Chicago Marathon Folks: Watch out for running balls! 8

So today is the big day if you're planning on signing up for the Chicago Marathon.  Registration started at midnight this morning (CST timezone) for the 31st running of the Chicago Marathon.  Today's TGIF post brings you a reminder to watch out for a big pair of running balls if your running Chicago later this year.  Cause getting run over by a massive version of family jewels would be a wee bit difficult to explain to family and friends:  "Uhh yeah man, I was just running along in my zone and then - BAM! - a giant ball sack flattened me to the pavement".

Last year there was a guy running in a costume representin' the home team.  It made for some great photos that were floated around the Internet at that time - although generally overshadowed by issues with the race itself.  The costume was all for a good cause though, he was there supporting Testicular Cancer.

Have a great weekend folks!

Chicago Marathon Folks: Watch out for running balls! 0

So today is the big day if you're planning on signing up for the Chicago Marathon.  Registration started at midnight this morning (CST timezone) for the 31st running of the Chicago Marathon.  Today's TGIF post brings you a reminder to watch out for a big pair of running balls if your running Chicago later this year.  Cause getting run over by a massive version of family jewels would be a wee bit difficult to explain to family and friends:  "Uhh yeah man, I was just running along in my zone and then - BAM! - a giant ball sack flattened me to the pavement".

Last year there was a guy running in a costume representin' the home team.  It made for some great photos that were floated around the Internet at that time - although generally overshadowed by issues with the race itself.  The costume was all for a good cause though, he was there supporting Testicular Cancer.

Have a great weekend folks!

Sport Tracks 2.0 Released! 8

Woohoo! Sport Tracks 2.0 was released earlier this week.  I had been beta testing it a bit for a few months now, and it’s awesome.  Here's a quick overview of some of the new stuff.

For those of you not familiar with Sport Tracks – it’s a free application that allows you to tie into your GPS systems (or non-GPS if you’d like) and track your workouts. Kinda like the Garmin Training Center, or the Polar Training application, but only about 1,000 times better and more functional. It can pull in virtually all Garmin devices, Polar devices and Timex devices, plus a host of others - as well as anything that can do GPX (which is everything). If you haven’t tried it or used it – definitely give it a whirl. There is a very active user community, especially tri folks – so it’s got all of the features you need to track and analyze your workouts.

Some great new features have been added, especially around the reporting and graphing areas. Overall the UI is cleaned up quite a bit and there are a ton of little enhancements. Perhaps the biggest change though is the opened ability to add plug-ins from the community.  Check out some of these really cool ones:

• Elevation Correction Plug-in: Ever finish a workout and look at the results and say "There's no what I did that elevation gain/loss"?  Well, this little ST2 plug-in fixes that.  It uses far more accurate data from NASA to correctly remap your rides and runs.
  
• Overlay Plug-in: Wanna compare last week's run to this week's run?  Was your heart rate higher for the same course?  Did the hill slow you down less this week than last?
  
• Performance Predictor: We've all used the little calculators to convert our 10K time into a Half-Mary time.  Now have the computer do it for you.  With this plug-in the handy little calculator is built into Sports Tracks, and offers you the ability to pick any race/training run and have it spit out a predicted time set for other distances.
  
• Power Predictor for Bike: Don't have a Power Meter?  Me neither.  Well...how about having this little plug-in try and figure it out for you.  This takes in a ton of variables (like tire type, cadence and even wind speed pulled from local weather stations) and spits out predicted wattages.  Quite cool. 
  
  Here's a quick graph using this plug-in for a nice afternoon ride back in October (and it pulls the exact weather data from nearby locations for that day):
  
  
  
  Oh, and you can use it to record the temps, humidity and wind chills for runs as well.  Check out this run I just analyzed from last summer (on the hottest day of the year, I was kinda curious how running seven miles would feel in 100* temps):
  
   

All of the above screen shots are just single panes of the larger application.  And remember, there's tons of other free (in fact, all are free) plug-ins available, check out the full list.  Once you convert over from Garmin Training center, you’ll never look back.  Oh, and did I mention it's free?

Version 2.0 is now available at:
http://www.zonefivesoftware.com/SportTracks/Downloads/

Sport Tracks 2.0 Released! 0

Woohoo! Sport Tracks 2.0 was released earlier this week.  I had been beta testing it a bit for a few months now, and it’s awesome.  Here's a quick overview of some of the new stuff.

For those of you not familiar with Sport Tracks – it’s a free application that allows you to tie into your GPS systems (or non-GPS if you’d like) and track your workouts. Kinda like the Garmin Training Center, or the Polar Training application, but only about 1,000 times better and more functional. It can pull in virtually all Garmin devices, Polar devices and Timex devices, plus a host of others - as well as anything that can do GPX (which is everything). If you haven’t tried it or used it – definitely give it a whirl. There is a very active user community, especially tri folks – so it’s got all of the features you need to track and analyze your workouts.

Some great new features have been added, especially around the reporting and graphing areas. Overall the UI is cleaned up quite a bit and there are a ton of little enhancements. Perhaps the biggest change though is the opened ability to add plug-ins from the community.  Check out some of these really cool ones:

• Elevation Correction Plug-in: Ever finish a workout and look at the results and say "There's no what I did that elevation gain/loss"?  Well, this little ST2 plug-in fixes that.  It uses far more accurate data from NASA to correctly remap your rides and runs.
  
• Overlay Plug-in: Wanna compare last week's run to this week's run?  Was your heart rate higher for the same course?  Did the hill slow you down less this week than last?
  
• Performance Predictor: We've all used the little calculators to convert our 10K time into a Half-Mary time.  Now have the computer do it for you.  With this plug-in the handy little calculator is built into Sports Tracks, and offers you the ability to pick any race/training run and have it spit out a predicted time set for other distances.
  
• Power Predictor for Bike: Don't have a Power Meter?  Me neither.  Well...how about having this little plug-in try and figure it out for you.  This takes in a ton of variables (like tire type, cadence and even wind speed pulled from local weather stations) and spits out predicted wattages.  Quite cool. 
  
  Here's a quick graph using this plug-in for a nice afternoon ride back in October (and it pulls the exact weather data from nearby locations for that day):
  
  
  
  Oh, and you can use it to record the temps, humidity and wind chills for runs as well.  Check out this run I just analyzed from last summer (on the hottest day of the year, I was kinda curious how running seven miles would feel in 100* temps):
  
   

All of the above screen shots are just single panes of the larger application.  And remember, there's tons of other free (in fact, all are free) plug-ins available, check out the full list.  Once you convert over from Garmin Training center, you’ll never look back.  Oh, and did I mention it's free?

Version 2.0 is now available at:
http://www.zonefivesoftware.com/SportTracks/Downloads/

The water bottle assembly and storage system 13

Some ideas I manage to conjure up myself...but others are best borrowed.  I was at a friends house for a party a number of weeks ago and noticed that they had dedicated a full kitchen cabinet for water bottles.  It was quite logical when you considered it.  The bottles otherwise would stack up on the counter or just float around the house.

So I borrowed from their idea, refined it a bit - and then implemented it myself.  Behold - the water bottle cabinet:

Now this is within my normal kitchen cabinets, it's just that I've cleared out the random dishes/glasses that were on this one shelf, and then stacked all the water bottles in it.  Most of the dishes that were occupying this space and voted off the island were used sparingly - such as creme brulee & soufflé ramekins and tea stuff.  As far as implementation of the bottles, the real key here is stacking them like wine bottles, otherwise it doesn't seem to work as well.  It also makes it easier to remove a specific bottle, compared to if they were vertical.

Now the system approach to utilization of said liquid container is also important.  Water bottles go into service directly from the cabinet via the sink (for filling with water or other liquid) to the transportation device (aka: bike, my hand for running, or gym bag for swim).  They are then consumed that day (or liquid tossed).

Once completed they go right into the sink and eventually the dishwasher.  No sitting around for days on the bike.  No sitting for weeks on the floor near the bike.  No lounging around in the gym or transition bag - just straight off the assembly line and into the cleaning station. This way I mentally know there are always 'fresh' water bottles since I can just look up in the cabinet and see the holy land for water bottles.   Whereas before I might 'save' a partially used water bottle for a day...or week or so...in hopes of finishing it off.  Of course, as we all know, that results in stinky bottles (which then require bleach).

And...if the whole system fails, I can just fall back to Hammer Gel Martinis, given the martini glasses are the shelf above.

The water bottle assembly and storage system 0

Some ideas I manage to conjure up myself...but others are best borrowed.  I was at a friends house for a party a number of weeks ago and noticed that they had dedicated a full kitchen cabinet for water bottles.  It was quite logical when you considered it.  The bottles otherwise would stack up on the counter or just float around the house.

So I borrowed from their idea, refined it a bit - and then implemented it myself.  Behold - the water bottle cabinet:

Now this is within my normal kitchen cabinets, it's just that I've cleared out the random dishes/glasses that were on this one shelf, and then stacked all the water bottles in it.  Most of the dishes that were occupying this space and voted off the island were used sparingly - such as creme brulee & soufflé ramekins and tea stuff.  As far as implementation of the bottles, the real key here is stacking them like wine bottles, otherwise it doesn't seem to work as well.  It also makes it easier to remove a specific bottle, compared to if they were vertical.

Now the system approach to utilization of said liquid container is also important.  Water bottles go into service directly from the cabinet via the sink (for filling with water or other liquid) to the transportation device (aka: bike, my hand for running, or gym bag for swim).  They are then consumed that day (or liquid tossed).

Once completed they go right into the sink and eventually the dishwasher.  No sitting around for days on the bike.  No sitting for weeks on the floor near the bike.  No lounging around in the gym or transition bag - just straight off the assembly line and into the cleaning station. This way I mentally know there are always 'fresh' water bottles since I can just look up in the cabinet and see the holy land for water bottles.   Whereas before I might 'save' a partially used water bottle for a day...or week or so...in hopes of finishing it off.  Of course, as we all know, that results in stinky bottles (which then require bleach).

And...if the whole system fails, I can just fall back to Hammer Gel Martinis, given the martini glasses are the shelf above.

Brickman 4

After yesterday's brickage - I am the brickman.  Well...technically these dudes down in Texas are the brickman, but I certainly feel like I could be the brickman. 

Yesterday's swim, ride & run was the first time I've done three sports in a row in a while.    The festivities included a 2400 yard hard swim followed by a 15 mile moderate intensity (and hilly/windy) ride followed by a 5 mile run.  It was a tiring weekend all things considered, but everything felt good and the knee is still generally content with life.

I saw this truck down in Dallas just outside the building I was at, back a month or so ago.  I immediately provisioned my passenger seat person to secure a photo of the back of the truck.  Luckily my passenger also does tri's, otherwise the whole photo taking experience might have been a bit awkward to explain.  Interestingly, I actually saw a similar truck up in DC here back a week or two ago.

Brickman 0

After yesterday's brickage - I am the brickman.  Well...technically these dudes down in Texas are the brickman, but I certainly feel like I could be the brickman. 

Yesterday's swim, ride & run was the first time I've done three sports in a row in a while.    The festivities included a 2400 yard hard swim followed by a 15 mile moderate intensity (and hilly/windy) ride followed by a 5 mile run.  It was a tiring weekend all things considered, but everything felt good and the knee is still generally content with life.

I saw this truck down in Dallas just outside the building I was at, back a month or so ago.  I immediately provisioned my passenger seat person to secure a photo of the back of the truck.  Luckily my passenger also does tri's, otherwise the whole photo taking experience might have been a bit awkward to explain.  Interestingly, I actually saw a similar truck up in DC here back a week or two ago.

Tri State Ride (aka: A Cold 55 Miles) 10

Today's weather was looking much more promising than last week's Saturday ride.  The weather had peaked a bit above freezing a few times over the course of the week, melting off any snow on the pavement.  And there hadn't been any precipitation of any kind in the last 7-10 days - so it was just dry and cold.  When I set out it was 34* according to my little outdoor thermometer.  When I returned it would have dipped down to 31*F.

I decided to tie together a series of different ride pieces together to make a new ride that I've never done before.  I would start off from home, skirt the side of Old Town and then eventually join up with Four Mile Run shortly before transitioning to the Mt. Vernon trail for a few miles.  I'd jump across the river into the city for a while, and then bound up Rock Creek parkway to basically the top, and then turn around again.  This would start in Virginia, swing through DC and then hit Maryland before turning around (yes, I know DC isn't a state...but for the purposes of this post it is).  Here's what it looked like:

I did have one 'less than desirable' portion.  Shortly after going past the backside of Lincoln's Memorial I followed the street signs to Rock Creek Parkway.  Seemed logical right?  Umm...no.  Cause apparently those signs put you on a section of road that's essentially 1.5 miles of highway.  Three to four lanes wide with cars whizzing by at 50+ mph.  And me stuck in the middle lanes following the signs to Rock Creek Parkway.  I cranked it up as fast I could go and made like a hammer-fest, but even peaking at 30mph, I was still short of the cars by 20mph.  Doh.  Not i.d.e.al.

Here's the section in question, highlighted in blue.  Interestingly, this was part of last year's Nation's Tri...except without the 50mph cars mixing in the fun.

I did have one more revelation as I approached around the 40 mile mark.  I sucked at nutrition today.  I didn't have anything but water on my bike, and my breakfast only consisted of a few bowls of cereal.  I could feel the like of energy in the last 10-15 miles, and definitely need to remember to fuel correctly - just because it's cold doesn't mean my nutrition plan should change.  My bad.  I've got warm-weather nutrition nailed, but haven't figured out cold weather yet.

Oh...and I should have worn my other warmer pair of cycling gloves.  My fingers were kinda cold after nearly three hours.  Here's a shot from within Rock Creek.

After all that...it was time to make dinner!  I was starving given I just knocked out 2,982 calories.  I went to my book case and decided I'd pick something out of the Italian cooking bible (a whopping 1,264 pages) - 'Silver Spoon'.  I went with a Semolina and Prosciutto Gnocchi.  I also decided to throw together a quick Bruschetta as an appetizer.  Lastly for dessert I made a Double Chocolate Pudding Parfait.  Given I had a fair bit of time, I just made everything from scratch.

For the Bruschetta, I put a thin layer of fresh pesto sauce down on the baguette, and then chopped up some nice tomatoes and sprinkled them with salt and pepper.  While parmesan cheese isn't technically part of a true Italian Bruschetta, I added it - cause I like cheese.  Toss it in the oven for about 8 minutes and it's good to go.

Next up was the Gnocchi.  Unlike regular Gnocchi, this actually didn't contain any potatoes.  Which is good, cause I always burn my fingers making regular potato  Gnocchi.  The interesting twist in this one was the chopped up Prosciutto inside the Gnocchi.  After making the 'dough', I shaped it using a Gnocchi paddle and then put it in the oven to bake (which, btw, normally is done in boiling water).

The recipe didn't call for a particular sauce, and I couldn't decide what I felt like... so I just made three different variations.  I left one 'plain' per the recipe with just a light butter glaze and bake parmesan cheese.  I did another with a meat sauce I had made from a few days prior, and then lastly I did my favorite - a quick pan butter sear and then tossed with pesto sauce and finally a reduced balsamic glaze over the top.  Oh yeah, a light dusting of parmesan cheese over all of them.

It's kinda hard to tell in the photo, but the meat sauce is to the left, the plain up top, and the pesto/balsamic down in the right.

Lastly...it was time for dessert.  While the gnocchi was baking, I whipped up (pun intended) the Double Chocolate Pudding Parfait.  This was actually super-easy and took only 20 minutes to make from scratch.  Basically it's a layer of chocolate pudding, and then another layer of fresh cocoa whipped cream and then more chocolate.  The much harder part was actually getting it into the wine glass without the contents touching the sides (to make it look pretty).  I managed to break a wine glass.  Again...not ideal.  Then I realized a simple pastry bag would be the key.  Much easier.  After I got it in, a quick dusting of cocoa and it was done. The resultant:

And with that... I'm tired.  Tomorrow I've got a nice 2400 yard swim, a 5 mile run, and perhaps another 15-20 mile bike.  Fun fun.

Tri State Ride (aka: A Cold 55 Miles) 0

Today's weather was looking much more promising than last week's Saturday ride.  The weather had peaked a bit above freezing a few times over the course of the week, melting off any snow on the pavement.  And there hadn't been any precipitation of any kind in the last 7-10 days - so it was just dry and cold.  When I set out it was 34* according to my little outdoor thermometer.  When I returned it would have dipped down to 31*F.

I decided to tie together a series of different ride pieces together to make a new ride that I've never done before.  I would start off from home, skirt the side of Old Town and then eventually join up with Four Mile Run shortly before transitioning to the Mt. Vernon trail for a few miles.  I'd jump across the river into the city for a while, and then bound up Rock Creek parkway to basically the top, and then turn around again.  This would start in Virginia, swing through DC and then hit Maryland before turning around (yes, I know DC isn't a state...but for the purposes of this post it is).  Here's what it looked like:

I did have one 'less than desirable' portion.  Shortly after going past the backside of Lincoln's Memorial I followed the street signs to Rock Creek Parkway.  Seemed logical right?  Umm...no.  Cause apparently those signs put you on a section of road that's essentially 1.5 miles of highway.  Three to four lanes wide with cars whizzing by at 50+ mph.  And me stuck in the middle lanes following the signs to Rock Creek Parkway.  I cranked it up as fast I could go and made like a hammer-fest, but even peaking at 30mph, I was still short of the cars by 20mph.  Doh.  Not i.d.e.al.

Here's the section in question, highlighted in blue.  Interestingly, this was part of last year's Nation's Tri...except without the 50mph cars mixing in the fun.

I did have one more revelation as I approached around the 40 mile mark.  I sucked at nutrition today.  I didn't have anything but water on my bike, and my breakfast only consisted of a few bowls of cereal.  I could feel the like of energy in the last 10-15 miles, and definitely need to remember to fuel correctly - just because it's cold doesn't mean my nutrition plan should change.  My bad.  I've got warm-weather nutrition nailed, but haven't figured out cold weather yet.

Oh...and I should have worn my other warmer pair of cycling gloves.  My fingers were kinda cold after nearly three hours.  Here's a shot from within Rock Creek.

After all that...it was time to make dinner!  I was starving given I just knocked out 2,982 calories.  I went to my book case and decided I'd pick something out of the Italian cooking bible (a whopping 1,264 pages) - 'Silver Spoon'.  I went with a Semolina and Prosciutto Gnocchi.  I also decided to throw together a quick Bruschetta as an appetizer.  Lastly for dessert I made a Double Chocolate Pudding Parfait.  Given I had a fair bit of time, I just made everything from scratch.

For the Bruschetta, I put a thin layer of fresh pesto sauce down on the baguette, and then chopped up some nice tomatoes and sprinkled them with salt and pepper.  While parmesan cheese isn't technically part of a true Italian Bruschetta, I added it - cause I like cheese.  Toss it in the oven for about 8 minutes and it's good to go.

Next up was the Gnocchi.  Unlike regular Gnocchi, this actually didn't contain any potatoes.  Which is good, cause I always burn my fingers making regular potato  Gnocchi.  The interesting twist in this one was the chopped up Prosciutto inside the Gnocchi.  After making the 'dough', I shaped it using a Gnocchi paddle and then put it in the oven to bake (which, btw, normally is done in boiling water).

The recipe didn't call for a particular sauce, and I couldn't decide what I felt like... so I just made three different variations.  I left one 'plain' per the recipe with just a light butter glaze and bake parmesan cheese.  I did another with a meat sauce I had made from a few days prior, and then lastly I did my favorite - a quick pan butter sear and then tossed with pesto sauce and finally a reduced balsamic glaze over the top.  Oh yeah, a light dusting of parmesan cheese over all of them.

It's kinda hard to tell in the photo, but the meat sauce is to the left, the plain up top, and the pesto/balsamic down in the right.

Lastly...it was time for dessert.  While the gnocchi was baking, I whipped up (pun intended) the Double Chocolate Pudding Parfait.  This was actually super-easy and took only 20 minutes to make from scratch.  Basically it's a layer of chocolate pudding, and then another layer of fresh cocoa whipped cream and then more chocolate.  The much harder part was actually getting it into the wine glass without the contents touching the sides (to make it look pretty).  I managed to break a wine glass.  Again...not ideal.  Then I realized a simple pastry bag would be the key.  Much easier.  After I got it in, a quick dusting of cocoa and it was done. The resultant:

And with that... I'm tired.  Tomorrow I've got a nice 2400 yard swim, a 5 mile run, and perhaps another 15-20 mile bike.  Fun fun.

Box o Swim Stuff 6

Despite both DHL and USPS's best attempts to keep me from getting my box of stuff, I have succeeded in taking ownership of it.

(Side Note: If I pay for DHL shipping, I don't want DHL to hand it over to the Post Office (who then delivers it at their leisure) after the first failed delivery attempt - that DEFEATS the purpose of paying for DHL.  Seriously DHL: HTFU and try again - that's your job! Ok...tiny rant over)

The best part about getting a box of swim stuff - is that for relatively cheap you can get a lot of stuff.  It's like getting a bag of Skittles, instead of one piece of candy - you get 54 pieces of candy.  Whereas you order a bike part and you get one lousy chunk of metal for a gazillion dollars.

Last week I had the realization that I had no true swim shorts.  They were all tri shorts.  And then I realized that after last years little tri shorts incident, I really only had one pair of functional tri shorts.  So it was off to the Internets to order some new toys...err..gear.

Of course the true irony here is that I really don't enjoy lap-swimming.  I do enjoy open water swimming, but I find lap-swimming painfully boring.  Well, more so before I start my workout.  Once I start it's not too bad.  So perhaps this is part of my hidden agenda to find a way to enjoy swimming.

So anyway, here's the loot!

• Two pairs of goggle #1
• Two pairs of goggle #2
• In general I have issues with losing goggles, so I buy a pile at a time and then just lose them along the way.  I buy semi-cheap ones (about $7-10 on sale).  This should keep me for at least a few months.
• Swim glove thingy
• TYR Tri shorts (another pair of exactly what I got down in Texas from UntPawGal02, cause I like those)
• A pair of Nike Swim jammer's
• A nose clip for when I get into a flip-turn practice mood, I can only do so many flip turns before I just get fed up with water

Speaking of swimming.... If you're semi-new to swimming (like me) and you read through workout plans with your head spinning in acronyms, check out these two sites I found this afternoon.  They help explain all the more common ones.  Useful for when you have no idea what the swim sheet is trying to tell you to do.

I'm looking forward to going to see the Spirit of the Marathon Movie later tonight (Thursday) - one day only.  If you haven't got tickets yet...get a move on!

Box o Swim Stuff 0

Despite both DHL and USPS's best attempts to keep me from getting my box of stuff, I have succeeded in taking ownership of it.

(Side Note: If I pay for DHL shipping, I don't want DHL to hand it over to the Post Office (who then delivers it at their leisure) after the first failed delivery attempt - that DEFEATS the purpose of paying for DHL.  Seriously DHL: HTFU and try again - that's your job! Ok...tiny rant over)

The best part about getting a box of swim stuff - is that for relatively cheap you can get a lot of stuff.  It's like getting a bag of Skittles, instead of one piece of candy - you get 54 pieces of candy.  Whereas you order a bike part and you get one lousy chunk of metal for a gazillion dollars.

Last week I had the realization that I had no true swim shorts.  They were all tri shorts.  And then I realized that after last years little tri shorts incident, I really only had one pair of functional tri shorts.  So it was off to the Internets to order some new toys...err..gear.

Of course the true irony here is that I really don't enjoy lap-swimming.  I do enjoy open water swimming, but I find lap-swimming painfully boring.  Well, more so before I start my workout.  Once I start it's not too bad.  So perhaps this is part of my hidden agenda to find a way to enjoy swimming.

So anyway, here's the loot!

• Two pairs of goggle #1
• Two pairs of goggle #2
• In general I have issues with losing goggles, so I buy a pile at a time and then just lose them along the way.  I buy semi-cheap ones (about $7-10 on sale).  This should keep me for at least a few months.
• Swim glove thingy
• TYR Tri shorts (another pair of exactly what I got down in Texas from UntPawGal02, cause I like those)
• A pair of Nike Swim jammer's
• A nose clip for when I get into a flip-turn practice mood, I can only do so many flip turns before I just get fed up with water

Speaking of swimming.... If you're semi-new to swimming (like me) and you read through workout plans with your head spinning in acronyms, check out these two sites I found this afternoon.  They help explain all the more common ones.  Useful for when you have no idea what the swim sheet is trying to tell you to do.

I'm looking forward to going to see the Spirit of the Marathon Movie later tonight (Thursday) - one day only.  If you haven't got tickets yet...get a move on!

Any problem can be solved with a hacksaw 3

It's generally an awesome day when I can solve a computer issue with a hacksaw.  It's a super-awesome day when the device still actually works after the utilization of aforementioned cutting paraphernalia.

I had to use a hacksaw because some dumbass brilliant engineer decided to put a female screw adapter on the end of a serial device where that connection side should have had either nothing – or a male screw. A few minutes of hack saw work later and the issue was resolved. And the device is still functioning.  Yes...I'm easily amused.  And handy.

In the same way that large corporations perform 'recaps' of computers on a multiyear cycle, I do the same thing at home.  So I spent all three days of my weekend (when not training) configuring the new computers and moving all of the stuff from the old computers over. 

Generally a simple task, however when one of those computers controls all of the automation in the house (yes, my house is controlled by a computer), there is a lot of time spent ensuring that all of the little devices still work.  Otherwise the heating won't work and the lights get all ticked off, among other things.  This particular device takes RF and...wait, nevermind - it just monitors motion and makes the lights go on.  That's the simple version.  Anyway...

I've still got to tackle the last holdout - the Computrainer computer.  I thought about doing it tonight after my trainer ride...but I made taco's instead.  I did have a totally rockin' ride though - did the Wildflower Oly course in 1h 18m.  I started off too easy though, I can shave a few more mins off of that.  For those not familiar with the Computrainer, it is a trainer that has resistance controlled by a computer and you can load just about any course into it and it will feel like your riding the real thing.

(Obligatory fuzzy cell phone photo of completed hacksaw work attached)

Oh...one last thing.  If you have a United Airlines flight between now and 11:59PM on January 31st, and want a free upgrade to First or Biz class - e-mail me.  I have an upgrade that expires that I can't use and I nobody I know is traveling in the next 7 days.  It's good for domestic or international flights, heck you could go from London to San Fran to Sydney on it if that's how your flight is ticketed.  I'll take requests till the end of Wednesday.  I'll give it away based on some random to be determined formula.  Otherwise...it will just go to waste.

Any problem can be solved with a hacksaw 0

It's generally an awesome day when I can solve a computer issue with a hacksaw.  It's a super-awesome day when the device still actually works after the utilization of aforementioned cutting paraphernalia.

I had to use a hacksaw because some dumbass brilliant engineer decided to put a female screw adapter on the end of a serial device where that connection side should have had either nothing – or a male screw. A few minutes of hack saw work later and the issue was resolved. And the device is still functioning.  Yes...I'm easily amused.  And handy.

In the same way that large corporations perform 'recaps' of computers on a multiyear cycle, I do the same thing at home.  So I spent all three days of my weekend (when not training) configuring the new computers and moving all of the stuff from the old computers over. 

Generally a simple task, however when one of those computers controls all of the automation in the house (yes, my house is controlled by a computer), there is a lot of time spent ensuring that all of the little devices still work.  Otherwise the heating won't work and the lights get all ticked off, among other things.  This particular device takes RF and...wait, nevermind - it just monitors motion and makes the lights go on.  That's the simple version.  Anyway...

I've still got to tackle the last holdout - the Computrainer computer.  I thought about doing it tonight after my trainer ride...but I made taco's instead.  I did have a totally rockin' ride though - did the Wildflower Oly course in 1h 18m.  I started off too easy though, I can shave a few more mins off of that.  For those not familiar with the Computrainer, it is a trainer that has resistance controlled by a computer and you can load just about any course into it and it will feel like your riding the real thing.

(Obligatory fuzzy cell phone photo of completed hacksaw work attached)

Oh...one last thing.  If you have a United Airlines flight between now and 11:59PM on January 31st, and want a free upgrade to First or Biz class - e-mail me.  I have an upgrade that expires that I can't use and I nobody I know is traveling in the next 7 days.  It's good for domestic or international flights, heck you could go from London to San Fran to Sydney on it if that's how your flight is ticketed.  I'll take requests till the end of Wednesday.  I'll give it away based on some random to be determined formula.  Otherwise...it will just go to waste.

Bike Fitting 6

About a month ago, I had a bike fitting done by Coach Ken Mierke, a local triathlete coach and active poster on Trifuel.com.  I had originally asked for advice on Trifuel back a few months ago about getting a bike fit as I felt too stretched out on the bike and in general felt uncomfortable on long ride.

When I got my bike back in April it was my first road bike - ever.  While I had some very good advice from a fairly serious cyclist friend with respect to the actual purchase itself, I had never got it fit to me.  I assumed that much of the summer my discomfort with the bike was because my relative newness to the cycling sport.  Remember, the last time I rode a bike prior to April was basically in middle school (no, I'm not kidding - I'm dead serious).  And to some degree my lack of previous cycling played a part in it - my first few rides my back hurt after about 20 minutes, but over time that slowly crept up to a number of hours before I would start hurting.  I assumed that this meant I was getting more comfortable on the bike.  But even so, I didn't feel as powerful in certain positions on the bike. 

It also didn't feel natural.  I was cycling with a friend and he had just recently gotten a new bike and had it fit to him - during the ride he commented that "It feels so comfortable that it's like being in a lazy boy recliner...in the aero position".  That got me thinking that perhaps something was amiss in my configuration.

So I posted a post to Trifuel to ask for some advice on bike fitting.  A number of folks responded, including Coach Mierke.  He has an office a mere 15 minutes away, so it seemed like a logical match.

I made an appointment and went early on a Saturday morning back a number of weeks ago to get my bike fitted.  After asking some questions about what didn't feel right, how much I cycling and a number of other things; we put my bike up on a Computrainer and he had me start cycling.  Nothing too hard, just a relatively easy spin.  Over the course of the 45-60 minutes he tweaked a number of things.  Each time I would get off the bike, he would tweak it - and I would get back on and try it out.  Rinse, repeat.

A few key changes he made were pulling the aerobars in closer together - which made me feel more compact...and more aerodynamic.  He also brought my seat forward a little bit - helping me to not feel so stretched out.  In addition he raised my seat a fair bit.  I had a feeling for quite a while that my seat height was too low.  By raising it I feel like I get more power out of my legs.  Of course, all of these changes are specific to me.

I've gone on a few longer rides (at least two hours) since then where I was aero most of the rides and it feels quite a bit better. And the numerous weekday shorter rides also feel great. While I haven't gone upwards of the three hour mark since the fit - all signs are pointing to it definitely helping on the comfort scale.  It's a bit early to determine if it will also help me get more power out of my cycling (or help me on the run due to lower effort on cycling) - but I would venture to guess that it will since I'm not dealing with the annoyance of my back during the ride.

So all in all, well worth the $150 that I paid.  I'm also looking at using his coaching services, I'll probably be making a decision on that at some point here in the next week now that my knee is pretty much all happy again.

I would say that I do wish I had taken the time to get my bike fit BEFORE I started a year of training - I can't recommend doing that enough.

Bike Fitting 0

About a month ago, I had a bike fitting done by Coach Ken Mierke, a local triathlete coach and active poster on Trifuel.com.  I had originally asked for advice on Trifuel back a few months ago about getting a bike fit as I felt too stretched out on the bike and in general felt uncomfortable on long ride.

When I got my bike back in April it was my first road bike - ever.  While I had some very good advice from a fairly serious cyclist friend with respect to the actual purchase itself, I had never got it fit to me.  I assumed that much of the summer my discomfort with the bike was because my relative newness to the cycling sport.  Remember, the last time I rode a bike prior to April was basically in middle school (no, I'm not kidding - I'm dead serious).  And to some degree my lack of previous cycling played a part in it - my first few rides my back hurt after about 20 minutes, but over time that slowly crept up to a number of hours before I would start hurting.  I assumed that this meant I was getting more comfortable on the bike.  But even so, I didn't feel as powerful in certain positions on the bike. 

It also didn't feel natural.  I was cycling with a friend and he had just recently gotten a new bike and had it fit to him - during the ride he commented that "It feels so comfortable that it's like being in a lazy boy recliner...in the aero position".  That got me thinking that perhaps something was amiss in my configuration.

So I posted a post to Trifuel to ask for some advice on bike fitting.  A number of folks responded, including Coach Mierke.  He has an office a mere 15 minutes away, so it seemed like a logical match.

I made an appointment and went early on a Saturday morning back a number of weeks ago to get my bike fitted.  After asking some questions about what didn't feel right, how much I cycling and a number of other things; we put my bike up on a Computrainer and he had me start cycling.  Nothing too hard, just a relatively easy spin.  Over the course of the 45-60 minutes he tweaked a number of things.  Each time I would get off the bike, he would tweak it - and I would get back on and try it out.  Rinse, repeat.

A few key changes he made were pulling the aerobars in closer together - which made me feel more compact...and more aerodynamic.  He also brought my seat forward a little bit - helping me to not feel so stretched out.  In addition he raised my seat a fair bit.  I had a feeling for quite a while that my seat height was too low.  By raising it I feel like I get more power out of my legs.  Of course, all of these changes are specific to me.

I've gone on a few longer rides (at least two hours) since then where I was aero most of the rides and it feels quite a bit better. And the numerous weekday shorter rides also feel great. While I haven't gone upwards of the three hour mark since the fit - all signs are pointing to it definitely helping on the comfort scale.  It's a bit early to determine if it will also help me get more power out of my cycling (or help me on the run due to lower effort on cycling) - but I would venture to guess that it will since I'm not dealing with the annoyance of my back during the ride.

So all in all, well worth the $150 that I paid.  I'm also looking at using his coaching services, I'll probably be making a decision on that at some point here in the next week now that my knee is pretty much all happy again.

I would say that I do wish I had taken the time to get my bike fit BEFORE I started a year of training - I can't recommend doing that enough.

A frozen slip and slide 10

Some things in life are more difficult in the snow.  Activities such as building a house, sunbathing and gardening come to mind.  Some activities are easier in the snow; such as skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling.

And then there is riding a road bike (with aerobars) in the snow.  That would fall into the category of 'less than ideal'.  I figured that with temperatures in the mid/upper 30's, and with 2-3 days since the last snow - that the WO&D trail would be generally clear.  After all, the majority of it is in the sun and while most of the ground still has traces of snow - the roads/sidewalks and trails have since cleared.

Except that apparently didn't apply about a mile from where I started out on a 2 hour road ride this afternoon.  Less than 60 seconds into the ride as I started up a hill there was snow on the trail.  No biggie I figured, I can get through this.  It cleared a few dozen yards later and I was off and cooking again.  Then half a mile later crossing a bridge - more snow.  Now we're not talking deep powder, we're talking wet mushy yet crunchy snow.  You know - the last stage before the snow fully disappears into just a puddle of water.  Like a big slushie.

And then a third of a mile later - I ran into this vast expanse of white stuff:

Ummm...crap.  I could see further down the trail, and it was only going to get worse.  Quite crossable in a mountain bike, but I was sliding all over the place in my road bike.  So I turned around, and headed back towards downtown DC (on my bike).  The trail got better the closer to DC I got, but I was taking a huge hit on my average speed.  Primarily because I kept running into 25 or so yard patches of snow, which I would have to carefully navigate and then get back up to speed.   The first hour - I averaged only 15mph.  That's 5-6 mph below my average for this section of trail.  Ouch.

I ended up wandering down to the Potomac via some rather weird routing occasionally onto local roads and parts of Four Mile Run.  From there I hit up the Mt. Vernon trail and connected to Curtis trail, and then back to the fun on the W&OD trail to get to my car.  A wee bit circular, and 10-15 miles shorter than what I had set out to accomplish.  I'll toss in a hard trainer workout tomorrow in an effort to make up for it.  I did get some nice good 20mph+ sections though along the Potomac, as that was both dry and empty.

As an side - I got my first run in yesterday since getting Runner's Knee.  It's soooo nice to get out and run.  Had no problems whatsoever, and kept a nice casual 7:50/mile pace for a 5K loop around a nearby lake and then along the river I live on.  My shins are a touch bit sore - but that's somewhat expected due to lack of running for two months.  Obviously I'll have to be careful with that one and focus on running initially softer surfaces to avoid Shin Splints.  But all in all - good start to the weekend!

A frozen slip and slide 0

Some things in life are more difficult in the snow.  Activities such as building a house, sunbathing and gardening come to mind.  Some activities are easier in the snow; such as skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling.

And then there is riding a road bike (with aerobars) in the snow.  That would fall into the category of 'less than ideal'.  I figured that with temperatures in the mid/upper 30's, and with 2-3 days since the last snow - that the WO&D trail would be generally clear.  After all, the majority of it is in the sun and while most of the ground still has traces of snow - the roads/sidewalks and trails have since cleared.

Except that apparently didn't apply about a mile from where I started out on a 2 hour road ride this afternoon.  Less than 60 seconds into the ride as I started up a hill there was snow on the trail.  No biggie I figured, I can get through this.  It cleared a few dozen yards later and I was off and cooking again.  Then half a mile later crossing a bridge - more snow.  Now we're not talking deep powder, we're talking wet mushy yet crunchy snow.  You know - the last stage before the snow fully disappears into just a puddle of water.  Like a big slushie.

And then a third of a mile later - I ran into this vast expanse of white stuff:

Ummm...crap.  I could see further down the trail, and it was only going to get worse.  Quite crossable in a mountain bike, but I was sliding all over the place in my road bike.  So I turned around, and headed back towards downtown DC (on my bike).  The trail got better the closer to DC I got, but I was taking a huge hit on my average speed.  Primarily because I kept running into 25 or so yard patches of snow, which I would have to carefully navigate and then get back up to speed.   The first hour - I averaged only 15mph.  That's 5-6 mph below my average for this section of trail.  Ouch.

I ended up wandering down to the Potomac via some rather weird routing occasionally onto local roads and parts of Four Mile Run.  From there I hit up the Mt. Vernon trail and connected to Curtis trail, and then back to the fun on the W&OD trail to get to my car.  A wee bit circular, and 10-15 miles shorter than what I had set out to accomplish.  I'll toss in a hard trainer workout tomorrow in an effort to make up for it.  I did get some nice good 20mph+ sections though along the Potomac, as that was both dry and empty.

As an side - I got my first run in yesterday since getting Runner's Knee.  It's soooo nice to get out and run.  Had no problems whatsoever, and kept a nice casual 7:50/mile pace for a 5K loop around a nearby lake and then along the river I live on.  My shins are a touch bit sore - but that's somewhat expected due to lack of running for two months.  Obviously I'll have to be careful with that one and focus on running initially softer surfaces to avoid Shin Splints.  But all in all - good start to the weekend!

Running it all off 3

There are certain times of the year where running with less is better.  For example - 100* in the summer - the less you wear, the more comfortable you are (at least me).  Running along a sandy beach - perhaps a swimsuit would be great.

And then there are those times were one might run with less than normal running attire as part of a tradition, dare, or simply due to higher than normal concentration of alcohol.  For example, running at 3:30AM on January 1st as part of a New Years Eve Party with a group of local runners in one's boxers when it's only in the 20's.  I mean...just sayin'.  I neither confirm nor deny anything.

That all said...This week's TGIF video harkens from the Ironman Mecca - Kona.  As part of Kona's pre-IM World Championship festivities there is an annual underwear run.  The run is meant to poke fun at some of the things that triathletes wear.  Like any tradition, it includes an important pledge that must be taken first.  They also raise money for a good cause.  Here's a short clip of the fun!

Have a great three-day weekend everyone (for those with Monday off)!  I'm personally super-excited, as later today I get to run for the first time in nearly two months!  Cleared to run!

Running it all off 0

There are certain times of the year where running with less is better.  For example - 100* in the summer - the less you wear, the more comfortable you are (at least me).  Running along a sandy beach - perhaps a swimsuit would be great.

And then there are those times were one might run with less than normal running attire as part of a tradition, dare, or simply due to higher than normal concentration of alcohol.  For example, running at 3:30AM on January 1st as part of a New Years Eve Party with a group of local runners in one's boxers when it's only in the 20's.  I mean...just sayin'.  I neither confirm nor deny anything.

That all said...This week's TGIF video harkens from the Ironman Mecca - Kona.  As part of Kona's pre-IM World Championship festivities there is an annual underwear run.  The run is meant to poke fun at some of the things that triathletes wear.  Like any tradition, it includes an important pledge that must be taken first.  They also raise money for a good cause.  Here's a short clip of the fun!

Have a great three-day weekend everyone (for those with Monday off)!  I'm personally super-excited, as later today I get to run for the first time in nearly two months!  Cleared to run!

Ten Random Tips for your Garmin Forerunner 305 22

I wrote up some of these a while back in a comment after a friend got her new Garmin 305 GPS late last year.  But figured I'd clean them up, add a few and put them here for all the world to see.

1. Never ever use/open up GTC (Garmin Training Center) again. It's crap.  Instead, go download (for free) Sport Tracks (2.0):
   http://www.zonefivesoftware.com/SportTracks
2. Don't worry about doing splits using the watch itself. Do all split stuff in software later (which is automagic with Sport Tracks). You can set the watch to autosplit as well btw, but I don't bother as sometimes obstructions will incorrectly autosplit.
3. In Sport Tracks you can overlay your route/course right onto Google Earth (or Virtual Earth in ST 2.0) - pretty cool.
4. Remember to wipe the metal contacts on the back of your watch after you run. After a while (a few months) if you don't the sweat will cause corrosion.  Which will in turn cause other problems.  If it gets really out of control, use an eraser to clean the contacts.
5. For about $21 or so you can pick up the velcro wristband and associated bike quick release kit, which is much nicer than the rubber wristband thingie that came with your watch. Great for quick transitions.
6. If you don't like standing out in the cold, before your run starts toss the watch in a window sill while you put your shoes on. By time your shoes are tied up, the watch will be ready to go. And that will reduce the awkward standing around outside looking at your wrist dance that you do.
7. When you download the stuff to your computer, there is an option in Sports Tracks (ST) to 'automatically turn off device and start charging it back up'. This makes it dead simple to go ahead and always ensure you have a charged unit when you're ready to go.
8. If you want to swim with your Forerunner, go here.
9. Don't try charging it in the middle of a rainstorm outside (don't even ask how I managed to do that)...it kills it.  The good news is that in under two weeks, Garmin fixed it all up again.  Garmin Customer Service rocks!
10. You can change the data fields that are displayed on the watch.  For example, I changed my cycling one so that by default it displays four things: Cadence, Total Distance, Current Speed and Total Time - in four little quadrants.  You can add any of the gazillion fields to make your own custom view.  You can even save multiple views per sport.

To read all my other random Garmin Forerunner posts - just click here or here (first link is more 'refined').

Ten Random Tips for your Garmin Forerunner 305 3

I wrote up some of these a while back in a comment after a friend got her new Garmin 305 GPS late last year.  But figured I'd clean them up, add a few and put them here for all the world to see.

1. Never ever use/open up GTC (Garmin Training Center) again. It's crap.  Instead, go download (for free) Sport Tracks (2.0):
   http://www.zonefivesoftware.com/SportTracks
2. Don't worry about doing splits using the watch itself. Do all split stuff in software later (which is automagic with Sport Tracks). You can set the watch to autosplit as well btw, but I don't bother as sometimes obstructions will incorrectly autosplit.
3. In Sport Tracks you can overlay your route/course right onto Google Earth (or Virtual Earth in ST 2.0) - pretty cool.
4. Remember to wipe the metal contacts on the back of your watch after you run. After a while (a few months) if you don't the sweat will cause corrosion.  Which will in turn cause other problems.  If it gets really out of control, use an eraser to clean the contacts.
5. For about $21 or so you can pick up the velcro wristband and associated bike quick release kit, which is much nicer than the rubber wristband thingie that came with your watch. Great for quick transitions.
6. If you don't like standing out in the cold, before your run starts toss the watch in a window sill while you put your shoes on. By time your shoes are tied up, the watch will be ready to go. And that will reduce the awkward standing around outside looking at your wrist dance that you do.
7. When you download the stuff to your computer, there is an option in Sports Tracks (ST) to 'automatically turn off device and start charging it back up'. This makes it dead simple to go ahead and always ensure you have a charged unit when you're ready to go.
8. If you want to swim with your Forerunner, go here.
9. Don't try charging it in the middle of a rainstorm outside (don't even ask how I managed to do that)...it kills it.  The good news is that in under two weeks, Garmin fixed it all up again.  Garmin Customer Service rocks!
10. You can change the data fields that are displayed on the watch.  For example, I changed my cycling one so that by default it displays four things: Cadence, Total Distance, Current Speed and Total Time - in four little quadrants.  You can add any of the gazillion fields to make your own custom view.  You can even save multiple views per sport.

To read all my other random Garmin Forerunner posts - just click here or here (first link is more 'refined').

Getting a speeding ticket while riding a bike 5

In case there wasn't any doubt already - I present you with further evidence that Virginia's lawmakers are quite simply retarded.

And if you visit the site to read the full story - you can even watch a nifty video. 21st century technology to illuminate 19th century dumbbells.

January 11th, 2008 - Newport News, VA:

Kajuan Cornish, 19, ran afoul of the General Assembly's controversial abusive driver fees Thursday, when he was convicted of reckless driving in Newport News traffic court. The conviction for crossing over Warwick Boulevard during afternoon rush hour triggered more than $1,050 in fees under a program designed to raise money to pay for highway maintenance. Cornish got the ticket while steering his 18-speed Huffy bicycle back to work....

...The abuser fees program was the brainchild of Del. Dave Albo, R-Fairfax, who works as a traffic attorney outside the legislature. Albo was shocked when he heard about the conviction. "I've been doing this for 20 years, and I've never heard of anybody getting a reckless on a bicycle," Albo said....

....Officer George Evans said that when Cornish crossed Warwick south of Denbigh Boulevard, drivers had to slow down to avoid hitting him — a fact that Cornish disputes. Either way, Evans said, he would have written a warning. "If he gets hit, then we have a mess," he said. "It was a major violation right in front of us."....

...Evans said that as a citizen, he thought the fees were too high, but he only gives testimony in the courtroom. "I don't have any control over the fees," he said. For now, Cornish said, he's looking for a lawyer for his February appeal.

"I'm stuck," he said. "I'm trying to be Christian about it, but it's frustrating."

Now... I would have given the cyclist a ticket for not riding with a helmet - although I'm not sure if you can ticket for that in Virginia like you can in Washington State.

Getting a speeding ticket while riding a bike 0

In case there wasn't any doubt already - I present you with further evidence that Virginia's lawmakers are quite simply retarded.

And if you visit the site to read the full story - you can even watch a nifty video. 21st century technology to illuminate 19th century dumbbells.

January 11th, 2008 - Newport News, VA:

Kajuan Cornish, 19, ran afoul of the General Assembly's controversial abusive driver fees Thursday, when he was convicted of reckless driving in Newport News traffic court. The conviction for crossing over Warwick Boulevard during afternoon rush hour triggered more than $1,050 in fees under a program designed to raise money to pay for highway maintenance. Cornish got the ticket while steering his 18-speed Huffy bicycle back to work....

...The abuser fees program was the brainchild of Del. Dave Albo, R-Fairfax, who works as a traffic attorney outside the legislature. Albo was shocked when he heard about the conviction. "I've been doing this for 20 years, and I've never heard of anybody getting a reckless on a bicycle," Albo said....

....Officer George Evans said that when Cornish crossed Warwick south of Denbigh Boulevard, drivers had to slow down to avoid hitting him — a fact that Cornish disputes. Either way, Evans said, he would have written a warning. "If he gets hit, then we have a mess," he said. "It was a major violation right in front of us."....

...Evans said that as a citizen, he thought the fees were too high, but he only gives testimony in the courtroom. "I don't have any control over the fees," he said. For now, Cornish said, he's looking for a lawyer for his February appeal.

"I'm stuck," he said. "I'm trying to be Christian about it, but it's frustrating."

Now... I would have given the cyclist a ticket for not riding with a helmet - although I'm not sure if you can ticket for that in Virginia like you can in Washington State.

Tales of the Ghetto Geko and Abominable Snowmen 10

Today I bring you the tale of two creatures - intertwined by a nice forty mile ride.

The Ghetto Geko

First, we start with a little 'situation' that arose a few weeks ago while kayaking in  Palau.  Something mighta-sorta-occurred involving my Garmin 305 that mighta-sorta killed it.  I won't go into full details, needless to say that apparently electricity (active current) and water don't mix.  Sure the device itself is waterproof as I've proven many times - but I don't think the charger was designed to be.  Just sayin'. 

So that's left me unable to track my distance or time on my bike.  This hasn't been an issue thus far, since for the last few weeks I've just been inside - where my trainer tells me how far I've gone.  Simple enough.  And this past week during an outdoor ride I just borrowed a friends GPS.  All good.  But then the friend flew away, and I had nothing - not even a simple bike computer for my bike.

So with my outdoor rides planned for today and tomorrow, I had to figure out a way to deal with this vacancy.  So I dug around my drawer full of gadgets and pulled out just about the only thing that would actually be of use - the trusty green Garmin Geko!  This little GPS I got 3-4 years ago for the fun of it (and for super-cheap) had been hiding away for a few years now.  It was time to pull it out of retirement, affix it to the bike with two newspaper rubber bands - and head out to let the wind blow between the Geko's buttons.

And Mr. Geko - you did good!  While some cyclists that I passed gave you a second strange glance for your Ghettoness, you held true to the bike and did not depart.  In fact, while your 305 brother occasionally goes for a flight on a strong bump - you just bounced along happily.  You did have some issues though when I was giving you head (also known as a being really low on the aero bars), as you seemed to freeze up and forget what you were doing.  Natural response I suppose.  But overall you've earned a spot back in the lineup.  Until Tuesday anyway, when my 305 arrives back from the nice people at Garmin who patched it all up.

Abominable Snowmen

No folks, I'm not talking about what the Packers did to the Seahawks this afternoon during the near-blizzard up there.   We don't discuss such things any further on this blog.  No, I'm talking about the slew of cyclists who were out and about today on the W&OD trail dressed as though they were about to face the blizzard of the century. 

What was the weather you ask?  55* and brilliantly sunny!  No wind, no rain, no snow, no sleet.  Just sun.

This reminds me of the post that DCTriGirl posted back in November the first time the temperatures dipped below about 50.

"Really, your exposure to the "elements" is not enough to warrant your precious ears to be covered for those 30 seconds. I understand this cold weather took us by surprise, but really, it's going to get worse, and I think you are sabotaging yourself by busting out that hat so soon."

And when I'm talking about cyclists - I'm not including the group of grandmas and casual riders out for a Saturday stroll.  No - I'm talking folks on nice bikes out there clearly training for something.

The VAST majority of these folks were wearing at least two layers of full length lower body gear.  At least 2-3 layers of upper body stuff.  I saw full heavy coats, doubled coats - even arm warms on coats.  I saw booties, neoprene gloves, all assortment of hats - and even earmuffs.  Even face masks.

Seriously DC folks, you're making us look like wimps.  Today's weather warranted nothing more than perhaps a light jacket for a good training ride.  It was sunny - the W&OD trail is in the sun the whole time.  It was 2PM.  It couldn't have gotten any warmer out.  Put away that cold weather gear, and take it out next weekend, when it's scheduled to be 29* out.  Otherwise as DCTriGirl said - you're just setting yourself up for failure. 

And for the record, my clothing arrangement was simply a pair of cycling shorts and a long sleeve cycling jersey.  That's it.  Nuttin else.  And I was quite comfy for 2+ hours.  If you were out at the crack of dawn - you do get an exemption for additional layers, since it was 35* out this morning at sunrise.

Oh - and one last random note.  I noticed at some point during the last 30 days someone/thing went along and filled all of the cracks between the bridge edges and the trail on the W&OD on all but one bridge I crossed.  You know - filled that 1-3" horizontal and vertical crack that existed at tons of bridges on the trail?  No more.  Awesome!

Tales of the Ghetto Geko and Abominable Snowmen 0

Today I bring you the tale of two creatures - intertwined by a nice forty mile ride.

The Ghetto Geko

First, we start with a little 'situation' that arose a few weeks ago while kayaking in  Palau.  Something mighta-sorta-occurred involving my Garmin 305 that mighta-sorta killed it.  I won't go into full details, needless to say that apparently electricity (active current) and water don't mix.  Sure the device itself is waterproof as I've proven many times - but I don't think the charger was designed to be.  Just sayin'. 

So that's left me unable to track my distance or time on my bike.  This hasn't been an issue thus far, since for the last few weeks I've just been inside - where my trainer tells me how far I've gone.  Simple enough.  And this past week during an outdoor ride I just borrowed a friends GPS.  All good.  But then the friend flew away, and I had nothing - not even a simple bike computer for my bike.

So with my outdoor rides planned for today and tomorrow, I had to figure out a way to deal with this vacancy.  So I dug around my drawer full of gadgets and pulled out just about the only thing that would actually be of use - the trusty green Garmin Geko!  This little GPS I got 3-4 years ago for the fun of it (and for super-cheap) had been hiding away for a few years now.  It was time to pull it out of retirement, affix it to the bike with two newspaper rubber bands - and head out to let the wind blow between the Geko's buttons.

And Mr. Geko - you did good!  While some cyclists that I passed gave you a second strange glance for your Ghettoness, you held true to the bike and did not depart.  In fact, while your 305 brother occasionally goes for a flight on a strong bump - you just bounced along happily.  You did have some issues though when I was giving you head (also known as a being really low on the aero bars), as you seemed to freeze up and forget what you were doing.  Natural response I suppose.  But overall you've earned a spot back in the lineup.  Until Tuesday anyway, when my 305 arrives back from the nice people at Garmin who patched it all up.

Abominable Snowmen

No folks, I'm not talking about what the Packers did to the Seahawks this afternoon during the near-blizzard up there.   We don't discuss such things any further on this blog.  No, I'm talking about the slew of cyclists who were out and about today on the W&OD trail dressed as though they were about to face the blizzard of the century. 

What was the weather you ask?  55* and brilliantly sunny!  No wind, no rain, no snow, no sleet.  Just sun.

This reminds me of the post that DCTriGirl posted back in November the first time the temperatures dipped below about 50.

"Really, your exposure to the "elements" is not enough to warrant your precious ears to be covered for those 30 seconds. I understand this cold weather took us by surprise, but really, it's going to get worse, and I think you are sabotaging yourself by busting out that hat so soon."

And when I'm talking about cyclists - I'm not including the group of grandmas and casual riders out for a Saturday stroll.  No - I'm talking folks on nice bikes out there clearly training for something.

The VAST majority of these folks were wearing at least two layers of full length lower body gear.  At least 2-3 layers of upper body stuff.  I saw full heavy coats, doubled coats - even arm warms on coats.  I saw booties, neoprene gloves, all assortment of hats - and even earmuffs.  Even face masks.

Seriously DC folks, you're making us look like wimps.  Today's weather warranted nothing more than perhaps a light jacket for a good training ride.  It was sunny - the W&OD trail is in the sun the whole time.  It was 2PM.  It couldn't have gotten any warmer out.  Put away that cold weather gear, and take it out next weekend, when it's scheduled to be 29* out.  Otherwise as DCTriGirl said - you're just setting yourself up for failure. 

And for the record, my clothing arrangement was simply a pair of cycling shorts and a long sleeve cycling jersey.  That's it.  Nuttin else.  And I was quite comfy for 2+ hours.  If you were out at the crack of dawn - you do get an exemption for additional layers, since it was 35* out this morning at sunrise.

Oh - and one last random note.  I noticed at some point during the last 30 days someone/thing went along and filled all of the cracks between the bridge edges and the trail on the W&OD on all but one bridge I crossed.  You know - filled that 1-3" horizontal and vertical crack that existed at tons of bridges on the trail?  No more.  Awesome!

How to be like Gumby: Competition Style 4

In this week's rendition of TGIF stuffs, we return to video to drive home the importance of proper stretching and flexibility.  Of course, I'm probably one of the worst offenders when it comes to stretching.  I generally do the only two stretches that all runners know (pull foot behind you up to your butt & bend over and touch your toes).  Although over the course of the last two weeks, I'm up to 30 minutes of stretching a day.  I'm going to be so stretchy soon, I'll be able to do something spectacular!  Like touch my toes.

So...with that, we go back to the Japanese game shows for clarity on why stretching is important.  In short - if you're not flexible - your ass in ejected into the tank.  I present you - Human Tetris!

Have a great weekend!  And go Seahawks!

How to be like Gumby: Competition Style 0

In this week's rendition of TGIF stuffs, we return to video to drive home the importance of proper stretching and flexibility.  Of course, I'm probably one of the worst offenders when it comes to stretching.  I generally do the only two stretches that all runners know (pull foot behind you up to your butt & bend over and touch your toes).  Although over the course of the last two weeks, I'm up to 30 minutes of stretching a day.  I'm going to be so stretchy soon, I'll be able to do something spectacular!  Like touch my toes.

So...with that, we go back to the Japanese game shows for clarity on why stretching is important.  In short - if you're not flexible - your ass in ejected into the tank.  I present you - Human Tetris!

Have a great weekend!  And go Seahawks!