The riding continues...

Got to get out on a quick but effective 15-miler on Saturday. Felt best I've felt yet... though still pretty weak. I have a long way to go to get back to the shape I wanna be in. Sunday was an off day... and Monday as well due to lots of rain and generally crappy weather. Today is a new day. Partly sunny and highs in the upper 50's. Good day to ride. It'll be another short ride. 17-mile loop around Hickory.

BLING report. My new Thomson stem should be in today. I hope to throw that baby on before the ride today... pics to follow.

It's COLD!

The day after Thanksgiving was pretty docile. Had to work but got to go on a quick 15-mile ride. It was cold. Low 40's and windy. The kind of wind that cuts right through you. Thanks to a lot of warm clothing (leg warmers, shoe covers, full finger gloves, fleece beanie, wool undershirt, winter jersey) I did pretty well. Today it's even colder... gonna go out and do another little 15 or so mile loop. Every little bit helps. I plan on trying to put as many miles in every day at an easy endurance pace this winter and try to get a jump on spring 2008. As much as I hate the cold... an easy endurance pace suits me when it's uncomfortable outside. I hope the freezing rain and ice stays away... cause as much as I hate riding in the cold... I hate indoor trainers even more.

BLING: Installed some pretty cool Stella Azzurra handlebars yesterday. Can't wait to get my new Thomson stem and Eriksen Titanium post. I also need to order some new tires... mine are about done. eBay here I come!

Another ride... and some BLING!

Did a nice easy 13 mile ride today with Jon "Johnny Metro" Hogaboom today. Had a good time in some great fall weather. I also gave my wife my Christmas list. It consisted of one item... a Titanium Seat post. yeah, that's right... a seat post. But it's no ordinary seat post mind you... it's titanium... and it's custom made. Made by Eriksen Cycles. They make the king of all seat posts and some sweet Ti frames as well. It's total bike BLING! Okay... so it's a bike thing... you wouldn't understand.

I also dropped the hammer and ordered a new stem... it's a Thomson Elite X2 stem. I've always thought Thomson made some of the best stuff anywhere. It's silver and will look great on my Ti frame. Here's a pic.









Anyway it's a little gift to myself to celebrate my reemergence on the bike. Hey, it's the little things... sue me.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I have much to be thankful for. I have 4 healthy children... a beautiful baby girl... a great job... great friends... a great wife... and hey... why not throw a sweet bike into the mix. I have my health, and my faith. I cannot complain. Happy Thanksgiving to you all and God bless you.

Come back to see how I do in my first cold ride of the year. Friday it's only supposed to be in the high 40's. Brrrrrrrr! I hate the friggin cold!

Squint and maybe you can see it!

...My cycling legs coming back that is. Did a nice 15 miler today and though every little ant-hill climb was terrible... I felt happy. I felt like I was supposed to actually be on a bike today. The weather was perfect... the course was good... and it was a good day to be a cyclist. I had this "hollow" not quite there feeling you get in your legs an hour after the ride that felt great. Just enough to remind me that I did something good today. I hope I never take it for granted again. I rode easy today. I never pushed too hard or attacked on climbs. I just put it in a gear I liked and rode. Didn't care about average speed... didn't care about cadence... didn't care about whether I was in the saddle or out. I just rode and enjoyed the surroundings. It's the purity of cycling that I missed. I've grown so tired of all the bike snob arrogant pro wannabe group ride idiots. How about an "Alternative", alternative bike culture. One that isn't full of posers. One that doesn't have an agenda... that doesn't criticize other riders for the bike they ride, the way they dress, or how they "represent" the scene. Just blue collar folks who like to ride. Who like the machines. Who respect the history, but don't so caught up into it that they lose site of "the ride". After all... it's about propulsion. Getting from one point to another and enjoying the journey and hopefully enjoying it with a friend. Here's to cycling... and here's to the new "alternative" Alternative culture. Here's to "just ride your freakin bike and chill out."

All gone...

It's all gone. Everything I built up in June, July, and August is gone. I did my first ride yesterday since the birth of my daughter and it bout killed me. I rode (get this) ten miles!! My lungs burned up what was a easy climb and my legs were weak and achy. But I was happy. Happy to be out on the bike again. Happy to breath in cool fall air. Happy to be doing something productive. Happy to break a sweat. I'm gonna try 17 miles today. Can't wait!

Change of plans.

This blog is taking a dramatic turn due to a dramatic and wonderful event. My beautiful daughter, Dagen, who is now 8 weeks old… was born prematurely and we went through a crazy 2 months. She is doing fantastic now and is a normal, chubby, lively little baby. Up to the time that she was born, I was logging my efforts here in this blog and sharing my training in order to fulfill a dream of competing in a long-course triathlon. I entered the Florida Half-Ironman in May, 2008… and began training. At the time, I was confident that I could continue my triathlon training and help take care of a baby along with my three other kids. In short… I was wrong. Technically, it is possible… but in order to do it it would me taking away precious time from my wife and children. I value my family too much to take away much needed time from them. To sacrifice my time with my family to fulfill a personal goal was selfish at best. So after many weeks of thought and reflection I have decided to cease my multisport training. I have cancelled withdrawn my entry in the Florida 70.3 Ironman and regretfully am selling the beautiful Quintana Roo triathlon bike I just finished building. So, that chapter in my life has ended. So now what?

Back on the bike.

It was back in 1999 that I began cycling. I was a 210lb. muscle-head that desperately needed a change. So, to make a long story short, I got a road bike and took a turn at cycling. My first ride was only eight-miles. But at the end of the ride… I toppled off my bike and threw up. I was hooked. Over the next several years, I kept cycling. My work schedule, along with family obligations, coupled with my severe dislike of the cold, kept me from developing into the cycling that I always wanted to be. My highest mileage fro a season (for me a season is 4-months) was 1500 miles. I reached a few milestones. I completed many metric century rides (63miles) including the very tough Hurt, Pain, and Agony ride in North Wilkboro, NC. I also completed the bridge to Bridge Incredible Cycling Challenge in 2006; a grueling 102 mile pain-fest that caps with a 2.2 mile ascent up Grandfather Mountain. In short, I love cycling and I love bikes in general.

So now what?

So now, the Endurance Chronicles will be a diary of my training to become a far better cyclist than I ever have been. There will be many challenges now that I have a baby in the house, and that my wife took a new job that has her working crazy hours in a town an hour and a half from here. At least focusing on one discipline will be much easier than three… to become truly “good” at cycling will be tough. Especially for a guy with the complete antithesis of the cyclists physique. However, I really believe this challenge is doable with everything else I have in my life. So, I polished up and tuned up my trusty Merlin Agilis road bike this weekend… and will venture out today to do a little ten-mile ride that symbolically announces that I am back. So, if you’re into the cycling thing… or just want to read about an overworked stressed out dad trying to stay fit at 39… then come back often. I’m also looking at today as being the first day of my 2008-cycling season. I’m starting several months early this year as opposed to my usual late season start. Which also means that this Florida boy who HATES cold weather will have to suffer through bone chilling North Carolina rides. Stay tuned!

Seven weeks later... and a new baby... I'm back!

Kind of. My triathlon aspirations are dead. However, my quest to become a proficient cyclist and fit 40-year-old forges ahead. More later... stay tuned!