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Monday, November 19, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Sunday Cyclocross Race
2 posts in 2 days! If you missed Bec's birthday, scroll down.
Sunday was my first ever cyclocross race. It is a combo of road racing and mountain biking, but twice as brutal. We ride bikes that are basically road bikes but they have knobby tires and mountain bike brakes so when it is muddy, your brakes don't get clogged up with gunk. The courses are typically a 1.5-1.9mi loop in a city park, mostly on grass but there is some pavement included. The course is flagged and/or has cones. They make it technical so you zig zag up and down hills, descend a hill and do a 180 turn and come back up, put up barriers that are about 18 inches high (or huge old telephone poles work too) so you have to get off your bike and jump over it carrying your bike, then you get to ascend a steep hill. They make it so you have to dismount your bike 3-4 times a lap, unless you are skilled and can bunny hop stuff. I don't fit the later group. Cross racing as we call it involves a lot more confidence on taking off camber corners with a tree to fall on if your bike wipes out on you (see below).
I had ridden my bike only 6 times since my 5 week rest period after the half Ironman, so I have NO fitness for racing. I wasn't last, but I didn't care (I did pass 2 people). The race the was 10min from our house and 6-7 other teammates did my race so I went. I decided to ride a sustainable pace, not letting myself get sloppy and crash on a barrier or something and get hurt. So no crosseyed riding, but that happened anyway. It;s unavoidable. I got off the poorly marked course twice (can't remember the second time but remember getting off course somewhere a second time). I also almost fell twice, but stayed upright. It built my confidence on tricky surfaces, but I'm still a wimp.
The race was to be 30 min, but I got lapped sadly with only a couple hundred yards left on a lap and the race coordinators made me do an extra solo lap, which I shouldn't have needed to do. I raced for 43 min while the winners went for 35 min. Uh. Good practice. It was fun, but very hard and scary when your rear wheel is sliding out from under you on a 180 degree turn!!!
Take a look at the picts and you can get an idea of how the courses are set up, technical aspects, etc.
Here I'm zig zagging up and down steep hills. The course here is marked with yellow caution flagging and wood stakes (which I tried to not fall on as that would seriously hurt).
Here we came up a steep hill after flying down an equally steep hill. I really had to grind out the last couple of yards. Uh.
So immediately after I ascended the hill in the previous pict, we went about 20 yards and did a 180 into a sandbox. I carried my bike through both sections of sand, while I should have gotten back on the bike and rode through the second one which immediately followed the first (I just didn't think to do that and was never behind anyone that rode the second section). It stunk. I walked through on most laps. Tough to run with your bike.
Here's me with the barriers. Just behind me are the yellow barriers that we ran over and then we jump back on our bikes and ride more. Uh.
Here is the scary corner. Worn down corner around this huge tree. I unclipped a foot most laps (I kept it locked in on one pass) to balance myself better. If it rains or is wet, stuff like this is a real mess. Bike gets covered in mud as do the riders. I will not be racing in very wet conditions. I can barely stay on my bike on the dry, let along if it is like ice!! Yes the guy on the bike behind me was about to lap me. I hate him:)
My finish. Amazed I could no hands it on this bike, while going uphill completely exhausted. I lived to tell about it.
Many props to Bec for the great picts!!!
Sunday was my first ever cyclocross race. It is a combo of road racing and mountain biking, but twice as brutal. We ride bikes that are basically road bikes but they have knobby tires and mountain bike brakes so when it is muddy, your brakes don't get clogged up with gunk. The courses are typically a 1.5-1.9mi loop in a city park, mostly on grass but there is some pavement included. The course is flagged and/or has cones. They make it technical so you zig zag up and down hills, descend a hill and do a 180 turn and come back up, put up barriers that are about 18 inches high (or huge old telephone poles work too) so you have to get off your bike and jump over it carrying your bike, then you get to ascend a steep hill. They make it so you have to dismount your bike 3-4 times a lap, unless you are skilled and can bunny hop stuff. I don't fit the later group. Cross racing as we call it involves a lot more confidence on taking off camber corners with a tree to fall on if your bike wipes out on you (see below).
I had ridden my bike only 6 times since my 5 week rest period after the half Ironman, so I have NO fitness for racing. I wasn't last, but I didn't care (I did pass 2 people). The race the was 10min from our house and 6-7 other teammates did my race so I went. I decided to ride a sustainable pace, not letting myself get sloppy and crash on a barrier or something and get hurt. So no crosseyed riding, but that happened anyway. It;s unavoidable. I got off the poorly marked course twice (can't remember the second time but remember getting off course somewhere a second time). I also almost fell twice, but stayed upright. It built my confidence on tricky surfaces, but I'm still a wimp.
The race was to be 30 min, but I got lapped sadly with only a couple hundred yards left on a lap and the race coordinators made me do an extra solo lap, which I shouldn't have needed to do. I raced for 43 min while the winners went for 35 min. Uh. Good practice. It was fun, but very hard and scary when your rear wheel is sliding out from under you on a 180 degree turn!!!
Take a look at the picts and you can get an idea of how the courses are set up, technical aspects, etc.
Here I'm zig zagging up and down steep hills. The course here is marked with yellow caution flagging and wood stakes (which I tried to not fall on as that would seriously hurt).
Here we came up a steep hill after flying down an equally steep hill. I really had to grind out the last couple of yards. Uh.
So immediately after I ascended the hill in the previous pict, we went about 20 yards and did a 180 into a sandbox. I carried my bike through both sections of sand, while I should have gotten back on the bike and rode through the second one which immediately followed the first (I just didn't think to do that and was never behind anyone that rode the second section). It stunk. I walked through on most laps. Tough to run with your bike.
Here's me with the barriers. Just behind me are the yellow barriers that we ran over and then we jump back on our bikes and ride more. Uh.
Here is the scary corner. Worn down corner around this huge tree. I unclipped a foot most laps (I kept it locked in on one pass) to balance myself better. If it rains or is wet, stuff like this is a real mess. Bike gets covered in mud as do the riders. I will not be racing in very wet conditions. I can barely stay on my bike on the dry, let along if it is like ice!! Yes the guy on the bike behind me was about to lap me. I hate him:)
My finish. Amazed I could no hands it on this bike, while going uphill completely exhausted. I lived to tell about it.
Many props to Bec for the great picts!!!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Bec's Bday!!
Bec turned an old 27 (which is almost 30!) on Saturday. She got many lovely presents including a beautiful cedar porch swing. I also slaved all day in making a cake from my grandma's cookbook.
Bec and swing.
White shutters, door, and the swing.
Homemade cake.
Birthday girl with flaming cake. No fire department was needed, although much smoke was produced.
Bec and swing.
White shutters, door, and the swing.
Homemade cake.
Birthday girl with flaming cake. No fire department was needed, although much smoke was produced.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Nashville Zoo
Betsy and Jay came up Saturday morning and we met at the zoo. John's first trip to the zoo as I was told, after some guy asked me about John and I was like, "he's not my kid." I was a little slow.
Anyway, we had a swell time watching giraffes, and a elephant lift a tree to scratch his forehead. We played with goats and donkey's and John loved them. John stayed awake until the car ride home and was a blast to play with, even though he dumped a ton of water on Bec during lunch and I held the camera all day.
Here's some of my favorite picts.
Alpaca with bad teeth and bad hair.
Some sort of bird. I can't remember what it is. Pretty though and a very curious bird. They will get into anything and everything.
Goat too cool to stand on the ground. John liked the goats, mostly.
Nice family pict.
CHEESE!!!!
Anyway, we had a swell time watching giraffes, and a elephant lift a tree to scratch his forehead. We played with goats and donkey's and John loved them. John stayed awake until the car ride home and was a blast to play with, even though he dumped a ton of water on Bec during lunch and I held the camera all day.
Here's some of my favorite picts.
Alpaca with bad teeth and bad hair.
Some sort of bird. I can't remember what it is. Pretty though and a very curious bird. They will get into anything and everything.
Goat too cool to stand on the ground. John liked the goats, mostly.
Nice family pict.
CHEESE!!!!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Anniversary Weekend
So we've been married a year already and I took my sweet wife camping for the weekend. I just scored a bunch of new camping stuff (thanks to endangered birds) and I got to use the new tent, new sleeping bag, new thermarest, etc. (plus the sweet new camera these picts were taken with). We went to Rock Island State Park in the middle of nowhere where we shared the tent camping area with a large number of cub scouts. So much for a quiet, relaxing weekend of sitting by a fire.
Happy couple after 364 days.
River gorge.
Bec and river gorge (after 365 days).
River and gorge.
Everyone's favorite poisonous plant (poison ivy), but it is sure pretty in fall.
Upon returning from the camping, we dove into pruning back the huge holly bushes. I borrowed our neighbors hedge trimmers, ladder, and chain saw (to cut the top of the holly's off). We made a nice mess of the yard. Plus I trimmed the cherry tree off the roof and checked the gutters, from the roof. A little scary.
Note primer on shutters (soon to be white).
Monday, October 15, 2007
Long time no post
I finally got off my rear to post some new picts. I got a sweet new camera last week, so we've taken about 1000 picts of nearly everything. This weekend we went ot Lexington KY for Michelle and Patrick's wedding. Wedding was at a winery, so great photo opps and of course the beer flowed! We got to see Layne (from MSU via Fairhope AL) at the wedding.
Layne and Bec
Layne and Bec again.
Bec and I at the wedding.
We saw this sign on the interstate and I took it while Bec was driving 70.
Jay's dream tractor at the winery.
Layne and Bec
Barn and vineyards at the Winery where the wedding was (I put off beer to get some picts)
We saw this sign on the interstate and I took it while Bec was driving 70.
Castle in Lexington, KY, hummm......
Jay's dream tractor at the winery.
Grass clump in the front yard. Survived the drought and actually grew well.
Red-bellied Woodpecker sitting on fence by feeder.
Nick proud of his complete destruction of the stuffed Mardi Gras monkey.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Stuff has arrived
So on Thursday I made the trek to Philly, via Southwest airlines, and rented a truck to move most of my personal belongings from PA back to Nashville. I also got a ton of old breakables per se and some great old furniture from my parents place, as well as stuff from my grandfathers apartment, and from Jane, Bob, and Judy in Wilmington. Sunday I pulled the full 770 miles from DE to Smyrna. Almost 13 hrs in a Penske truck. I'm too old for that and by old I mean I'm not 21 anymore, but not old like Brian.
It was amazing how much stuff I had in PA. I threw out probably 10 boxes of notes from elementary, middle, high school, and college, plus my spelling quizzes from 4th grade, etc etc. I saved a couple things for posterity and for me to read and learn something from, i.e. a paper I wrote on the Arab-Israeli conflict from about 5th grade. I have WAY more baseball cards then I thought. Nearly one whole shelf in the basement is baseball cards! Yikes.
I had a great visit with the 'rents and the Austins in DE. They spoiled me and I think I gained 5 lbs due to excessive soda, pizza, hoagies, veal parm, and peanut butter M&M's (which I love but can't find anywhere, thanks Judy!!).
The shelves I built a couple weeks ago worked perfectly. We actually still had space to put more stuff on them after all the boxes were loaded up, hence we can put our luggage and camping stuff up on shelves too! By the way Jay, the radial saw is staying with me:) You'll have to fight me for it.
It was amazing how much stuff I had in PA. I threw out probably 10 boxes of notes from elementary, middle, high school, and college, plus my spelling quizzes from 4th grade, etc etc. I saved a couple things for posterity and for me to read and learn something from, i.e. a paper I wrote on the Arab-Israeli conflict from about 5th grade. I have WAY more baseball cards then I thought. Nearly one whole shelf in the basement is baseball cards! Yikes.
I had a great visit with the 'rents and the Austins in DE. They spoiled me and I think I gained 5 lbs due to excessive soda, pizza, hoagies, veal parm, and peanut butter M&M's (which I love but can't find anywhere, thanks Judy!!).
The shelves I built a couple weeks ago worked perfectly. We actually still had space to put more stuff on them after all the boxes were loaded up, hence we can put our luggage and camping stuff up on shelves too! By the way Jay, the radial saw is staying with me:) You'll have to fight me for it.
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