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?

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!