sweet spot

A few hundred mile on the new wheels and I am just starting to find my sweet spot...I think...A spacer here, a pedal washer there, for, aft, up, down...good grief! Still trying to figure out my aerobar extensions...

Despite of all my anatomical issues, general lack of flexibility (which I am working on), etc...So far, I love the Trek Equinox.

Now all it need is a name...(no Christian I will not call it the screaming banana)

This weekend's 65/12 brick should be telling...

dizzy hopscotch

Making some beer. Hell yes! What will hopefully be a tasty IPA, from a Ninkasi clone recipe for TriCeraHops.

Thanks Schaarschmidt's for taking us to the Dry Dock Brewery and giving me motivation to tell my wife to get her butt into the crawlspace and dig out my beer making stuff...I kid.

I forgot how much fun making beer can be...but mostly I forgot pretty much how to do it (my last batch was in 1991). Wicked cool guys, bad food and killer beer...I am definitely not mad!

For about a week, K and I have been slinging names, phrases, thoughts back and forth...needing to name it...we landed on "dizzy hopscotch". I keep going downstairs to check on it, while its fermenting...like a dad checking on his (beer) baby. This morning it's gassy - therefore I need a blow off tube.

In two weeks it will go in a bottle and then another two weeks until we get to try it...I hope it doesn't suck.

Once our new neighbors move in (K's sister Amy & Nate, the chitlens and dog) we are going to build a kegerator and get down!

glimmer

Week 6 of training brought with it a few moments of goodness...and by goodness I mean intensity, that as of late had been really lacking. Part of me feels like it's about time...another part, the realist, is grateful.

Kristina and I headed into to Denver to run the Cherry Creek Dam Half. Coming off of the Austin Half I only had one goal in mind, just break 2 hours, please break 2 hours. I still struggle a bit with not having the speed of my youth
- the days of 19 minute 5Ks are well behind me...but if I empty my head and let go of all the shit I kinda still feel like I am cruising...if only in my mind. In those moments I could care less how fast I am, just kinda that I am.

My Garmin crapped out at about mile 9, on the mother of all hills on this course...(it felt like a 400 ft. climb in 3/4 mile, whether it was or not, I don't care) At the top, a 3 mile tailwind was the gift...I crossed the line with 3 minutes to spare.

Frame of mind

Three disciplines? No.

Four? No.

More like five...or is it six?

We all are well aware that triathlon consists of the 3 obvious disciplines - swimming, cycling & running...Nutrition is often considered the fourth; or is that transition?

The sixth disciple, or maybe (really) the first discipline...is the mental aspect of it all...without it we are all toast...from the toughest world champion to the slowest of age groupers.

My frame of mind hangs a bit crooked today. Time to straighten it and focus a bit, lest I be toast.

Almost there...

With the crash in October, I didn't only wreck my bones, I wrecked my bike...cracked my frame. The rehab of the shoulder is still happening and I am almost, dare I say, stronger that I was before.

Along the way, I learned that the impact with the road also is responsible for the hip pain that I have been experiencing lately, which appears to be a torn labrum, in addition to, the re-aggravation and re-inflammation of FAIS (femoral acetabular impingement syndrome). More on that another time...this post is about my new wheels.

Thank you TDB for the frame and the mojo. Thursday, the final fit @ BCSM and tune @ Golden Bear. Friday she will take flight...not a moment too soon - less that 6 weeks until IM Galveston 70.3 to dial in.

things I love

55/10 brick in the bag...the trainer will be the death of me. Loved the run with K even though she was about to die at my snail's pace.

Other things I loved about today...

1. Making homemade pizza
2. Eating homemade pizza
3. Drinking tasty IPAs with homemade pizza
4. Drinking IPA's and eating homemade pizza while watching the Oscars.

Good night!

decide

Last week nobody read my blog...I think I actually had 3 visitors (exaggeration)...but what should I expect..."if you build it, they will come"...if you don't, they won't...

I also noticed that I was at the very bottom of Kristina's blog roll, which means that of all the people she follows, I was the one who hasn't blogged in the longest time...pretty lame, I guess, if I am to call myself a blogger.

So I had to decide, do I blog or not...I am secretly envious of how my wife keeps a semi-detailed account of her (our) lives and what's going on...thoughts, feelings, accomplishments, a little chronology of events ...but I really don't need to envy her/it, all I need to do is blog. Simple. I'll see if I can't make it happen after riding and falling off the blog bus again...Done...Bye.

Ten Week

Time to look forward so I'll get it out and move on.

I need to say thank you to my wife. My biggest fan. My greatest source of inspiration. Pretty much my rock.

10 weeks ago - I was on the operating table, getting put together with plates and screws. Today, I am back in the game...swimming, biking and running again. On Thanksgiving, I did a 12 mile trail run (in the sling) with my brother-in-law Nate. Rehabbing at the gym with weights and bands is at a minimum 3x a week. Last week, kind of Christmas gifts to self, I swam 1000m, 1500m, then 2,000m; also had my first outside ride since the crash...a 40 miler with K.

Cold days like today (-15DEG F, with the windchill, really?) remind me that I'm not fully healed in my bones...but in my spirit, I think I am. Thanks K for putting up with me and believing in me more than I do sometimes!

buh bye 2010

Out with the old. In with the new. In retrospect 2010 was a good year; albeit a tough year. I have a lot to be thankful for...family, friends, health*, work...

With a new year comes new plans, new goals, new challenges to face...all of which I will embrace.

K and I are hoping to someday become parents...maybe 2011 will be the year. Eeks! With this, I will resolve to become a more patient and understanding person...we'll see how that goes.

Without belaboring the disclaimer above (health*) I am healing nicely and have a few more races to do in '11 before I shift my focus with regard to fitness activities (more about that later). My primary goals this year will be to a.) stay upright on the bike; b.) be kind to my knees and run lots of trails; c.) swim my ass off to rehab my shoulder back to where it was. Training plans are already in the works. Stay positive, stay healthy! With regards to this season - I am secretly calling it Comeback 2.0 (IMFL was Comeback 1.0, but that sort of crashed and burned (or broke)).

With the New Year, I'll will further resolve to be better...wherever, whenever I can....better husband, better friend, son, brother, blogger, cook, photographer, person, athlete, pet owner...I have a feeling it's going to be a good year.

Peace out!

Special day

Today will always be a special day. It goes by so fast; but still that hollowed out feeling remains. Josey's been in heaven for three years now; no doubt they love her up there as much as we love her down here. How could you not?

There is a small lake that I ride past often. It makes me think of her...in part, because she played and swam there and loved it; but mostly because shortly after she past away, I felt her there as I was riding along...her right next to me, ears flopping letting me know "dad, I am OK." Everytime I ride by, I send a kiss up to her, hoping she gets it!

Lunz and Will are holding the fort down and both have some of her in them!

We love and miss you baby!