Busy, Busy, Busy

200 pounds....

I think that's how much I weigh today, but I'm not sure. I didn't weigh myself this morning because I have busy running around and such the past couple of weeks.

I'm back to working 5 days a week so that pretty much changes everything in my life. I have even been getting up before 5am. Now in the last year, that has been unheard of. That used to be normal for me. So working will hopefully change me back to being a morning person like I used to be.

The knee has been doing fine. I need to work more on my core and hips. That means I'll be back to hitting Graeme Street's Cyclo-CORE workouts starting next week. I probably should have been doing those all this time anyway. Oh well, hind sight is 20/20.

Almost March and that means that Trans Iowa is next month. That also means signing up for the Cheq 40 lottery. Barb and I are both trying to get in again this year. If we don't make it, hopefully we can go down to Indy for the MotoGP race. How cruel is that, having those 2 great events on the same weekend. And it also means that I will be finding out if I'm in the Iceman Cometh this year.

What about that Open Wheel Series Unification stuff? Wow, who would have figured. I wonder what that will mean for the Champ Car date at Road America?

Ear Buds

201 pounds....

Funny how when you aren't working on your diet, you lose weight. I haven't worked out all week to be nice to my knee and I have been able to shed a couple of pounds. You gotta like that.

I splurged and bought a pair of Westone CR-1 custom molded ear buds. No longer will I have to be duct taping my Apple ones to my ears so that they don't fall out. I bought them in red so that I don't have to fight discoloration when they age some. I used them this morning for about 2 hours while I was shoveling the driveway and they worked great. I did some testing yesterday with them using different sampling rates and with my poor ears, I couldn't tell the difference. I have a feeling that someone with a better ear can tell the difference, that better ear isn't me though. I also compared them to the stock Apple ear bud and noticed a big difference. The CR-1's stop outside noise and sound much better. The only bitch about them is that they cost $190. It was my Christmas present to myself.

The exercise was tough on my body though. My back is yelling that it needs to be stretched and my knee let me know that it was there the entire time. Hopefully it is just tender because of the cortisone shot. The weatherman is predicting more snow this weekend so I figured I better get out there and clean off the 1 or so inches that's currently there.

In bike news, I have ordered up new Ergon grips for the S-Works bike and hopefully this weekend I will get the template made out for the frame bag that I'm going to get made. I also need to send the 24 Solo poster down to Craig Gordon. Can you say lazy ass. I knew you could. And you probably will see my photo next to that saying in the dictionary.

Off to Chicago tomorrow to visit my sister, Carol. Her birthday was yesterday. I'm not sure how old she is, but it doesn't matter because she will always be older than me. Saturday is also Barb's birthday. Which is also my exwife's birthday. How weird is that.

Possibly Dodged A Major Bullet

203 pounds....

The weight has been steady, but I have not been dieting much either. I will need to work harder at getting my metabolism going. The +2 hour Sunday spin classes have helped. Only one more of them left. Darn.

Last fall I did the 100 mile gravel ride in Iowa and right around then I was doing some hard training intervals on the bike. My left knee swelled up some and I had a tough time walking up and down stairs for a few weeks. As time went on, the swelling came down and the pain faded away. Well, all of the swelling didn't go so I finally visited my Doctor the other day and ended up getting a MRI done on it. Well, I have a slight tear in my meniscus, but I have a worse problem going on under my knee cap. Arthritis. I got the fluid removed from my knee and a shot of cortisone added back in to help out. I was quite surprised when the Doc said that I could get back to training in a few days. He also has prescribed physical therapy, so I start that on Wednesday. I guess I was lucky.

NASCAR has started back up this week. I'm pissed that they are having such nice weather in Daytona. All the years that we went, there was only one year that it was really warm and that was for the Duels only. I guess that's the way it goes. I should count my blessings that I was able to go at all. I have been fortunate enough to see Dale Earnhardt win there, die there and then to see Little E win there the following July race. Not to mention I saw Bodine crash the truck into a million pieces and witnessed the entire grandstand go silent. Now that was creepy.

2008 Sponsorship

204 pounds....

I haven't been working on losing weight, so I haven't been. Yuck. One of these days I'll get back in the right frame of mind.

The good news is I am now a Hammer Nutrition sponsored rider! I know, hard to believe, but it's true. I got the paperwork this week. Overall it is a very good thing because the whole family uses their products so it is pretty easy to promote something that we all use and believe in.

The Monday After

204 pounds....

Been semi good about what I have been eating. Barb and I did go out on Friday night to Bonefish's for our anniversary. It wasn't a total pig out. Now Saturday night was though. We went to the Mexican place at Ruby Isle, I forget the name, but I did eat way too much. I guess it will take a couple of days for me to get over it. Then today I had Starbucks and a candy bar. I need to stop falling backwards like this.

I guess the Green Bay Packers had a football game yesterday that they forgot about. It seemed to me like they didn't play with much gusto. I find it kinda hard to believe that trainers at that level still do not know how to treat cramps in their players. When Harris was running around with massive leg cramps I was yelling at the TV to get that man some Endurolytes. But needless to say, football lives in a Gatorade world. And with the weather being so cold yesterday, there weren't too many people drinking their electrolytes like they should have.

I was ambitious today and moved all the bikes from the garage to the basement. I know I should have done this last month but I now have finally done it. All the bikes, tires and tools are warm and dry downstairs. I even vacuumed the area before I put them there.

Now I can measure up the frame and make the stencil for the frame bag.

I was lucky enough to get registered for the Horribly Hilly Hundreds this year. I have signed up for the 200K and I will be doing it on my mountain bike. It should be a blast since last year I only saw one person riding a fat tire bike. Hopefully I will be able to show them some real iron man legs after the other events before this one. After Trans Iowa, 200K should feel like a breeze.

You know what's really cool, the 24 Hours of Daytona is this weekend. Woohoo!

The Calm Before The Storm

203 pounds....

Finally I am making headway with the weight. It is nice to see a smaller number on the scale. I did give in to temptation yesterday and had some ice cream. I should know better by now, but it was very tasty. All other sweets have been kicked to the curb. Which is a good thing. Now I just have to start eating smaller portions and things will go my way.

Today's workout consisted of 30 minutes on the bike, then 30 minutes on the treadmill, and then 30 more minutes on the bike. Overall I felt pretty good. I need to start ramping up the hours so that I have a huge base for Trans Iowa.

In bike news, not much. I need to move the bikes from the garage to the basement so that Barb can park the van inside. I know, this should have been done last month. I need to get the stencil made for the frame bag that I will be having made for the new Epic. I will also be getting a huge seat bag made for carrying tons of stuff for Trans Iowa. I also need to get in touch with Craig Gordon and find out if he can get his 2006 24 Hour Solo mechanic to sign the 24 Solo poster when I send it to him. That is something else that needs to get going.

Hopefully Turning the Corner

206 pounds....

The weight hasn't been coming off, but at least I am eating better. Mountain Dews and Vaults are no longer an issue. Soda is a very hard thing for me to get over. Must be the sugar and stuff that is so addictive.

Yesterday I started my 2 hour spin classes at the YMCA with Sheryl. I seem to have forgotten if this is year 3 or 4 of doing these with her. But, whatever, they are a good leg and lung burner for this time of year. Something new this year, they are in Waukesha instead of West Suburban. Smaller room for the class, but still just as fun. I need to get the Off Road to Athens and 24 Solo CD's to her for inspirational music.

Otherwise, it is amazing that the Packers get to host the final game before the Super Bowl. I don't think anyone saw this coming. It is unreal how much the tickets are going for, over $400 a piece were the starting prices yesterday when I was looking.

Time to get back to working on the core and making sure my endurance is there. I have been riding the trainer in the basement and also using the treadmill. Switching back and forth. I'm trying to spice things up. Also trying to get my butt in better shape.

Stop the Insanity

207 pounds....

I'm not sure when I last weighed this much. Needless to say, all good food things have come to an end.

I have been on the bike the past 4 days working on breaking my butt back into the saddle and to also break the brain back into the pain and suffering.

Lots of water today and I have been able to stay away from the sweets and sodas. So far so good.

Rosie and Worf had their annual checkups and shots. Some eye drops for Rosie and antibiotics for Worf. She has a slightly irritated left eye and he has a nasty, inflamed patch on his neck. Worf also got some medicated shampoo to be used over the next 4 weeks. Hopefully everything will work out ok for them both.

And don't get me started about the ASO cancelling the Darkar Rally.

Happy New Year

204 pounds....

All I can say is, damn that food was good.

Now it will be back to working on getting below 200 again.

2007 is gone and 2008 has started. Hope all is well with you and yours.

Hey, I'm Trying to Sleep Here

198 pounds....

The weight isn't going anywhere when you aren't trying to lose it. Also, I'm catching a cold. Runny nose has been happening for 2 days now. I guess my sore lymph nodes in my neck the other day should have been an indicator.

Here is the look that Mr. Worf aka "The Old Man" was giving me this morning while I was doing my yoga and stretching.

I'm a Shoveling Man, oh yes I am

198 pounds....

The weight is there, but staying steady at the moment. Less intake would help this I have a feeling.

Here is a picture of what I look like shoveling snow this morning. You can't tell in the picture, but I have come up with a way to stop my ear buds from falling out. Duct tape. Yup, I now look like some race car driver with his ear buds taped to his ears. In my case, my duct tape is clear so it's hard to tell that I have it on. It worked like a champ though and I will be using that method much more until I can get some in the canal ear buds. Needless to say, as the sun came up, I starting sweating a ton. The chocolate in my ice cream last night didn't help either. For those not in the know, I'm allergic to chocolate, it raises my body temperature.


This much done along with the walk in the front and half the deck in the back for the grill. I'm one of those odd guys that grills all year round.

This much to go.

This is the view into the garage. Hey that looks like an S-Works in there. It is an S-Works in there. Quick photo of the new bike.

Some days life's a bummer, then.....

196 pounds....

The Fat Loss week is going well. I've lost 4 pounds and I'm feeling better so hopefully it will continue. The headaches have calmed down some and the sugar cravings are just about gone.

Some days life's a bummer like this.

Mr. Worf had a relapse this past week and could hardly walk on Monday morning. We were starting to see signs of it on Sunday night, but it was full blown on Monday. He had slipped a few times on Sunday on the slippery floor and outside on the ice. So I have a feeling that was part of the problem. I took him to the chiropractor Monday and Tuesday and by Wednesday he was back to his old self.

Then, some days are like this.

Rosie sleeping and smiling all at the same time. It is really hard to see her eyes when her hair is this long.

Then there are days that are totally awesome and you get this delivered to you by FedEx.

Ernesto Marenchin "SoloGoat" send me these. I have a 24 Solo poster that I'm getting people to sign. When I was at the Nationals up at 9 mile I missed seeing Ernesto because he had crashed and broke a rib. So I emailed him and asked if I could send the poster to him. He said it wasn't a problem and asked if I wanted some number signed number plates. Needless to say I didn't say no.

I'm now an S-Works Epic Owner

198 pounds....

This week is a Fat Loss week and it is going good so far. Nasty headache today though. Not sure if it is caffeine or allergy related. Either way, it has been sucky.

I bought a 2007 S-Works Epic this past weekend from this guy. I bought it after watching how he took care of it up at the Cheq 40 race. We happened to be staying with the same people that weekend and met by chance. At that time I asked what he did with his bikes at the end of the year and he said that he usually sold them. I mentioned that I would be interested and he contacted me last month about it. And presto, chango, I'm the owner of a really nice bike.

When I get a chance, I'll post a picture of it. He has done some pretty nice mods to it, seat post, stem, handle bars. Not sure if I'll keep them or not since the seat post is a straight one and I currently use the Thompson swept back one that originally came with the 2007 S-Works. The handle bars and such I'll have to see how they feel before making a judgement. I guess the same will have to be done with the seat post. I need to talk to some guys that do bike fits and see what would be the most comfortable for me. This will be the bike that I attempt Trans Iowa on so I better have a nice fit going or I'm not going to be happy after a few hours.

The first big obvious thing about the bike is that it is way lighter than my current one. I'll do the scale thing later and let you guys know. I wouldn't be surprised if it was 10 pounds.

Blah!

198 pounds....

What do you expect after finishing the Master Cleanser and then eating a steak? I gained back some of the weight, but I guess a good thing is that my cravings for sugar are gone. No soda or candy bars here.

Now I just have to figure out a better way to work with my allergies and prescriptions. I don't want to be on medication everyday. One reason is that my blood pressure has slowly went up over the past year and I'm trying to figure out which prescription is doing it. I didn't have this problem before all the allergy medications. Barb is able to take my blood pressure so we will be keeping a close eye on it. Also, I will be starting a log on it to see if we can figure out what is the trigger.

So the past couple of days have been sinus headaches and finally today I have broken down and taken a Claritin in hopes of it helping. If not, Tylenol will be not far behind.

Work is work and school is school. I did get back on the bike for some spinning yesterday. Been trying to let my left knee heal some before getting to my Off Season Graeme Street Training. My left knee has been slightly swollen for the past month and pretty tight. I have been doing some stretching and last week during the fast I didn't exercise at all. Yesterday's workout felt nice and seemed to stretch the whole body out. It was pretty noticeable throughout the day.

NASCAR season is over and Jimmy Johnson wins another points championship. Darn. I guess Daytona isn't that very away after all.

Say What?

197 pounds....

I stopped the Master Cleanser on Saturday because I felt like absolute shit when I got up. The day before I felt bad until I started moving around and such. But Saturday was much worse. I was either detoxing like mad or was getting sick. I broke the fast and started eating soup. By the afternoon I felt much better which was a good thing since Barb and I had tickets to go see Alter Bridge. If you get the chance you must go see them. They are very good live. I was quite surprised since I have been so babied by seeing the likes of Dream Theater, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and such.

Did I mention that I finally rode a century. It was a gravel century but that is what makes it so special. Last month I did the Trans Iowa tune up ride and was able to get in over 106 miles that day. Woohoo!

This is a short week. We will be heading up north for Thanksgiving. We are even taking the dogs. So it should be an interesting trip.

The Master Cleanser Day 5

194 pounds....

Day 5 has been tough. Felt like crap this morning and have been sluggish all day. Today must have been a big detox for my body considering what I was passing this morning after the doing the flush.

I have officially entered Trans Iowa v4. Woohoo!! If nothing else I will ride more in one day than I ever had in my history of riding. It is hard to believe that I only started racing mountain bikes 2 years ago and got back into riding bikes only 2 years before that. Yup, I've only been back riding bikes for 4 years. I guess I should be quite pleased with all that I have done in such a short time.

The Master Cleanser Day 3

198 pounds....

The Iceman has come and gone. I was able to finish the race in 2:38:40. A nice improvement over the 3:01:49 from last year. Now if I can only continue that much improvement over the next couple of years and maybe get below the 2 hour mark.

The Iceman Cometh

That is all that is needed to be said at this moment.

Have been busy doing things and riding. If I get a chance, I'll catch you guys up on that later.

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today, Fluffy, my old poodle friend, past away. To this day I still miss her and keep expecting to see her looking out the front window when I come home. The funny thing is that Worf now is occasionally looking out the window for me when I come home. It just sort of tears my heart out when I see it, but how is he to know. He is probably looking for her also. She used to love to bark at squirrels and cats. I can still remember her playing on the couch in Kenosha looking out the window at the squirrel that used to play with her. Or the time that she escaped out the back in Memphis and just sat by the parking lot watching people go by. She didn't run away or cause trouble. Or the one time that Barb had her up north and Barb totally forgot about her being outside. Only to find Fluffy sleeping under a tree in the grass just soaking up the sunshine.

And with this past week of Mr. Worf being sick with the possibility of not recovering, it has made me appreciate him more now that he is all ok. I gave him a big hug today and whispered Fluffy's name in his ear. He seemed to perk up and look around, wondering also where she is off to. We both must miss her.

She had been my friend for over 17 years. So today we will remember her and hope to see her someday at the end of the path. Many hugs and kisses will be exchanged. I can't wait till then....

Cheq 40 - 4:04:49.8

194 pounds....

Still the same weight, maybe I can get going down instead of up.

The Cheq 40 race was this past weekend. I ended up going solo since Mr. Worf had a strange injury happen a few days before leaving. He could hardly walk on his hind legs and was having a tough time with everything. Barb elected to stay home with him instead of having him boarded. That also meant that the girls would be staying home with her.

So Thursday rolled around and I packed up the Neon. I headed up north to my parents place in Catawba for the night. Chatted with Mom and Dad and caught up with Vinnie on how he has been doing since he has been battling shingles.

Friday morning came and then off to Ladysmith to visit my brother. His Corvette has been going thru more modifications and is looking better than it has in the past. We did go out and pound it some on the county roads. One thing that I will be doing before we go to Road America is to get a neck collar. If he pins it and you're not ready, you head is snapping back real fast.

After spending time with Tim, it was off to Hayward to meet up with Ted and Andrea at the New Moon bike shop. Nice shop up there in the middle of no where. Then off to Telemark Resort and the house that Ted has been renting for many years.

I did a preride with Sonjay and Ty of the last 4 miles of the course. Pushed pretty hard during that time since there are so many hills. It was decided after this that we would be prestaging our bikes race morning at 6:00am.

5:00am came and off we went. Surprisingly, we were not the only ones out there at this time. And it was cold, very cold. We headed back for more sleep. I did my usual no food before the race while everyone else was doing their normal things.

The race went quite well for me besides having 2 rear chain sucks. I have never had this happen to me before. The chain jammed between the spokes and the cluster, not once, but twice. I'm not sure yet if I have a mistuned rear derailleur or what. I finished the race in 4:04:49.8. I would have been somewhat faster, but probably not much. I started the race with my shell on and that was WAY to hot. That forced me to stop and take it off. Later at the fire tower hills, I ended up walking quite a bit of those which didn't help much. I was on track with my Hammer products and the body overall felt pretty well. I did cramp some at about the 3 hour mark and needed more Endurolytes out of sequence, but they did their job for the rest of the race. I also stopped and gave another rider some Endurolytes since he was cramping up big time about 2 miles from the end. I then stopped again when a love bug got under my sun glasses and was bothering my vision big time. When I went to get it off the glasses, I dropped them. I was lucky enough to have them not get squished by another rider. By the end I was spent. I might have left some on the table, but not much. Overall, I am quite happy with my first time at this race. Hopefully I will be able to compete it in again next year.

I know I will be gearing my training for climbing before Iceman. Graeme Street has a 4 week climbing training plan that I will be doing once I am done with this week of recovery.

Congrats to all I know that were there and that competed: Ted, Ty, Christine, Carlos, Greg, Mike, Russell, Bubba, Rick, the other Mike, Andrew, Shawn, Connie, and Sonjay. Thanks to everyone for a fun weekend.

I even got to meet Gary Fisher. That was pretty cool.