Friday, May 30, 2014

Dog Lover, Dog Hater

I've probably owned dogs 45 of my 52 years of life. I love them, always have and always will. Few animals can express such unconditional love and loyalty. But right now, all I can wish for is the early demise of one dachshund.

It was a pleasant ride, up to that most unpleasant moment. We had a tailwind and were cruising along a bit over 20 mph heading north back to Lighthouse. We'd come out the Super 2, but as usual Allen wanted to cross 37 to make a loop. He also likes to head up 337 to Pat's Plants, then turn north. I guess I'm saying it's all his fault.

Allen called out the dog, I saw it. The dog was on a small hill to my left, Allen on my right, and of course the stupid dog went straight for Allen. What is it about Allen's calves that make the dog go for the guy across the road? (Same thing happened on Sunday, only it was a pitbull, and I rode him down.) I saw it all the way. I asked myself, "Is it really going to run right in front of the bike?!" This all happened in a split second, there was no time to stop.

BOOM! I struck the dog broadside, right on the rib cage. This locked the front wheel, and over the top and to the left I went. Felled like a giant oak, the full force of the impact came simultaneously on the left handlebar and shifter and my hip, then the upper body slapped forward. I managed a tuck on the left shoulder, which was better than sticking out the arm (which would have snapped me at the shoulder or collar bone). My head bounced once off the pavement - thank goodness for my helmet! Once on the ground, I skidded to a halt.

At the moment of impact, my first thought was, "Man, I forgot how much this hurts." That actually kind of cracks me up. Heh. Like it was just another day at the office. My next thought was about getting up. I wasn't going to lay there like some wuss.

As odd as it sounds, I was trapped under my bike. Both feet were still clipped, and while it was easy to clear the right leg, the bike lay on my left, and I couldn't twist my leg - my left hip was already in distress. I denied the possibility of it being broken, and began to try to drag myself out from under the bike. My mind flashed back to Gary Flynn crawling back to Washington Ave after falling, and I wasn't having it. With a final twist, I was free, and I stood up.

I was calm, but cursing. Forgive me that, Lord! Cursing the dog, cursing my hip, cursing my bike, but somehow leaving out the dog owner. Yes, the dog owner... should I go up and knock on the door?

I started checking equipment, and had everything checked out I probably would have just ridden off. It wasn't. First and most obvious problem was the handlebar was broken off on the left side. My left shifter was broken. That's about $250 worth of damage to start, and was likely to only go up from there. My Garmin was fine, but my drink system took a beating. I hit so hard the liner came out of the bottle lid!

As for myself, I was bleeding from a tear in my left ring finger - nothing serious, and I ignored it. My left leg was scraped below the knee, and there was some bark peeled from my left arm and shoulder. So far there was nothing that would keep me from going on. The hip though... it throbbed a bit. You never know for sure how those will go. Sometimes you can walk them off, sometimes you can't.

Allen was of course very concerned, asked if I needed him to get help, which I waved off. My only decision now was whether or not I would knock on the door or ride off. I decided someone needed to talk to the owners, and it might as well be me. I managed a stiff-legged walk up to the door, knocked, asked for the mom or dad, and mom appeared.

Believe it or not, I was calm. Ask Allen! I didn't raise my voice, I only told them what happened, that they'd better do something to prevent that from happening in the future, and finally that the dog was likely very injured. The lady said she understood, and asked what time we usually ride. That's right, she was planning to pen the dog up during our designated hours of riding!

"That won't work." says I. "Many riders come through here all the time. We use this road to stay off high traffic areas. I'm not the suing type, but next time you might not be so lucky."

That was pretty much the extent of it. To tell the truth, I wasn't angry, I wasn't upset, it was all very matter-of-fact. The only thing left to do was to try to ride home, assess all the damage to me and the bike, and decide what to do about it. Sure, I knew I'd probably be angry later, but at that time anger would only be in the way. Had to keep the head clear.

Back at Lighthouse, I got off the bike and for the first time knew it was serious. I could hardly stand or walk. I waved Allen off - didn't want to worry him - and loaded up my equipment. At home it was all I could do to get the stuff off the vehicle and get myself into the house. My daughter was home, and I faked it for her, too. Leisa had a ton of things she had to do, and I didn't want her texting mom that I'd been in a bike wreck. I was trying to decided if I was going to get X-rays or not, so I made a sandwich and sat down. Shortly after that Leisa came home. She spotted immediately I was hurt, and once I told her what happened she ordered me into the car. She was upset enough I knew I couldn't out wrestle her with a bad hip!

After a long night in the emergency room (who hasn't done that before?) the report came back as good as it could under the circumstances. Nothing broken! I did severely stretch and twist the ligaments, and it is good and sore. In a few days I should be better, though I could see a week missed easily. There's nothing to do for it, no reason dwell, only thing left is to figure out how to train around it. I can still swim. And that's what I'll be doing.

There was no way I could work today. I couldn't effectively monitor what the students were doing from a seat, and there is no way I could walk around a classroom. I can drive though, so I took the bike up to Bike Doctor. I asked him to go through it all, and before he fixed anything to quote me some prices. I know for a fact the handlebars, aerobars, and shifters are gone. What I'm afraid of is the frame is gone, too. There is quite a bit of rattle in the headset. That's a $1700 frame replacement, and between that and the flight deck, I would be better off buying a new bike.

What is clear at this point is Cicero is out. I have no hip and no bike. If the bike is not fixable, that's likely Ironman as well. It's money I just can't spend. That's the down side. 

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

I'm just here to work hard

If you really want to get a boiling discussion/debate/argument/fistfight going, take an opposing view with someone regarding their core beliefs. Whether it be religion, politics, or your favorite flavor of soft drink, there is nothing more essential to the person than his or her guiding principles. This is the source of motivation, the moral compass, and ultimately defines who you are to the rest of the world.

I'm just here to work hard.

The Amish, from whom our club draws its name, keep the idea God placed them here to serve Him, and they do so zealously. They work hard from dawn to dusk, living simple lives in Him. Sure, we make jokes from time to time, but there truly can be nothing but admiration for a society that manages to live as simply and directly as do the Amish. And by the way Wes, there's your communal anarchy model.

I go to work, and I work with good people. Still, as the school year draws to a close, more and more I can see how people are in glide mode. Rules are relaxed (just when they should be tightened), and the implied message to the kids is it's play time. It's times like this I wish we were a bit more Amish.

Me, I'm just here to work hard.

In our group workouts, discussion always ranges from what's happened in our lives to what will, our relationships, and perhaps our goals. Truthfully it's a joyous part of the day for all of us, and not to be missed. I truly believe it's the candy that keeps us all coming together as we do. The tone can be somewhat different on hard workout days. In the moments leading up to the difficult portion the talk turns to how bad we feel, how slow we will be, the typical lowering of expectations. These are negative thoughts, and only serve to limit us.

I'm as bad as anyone in this regard with one possible exception, and this I say only because I am not in the mind of anyone else but me. When the moment comes, I push the negative out of, or at the very least far back of my mind. I turn my thoughts to right now, what I can control and how I can control it. I start to see connections of course and wind speed and gradient. I make the choice to try hard, control what I can and leave the rest to chance. The talk will come later. Right now it's the workout.

I'm just here to work hard.

Used to be when we rode out to the county line, it was a slow-motion stroll, almost painfully so at times. No more. It's now a given that there will be a group of riders that will fall into line and roll out at a moderate pace. It's not a bad idea on many levels, starting with time management and going to our ultimate goals of distance racing. It's true, we don't get as much time to chat, but after all, our goal is to gain fitness, practice race-specific activity (in the form of aero position), and possibly most importantly sharpen the mind's focus. I do feel badly about anyone who longs for the days past, but as for me, there is only one way to go.

I'm just here to work hard.

Last Night
Last night was a great night - 9 guys showed, all great riders, and we left the church more or less on time (5 minutes late for Jimmy). The night was warm and a bit muggy - summer is coming, and the humidity is rising. I had considered coming out and putting in miles early, but I don't handle high humidity well, especially early on, so I backed off the idea. My knee was still sore anyway, so it was probably just as well. After all, the night is a quality workout, not quantity.

At 337, I jumped on front and pulled out to the line. John T., Jimmy, and Scott joined on I believe. Truth is, I can't say for sure who got on as I never really looked back. I figured if guys wanted on they would be there, if they didn't, they wouldn't. While I didn't ride it that hard (22.5 mph average) it would likely be harder than some guys would want leading up to the hard portion of the ride. With 9 riders, there shouldn't be anyone left behind.

I kept it smooth. Intentionally I kept my mouth closed all the way out, meaning I was breathing only through my nose. Opening the chest slowly and smoothly, I cruised through the first pull with little effort. This was a very good sign, as the wind seemed more or less in our faces for most of the way out. Not overly strong, but it was definitely there. By the time we hit the straightaway, the Amish windmills betrayed the wind direction to be more south than southwest. It would actually be a bit favorable for the ride.

As we gathered, the serious talk began. After the last few weeks I pretty much knew how it would go... I would say, "What are we going to do?" Most everyone else would look at their feet. I guess the truth is we should have a plan in place before we get to the tree (and individually I always do), but I always give the guys a chance to decide (in the name of flexibility). When no consensus could be reached, I made my choice. "I'm taking the first pull to Bromer. I will be going smoothly. I won't pull all the way or too hard. Join if you want." John T. lined up willingly; Jimmy grudgingly joined on a moment later.

The wind was at our backs slightly, and the ride was smooth and fast. We were coasting through almost 27 mph, and once again I was breathing from the nose only. As the straightaway ended, I yelled back to John T., "I am good to go the whole way unless you want a pull. Just let me know if you want to lead." He answered, "I'm fine right here!" I didn't even worry about Jimmy - I knew he'd be happy with a strong pull.

From there the speed went up, up, up. Before long 27 had turned to 29, 30 and more. I didn't look back. It'd been a fight to get the ride started, and I figured either they wanted to do it or they didn't. We weren't doing anything they couldn't do, so it would come down to choice. They wanted to be there or they didn't.

I was pleasantly surprised to hear their voices behind me in the later stages of the ride urging me on. I was then sure not only were they there but they were well under control. It had been a good ride for all of us. In the final stretch I waited for the pass that didn't come. I wouldn't have contested - my ride had been strong and exactly what I needed.

The run after featured a mixture of music and Jimmy complaining about the course. Scott tried to restrain himself, but Scott is Scott and ultimately he ran away. I was feeling pretty good, so I ran up to catch both him and Rand. Rand didn't take long to notice the pace had quickened and he pulled back. I just kept pace with Scott, letting him lift it up. We finished solidly, capping a great workout.

Me, I'm just here to work hard.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Long rides, dogs, and egalitarianism

Saturday
There were six of us to start yesterday's century ride, my 12th of the year. Roy, Miller, Jimmy, Galloway, and Rand were the other riders, though only Miller and Roy would complete the century with me. Galloway didn't want more, and Rand and Jimmy were going to do BAIL (Bike Across Illinois) today. I would have joined them, but after months of trying to pry details out of Jimmy (the ride was his idea after all), I finally gave up. Even as we were unloading bikes yesterday for the ride, Jimmy let me know the ride had been moved to the next day (Sunday). I just don't roll like that. Plans were set.

So Galloway, Rand, and Jimmy rode with us for around 22 miles, then split off. They turned right on 337, we went left. I asked Miller and Roy if they wanted to head to Livonia, turn left on 56 and head to Salem, then south on 135 to Palmyra. I'd never done the course this way, so I wasn't precisely sure of the distances. It sounded close, and it was a plan. The winds were light and variable, a complete non-factor in whatever plans we set.

The ride to Livonia was exactly as you would expect. I suggested to Roy he get into aero as his Ironman was going to include large portions of his race where he would need to ride down. Might as well practice the position. I pulled us out to the county line, we eased into Livonia, then it was onto Salem.

Roy took this leg, doing a marvelous job. The first few miles of the 10 are the toughest, with a bit of climbing, but after that the road flattens out and is beautiful. The road is wide and clean, and traffic was no problem at all. I will be seeing a lot more of this road this summer.

In Salem we took some side streets to avoid downtown, headed south to the 60/135 intersection, then south out of town. This was probably the hardest part of the ride, as the first 3 miles have long hills. Again, once past this point the road does flatten out, and it's a great ride. We saw about 5 miles of it before we turned. No, Palmyra was not in the cards. That would have put us in the neighborhood of 115-120 miles, more than those guys had time to do. We'll save that for another day.

We stopped at Wendy's for lunch, then it was back to 56. Once again Roy took the lead (after we fixed his flat), and he did a great pull to Livonia. I took the pull again on 337, and with that we'd lopped off a huge section of the ride.

The one thing of note... Jimmy and I have discussed over the last few times we've been on 337 the Lost River segment. We've never acted on taking it, but today I decided to throw it out there before we hit it. The plan was for me to do the lead out, with Miller passing me about halfway up. It worked to perfection. I carried us in over 30 mph, then he did the rest. I came in a few seconds after him for #2 on the list. That's not bad considering we were 80 miles into the ride by then.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. Miller had to go right home, but Roy and I ran 3 miles. Roy kept pushing the pace though, and we wound up much faster than we planned. No harm no foul, and when we finished, the day was done.

Sunday
Today's ride was with the Burr-eye. Lester and Allen met me at the church, and we did a tour of the southern parts of Orange county. I bored them with talks of Facebook arguments. I accused Allen of being Amos Yoder, and his tell-tale smirk when I brought it up convicted him beyond his ability to raise objections, though he offered copious amounts. He's caught, and that's that.

We did have a dog incident. South of Orleans we passed a family cookout, and their precious, precious pitbull ran playfully (read: flashed in full-attack mode) towards Allen's luscious calf. Can't blame the dog really, that thing must look quite a bit like a drumstick, but the only thing that saved Allen was the dog seeing Lester, and the surprised look on the dog's face betrayed it. In slow motion I could see where it was going to end up. I was third in the line, a bit to the left, and the dog was backing away from Lester to the left. You guess it - the dog was right in front of me with no opportunity for me to miss. This, my friends, is a rerun! I hit the dog - nothing else to do - and I felt it go under the wheels. The dog made no sound, just looked surprised. The owners, to their credit, were trying to chase after the animal, and I actually called up, "Sorry, I hit your dog". "No problem!" they yelled back.

Poor dog. If only someone could rescue it. ;)

There were other altercations. A line of farmers were coming at us from the opposing lane, and right before I passed the tractor it suddenly veered into my path, turning left into his property. "Not a very smart move" I called to the guy. The vehicles behind him attempted to crowd in too - what were they thinking? The guy in the truck behind the tractor started shaking his head at me. What the heck did he expect? The farmer on the tractor didn't signal, and I clearly had the right of way. They were behaving like idiots, for sure.

So I wound up short of 200 on the bike, short of 30 on the run for the week, but in a week's time I've also raced twice and ridden 100 miles. That would be good enough for most, I think.

I plan to run, ride, and swim tomorrow. Details are still being hashed out. 

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Quick Hits

Not a lot to post recently... lots of rest needed to recover from Saturday's race, but I'm not getting it.

Yesterday ran a 5k race in the morning and 5 miles in the afternoon. That's a lot for me. Granted, I'm no Miller.

Today we rode the club ride, and I added a few with Al. It was 40 miles, and I passed on the run afterward. Since we are running the trail for 7 miles tomorrow, I thought it might be wise to hold off.

No swim this Thursday. Working Sectional track (I think).

Saturday we are riding a century from Parkview starting at 7 AM. This should be easy pace. Should be.

Sunday we are swimming at Kenray at 3, then riding 25-30 miles after.

Monday something big is cooking. Jimmy may have found a way to get off his butt about the BAIL ride. Waiting to see how this one is panning out...

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Bend, don't break!

Another Thunder in the Valley has come and gone, with another strong club presence. Roy, John T., Jimmy, Rand, Scott, Summer, Steve, Allen... yes, Allen! Let the naysayers repent; Allen is now a triathlete!

I'll start my tale at the staging. It was a disappointing turnout this year, with far fewer bike racks present. Man, I can remember that upper lot crammed to overflowing with bikes and gear! I suppose it was partly the cold, but more likely it's the change of hands from Paul Asay to the new crew. They're well-intended, but it goes to show you how important key people are in organizations. Paul had that je ne sais quoi that pulled people in. He knew how to handle the little things that count for a lot. The new race director is young, and he may figure things out some day, but I'm afraid this race may not survive to see that time.

The nice thing about the low numbers is we were all able to stage in the same area near the bike in/out. That would provide some comfort to Allen, and actually a couple of honorary members we picked up. We were all there early enough to comfortably lay out the equipment, change clothing, return anything to the cars, and head down to the lake for pre-race instructions (however little). This portion went pretty smoothly.

I would add I was Jimmy's mule. Last night he contacted me about bringing his Garmin. This morning he contacted me about his shoes. I was afraid about halfway to Terre Haute he'd contact me about getting his bike. Not a problem at all, I was happy to help!

We had our usual pre-race prayer, this time a bit unusual because much of the crowd around us joined in. It's nice to see when it happens. I do essentially the same prayer every time, so I guess the guys don't mind reruns. I do this particular one because it reminds me who is in control and why I can do what I'm doing at all.

Scott and Summer were on a team, with Summer swimming and Scott riding and running. Summer went in the elite group, and she belonged there. She was the first to enter (of our group), and held her end up swimmingly (see what I did there!). She was out and gone long before I exited.

I caught some people from the elite wave, and really didn't have a bad swim, other than steering off course initially. This goes to one of the things the race direction had wrong. Yellow markers are for the corners; they had them on the back line of the course. This makes for a confusing sight, as the elite immediately steered for the center bouy - as did I. There was a low mist hanging off the water and it was difficult to see at water level. I felt I might be off, but I saw the crowd of swimmers ahead and figured I must be okay. After a bit I grew concerned as there were no swimmers around me. I finally had to stop and raise out of the water to get the true line. I wasn't terribly off, but it did cost time.

The sun became a bit of a problem on the way back. Again, visibility wasn't great, and I had to pause and raise up a few times, more than I've ever done. I was passed by only two swimmers, both college swimmers (I recognized them from before the race). They were also both women. I got chicked - twice!

Amongst our club there had been much discussion about what to do about the ride. It was 39 degrees when we went into the water. Though the water was warm, the air wasn't - you could clearly see the exhaled air from all persons in the area. The body core would not freeze on the ride because we would be in aero the whole way. The hands and feet were another matter. This was one time I wish I owned a set of shoe booties. I had multiple socks with me, and took the time to dry my feet and put on thick cotton. This was the best I was going to be able to do. As for the hands, I had my trusty long-fingered gloves. These were a little difficult to get on, but they were well worth the time lost.

The ride course reverted to an emergency course we did a few years back, and for my money is a far superior way to go. It does climb for a while, but it isn't too steep. The thing is with any ride segment, it takes a bit for the blood to get to the legs, and for that amount of time you just can't push hard. It might be a couple miles, it might be five, but it always takes a little bit to get it going. Today was no exception.

I had taken a while to get out of transition, so there were plenty of bikes to pass - at first. The elite wave had contained maybe 15-20 people, and I quickly moved through most. By around mile 4 or 5 I was beginning to get isolated. I could see people way off at distances that seemed improbable to cover. Improbable is not impossible, and if you're out there you need something positive to focus on, so I started climbing the ladder. I'd had to leave my fogged-over sunglasses at the transition, so vision wasn't great, but even at that I could see the distance beginning to close over and over. I'd go by hard, then search for the next one, each time the distance a bit farther out.

One thing I did notice - it seemed about everyone in front of me had on a jacket. Not me. I was in my race kit and nothing else. This was the smart move, for me anyway. Those jackets were invariably flapping in the breeze, causing drag. Over and over I slid by one struggling rider after another.

Okay, here's another thing I noticed during the ride - between 9-10 miles is usually where I see the pros coming back through. There were none today. In fact, I didn't see any bikes until almost 12 miles, on the last climb before the long grade down to the turn. Granted, they still had a big lead, but... they weren't THAT far out. So even if my ride wasn't as fast as I'd hoped for, I was comparing well with the overall group. That was motivating. Keep the head on the positive!

I always start counting riders from the first one until I turn. When I could finally see the marker I was in 10th place. Usually that's more like 50! More than that, I spotted several weakening riders in that group, and with plenty of time to chase, I could really move up for the run segment.

Just before the turn I heard what I thought was Scott's voice say, "Good job, Bill". Was he the guy right in front of me? I'll admit, I never thought I'd see him all day. Scott is a great rider. I wasn't sure what he was wearing, but as soon as I turned I blasted back up to speed, and sure enough, I could clearly read "Wie Geht's?" (What's Up?) It was Scott! As I remembered, this segment heads uphill steadily for a good bit, and so things slowed down a bit. The early morning sun was directly behind and shining, and watching my shadow the rhythmic rock of my pedaling was clearly visible. The chase was on again - I was 9 and climbing.

Cut to Allen...
Allen was just now completing his tour of the lake. It was his first lake swim race - wait, his first swim race of any kind - and anxiety got a hold of him from the beginning. This is normal! Everyone goes through it, no matter your level, and Allen tried desperately to clear his head. As he said later, "Panic is irrational by nature, and no matter how I tried to tell myself to stop, I couldn't." No, this didn't result in Allen quitting. Allen is no quitter! He took the long way around the lake, adding to his time, but he completed the swim. This is why I respect the guy so much... this must have been terrifying at some levels, yet he was able to push himself through it. It was a major accomplishment, the rest of the day was merely the cherry on the sundae.

There were a couple of riders directly ahead that took no time at all to catch, but beyond that it was going to be more work. One in particular took me back a few years to a race when Steve and I were in a 3-way fight with one other rider. That guy was fast on the flat, Steve could climb, and I recovered fastest. It was an epic battle, and began to notice like qualities in this guy in front of me. He could drop pretty fast, carry that momentum to the top of the next roller, but I was recovering faster over the top AND was a bit faster on the flats. Because of the rollers we see-sawed for a bit, but eventually I did pass him. By this time I was in 6th or 7th place.

I set the sights on the next rider, but something changed... I was watching the shadows behind me under my left armpit, because that rider was hanging in there. I began to see him at the tops of rollers, but would soon drop him over the top and the ensuing flats. I suspect he was drafting a bit as there were zero course marshals all day long. I passed one or two more riders, and now I was in 5th place. This was the best position I've ever seen in this race!

Near the end I saw his tell-tale shadow once more, and this time he made a surge around me. We were only about a mile out, and this chapped me a bit. No way I was going to let him take that place after I'd pulled him. We hit one final roller, I plowed over and past, and laid into it hard. There was no way he was going to be able to come back from that one. Now it was into the park and onto the run.

My hands were so cold I could barely unsnap my helmet. This actually took the most time in the transition! Shoes went on with some difficulty, and I was out - and I had to check my feet, because my feet were so frozen it felt like I was running in my bike shoes! I could actually feel the clips under the balls of my feet! I knew I'd taken them off, but by golly, the phantom pain was there nonetheless.

I'd worn my Garmin 220 so I could make a run segment later. This presented me with a problem - I started it at the beginning of the race because I wanted a total time. There was no good way for me to get splits on the run, so I just let it run. When it beeped, the first running mile was 6:38 - far better than I imagined under the circumstances. I just held the rhythm throughout the run. My quads were cramping something awful at the start of the run, and they were certainly very tired throughout the run. I caught only one runner ahead of me, moving me to 4th place. This stuck, and that's how I finished the day.

My goals prior to going in were all met - I wanted to bike between 23 and 24 mph (at least), which I did. I wanted to average under 7-minute pace in the run, which I did. The swim had to be whatever it would be... I've been so sick I haven't been in the water in some time. That said, I did hold 1:30 per 100 m pace, which in open water is pretty good for me. I'm very happy with the day overall, and though it's not my best time, it was a solid effort. Taking out the transitions, each of the three racing legs contained a great deal of focus and effort. I don't feel let down by any of them at all.

Moving down the line, here's a recap of those I managed to talk to:

Steve: struggled with his back and his calf. Training has been short due to the cold weather. Had a good bike, run did him in.

Jimmy: great day! His run saved him (as usual). He's not happy about his bike, but I think maybe he was looking at the bogus times posted. I suspect he'll be happier once he sees his Garmin data. He took 2nd in his age group by a mere 3 seconds (to Paul Asay).

Roy: outstanding effort! He beat Jimmy (first time) and took 2nd in his age group. Very good ride, solid run.

John T.: had a hard time getting the legs working on the ride. Solid run. Didn't hear much of the swim.

Rand: only grunted at me when I asked for info. A riddle wrapped in a mystery hidden in an enigma.

Allen: it took a while, but he finished his first triathlon. Nothing but praise for the effort. As with any race, you have to do one before you know what you need to do better. A lot of questions were answered today.

Summer: outstanding swim. Seriously.

Scott: I know he's disappointed, because Scott never thinks he does well enough. We talked a bit after, and I believe his ride was a struggle because he started cold. Just like running, you don't go straight to race effort with cold muscles. You need to be processing lactic acid, getting the bursa flowing, get the heart rate up... a short run before the ride might have worked wonders. Something to think about.

Looks like we're riding tomorrow afternoon, 2:45. I never heard a place, but I will assume it will be from the Mitchell Church of Christ. I would go up to 50 miles if anyone is interested?


Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Mice or Men?

There is an old saying that refers to being "trapped like rats". I'm guessing that's of nautical origin, where a ship is sinking and the rats are caught on board with nowhere to go. We got a little taste of that tonight on the ride.

There were six brave souls there - John T., Miller, Allen, Roy, Scott, and myself. Jimmy bailed with what just may be the weakest excuse ever concocted. He didn't take his bike to work. Tuesday night. He didn't even give himself a chance to ride. If I were a bit less cynical I might not be thinking this was a purposeful act. I am that cynical, and that's exactly what I'm thinking!

This should have been a sign the weather would turn against us. Without our good luck charm, we ordinarily consider ourselves doomed, but you know what? I just didn't care. It's going to rain all week long, and the weather is only going to worsen in the next couple of days. If there was any way humanly possible to get the ride, I was going to do it. Jimmy or no Jimmy.

So we headed out from Allen's church, and of course the further south we went, the worse it looked. Scott began to look back at me at around 7 miles out... it was easy to see the downpour in the southwest just beyond Orleans.

"We knew we were going to get wet the second we left for this ride" says I. Scott lamented he'd spent a couple of hours lubricating his bike and cleaning it up. I felt for him, but it didn't change what I was going to do. "Turn back if you like. If you want to stay dry, now's the time."

We were around half a mile to 337 when the rain started. It was decision time. For a second everyone paused, waiting to see what everyone else would do. "Are we mice or men?!" I shouted, and charged to the fore. That broke the ice, and we moved forward as one group.

I stated at that point my intention to pull out to the county line, anyone wishing to join was welcome. We held 22.6 mph under neutral conditions - the wind was lateral and light. This effort was easy, in fact I was restraining myself quite a bit. It was exactly what I wanted to do - get down in aero and ride smoothly. Since this segment is uphill and I felt no pressure, it gives me a great deal of confidence going into Saturday.

We made a quick turnaround at the line. We had dropped Allen, and the common sentiment was that he had turned early and returned. Just as we started to leave, we spotted his bike. Allen's a trooper! We gave him a second to recover, he said he was ready, and off we went again.

I should say this was more or less the place where I heard the cage door shut. What had been a small cell of rain activity had exploded in the half hour it took us to get where we were. Now the horizon was covered as far as the eye could see north to south with dark, ominous clouds. I was thankful I had not yet heard thunder. We had a chance, a small chance.

Then it thundered. There was nothing for it. We had no choice but to push forward. I was leading again, this time a bit slower because we didn't want to lose anyone. There still was no wind to speak of, or if there was, it might have been a bit helpful. That changed of course as we neared the squall line. We caught the first downburst about 5 miles out of Orleans. From that point on it was a growing headwind from the northwest.

Surprisingly it never rained the whole time we were on 337. Once we turned north, within a mile we were in quickly worsening rain storm. By the time we got to Meridian, it was a stinging downpour with wind severe enough to knock down visibility. It was coming down in sheets! For a few minutes there it even felt as if hail was stinging our skin. Lightning pierced the sky. It was a bit nervous for a few moments.

As we finished, so did the rain, at least temporarily. We packed our bikes, headed to Wendy's, and reaped our rewards.

Back to the Jimmy thing, during the ride I was taking the blame for us getting wet, which probably isn't fair to me at all. It was Jimmy's fault. That sissy. If he would have shown, I'm sure we would have found the window that would have made the weather just good enough to get it all in safely. But nooooooo, he had to "forget" his bike. Sheesh!

Run tomorrow from the lab. Swim Thursday night, 8:15.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

I know education is a bad thing...

...or so it seems. Try this link out (if you were at the swim tonight) and you will see the point I was trying to make.

Survey

Let me counterbalance that link with another one:

Grammar Nazis

I'm a pragmatist, so I'll let it go there. <insert smug smile here>

It was a triple day. I ran first, biked, then swam, or as Allen calls it, a reverse triathlon. Distances weren't large, however I did manage to find some quality here and there.

Let's start with the run. I've been wanting to get back to the Milwaukee Trail since they graveled more of it, and I'm sure glad I did. It was beautiful! The part that is (nearly) complete was fantastic, and I can only drool at the prospect of some day have 21 miles of it. Though it was 85 degrees, down in the woods it was significantly cooler. Yes, a great many of my summer miles will be made down the line...

Next came the ride. John T. had texted me, and we set up to ride at 5:15 from Parkview. It wound up being a short ride, since I had to open the pool later. The wind was also very strong out of the SSW, so we were kind of slow going out. However, this made for pretty good KOM weather on Highway 37, and we went for it. John T. nipped me by one second, but we both shattered the existing time.

Finally, there was the swim. I got in for the first time in a couple of weeks, and I can tell I've been out. No matter. There have been years I haven't been in the water at all at this time. Terre Haute's swim will be whatever it winds up being.

Some of us are running tomorrow evening from Dr. Jimmy's, 5:15. We plan to run down the Milwaukee Trail. All welcome!

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Trying to like the new Garmin Connect

I'm a techie, and I love all things, well, techie. The new Garmin Connect interface is pretty, and it has some nice ideas, but the performance just isn't there. Just moving around in it isn't as intuitive as Strava, it's clunky, and frankly, making segments (a huge deal in Strava's favor) doesn't compete. Somebody may have worked it out better than I have, but let's be honest; I more or less do this for a living, and my opinion is the idea isn't fully mature yet. In development circles this is a beta, or at best the 1.0 version. There have to be improvements coming, or it won't survive.

Officially registered for Terre Haute just now. Back off, Allen.

My health seems almost normal now. I still have some light congestion, but nothing I cannot handle. My performance is almost back to where it was before. I did notice Rand's voice cracking tonight, and he complained of a sore throat and drainage. Uh-oh. It only took me three weeks to get over mine.

I am continuing with the light riding week plan. Part of me hates that, but it really is for the best. The runs are feeling better, that's for sure. I hope it translates into a strong effort next Saturday. That's the idea anyway.

There will be a swim tomorrow night, 8:15 at BNL pool.

Saturday, the plan is to ride at 8 AM, Huck's and back, then a 5-mile run. This is of course if the weather permits. There will likely be a run no matter what. I'll even go out on a limb and say I will be at McDonald's at 7 AM. All welcome, of course. 

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Finally, feeling much better

I didn't go out early tonight... with the race next weekend, it's a good time to pull the miles in a bit. It's not a full taper, but it's definitely time to rest a bit. A two-hour race is nothing to sneeze at.

We had a bunch tonight - Galloway, John T., Jimmy, Roy, T-Roy, Dan, Scott, even DfO... and of course myself. The wind was light out of the southeast, which though not strong was favorable. There was no way anyone who rode the earlier time trial (the windy one from a month or so ago) could possibly beat it tonight, but we would have a good night for an individual time trial.

I wanted to test my health on the way out, so I pulled the group to the starting point. It wasn't fast, only 20 mph or so average, but it was into the light headwind. It wasn't hard enough to seriously curtail me, really only puffing in places. My wind seemed fine, and I was confident enough in my fitness to stay in the front the whole way out.

We quickly sorted things out at the line, and one-by-one we left. I offered the coveted(?) last spot to John T., Scott, and T-Roy. T-Roy jumped, John T. did not want to go after me, and Scott went earlier. That left me in the next-to-last slot.

The spacing was generous, so when I hit 337, John T. was almost completely gone. He's been riding like a monster, so I thought he would be gone for good. However, by Bromer I could see the gap closing. It took a couple more miles, but catch him I did. I was wheezing and rasping, but I also knew T-Roy would be breathing down my neck. He might catch me, but I didn't have to make it easy. So, using the riders ahead of me as incentive, I kept climbing the ladder rung by rung.

I got to Jimmy, and caught Galloway 200 meters from the finish. That was it. DfO did his famous disappearing act, so who knows what happened there. Dan was caught early on. Roy and Scott were long gone and finished before I came in. There was never a question they would be caught.

No wonder. Scott rode 26.4 mph, Roy over 25 mph. I rode 27.7, not nearly fast enough to close the distance. T-Roy went 26, Galloway 23.1, Jimmy 24.5, and Dan went over 21 mph. I'm not sure how John T. did, it's not posted yet.

When that was done, Roy, John T., Jimmy, Scott, and I went for a short run. T-Roy tagged along on his bike, and I was glad to see how much he enjoyed this portion however vicariously.

Good workout, boys!

Run tomorrow night! 7 miles!

Monday, May 5, 2014

Decision time coming

It appears as though health is returning to my body, enough so I need to go ahead and register for Terre Haute. The other piece of that puzzle I was watching doesn't appear to interfere as much as I feared. My daughter graduates college the night before, and so long as I can make the ceremony, I think I'll be fine. It may be a short sleep night, but hey, that happens all the time anyway.

It was awfully warm out there tonight. I suppose it was inevitable that the weather would suddenly switch from uncomfortably cool to uncomfortably hot in an instant, which is pretty much what it did. It was 86 degrees tonight at the start of the run, by far the warmest day we've yet seen this year. I felt it, too. By mile 3 I knew there'd be no extra miles at the end.

Tomorrow we ride from the church. The weather looks fine, even great if you consider the SSE wind of 5 mph or so. That is slightly favorable inasmuch as the wind is the perfect direction, if weak. It would be a great night for a time trial, if one is so inclined.

I don't think I'll put in any extra before the group ride. I need to peel the miles back the next couple of weeks to get ready for Terre Haute. I'm not exactly tapering, but I don't want to go in tired or sick. Hopefully I have it timed right and I'll feel fresh, which is all I really want. Maybe that will be enough to bring my running back a bit. I won't lie, I'm a little worried about the 5-mile run segment of the race. It gets harder every year.

First things first. Pace line ride, possibly a run after, tomorrow night. 

Sunday, May 4, 2014

More Like It!

Please allow me to introduce myself,
I'm a man of stealth and haste.
I've been riding for a long, long year,
Left many a man's slower pace.
And I was 'round when Burris cried,
At his moment of cycling pain.
Made dang sure the pace line,
Hit the gas and sealed his fate.

Pleased to meet you!
Hope you guess my name.
But what's troubling you is the,
Nature of my fame.

Rode around in Orangeville,
When I saw it was a time for a change.
Killed the climbs and the rolling hills,
Jimmy Sowders screamed in vain.
I turned my crank,
Though the hills sure stank,
Through the savage hills,
Jimmy grabbed his flank.

Pleased to meet you!
Won't you guess my name, oh yeah.
Ah, what's puzzling you is the,
Nature of my game, oh yeah.

Just like every Tim is an animal,
And all the Burrii faint.
The Boogie guys just call me Ironbird,
'Cause I'm in need of some restraint.
So if you see me show some courtesy,
Grab the front and set the pace.
Use all your hard-earned canniness,
Or the road will lay your soul to waste.

Pleased to meet you!
Hope you guessed my name! Um, yeah!
But what's puzzling you is the nature of my game.
Um, mean it.
Get down!
Woo, hoo! Woo Hoo! Woo Hoo! Woo Hoo!

Nod to the Stones, "Sympathy for the Devil"

It's the first time in nearly a month I felt like my old self. It's funny. I was tired this morning, didn't run particularly well, and my legs were tired from yesterday's 100. Yet somehow, as we were on the Super 2, I snapped out of it.

The 50-mile distance meant we'd have to wrap around a bit in the normal areas, so I suggested we go to Orangeville. This found a mixed reaction, and in one (two?) case(s) open rebellion. Eight of us started the ride; two turned back the second the road threatened to really climb.

Now if I'm going to be fair, that individual did ride 100 miles yesterday, and it was a rough one. I can't really blame him for not wanting to have another hard ride. Okay, I can, but not fairly.

It's such a beautiful area to ride, so much so I don't care how hilly it is. I've ridden around this area for years, but nothing really compares to it in my book. Tunnelton might be hillier, but it's also uglier. I can't explain it really, other than to say if Orangeville is Rivendell, Tunnelton is Mirkwood. You LOTR fans will get that. The rest of you are out of luck.

I made up my mind that Miller, John T., and Bartley weren't going to simply drop me on every one of the climbs. It actually became more Miller and Bartley, as John T. didn't go after the climbs at all (by choice). I guess I figured the only way I would ever climb with these guys was to, well, climb with them!

Don't get me wrong - they're still a lot better than me. I just didn't let them completely drop me as they usually do. I figured it was better to keep contact than to let the break completely develop.

We found one hill in particular I think we'll all remember. I tried to create a segment from it, though I'm not sure how that turned out. It was a tough one, and I consider anyone who rode it today to have completed their "Pike's Peak" challenge. It was tough!

Shortly after that climb things smoothed out, and we wound the back country all the way out to 337 about a mile from the Time Trial start. The six remaining riders formed a line, I was at the head, and we pace lined back. It wasn't a hard ride, though I did go faster than the 20 mph I promised. However, and this is the most important part, no one was dropped.

A short stop at Huck's, and we were back to the Super 2. Bartley pulled this bit, doing a very fine job. After that it was an easy cruise into the church and we were all done.

My compliments to all on a great ride. It's the most fun I've had on a bike in weeks, no kidding. Special kudos to Brent, who took his first ride with us today.



Saturday, May 3, 2014

Heinous Hundred

Wind is no friend. It always takes more than it gives, always seems to be against you, and when you are weakest, strikes. It grinds you, wears you out, beats you down.

If ever there was the "perfect storm" of wind forecasts, today's was it. The wind would start southwest (in our faces), shift west (in our faces mid-ride), then shift again northwest (in our faces for the return trip). And wouldn't you know it? For once the forecast was 100% right.

Scott, John T., Allen, and I were the only takers for the ride. Scott was only sort of a taker - he had to be home early. Of course all that meant was he could be reckless on the early part of the ride, and poor John T. was sucked into it at first. Allen was ever his conservative self, coasting the back in his full-cover ear gear, black arm warmers, and Mickey Mouse oversized white gloves.

Going north or south wasn't all that bad today, though not at all fun. Going west was torture. Going east was the only fun part, and we didn't have nearly enough of it, or so it seemed. We wound south of Orleans, moved east toward Pumpkin Center and Syria regions, ultimately getting to Livonia via 337. We'd hopped onto 337 near Pat's Plants, and with the prevailing wind I almost made a stab at the record. Looking at the Garmin, I realized we were only 44.5 miles into 100, and I've been sick. Seemed like a really bad idea, which made me want to do it all the more. What kept me from doing it was Allen wanted me to. Anything that man recommends has to be bad for me.

We left Livonia headed north, and boy, it was really starting to get rough out there. It was a long 13-mile trek, and it seemed as if it would never end. Of course it eventually did, and we were at Campbellsburg a bit after noon, buying our lunches. It was a tasty lunch, I might add.

So there we were, 66 miles in. The original plan was to head back to the Washington/Orange County line on 337 and go home from there. However, that line is 32 miles from home. We were at least 7-8 miles from that starting point. We would be way over miles no matter what we did, and on top of that, John T. had a time limit.

Instead we headed due east and got to Leipsic, wound our way toward Liberty Church, then northwest toward DNR. It was pretty rough. Long western stretches went on for an eternity. I kept looking back to see Allen off the back, head sagging, grinding out the gears. The open country sure wasn't much fun today!

Eventually John T. was forced to leave us and head back. Allen and I then started playing with the course to get the extra miles we'd need for the 100. Allen kept turning us south to pick up bits and pieces. After the second time I firmly stated I would not be turning south again until I hit the finish line. Enough was enough!

We did eventually get back, and I was pretty tired. No run today... no reason. I need 5 miles for the week, and there was no way I would do that after the ride. No, might as well wait until tomorrow and do it then. There'll also be a ride in the afternoon. I've heard 2:45 from Allen's church, distance being 50 miles.