Is it 5 pm yet?

Please clock quit going backwards and let the weekend get here. I have some fun things planned and want to get to them. So please quit teasing me and get there already damn you.

LIVESTRONG Challenge Report

First and foremost let me thank everyone that donated towards the 2008 LIVESTRONG Challenge. Through your generous donations I was able to raise over $1,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Now on to the report.

5am - Alarm goes off
6am - After having a protein bar, drinking plenty of water, and packing up the car it was time to head out to Dripping Springs for the ride. From our house to Dripping it is generally about 30 minutes but there is construction out there and it goes down to a single lane so we wanted to make sure we got there in plenty of time.
6:50am - Got to the parking lot and began gearing up.
7am - Carri and I began the walk to the start area which was about a mile away from where we parked.
7:20am - Realize that walking is not gonna cut it and hop on the bike to make sure that I get to the start on time, while Carri walks the rest of the way.



Off into the early morning I ride.



7:21am - Realize the start is just barely over a rise from where I left Carri 200 yards back. Oops.
7:22am - Hear that the ride has been delayed by 20 minutes with a new start time of 7:50.
7:25am - Meet back up with Carri and enter the starting area to wait for the start.



7:50am - After the National Anthem and a brief speech by Lance Armstrong it was time to head out on the course.

The route this year is the same as last year and even though it is much prettier than the route they used before moving the ride to Dripping Springs it is also much more difficult with tons of hills and often times country roads that are in varying states of disrepair. Luckily for the past two weekends I have driven out to Dripping and ridden the majority of the route so I was pretty familiar with the surroundings. This proved to be very beneficial both from a physical and psychological standpoint.

Nothing overly exciting occurred on the ride which is always nice. The rest stops were nicely stocked with an assortment of goodies and everything needed to recover. I only wish they would have had something salty as near the end of the ride I did start to feel the beginnings of cramps but was able to finish before they set in.

Approximately 11:30am - Came through the finishers shoot with a time on bike of 3 hours and 28 minutes and an average speed of 18.4 MPH. I was pretty happy with that since this is not a race, I did not ever really sit with a group and draft, and the terrain out there is so hilly.



Approximately 11:50am - After I had finished, drank some liquids, and changed I heard a pretty big commotion about someone else finishing.



Geez, Lance if you want to participate in the Grand Tours again you should not let a recreational rider such as myself finish before you on a semi-hilly course. I thought you were the King of the Hills. What gives? Good luck on that comeback, buddy.

[Editorial sidebar: Mr. Armstrong completed the 90 mile route, while Mr. Stansbury only completed the 65 miler.]

After the ride I grabbed a few slices of pizza, a bag of potato chips, and a beer and then it was home for a well deserved nap.

Once again I want to thank everyone that donated as well as Carri who played her role of support crew to perfection.

I Voted

Yeah Democracy

It's been awhile

I used to love to blog but lately it seems I have been so bogged down with life that I do not have a minute to capture my thoughts. How depressing.

Big week ahead with a Happy Hour to support a friend's charity, Oklahoma State vs. Texas in football, and then the Livestrong Challenge on Sunday morning.

Should be a great week.

Interbike...

...was awesome.

One Last Chance

Last night was the second to last Run Far Time Trial of the season.

My times have been generally pretty consistent with only one or two big misses. Last night I decided a proper warm up to get my legs ready for the 8 mile course was needed. It is amazing what warming up properly can do for your performance.

A new PR of 20:23.15 and 23.5 MPH average, plus I left a couple seconds out on the course as I am still not 100% comfortable on the tri-bike.

The last time trial of the season is in 2 weeks and I will be looking to go under 20:20, and think that is doable with another 2 weeks of training.

Wish me luck.

Enjoy the ride.

Tim

Running is an Evil Mistress

Pretty much this whole summer I stopped running as out of all the aerobic activities it is probably my least favorite. However, it is one of the best cardio exercises out there. I recently signed up for the Nike Human Race 10K and even though I am not trying to run a good time, I know I will be disappointed in myself if I do not at least do some training. So today it was out for a four mile run. One of the things I am working on is trying to run on the balls of my feet as compared to being an extreme heal striker. Even though I feel I am much faster running on the balls I can only seem to maintain this for 2 to 2.5 miles before I revert back to my "normal" running style. I assume that since it is a new style I am working different muscles and they tire quicker.

Oh well I guess I am pseudo back together with my wicked ex-mistress running.

So today was 4 miles at roughly a 9:20ish pace, very slow compared to my running friends but not too bad for me, especially since I am just getting back into it.

I am...

Your results:
You are Iron Man

Iron Man 65% The Flash 60% Green Lantern 60% Superman 55% Spider-Man 55% Robin 45% Catwoman 45% Supergirl 35% Wonder Woman 35% Hulk 35% Batman 30%

Inventor. Businessman. Genius.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

New Goal

After taking the summer off I have decided that next year will be the year of the triathlon for me. I am going to buckle down and really train with a goal of completing 1-2 half Ironman's next year. Yeah for goals.

Yeah Running...

I still hate you but that did not stop me from going 3.1 miles yesterday as an initial training run for the Nike Human Race on August 31.

Not as smart as Wylie...

Free-IQTest.net - Free IQ Test

The calm before the storm

Fourth of July weekend is usually a really busy time for people and folks make tons of plans. But not me, not this year. This year I am trying to just relax as the next few weeks are gonna be crazy.

Here is my July.

In town until 7/9
7/10-13 in Wilmington, NC for my brother's wedding
In town 7/14
7/15-17 I have a conference in Reno, NV
In town 7/18-19 and Carri's brother will be here visiting
7/20-25 I have a conference in Las Vegas, NV

So from 7/10-25 I will be in ATX for a grand total of 3 days, and on 7/26 I sleep

Update

So I am really busy these days with a new job and trying to get Kong Concepts off the ground. Right now my personal blog is suffering but if you want to keep up with what is going on with me you can get a good overview at kongconcepts.blogspot.com. Hope to have more time for this blog in the near future but for now...I hope all is well with anyone who is silly enough to read this blog, and hope you will come visit me over at Kong.

ADA Tour de Cure Ride Report

Today I rode in my fourth American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure. This is an annual two day bike event that goes from San Antonio to San Marcos on Day One, and then continues from San Marcos to Austin on Day two. This year I decided I was going to mix it up a bit and ride all the way from San Antonio to the house on the first day so I can go help out (or sit around and drink a few beers) at the Austin Duathletes tent at the Skeese Greets Tri tomorrow. So here is my report...

Friday: Drove down to San Antonio without any issue. Checked into to our usual Hampton that is a few miles from the start line and then headed out for a bite to eat. Usually we just go to Bennighan's which is right next to the hotel but this year decided to go with something with a higher carb quotient. And of course 2 years ago we had the following conversation at Bennighan's with our server...

Us: We are looking for something to get some vegetables.
Server: Well we have these things called broccoli bites.
Us: Really, are they any good?
Server: Yes I love them and I do not even like broccoli.
Us: Okay, that sounds good we will try them.

Well needless to say we got them and basically they were fried cheese balls that maybe had broccoli dust in them, or was that just green food coloring? I still don't know. But Carri and I laugh about that to this day.

So we headed to Macaroni Grill for some pasta. I had the Chicken Scampanini (I know it does nothing without pictures Wylie), a Miller Lite, two huge glasses of water and tons of bread. After a stop at a convenience store for one more beer (more carbs) and a Gatorade it was time to turn in for the night.

Saturday: 5:30 AM comes very early in a strange hotel bed but that was fine. After a quick breakfast it was time to head over to the start. This year I rode with Team KLBJ as they gave all team members a free jersey, and since I am not buying clothes this year it pretty much killed two birds with one stone.



Of course this was just like any other time where you "ride" with a team you do not know...you say hello at the start, and then basically break off and do your own thing. This was certainly the case today.

Once we got out on the road it was really nice. The weather was cool, the roads for the most part were in good shape, the rest stops were nicely stocked (including peanut butter and honey sandwiches), and the course was well marked. All the things that make an event ride fun. And couple this with a much more positive attitude this week and you have the makings of a great ride.

After the first 20 miles or so I got in to a nice group and we were all riding pretty fast and it was great. Everyone was taking their turn to pull and we were just humming along. After a rest stop we caught up with another group and just rode nice and easy at about 24-26 mph for about 10 miles before the group started to blow up a bit. Myself and two other guys kind of pulled ahead and stayed together until the rest stop at mile 50. From there I waited as long as I could but started to get antsy and took off from the rest stop on my own. I thought the group would catch me but they never did and I rode alone for the next 20+ miles, until the 80 mile and 60 mile route re-converged. I pulled into the Day One finish at Texas State in just over 4 hours and had averaged 20.4 mph for the first 80 miles.



At TSU, Carri met me, snapped a few pics, and watched my stuff as I fueled up, used the restroom, etc. From this point it was only 30 more miles to home along the Old San Antonio Road route. As anyone who has done this ride can attest it certainly is not hilly, but it does have some little rollers, and the last 30 miles were far more difficult than the first 80.

Although it was nice to ride in a mass event, it was also really nice to just be out there on my own to ride the final 30 and accomplish this goal. My speed slowed but I didn't care, anything with a 1% or greater incline became a hill, but I didn't care, at times I was creeping along and would stand to try to build momentum at which point my right quad would cramp, but I didn't care...it had turned into me thinking "this is a nice day to ride, I am glad I am out here, holy sh&t I am about to ride from San Antonio to Austin."

Nothing was more satisfying then turning onto Wampton for the final .25 or so and seeing Carri sitting out in a lawn chair with music blaring for me, with video camera in hand. Also she made a very nice finish line banner for me.



So it was finally time to get off the bike, get out of the sweaty gear, take a picture of the odometer on the bike, and have an all natural recovery beverage.





What? It says All Natural right there on the label.

Anyway to finish my report I just want to thank everyone who sponsored me for this ride. Through your generous donations I was able to raise over $2,000 for the American Diabetes Association. You guys are simply amazing. Every year you continually sponsor me for this and other charily rides and I am truly thankful. I certainly gain strength through your generosity. Thanks again.

Final Stats:

Total Miles: 112.4
Avg. Speed through the first 80 miles: 20.4 mph
Avg. Speed for 112.4 miles: 19.0 mph
Total Calories Burned: 4925
Total Clock time from San Antonio start to Garage Finish: 6:37.53

Armadillo Hill Country Classic Ride Report

This past Saturday Glenda, Gina, Triscuit, and I headed up to Liberty Hill for the annual ACA Armadillo Hill Country Classic. We all met up in the beginning and headed out on our varying routes. Gina was doing the 60, Triscuit was doing the 80, Glenda was doing the 105, and I was wavering between the 80 and 105. At the start it was already getting warm with the humidity creeping up there, luckily the sun was behind the clouds, but this would not last long.

Everyone started off pretty easy except for Gina who must have remembered she left the oven on as she took off from the start. After corralling her in we all rode together until the 'Dillo door where she turned off for the 60 mile route. For the next 15 miles or so it was just Triscuit, Glenda, and I and the pretty rolling farm roads Northwest of Austin. At the 43 mile rest stop I had to make my decision, turn around and do the 80 as originally planned or push on with Glenda for the 105. Unfortunately for me the sun was still behind the clouds at this point and I decided to push ahead with Glenda. This would prove to be the wrong decision.

As most people know Glenda is an amazing rider and I was very impressed that I was able to ride with her for about the first 60+ miles but after that she had to go and I simply could not keep up. And by this time the sun had burned through the clouds and the heat was coming on in waves. So for the next 30 or so miles I was really hurting and just giving it everything I had to keep going.

After a few rest stops, some water, and a clif bar I was feeling a little better but the heat and the distance was starting to get to me. Every few minutes I had to change positions on the bike as my back, hands, arms, and shoulders were starting to seriously hurt. Also due to the heat (the high for the day ended up being 97 degrees) and the fact that I could not see anyone in front or behind me I was starting to get very bored on the bike. This led to the mind wandering and negative thoughts creeping into my dome...boy you are tired, man it is hot, boy your body hurts, etc. So I was not in the greatest frame of mind. Then the oasis of a rest stop at mile 93.

I thought if I just sit and rest here for a bit I will be okay and finish the route, however I had mentally convinced myself that I only had about 7 more miles for an even 100, of course I knew this was not true but sometimes those little tricks keep you going. So when I asked the rest stop worker how much further and he said "Only about 14 miles with a headwind most of the way", I knew I was finished. So for the first time in my life I sagged to the finish. Of course this was where the real adventure began.

Instead of taking me to the finish and dropping me off we had to sweep the course and try to find another rider to go in with me. So we headed back out on the course in the opposite direction for 1.5 hours looking for someone. Every rider we passed I was glad they were okay but secretly wanted them to need to sag as well. The A/C in the van was cold but I sure wish I would have been able to go right to the finish, jump in my car and head home.

When I finally got back to the finish Glenda had been waiting for me to make sure I was okay. Thank you, thank you, thank you Glenda.

So lessons learned...

- Stick to your original riding goal
- 97 degrees in early May is hot
- 6.5 hours on the bike plus 1.5 hours in the sag wagon make for a long day
- Carry cell phone numbers of everyone you are riding with
- Don't ask the distance to the finish line

50 Ways to Help

This past week was Earth Week and many shows, websites, etc. were geared towards going green. Here is one that I found that offers 50 easy tips.

http://www.50waystohelp.com/



Happy Greeening

Chuy's Arbor Trail

Today we went to the new Chuy's Arbor Trail which opened yesterday. Here is my review...

Positives:

1. Very close to the house
2. Nice to have a new place to go for a cheap HH drink, even though Waterloo still remains our favorite
3. Nacho Car

Negatives:

1. Very slow service...waited about 10 minutes for a bottle of beer, while tables around us ordered after us and got their frozen drinks before us
2. Very small patio, huge outdoor space but only 8 patio tables, what a waste
3. Not the best waitresses, made several mistakes and brought us one bill and then after we paid brought a second bill that was higher, not good

So all in all on a general basis I am gonna stick with the Pit but I will be back to the Chuy's Arbor Trail in about a month or two when hopefully things have gotten under control.

Pedal Power Wildflower - Ride Report

Early Saturday morning I got up and headed to Stonewall, TX for the Pedal Power Wildflower Ride. I did this ride two years ago and really enjoyed it so I figured I would tackle it again this year. From what I remembered about the past ride this was a really nice ride with one really nice downhill section and one really nasty uphill section. My memory was pretty spot on.

After driving the hour out to Stonewall I had about 20 minutes to kill before the ride started. Just enough time for a quick restroom break, packet pickup and time to layer up as it was still pretty cold.

The first 20 miles of the ride are relatively flat with just a few constant rollers but nothing that exciting. At the 20 mile rest stop it was starting to warm up so I peeled off my sleeves, refueled and got ready for the next 20 which I knew were a mixture of joy and pain.

At roughly mile 26 there is a great downhill that seems to go and go and go. This is always my favorite part of the ride. I was looking to hit 42 mph on it but only came away with 41.3. Oh well. Of course what goes down must come up and after a few miles of rollers comes the big nasty hill. Not only is it steep but even after it flattens out a bit it still climbs and just kills the legs and it seems like it goes on forever.

After the killer hill the rest stop at mile 42 sure was a welcome sight. By this time it had warmed up even more so the base layer came off. The ride was tough with a bunch of rollers until about mile 50 where it starts to tilt downhill to the finish.

Of course this is where I was attacked by Mr. Glommer (AKA The Glom Monster, The No Pull Fool, The Draft Demon). Everyone knows/dislikes this guy who out of nowhere jumps on your wheel without saying a word and lets you do all the work. I did not even know he was there until I looked back to make sure the coast was clear before launching a snot rocket and bam there he was. He must be the brother of the sidler from Seinfeld. Well I let him hang there for a bit then waved him through to clear my sinuses again and what does he do? He passes and then slows considerably just waiting for me to come back around him and pull some more. Well I did because I could not stand the slow pace but after dragging him for several miles I just thought enough. This is a beautiful day and I am not gonna let this guy ruin it. So I once again waved him past, slowed considerably this time, took a few long drinks of water, and let him again ahead so I could once again just ride in peace.

After the ride they had spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread, and cookies. Yumm. Here is my view as I sat and ate.



Final Ride Details:

Distance: Approximately 62 miles
Minimum Elevation: 1138.2 FT
Maximum Elevation: 1817.1 FT
Total Elevation Gain: 3650 FT
Maximum Grade: 24% (For those in Austin, Mesa has a max grade of 19%)

Post Ride Meal: Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, One Frosted Cookie, One Chocolate Chip Cookie, One Can of Coke, Two Bottles of Water

Blog Redesign

So before I went out for my recovery ride today I was gonna take a few minutes to look at my friend's blogs. Well that was over 3 hours ago, and I will blame it all on Wiley as his blog sent me on a downward spiral of adding elements and then completely redoing the look and feel of my blog. Dang you, Wiley, dang you. But overall I like the new look, and really like the ability to get a picture I took a few years back when I was exploring Hamilton Pool with my brother and his fiance up as the header photo.

What do you think?

Two Months In

Since the initial challenge was set out there I have officially purchased zero clothes. Once you remove the temptation it gets pretty easy not to even really look at clothes. We will see how things progress during the spring and summer.

Dumbing it down for the peeps

I saw this on Shorey's blog and I had to check to see the level of my blog...

TV Reviews

Dang You, Hurt Foot

Thursday night on our monthly Austin Duathletes pub run I wore my Vibram Five Fingers thinking I had worn them for two weeks and my feet were ready for running in them. I guess I was wrong. The previous two weeks worth of wear did not prepare me for several miles of running on the pavement. While running I do not know if I stepped on something or rolled over on one of the toes but by the third stop, my left foot was hurting. By the fourth stop it was really in pain. And that was the end of my running for the night as I had to walk to the next stop.

Friday, I woke up and it was still really painful and I was hobbling along like a gimp. After going out to lunch and feeling light headed a few times because of the pain, I knew it was time to see a doc. At the doc's luckily I found out nothing was broken and I only had a soft tissue contusion. The problem is the pain is solely radiating from the area around the second toe, both on the top and bottom of my foot. So I cannot really walk normally as it hurts to roll up on the toes as I walk. I basically do this crazy side foot/heel walk.

Saturday, it was still swollen but not as painful. I was able to manipulate the second toe a bit to try to loosen it up but I still have the crazy limp shuffle walk going on.

Now today is Sunday and the swelling has gone down but the pain in the foot area still continues. Oh well, at least I had a reason to wear flip flops to church today. Of course this is South Austin and flip flops are a normal part of people's Sunday best around here. And now I have an excuse to ice my foot, wrap it, and prop it up and watch hoops all day. I guess being injured isn't all bad.

Please Support Me in the 2008 Tour de Cure

On May 17-18, I will once again ride from San Antonio to Austin in the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure fund-raising event.

Last year, with your generous support I was the among the top fund raisers in Texas. Thank you very much for giving so much to this great cause. Please help me once again raise money for the ADA by supporting me with a donation. You can donate from my personal page at:

http://main.diabetes.org/goto/timintx

Our efforts will help set the pace in the fight against diabetes.

Thanks

Tim

SXSW Recap

Another SXSW has come and gone and here is my recap:

Favorite Show: My Morning Jacket at the Austin Music Hall

Most pleasantly surprised: Nightwatchman at Ester's Follies

Favorite After-party: Pure Volume Ranch

Favorite Day Show: Friday Village Voice party at La Zona Rosa

Next year I think I will go back to my old style of skipping the wristband and solely hitting free day shows.

SXSW - Day 3

Start: 12:30

Spent all day Friday at a day show at La Zona Rosa. First band was the Cribs and I personally did not care for them. Next was the Black Keys, who were really good and I would definitely see again and will probably get their new album when it comes out next month. Next was the Soundtrack of our Lives, who certainly put on a big rock show. Finally was And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead. They were solid but did not smash any instruments which was a big let down.

The best thing about this day show besides the great lineup was the free beer and fajitas. I love SXSW during the day.

End: 6:00

SXSW - Day 2

Start: 7 PM

Well I tried to get into the Body of War showcase but when I hit Stubb's the line stretched all the way from the door down to 9th street back along Red River and almost to 8th so I knew there was no way I was getting in there. So I wandered the streets a bit just soaking in the huge influx of people.

My first stop of the night was at Barcelona to check out Shepard Fairey. Basically this was a DJ set and the only reason I was interested in it is Shepard is the founder/designer/guru of Obey so I was hoping they would have a cool poster for the gig and they did.

Next it was off to the Music Hall to hunker down for a few hours. First up at AMH were The Whigs and they put on a pretty good show. The Music Hall seems a little big for what they can do and they would have been better suited at a smaller venue. Next was Yo La Tengo, I do not know much of their stuff but they put on a pretty noise filled set. Finally, what I had been waiting for My Morning Jacket. They played for almost two hours and it was absolutely fabulous. Traveling the festival circuit they have certainly honed their craft to an art form. A great mix of new songs and favorites with a really intense light show. Certainly the highlight of my festival so far.

After MMJ I thought about hitting some afterparties but decided sleep was more important.

End: 1 AM

SXSW - Day 1

The annual music extravaganza SXSW started yesterday in Austin, TX, here is my recap...

Start: 4 PM
Akron/Family: pretty good
Ra Ra Riot: okay
Saul Williams: okay
Black Joe Lewis: This guy is from Austin and he was very good, I think he will have a much larger following in the near future
Deer Tick: it was okay but I was not feeling it, only stayed about 20 minutes
Wax Fang: nice gritty rock and roll, but the best part of the show was Jim James of My Morning Jacket was right in front of me, pretty cool
Nightwatchman: this was the highlight of the night, the Nightwatchman is Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and he put on a great show, plus Ben Harper came out and played a song with him
Pure Volume afterparty: I was under the impression that they had gotten rid of most of the afterparties but I was certainly mistaken as this part went on until the wee hours and the free beer, liquor, soda, water, etc. flowed
End: 3 AM

A Year Without...Update

Well I am one month into my little no clothes buying experiment and so far it is going pretty well.

Since my pledge not to buy clothes I have not bought any, but have satisfied my new clothes hunger by receiving two tee shirts from my brother for my birthday and getting three Rogue shirts that they gave away when they moved out of the Annex.

5 new tee shirts with a total cost of $0

So my thirst has temporarily been quenched by freebies. Let's see how long that will satisfy me.

Amazing Saturday in Austin

Saturday was just your all around awesome day in Austin. First thing in the morning I got up and did a short little run workout. This was followed by a quick change and heading over to the Veloway to meet Shorery, Menard, Arturo, and a few of his friends. After a loop around the veloway it was off for two autobahn circuits, followed by another veloway loop. Including the ride to a from about 27 miles of riding.

By the end of the ride at 11:30 the mist had burned off and it was on its way to being a crystal clear blue sky day with temps around 80.

After grabbing a quick lunch and a shower Carri, Shorey, and I went and saw Semi-Pro at the Alamo. I felt the movie was pretty good. It was your typical Will Farrell comedy, and the only place in town to see it is the Alamo as they showed tons of really funny SNL, and Funny or Die clips before the movie.

After the movie the three of us headed to Barton Springs Saloon for a few beers on their patio.

Shorey left us at this point and Carri and I stopped and got a final beer at Boomerz before coming home and calling it a night.

A good day indeed.

Weekend Rides

The weather in Austin this past weekend was just amazing, with highs Saturday in the 70s and then yesterday the high was in the 80s. Perfect weather for a couple of rides.

Saturday met up with Erin, Scott, Dionn, and Krissy for a few loops of the veloway and then an autobahn loop. Total mileage for me 31.

Then yesterday Erin, Scott, Krissy and I did a 30 mile ride down to Buda.

These rides really invigorated me and reminded me why I like riding so much. Even though I am still way out of bike shape, I had a few moments where I was able to hammer like the old days. Hopefully after a few more good rides the old legs will come back.

Bedside Reading

I have recently noticed that many of my friends have what they are currently reading on their blogs so I decided I would collect all the books and magazines I have stacked next to my bed and give you a little insight into what I am reading (or what I have been too lazy to put back in the bookshelf).

Books:
Golden Buddha by Clive Cussler - finished needs to go in the bookshelf
The Collectors by David Baldacci - finished needs to go in the bookshelf
So You Want to Live in Hawaii by Toni Polancy - a reoccurring dream that still alludes us
The Great Influenza by John M. Barry - still trying to get into this so it will continue to live bedside
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner - read once about to read again
Next by Michael Crichton - finished needs to go in the bookshelf
Paranoia by Joseph Finder - finished needs to go in the bookshelf

Magazines:
Men's Journal (Nov 2007) - Heading to the recycling bin
Men's Journal (Dec 2008) - Heading to the recycling bin
Money (Oct 2007) - A few good articles I have not read yet, so it stays
Money (Jan 2007) - Heading to the recycling bin
Budget Travel (Oct 2007) - Heading to the recycling bin
Outside (Nov 2007) - Heading to the recycling bin
Bicycling (Mar 2008) - A few good articles I have not read yet, so it stays

Newspaper:
Completed crossword puzzle from 12.10.07 - Heading to the recycling bin

And thats it. Too bad I have to blog about it to get off my lazy butt and either put the completed books in the bookshelf or recycle the magazines. Oh well whatever it takes I guess.

Ahhhh...Austin

While parts of the country saw a whopping high in the 20s today we had a beautiful "winter" day in Austin today with a high temperature of approximately 80 degrees. It was an amazingly beautiful day, and as I type this at 11:33 PM CT I still have the windows open in the house.

Nothing like going on a 20 mile bike ride on February 10th only wearing a short sleeve jersey.

I think that Al Gore was on to something.

A Year Without...

After going through my tax receipts I realized that in 2007 I gave the Goodwill over 50+ men's shirts. This includes tee shirts, polos, dress shirts, etc. This is crazy. As much as I like donating to charity it is kind of silly that I have that many clothes that I can give away. So this year I am going to try to go the rest of 2008 without buying any new clothes. This should be interesting, as I am a sucker for the sale. We will see if I can do it.

Caveats: I can buy new clothes if any of the following happen - new job requiring items I do not have, lose a ton of weight and nothing fits, gain a ton of weight and nothing fits, some extraordinary event that needs to be remembered (bike tour), some event that has a specific dress code (specific shirt for wedding), or some amazing sports event that demands apparel (OSU making it to the national championship game, Ravens in Super Bowl, Orioles in World Series, etc.) Also getting a t shirt from a race, ride, Muddy Buddy, Urban Assault Race, Oyster, etc. does not constitute buying new clothes.

So that is my plan we will see how it pans out.

Back in the Saddle Again

For the first time this year I went for a bike ride. Woohoo!!! The gray, rainy days of the past few weeks have subsided and today was a perfect day for a bike ride. I have lost tons of my cycling ability but it still felt great to get out there and ride. Nothing major mind you just 15.5 miles at a 16.9 MPH pace. None the less it was still fantastic. Its days like today that remind me why I like riding so much more than running.

Beef...It's What's for Dinner

I can barely wait to have my first steak in 6 years, maybe a little tartar or blue steak is in order...

No, I will show some restraint and wait until the steak is cooked and add some veggies for good measure.
Drum roll please...here comes the first bite, 6 long years disappearing in a mere instant, is it worth it?
In the words of America's former sweet heart, Whitney Houston...Hell's to the Yes

A Great Time, but...

This past weekend I went to Las Vegas with my brother and Dad for a boy's weekend. We all had a great time and Dad and Ryan put a beating on the tables and took home tons of cashola. I on the other hand decide to leave a few dollars there for next time. This was our first real boys trip in a couple years and we all had an excellent time, even though one dealer wondered if my Dad was Ryan's grandfather. Needless to say she did not get any tips.

And now for the but...I am glad to be home. As much as I like traveling it sometimes wears me out. And three trips, one to Dallas, one to Baltimore, and one to Vegas in less than three weeks has really taken it out of me. Thankfully the next trip is not until the end of March.

I only hope it will be as fun as this past weekend's Vegas excursion.

Happy Birthday to Me

Luckily my cake was nicer than the one above. I just wanted to thank everyone for coming out last night for my birthday. From those that stopped by after their rain soaked run to those that went with us to the Draught House for their $2.75 pints to the one that took me to Boomerz for my Word Dojo fix. Thank you.

Wow

This is just sick, the strength that this takes is unreal...

Kettlebell Class

Yesterday I took my first kettlebell class and today I am certainly feeling it. Who thought that swinging a 36 lb (and sometimes a 13 lb) weight would make you so sore. My core is on fire, my shoulders ache, and that is just the start of the "good" soreness I have today. I highly recommend this class to anyone trying to jump start their exercise routine.

You can find out more about this class at crossfitcentral.com.

Goodbye Old Friend

After having to sit out the past three weeks with injury it looks like I am out for the 3M half marathon and the AT&T half marathon. My whole goal of this training season was to PR in the 3M and that goal has been blown away by the injury. Of course I am going back to the doctor on Monday and might be cleared but with this much time off I think the PR is out of reach.

Since that goal is unattainable with only 3 weeks till 3M, I simply do not have the motivation to put in the miles. This is the first time I have been injured due to running and I think I did too much too early in the season. 8-10 mile runs 3-5 months out from my events was simply too much.

So am I bummed:yes, do I hope the weather stays nice so I can get back on the bike:yes.

Hopefully the pain in the calf will continue to dissipate and I can get back to normal soon.

Hello Old Friend

Today for the first time in approximately six years I ate red meat.

I originally gave it up to try to drop some weight when I was training for the marathon back in Winter 2001-2002. I have not missed it until recently when I started thinking why am I depriving myself of something. For the past few years I have not eaten it under the impression that I would get sick if I started eating it again, but after alot of Internet research I learned that is not the case. So today I eased back into the realm of red meat with an open faced roast beef sandwich with swiss cheese and horseradish sauce. Beef is not as delicious as I remember it being but that might all change when I have my first medium rare steak in few days.