Living Cranky (formerly grumpy)

Dear Rainbow:

2011-05-17T04:29:00.001-07:00

I feel you need to reassess your writing process…seems you have gotten a bit overconfident in your abilities and forgotten that it is actually a good idea to go through many drafts before submitting to print (and, apparently, OWH will print anything).

Recently, you had two articles about closed businesses–each a month after the fact. If you want to get all weepy about a bakery (which I had never her of) that closed after five years or a vegan eatery, then do it BEFORE they close and there may be some new business that will give them a chance.

But recently, you’ve made social commentary that is only “according to Rainbow” without considering that you are only one person…but commenting on society. For example:
* If you haven’t seen these socially iconic movies, then sit down and watch them–consider it research for better articles. Just because your mom didn’t let you watch them in your youth doesn’t mean you can’t watch them now…but you need to put yourself in the right mindset–don’t watch a teen move as a 30 year old…imagine you are a teenager again.
* Quit criticizing other people’s wedding dresses–Kate Middleton’s look fabulous ON HER; probably wouldn’t look good on YOU.
* Sunday’s article about wedding movies was really out of your element–you are not the movie critic, Bob Fischbach is…even for those about weddings. But the kicker is that you contradicted yourself from the outset: you claimed not to have gone to many weddings and those you have gone to were nothing elaborate; well, that makes you NOT an expert about weddings. From then on you were basically rambling about a field (weddings or movies or both) on which you have no expertise (I have often wondered what your expertise is…it isn’t entertainment, it isn’t “Living” because you keep focusing on what you HAVEN’T done in your sheltered existence). As with the previous articles about movies you haven’t seen, you apparently haven’t seen an wide array of wedding movies. If you want to see the cake and all the regalia of weddings, watch “Wedding Crashers” or “The Wedding Singer”–multiple weddings, multiple cakes, etc. (but your mom probably wouldn’t let you). You see, wedding movies are not about weddings…they are about the people in them. If there was a movie JUST about a wedding, it wouldn’t be interesting–it would be as if the Super Bowl were just about the celebration at the end minus the story of getting there. “Steel Magnolias”–not about the wedding; “Four Weddings and a Funeral”–not about the weddings nor the funeral. These are great movies about people. By the way, “Monsoon Wedding” is a great movie but not about a wedding…the wedding takes up five minutes of the film; there is so much going on in that film I cannot see how you think it is all about the wedding. If you want a simpler version of that movie, watch “Father of the Bride” with Steve Martin–similar family conflicts and much more about the WEDDING.

Rainbow, think before you write. I’m sure that the OWH is enamored by your hometown girl mystique, but your craft is not very strong and growing more hackneyed. If you want to be taken seriously as a writer, take yourself more seriously as a writer rather than being “cute.” If you are going to write for the “social” section of the paper, tap in more closely to the social pulse…not according to Rainbow, but to society. IF there are movies you haven’t seen, see them before you fake your conversations (you admitted that). Quit being a fake.

Staying small in big world

2010-10-10T02:24:00.000-07:00

First, I wish to claim that "I'm back." Not that I really went anywhere, but my dedication to this blog has not been what I had hoped it would be. Nonetheless, as I do about this time every year, I am going to try again.

Although there are many things I am hoping to blog about--like an iron-distance triathlon next September--I am going to start (or restart) with two shout outs:

Our world is getting so big these days that the individual gets lost in the minutiae; I even felt this way this past week when there was a clerical error with my pay check--rather than being an affected human being, the situation was handled rather mechanically. We seem to be forgetting the faces of our fellows.

So I am doubly impressed when a company creates a human-like face in the way it does business; I have two examples:

First, PowerTri.com (http://www.powertri.com/). As I've been getting into the sport of triathlons, I am always on the look out for good deals on gear and apparel. PowerTri has had for the last couple of seasons a killer deal on its team kit and a goody bag of accessories to go with it at a really decent price. I thought, "That's a good deal...I'd wear that!" But for the longest time they didn't have my size--it seemed to be end-of-season left overs. So I waited, but eventually sent an email of query expressing my interest, frustration, and waning (or whining) patience. I did get an empathetic reply, with a request to hold on because they are coming. As the triathlon season neared, still no changes. I emailed again; this time the reply said that the reorder was coming soon and that they would contact me when the new kits arrived. They did; I actually spoke to their main salesmen/triathletes on the phone; and I wore their kit all season. So if you need triathlon stuff (of anything associated with those three disciplines), look them up...especially get on their email list because they have "Fabulous Friday Specials" which are killer.

The second goes to Yurbuds.com (http://www.yurbuds.com/). Yesterday, I spent most of the day in front of my computer grading "easy" stuff and following the streaming coverage of the Kona Ironman World Championship race. Yurbuds was one of the sponsors of the broadcast. They had a deal that for yesterday only for a free tech shirt and no shipping and handling with the purchase of their product--these snug ear buds. So I went to their sight, but couldn't get on due to volume; I waited a while and finally got on, but found no place to enter this code. Then I thought, "Maybe it is a coupon code at the end of purchase." I tried that, saw a place for a code, but it didn't work. I tried numerous times, in numerous ways (like caps, no caps, spaces, etc.), and none worked. So I said "Screw it" (actually, it was something else) and went back to IM Kona coverage...and grading,of course. Shortly after dinner I got a phone call from Yurbuds--late, on a Saturday--from the "tech guy" from Yurbuds. Apparently, their website wasn't prepared to take half a million hits at once...but it did and eventually crashed! I asked if he had to call half a million people, but he said "no," only the ones that were mid-transaction and didn't complete an order (the number was, like, five). Nonetheless, this guy gave me a call to make things right...even gave me a better deal. Plus, we had a nice chat about being a small fish in a big pond--which I appreciated--and that he had a new customer. Check them out.

Keep checking in; I will try to do better this time around.

2010-07-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

One in the bank...

2010-04-12T03:42:00.000-07:00

Okay.

After my horrid, painful week with a bulging disc, I feel I bounced back really well.

I did front-load the last week pretty well and tapered toward the end--or skipped workouts again, depending on how you interpret the trends. I only swam once--Tuesday--but it was the best swim all year--and this was still with tingling fingertips from the bulging disc (what an odd sensation). I was hoping to add one more swim, but things got in the way and didn't get it in. Also, hanging out with the Moxies Friday night made my Saturday miserable--my own fault, really.

Nonetheless, Sunday rolled around and the Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon was priority one. Here's the play-by-play:

I was in the second wave.

My goal for the swim was to maintain my cool and keep a good pace. Still, even in my warm-up, I felt my heart was starting to race--HR was up to 142 after just casually swimming a lap or two. I was glad to be sharing a lane for once--last year I was lucky enough to have an absent lane partner. So, in preparation for the open-water swims, I had another in the lane, the rope, and a friend swimming in the next lane. So having those visual and proximal distractions every once in a while was good to get used to. About two thirds of the way through, felt the HR racing again, so I tried to back down a little to stay steady through the entire 10 minutes. I was credited with 21 lengths--10.5 laps, 525 meters...a 30:39 mile pace. I was content with that.

The bike was frustrating, but I didn't let it get to me. I walked in and found that there was only one bike left that had Look-style pedals available. As I'm starting my set up, the guy next to it said that the computer on it was reading well. I quickly moved to another bike to remove the toe clips, couldn't, so I stuck with the first bike. The computer was sporadic; and though I held it at a consistent level MOST of the time, it was jumping around. But I didn't complain, just figured that mine wasn't the only bike to do that--it was what it was.

The run, I felt is where I unexpectedly shone. My running has been coming along, but I hadn't done any true speedwork in a couple weeks. So I wasn't planning to surpass three miles in 20 minutes. So I started by setting it up to 8.5 mph, but saw that a runner in the row ahead of me had set his at 9.3--trying to hit a 5k pace. Well, I quickly set it up to that pace as well. By looking over his shoulder, I felt like I was letting him pace me. Ten minutes into it, I was feeling a little fatigued, so I dropped back to 8.5 for five minutes, and finished at 9.3. The last five minutes was filled with "Just X more minutes/seconds to go" thoughts, and when I was done, I felt I had nothing left--perfect. Finished with 3.02 miles--good for me.

I haven't seen the final standings yet, but feel really good with the result especially with the speed bumps of the last couple of weeks.

I told Darci that after this week, I really need to keep things disciplined for about the next five weeks--thinking that I want to continue to build to Bluff Creek (May 23) and taper to IM KS 70.3 (June 6). I still want to do that, but I'm seriously considering adding the Papillion Half Marathon on May 16 as a last "long" run before KS.

One is done. I'm feeling good about it and that it is done. Now to look ahead to the rest.

Pain

2010-04-05T06:03:00.000-07:00

Training has been sporadic for the last month...especially in the pool. First, it is hard to get motivated to do it; second, my training partner often sleeps in rather than getting there early in the morning--even when he sends an invite through Facebook, the host shows 45 minutes late. Cycling has taken an upswing with the weather--I've ridden the new bike three times, with two of those rides maintaining a 19+ mph average (CT, you didn't slow me down). Running is there, but I haven't as much as I've wanted.

Last week I wanted to make a BIG week--10 or so hours of training. However, in the first half of the week, life got in the way--too many family, etc., events took precedence over the training. I was okay with that and even finding ways to make them up.

Wednesday, though, the unexpected happened. I was eating breakfast...leftover pancakes--probably too quickly--my esophagus cramped up (which is nothing new--not choking because I can still breathe, just food won't swallow...uncomfortably stuck), and one of my body's attempts to clear that is sneezing. Because I had food in my mouth, I stifled the sneeze rather than letting it go. About 10 minutes later things went south.

Another strange thing that happens "once in a blue moon" is a sensation through my arms that feels like they've turned to lead and are being pulled out of their sockets. Usually it passes in five to ten minutes.

Nonetheless, 10 minutes after the sneeze, my arms turned to lead. The bad thing was that I was driving at the time--which I don't think mattered, I just had to handle heavy machinery at the same time. I get to school, still in pain. This persists ALL DAY!

Fortunately, I've got good friends! Stephanie--my personal PA--thought that it was a bulged disc; and the next day, when I told her my fingertips were tingling, she felt that confirmed her theory. She told me to consistently take IBU.

So, Wednesday...miserable; I still taught Centergy (hoping that will make it feel better). Thursday, still struggling; and Friday, too. Saturday, went for a bike ride, and suffered for the rest of the day, but felt better in the evening. Sunday, felt tons better! I had one intense stinger in the morning, but the rest of the day felt good--skipped swimming (Paul was playing Easter bunny anyway), went to church, went for a 21.35 mile ride and averaged 19.4! Then walked to the in-laws' for Easter lunch. Even walked with Darci and the dog yesterday evening. A good day.

Today, I feel like I did yesterday. Still some tingling in my fingertips, but I feel I can resume all parts of my training. Planning to swim tomorrow.

So now I feel like I need to front-load this week and taper toward Saturday since I have my first event of the season on Sunday--the indoor triathlon.

Injuries suck.

For a good cause...

2010-03-09T08:19:00.001-08:00

Hey, all.
Let me just take a few moments of your time:

Most of you know that I am into cycling and endurance events. Usually, it is for my own self satisfaction; but this summer I am going to participate in an event that will benefit others, but I cannot do it without a little help from you.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to moving us towards a world free of MS. They fund research into effective MS therapies and also help people with MS to live powerful, meaningful lives. I believe in the work they do. Currently, there is no cure for MS, money they raise goes toward continued research, advanced treatments, and the hope for an eventual cure.

One way the society raises funds and spreads awareness is with annual bicycle rides throughout various states. Nebraska’s ride is on July 10 & 11—my hope is to ride 200+ miles in one weekend…something, believe it or not, I have not done yet. If you are a cyclist, you too can join the cause!

I am starting my personal fundraising campaign now because March is MS Awareness Month and next week (8-14) is MS Awareness Week. My strategy is going to be simple: I am only asking that you give as much as you feel comfortable giving—there is no minimum donation amount. I am also asking that, if at all possible, that all donations be made through my MS page (see link below); if there are some of you who do prefer writing a check, I can accommodate that as well. Here’s an incentive to donate sooner than later: I plan on sending this same reminder on the first of every month until the event; once you donate through my page, “thank you” ahead of time and I take you off my list for future requests. Here is the link:

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/NENBikeEvents?px=7659450&pg=personal&fr_id=13812

There are many good causes out there and this is equally so. I hope you find it in yourselves to donate a little or a lot, and I will keep you in mind as I ride in July.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Davis

When life gets in the way...

2010-03-07T04:50:00.000-08:00

Overall, I think that I was lazy this last week and it is trickling into this week already; however, it wasn't all my fault.

At work, just been lazy...with a student teacher, I shouldn't have so many ungraded assignments haunting me, but I do.

This has been a very social week, which has made the mornings sluggish. Chili feed at Olympia and date night with Darci last night have made me tired this morning--I should be swimming right now. Friday, FAC and then pizza for dinner, so I didn't workout in the afternoon (another swim missed) and tired yesterday morning.

There are 91 days left before Kansas--I need to get on the stick.

With 14 weeks to go...

2010-02-28T12:20:00.000-08:00

The KS 1/2 Ironman is 14 weeks away.

I started the "serious" training two weeks ago, but with a bit of a head cold, am four workouts behind. As I was explaining to Paul, my training partner, if I miss running or cycling, those will be skipped and the next workout will be done; with swimming, though, I feel I need to make those up to complete the plan. In actuality, then, I have only missed three of the swim workouts out of six--I know it sounds bad so far--which should be made up in the next few weeks (if I just try to add one additional swim in a week to get back on pace).

Yesterday, did my first run outside for the season--did 8.5 miles on country highways. My ankles felt beat up, but it was good to get outside...plus, had the best breakfast that I've had in a long time at the Heartland Cafe in Elkhorn.

This week I am going to try to fulfill every scheduled workout despite other life events on the calendar. Last week I finished with about seven hours of training time--had I been healthy, probably would have been close to nine or more. So far--mentally--feeling good and charged up about the process.

Other insight: it is looking like I WILL NOT be going to Europe this June which opens the door for a couple of other events to tackle...Cornhusker State Games triathlon or time trial and possibly the Mayor's triathlon in Papillion.

Try this...

2010-02-24T04:26:00.000-08:00

I while back I saw a regular participant from one of my fitness classes chllin' in the locker room in a towel watching TV. I told him that my class was starting soon but he said that he just finished the "executive workout." Once he described what it was, I was determined to try it soon after.

A couple of weeks later I had made arrangements with my training partner to swim one Sunday morning. I was there on time, but Paul was not; so I sat in the jacuzzi hoping he would arrive soon. After 10 minutes, I was sure that he was not coming; and since it is always hard to be motivated about swimming for me, I decided to create my own "executive workout."

This week, Paul and I are a little under the weather. Yesterday, I skipped the morning workout (see yesterday's post); I had thought of making it up after swimming yesterday afternoon, but the congestion was just not going away. Knowing Paul was in a similar way, I suggested we do the "executive workout" to try to flush things out. He agreed to try it.

Here's what we did (approximately): 10 minutes in the hot tub; 10 minutes in the sauna; 10 minutes in the steam room; another 10 minutes in the sauna; and finishing with 10 in the hot tub.

It is a lot of sitting, but I felt spent afterward. This morning, I feel much better than I did yesterday. I still skipped this morning's workout, but feel a lot clearer in the head.

Time flies...

2010-02-23T03:11:00.000-08:00

For the last three weeks or so, my wife has been battling through a sinus infection that has produced the most horrendous coughing that I have heard in a long time. She's a saint, though; at its worst she would choose to sleep on a couch in the basement to allow me the best night's sleep I could get. During this whole time, I've been knocking on wood as I have stayed ailment-free.

Well, the inevitable finally happened.

Last Thursday it started with a slight sore throat which turned into congestion over the weekend. So far, it hasn't really slowed me down. Today, though, it called my bluff.

Last night I taught a spin class and felt the clearest I had all day; but I knew that as soon as the class ended, my head would refill and it would be back to the box of Kleenex. Last night I was pretty wiped out. I went to bed at 9:00; but when the alarm went off at the usual time, it was hard to get up. I got dressed and ready to go, but before I knew it, the time was later than what I like to take off. It is like that this head congestion has slowed me enough that time goes by faster. I thought that I was getting ready at a pretty good pace, but I was definitely wrong.

So I made a choice this morning: take a morning off. I still hope to get a swim workout in this afternoon, and I thought that I may do a modified running workout to recover what I didn't do this morning.

So I feel I'm making that choice on my terms...not that I'm lazy which is typically the case. I have a pretty good opportunity to workout tonight since the rest of the family is busy with other things. So, hopefully, I'll make up the lost time, sit in the sauna and/or steam room, hit the whirpool, and be ready for tomorrow's weigh-in.

Tomorrow will be here before I know it.

Good and bad...

2010-02-13T12:53:00.000-08:00

To keep a long story short--and to avoid getting upset--I had to sell our John Mayer tickets in favor of a middle school choir concert. I'll stop there.

Trainingwise, things went really well. Despite a busy schedule at school, I maintained the schedule well. Couldn't swim on Tuesday due to conferences and missed Centergy on Wednesday for the same reason, but kept everything else well. In fact, picked up a spin class Thursday afternoon for another instructor who took an impromptu trip, so I moved my planned core workout to this morning (Saturday) before covering Heather's spin class. I also ran afterward. I'm actually thinking about getting on the trainer when I get home from the shop, even though I admitted earlier today that I'm tiring of cycling this week.

Yesterday I swam for 30 minutes straight and felt pretty good. Did the same thing last Sunday, and thought then that I could have worked harder. So yesterday, I tried to pull harder and stronger through the latter laps and finished 30 laps in just over 30 minutes; so I held a one-minute per lap average consistently.

Tomorrow is 16 weeks out from Kansas--112 days! It really begins tomorrow!

And so it begins...

2010-02-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

I've had a pretty good week, and a really nice swim this morning; plus, I was juiced to help out with LTF's Indoor Triathlon this year which put me in the mood to kick in the training for the season coming up. This coming week I am going to try to follow the schedule as best I can with conferences at school, but have no specified training plan per day. The rigorously structured workouts will begin next week.

To the right there is a general calendar of the nature of my workouts each week...mostly for Paul's info. There are more regimented workouts at those times, but those will vary from week to week, so I thought keep the information general as to not having to frequently update the information.

As the weeks go on, I hope to be better about keeping my blog up to date.

Stress...

2010-01-16T11:54:00.000-08:00

Busy week: First week of the spring semesters and trying to learn the new Body Traning Systems programming to get ready for the launch this morning. All went well and smooth, it just stresses me out.

With Group Ride I always feel that once I learn a season set, then it is just a matter of presenting it in an entertaining way; I forget the coaching element. The feedback I got Thursday was a good reminder of that, so I thought this morning went much better.

With Centergy, I still feel out of my element, but much better than two years ago. Yesterday we went through a practice launch and I, again, I thought today went much better. The difference today was working through yesterday's soreness-- I woke up this morning with a sore back and didn't really connect why until we started the workout today.

To get ready for the launch this week, I eliminated the swim workouts for Tuesday and Thursday and running and the strengthh workouts I wanted to build in. Next week.

I'm getting back into the swing with new students again, but by the time i finally get to know the names of the sophomores, my student teacher will take over and I won't know any of them. Cest la vie.

Saw Avatar last night.

Keep the wheels on the road; until next week.

Gettin' serious...

2010-01-09T16:35:00.000-08:00

I told my wife today that since I finished the last piece of birthday cake today that the holiday season was officially over and it was time to get serious. We both need to make a mindful commitment to being smarter about what to eat and how much.

As for training, things have been going well though the snow days seem to put a damper on things. I actually have plenty at my house that I could easily log a lot of training time in my basement, but there is something in my head that wants to keep home and the training field separate.

So let's recap some simple, but challenging goals:
1. Blog every week--I didn't go into the shop today, but I did remember to blog (here I am).
2. Don't procrastinate.
3. Quit making excuses--like trying to separate home with the training field...just shut up, get on the trainer and ride!

Talking with my training partner Paul, I think I have my event calendar more solidified than before. Here it is...
1. I was going to do the February 7 Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon, though I was thinking that this was a bit early. However, I did think it would be a good benchmark to then check progress at the next one on April 11. But I think that I am only going to do the April IT...falling back on the thought that February is too soon, but also with timing of other upcoming events.
2. Paul and I were looking at the Siouxperman Tri in Sioux Center, IA, on May 1--sprint distance but a pool swim, and the price was right. Paul found the date for the Bluff Creek Tri in Boone, IA, on May 23. There is a choice of sprint or Olympic distance and we'll probably do the latter. I think this would be a better one for the sole reason that it is an open-water swim. This will also be a little over a month after the LTFIT, and two weeks before KS. This is a USAT event.
3. Boys Town Memorial Day Run. This has become a family tradition, but it may just be a training run for me with one week to go before KS.
4. KS Half Ironman. This is what the whole season is for. This is also the week before my possible trip to Europe...so what better way to recover than cavorting through Europe. USAT event.
5. MS Ride with team Moxie. This is a fun ride, but wouldn't it be fun to do back-to-back 100s?
6. Mayor's Triathlon? Haven't decided on this one...I don't like the bike route so much on the trail; but Paul mentioned doing this as a team.
7. First Annual Omaha Triathlon. Olympic distance, so not as intense as KS. USAT event.
8. Black Squirrel would be fun to FINISH this year.

And after that, mostly tapering down with some fun things like CCRun, a Omaha Marathon race (10k or half-m), BNB, and who knows what else. The big things will be done before September. I think that may be busy enough.

Naming bikes...

2010-01-02T09:59:00.001-08:00

First, happy new year. As 2010 moves in, one of my few resolutions is to be better with consistently posting on this blog. I think I will make it a Saturday, at the shop thing to do. So here is my first post for the new year:
My friend Stephanie recently purchased a bike thru ebay (which she eventually sent back) and she was pondering what to name the new bike. I scoffed at this practice as I was rewrapping the bars on her old bike--Barbie.
So I started thinking of my bikes and realized that they all--but one--already have names. So here they are:

The first two are not very exciting, but I think they are fitting. The first is my Raleigh One-Way. I just think that One-Way is an apt name. It is a one-speed commuter with a flip-flop rear wheel. I like the color and look of it with the Brooks features and fenders. The name also reminds me of the character name Rerun from the old TV show What's Happening.

The second is my Gunnar Roadie. Gunnar is the name of Richard Schwinn's dog and a characiture of him is the logo of the company and it is on the front of the headtube. We always refer to it as the Gunnar, so it kinda stuck. Like man's best friend, it is the truest bike I have--smooth ride. I just wish I rode it more...I should, but that is the way it goes sometimes.

The third is probably the most unique bike I have because of its origins. The frame--we believe--is an old Shogun from the late 70's. A friend had it repainted and realized it was too big for him and offered it to me, but at the time I didn't need a new bike. Three years later, he claimed he got rid of his bikes and said I could have the frame. So I started piecing it together with old parts of mine, old and NOS parts from Olympia, and a few new items. I always referred to it as "the Frankenstein bike," and EdBiLLy coined the moniker FraNkEnBiLLy--perfect. Had I known I was going to build this one up, I probably would have not invested in One-Way. However, this bike is not comfortable past 10 or so miles, whereas One-Way can go quite a distance.

FraNkEnBiLLy is unique when one first sees it, the next is one that needs a closer look. There was the remains of an old, 1989 Bianchi Campione hanging upstairs at the shop and I had once entertained the thought of putting new components on it as a new bike. Ed talked me into investing in a Gunnar instead--so I did. But I couldn't get this one off my mind. One day I was riding my old mountain bike around Lake Zorinsky and I realized I was using only two gears: the front middle or big chain rings and one gear in back. I thought that this would be a neat way to recreate this Bianchi: as a double-single. Knowing that I would need a chain tensioner in the rear, I found the one I ordered in the catalog--the description said it was perfect for a "dingle" set...just as I was doing. So "Dingle" seemed to be a prime way to refer to this ride. We discovered something else about this bike: in the fork there is some metal shaving, so when one tips the bike up a jingle is heard. Thus, it is the "dingle with a jingle."

Here's the story on the last named bike (for now). Last summer I sold my mountain bike; last winter I won a spot in the Leadville Trail 100-mile mountain bike race. I needed a bike. I really didn't want to buy a new bike for one event and probably not ride it much again, but I still needed a bike. I was wandering the shop and saw this IronHorse hanging in the back. "Can I have that one?" and Ed said "Sure." The story is that a "customer" rode in and this mavhine looking to test ride one of our bikes. We usually do not hold on to a license or credit card for test rides, but Ed did ask this guy for one (he just had a bad feeling). But the guy said, "You've got my bike right there"; so Ed let him go and he was never seen again. He stole one of ours and we assume he had stole this one as well and now i was going to ride it in onne of the most grueling bike races ever (which I never did). I think that there is only one name for this bike: Rob.

The last bike pictured is my Trek 2300. It is the bike that I have had the longest, and I can think of no name for it. Any suggestions?
The new Kestrel does have a name, but I am waiting for the big reveal to disclose its label...but I think you'll like it.

Build update...

2009-12-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick update on the build: About three weeks ago, I won and received these sweet aerobars from ebay. My angel of a wife--who has not yet asked about what I have spent on anything--asked if I got what I was expecting; my reply was "No, I got more." I had been looking for a while at one seller who had a variety of FSA/Vision bars that were all aluminum--I was in no hurry because it was a "Buy Now" item that kept getting relisted when the time expired. I was also waiting to get the headset--which you can see in the second picture--so I could put on some kind of handlebars on it to figure out some measurements and determine which size of handlebars to purchase from the aforementioned seller (I was pretty sure that I would need the medium ones, but wanted to be sure).

Then I found these beauties listed---oooh, carbon!--with a low starting bid. The story was that they were the bars that came on a bike that was "reconfigured"; the seller claimed that they had been ridden about 10 times (the sweat residue suggested more). Nonetheless, the measurements were about the same as the ones I was considering, so I threw in a bid. One other seller countered twice, but I already had a high enough bid to thwart his second attempt. Ed and I at the shop estimated that the retail would be in the $650-700 price range, but I spent (after S&H) no where near that.

As I said in a previous blog, the build is not quite done, but close. Therefore, I'm including one other picture to highlight its stealthiness, but doesn't reveal too much. When it's ready, there will be pictures galore!

And so it begins...

2009-11-29T12:15:00.000-08:00

Today is the beginning of the long hall. Today I started the arduous training process for a half Ironman Triathlon in Kansas on June 6. I will then take two or so weeks off to travel through Europe (as is the current plan), and then resume training again to prepare for the inaugral Omaha Triathlon on August 1. So today, I was in the water at 6:30 AM and muscled through 1.37 miles of work over 65 minutes--it was probably an hour workout, but I spent ample amounts of time recovering. This afternoon, I will teach my spin class to get some time on the bike in.

The hardest part of this is self coaching. I was talking to my training partner's dad during a run on Thursday and I was explaining my plan to "map backward" from the event. He asked how I knew all this stuff, because that is what his coach that he pays does and calls it. Well, I learned long ago, that if something is going to get done right, preparation is key. I had read a Chris Carmichael book a long time ago and was familiar with the concept of periodization, but a webinar I listened to and subsequent purchase of Joe Friel's Training Bible put it all into perspective...in a visual sense. I get what I'm supposed to do now.

So now my goal is to plan out the weeks on Saturdays...but last night was hard because I was so tired. The other thing that was challenging was finding the time to fit it all in. At this point, I'm trying to plan 8.5 hours worth of training in--half of it being cycling, 30% swimming, and the rest running. That's hard! What was comforting was that this morning's swim was about an hour, so all the rest will probably be about an hour. By the end of today, I will have nearly two hours completed. Tomorrow, I hope to run after my spin class; that will put me over 3.5 hours in two days.

I think the time will add up quicker than I realize, but I do get concerned about the 13-15 hour weeks ahead--but they're a ways off yet.

As for the bike build, it is nearly done and I do have new pictures to post soon. All that's left are the shift levers, brake levers, and a chain.

As for the blog, I think that I am going to make it a weekly practice when it is sleepy at the bike shop on Sunday afternoons...after all, we are getting to the end of the NFL season and I'm going to need to have something to do.

Making my peace...

2009-11-16T03:15:00.000-08:00

I've got so much on my mind and so many things to do and only so many hours in the day and a tendancy to procrastinate of put my focus on the secondary rather than the primary. So rather than grade papers that are stacked up against me, I'm blogging.

As for the bike: Headset is in (no pictures yet) and bars are on their way. Then it will be put on hold for a while. All that will be left will be shifters, brakes, cables, a chain, and "polish."

Been doing a variety of things, but not a settled schedule for training yet, but December 1 will be the kick off date. Right now, just trying to create a base. Fortunately, I can create that base and then up the intensity in stages. Still, the base needs to be there.

Yesterday, swam for the first time in two weeks; the latter part of that statement is the downfall. I'm not getting a steady routine in the water...to the point that I am not comfortable there. As I was dwelling on it all day, I feel that my expectations are too high right now. I am weak enough in the swim to be frustrated; I now know enough about swimming now to be frustrated. As I told my training partner Paul yesterday, I feel like I did two years ago when I was prepping for my first triathlon--learning to swim all over again.

From here, baby steps for a while. The gist of my plan is to start small--I'm sure Paul will be asking "You're done already?" a lot in the near future. That's all I'm going to say about it for now...let me see if that works.

To my friends on and from FaceBook, thanks for your support and keep it coming...I'm going to need a lot in the next 7 months. Be a follower...rather, a supporter.

And so it begins...

2009-10-25T05:07:00.000-07:00

Last week I wanted to include a post just to stay in the habit; the only pic I would have posted--the only one to really document what was done (nothing but "parts are in")--is this one.

This week, I got to the shop late and I was wondering if there would be any time to add anything to the frame or not. The headset is now ordered but still not in, so I even debated putting anything on yet or not. Ed, though, said "why not?" so I went forward.
From this point I got all CT geeky and took pictures all the way through.

I like cassettes...there is something intriguing to me about this naked transmission of gears. The old and new photo shows the 8 spd 11-23 that WAS on the wheel next to the 10 spd 11-25 that is now on the wheel.

How about the 10-speed spred out? The change of colors indicates the change of material: titanium. Lots of holes and grouped as 3, 2, and 5 singles. The Dura Ace lock ring is the cherry on top!

And then the corncob went on...it is a little fatter than the old one, but oh, the places we'll go.

From there I continued with the drivetrain. To the non-cyclist, the rear derailleur would seem a mystery. To me it looks like the alien-to-be curled up in its pod awating Sigourney Weaver's laser blaster to shoot it to hell. Nonetheless, it is an intricate piece of machinery with coils and pulleys that manages the micro-shifting of any bike. With this whole group the coolness comes in its two-toned quality of slate gray and polish!

Here's the last photo of a naked frame.

Even on the bike, the derailleur still looks fetal...coiled and waiting to spread out and churn away.

A lot of newer crank shafts at going to a hollow unit. So I may have mistakenly referred to this as the bottom bracket (which, technically, it is) these are actually the two sides' cups that hold the crankset. The sealed bearings are in the fat ends of this unit.

Shimano is a smart company that with their highest-end stuff, they are still going to put a labels on these parts to indicate which wat to tighten--I appreciated that. I don't know how many times I've tried to discern the direction of the threads to confirm the credo of tighten to the rear with BBs.

The crowning jewel of any drivetrain is the crankset; it is the biggest part of the drivetrain, and the higher you go, the prettier it gets. On my Gunnar, the carbon Chorus crankset is the prettiest part of it. Dura Ace isn't carbon, in fact, it looks bulky.

En contrare--the backside of the chainring arm is hollowed out! It is super light. It is standing up on its own since the hollow spindle is attached to the crankarm itself.

What's good for the front is good for the rear.

The front derailleur is such a simple piece that does so much. The main control of the macro-shifting mechanism has an elegance to it as it shifts from ring to ring.

The last thing that could be done--since there is no headset yet--was the rear brake.

The greatest challenge was to determine the appropriate shoulder bolt to use. From Kestrel and Shimano, I had two longer bolts; however, when I first put one in the frame, it didn't reach the brake bolt. So I found the longer shoulder bolt designated for the front, but with that was used, it bottomed out before it tightened.

So I went back to one of the other longer shoulder bolts and it worked just fine once I pushed it in all the way...duh.

Finally, the rear wheel with new cassette was put in. Before I hung it up for good, I had to weight it one more time. The frame weighs 3.4 lbs; at this ponit, with a lot of parts to go, it is right at 11 lbs.

Now the build is on hold for a couple of weeks.

Getting ready...

2009-10-17T05:39:00.001-07:00

There are days to set aside on the calendar and today is one of those! Schnoctobeerfest! A one-day bike and beer fest with a group of the greatest guys ever. Plenty of photo ops out there.

Check out the pics when we get back and on the CiTyBiLLy Rides blogspot.

Not much new to report...

2009-10-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

My Achilles' heels in the past with journals has been being disciplined enough to keep it going. With a blog, I feel the same pressure. So, though there isn't much to report, I must report to maintain the habit.

Went to the shop yesterday. All parts were ordered, but none in yet. Despite the fact that the special from Giant had expired on October 1, we still got the sale prices...including the killer discount on the crankset.

Ran inside on a treadmill today, and felt really good. I had intended to pyramid four miles at 6.5, 7, 7.5, and 7 mph; but felt good enough (and probably started too low) to go to 8 mph for the last mile. Finished the 4 miles in 33:20...not bad for not having run since the Omaha Marathon 10k.

Making the big step...

2009-10-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

So I went into the shop yesterday...tired and wanting to get away. For the most part, I am anxious about making a handlebar decision that I want to get a headset and the fork in and some cranks on so we can figure out which length bars to get.

So all I went in to order was a headset.

Then Ed says, "Hey, Giant has components on sale." So we compared with the group price from the Quality catalog and Giant's pricing was huge savings...especially if they honor the crankset price, which may have very well been a mistake (but we hope they honor it). So save upwards of $400 on the cost price of most of the Dura Ace components.

All along I had decided to keep a spreadsheet of what I paid versus the cost price versus the retail price. Needless to say, I'm saving a lot of money. Sure, it helps having the bike shop connection, but it also helps having the knowledge to know what to look for if shopping on ebay.

So the basics are ordered, a few things to go yet, based on measurements and such.

Not much progress, but...

2009-10-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

The only thing I did this weekend was put new rubber on the deep-v wheels--they're blue.

Been doing a lot of looking around ebay for a set of handlebars. Really looking hard at the Vision by FSA TT/Tri bars, but I am finding more and more info by just looking at the varieties out there. Still considering those bars, but THERE ARE DIFFERENT SIZES, and the Quality catalog isn't really clear on that. I have determined that I need the medium size which are 42 cm wide and about 36cm long.

Found a set for $130, but also found another set (from the same seller) for $160--the difference is the latter have lower side bars, so they would have a similar feel to drops...on the rare occasion one would be out that wide. Still deciding, but I think I'm safe with the 360mm length. I also feel that I have time with this particular seller on ebay...if it doesn't sell, should be back up for sale soon; they also had a lot of Campy stuff.

Next Saturday, not at the shop--wedding to go to. Need to get a lot done next Sunday.

Brainstorming...beget brain drops

2009-09-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, took it out of the box, put the rear wheel and seat post/saddle in, weighed it at 7 lbs, and discussed where to go next.

Ed is still pushing Campagnolo--and I would love to, but it is pricey. Another advantage would be to get a group with a compact crank, but put that on my Gunnar and the traditional crank on this one--then I would have a more comfortable time in the mountains on the Gunnar.

But there is a problem: Campy bar-end shifters--in the catalog--only come in 10-speed, but Record and Chorus only were listed as 11-speed. So, does one wait to see what is available in the new catalog?

So I think that I am resolved to sell my Trek for about $700, and then go with Shimano Dura Ace. If I get that price for the Trek, then there is only about another $700 to go (yeah, right...it never ends there).

At this point, we need to do some more measuring to determine the right combination of components.

Jay stopped in after getting back from InterBike and I got a bag o' swag--AWESOME.

Sam also came in with a shop pic of him on his time trial machine. He thought that the Talon looked really cool. John opened his big mouth, though: one of my goals for next year is to do the CSG Time Trial, because I want to beat Sam and his $11k machine. "Yeah, Mikey wants to catch you," John says and blows my plan. It is a long time 'til next summer, though, and memories vary from one to another.

At the end of the day, went back in the box.

A look at the future...

2009-09-23T02:38:00.000-07:00

Starting in January, I am going to beginning a training plan to complete a half-ironman triathlon. As a part of that preparation, I am building a bike that will be specifically configured for that type of event.

So the blog will--hopefully--be more regular, but also chronicle the preparatory progression for this June 6 event. I do feel that these activities will still fit into my intended theme for the blog, since both can allow me to be very introverted and introspective. I will still comment on the rest of this messed up world, but the inspiration may come while training or building.

Enjoy the journey with me.

What a wonderful world...

2009-09-19T06:01:00.000-07:00

I know that people are in business to make money...but when it ripples down to my money, it bugs me.

I love Pandora.com--that website that delivers free livestreaming music based on preferences you put in. I could listen for hours.

But I'm not really upset with Pandora because they had a great thing going and--at least I was--people were spreading the word. They seemed to make their money by selling advertising space on the site; that's okay with me, since I only looked at the site when I turned it on.

Last month, though, I got an e-mail stating that my monthly allotment for Pandora was running out. WHAT! As it turns out, Pandora needed to pay more money for the royalties of the music to their artists. That's fair, but that expense was trickling down to me. To continue listening, I could pay a flat fee to cover the rest of the month, or an annual subscription.

Here's the bright side: the free monthly allotment is plenty for me--if I alternate between Pandora and what I have saved on my laptop, I'm good.

Curse you, Lars, and all the other greedy bastards.

Full Plate Gets Fuller

2009-09-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

I have a retired colleague who always posed this question in large staff meetings: If our plates are already full and you want us to do this, too, what gets taken off the plate?

The administrative reply was always one that we just had to keep piling it on...make it ALL fit.

I'm to the point as an educator where I'm feeling like the plate is full.

In short, hug a teacher today.

Two minutes absent of forethought

2009-09-12T18:02:00.000-07:00

Went to my son's middle school cross country meet Friday. All of the high school events were run and the middle school race was set to start right on time.

A storm was rolling in, but looking like the chance for rain was beginning to fade. Just before the gun went off, I saw a flash of lightning, but they started the race anyway. The herd passed by running south, we parents, et.al., all scurried to the other side of the field to see them run north. I had heard some parents saying already that the organizers were going to stop the race due to lightning. As soon as they went by us, they were stopped and we all went to our cars.

My wife asked, "How long would the race have taken?" I told her about fifteen minutes.

One might be thinking that I'm upset about their stopping the race; not so much, since I understand the safety issue. What irks me is that no one looked over his/her shoulder to make the decision to not run BEFORE they shot the gun off! Are you telling that the sky looked noticeably different one to two minutes before? Look up, for Pete's sake!

The opening

2009-09-12T17:33:00.000-07:00

Okay.

I had a mere handful of goals for the summer, before the school year started, and really accomplished none of them. One of them was to create a blog.

Finally, on September 12th, here it is.

Why the title? It started with a noble concept of getting students involved! A district-wide drive to develop individuals' "assets" so they are "better human beings." One of their lofty goals--a SMART goal, if you will--is for every student to be involved in something. Having been active in high school myself, I seemingly would not be opposed to this; however, after taking or giving numerous personality assessments, it seems to me that there will be some individuals that would rather not.

For example, I am a "green" personality. One who is heavily green really enjoys time alone, independence, not relying on others. To illustrate this, I have what my wife refers to as the "man cave" in our house where I have bicycle stuff galore. The previous owner of the house put slide bolt locks on all the doors to this room--don't know why, but I have left them there with the ever-present threat that I will go in someday and lock them all.

How inane is it to expect every student to get involved? Let them be students first and, for some, just get through high school? Is there anything wrong with that?

Ever since, I've had the thought of creating a blog--maybe even a book--that allows me to express an opinion from this point of view. I don't mean to anger anyone, just voicing an alternative perspective that is uniquely mine.

So in the future, read and enjoy.