (especially now with the EDT shift), before the traffic and hustle-bustle of the world begins. I'm still not used to waking up at 5.30 like I did earlier this week. I'm less than used to rolling out of bed and getting ready to go for a run. But here's something I discovered. Once I get rolling, I forget why I wanted to stay in bed in the first place. Sure it's warm and cozy, but moving forward seems so much better than laying there, fretting about the coming day.

I've started reading Chi Running by Danny Dreyer. I haven't delved into it deeply, yet, but one of the things he advocates is "Body Sensing" or being more aware of your body, how it is moving and how you can alter your body, form etc. to improve your running and results. There is a constant flow of information to your brain about your body (more than it just screaming, "Why am I awake and why are trying to KILL ME???"). Your brain also has the ability to consciously and unconsciously send information back tot he body to improve what I am doing. I made a point of trying to be more in tune with my body and my surroundings this week and it really felt better.

On Tuesday, I felt I was going to loosen up well and run smoothly and I did. I was very fluid and felt strong going up hills. I noticed things more. My neighborhood has a smell to it of dryer sheets and fabric softener in the early morning. I thought it was my brain making fun of me, but it was definitely there. I noticed it again on Thursday's run. Speaking of Thursday's run, I woke up at about 6.15 and got going. I felt stiff and knew I was not going to set any speed records...so I didn't try. The other thing Dreyer talks about is "listening to your body" and letting the feedback you are receiving drive your running, as oposed to letting your ego drive. The ego in control, he says, leads to pain and injury. I'm inclined to agree with him.

I really like the Chi Running philosophy so far. I like being more in touch with my body. Before I started reading the book, the closest I came to "body sensing" was when nature called in the last quarter mile of a run. Fortunately, I am still running relatively short distances (5 miles and less) and didn't get caught out; I made it home without incident, but only barely. I mention this because I came across THIS STORY from Dave Milner, passed on by a friend, which has to be one of the more hysterical things I have read recently. It's not for the squeamish, but I split my sides reading it.

St. Patrick's Lorica (Morning Prayer)

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a mulitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.
Christ shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that reward may come to me in abundance.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation

St. Patrick (ca. 377)

This video...

...is just plain awesome! I love Christopher Walken, and Fat Boy Slim's Weapon of Choice is the Jam. Together, they're an unstoppable combination.