Chronicles of a P.E. dropout ...

2009-02-18T00:03:00.003-06:00

An observation in Volumetrics...

Well, after the gym tonight I went to Wal-Mart to pick up some things. If anyone has been to the Madison West Wal-Mart they know that it is an old, crusty, dirty store that was probably built back in the late 80s. It has a very 'retro' Wal-Mart feel to it, and although many would despise the store for many or all obvious reasons, I feel somewhat drawn to its strikingly familiar and simple 'no-frills' approach. I like the weird people who shop there, I like the grumpy employees, the crazy old man cart greeter, and the 'new' subway that replaced the McDs so that Wal-Mart would not get sued for enabling people to take the classic approach of killing themselves with Big Macs- they can now choose to kill themselves with questionable processed meats and carcinogens. I digress... (I HATE cold cuts)

I got distracted by the expanded grocery section and made the impulse decision to get some cereal. I am not a 'regular' cereal eater, but on occasion, I like to buy a box, and eat it. Cereal is just one of those on occasion different foods to get. I was looking at the Kashi cereals, I think simply because I am a Kashi frozen waffle junkie. Those little hockey pucks of goodnes are heavenly, and at just 140 kcal for 2 waffles, my tummy won't be rumbling in patients ears until about 10:30am.

So, in my usual, nerdy fashion, I start perusing the labels for the kcal info and serving size. Then I get distracted: there it was, a box of Lucky Charms!!! Now, I haven't eaten this stuff since I think middle school. I LOVED lucky charms in middle school! I looked at the kcals: 110 kcal for 1c of Lucky Charms!!!!!!! This is almost HALF of what the Kashi stuff is thowing down for sometimes 3/4c!!!!!

So, I look at more of the cereals that would be 'frowned' upon from a micronutrient standpoint:
Hannah Montana cereal- 110 kcal/ 1c
High School Musical cereal- 120 kcal/ 1c
Cap'n Crunch 109 kcal/ 3/4 c
Fruit Loops 118 kcal/ 1 c

Now, lets compare:
Kashi Go Lean crunch 190 kcal/ 1 c
Kashi Autumn Wheat 190 kcal/ 1c
Weight Watchers Flakes and Fiber 180 kcal/ 1c
Kashi Oat flakes with Blueberry 200 kcal/1c

As far as i am concered, all cereals are just a big bowl of simple CHO. Grains aren't a source of much of anything- I don't care how 'whole grain' they are.

Bottom line:
I'll take the sugary cereals, and call them health food! They really ARE magically delicious!!!!

2009-02-05T22:28:00.002-06:00

The n+1...

I know that I haven't been posting much lately. My life has been boring enough that I really didn't want to bore anyone with the mundane... blah... went to work... came home... I did xx% FTP for XX min and XX recov and blah blah T pace, M pace, R pace, yadda yadda, ate this ate that nutrition this blah stuff. You know. It is simply what I do. I haven't even had too many random ruminations to write about.

One thing that has been outstanding is my spending more time at the gym running on the treadmill. I know I have babbled about my once ex, now lover- the treadmill and how i have warmed up to its perfection of training in all forms. My laboratory-grade perfect workout. :)

Now, I have gotten used to the crowd at the gym, and I like the crowd at the gym. You have your usual cast of characters, all whom I give credit and appreciate their being there: Cardiac rehab man (mid 50s male pushing 300, with 200 of that being stored as visceral fat- I just look around, make sure I know where the AED is, and continue on, just making sure he is still alive breathing and sweating profusely in while walking), chemo runner guy (this guy is of undetermined age, 6'1", 125ish lbs in sweaty clothing, shaved head, and is usually wearing the essential singlet and split shorts, he appears as though he is undergoing chemo, but I believe is actually just determined to stay at his ideal marathon race weight year round), the I really like wearing a bike chamois to work out in and never bike man (ewwww), incline treadmill girl (walks at 2 mph at max incline while reading us weekly), Big dude who can haul a$$ on the treadmill (enough said), and a mix of other folk. A rare, but interesting species is the n+1... I got the pleasure or running today next to the n+1...

The n+1 is a rare but proud species. He prowls the gym until he finds his prey and gets on the treadmill beside. The attire is usually a cotton Hanes that has likely been used before and taken out of the gym bag without laundering, and some basketbal shorts with equal sanitation. He will immediately look over, and based upon your speed, will automatically set his treadmill at your speed +1 (or I should say, .1, but you get my drift). The n+1 does not believe in a warmup or cool down, it is simply hop on and hop off the rails. His workout will likely start at a nice gait, but then he realizes the critical error in his original assumption. He grabs onto the heart rate rails, then hunches over, his gait then starts to resemble the floppy running style of a large bird. (This is the point where I like to start my intervals and crank up the speed another 2 mph) He then grabs onto the side hand rails, and proceeds to lock his elbows to hold his torso stable while the feet are pounding the deck. The last step of desperation is the bear hug of the display. At this point, he will step onto the rails, and 'take a drink' for a while, just to hop back on to start again. Each 'interval' is a few min long. I have not figured out the n+1, nor do I know his (ill) logic; however, I do appreciate his company and entertainment.

2009-01-24T18:27:00.002-06:00

Some thoughts on the fitness test...

One of the things that I have incorporated into my training over the last several years has been the fitness test. With time, my protocols have evolved, and attitudes have changed, but one thing has remained the same- it is somewhat of a 'final exam' of all of my training prior. A somewhat simple, eloquent answer achieved in a matter of a few painful minutes to the question 'have I done the right thing over X months/ years, or have I wasted my time?' That is a pretty heavy weight to carry (think: world's strongest man keg press weight to carry). I have always had a love/hate relationship with fitness tests. I have gotten to the point that I get the same 'swarms of butterflies' before a fitness test by myself as when I am about to race.

I love the fitness test primarily because It is nice to have numerical standards of your work, and I can properly structure training from the given baseline. It can be self assuring to have proof that you are an athlete and are progressing- you are able to achieve what was previously impossible by measurable scientific standards. Cool. The thing that I hate about the fitness test is first and foremost- they hurt A LOT. I will admit right here that I will almost always whimper in pain, possibly taste a little vomit, and grimace to the point of full body distortion. For some reason, the previous feeling of searing lungs and burning legs is tattooed into my brain and is only associated with my brain saying 'wtf- why are you doing this again?'

Secondly is the fear of the unknown. Sometimes fitness tests go well- good. That is cool. Sometimes they go mediocre. Sometimes they go horribly wrong. That really really sucks. Believe me, I have had my fair share of these complete implosion fitness tests.

Well, the latest battery of tests has been completed, and the results are in. Short and long tests have been completed in both cycling and swimming. Running fitness tests will be put off until a) the ITB stuff is for sure gone (looking good so far...) and b) there is a flat 5 or 10 k on a route that will be free of ice enough that I can run normally and not in Yaks. I am hoping that these two occurrences coincide in their timing soon.

I am not much of a 'let's post all of my numbers on my blog' type of person. If you want to know numbers, just let me know- I really don't care- I'll post them.

Short swim and long swim test: PRd in both. I'll take it!

Short bike and long bike test: I was on par with my best tests of last season- and I had purposely let myself loose quite a bit of fitness this winter and this set of tests was intended to be more of a 'baseline' after some solid weeks of training to allow for enough adaptation that I am not doing a test on 'cold turkey,' but not to be too far from baseline. The good is that I have never had a good fitness test on the trainer and I finally had some good ones that are completely in line with what I know I could do on the road at my peak last year. Not only that, but these were in the aero position- ok, squirmy painful aero position, but nonetheless, aero.

The best part is that I can wait a little bit before I need to do that again...

2009-01-05T21:12:00.007-06:00

To another year!!!

Another awesome birthday... nothing too eventful, but had enough fun and laziness to be complete...

Here is how I spent my birthday...

Sat on the couch and drank coffee. I am currently 'dog sitting' for my parents, so I have some good, cozy, company (a 13 year old Maltese who is now embracing his life as a little old man- aka- he loves to sleep)

I purchased a little birthday present for myself. A little odd, but I have a secret love for salted, cured meats. For real. (on the same note, I am a snob about it- I hate 'cold cuts' or 'deli meats' (eww), but give me a good italian style thin slice and I love it!) So, not even remembering when I last enjoyed some of these Italian delights, I got some good prosciutto and genoa salami, and will enjoy them in some of the coming days!

Went for a nice run...I was going to go trail running in a state park, but it started freezing rain on my way out of town- decided to go do the next best thing in the neighborhood- running and out and back by lake Wingra and the through the arboretum. That route is so pretty and doesn't get old- the scenery changes every day. It was still really icy here, but manageable with the Yaks.

Rocked to some good tunes on my run--I am in love with Girl Talk (aka Gregg Gillis). Although I do not like to admit it (similar to the salted, cured meat thing...), I love pop rock, and I also love mixed music (ok, I really love mixed music). This guy is awesome- it is like an entire iPod worth of songs mixed together, but somehow he makes is sound good! I guess you have to respect anyone who can put on a concert with only a laptop and a microphone.

Got some good food with some good people at Fresco, on the rooftop of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. A wonderful, relaxing dinner. Chocolate filled beignets were enjoyed for my 'birthday cake' mmmmmm!!

Finally ended the evening with some drinks at 'The Nitty Gritty.' Home of the bottomless birthday mug'o'beer- I am not kidding. (Not to mention the free balloon!)

2009-01-05T21:01:00.003-06:00

Happy 2009!

Off to Chi-town once again to stir up some trouble on NYE! Got into town after sitting in some classic Chicago traffic and driving over some of the worlds biggest potholes (thank you Illinois DOT...), ate some good Thai, partied at the Wyn downtown Chi-town, embraced the collective hangover of the entire town the next morning, got some good pizza, and most of all, had fun being with some really awesome people and wonderful friends!

I realized that I no longer have any tolerance for booze. The good thing is that as my fitness and training goes up, my tolerance for booze goes down- kind of like a fitness test, but not. An interesting observation...

2009-01-05T20:50:00.005-06:00

So, for Christmas, I was on call the whole weekend- partly by choice. My brother, sister in law, and their kids decided on a last minute trip to Orlando doing the Disney thing, and so I told my mom that I would cook her dinner for her birthday, she just needs to come here and get it. :) So, my parents came down for a few days around Christmas and it was great to spend some time with them and have the extra help around to get some things done that you just can't really get done on your own.

My mom wanted one thing for her birthday breakfast... BACON! Now I know where I get it from. Here is our feast of bacon and basil potatoes (it was supposed to be a large potato pancake, but got destroyed when attepting to flip it. Oh well, it turned into 'hash browns' and tasted the same.

Good times were had by all...

2008-12-28T23:11:00.002-06:00

First of all- Merry Christmas!

Right now, I am finally very, very excited for Oceanside Half Ironman in April. I am so happy that I signed up for this early race, as there would be no way that I would have the same motivation that I have now without this looming on the horizon. I keep thinking of how fun it will be to have a little get away just when the winter will be driving me crazy!

I am in the process of figuring out my races for next season, and getting some goals lined up and methodology on how to attain these things, which makes me excited. The whole process of learning from past seasons, making changes, and seeing where they go. For some reason, I love this part of training- the planning, the methodology, the experimentation.

One gripe session:
So today, I go to finish up my long training day (about 5 hrs of exercise) with a good swim. I am warmed up, plugging away on the main set and feeling really good. All of a sudden I get kicked out of the pool!! WTF. I am informed that the pool shuts down early today! I never thought I would say this, but there is one thing that I miss about Omaha- that 24 hour fitness! That place was like an industrial workout factory, complete stainless steel everything, mirrors everywhere, protein 'mass gainer' powder store, and a pool that was rarely used due to the, er, 'clientele' that frequented the place (more of the sauna/steam room type if you know what I mean). Although it was only two lanes, had some issues with chemical regulation (think on/off cloudy water and itchy skin), and overlooked the McDonalds on 81st and Dodge-- this pool was always open! None of this 'club hours' crap. And yes, there were times that I went to swim very late at night- it was great!

2008-12-22T23:23:00.004-06:00

I have wondered this question for my entire educational career...

Do doctors have snow days???? I thought no, but the answer is...YES!

So on friday, Madison got dumped with a foot of snow wind, whatnot. The office was shut down that day due to the weather- I think it was a good idea.

So, what do you do?????

This is why it is so awesome to have a training partner living three blocks away- well within 'trudge through knee deep snow' distance- you get to wake up and instead of go to work, you get to hop on the trainer and pound out some 30/30s while the snow is still pouring and the wind is howling and the sun is coming up!

So, after IMFL I really tried to let myself atrophy a bit. Eat some garbage food I enjoy but don't normally indulge in, drink more booze, reconcile myslef with the mysterious black box in my living room that will play movies and tv shows, get some things done that have been put off WAY too long, and schedule myself around not training. I wanted to loose some fitness, get a new perspective, let the burnout fizzle away, and realize why I love to live the life that I normally live.

So, I worked out when I wanted to and did what I wanted to. Nothing too crazy, nothing regular, and nothing with purpose. I was purposefully off the wagon up until very recently. I have been on the wagon again for the past couple weeks, letting myself get back in the swing of things and realize what intensity is a few sessions before I do a baseline fitness test.

So, what is happening... I am swimming faster than I did pre IMFL. I am hitting my bike intervals about 10-15 w higher than I was last season at this time and still higher than pre- IMFL, and running, well that is keeping things with no pain at this point.

I do not understand this. I wanted to digress. I tried to digress. I make progress. Now, I'm not complaining here, but this goes against a lot of research that people spend a lot of time and effort in to make people like myself believe in it. If I don't know how to digress, then how do I make progress??

2008-12-22T23:03:00.008-06:00

Fun in the winter wonderland!

Albeit I am in the land of cheese, surrounded by a tundra and white stuff- I am loving actually having a winter!! I have been skiing more times so far this month than I would have an entire winter in Nebraska- yay for Nordic trails everywhere!!

What have I been up to..

I cut my own Christmas tree!

Here it is in my living room...

I got my fireplace working and have been having fun sitting by the fire, making s'mores in my living room, and roasting chestnuts- yes, that's correct! (completely over rated by the way- I would not be inspired to write a song about this). The most fun part was probably cutting holes in the chestnuts so they don't explode! and drinking some 'Nog. :)

2008-12-22T22:10:00.007-06:00

So, where did I leave off ???..

Yeah, so it has been more than a little while; however, I have been enjoying reading others' blogs and decided it is my time to contribute to society. 'Tis the season- right?

So, what have I been up to? First of all IMFL... I scribbled up a RR on the plane ride home, and haven't edited it yet. Yup, that's correct. Part of my 'official' off season is to think about training and racing stuff as minimally as possible. Not completely effective, but that includes scouring my race to every last detail.

Here is the 'clif notes' completely non grammatically correct version of the race

Lead up/ travel:
bad- flight got cancelled out of Mad-town for no reason, NWA didn't let me know until a 4am phone call the morning of departure. good- got out of Mad-town and to Panama City Beach (only took 12 hours and several cities when it should have taken about 3). bad- TSA thought it would be a good idea to give me the full pat down/bag search after I had spend the whole morning in the airport trying to figure out how to get to PCB, I happened to be carrying about 10 baggies of white powder (all of my race nutrition). good- TSA decided that it actually WAS a fine fruit punch flavored cocktail of maltodextrin, whey protein, sodium, caffeine and whatnot rather than the best drug bust of their career (you should have seen the look on their faces when they opened by bag!!). Bad- I was exhausted in the days before the race.

Swim:
Bad- woke up still exhausted and not really wanting to race, I would have rather slept in (in retrospect- I tried a little shorter taper this IM- it was too little taper, too long of a season, about four-six weeks too burnt out). Good- I swam aggressively in the 'usual' IM washing machine. Bad- very very cold morning! Good- decent swim time for the training that I had put in for the swim!

Bike:
Good- felt great getting on the bike, held perfect wattage goals. Bad- had sharp, stabbing abdominal pains at about mile 35- no known etiology- had to sit up, couldn't keep anything down, watts went way down, took in only a few sips of water, slowly pedaled until mile 50. At mile 50/SN I was feeling better- ramped the w slowly back up. Got back on track with nutrition/ hydration, water, whatnot. No mechanicals!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!! PRd the bike, and met my time goals- way short on W goals but happy with the given circumstances. In retrospect- I am thinking that the ocean water may have had something to do with the meltdown. Got off of the bike mentally prepared to have a pretty full tank for the run because my bike was lower W that what I know that I could do in training.

Run:
Goal for this race was to have a solid run. I held myself back the first 10k hoping to keep a nice constant pace. I felt awesome! Forgot my caffeinated GUs at T2- used on course nutrition without a flaw! At the 10K mark, ramped it up to goal pace for the marathon. Held it until the park where there was some heavily slanted roads- bad news. This sent my IT bands down hill very quickly. I had made it through all of the training and mileage without pain by avoiding this one particular thing- slanted roads. The couple miles really got things pretty jacked up. One sided pain got to be two sided pain by the 13.1 mark. The last 13.1 miles were the most painful 'run' of my life- seriously.

Overall: Overall, I still PRd at the IM distance which is great. Happy with my race execution and how I dealt with things that day. Race plan went flawless on my part- dealt with the day's happenings when they came while being calm and pragmatic.
I finished healthy, and with a smile on my face. I am lucky to be able to race in this sport and realize that!

Epilogue:
I have not been able to run pain free for a long time since the race. I was scared, like, really really scared. I didn't know what to do besides what I have been doing (watch mileage, intensity, shoe wear, fall in love with using a foam roller, stretching, no slanted roads, massage, etc). I have never been in this position before where I have not been able to get over these things with common sense and good training habits. Right now, I have been running with minimal pain for the past couple weeks, and recently got up to 40 min with 3 stretch breaks. That is now what I need to redefine as progress. I don't like that, but it is what it is. Progress.

2008-10-27T21:05:00.004-06:00

How to keep occupied during your taper...

1. Remove long standing toe nail polish and joyously realize that there are only two black toenails! Paint toenails a special new color (I now own three colors of nail polish!) for the upcoming race entitled "Don't Toy With Me." I thought that it was appropriate.

2. Clean my car.

3. Pack, re-pack, re-check, re-pack, re- double check all of the race gear.

4. I have a steady record of unpredictable catastrophic mechanical failures while racing which now plagues me with a somewhat paranoid take on bicycle preparation. I have already had the following dreams: that my chain broke and I didn't have a spare link to put it back together (I taped a spare link on to my bike in case this was prophetic), that I got to my bike after the swim and I had a double flat that used up all of my pit stop to realize that it could only be fixed by two new tyres (I am hoping that this one is not prophetic- but I may bring and extra spare).

5. Bake cookies for the 'carb loading' lasagna luncheon that work surprised me that they are throwing as a send off tomorrow. I work with some pretty awesome people.

6. Find both of my newer toe warmers that have been missing all while I have been using my old pair which are barely held together by a few remaining threads. I was pretty excited!

7. Remove things from my packing piles to go out for a quick workout, and immediately wash things up to return anything to its respective pile.

8. Get the dust off of my beloved road bike, and feel sort of naked riding around in what feels like a completely upright position without any sort of computer besides my watch. It is weird not having having W, hr, c, mph, kJ, etc. staring you in the face at all times- quite refreshing!

9. Get to finally crack open the last pair of size 10.5, 2006 Saucony Tangents! I have been saving these bright pink shoes for this race. In my book, they are the best shoe on the planet, and even better if they are worn fresh out of the box for the full 26.2 to preserve that extra-special 'new shoe sproininess.' Believe me, I will need all of the 'sproininess' I can get when I start that run this weekend!

10. See a few snow flakes flying outside, and find comfort in the fact that I will soon be down in Florida! :)

That's about it for now... Ready to get out of here and go have some fun!

2008-10-21T22:19:00.002-06:00

Life is about Aerodynamics...

Great DZ interview here. He always seems to have that 'I just got done with a crazy hard bike ride and have so little glucose in me that I can barely think let alone speak right now' eloquence to his speech. It makes me feel better when I feel that way. I wish that DZ would run for public office, for the simple reason that I would love to see him in more interviews.

2008-10-12T20:25:00.006-06:00

My new race nutrition plan... well maybe not, but it would be really cool to show up with a box taped to my aerobars.

It goes without saying what I have been up to the past few weeks. Always training makes me a DULL GIRL! Instead of a boring recap of what my peak volume weeks have consisted of, I present to you:

Ten reasons I know that I know that I am ready to start my Ironman taper...

1. My car is really starting to look like a locker room.

2. My dishwasher looks like this:

3. My refigerator is looking like this a lot of the time:

4. The flavor combination of 'sweet and salty' is really starting to loose its allure to the palate. I'm pretty sure I have grown some cavities over the past few weeks from this 'nutrition.' Yeah, only a triathlete would call a bottle of sugar water 'nutrition.'

5. I am loading up on every sort of medicament to not get sick. Vit C, Vit E, Eccinacea, Zinc, Multivit. It may all be smoke and mirrors, but I really don't care at this point. I even have been carrying purell around on my keychain. I have been eating a lot of curries and vegetables. All in all, there will be no repeats of getting sick right before an Ironman this year!

6. My freezer always has fresh ice since I have been using it by the tub load

7. The irony finally hit me while riding today: In Nebraska, I needed to search down hills and hilly routes to train on in the multitudes of flatland riding- at this time of my life, I chose to train for hilly races. In Wisconsisn, I need to search down flats to train on in the multitudes of hills- at this time of my life, I chose to train for flat races. Don't ask me why this took so long to figure out- yeah, I didn't plan things out well.

8. Lots and lots and lots of Laundry. Not to mention, my bike hasn't been cleaned in weeks. I am usually immaculate about the cleanliness of my drivetrain. Right now, my bike looks like a disaster hit it: bugs, mud, grime and grass around the derailleur pulleys, the cassette is black, the chain is grimy, and my white bartape is a combination of grey and goo. Needless to say, my buddy with be getting a nice scrub down tomorrow, and will be shiny once again! :)

9. I seem to have this look on my face a lot. This disaster was taken right after some hard intervals on a cold, windy evening. :)

10. Last but not least, I feel very ready for this race!!!

*
*
*
OK, now is the boring recap:
All in all, I am very happy with where my fitness is right now. I am absolutely exhausted all the time. I have been sleeping more than ever, but I know that this is exactly what my body needs right now. I have gotten myself as close to the 'edge' as I safely want to be in my training for IMFL. I know it that the fatigue will improve over the next few weeks.

I am happy with where my weight is, and am the lightest I have been for an IM, possibly any race, ever. I am not teeny or anything, but to the point where I feel good but not weak. This is the hardest part for me to achieve when getting in quality training depends upon feeling good going into and during a workout. Focussing on proper nutrition before, during, and after has definitely helped out with this- it is am amazing how good you feel if If things go according to plan. I fought a little cold last weekend, which took my Sunday and Monday training away from me, but I am not worried about it (4 weeks out). I have been more consistent than I ever have been this past year + that I have been training for this race. I need to remind myself of what I have done to get myself here and everything that I have 'in the bank' from that.

Swim:
Training wise, my last race distance swim in training was 1:16 a couple weeks ago, which I will gladly take. Nothing earth shattering my any means, but I am satisfied. Although I took a bit off from swimming this spring, I feel great with the time that I put in this winter working on my form, this summer swimming open water, and now late summer/ fall getting in some good distance/ intensity work in the pool.

Bike:
On the bike, I have put my investments mostly into the 3-5 hour ride. Albeit, the very, very, very intense 3-5 hour ride. I have done so many of these I can't even begin to count. I have become at one with my SRM, and intervals at FTP have become my friend. When it hurts is when it feels good, right? I have only done two 100+ mile days, but many, many 100+ mile weekends with brick runs on both days. This is very different than my past training, but I feel very good with what I have done, and the progress that I have made. Lately I have been very fatigued on the bike. I have been hitting my numbers beautifully and progressively stronger, but I just feel like I want to pull over and take a nap in the ditch instead of ride- even with taking in caffeine on my rides. I am dismissing this to the fact that this is what these peak weeks feel like. If it weren't for the few hours of warmth and daylight that I need to fit my riding into, I swear would be napping in the middle of rides. A concern for the bike is my neck- I jacked it up in a bike crash mid Sept (rainy day + water covered pothole/manhole cover/ sidewalk paint = me + bike skidding across an intersection in the middle of rush hour traffic). I have been slowly getting used to my TT postition again after that day. You see, it has taken me about 2 years to get adapted to where I am on my bike (about 15 cm drop on a 48 cm frame). It is a delicate balance to achieve and it took nothing short of hard work to get there ( and very small changes, one at a time). My neck does not think that 15 cm drop a good idea anymore, but it is hanging in there, and things are feeling like they once did day by day. Thinks are looking good and tolerable at this time, and I am confident that some reduced volume on the bike will achieve perfection. Worst case scenario- I put a spacers under my stem (reason not to cut your steerer tube...).

Run:
I have never felt this good with my running at this point in my training. Have had some great long runs the past few weeks. I have never felt so strong at the end of a 2+ hr run. Did my last long run this past week- it was my best to date- what a great way to finish my long runs! My ITB has been great, and has luckily tolerated the increase in frequency and duration placed on it over the past months. I have been able to hold some good runoff paces, and have had some great runs after some long, intense sessions.

So, there you have it. What I have been doing for the past year and a half. Now all I need to do is not screw anything up over the next few weeks. :)

2008-09-25T22:03:00.003-06:00

Big race rehearsal this weekend- doing the 2.4, 112, and 1 hr run. That's a lot of exercise, which means that I need a lot of motivation to get through it. That is where this evening's purchase comes in.

I have been hunting down this particular brew for a while, after hearing rumors about it. I have finally located it in the sense of finally stumbling upon the the Loch Ness Monter or Big Foot or something. Oscura- a coffee beer brewed by Furthermore brewing out of Black River Falls, WI. All I can say is that post swim/bike/run yumminess will await me!

On another note, got in a great 2 hr run today. My best long run so far, and I am excited to get in over two hrs next week before things start coming down. I am absolutely thrilled that I could not only run, but had minimal ITB issues. In fact, I felt GREAT for the last hour of my run. I am finding that I have more problems when I am running slower for the first parts, and when my gait changes into 'faster' mode, I feel fine. I don't have any paces since I have tossed pace out the window for my long runs since I am just trying to keep the ITB at bay and get the time in, but all in all I know it was a good clip for the last half. Nutrition and hydration went well- my plan that I am dialing in on for IM Florida is using a lot more caffeine than I have in the past, and I am testing the waters for using caffeinated gels on the run to keep my buzz going that I will have from the bike. It felt great!

This weekend will be the 'big test' of everything for the race. After all of the intensity that I have been doing on the bike, I am actually looking forward to doing some LSD-type work without anything resembling at or above FTP. I really haven't done this for a long time, but after pounding out 8-12 hours of really mostly intervals of some sort all of the time week after week, I know that this will feel like a breeze in comparison (well, as much as 6 hrs on a bike can feel like a breeze). The 'stupid switch' seems to be working really well this week- my runs, swims, and bike have so far flown by as far as duration; however, I am thinking that some new tunes for the iPod may be in order to help with the solo boredom factor.

2008-09-23T21:07:00.002-06:00

The elusive perfect workout...

So, I don't have much going on in my life besides work and training until Nov 1. All work and no play makes me a dull girl. Oh well. I may be dull right now, but it will hopefully make me a fast(er) ironman! :)

So today I had my usual Tuesday fun- 1:30 of some pretty tough bike intervals followed by a runoff of 30 min. In this mess was some short z3 work to warmup, 3x12min @ z 4-5 (5'), and 2x4'(3') @ z5. In other words a lot of pretty hard stuff spent pretty close to or above FTP. Intervals are a love hate thing to me, I like doing them because they push me out of my comfort zone and I like the feeling of accomplishment achieved in such a short duration of a ride, but you know, they're work. Normally they get done, they hurt a lot, and they are what they are. Today, for some reason, the numbers just came- I felt great on the bike!! Don't get me wrong, my RPE was the same, I still had snot hanging from my nose, I still tasted that little bit of vomit at the end of each session, and every duration felt like forever, but today, my legs just said- sure! we can do that!! A rare feeling, but one that was savored like a fine wine or the bloom of an orchid due to the exclusivity and rarity of the experience. The experience that we chase after for an entire season hoping that we can elucidate what creates this beyond hoping that the planets and stars align to our favor. This bike was followed by the weightless runoff around the neighborhood- again, felt great!

notes taken on today (to hopefully replicate this...):
- food: b-fast, drink of orange juice (for Fe supplement), greek yogurt c/ granola, lychee black tea, multivit, vit C pill, vit E pill, Fe pill, zinc, ecchinacea (can you tell that I am determined not to get sick for IMFL :)...) lunch: Trader Mings (Joe's) kung pao chicken wrap, plum, pre ride- small handful of fruit snacks (hey, I think its the same as a gel!), H2O for the ride
- pre ride: 15 min nap
- weather: around 80, sunny- wore tri race kit c/ arm warmers to work out any kinks before this weekends race rehearsal
- setup: front training rim, rear H3 due to rear training tyre needing replacement, wicked fast 11-21 (or 23?) cassette to keep up steam on flat/ downhill sections and to make sure I can only keep a cadence of 60 on anything that resembles a hill. :)
- finally dialed in on a saddle height position this last week after much change- much higher now, and much more comfy aero, working great so far, and would never guess that I would feel good in this position.

So, that's it, I have finally become a real tri- geek by only talking about MY training on MY blog, and topping it off with talking about MY food. AHHH!!

2008-09-13T06:15:00.002-06:00

Life update...

- yeah, so it has been, er, a bit since 4 July. The fact that I haven't posted is good- that means that I am very busy working, having fun, and making myself faster for the upcoming Ironman Florida

- A big shout out to two friends who became Ironmen right here in Madison last weekend. My friend Andy put together a very strong and solid sub 12 race after breaking T2 in his neck 1.5 weeks prior. This is for real- turns out is was a stable fracture and he was able to race- what an emotional rollercoaster during taper time! Jeremy finished sub 10 for an awesome race, and dialed in 38th overall in his first ironman! Way to go!

- For me training has been going well. It is that time of year that everything is ramping up and I feel as though I simply just work, s/b/r, and do laundry to feed my addiction. Emotionally, it is the hardest part of IM training. I am exhausted, hungry all the time, and ready to hop into bed and pass out every night. With that being said, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I know that I am doing the right thing when I feel like this, and all of these 'deposits in the bank' are worth it for the withdrawal that I am going to make in November.

- It is funny how you get to know your body. I find that my body likes to pack on muscle at this time of training, which I don't really like. I am not a weenie triathlete to begin with- I don't need any cosmetic bulk to be hauling around a race course!!! It doesn't make me look cut, just sort of bigger. My clothes fit the same, it is just a slight increase in kg. Not fun, and I am trying to adjust my cho/pro/fat composition to avoid this without sacrificing recovery. Any insight is appreciated.

- As far as training, I am happy with where my swimming is. The 50m outdoor pool that I had been swimming at and spoiled in has closed for the summer, and the lakes are funky enough from the warm weather that they really aren't a healthy option. I am now stuck in 'regular indoor pools' but it is reassuring to have my times to refer to from where I was previously in 'regular' pools. Things are looking good, and I feel as though in the next few weeks, I can solidify what I need to do to have a good swim in FL. Biking is great- I am riding longer, harder intervals and T work that I ever have. Trying not to freak about the change in kg because FL is flat, and that I have raced my previous IMs heavier. I have some race rehearsals coming up soon that I am looking forward to, and I have found some great flat land to train on around here (a rare thing) to get myself used to being in aerobars for a really really long time. Just trying to dial in my position, nutrition, and pacing to have the ride of my life. Running is great- I feel like my stride and cadence is improving. Psychologically, my long runs have been dialed back in the pace department to keep some IT problems at bay when my volume was going up which I don't like. But I don't like even more is having to hobble home halfway through a run b/c I am in so much pain- win some and lose some I guess. Has delightfully worked so far, and hoping to conservatively visit my good friend M pace again really soon.

- The rest of life is great. Visited family in ND over Labor Day- saw many people who I haven't seen in a while. Great family and wonderful to see them.

- Work is great- I love my job, patients and dentistry.

- Have had some good company visit Madison, and have been enjoying getting to know some of the restaurants in my new home town better. Life is good.

- crashed on my bike last week coming home from a long ride in rain and 60 deg. It was one of those days where I needed to put on my 'tough girl hat' to get out the door. Ride went great- hit the #s spot on despite the conditions. 1 mile from home- bam!- his something hiding under a small puddle of water in the road (culprits- pothole, manhole cover, sidewalk paint), and slid across an intersection on my right side in the middle of rush hour (bike still attached, naturally). Thankful that a car didn't hit me. Bike ok for the most part, water acts as a great lubricant to minimize road rash, bumps and bruises, a jacked up neck, and a headache for a week. Fortunately things are healing well. I will be ok and my headache is finally gone after some worries. Just thankful it was not worse- training now resumed full force.

- So my life is pretty unidirectional right now; however, I know that it will be worth it when all is said and done. With that being said- after much much much contemplation- i signed up for Ironman Wisconsin next year. I can not pass up the opportunity to roll out of my own bed and compete in an Ironman with some 'home field' advantage.

2008-07-07T20:59:00.002-06:00

Weekend happenings...

What a great independence day weekend! Accomplished all of the following/ made these revelations with some great company over the past several days

- attended my second 'concerts on the square;' this time with a nice, classy box of Franzia. Not just any Franzia, the classiest and finest of them all- the sunset blush. All we needed is some cheese from a can or individually cellophane wrapped slices, and the party will be complete.

- Rode a bunch in the beautiful weather including a ride out to New Glarus, home of two wonderful things: New Glarus brewery, producers of Spotted Cow Ale, and the New Glarus bakery- I returned home with a bag of herbed beer bread mix in my jersey pocket, which was immediately baked up for the cookout that evening

- why is it that I always run into people out riding right after I am done with a hard workout/ intervals and can barely ride?

- had an awesome cookout with grilled chicken and steak burritos, guac, and margaritas for the fourth of July - it may not have been burgers and apple pie, but we're in a melting pot- right?

- Played with some sparklers, and enjoyed the pletora of ilegal fireworks being lit off around the neighborhood. Gladly avoided all mass crowds and traffic jams associated with public fireworks displays

- night bike ride beebop around town with Sara- super fun, and realized how many people are fishing in the dark on saturday nights- weird. My favorite quote from Sara, "I feel tough with my pants leg rolled up while riding a bike."

- checked out ZuZu cafe and went kayaking with Michelle- super fun! new lesson: paddling in a 'sit in kayak'= you will get wet

- finally able to check out the coveted Michael's frozen custard. Yum...

- Went to picnic and see "Ah Wilderness!" at the American Players outdoor theatre/ theater. Learned about what a masters degree in costume design entails- very interesting.

- I ran out of coffee this morning, so this means that I get to go out to explore out a new local roaster and purchase some new beans! I am very excited! Not only that, but I get to finally use my newest aquisition: a coffee grinder! I am very excited to have this new machine and variable introduced to hopefully get me oh so much closer to brewing perfection.

- Had some awesome help to remove the upper trim boards from my garage so I can finally get the additional few cm of clearance to get my car+bike rack inside. In this process, I uncovered a carpenter ant colony. Now, after working the past nine+ years in healthcare, I promise that I have seen some disgusting things. I usually don't get grossed out by insects, but I will admit that uncovering this colony is towards the top of the list of disgusting things I have seen. This was a pile of the hugest ants i have ever seen, surrounded by hundreds of these disgusting yellow ant egg sacs. I am no entomologist; however I am pretty sure that I saw, and killed the queen ant of the colony- which was by far the grosset and hugest ant I have ever seen in my life. When all is said and done, I am glad that they are hopefully now dead, and that I now know what carpenter ants look like, and that I have not seen any of these creatures of the order hymenoptera (if I remember correctly from first semester bio in undergrad) in my home.

- sitting on the porch at night during a thunderstorm is awesome (what I am doing right now) :)

- I am so excited that the Tour de France is on!!! I love having cycling on ALL the time during the TdF!! On top of that, I could not be more excited the stage 4 time trial tomorrow, not to mention all of the super sweet TT machines to roll out of the start house. I paraphrase Phil Liggett, 'the best way to view the race of truth is on television.'

2008-06-28T22:33:00.002-06:00

When best gets even better...

So, as previously eluded to, I have been in a bit of a training slump lately. Didn't know why; however I just didn't have the spark that I normally do to get out the door. A bit of apathy one might say, but I have been still getting my workouts done, while admittedly, a few somewhat reluctantly performed. Well, I had a recovery week last week, and am feeling much better to get back into things. I am very thankful to get that feeling back. It is a weird to not love to do the thing you love to do. I am pretty sure that I have my mojo back, and feel like I want to go on the swim a ton, run all over, century every day plan. :)

Whining aside, I am starting to get to know the roads here better, at least south of town. The roads are quite intertwined, and I still need to meticulously map out my ride if I am testing out new territory, not to mention construction surprises. I have definitely had my fair share of getting lost or getting stuck taking some not so bike friendly highways (read, high traffic high speed, and no shoulder). With that being said, I am absolutely in love with the riding here! The terrain is awesome, and every road is picturesque with foliage and quaint farms. No matter when I go ride, and how far, I always seem to see other riders.
Side note-
New theorem/postulate: only fast riders wave to other riders. No wave = slow.

For the past, er... way too long...I wasn't really swimming, and didn't care. I didn't get any better when I worked really hard at swimming, and when I didn't work that hard at swimming, I had some of the best swim splits ever. Things that make you go hmm. Anyhow, I think I have found the next best thing that will get my spark back for swimming- that is finding enjoyment in the mere act of being in the water and enjoying the world around you- that is open water swimming in Lake Wingra! When I first moved here I was getting mixed reviews on the swimming status of the various lakes and bacterial counts. I have gotten the final word from the tri-geeks and got the real word- it is a go! This means that I have my very own open water training grounds a perfect 4 downhill blocks away... Lake Wingra! There are no motorboats allowed on the lake, and there is usually enough of a handful of canoers/ kayakers/ small sailboats for company. The state games rowing/ crew championships were held there this weekend- those rowers are a pretty fit bunch, and it was fun to watch as I swam along the shoreline to stay out of their hair. I also ran into a nice group of wetsuit-clad people sitting around post swim when I rode there on Monday to swim. Found out it was an open water master's group composed of quite a few tri folk- I am going to join them tomorrow for an evening swim. Not only just having this lake so close, but I am very excited to have found a masters group that meets in the *gasp* evenings!!! (for some reason fishies love to torture themselves by getting up at 5am- tried for about 3 years to convert myself to working out at this time- never took.)

Not to leave out running, I have found the Arboretum which can be reached in a run of a little over a mile from my house. The Arboretum is a beautiful wildlife preserve run by UW in the middle of town with over 20 miles of dirt trails in addition to the secluded, shaded road through it. A perfect 1 hr run from my house, through the arboretum's main drag, and back. I really can't believe that there is trail running less than a mile from my house.

I am on the last steps of my long, drawn out unpacking process. I will hopefully be hanging pictures soon which is what I consider the final stage.

In the meantime, I have a DVR, and couldn't be enjoying it much more with all of the Olympic trials in swimming, track and field, and not to mention a little race in France that is going to start here in a few days. I have literally gotten chills/ teary eyed while watching the trials on TV. I am jealous of my Omaha friends who are actually there watching it. It is absolutely amazing to watch these athletes compete, not to mention break world records left and right. I am foreseeing nothing getting done when the actual Olympics are going to be on tv; notwithstanding, I am excited to have so much material dvr'd for this winter.

2008-06-27T22:21:00.002-06:00

I can't even come up with a witty enough caption for this one...

Article: Athletes may be using Viagra for competitive edge

Interesting to say the least. This brings me back to my Endocrinology lecture in undergrad, some of my favorite and very memorable lectures include endocrinology behind bonking, and endocrinology/ pharmacology of erectile dysfunction and treatment.

2008-06-25T22:30:00.002-06:00

Hy-Vee triathlon RR:
- At first it felt a little funny getting ready for the first tri of the season, then I was back in my element, found my official 'packing checklist for going to a triathlon' amongst the remaining boxes of stuff to be unpacked in my office. My fool proof list to accommodate for my scatter brained nature before racing. Got everything ready, cleaned the bike, popped on the H3s, and headed out the door for a nice road trip to DesMoines. Got into town at 3:59 and was able to run in to meet up with Andy and Rick for the 4:00 required pre race briefing/ propaganda show. Got the swag bag, realized Andy's car's parking brake broke in the 'on' position (not good), and left the car to drop off all of the transition goods at various locations around town. Picked up Dave, got some Jimmy Johns, and settled in for a good nights sleep at the Rodeway ghetto inn. Oh wait, we needed to be up at 3am to get to transition by 4am. Had a few canned 'double shot' coffees on ice, and finally felt ready to go.

Swim: Without swim training, go figure, I was slower. Oh well- it was an interesting experiment on my part and I got to know my body better. Conclusion of the experiment is that lack of swimming means It takes me a long time to warm up in the water. On a mental note, I was confident with my skills and the race until I got in the water. Then I thought- 'what was I thinking that I could do this after avoding a pool like the plague?' My lack of training haunted me and I literally needed to pop my head up once, look around, and question what I was doing. I then told myself to htfu, remind myself that I have done two ironmans, and focus on the good, efficient, relaxed form that I have worked on all winter. Second half was great- I enjoyed the rest of my swim, for it was a beautiful morning and the water temp was perfect. As far as water quality, fecal coloform does not scare me; I grew up swimming in the Mississippi almost every day.

Bike: Fun course, more challenging than the pancake + 1 hill of last year. Happy with the fact that I averaged about 10 watts higher than last year; however my time was slower. I'll take it. I saw the Kim West himself out on the course in his requisite devil costume, and popped him a wheelie!

Run: I have been working on a lot of intensity with my running all winter and spring very diligently and planned on using that for this race. For the whole run, I asked myself if I could be running any faster, and made sure that answer was no. In other words, kept the rpe where it needed to be. Although a hilly course, my plan still produced dismal results. A little disappointing to still chug out a snails pace run split. The reality of actually training hard, really executing oneself, and still sucking is a pretty big chip to swallow. I am still happy with being out there doing what I love to do and executing a solid race overall.

After the race, got cleaned up, had some good food, finally fixed Andy's car, and headed back to Madison. Overall it was a very fun weekend. I am pretty sure it got me re energized for this season and hopefully jerked me out of this slump that I have been in with training. As far as I am concerned, mission accomplished.

Other side notes on life:
- Got lost for the first time on a bike ride in Madison because a road was closed for construction. Ended up in the closest thing to the 'projects' in town. I coudn't find my way out of town for a few hours, I was pretty mad by that time, and ended up doing an adapted version of intervals through the 'hood' instead of on the route that I was looking forward to checking out. Oh well. Finally found a bike trail that I could take back to my house. side note: I am hopefully going to check out that route tomorrow.

- Got to check out 'the terrace' on lake Mendota and see what the fuss is about. Pretty fun place.

- Get well wishes for my friend Sara who came down with an MRSA infection. She is almost all better now, but still pretty scary for being a healthy, fit twentysomething. I guess moral of the story is it can happen to anyone.

- Planted some petunias in my yard today and also weeded and mowed. My yard looks awesome!

- Rode my bike over to 'concerts on the square' tonight to meet up with some friends, and meet some new ones. Pretty fun times!

- Fired up my new grill Monday- chili lime chicken burgers with grilled pineapple on grilled wheat bagels (someone forgot the buns at the store...haha) I am getting used to this whole grill thing. Next up was the roasted corn for salads- another success. mmmmm...

2008-06-18T08:28:00.002-06:00

Yet another update on life...

- Did the final move from Omaha at the end of May. I have been saying that I would remove my rear view mirror on my way out of town; however, I didn't need to. The final load in my car was so full, it literally took me 5+ hours to back, I had knives under my seats, clothes jammed in every nook, and the back end barely closed, yet I did it! Literally, I had a hole for myself to drive, and that is it. The passenger seat was up to the level of the dash, and the rest of the car was densely filled to the roof, which had 3 bikes on top.

- With that being said, I moved in with my parents for a few weeks until I closed on my home. It was actually quite nice to spend some time with them. During my stay I got some beautiful riding in and around LaCrosse county. It was awesome to ride the ridgetops, and go into the valleys filled with beautiful mist and quaint little dairy farms. My stuff was in the garage in what I would call a pretty impressive pile. It is pretty funny when you actually take all of your stuff from its little nooks where it is all packed away- it turns out to be more than you thought- oh well, I guess I do have a house to fill.

- So, I am now in Madison, and officially a homeowner. Moving in went really really well thanks to some awesome people and wonderful friends. Fortunately, my home is perfectly fine with the apocalyptic flooding that has been going on around the area. While out running, I saw many many homes around the lakes in town that were pumping out their basements. All in all, I am thankful that my home is atop a moderate hill from nearby lake Wingra which I have been wanting to go kayaking on. I am loving Madison, and the neighborhood that I am in. I have wonderful local restraunts and shops within walking distance, beautiful trails to run on, the arboretum nearby with miles and miles of trails winding through beautiful green space, and a straight shot out of town to beautiful country roads to ride on. Every ride I have been on I have seen at least a dozen other cyclists out riding no matter what time. It is such a welcome contrast to see people out on bikes everywhere training, commuting, and bebopping around town, people are running everywhere, people out in parks and out on lakes sailing/ boating/ kayaking. I am loving this town.

- I got cable installed yesterday, reluctantly, but I was allured by having the Tour de France DVRd in high def so I can watch it whenever I want. :) So, within a few hours it stopped working. So, I called the cable company to see what the deal was, they couldn't fix it, but here is the catch. During the course of the phone call, the tech asked TWICE if I wanted to add movie channels to my cable. I asked her why I would want to pay for more channels when what I have isn't even working. She couldn't give me an answer, obiously. Naturally, I got things working on my own after the phone call.

- This weekend is the Hy-Vee triathlon, oh wait, duathlon, oh wait again, triathlon! I will admit, with all of this moving and nomadic lifestyle the past few weeks, getting to the pool has been pretty non-existent since Omaha- for real. I am not proud of it, but it is what it is- it unfortunately hit the chopping block pretty hard. So when they first made the announcement that the swim of the race was cancelled- I was really disappointed and bummed that I would be driving a long way (even longer due to interstate closures) for a 10K-40K-5K. I was secretely releived that I would not need to test my lack of swim training, but a little scared thinking how a 40K TT would feel after runing 10 K. Right before I was going to run before my ride yesterday to test the waters, the announcement came out that the swim is back on. Mission aborted- I am glad that I did not need to experience the horror and unnatural progression of a run-bike instead of a bike-run! Kudos to the race directors for pulling a new course out a few days before the event- I presume not an easy task. So, now that the swim is on, I have made a decision: to go into the swim cold turkey, and of course with a wager. :) No swim training, and I will hopefully have the same swim split as last year, or faster. I need to beat a 30:28 swim, and I will get a post race feast and drinks- bring it!

2008-05-15T00:31:00.008-06:00

Update on Life...

In attempts to make up for my, er, lack of contribution to the blog world... I present to you... an epic post highlighting my life for the past few weeks.

- First and foremost, where I left off. Took boards. It was a long day, and it wasn't without its usual ups and downs in addition to simply getting things done. I now know that I have passed my boards, with a near perfect score nonetheless, and it is a super duper huge relief. The weekend itself was very difficult, mostly on the line of logistics, but it was fun to see some friends and meet up for some drinks and Thai food after the exam. All in all, this retake thing was horrible and I couldn't be happier to have it behind me. I keep waiting for the hatred to go away, but it doesn't. These examiners took something away from me that I can never get back. Included in the list is: a) over 400 training hours so that I can peak at the end of March (this peak was for nothing); b) the money (think $$$$) and time for a trip to take boards; c) about four weeks worth of sleep; d) time that my patients needed to take for this exam; e) Unfortunately, about 3 lbs gained, during the process, now gone, but it did put an unexpected halt on things for the past few weeks; f) I hate to admit this, a lot of tears, and I am a person who doesn't cry easily. Pic at dinner after boards:

- Graduated from dental school- I am now a D.D.S.! Pretty darn crazy, I guess, but it is a huge relief to close the book on one chapter, and begin the next. What this means is that I have about 10 weeks of what I am calling my 'first retirement' where I am essentially unemployed. Yes, you heard that correctly. I need to wait a while for all of my licensure to come through, so this is what I get. I am not complaining. :)

- with that being said, I am planning on taking full advantage of this time. I have two goals 1) move to Madison and get settled in 2) take advantage of this time off and race and train as much as I can. With the reconfiguration of my training to fit my, er, 'new schedule,' I am certain that I will find my breaking point.

- Got my SRM back, and got in my first race of the season. Coincidentally, I have found an increase in power #s with this new calibration. I'll take it. Won the cat 4 women at the elkhart TT. I'll take it for the first race of the season. Great race, good venue, horrible directions (note: if you want anyone from out of town to come to your race, please put more than just some geographical landmarks on your race flyer). Also raced the NE state championship TT this past Saturday. It was just one of those days that the #'s didn't come, and the legs never felt good. It was very fun to be back in the NE race scene, and I was happy to once again win the cat 4 state title before I leave the state. Pic from the podium:

A special yell out to my buddy Andy who stepped up to the plate from the tri world and raced his first TT and official 'bike race' this weekend. I give credit to anyone who steps up to the 'race of truth' because that is what it is- it doesn't lie. I have heard so many excuses along the lines of 'I'm not trained' 'I don't feel like it' 'I don't want to find out how slow I am' things. Here is the men's Cat V podium (they may need to work on their podium posing skills a little bit)

Another big shout out to everyone who was there and raced: M. Pav, Brian, M. Landen, Morgan, Jeremy, and the list goes on. It was a fun day with fun company, but all in all, I think it was a tough day for a lot of people.

- Right now, I am mostly moved out, living on an air mattress, with just my clothes, bikes, and a few kitchen utensils. Nothing more, really. It is almost a bit refreshing to live a more 'simple' life with out the clutter. I have internet courtesy of my neighbors, and radio to keep me company. I have been enjoying the Kim West Radio Cycling show podcast to keep me company in the evenings. In Omaha till next week sometime.

- My Brother, sister in law, nephews and niece came down to visit right before graduation Fun times. it was fun to visit all of the 'kid' places in town. All in all it was a great time with them, and this was their Christmas present to their whole family to have me cover this vacation. It worked out really well, and the kids had some of the most fun at the dental school. I tried to teach them proper infection control. :)

- Last, but not least, I have found a home in Madison! That's right- I bought a home that I will be closing on June 13! It was a crazy adventure last weekend! After racing, headed to WI to see the home on Sunday before the open house. Thanks to the interned, I have been able to weed out many homes before wasting my time driving to Mad-town. This is the first home that I have looked at in person, and bought. Some may say it is impulsive, some may say smart- I say I know what I want and this was the perfect house in an even better location. It is a bit scary dealing with this 'adult-like' and 'grown up' stuff of mortgages, titles, inspections, insurance, and the list goes on; however after living with 4-12 other people for most of the past 8 years, I could not be more excited to be going on to this next step in life. My 'new' (95 yrs old) home:

2008-04-25T22:14:00.002-06:00

Twas the night before boards...

Sitting here in good 'ol MPLS. It is home to overcast skies, rain, possibilities for snow, wind, and fortysomething temperatures. I have the feeling like my execution is tomorrow and I am waiting for the governor to call to pardon me to get out of it. I'm not being too hopeful. :)

I guess the best similar situation I have to this in my life is the night before an Ironman. Here I am, sitting in a hotel, in a faraway place, with a lot of crap with me (instead of bikes, wetsuits, nutrition, etc, it is now $$$$$ worth of dental equipment). Friends are here to cheer me on. I have spent years to get to this place. The funniest part, is that boards makes an Ironman look cheap! :) However, when I think of what is to come tomorrow, it is not fun in the sun and pushing myself to the limits of what I thought is physiologically and mentally possible, it is just drilling out a few cavities. Not quite as alluring, but necessary nonetheless. Oh well.

Kelsey interviewed at a practice in town while I took a tour of the UofM dental school today before orientation. It was sort of fun to look at a different dental school and how their lives here in MN are different from ours in NE. Pretty much variations on a theme and crazy to think that I almost went here for dental school. All I can say, is I am glad that there is not a Noodles and Co accross the street from Creighton dental, or else I would have turned into one giant bowl of Pad Thai over the course of four years in school.

Took the afternoon to get a burger and beer at Sally's, a venue which has 'the best burger in town.' A pretty darn good piece o' beef. I had their signature burger with mozzarella and balsamic mushrooms. An interesting take on a classic, yet very tasty. Afterwards, neuroticly got my paperwork ready for tomorrow, and headed to Mall of America for a bit- it was great to get my mind off of things. It worked.

Now, it is go time. Ready to get this behind me.

2008-04-23T06:45:00.004-06:00

Earth Day...

So, we bring ourselves to another Earth Day (also my friend Sara's birthday!)

I've known Sara (black dress, pictured above) since preschool, which is pretty darn cool. This weekend, she competed in her first tri and now has the bug big time! Good work Sara!

I find Earth Day an interesting phenomenon. I love the earth, I think its great, and I want to keep it clean, beautiful, and wonderful. I really don't know anyone who doesn't. I don't know anyone who says 'hey! I think this planet should be dirtier and uglier!'. I do what I can, which is more than lots of people, less than many others, but I don't feel the need to judge or degrade others or make my self feel better by bragging. It is what I do because I think it is the right thing to do; however, I am, by all means, not perfect. I'd rather call it 'living your life intelligently and conscientiously' than 'going green' or 'hugging a tree.' It is wonderful that we have a day to think about the world around us and what we can do to make it better and appreciate its beauty, but unfortunately I saw something this weekend that epitomizes all that is wrong with Earth Day.

Case in point. On Saturday, I was riding my bike through Elmwood park, more on the outskirts of Elmwood park (the road that parallels 60th, through the golf course, east of the park if anyone is wondering) heading to the Keystone trail to take it up north to ride. I was wondering what was going on. There were cars everywhere. The road was packed, the park that I could see below the road was packed, and people were parked all over the grass, every which way. One car tried to run me over on my bike. I was wondering what was going on since I hadn't seen this many cars in Elmwood for a long time. After my ride, I found out. My roommate informed me that it was an Earth Day celebration. I started laughing.

I will refrain from further comment an let the situation speak for itself.

2008-04-18T06:34:00.003-06:00

this is why there hasn't been too many posts...

wake up.
shower.
get ready.
iron while water is boiling.
press coffee.
go to school.
do dentistry.
make phone calls to patients.
do related dental lab work. lots of it.
come home sometime late evening or early morning.
training. ( if not too ridiculously late)
If training can be done before 11 pm, assume crappy workout.
go to bed, get too little sleep.

repeat.

That's about it. other comments...

- Last week, a school bus driver decided that driving past a woman with a green trench (aka ME) and spraying her with the many wheels of a school bus would be common courtesy and that I wanted a shower of road grime. Yes, I too, thought that this only happened in movies. Wet wool pants smell like a wet sheep until they dry. I inadvertently started swearing at the bus, then I realized that it was full of elementary aged kids.

- my SRM is out of commision. Great. It is now in Colorado at the SRM hospital. I'm hoping that all this requires is a battery change and a re-calibration. I guess of all times, it is probably the best not to see my power numbers right now with all that is going on in my life not making a situation very amenable to quality training.

- there is no housing crisis. Believe me. If anyone can find a house that actually has some style in Madison, please let me know, because apparently realtors can't do it. (Isn't that what they do? aka their JOB?) Dear realtor: no, I do not want a 60's ranch.

- Dental instructors are really good at saying very ignorant, derogatory, and completely out of line comments.

- My board exam retake is this coming weekend. By the time that I start the exam, I will be so relieved to be able to start, that the dentistry part will be a joy. I don't think I have ever been so stressed out for so long in my life than in the weeks between my previous exam and this one.

2008-04-06T20:58:00.003-06:00

Weekend occurences...
(warning, this got a little long...)

This nice weather couldn't have come any earlier!! What a beautiful weekend!

- Got a nice, long, run in on Friday evening. For some reason, it brought back memories when I first moved to Omaha when I would put my long runs in on Friday evening on a certain route. It was my 'me' time for the week, and also made a lot of people that I had just met why I always had 'something going on' on Friday nights. :) There is something just great about the monotony of a long run that makes you forget about everything that went on that week in academia. Went great and held a good pace. In addition, I was very excited that I hopefully have figured out how to keep the belly trouble that comes on my long runs away. Unfortunately, this requires some pretty intense planning as far as meals beforehand and timing, but it is completely worth it for the result. After an entire winter of treadmill running I have been conservatively making the transition to outside and now it is in full swing. I am pretty sure that the consistent and scientific bubble of the treadmill has kept my IT band happy and healthy all winter, and now I am trying to make sure that the changes in surface slant doesn't mess anything up (historicly speaking, this is one of the things that triggers it). Things are good so far. I can tell that my stride is different from what I have done this winter- I am pretty sure it is different in a good way. :)

- I am very excited for my buddies who were road racing this weekend. From what I hear of the preliminary results, things went well. Awesome. I am very proud and honored to know all of them, and know what hard work that they have put in to get to this point. Good job dudes!

- It was a little hard for myself to not be racing (the Altoona RR was my very first RR last year), but it is my own decision not to be there. On top of the fact that I have a mess of things to deal with my boards up in MN, a very soon move to Madison, and finishing up school, I have made the decision not to do any crits or road races until I have a disability insurance policy in effect. Some may frown on this decision and call it ludicrous and unfounded; however, the reasons are as follows:
(1) as it stands right now, my source of income and only hope of paying back my student loans next year is what I can do with my hands [dentistry]. Any damage to my hands/ wrists, and I am out of a job and the subsequent income. For a few weeks and missing a couple races, this risk is not worth it to me.
(2) if you think that the chances are the same that I will crash during a race versus just riding outside with friends or on my own, please spend some time in a Women's cat 4 peleton. It that isn't bad enough, please keep in mind that cat 4 women usually race with the cat 5 men. The men's cat 5 peleton is even scarier. Combine the two, which is usually the group that I race with, and you have what is called a 'crash factory.' Not a good situation.
(3) With that being said, I am looking forward to getting my racing fix in with some upcoming TTs and hopefully a 5 or 10K in the for the next few weeks (unfortunately, its not tri season yet). Then I am looking forward to getting in a few good road races once again.

- Did a breakfast and a ride at my place with buddies Jen, Todd, Matt N, and new neighbors Mark and Ann. Fun times had by all. The coffee, fruit, eggs, and take two on the 'mango, pineapple, banana, orange, oatmeal whole wheat pancakes' went well. Had a great time riding in the sunshine with some good company.

- As a soon to be dentist, I am intrigued and learning more and more about a phenomenon that I would like to call 'endurance racer mouth.' I myself am not immune to it. Characteristics include cavities galore that cannot be prevented or even stopped even with frequent and meticulous brushing and flossing in addition to high dose fluoride. I am pretty sure that it has something to do with concentrated simple carbohydrate consumption in a xerostomic environment for hours on end, possibly combined with a love for coffee while not exercising. Thank goodness I have all the free dental work that I want, but I am thinking that there has to be some sort of protocol that can prevent this from happening. This may be leading to some sort of research project...

- After a winter of putting it off (and not having a good place to wash bikes when it is 0 deg outside), I finally got to wash my bikes after riding on Saturday. This took WAY too long (think hours), but it was required to get the layers of hardened sludge of road grime, grit and grease off of my precious machines. Its like the pertroleum lube turned into coal which was fixed to everything. I'm usually meticuous about my bikes and how clean they are, but pragmatics took over this winter. Did the full and intense clean- once again, my drivetrains are actually *gasp* silver colored!

- Took the morning being lazy for a little bit, being productive for another little bit, and another few hours (not kidding) to try to find a missing knee warmer of mine. This only lead to a fruitless search, a delayed ride, and much frustration on my part. I have been using some old Nike knee warmers that I have, but these are the most unintelligently made knee warmers known to man. Making a knee warmer cannot be that hard- it is literally a tube of black spandex. However, Nike has found a way to screw up this simple task by making the tube too big, and putting a tight band of elastic around the calf. This is a nice recipe for your calfs to cramp on every single ride. If anyone wants to come over and comb my house for a black Descente knee warmer withOUT tight elastic, they will have a free pair of Nike knee warmers in return.

2008-04-01T21:38:00.003-06:00

Real life... here I come...

So, after much and much interviewing, traveling, contemplating, and whatnot...not to mention approximately twenty three years of school (which will soon be over)... I have a job!

Come this summer, I will be joining the team at Madison Family Dental Associates as their newest dentist on board. I am so excited about this change and the practice that I will be joining. I am really looking forward to all of the new challenges, opportunities, and rewards of not only starting to practice dentistry outside of dental school, but to move to a new community, town, and area that I love.

What this means, is that this summer I will be moving to lovely Madison, WI. If anyone hasn't been there, in my book, it is one of the best towns ever- hence, why I am moving there. Lakes, endless roads to bike on, fun community, great culture, awesome people, and yes, winters... where I can cross country ski!!!!

I couldn't be more excited about what is to come, and if you are in Madison, you know where I will be. :)

2008-03-29T16:47:00.002-06:00

Life updates...

So yeah, I've been a little lazy and haven't written for a while- back on the wagon. :) Things are going well here. On a recovery week- usually a lot of time on my hands these weeks, but school and boards has been sucking up the majority of the extra time. Here are my random thoughts from the past week...in... none other than a bulleted list.

1. Training wise, things are physically going pretty good, but scheduling wise things have gotten shaken up. This whole board retake thing has taken up the majority of this month's weekends (like, all of them) and I will not be able to do any of the three spring races that I really wanted to do ( Lone Star half iron, Altoona RR, and the race formerly known as Lincoln Plating). I didn't realize how much I was using these races as my motivation until I can't do them any more. The whole reason I wanted to do an early season half is to push me through the winter, and it did. I have put in over 370 training hours for these races, got myself as light as I have been in my adult life, set my training up so I would peak right now, and now the whole purpose for this is not there.

I am pretty sure that all of this is the root of why I am experiencing a, well, lack of training mojo. I haven't felt this way in a while (like, a really long time). Usually I love and cherish every moment that I can get out and enjoy these crazy and sometimes painful activities that we call fun. It is almost scary. Don't get me wrong- I am still getting in the majority of my training, but I am finding that my workouts aren't as focused as they should be and it takes me a really really long time to get out the door. I don't like this. @#$@#$!

Last weekend, I saw Dave R out riding, and surely enjoyed his company, especially after chasing him down for several miles outside of Ft. Calhoun. I forgot how much fun it is to ride with other people outside. I guess that is the one drawback of knowing too many fast people- you don't get to ride with them. :) With the combination of the weather still being frigid and the lack of training mojo, it just makes for a bad combination. If anyone wants to beat me with a bat with HTFU engraved on it to get me out the door- please feel free.

I have faith in the fact that this too, shall pass. I have reformatted my weekly schedule to hopefully make my life easier with the same training load. We'll see how this goes.

2. Yesterday, I think I was attempted to me hit by over a dozen morbidly obese drivers. It was weird- every time I car would get scarily close, I would look over and see a large person with a gut with the driver's seat pushed way back to accomodate for it. No exceptions- 100% of the time.

3. While riding today, cars were nice to me- only a few pickup truck drivers who feel the need to make up for their lack of genitalia with their vehicle got a little irate. Nothing new. Funny thing is that when I was riding through Dundee on my way out of town, I ran into circus people in the street. Little did I know that it was the Cirque du Soleil performers running around in my neighborhood promoting their show in town- hahaha!

4. I ran into my buddy Andy at the grocery store yesterday. It was fun to see him. As a fellow triathlete, he was loading up his cart with good stuff, but I will admit, this guy also knows his cookies and brownies. I took his word on a box of Betty Crocker cookie brownie bars. All I can say is wow- very very yummy- and exceptional straight from the oven. It is a good thing that I have roommates who don't let things like this stay around for long. :)

5. While out riding today, I was thinking about narcissism and endurance sports. Although the word may have some negative connotations, I am a believer in the fact that the trait is necessary for success in sport. Don't get me wrong, I realize that if you are bike racing, etc. there is a team effort involved- but lets face it- much of bike racing, triathlon, running is dependent upon the fact that you wholeheartedly toe the line thinking that you are awesome- no exceptions. I don't know exactly what I think of this, but I pretty sure that I like it. I like to be confident in myself, and to be around confident people. We all need to be like Narcissus every once in a while.

Well, thats it for now. Big news (think, huge!) hopefully coming soon... (and, no, I'm not pregnant...)

2008-03-23T09:34:00.004-06:00

In the distant future...the year 2000...

Interesting article about the genetice basis of athletic performance. Being a nerd, I usually only prefer peer reviewed journal articles for my source of excercise science knowledge, but I found the topic of this one to be intruiguing, but unfortunatley it is from time/ CNN and no links to a journal article.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1724395,00.html

2008-03-18T21:54:00.004-06:00

Dental boards, part bagagillion, day too many...

So, after a horrific weekend and not being able to even start my patient boards due to an examiner's call on a small unknown idiosyncracy of the patient selection criteria for the patient based board exam, I am being sentanced to retaking that portion of the exam at the U of Minnesota at the end of April. Needless to say, with this judgement call, the logistics behind completing this exam is going to consume my life for the next month and a half. Just with the dates of that weekend itself I need to miss out on my roommate's wedding and the North Platte tri (that I have been looking forward to for quite some time). Quite disappointing. I am trying very hard to accept my fate and not let the decision of that (insert long string of foul insults here) examiner consume me, but needless to say I have quite a bit of hatred and animosity built up in me right now. I don't like having this negative energy in me. It is not what I want or who I want to be, but I know it is there for a reason right now. On the other hand, I have been quite flattered by the support and friendship that I have gotten over the past few days. It is genuinely appreciated, and it is so nice to know that people care when life gets pretty crappy.

I guess one good thing from this is that every workout since this has happened has turned into LT work, whether it be planned or unplanned. :)

Well, things will get done. Like tomorrow- one more for the list. I am yet again, heading to the Prometric center to take another exam. Should be fun. In the spirits of yet another dental board exam, here is a picture of some oral pathology. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the only pictures that I have of oral pathology in my photo library is that of my dog, Rugbie. What would be at the top of YOUR differential diagnosis?

2008-03-13T22:08:00.002-06:00

Calling a meeting of the minds...

I realize that this may be 'old news,' but I found out tonight that Lincoln Plating Stage Race is no longer- it is meerly a RR and crit, no stages involved. Needless to say, I am very bummed, and the race definitely lost its 'sparkle' on my calendar since I won't even get a chance to defend my previous year's title. There is something about the stage race aspect that I loved about that race. I know that it hurts to TT then RR on the same day, but you know what, I sort of liked it.

Now, I have dabbled in bike racing- that is it. I race cat 4 woman, and wouldn't even call myself experienced; however, this incident brings up an interesting idiosyncrasy of bike racing- sticking to the norm.

I realize that as athletes, we are all creatures of habit in some way, and that cycling is a sport deeply rooted in tradition and an overall resistance to change. I am not saying that this is good or bad, just an observation. It seems as though every race is set up in a very similar fashion as far as distances and disciplines- with the beloved TT often first to the chopping block.

So, what I was thinking is to come up with stages that are better, new, different, something to test all aspects of a cyclist, even if it may even test a *gasp*- weakness. I'm not talking hand to hand combat, an elimination challenge, or an agro-craig here (although...) - I'm talking about a new twist on a stage race.

Some thoughts...

1) a 100 mile or 100K time trial- what I would like to call the ultimate test of endurance. If anything, this would allow everyone to find their critical power. Ideally, this would take place on a pancake flat course, with a mild crosswind- no headwind here. To succeed, one must be spot on with pacing, endurance, nutrition, mental toughness, and also taint toughness to withstand hours on end in the aero position.

2) 1K time trial- this would be to promote the intermingling of track cyclists. From a standing start, this would test everyone's sprinting ability. Nothing more, nothing less. Just a true all out effort.

3) Net downhill road race. Keep it of traditional distance. This way, the race is more of a test of strategy and tactics, and less of a race of fitness.

4) Short road race- I'm thinking 10- 20 miles here, this way, it can be ridden more like a team time trial with the whole peleton.

2008-03-12T21:42:00.003-06:00

Little, yellow, different...

It was finally beautiful and sunny for that past few days!!! just what I needed!!! YAY!

Even though I have been at school until way too late in the evening, I have gotten about a good 1-1.5 hrs of daylight left to get in some good workouts. This week I am starting my 'peak.' In other words, this is really when it is going to start to hurt. Good.

I am looking forward to this paradigm shift. I never thought that I would get to this point, but after putting in some very solid, consistent weeks this winter, this is one of the few times in my training that I am ready, and feel ready for a change, and am ready for more. Albeit nothing was perfect, but this winter, my tempo runs and rides were solid. My long runs have been dialed into some good M pace work. My long bikes have been strong and most I got them to the wattage that I wanted to. I know that the heavy drill and kick work has payed off in the pool. My lifting has felt like it has helped me out on overall strength. Besides the absurd amount of times that I have gotten sick, I have been feeling strong. Lastly, my weight has finally broken through a plateau that has plagued me for several weeks- I really don't feel that much smaller, and I know that I still have a long way to go (goal: get down to 140, which is not any magic number other than A) it is less lbs, and that makes my life easier, and B) then I can say that I have lost 100 lbs- sort of a 'century club' thing) and every bit lost helps and is less that I need to lug around a course. This morning, I wanted to crack out my summer cotton dress pants, but they did not even look good hanging off of my butt and hips, I guess I will consider this a good thing. :)

So, yesterday I ran easy from my house over to the track at UNO. Finally tried out this Daniels' "I" pace thing- never got to this point last year due to ITB crap. Yeah, it was hard, it hurt, and my body was really wondering what was going on, but I did it, and it was a good solid workout.

The one thing that I didn't expect, and came as a bit of a surprise to me is the stigma of the track. I went there simply to have a level surface to run on, and used my forerunner for pace (I thrive on consistency. :) ), but when finishing my warmup, my mind was flooded with all of my memories that went along with the track: lap running punishments in band, horrific mile 'run' fitness tests in P.E. classs. The only memories that I had of a track were from when I couldn't even run a lap without walking to catch my breath. I'm serious- I was that girl in gym class. The track was always something that I dreaded, a window that I looked into- never from, somewhat of a 'special club' that I did not even meet the membership criteria. I watched friends in their track meets, completely in awe, admiration, and respect knowing that I was completely and utterly incapable of what they were doing.

Now, here I was, running around a track at what I would like to consider a good clip. Me. Running. On a track. Being fast.

Wow.

At first the horrific memories of the track started to bring me down, and there were floods of thoughts of the self doubt and shame, but then there was this paradigm shift. I had business to do- and it was going to get done. There I was, doing exactly what I needed to accomplish that day. It is something that for some people, is not that great and possibly downright pathetic, but I know that for the person who I was several years ago- what I was doing was the unthinkable and impossible. I realized that yesterday, I had the opportunity to finally give myself a gift- and that is exactly what I was doing.

2008-03-11T21:58:00.004-06:00

The beatings will continue until morale improves...

(warning: rant material)

It is sort of funny what your body does after a long car trip. In naivety, thought that I would be super rested, relaxed, and ready to take on the last few months of school. I mean, all it is is sitting, right- it's even better than standing! As much as I enjoyed myself during spring break, In fact it is quite the opposite. I am super tired, apathetic, and haven't even unpacked completely, finally finished laundry meerly because I was on what I like to call 'third tier' workout clothes and underwear. In most regards, life is pretty darn good, and I think that the stem of this slump is what I need to face every single day at school.

In regards to school, I have come to the realization that as much as I would like to pretend and tell myself that I do not care as much as I do, well, I still do. I keep running into road blocks and people who want to beat me down, and I have just had enough of it after almost four years of this garbage. I am taking boards this weekend, and the environment around me is condusive to about everything except going in there feeling confident . Well, that is their deal if they want to justify their pathetic existence by trying to bring others down to their level- I don't condone that. School has been eating away at me this year. Slowly and steadily. I have told myself that I just do what I need to do and not to sweat the small stuff.

2008-03-10T16:58:00.003-06:00

Sobering reminder...

I found out today that the woman whom I bought my race wheels from (picured riding above), Kristy Gough, was killed by a car this weekend during a training ride in California. I didn't know her outside of the ebay transaction, but knew that she was both a very fast and respected cyclist and triathlete. It really touches home how vulnerable we are everyday while out training, or just in life, even when you meerly know someone as an aquantence. My heart goes out her family and freinds, and may we all give thanks to each day we are given.

2008-03-09T20:20:00.012-06:00

More spring break madness... Days 5-9

More Day 5: Wednesday, 5 March

Got in a great ride out to a park east of town (don't remember the name). It was one of those things that I saw people on bikes heading in that direction earlier, and thought it would be a good direction to go for a ride. Turns out it was a good idea. Met up and rode with a new friend that I just met while out riding, Steve, a chef in town, and talked food for the majority of the ride. It's always a treat to have company to ride with. Got back into town, and rode around town in the abundant sunshine to check out the place on two wheels for a while.

Made it back to help show the house we were staying in, and headed out to dinner to meet the dentist with whom Matt was interveiwing with at Ernesto's italian restaurant . Awesome food- you know italian is good when the dish comes with 'a meatball on the side.' Later got to experience 'chute the box' and some beer at JC's tavern, which is the photo above. Matt looks very serious because I was taking his money- I'm thinking it was beginner's luck in my favor.

Day 6: Thursday, 6 March

Woke up and headed to Chow for some incredible breakfast with Matt which is pictured above. I had french toast made from hearty, crusty, bread with lemon vanilla ricotta and sauteed currants, cranberries, and raisins. Very very yummy. I hung out at Backporch coffee roasters and sipped coffee while taking care of some business finalizing my soon to be future job (more to come on that note once everything is final). Purchased some beans to remember the trip (I can't wait to press some tomorrow morning :)...). The guy working there thought that I was nuts buying 2# of beans. I thought he was nuts to question how one person couldn't drink 2# of beans in a reasonable time frame. Oh well. I was continually impressed with the friendliness of the citizens of Bend. I was always striking up conversations with people here and there. Met up with Matt for some awesome lunch at Typhoon Thai restraunt in downtown Bend. Another incredible meal. I went with the Pad Thai- yes, classic, but I love the dish, and love trying different variations on the theme. Later Matt and I rode up Mt. Bachelor, and also rode around town- the pictures were taken while descending- I love taking pictures on the fly on my bike. They never 'look good.' per se, but I love the randomness of a picture taken in motion.

Later visited a practice with Matt, and then got some wonderful food at Marz bistro. Got some dessert and drinks at Merenda after dinner, and called it a great night. Dinner and drinks always make it feel like a vacation. :)

Day 7: Friday, 7 March
Got up and knew it was my last day waking up to a view like this for breakfast.
Got some coffee and headed out of town. It was a treat to see the drive from Bend to Idaho during the day since the drive in was mostly in the dark. Stopped for some awesome shrimp tacos a Bajio and went for a short run in Boise. Driving through Idaho, we, er, had a little delay, which is pretty self explainatory by the picture below.

Good thing is that I got a pizza dinner out of the deal, which subsequently also marked the one year anniversary of when Matt and I ended up in the ditch outside of Ft. Morgan, CO on the way home from spring break last year and needed to spend the night there and had a pizza feast. In that instance, I was unfortunately the one buying. Fortunately, one can always find a Pizza Hut to order the 'car trouble special' which is usually some feastly combonation of the following: Hawaiian stuffed crust pizza, wings, breadsticks, cinnamon sticks, salad bar, and beer. Made it to Rock Springs, WY, where we called it a good day of driving, and got a room for the night.

Day 8: Saturday, 8 March
Drove from Rock Springs, WY to Omaha, NE. Got in about 10:30 last night. Drank a lot of coffee- yum. Final time in the car: 53 hrs, 23 min round trip travel and driving in the towns. That is a lot. :)

Sundsy, 9 March
Woke up today, and realized that between going from Pacific time to Central DST, my body thought it was 3 hours earlier. Well, this meant that I bummed around for a long time in my pjs drinking coffee, trying to unpack, and whatnot. Was bummed that it was 32 deg F outside, and made an executive decision that there is no way that I am going on the trainer, especially since I have been spoiled with some beautiful riding. What this means is that I am taking my Mtn bike out riding today- I can stand it this cold when I am not going as fast, and that is what the MTB accomplishes is a good workout without as cold of a headwind. Got all bundled up, 3 baselayers, jacket, wool ski socks, thick fleece tights, bibs, balaclava, hat, glasses, hand warmers and two pairs of gloves. Gee, I wonder why it took me a while to get out the door. :) As always, once I got going, I was having fun, but I was pretty miserable the whole ride even with all that stuff on (yes, you can call me a wimp) . Rode the Keystone, then up around the (dried up) Lake Cunningham area for a bit, got some coffee to warm up at the new Scooter's Coffeehouse on hwy 36- great place, rode a bit more, and called it good for a ride. Its amazing how much longer rides take on a MTB that is essentially a single speed (shifters broken :)...). Thawed in the shower, and then did the dangerous bit of going to the grocer after a long ride, but not a post ride meal. Well, we'll just say that I filled my empty cupboard and fridge pretty nicely. Made some samosas for dinner. I had discovered some random pie crust in the freezer and decided to use it on some really really yummy samosas that were perfect dipped in mango chutney. I will definitely be making these again. Well, that is the end of the play by play of the last spring break of my life.

I come away from things ready to once again embrace the routine of regular, everyday life once again, which is I guess one of the goals of a vacation. Time to put in my final days on this thing called dental school.

2008-03-05T11:58:00.004-06:00

Spring break!!!... Days 1-5...
(now with pictures! )

So, as many know, for the last spring break of my life, my friend Matt and I are driving out to Bend, OR. You may ask why, I say why not. Matt is looking to practice here and subsequently has business to do with that, and I am coming with to get out of Omaha, spend some time with good company, get in some good training, and just see the country. Between the two of us, with flights and brining with our bikes to train, it was a lot of $$$$ with us still being students. I figured I won't get the time to take an huge road trip like this in a really long time. You get to see a lot and experience so much more that you normally don't when you are in a plane.

Things are going great. Matt and I have made it to our final destination: Bend, OR. With all things said and done, it has been a really, really, really long time in the car, but we have seen our fair share of US via the good 'ol great American road trip. So, here I sit at Ka'va coffee in Bend, OR., enjoying the sunshine while sipping a latte and Matt is off at his interview. Life is pretty darn good. A little recap on what has happened, and what is yet to come.

Day 1: Saturday, 1 March
The night before we left, I received a phone call from some friends trying to red eye themselves from Madison, WI to Breckenridge, CO. Needless to say, I told them to stop in Omaha, spend the night at my place, and make their lives easier. At the very least, I told them to stop in and pick up some coffee and/ or some of the multitudes of Red Bull that I tend to keep on hand. They luckily chose the former, and stopped in and spent the night. It was great to see some of my Mad-town buddies, even if it was just for a short while. So, they left in the morning, I got a nice spin in on the trainer, packed up the car, then picked up Matt to hit the road. Drove the 'beautiful' drive across I-80 to head to Boulder to see and stay with Maria, Dave, Katelyn, and Keli. The highlight was the rising temperatures across the entire trip and the sweet truck stops along the way. It was 81 deg F in Ogalala, NE. Incredible. We honestly thought that my thermometer in the car was broken until we went outside!

Day 2: Sunday, 2 March
Went to bed with warm weather and dreams of riding in the mountains the next day, woke up to our bikes covered with snow on top of my car.

Wind and snow advisories took an attempt to Nordic ski out of the question, and so the elements took us to the CU rec center with Maria. For real.

We biked, ran, I did some core work. Inside. During spring break. haahah. I guess it is one of those times that you need to count your losses, and realize that there is nothing you can do but to make your own fun with the situation. Oh well.

We later checked out some of the shops on Pearl St in Boulder, and later had some drinks with Katrina from school, her friend Lauryn, and ragbrai buddy and Boulder resident, Mark. Great to sit and chat. Later got some dinner at 'The Med' Mediterranean restaurant in Boulder. The food was absolutely incredible. They had the most amazing bacon wrapped dates, mussels, and I ordered at pizza with duck confit, and roasted figs. Awesome food, but there was a catch, I got to enjoy it again, many times. Later that night, I found myself vomiting over a dozen times. The likely culprit: the meal that we had just enjoyed. This lead to a sleepless night, a febrile state, and some pretty horrible dehydration over the next days.

Day 3: Monday, 3 March
I was still vomiting in the morning, and got ready between trips to the porcelain god. I was just trying to keep water down, which wasn't working. Matt got in a nice ride in the mountains before we headed out. We left town with an empty yogurt tub in the car just in case, and headed in the direction of Salt Lake City. Matt drove like a champ across the hellish snow and wind in Wyoming, while I curled up in a ball in the passenger seat. The best analogy, is to that of the snow planet Hoth from Star Wars. Residents of Wyoming: I hereby compare your home to the hellish conditions only seen in science fiction and the resemelance is striking. See if you can tell which one is which.

Unfortunately, Matt's state deteriorated as we got closer and closer to Salt Lake City. We met up with classmate Nic and Heather for some dinner. Unfotunately, Matt and I were both meerly poking at our food at the awesome joint of Cafe Rio (the rumors are true, it is like Chipotle, but better!). I knew something was very very wrong when Matt didn't chow down Mexican food- unfortunately, the wrath of our meal the night before had started to take its toll on him. We spent the night with the Egberts and their beautiful home at the foot of the mountains in Salt Lake City, and Matt was now the one up all night in the bathroom. I think he counted five trips during the sleepless, febrile, night.

Day 4: Tuesday, 4 March
I was finally feeling better in the morning, and was the one who got to drive today while Matt was curled up in the passenger seat. Headed out in the morning with the final stretch of our trip ahead of us. Headed up into Idaho, which neither of us have been to. Some of it looked like the drive from Fargo to Grand Forks, ND (if you haven't done it- it is flat, flat, flat, with nothing except some agriculture and scrubby bushes), some of it was really pretty with rolling, snow covered mountains. Stopped in Boise, ID for some dinner at Taco Del Mar- both of our first 'real meals' in a really long time, and I got in a little run in, which actually felt really great considering how the past few days have gone. We finally crossed the border into Oregon, which on the far eastern side looked remarkably like driving through small towns in Iowa (for a minute I thought that we were driving into Cresco, IA) except for the fact that you don't pump your own gas. :) After a while, we were driving through beautiful, winding mountains while the sun was falling behind them, and finally got into Bend to spend the night at Matt's friends beautiful home.

Day 5: Wednesday, 5 March
We're both feeling better, and woke up to finally see the beauty that we have been driving through yesterday, which is absolutely spectacular. I am taking some time to soak up the scenery and catch up on life, and Matt is off to his interview. Getting in a ride in later, and enjoying the rest of the day with what this town has to offer. Should be good.

2008-02-27T21:30:00.003-06:00

an intersting observation...

So, as mentioned, I have been pretty sick the past few days. Feeling much better today, but for the past few days I have been sick sick- like, in Ferris Bueller's day off, the scene where Cameron Frye is sitting in bed staring off into space with a pile of medicines and tissues- sick.

So, this has meant that I haven't trained since Sunday. Yes, I am going on three days without training, and besides driving me crazy, has brought up an interesting observation. I really don't know what to do with my time. Seriously.

For example, Sunday, I came home from my ride early, which subsequently left me with the majority of the afternoon open in addition to the evening. I don't remember the last Sunday that I have had the whole afternoon available since I am usually doing a long workout that takes up the majority of my day on Sundays- riding, running, some gym time. I slept for a while, then woke up, then studied for a little bit, surfed the 'net, I tried to watch TV but there is nothing on the 73 channels on basic cable, then I didn't really know what to do. I wanted to wash my bikes, but didn't feel well enough to do that. So, it got me thinking- what do people who don't train do with their time? I am serious. For example, what happens on 'normal' weekend days that does not involve swimming, biking, and running, and the usual morning coffee leading up to such events. I do not know.

I came up with the following ideas- sleep (but I am sleeping so much, and training so little that I can't sleep anymore), shop, eat, housework, watch TV, read, and drink. That is about it. I also realize that people with families like to spend time with their kids, spouse, etc, but neither apply to me.

So, I often get the question: 'How do you find time to train like that?' Before, I would just respond with answers such as 'I guess I just make time,' or 'you just make time for the things that you like to do...' Blah, blah, blah. Now I am going to get to the bottom of this and just return the question and say 'what do you do with the time that you would be training?' I'm sure that will fly over well.

So, if anyone does know what people do with their time, please inform me. I'm really bored, but hoping to be back in the swing of things tomorrow- going to try a spin on the trainer.

2008-02-26T15:38:00.003-06:00

exam report:
national dental boards, written examination, part II, day 1

Felt pretty good with the studying that I have gotten in, and went into today feeling about as calm as I have ever walked into a Prometric testing center. After fighting a febrile illness for the past few days, I have unfortunately become reliant on NSAIDs and whatnot to keep me from shivering/ sweating/ couging all the time and today was no exception. Not the best way to take boards, but I guess sometimes this is what the world gives you. The worst part is that I didn't want to infect and/ or disturb everyone in the testing room, but I got sick outside of the window to reschedule the exam, and needed to show up today and take the test if I wanted to pass my boards.

Showed up today at the Prometric center, pretty buzzed off of the cold medicine that it took to get me out of bed and not shivering, explained my situation to the proctor in my squeaky barely audible voice, and asked if I could at least bring in some tea or hot water in a nondescript cup so I don't cough during the exam. No go; however, I was offered the private test taking room. Wow! I was a little reluctant at first, thinking it was going to be like the study rooms in a library where 90% of the time the person in there before you ripped a big fart before they closed the door. Once I got going, I fell in love with this special ed. test taking room! I got a full sized desk- I could even put my feet up on it while taking the exam, spaciousness, and no disturbances besides myself. They also had these awesome cinnamon candies that were perfect to keep me from coughing. After a while, the room got really cold, and I got my down vest and hat from the lobby. I was later told to take off of my hat because the cameras 'could not recognize me.' OK. I asked if they could do something about the temperature in the room then- bingo!- no problem, I got a space heater. So eventually, here I am, sitting in my own private sauna, taking national dental boards. I almost didn't want it to end so I needed to go out to my cold car in the parking lot.

So, between the private sauna, cinnamon candies, and free coffee in the lobby, I was pretty stoked about the whole testing situation. I just hope that the cold medicine didn't dumb me down even more than usual. No matter the result, day one is done!

2008-02-24T21:35:00.002-06:00

favorite things...

so, I guess this is what happens when you feel like crap, fall asleep all afternoon, and wake later. You can't fall asleep again. Oh well, I guess this means another blog entry because I am sick of studying for boards.

Just some random musings on some little things in my life, nothing big, nothing novel, just the good stuff...

- Recent foodstuffs that I cannot get enough of:
- hummous/ hummus: although always a hummus fan, I have recently become obsessed with the stuff. I have been trying all different kinds, trying to weed out the ones that are 'good' because they are good, or 'good' because they like to hide some un-hummus like ingredients in there. I have found that this stuff ranges from 25- 90+ calories per serving depending on brand. My recent 'good' favorites include: Wild Garden brand and Melissa's Edamame hummous. In honorable mention comes the hummus from Baker's olive bar (a wild card in the nutrition dept) and the Costco pine nut variety courtesy of Matt- very yummy, but I think that they are hiding some crack in there or something because it is almost too yummy.
- cottage cheese or plain yogurt with mandarin oranges: I don't know what the deal is, but the flavor of mandarins is amazing! It is just enough fruit to taste good, and just enough sugar water to enhance it. Best of all, it is from a can!
- bell peppers and cucumbers: the vegetable snacking delight!
- chocolate covered prune bits- I never thought that these two things would even go together, but they are delightful, and come in a bag!
- and no, I haven't had any peanut butter yet... I stood my ground walking past the PB aisle at the grocer yesterday...
- Target archer farms brand high protein cinnamon cereal- I love cereal, but have never found one that actually fills me up without eating half of a box, so I shy away from it as a meal, but this one will keep the rumbles away until at least 10:30/ 11 on my belly's schedule, which is a good to excellent rating in my book.

- I am very excited that Patagonia has their new spring dresses out. I love to wear dresses all summer, and theirs are downright the best.

- I am toying around with the idea of not doing an Ironman next year. I know, a very, very, very long ways away, but sign ups start this summer if I want to do one. I don't even know where I will be living or working, but just the thought of focusing on something different might be good for me. I know that this season hasn't even started yet, and realize that. I'll probably cave and sign my soul away to WTC another time. For me, the lure of Ironman is something that remains for me to figure out, something that so many other factors play into besides S,B,R for a successful day- a day that I haven't had yet- a day that few ever get. It is something that one must understand, not conquer to succeed. It has a mystique that attracts me; however, other races have the raw power and pain that I find so attractive in these thoughts of focussing on shorter distances. I just think- Am I tough enough? who knows.

- I forgot that my car was black until I washed it this weekend. Wonderful!

- I don't understand why there are so few women cyclists.

- I keep my toes painted because I like it, and I don't need to look at what ugly color my toes are from running. I recently took my polish off, and was excited to see only one black toenail! I think that this is a new record!

2008-02-24T15:38:00.003-06:00

Weekend awesomeness...

This is it- what I have been waiting for since about November- Its 'warm' !!!!!!

This weekend's activities have revolved *mostly* around the two things- training and some final studying for my upcoming dental boards this next week.

Rode yesterday for my usual Saturday ride. I look forward to my Satruday easy rides because I am usually pretty shelled from the previous two days of hard workouts. Believe me, I love my geeky stuff, but I love having some recovery rides built into my week that all I have to do is just be on a bike for the absolute fun of it. It is a nice contrast from staring at w, hr,c , etc. etc., and keeps me mentally fresh for those rides. Took a bit to get out the door seeing that it was still pretty darn cold in my book, but I had a blast once I was out there. Just played around in the hills north of Omaha for a few hours, and headed back in. It was great to see Bryan out riding- we chatted for a bit then went our separate ways. It is always nice to see a familiar face when you are out riding by yourself. I love riding my road bike because I don't have any computers on the bike- it's just me and the road. I felt surprisingly really strong on my ride, even though I was just taking it easy and my legs were pretty trashed from a long M pace run in the gym the day before (I don't know if it is the heat of the gym, or the workout, but those runs take the life out of me). It almost caught me by surprise that I actually felt strong on a bike, since that hasn't happened in a really, really long time. No numbers to back it up, just the feel of the road. I don't know if it was just the fun of being out, or (*gasp*) this training thing might actually be working, but it felt great.

This morning was breakfast and a ride with planned with a few classmates. The last minute bail out rate was 3 out of 4 attendees. So, as I was sitting in my kitchen thinking I was going to be like the girl stood up by her date on prom night, my buddy Andy showed up ravenous after his long run at the gym, and was absoluely delighted that he was going to get everyone elses food! Good for us, bad for them, because I had stirred up my best batch of pancakes ever made- pineapple, orange, banana, mango, oatmeal, whole wheat pancakes ( I have no idea how all of that stuff fit in the pancakes and they still stayed together in the pan). We loaded up and headed out the door. Time for some riding.

Andy had an easy spin still planned for today, and was going to join me for the first half hour or so, and I was going to continue on to do my usual 4h ride, followed by some runnng/ lifiting time at the gym. I was really excited to ride and see how my new postition was going to feel on my TT bike on the road, it was good to be out, and got in some good riding time. However, the sore throat, chills, and aches that I woke up with this morning and chose to ignore because I cannot possibly be getting sick one more time this winter were not 'spinning themselves out' like I thought they would. I felt crappier and crappier as the ride went on; I was so mad. This is the last workout in this training block, and all I need is this one day to a) actually ride outside for a long ride in the beautiful sunshine, and b) finish things out and head into a recovery week. Wasn't going to happen. After debating in my mind, I reluctantly decided that it would not be in my best interest to slog through my training with absolutley no quality for no other reason than putting those hours in the books, and likely go into taking boards feeling like crap. Time of death of the workout called, and I headed back in the direction of home.

As disappointing as it is to fall short of a workout, and as crappy as I now feel both shivering and sweating under the covers, I am still happy that I at least I did get a bit of riding in on this beautiful sunny day. It just lifts the spirits being out there on the road with good company.

2008-02-23T10:01:00.006-06:00

So, this is what the fuss is about...

After being in Omaha for four years, I had heard of this interesting tradition only taking place during lent called a fish fry. Now, don't think that there aren't fish fries where I grew up- WI; however, my connotation of a fish fry was the following:
- venue: some sort of elks club, american legion, or 'supper club' of sorts- during the whole year- not just lent
- hours: from 3:30-6:00 to accomodate to the 'schedules' of the attendees (see below)
- crowd: blue hair and bald heads
- fare: beer battered cod, tartar sauce, white bun, 'slaw, and weak decaf coffee

So, I keep hearing about people attending fish fries in Omaha, and wonder what they are doing at these venues hanging out with, er, old people at 4:00. So, last night I finally attended an Omaha fish fry, at a church, at 7:30 at night, and found out why these things are awesome!

I pulled up to the Holy Name Catholic church to meet my friends Bob, Greg, Adam, and Pat in line already, and smelled the intoxicating aroma of beer, smoke, and grease in the air- I knew it was going to be a good time.

So, the whole event was a wait in line outside, and then through the catacombs of the church- literally. I felt like I was at Disney World, where you make it through the cattle chutes of one building, thinking you are at the ride, but actually just have another building of cattle chutes to go through. This is the ultimate sign that whatever you are waiting for must be 'worth it.' Along the way, you are greeted by various priests giving out beer. At the end, you have all you can eat batter fried cod, fries, slaw, and don't forget- the white bread with butter. And to be honest- it was some pretty darn good fried fish. Tender yet firm, just the right amount of batter, and hot and fresh from the fryer. All that one can ask for.

The only downside was God's wrath on my belly from eating all of that fried food and beer- yet totally worth it.

And 'observing Catholocism' for a few hours last night must have worked, because it is sunny and 'warm enough' to ride outside today. Yay! I'm thinking it might be in my best interest to try to work off this fried food gut bomb..

2008-02-19T21:35:00.004-06:00

its like pulling teeth...

This evening was the usual Tuesday night festivities of my tempo run and drill work in the pool. Tempo run felt great- it is my longest bout of tempo pace to date- which is exciting. It is funny how one's perspective of a particular workout changes as your other workouts get harder. I used to, er, dare I say, 'dread' my tempo runs (in that sort of- 'this is going to hurt' type of way), now I look forward to the opportunity to run longer at that pace, and prove to myself that running faster can be fun. Today's run initially felt harder than usual, but then I started telling myself "well, it doesn't hurt as bad as ...(insert hard workout here)... " Several songs on the 'pod and a while later- I only had a few minutes left and the treadmill jolted me into cooldown mode. That is always fun. (side note: I hate the auto cooldown- I have literally unknowingly thrown out verbal profanities during long runs when I almost fall after the treadmill does this after an hour) This is why I am looking forward to racing soon. I think that, amongst other things, it will be good to begin that paradigm shift to remind myself once again of what racing feels like.

Got in the pool, and did my usual warmup for some drill work. My arms felt really fatigued, and didn't know why until halfway through my workout- I was in surgery all day pulling teeth. It is almost embarassing to admit this, but I guess the art of tooth extraction it took its toll. Too funny. I have rarely ever felt any effect on my body from performing dentistry, but it was one of those long days. Now, if I only started counting my time in surgery in my training log as 'cross training', I could tell everyone how many 'training hours' I am getting in at this time of year... indoors nonetheless...ooooooo.

2008-02-17T23:29:00.004-06:00

Weekend occurrences...

Just trying to take care of myself and prevent any sickness after last week. Unfortunately, much of my time for the next week and a half is going to be spent studying for upcoming national dental boards, or procrastinating doing just that. I am not good at sitting still and thinking anymore.

Besides that, just the usual weekend workouts. I deemed myself 'back to normal' on Saturday, hoping that my almostsickness was over and looking forward to once again getting in my usual training (I hate deviating from 'the plan'). A few friends came over for breakfast and a ride today- pretty much one of my favorite things in the world to do is the morning breakfast, coffee, and ride. The fare this morning was blueberry banana oatmeal whole wheat pancakes, strawberries and bananas, and egg scramble with peppers and chicken sausage. Bob also brought some muffins- yum! I really do love cooking for people, and love cooking breakfast food- I think it may have something with the Norwegian in me coming out.

I have been pretty spoiled this winter in the sense that I have only needed to do a few of my 4 hr trainer rides solo. The good thing is that they are getting easier overall, but it still surely makes it more bearable with company. After being bailed on last minute by a few people who decided not to ride today, it was great that Bob stayed and did 2 hrs on the trainer.

The ride went well, and my new bike position felt great, even after four hours (yay!). My body wasn't too happy with being back in the swing of things. The numbers were downright pathetic (ie: very high (Z3) HR for very low (low Z2) wattage). This has never happened before, but I guess this is a part of the journey, and whether it be my almostsickness, or just a bad day, or anything- they come and go. I still feel very accomplished after getting in a ride, and finishing things up when for the majority of that workout, I wanted to quit because the numbers were so very, very, crappy for my long ride. I had a great gym session after my ride (still a continued obscurely very high HR while running), and am feeling very good with how I am running off of the bike- especially after my long rides. Finished up the evening with watching the tour of Cali prologue over at Matt's, then heading to the gym to warm up in the hot tub. Life is good.

Non bike related highlights of the tour of Cali prologue:
- Dave Zabriskie's moustache- absolutely amazing
- Mario Cippolini back in the racing scene

Just really really really looking forward to having it get nice outside. I can't wait to breathe fresh air again.

2008-02-17T08:01:00.004-06:00

Time for new pants...

So, for some reason, I have finally noticed that on the majority of my dress pants, the butt is not where it used to be. I hate saggy pants, but I have unfortunately been putting up with it. For some reason, all of my pants are now not filled out. You see, I like my pants tight like how they fit when I buy them. I want them to move with me, not me to move with them.

So anyway, the search started, and produced a few new offerings, but I made a couple observations in the world of women's pants during my journey.

- Fabric: I am amazed by how some stores try to get away with selling pants made from a poly/ rayon/ viscose/ whatever disgusting fiber blend for the same price as wool. This is just horrible. These sythethetic fabrics feel nasty and look nasty. They are only to be used for technical clothing- in which they are awesome!

- Fit: Every store has their line of of cuts. Much to my dismay, these have names like 'curvy,' 'contoured,' and other names (Ann Taylor does have a 'lindsay' cut, but it clearly wasn't made for me :) ...) . I am built like a roman column. There is no fit for this. I have big legs-that is what happens when you ride and run for years. I would really like a pair of pants that are the tightest in the waist and butt, not the legs. Not happening. Tried on pants that were literally held up by my thighs, and the waist sagged down. Really funny look. After learning from Bryan that male cyclists also deal with this, er, problem, I think that I am going to start a clothing line for cyclists- sort of like those lines for people with 18" biceps.

so, on these notes I have found the two paris of pants in all of Omaha that fit my simple criteria. I'll take it.

2008-02-16T22:14:00.010-06:00

Evolution of the aero position...

A photographic novella...

A little history here... First of all, I will just say that I love tweaking with my bike positions. Yes, I take pictures of myself on my bike- a bit narcissistic, yet pragmatic. Ever since I first rode a road bike, I have committed myself to a 'work in progress' that will hopefully become closer and closer to perfection, similar to how a mathematical limit infinitely approaches a given value in plane. Let me establish a point, and start by saying that I know that I will never have an aero position like the Bjorn Supremacy.

I know that I will never live up to the potential of my bike, and I know that I am not even that talented at riding a bike. However, I do know for a fact that every bit that I can optimize my position on the bike is free speed, and let's face it, who wants to work harder than they need to.

Last season, I took quite a bit of time to perfect my aero position. I allowed myself to adapt step by step, changing one variable at a time to achieve methodical optimal power and minimal perceived drag. I swapped out parts, even took a few trips to Lowe's to purchase different bolts and whatnot to change my whole front end and take my elbow pads as low as possible. The product was worth it. I found the Profile Design Carbon X aerobar pretty horrible until I swapped out a bunch of parts- now I think it is the best thing ever (but I guess i can't really say much since I won it).

My goal was to be able to be comfortable in my aero position for the 112 mile IM bike leg. I took the attitude that I could make myself adapt to anything. And I did. Somewhat like when you first start riding regularly. At first, you can't get over how badly your taint hurts after one a ride, but then after 2 weeks, you are fine. Bring on the miles.

After Ironman Lake Placid, my last important race of the season, I took a few weeks away from the bike, then put in my fun, easy miles in the fall on my road bike. My poor TT bike was collecting dust for a while until I took it out for a ride in the late fall. Whoa- apparently I really was adapted to my position during that summer. I caved, relaxed my position up (a good and bad reason not to cut one's steerer tube) and rode my TT bike about once a week in the fall.

So, being sort of lazy, I have used that position for a while. I am doing the majority of my rides on my TT bike right now. It is super duper comfy, and there is a reason why- I am pretty much like a sail- even I will admit it is downright pathetic. So, like any good science experiment, our start point is established.

I previously wasn't going to be racing long on my TT bike until June- I wasn't rushed to optimize my position because right now my head angle is perfect to watch TV on the trainer :); however, I will now be doing a half iron at the end of March.

#%%^, I'd better get this figured out again, starting NOW.

So this past week, I tweaked during rides. First step was to take the front end down again- to where I was dialed in last season. It felt low, but doable. Here is the product.

With all of my aftermarket modifications on my aero bars, I minimized the adjustability of my elbow pads and thought that their position was ultimately fixed short of some epoxy and zip ties, but I figured out another way to get them angled a bit more optimally. I present the result, and the position.

Now today, I tweaked the saddle position (haven't touched height)- I was happy for a while (first photo), but found myself rounding my back more after I was on the bike over an hour(second photo).

hmmm. Still a work in progress. Comments, suggestions, and criticisms welcome.

And yes, I realize how nerdy this whole ordeal is.

2008-02-15T22:39:00.003-06:00

The sixth sense...

I have come to realize that one of the many benefits of being an athlete is what you learn from your body, and the astute sense that you develop in listening to your body. We become very refined in our ability learn from our own physiology. We can tell when we are 'on,' or when our heart rate is even slightly out of normal in everyday happenings or workouts, when riding at 190 watts is feeling more like 200 that day, when our running gait is falling perfectly into place, or when we recover from a workout not as well or better than we normally do. Pushing our bodies to their physiologic limits for hours on end seems to heighten an awareness of these systems that only comes with this practice.

This heightened sense also brings with great responsibility. Like the past few days. I knew my body was fighting something- I know, it sounds a bit crazy, but that is the best way I can describe it. Not recovering how I normally do, tired all the time, no power in my legs, and a general feeling of being 'off', were just some of what was going on. I wasn't sick, or even feeling sick, but knew that I was on that tight rope. In the past, I try to continue on as planned and dismiss these physiologic messages with excuses such as, stress, hours of sleep, cycle changes, training volume or intensity, nutrition, etc., but based upon my N=3 of pushing through it and subsequently getting sick 3 times this winter ( I know, its downright ridiculous) , I am trying something new. Listening to my body.

So, I did it, I backed off on my workouts for the past couple days- a lot. I don't like it, and that part of me that loves my training log to read like a perfect road map really doesn't like it, because no matter what, missed traning is a missed opportunity to improve- it is a failure to accomplish a goal that I set out to pursue, and that isn't a good feeling. However, what I am trying to do is not have a perfect tranining log, but do the right thing to consistently pursue self improvement. So far, it is working- still feeling good.

2008-02-14T13:57:00.005-06:00

Goodbye, my love...

So, as I was scraping the sides of my latest jar of Skippy Natural Superchunk yesterday to put on my waffle, I was making the mental note to myself to buy some more next time I am at the grocer. You see, I love peanut butter. I don't eat it at every meal, or eat it by the spoonful on a regular basis by any means, but It is a fantastic food, and I find a way to eat it here and there. Some of my favorite ways to eat it include:

- PB on Kashi waffles- absolutely amazing!
- PB tossed into any sort of Asian dish with hoisin and chili sauce- instant wonderfulness and turns a pile of sauteed junk into 'a meal'
- PB and banana whole wheat pancakes. Incredible.
- the ever so classic 'ants on a log'
- and I can't leave out, my favorite pre-race breakfast: whole wheat bagel with PB and banana with soy milk to drink- guaranteed no belly problems for the whole race (knock on wood).

So, as I was making my mental note to buy more, I thought, I wonder if... if... if...I could hold off on my PB consumption. You know, just to see how long I can go. I don't think it is 'bad' by any means, but at 90 kcal in 1 T, it does pack a mean punch that could be consumed in a multitude of better ways. So, that fateful jar that is pictured above is now deemed my last. I will keep those last few bits in the cupboard 'in case of emergency', but no more will be purchased until a few days before my first half iron this year.

2008-02-13T21:03:00.000-06:00

Denizens of the local gym...

So, although we all see the crowd of 'usuals' at the local gym, I have come to pick out a few 'regulars' who make my day brighter with their quirikiness. Their idiosyncracies make themselves stand out, and I can't help but write a few words on them.

1- hot tub people. So, I am convinced that there is a whole crowd of people who tell their significant other that they are 'going to the gym' and meerly arrive and sit in the hot tub. I'm not talking about the little post- workout dip. We're talking hours here- I have no idea how they don't just shrivel up. I even saw two men sitting there with a pitcher thermos of bloody marys- compete with celery sticks. wow. (I wanted to ask if they would share)

2- people with ugly tattoos. I am convinced that there is a pre requisite to joining the gym of having an ugly tattoo. I'm not talking little ones here, I'm talking full arms, large tramp stamps (oh, sorry, 'tribal'), skulls with hearts, nebraska "N"s, and don't forget about the greek frat tattoos (usually very very large). These people say, if you are going to go- go all out.

3- people who show up to a spin class in full euro pro kit. enough said.

4- peacock man. This guy likes to show up fully accessorized to stand out. We're talking multible bandanas, stocking hat, tight tank, ugly tattoos, sweat bands, male dance pants, and gold chains. Usually seen only doing ab exercises.

5- Dudes who are really fat and drinking protein shakes

6- The guy who showed up to the gym with some Taco Bell fourthmeal in his hands, including jumbo drink. This is one of the boldest, and best moves I have ever seen at the gym. I really hoped that he took it to the hot tub to eat.

7- Girl who goes on the treadmill for some apparent 'long run' in long sleeves and pants in the super hot gym. She brought a whole buffet with her- PowerBars, Propel, Gatorade, Water, Hollywood crap magazines, yet she is constantly getting on and off the treadmill every 10 minutes to go do something, talk to someone, adjust her hair, etc.

8- Dude doing some sort of adapted bikram yoga in the sauna- taking up all of the floor space in the process, and requiring the 8 other people to do nothing else to do but stare at him going through the sun salutation.

9- Big guy who shows up at the pool, and surprisingly smokes everyone. He mows his mass through the water like it is nothing at all, creating a large wake in the process. Needless to say, I am very impressed.

2008-02-10T23:49:00.002-06:00

So, I just checked my comment card box, and it was full.

I hereby give my loyal fan(s) what they want- a new post. I apologize for dropping off of the face of the planet for a week. I am back at it with no excuses other than laziness.

In no other than the best format ever-a bulleted list- I will give you my happenings and thoughts from this past week.

- first and foremost, I mentioned my bike fitness test last weekend. Without going into details, bottom line is that the results were nothing more than a necessary reminder that there is always someone training less than I, yet performing better than I, and there is always someone training more than I and performing worse than I. I train for myself, and myself only. Like i mentioned before, I know that hard work will pay off with time. If it hurts, you know what? It's probably worth it.

- I learned out this week that the gym has their thermostat at 72 deg F. WTF!!! I have my house thermostat set at 63. I was appalled when I found this out. I don't even know what to say about that. I am telling myself that I will hopefully become so well adapted to heat, that I will need to do all of my long runs mid day this summer or I will get too cold. I hereby am inviting anyone who is a member or visitor of the Cass 24 hour fitness to join the coalition that I am forming to point out how ridiculous this is to any and all management personnel.

- I finally feel like my running is coming along. This is the very first time in my life that this has happened. This is on par to when I was first able to run 3 miles without stopping. Pretty huge in my book. I never ever thought that I would experience 'ease of running' at the paces I am now. It is very exciting. Now, the final test will be if all of this treadmill running will pay off when I hit the pavement.

- Climbing into bed with freshly shaven legs is one of the best feelings ever.

- I really wish my laundry would put itself away right now, and also wash a load of chamois and technical wear would wash itself for the week. I'm not getting too hopeful.

2008-02-03T23:26:00.000-06:00

Weekend fun...

Made it back safe and sound from Madison, great times had by all. I made it back just in time to recharge the 'Pod,' get in my 'long' run at the gym (recovery week 'long' run), and head to my friend's birthday party for the evening. Fun stuff, and all of the time in the car gave me my fix of 'me' time for a while.

Saturday was an exercise in hunger management. I volunteered to help out with a kids free dental clinic all morning, where I was told there was going to be food for breakfast and lunch. I didn't eat much the afternoon or evening before ( I really need to watch to kcals with it being a recovery week and trying to loose some kgs, or as I tell myself 'be lazier' - don't need to buy food, prepare food, clean up food, and eat food as much-ie: be lazier- fwiw, I am now the lightest I have been in my adult life, which is pretty exciting), and went to bed really hungry hoping to have an awesome bagel or muffin for breakfast like there was the year before. Little to be known, there were only a few aspartame yogurts arriving at 9:00 for 'breakfast.' No coffee. After helping out my fair share of kids, I left early to go home for some provisions, and head over to Matt's to do a fitness test. The results are in, and more to come on that note.

Today was a nice laid back morning with a bit of studying, followed by finishing the press of coffee on the trainer for the first part of my 3 hr easy ride to finish up my recovery week. Made it 1.5 hours then couldn't stand it. Don't ask me why. It just seems like once in a great while my trainer tolerance is absolutely zero. I have been doing 4 hour z1-2 trainer rides on the weekends all winter (obviously, except for recovery weeks). A 3 hour easy ride should be a breeze, but not today. After 1.5 hours, I was going crazy. I made the executive decision to bundle up, and head outside in the upper 20 deg weather to ride. Being one of those 'chronically cold ' people, this is weather I am normally not accustomed to, or enjoy riding in; however, today, it was better to be cold than to be on that blasted gerbil wheel. I took my mountain bike (well, actually my brother's, but he gave it to me after he never rode it because he 'had kids and no longer had time to ride') on the scenic route to the grocer (the bike is now almost an unintentional single speed due to both shifters dying), bought supplies to make beef stew , and rode another scenic route back. Pretty fun, really cold, very wet and sloppy, but better than being inside. :)

Finished things off with a great run and lift while my culinary creation simmered, came home to the lovely fragrance of meat and vegetables cooking and topped it off with a warm bowl of stew in my tummy after a long workout. Just another one of those days that remind me of how lucky I am to have the privilege to live the life that I do. I truly am a poster child for lacking any and all athletic talent whatsoever (hence the title of my blog- I am not just saying this trying to be a humble Norwegian); however I have a great time, I can see myself getting stronger, and I know that with time, hard work will pay off. I am experiencing something everyday that few people get to see even once in a lifetime. Pretty darn cool. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the quest for perfection in every workout that it is nice to have those thoughts where you get to remind yourself of why we do this, and then know exactly why we call it fun.

2008-02-01T00:40:00.000-06:00

Mad-Town- day 1: travleing

Took a few 'personal' days from school and traveling to Madison 'on business' to interview. Conveniently, I had the entire morning to myself before I left Omaha because I wasn't meeting friends until they were done with a racquetball match at 8.

So, I am sure that one of the greatest things in life is sitting around in the morning, drinking coffee, relaxing, and eating the best and most important meal of the day- breakfast. It is great. Even better is when others can join you. Funny thing is that I used to hate breakfast food, and now I can't get enough of it. I have been making toast and french toast for all meals of the day. I have been going through about a loaf of cinnamon bread a week- I keep waiting to get sick of the stuff but I don't. This morning's fare was an egg scrambled with peppers, onions, and smoked salmon; french toast; and strawberries and kiwi. I was actually really excited that I had all of that stuff in my fridge. Finished the press of coffee while riding my bike, finished packing and did some laundry for my trip, and baked up some thank you gifts for the friends that have been so nice to house me on all of my trips to Madison. I love mornings off!

I should have known that I was getting close to WI when the gas station that I stopped at had a crock full of brats and kraut next to the roller grill. Next think I knew I was driving through thick snow that I went through for the last 90 miles to Madison. Oh well, that's winter in the Midwest. It was a beautiful snow, but probably not for the several cars that were overturned in the ditch. Not fun to see. I guess you just take it slow, and be thankful that you are still have your wheels on the road.

Met up with friends for some awesome Thai food. I'd mention the name of the restaurant if I could remember or pronounce it, but I can't. There were some awesome curry dishes, but I was really craving a good pad thai, and that is what I got. I forgot how much I love a real pad thai (as much as I love the pad thai from noodles & co... ). Yum.

2008-01-28T01:12:00.000-06:00

Random thoughts...

So, if you are wondering why this is posted in the early morning hours, it is because I haven't been sleeping well at all. Don't know why, but I don't like it. A wonderful day has passed, including some breakfast and coffee with friends, group ride with friends for the first hour or so, and solo for the remaining 3, followed by a nice run and lift at the gym, which should be enough to fall into a nice slumber (or coma for that matter) many hours ago as planned, but no, here I sit. So, since I can't sleep right now like the rest of the world, here I contribute to my narcissistic blog about random things because I have nothing better to do. I thought about getting up and cleaning the house with bleach and a toothbrush like 'the machinist' (it seemed to work for him, and maybe if I'm lucky I would be able to take advantage of his weight loss plan at the same time) but don't think my roommates would like that too much. In undergrad, I had some roommates who had some times that they didn't really sleep. They started oil painting at 3 am. The good thing is that I got some pretty cool art out of their misery. Sort of like Picasso's blue period I guess. They also memorized the words to REM's it's the end of the world as we know it' in their waking hours. I was and will always be impressed- it is probably on the *expert* level as far as song lyric memorization goes. Maybe I'll give it a stab.

I don't really know how much longer this is going to go on, so if anyone has any suggestions on how to increase my productivity these times without my roommates wanting to kill me, please let me know.

Thoughts on today's ride:
- it was AWESOME outside. This was amazing for both my mind and spirit. Thank you world for the sunny, 40 degree day.
- I saw another smart car on a random Nebraska county road. Nothing against smart cars, the concept is pretty cool, but they are just funny looking, especially on rural Nebraska roads. Whenever I see one, I just expect to see about 40 clowns get out of the back.
- today was 'every single white Buick out driving will try to run you over day.' I counted 3.
- This last season, I didn't get to ride with people all that often. When I do ride with others, I really, really enjoy it. Just plain old fun times. I just really appreciate company out on the roads.

Random other thoughts:
- residency matches are tomorrow for several of my classmates. Right now, I am glad that my fate for the future is not being held by a computer matching service.
- This is just a cool bike invention. Not fast, but really funny.
- This IS the worst bike invention ever, next to putting lead shot in your water bottle, or filling your frame with water and freezing it.
- I am wondering when I will ever be able to get the salt off of my car
- Interview on Friday: please vote- black suit or brown suit, and what color shirt/ sweater. Jewelry suggestions?

2008-01-26T09:29:00.000-06:00

The Hincapie salad...

So, you know those moments when you are watching TV, and some food dish is on, and you just say, " I could really go for one of those RIGHT NOW!."

Well, there was one of those moments earlier this week. I was riding over at Matt's on Thursday, for a 3 hr trainer ride, and for part of the ride we watched 'Profiles of an Athlete' on TV about George Hincapie. Pretty good show. In a scene, his wife was making him a salad. A beautiful bed of romaine, tomatoes, strawberries, and corn. It looked awesome. At first, I thought that it was my riding the trainer that made it look so good, as does most food when you are riding a bike, but the bounty of this salad stuck in my mind so much, that I made it the next day. So, here is the exact creation pictured above.

Variations made:
- this salad was NOT made by a French supermodel/ podium girl/ arm candy/ personal chef. It was made by, er, me.
- I added some shirmp sauteed in tarragon seasoning to add some protein.
- I didn't have any strawberries, but later added some dried cranberries for some zing.

My review is two HUGE thumbs up. I guess Mrs. Hincapie has proven that there is way more to life that being really, really, really, ridiculously good looking- it also involves making awesome salads!

2008-01-25T10:46:00.000-06:00

Behold the three generations...

So, as promised, here is my review of my newest acquisition, the Saucony Tangent 3. I have been a loyal Tangent wearer since the shoe first came out. Prior to that I ran in many different shoes without being too impressed with any one brand in particular. These models include Mizuno, Asics, New Balance and other saucony models. I tried the Tangent 1 (the Barbie pink one on the left) on and it was love after first run. After many years of searching, I had finally found 'my' shoe.

Model tested:
-Women's size 10.5, purchased from www.onlineshoes.com
-note: this coveted size 10.5 is very hard to find. Many don't even cary it as a size option; however, when you didn't practice the ancient art of foot binding growing up and have neanderthal feet, you just need to deal with the cards that you are dealt.

Aftermarket modifications:
-Yankz! lacing system (used on all of my running shoes- if you haven't tried these, they are AWESOME)
- Spenco cross trainer insoles

Out of the box, I first noticed the following changes different from the previous generations: lighter mesh-type upper, and lack of the full foot encompassing tongue that was on the previous models. I have always worn my Tangents out of the box. My most important, longest races have been in brand new shoes. I like to have the optimal 'sproinginess' of brand new shoes on race day- it feel so good! The first run in any shoe is usually AWESOME because of this sproinginess.

So, with that history, I got my shoes ready, and headed to the gym for my weekly 2 hr long run (its way too icy and cold here to run outside- I am not that tough). People ask me why I am running 2 hrs in the middle of winter, and wondering what I am training for. The answer is, I don't know. I was bailed on for my spring race. All I know is that I need to be running and running a lot and running hard for whatever I have coming up because I am not as talented as everybody else. I need to work harder because of that.

So, after the first run, I was very impressed. The ride is similar to the other tangents-a very minimal sole that is not built up too much in any particular area. Enough stability, but not too much that your foot is pushed in a direction that it doesn't want to be. The lack of the fabric around the tongue makes the shoe very airy, and makes one feel fast. The mesh looks super sweet when you wear colored socks showing through.

The only drawback is when I wore them without socks. Where the tongue meets the main shoe body is thicker because it is not attached at the sides like the other tongues. This gave the shoes some nice blood stains from my foot. I know, I was playing with fire running no socks this early in a pair of shoes, but hey, these are the sacrifices I make to give you my finest shoe review over the course of one week. On a side note, I really didn't intend to wear the shoes without socks, I just forgot socks when I went to the gym- it was nothing or my big, thick smartwool socks that I LOVE in the winter.

Color wise, I find the shiny green and mostly white a little bland in my book. At first I hated the bright pink, then loved it. The blue was also nice. This color scheme is not quite as fun, that 'just another running shoe' look.

So, after an N=5 runs, and almost 6 hrs of running in them. I give them a hesitant 'thumbs up*,' with an asterisk, this is due to wearing a bloody hole in my foot, and being pretty 'plain jane' on the color scheme. Besides that, the more important things, the ride, support, lightness, ventilation, and 'sproing' of the shoe is the shoe is awesome.

2008-01-21T21:12:00.000-06:00

Soooo... its been a little while since posting.

Nothing too new in life. Just day to day, wash, rinse, repeat; however, I have a small compilation of some noteworthy observations that I have made. It is in the best form ever- a bulleted list. No particular order. No proper grammar. Just the facts.

- bulleted lists are far superior to text. I have estimated that if textbooks would eliminate paragraphs and other ancillary words used to uselessly join topics, they could reduce the physical text by 1/3, and increase their communicative productivity by 153% (on the American Gladiators percentage scale)

- I am thankful for other people in my life who are also dedicated to training. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by some pretty incredible people who share similar goals. It is a very select minority who really understands the feeling of showing up in the morning, plastering a smile on your face, and acting like life is usual after feeling the fatigue of putting in an 18 hour training week. It is a feeling that I am grateful for, but It is nice to know that you aren't the only one when the world sometimes has no idea or perspective of what you do or why you do it.

- people at the gym are funny. My favorite denizens include: fortysomethings drinking bloody marys in the hot tub, sauna people (I don't understand the purpose of the sauna besides to warm up when it is negative bagagillion degrees outside), people who whine and gripe about how full the locker room is in January-as annoying as it sometimes is, it should be expected, and as much as it is cliche to start 'getting in shape' in January, its pretty cool to see so many people dedicated to positive change, orange people (ie: way too much tanning), men trying to be a 'peacock' in the weight room, people who drink gatorade all the time, people with really ugly tattoos- especially women with 'gooey' looking arms with arm band tattoos.

- men with lots of cosmetic bulk look funny.

- I made some black bean cakes tonight, and I simply forgot how yummy they were. Possibly a new favorite food.

- I don't know why, but I have lost any and all tolerance to cold**; therefore, I am thankful for the following: heated car seats, wool clothing, heated blankets, space heaters, down.
** this is until I am training, in which I have lost any and all tolerance to heat, as far as I am concerned, 24 hour fitness is trying to make the new year resolution people think that they have lost weight when they simply are sweating pounds off just by walking in the door. For these purposes, I am thankful for: the treadmill closest to the door at 24hour fitness, towels, and fans

- great quotes from dental instructors:
"I heard that you are pregnant"
" Your husband must really like triathlons"
keep in mind I am single and not pregnant.... $#%&... !

- I am thankful for my training logs- this year, I developed a training log template that has been the best ever and able to track my specific progress better. Cheesy, and very geeky, but true. It is reassuring to look back an know what is in 'the bank,' and know what the numbers say. I am pretty excited that my w/kg have improved by almost .4 for my average (non-normalized) power on long (4h) rides since this fall, my Sunday workouts no longer drain the life out of me, I can actually kick out a pretty solid tempo run and not dread it, I have finally started to resolve the gut issues that have plagued me while running, I have the sweetest compilation of swim workouts ever, and since beginning my 'formal' training on Sep 17, I have gotten in 263h of training. Pretty cool. It is a good feeling to take the next step up each week and know that you have everything in its place for you to succeed at that workout.

- rant: "IF..." - I'm sick of this word. I have heard this word used so many times as an excuse for self controlled factors in one's life I want to put it on a recorder to save time. Listen- stand up for your choices, and if you aren't happy with them... guess who has the power to change that??

- I remembered the tv show 'Great Chefs' the other day. I don't know why, I just did. I don't know if anyone else remembers it, but it was on right after school, and I would usually find myself watching it for my 'daily tv viewing' over the other after school offerings. It did a great job of showcasing a particular chef, his/ her restraunt and education, local fare, and the destination city in a very classy and almost documentary style program that was still a quite an entertaining cooking show.

- I love the small things in life, unfortunately (or fortunately) often materialistic. That new pair of socks, the new swimsuit, or the new snack for a ride. It's that little nugget that sometimes gives you a smile for the day, that Peter Griffin twinkie on a stick. On that note, I will soon be writing a shoe review on my newest acquisition- the Saucony tangent 3. I have been a loyal tangent wearer ever since the shoe came out, and am now recently introduced to the tangent 3. After a few more runs, I will dish the dirt on the third generation.

2008-01-06T17:50:00.000-06:00

An encounter of the third kind...

So, today I woke up with a sore throat, sniffles, cough, and aches. I couldn't believe it. I have been sick more times this winter than I have in the past three years. This is the most frustrating thing ever. I have been good with my diet, sleep, and hand washing in attempt to figure this out, and thought I had it figured out until today. I have even turned to zinc, airborne, and other remedies. I cant figure this out. I keep getting sick. argh.

Being a recovery week, I had a 3 hr easy ride planned for today that I was really excited for to actually ride outside. I made an executive decision to turn that into riding around town while running errands. I hate changing the plans, but I figured I would ride a little less, and kill two birds with one stone so I can just get to bed sooner tonight to sleep off whatever I have. Took some Alka Seltzer cold, got all bundled up, and headed out the door on my mountain bike to tackle the ice and sloppy streets for a few hours.

Plan was post office, Blockbuster, grocer, Kohls to get new hosiery for school, Target (to unfortunately buy bleach, laundry soap, and fabric softener- it was a lot to lug home).

So, I headed to the post office to drop a letter in the box, and rode the short distance down Saddle Creek Road to Blockbuster to return a movie. I was being a perfect little human powered vehicle- I wasn't trying to pull any crap in traffic. At Blockbuster, I dropped the movie in the slot, and turned around to see a grubby woman approaching me. She just got out her car, and wreaked of cigarette smoke. The conversation went approximately as follows:

Her: Do you realize how rude it is to ride in the street when there is a sidewalk right there? (not even realizing there was ice all over the sidewalk behind her.)

Me: Do you realize that I have the same legal right as you do to be in the street?

Her: Well, It is really rude to hold up traffic.

Me: Listen, I am out here trying to run some errands just like you. Apparently my presence caused you some inconvenience.

Her: Well, you should try to keep up with traffic.

Me: Well, I have the right to be there. [ I ride away]

Now, as with all cyclists who have ridden on the road, I have gotten my fair share of obscenities yelled at me, crap thrown at me, and attempts to kill me with a vehicle, but I have not yet gotten the direct face to face encounter off the bike. I was actually pretty proud that I was able to remain civil- albeit it would have been nice to throw out some wittier replies.

Eye opening nonetheless. I find comfort in the fact that she has chosen to inevitably smoke herself to a premature, slow, painful death, where she will no longer be inconvenienced for several seconds while driving.

2008-01-02T13:54:00.000-06:00

Dave Zabriskie- most powerful man in the chamois cream business.

Amazing.

However, from this interview, I am calling him out on secret training. (You know those people- the ones who claim that they 'haven't been doing anything,' or 'I'm so out of shape,' or the best - 'I don't even remember the last time I rode.' and then go out for an 'easy spin' with you and decide it would be really nice to kick your butt). Come on, Claiming 15-20 hrs / week, claiming that he goes into time trials without specific training, just 'being fit.' No way.

2008-01-02T13:09:00.000-06:00

Happy 2008!

So, got back from Chicago from what was the best New Year's Eve ever. Good times, good people, good places. One can't ask for more than that.

Started the day with the required 'fashion show' to get the evening's ensembles lined up. Headed down to Feast for some awesome brunch. Katie tried to convince me to get the "Garbage Omlette." I caved. As I found out- it is so much more than a catchy name- it is the best omlette ever. It has everything, but the kicker is the marinated peppers- all cooked to perfection. Thank you Feast.

The evening consisted of going over to Dave's house start the festivities. Vanessa had a good attempt at a guitar hero challenge from Dave's roomate. He wanted to challenge on 'expert;' however was being nice, so he backed down to 'hard.' I think he is going to be getting a contract soon. We eventually walked through the snow, that was coming down pretty thick at that time, to up at EvilOlive, a palindrome theme martini bar. Awesome place, and they even put on an even more awesome NYE celebration. Way too much fun was had, and the booze was flowing like water. Whoever thought of putting a photo booth in a bar is an absolute genius! Couple that with a sweet spread with hummus and cheese cubes, corny paper hats and crowns (I didn't take mine off all night), and a balloon drop and champagne toast at midnight, and you have the best New Year's Eve ever. The fun continued to come, and after freezing ourselves on the snowy walk back, we even surprisingly remembered to take the cardboard off of the tombstone before baking it back at Katie's!

2007-12-21T23:32:00.000-06:00

Embrace the TREADMILL...

Let me preface this with the fact that I used to HATE the treadmill. It was the dreadmill. I would do anything NOT to go on the treadmill. I would run in rain, sleet, snow, icy sidewalks, just about killing myself to make it out the door. I am tough, right? In the winter, I would throw on my yak traks, and run through anything. I remember running on sheer ice, 2 feet of snow (yes, it was up past my knees- I use the term 'run' pretty loosely in this instance), and rainy downpour in the cold and dark. I would go to an indoor track before even thinking about stepping on a gerbil wheel. I would run around in circles smelling that odor of recycled tires that is only reminiscent of the horror days of P.E The only time I went on a treadmill was when I got paid to do it. Literally.

Last winter I started using the treadmill out of sheer pragmatics. It was quicker, and I got the time in that I needed to. It worked, but I still didn't like it. It was meerly time in the bank.

This week, I realized what has happened since the cold, dark, days of winter has set in... I have fallen in love with treadmill running.

The treadmill has offered me something that I could never get outside... THE PERFECT WORKOUT.

I write this after completing my long run after I got into town from Madison and traveling/ interviewing all day. I headed to the trusty north town YMCA, walk past all of the 12 year olds playing guitar hero in the lounge (sitting on a couch, mind you, I give them a negative 100 in style points) and set up my 'home' for the next 100 minutes. Water, heart rate, towel, tunes, TV, fans, MPH, calories, time, lap spits- its all there. I proceed to perfectly execute my run for the evening. Everything was timed down to the second- warm up, main run/ workout (8x10m M pace), cool down. Flawless. Pace was spot on. No fading, no excuses. No ice to say you slowed down for, no traffic lights to give you those unplanned rest breaks, no exhaust fumes to breathe. The treadmill does not lie. It is the cold, hard, facts staring you right back in your face. Just saying 'I dare you.' During my last push to the end, I knew that I had met my goal for the preceeding 100 minutes. I know for a fact that I am running faster, longer, and at a lower heart rate than I ever have before.

And I have this all to thank to, my reconciled friend, the treadmill.

2007-12-20T22:14:00.000-06:00

Home again...

Back in good 'ol 'sconny for a few days. Interviewing for jobs in Madison, training, seeing friends, and finishing up my Christmas shopping are about the only things that I need to worry about. Life is good.

I am all done with my Christmas shopping except for finding my brother's christmas gift. A long time ago, we started finding gifts for each other that were borderline mean, but still useable. Think disgusting foodstuffs that you need to eat out of courtesy, a coffee mug that has cheap refills at a gas station, but I don't live anywhere near those gas stations to get any benefit out of the mug, etc. I think it may have started when he 'gave' me a toy one year, and then proceeded to run away with it and play with it himself. (if you are interested, it was the 'Real Power Tool Shop'- one of those 9v battery operated saws that one can cut all kinds of shapes in balsa wood- it was actually pretty sweet- I believe it was circa early 90s), I'd like to say that he was the one that chose this path of doom for our Christmas gifts to each other.

So anyways, I am trying to top the bright red 'Hawaiian Punch' flavored bundt cake that I got him last year. After checking the junk areas at the truck stops that I stopped at during my travels resulted in nothing. I naturally travel to a local gas station to find the finest in foods that will remain completely fresh until Christmas (2008). Nothing of worthiness. Not even a pickled polish sausage to be seen. I was thinking Chuck E. Cheese tokens, so that he NEEDS to take his kids there and watch robots play styrofoam guitars, but that might be too mean. The search continues...

2007-12-18T22:01:00.000-06:00

Some thoughts on mediocrity...

A lot on my mind lately. This being one of them. Nothing novel, just thoughts. Likely influenced by being on break and the clearing of the academic clutter from my mind coupled with much time on the trainer, treadmill, and driving solo in the car.

Athleticly, What makes the great people great, the ordinary people extraordinary? Does it hurt just as much for everyone to run an 8 minute mile, and the fast ones can just HTFU and bear the pain better to manage 6 min miles. Or, is it true that 'it doesn't get any easier, you just get faster.' Am I just a wuss? Possibly. I guess Dr. J. Daniels, has a few thoughts on what we are given genetically and what we do with it:

He divides people up into:
AA - Those with great genes and great commitment
AB - Those with great genes and less commitment
BA - Those without the great genes and great comitment

BA can defeat AB in a race. But BA cannot defeat AA.

An interesting point, and gives us "BA" people hope. A recent occurance (or maybe this retrospection is all in the spirit of all of the 'year in review' shows that are yet to come) had me going through past race results and realized that I have made dismal gains in my performance over the past three years. Not a fun thing to realize, but it is unfortunately the truth. After my initial journey from couch to athlete, and the exponential increase that one sees when proceeding with such a change, things have leveled off, and I have been in a solid comfort zone of being a mediocre mid-pack triathlete. One with the masses. My accomplishments and talents in the past three years include perfecting the following:
- training that is perfectly consistent and sporatic at the same time (yes, it can be done)
-dialing in on the best gray zone possible and increasing the volume there over many seasons (yes, I can race any distance that I want in my gray zone)
- figuring out how to get away with 90%
- getting sick
- catastrophic mechanical failures
- having a heck of a lot of fun (to give myself a little credit)

These accomplishments equate to the following:
- I am a mediocre triathlete
- i am a mediocre bike racer
- I am a mediocre runner
- I am a mediocre swimmer

Clearly, based upon the N=1 in my experiment called 'training.' There is no difference from year to year with what I am doing.

Chinese proverb:
"Insanity is dong the same thing over-and-over and expecting a different outcome."

Extraordinarily profound. Nobody wants to be insane. Things have changed and they are changing. It is just refreshing to remind myself exactly why I need a paradigm shift and why change is needed. The new experiment has started. Step by step.

1. figure out how to get well and stay well (almost done, getting over my latest nasty cold)
2. every workout has a purpose and a goal, and it will be met
3. faster= better w/kg (ie: lost weight= instant improvement without even working for it)
4. pay attention to nutrition and hydration in training (break my habit of trying get away with riding until an empty tank= crappy ride)
5. figure out IF and how #3 and #4 can coexist
6. sleep more, and don't feel guilty for it
7. give form and efficiency the time that they need
8. keep my love for swimming (I'm pretty sure my swimming mojo is back after it decided to go on sabbatical )
9. have a heck of a lot of fun
10. it will be harder, it will be tougher, but I am in control and things will get better. Progress happens in small steps.

There it is- the recipe. Let the madness continue.

2007-11-22T21:51:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

After traveling and interviewing for the past few days, and thinking I was going to die in the first snowstorm of the season last night while driving, I am glad to be home.

It was great to spend some time in Mad-town with friends, interview, and get a nice long run in with Michelle's dog Brie around lake Monona. I forgot how much fun it is to run with a dog, and it surely made me push the pace to try to get her to 'run' versus a 'fast trot' along side me. I am pretty sure she slept the rest of the day after we ran. good.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. When else can you have a great meal with the people you love with no other obilgations? The day has been great- a 2 hr ride today helped work up the appetite for turkey and all the fixin's. A fun day with the niece and nephew decorating gingerbread houses (they caught on to just eating the frosting pretty quickly) , baking homemade bread (they are awesome at kneading and rolling dough!), and putting up Christmas lights outside. Fun times by all.

Very thankful for everyone and everything in my life...

2007-11-17T16:48:00.000-06:00

Training update- Base II- Week I-

Adding in Tempo work and M pace this week. Although dreading starting the 'workouts that hurt' I was eager to see where I am in reference to last season. In other words, how much have I lost over 'hibernation'? If you are wondering why I am adding Tempo work in November, it is because I am racing a half iron in March. I have been getting that question a lot.

I took my pace/ wattage goals at the conservative end of where I was last season, and dove in. Running went well, met all workout goals on my runs this week. Tempo run on Wed, 50m, 5x4mT. Kept up last year's pace well. yay! Tempo ride on Thurs-3 hrs c/ 4x15m T , started outside for the first hour, then daylight restricted me to the trainer. Wattage goals were a bit lower than last year, but i have not used my SRM on the trainer since I got it right when the weather was getting nice outisde last year. However, I am thinking that the trainer should not make the difference of 15-20watts that I was seeing. That whole workout hurt- a lot. I hate to admit this, but I even inadvertently emitted a whimper. I couldn't believe it. It almost caught me off guard that I actually did that, then I told myself to harden the f**k up and finish the workout. I did.

Long run last night 90m, 5x10mM. Went great.

Woke up this morning and was vomiting from 6am to 2pm. (fyi: No, I did not go out drinking last night) Needless to say, no ride. Now feeling a bit better. Bummed, but what can one do?

2007-11-11T09:35:00.000-06:00

Bjorn

Yesterday, a 1:59 bike split at Ironman 70.3 Worlds. All I can say is wow.

I respect the guy, not just because he can ride his bike really really fast, but he executes his race on the bike, and just waits to see if he can run after riding the bike portion like a TT. Maybe not the smartest pacing strategy, but gutsy, and it works, sometimes. Not only that, but anyone who can hold that kind of bike position for 56 miles deserves credit.

2007-11-09T11:56:00.000-06:00

Let the Madness Begin...
So, it has been 8 weeks since the 'official' start of my training for the 2008 season. Yes, everything is in place.

Volume for the first 8 weeks consisted of buiding enough s-b-r- and lifting to get up to 17hrs last week. This week is a setback to go into my next 8 week block consisting of holding the volume at 17:xx hrs and ramping up intensity.

The deliberation lies in if and what I should make my 2008 goals to be at the races. After the entire racing season of 2007 blowing up into my face, I have come to accept where I was, and to stop making retrospective excuses. They are what they are, the season is done, and it is now time to get ready for next year.

So the the question for 2008 is: what do I want to accomplish?

2007-08-15T22:51:00.000-06:00

John Basedow, may you rest in peace.

2006-12-25T23:00:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!

More time with family, and the afternoon to relax.

90 min run this afternoon. It was fun running through the neighborhoods smelling what everyone was cooking for their Christmas feast. mmmm.

I love it when I can plan a non out and back course to be EXACTLY the time I need.

I love new running shoes, it is almost like they run for you. I have been long overdue, and reluctant to crack open my last pair of pink Tangents. Just when I was getting comfortable with running in Barbie pink shoes, I will now be forced to order some of the 'new model' light blue ones. At least I have several pairs of worn out pink ones to wear to the gym. :)

2006-12-24T22:21:00.000-06:00

Ahh, Christmas eve. More fun time with family and eating lots of good food. My belly is still full of the indulgences of red wine, prime rib, potatoes and birthday cranberry cake. Life is good.

My legs have been killing me this past week, but all of my workouts have gone really well. A two hour tempo ride (50 min T pace) followed by a runoff that went surprisingly well. My legs were moving and I was able to keep my cadence up (which is good for me- as everyone knows, I have a funny little style of running that is more like waddling). Lifting has been going well as is swimming. An hour run went really well after a hard swim. Yesterday was lifting followed by 2.5 hour trainer ride at night. It hurt, but I was able to ride right at the effort I wanted to (maybe it was watching the worlds strongest man competition on TV) maintain for 2.5 hours.

So, I got thinking about why these workouts are going so well. Yes, my legs and arms have been trashed all week, and usually that is a recipe for a crappy workout. I eat crappier than I normally do while I am at my Parents'. I was thinking about how I have been getting SLEEP. I have the training figured out, I do the training. Looking at what I have done the past year, I am very pleased with my consistency (intensity is another discussion). I am pretty happy with my nutrition, I feel as though I eat well and the correct amount 90% of the time, and that is going to be as good as it gets, and as I want it to get because I love food too much. The third piece of the puzzle, sleep, which gets neglected. I'm thinking it will need to be addressed- starting now. Good night. :)

2006-12-22T00:59:00.000-06:00

I am beginning to think that there is a correlation between triathletes and pouring out unwanted and unsolicited advice. I sure hope that I don't turn into one of them .

Maybe it is just me, but I think that idiotic unsolicited advice is one of the most derogatory things you can say to a person. It is blatantly saying "I am so F'n smart, and you are so F'n stupid, let me tell you how to count to 10"

It is a goal of mine to keep my advice to myself unless it is solicited. I guess I try to give other people credit that they are smart enough to figure it out on their own.

At the pool today (side note: it has been about TWO WEEKS!!! since swimming... probably the longest break I have taken in four years- my comeback was actually quite nice, almost as if I had not taken a break- oh, amazing base! I was able to pound out some 100s on the 1:3x, which I am quite happy with) I get interrupted while waiting for my interval by a man, in his 50s, with a moustache, swimming with fins on and we get talking. He has clearly been in the sport for some time, and although he seemed well intentioned, I received quite a bit of 'advice' that I didn't ask for, and quite simply, a retard could probably figure out.

Do I scream idiot? do I look like I don't have a brain? Do I ride in a short bus? Maybe if I wore my glasses more often, or carried textbooks around with me, or better yet, wore a corduroy jacket with elbow patches and smoked a pipe and drank brandy out of proper stemware I would not project this image? Is it because I may not have quintessential 'tri-chic' body? Is it because I am under 25? I need to figure out why I project this image and take proper measures to correct the situation at hand (if there is one). (I'm secretly hoping that all it takes is the jacket :) ...)

Here is some of the fantastic advice that was so graciously given to me:

" Be sure to bring several pairs of gogles to a race..."
(thank you, I do, and don't tell me how wonderful tinted goggles are because they suck in dark water)

"You know, you really need to take electrolyte tabs in hot weather" (You, my friend, must certainly be a genius to figure this one out- do you honestly think I would have signed up for, and done, one of the hottest half iron races if I didn't know thing about endurance nutrition?)

"You really need to bring clothing with you [to a race] for all weather conditions" (You don't say, I really enjoyed the thermal shirt and vest that I had with for my Ironman in 55 deg weather. Thank you very much.)

"Roadies are arrogant- don't hang around them" (this one made me mad. I have many friends who are roadies, and merely laughed to his face in response to this comment)

Yes, this is just one man; however, my theory was for all triathletes. Here are a few more comments that have been directed towards me.

"Don't forget to put your goggles under your cap" (this was said to be Ironman morning (aka think of being the most nervous and filled with self doubt you ever been in your life). I sure hope that I have figured this out by NOW!!!!!!!!!!!)

"You should sleep during your taper" ( I blatantly laughed at this one. Gee, I was planning on staying up for several weeks straight and living off of Red Bull)

"If you lower your arm pads, you will NEED add spacers to off set it" (No, because that is why I am lowering my arm pads- because I WANT them to be LOWER!)

"You shouldn't do any longer distance races, You should do local sprints." (this was told to me by a completely random guy who happened to be a triathlete that I sat next to on a plane- mind you, this was affter I just did my first half iron, and he self adimittedly only focused on long course events)

****And, my number one piece of completely unsolicited advice (drumroll please...)

"You shouldn't sign up for Ironman Wisconsin. It is too hard." (wow, I guess I will never do anything in life if it is too hard.)

This venting session is brought to you by the words 'arrogant,' the letter for I for ignorant, and the letter S for stupidity... Oh, and the number 3.14 because I am only smart enought to remember Pi to the hundredths place *eye roll*

2006-11-29T22:58:00.000-06:00

Proud that I have swum twice this week so far, Seeing that I have lost my desire and motivation to get in the water over the past several weeks.

I have gone once in the evening at Creigton on Monday and at masters this morning. I forgot how great the people were at masters. It truly is a wonderful group of people, so genuinely nice and sincerely caring. I know that many of them would go out of their way for me, and I would do the same.

I was thinking about where this 'lack of training mojo' was coming from. My swimming has been pretty steady this past year, I have swum on average 3 times a week for over a year. Every week. I had times where I would do a swim emphasis in my training and not only swim at master's, but also on my own. Did this additional effort get me anywhere? I don't think so. I don't feel as though I am swimming any 'better' than I was a year ago. I had one goal this year of swimming 2.4 miles and feeling refreshed enough to bike 112 and run a marathon after that and I now know that I can do that. I have the same task looking at me for this next July. Do I know that I could do the same with my current level of fitness? Probably. What can I do with this level of fitness? the same time/ effort. How badly do I want to change my swim time? Seeing that I have dont a 33 min half iron, there is no reason that my full should be over 1:15. Maybe that could be a goal; however, a time goal like that my be detrimental because it is so dependant upon how big of a crowd I am in at the start. Do I want a time goal?

On another note, I am still having fun riding the P2C, even on the trainer. I love my bike. A 90 min trainer ride today at the PTC with a 40 min tempo ride in the middle and a 20 min run. A very very cold runoff in the blustery weather. I am still liking the tempo rides for what they are. My legs are now getting that constantly sore feeling back in them from training and I forgot how sickingly good it felt to know that my body in full swing training. The combination of the lifting and tempo rides are taking its toll on the legs, but it is good.

2006-11-26T22:28:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately, Thanksgiving break is coming to close, and as with most breaks I have been completely unproductive in the most royal sense ot the term. A nice long run on Friday afternoon coupled with some coffee with High School friends later that night led to some unfotunate incidents at WalMart. My best friend from high school, Kristin, and I ended up reliving 'the good 'ol days' of late night trips to Walmart in High School and sirred up sone shenanigans in the store. (ironically, I now feel badly that I made fun of the crap that they sell when we obviously had so much fun with it).

On Saturday I finally got to get in the long ride that I had been wanting to do for some time. It is one of my favorite routes in WI. The weather was cold, overcast, and there was a mist in the air, but I managed to bundle up and bring the Pod with for some good tunes. I headed up north from Onalaska towards Holmen and turned east up one of the first big climbs up the bluffs. Over a mile long of constant switchbacks, but once at the top, it is several miles of riding along the ridge and one can see all the way over to the Mississippi from the elevation. I love this climb and I always love to do it when I am home as sort of a 'test' of my fitness. Here I am riding along the ridge with the 'non- Mississippi' side in the background. There were also some pretty horses that I took a picture of out right before I got to smell the fragrant aroma filling the air while passing by some apple orchards. This ride also has one of my favorite descents- a long straight descent down the bluff that I always seem to hit my highest speed records on. My record is 55mph, but I only hit 45 this time. I am blaming it on a lighter bike ( damn carbon bike - hehe) After being chased by some dogs, and heading on the rollers through West Salem and heading over to Bangor, I got to my next favorite climb. The sun managed to ever so slightly peek through the clouds right before I headed up the climb- which is the next picture. This one immediately descends down and there is about five miles of rollers to go until Barre Mills. Here is just at the end of the descent- a pretty coulee full of dairy farms below. A really fun ride, but I was definitely glad to be warm inside again after being on top of the bluffs in the wind or sweating through all of my layers on the climbs. It was one of those rides that I needed to push myself out the door to be in that cold, but once out there, I am reminded of how much fun it is to see the world by bicycle even though my legs were screaming after doing my long run yesterday and my tempo ride the day before that. It was some great training and great to get the change of scenery and terrain over the prairieland of Nebraska.

2006-11-24T19:00:00.000-06:00

Well, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I got in my 75 min tempo ride to warm up for the feasting in the afternoon. It was great to be back in the roads in WI that have become so familiar over the years. I needed to stay on the rolling hills for my tempo ride and save the climbs for my long ride. I took the route that headed up through Holmen and east into some of the coulees. My legs were burning, but I thought about how my training has fallen into a 'comfort zone' this past year. I have pushed the envelope on what 'far' is. I have turned 'far' into something that used to be a couple hours to something that if it doesnt hit thr triple digits, it may not even count as a workout. I can ride a bike all day at a nice, steady, respectable speed, and I can run all day at a respectable pace but that it is. (don't ask me about the swimming- I ahve given up on that). I can go ride my bike for hours and it no longer produces the fatigue in which it once did- sure, my legs may be a little sore the next day or so, but not the terrible legs on fire can't walk up stairs that I had once come to thrive on. Bottom line is that I need to reevaluate my training and now focus on defining what 'hard' is. Hard is no longer defined by a distance or time, but an overall effort.

Once again, the beautiful sights got me thinking and I couldn't help but think of some of the things I am thankful for (a little cheesy seeing that it is Thanksgiving and all- but if not today, when?). The past couple of weeks have been really hard in the sense that some people were blatantly treating me less than a friend and couldn't help but think what is my critial error as a person that I deserved to be treated that way. I really am not sure who is a friend anymore and a lot of things needed to be sorted out. Bottom line is that it made me realize how thankful I am for the true friends that I have and for the wonderful people I have in my life first and foremost especially my family. I did come up with a list of my favorite things in life- some are invaluable, some are materialistic (and I am not ashamed of). Here is the start of the ongoing list (in no particular order):

1. eating a good meal with good company- quite possibly one of the best things in life and one of the reasons I love to cook
2. that moment in which you realized you have just gone outside of your comfort zone
3. a long, sustained hug
4. wool socks
5. waking up early in the morning when the world is so still and quiet
6. staying up late at night
7. a good cup of coffee
8. walking around in underwear
9. animal companionship
10. pirate jokes
11. being woken up by doggie kisses (can you tell I am at home?) (hence the picture of my doggie, Rugbie)
12. running during a snowfall (especially when it crunches under your feet)
13. that overwhelming feeling of warmth when you come in from the cold
14. live music
15. heated blankets
16. good times with good company
17. a fire
18. a crisp fall day

2006-11-23T20:43:00.000-06:00

A trip to Walmart.... Yes, you heard it correctly- I have made my biannual pilgrimage to the supercenter of all supercenters. Don't get me wrong, I am not one of those 'I hate Walmart because I want to be a non conformist' type of people. I actually respect Walmart because they are marketing geniuses, but passionately hate the cheap, low quality, completely uneccesary crap that they sell and the filthy stores in which they sell it from. (which is why they are geniuses- they have perfected the art of making the uneccesary to be desireable under the worst possible conditions). A prime example of some items that I saw: a metal turkey stuffing cage- why place and remove the stuffing from your bird by spoon when you can place and remove it in this metal cage perfectly shaped to a turkey's empty peritoneal cavity?

So anyways, I think I surely got my my 6 month dose of what I like to call, 'free birth control.' In other words, after being around the crowds of children there at 8 at night for about 15min give or take, I really swear off having kids. This effect has about a 6 month period of time that the image sticks in my head. Snotty, crying, greasy, stinky kids- all tired beyond belief tearing up the toy department as any good Walmart parent would let them. The crowds were prime last night and it was an effective image- kids now frighten me.

As I meandered the aisles trying to find the one thing that I needed- a drawer organizer, I suddenly realized that I have found another thing I can get for free at Walmart. This is free weight control. Wow! why haven't I figured this out sooner? The image of the morbidly obese waddling up and down the aisles with their carts full of wonder bread, soda, and cereal was frightning. This is great- we'll see how long this image lasts- probably until I eat pumkin pie tomorrow. :)

2006-11-06T20:42:00.000-06:00

Well, I guess this is it, my maiden voyage into the world of blog. Oh well. Another beautiful fall day which naturally begged for a ride on the p2c since I got home by 4. A tempo ride in the hills north of Omaha that definitely made the legs burn. I forgot how, er, good it felt to push a big gear after working on high cadence everything for pretty much over the past year. Things are good, but it was quite an introspective time. Maybe pain does this to me. Life, what I am doing out on these roads on a bicycle, and simply the changes that my life has taken in dental school. Changes for the good, I hope so, but there are times that I feel as though I am in a boot camp and my mind is being made-over for the 'greater good' whatever that may be.