Kids follow parents example.... this is new research?!

Here's the title from my favorite research study site:

Parenting and Home Environment Influence Children's Exercise and Eating Habits

My goodness, will wonders never cease?  Kids follow their parents example in exercise and nutrition, there's a shocker.  In fact it's so surprising that scientists have conducted a study to determine the details, you can find it here

Combine that with the new determination by the AMA that obesity is a disease (here), and you've got parents giving kids a disease through lazy poorly fed upbringings.  Does this mean we as parents will be required to enforce healthy eating habits for our kids?!  Maybe.  

I love my kids and want the best for them, perhaps that means I'll be a cruel man and require my kids to finish their veggies, get off the couch, and get outside!  Apparently that means I'm fighting disease in my home as a (mostly) responsible daddy.
Kudos to Carrots.

Should we be compelled to do this?  No friggin way.

I'm gonna go ride my bike now.... 

The C word

Cracked, Carbon.

Those two words are like nails on a chalkboard to those of us who "must" use the infernal material.  Oh how I would love to stick with an alloy, or with anything other than over-rated paper mache.  But in order to remain competitive it's almost required.

No, not my handlebars.  Saw this last year at OVRR a crash in the cat 4 field, and pretty sure that's the owners blood across the SCOTT logo.

Fortunately, prices aren't too bad for carbon components now, but maybe that's just a mental shift that taking this sport seriously has had.  Suddenly spending more on my bike then on my car seems reasonable.  Suddenly Italian and French gear isn't just a silly waste of money (ok, maybe still is).  Suddenly formerly "high" prices seem much more "reasonable".

In reality I think(know) the market has opened up to carbon manufacturing  and you can find things like carbon rims for 1/3 the price they used to be. (hint: cheap wheels )


So I'm getting ready to race at Olympic View Road Race in Brady, WA and what do I discover by 2 cracks in my carbon fork:

Though this one is the worst:

Of course given that I've got about 20 minutes before our race rides away there's zero chance to do anything about it.  So being a dangerous risk taker that I am (*ahem*), I go looking for the right teamate to ask.  "Oh that's just a surface crack, no worries.  But get it changed out after the race", just the response I was fishing for.  Opted to race, and low and behold just fine.

However, now I know about the cracked fork and if something did happen I would never relent on the mental I told you so's.

So I found a sweet used fork at Recycled Cycles, got it installed all in one mighty swoop, and learned from the mechanic how to change a fork, cool.  Less than $100 for the whole operation, and now conscience assuaged I feel free to hammer to my heart's content again.  Albeit, a bit uglier for the time being.

Stupid carbon.

Pacific Raceways, the other type of racing

It's April 3rd 2013, we've already begun racing on the road now.  My fitness level is coming along nicely, and the races are of course a total blast.  My team is working well together and I'm getting a chance to focus on some of the finesse that I love most with cycling... tactics.

So where can a person get some hands on practice in about 30 minutes of racing, where your competitors are out for the same reasons as you? (ie: fitness, and practice)  Pacific Raceways, and Seward Park.

I'm totally loving these unsanctioned races and the chance to test out some concepts that have been haunting me....

Unsanctioned races = My tactics workbench

Transition time, roadwork here I come!

The end of cyclocross racing season is always a bummer for me.  That means I'll have to start training indoors, or out on the road in the rain, very little mud instead it's mostly road grit.

Oh well, that also means that road races are coming up!  

Very much looking forward to working with my team, and very focused on my fitness during the off-season. 

This will be a great year!

2011 -Year in Review

In the tradition of every other blog I'm keeping up on, it's time to take a look at 2011 in review.  Since my updates to this blog have been somewhat spotty anyways, it would be nice to take a look at some the things that have happened in 2011.  This may be only for my own records, but it sure does help to see what has changed over time.


Started out the year with an interest on running, and triathlon. 


February
Valentine's Day Dash run around Greenlake, 5k. Lot's of people at this event, and I was trained up feeling strong. It's extremely FLAT and I'd planned on that, with a PR of 19:13.


June 
Green River Marathon ran with no training. Loved the casual feel of the event, and the great spirits of the volunteers!  This is a repeat event from now until ....  Although, I vow to train for it from now on, 26.2 miles is just a bit too far not to train.  Not trying to be a "tough guy", just too disorganized to train properly. 5:30 finish time.  Not happy about that time.


July 
STP (Seattle to Portland) classic regional ride 200 miles 1300+/- feet climbing.  Didn't register, and didn't use any support.  Learned a great lesson on that one though, will never do that again!  Nothing terrible happened, but I don't think it's right to ride without registering.  Ride was fun simply because of the number of friends on it, and the lessons I learned along the way.  Felt very strong for this ride.  Not sure on finish time, but felt like I could go faster.  Kept pace with my buddies the whole way.


RAMROD (Ride Around Mt Rainier in One Day) epic regional ride 184 miles 12,000 feet climbing. This was 2 weeks after STP, so the taper was interesting for the two events in one month.  This event required some volunteer time the year before (2010) in order to get a ticket to ride.  Was absolutely beautiful day, and riding conditions.  Spent part of a climb in a small waterfall and pond along one of the last climbs (Cayuse pass). Finished strong, and felt again like I could go faster next time. The climb up to Inspiration Point was along "Longmire" and I really hammered the pedals.  Felt great.

August
Put some logic to work. Through Campy and another friend, discovered that I could get in 3-5 bike races for the price of one triathlon!  Most sprint distance tris are $75-$95.  I can race for as little as $15 at some bike events!  Joined the Blue Roosters racing team and love it.  Started trying to figure out what events to participate in.  Decided on Track (April-August) and Cyclocross (October-January).  Was very bummed to find out that Cyclocross aka CX was only on Sundays for the most part.  However, through subjection I was given the opportunity to race a Saturday series out of Bellingham.  Details to follow.


September
Bike MS in Mt Vernon.  This is mostly a fundraiser with a fun ride with good friends for extra credit. Very casual pace, good food, very friendly folks.

Ghost of Seattle half marathon, 13.1 miles.  Ran this one with a friend.  Another very casual event with limited entry fees ($25) and smallish group of runners.  Looking forward to this one again in '12.


October
Cascade Cross Series Cyclocross races begin.  Raced Woolley cross in Sedro Wooley on the ground of an old mental hospital, and was hooked!  Campy let me borrow his steel mountain bike very heavy with fat tires, to try out the CX thing.  After 45 minutes of misery on the race course I was hooked.  In fact the picture at the beginning of this blog post was immediately after the race.  I love it, hooked.


November
These race series seem to have 1-2 races per month so November was no different with another CX race on fat tires. Interesting, I was having fun even though there was almost no chance of catching the other riders in my category because of the weight of the bike as well as more importantly the rolling resistance of those fat tires.  So I was determined to find a deal on a "real" CX bike.


December

Found a K2 Enemy bike for sale on Craigslist for under $500 and was set.  Early Christmas present.  Got some tires from a teamate, and was ready to race.  At another Cascade race "Thriller Cross" I endo'd off a built up skinny and landed on me noggin (not me in the pic).  After a quick evaluation, my fingers and toes still worked so I raced and took 4th in my group.  Couple days later my new Dr at the Sports Medicine Clinic in Northgate told me "congratulations, you have a concussion".  Now I wait for everything to heal, and will begin again the training plan, most likely having to write off a race here in January, the last one of the series as well as the Valentine's day run in February.  Been studying up on techniques to avoid this kind of crash again.






Plans for 2012


Get organized!
I'd like to be more organized with training, and actually have a REAL training plan I stick to.  This includes taking into account the longer events like Green River Marathon as well as another STP (paid), and of course my track and CX racing endeavors.


Work on skills training!
Like falling off bikes the correct way, and how to better control the bike.  Bike handling skills.


Get involved!
As in with the kids more.  Would love to get them out to do some riding with Daddy and Mommy more often.


Drink more water!
And less coffee    :(

Busy times

It's been awhile since the last post, and I'm playing a bit of catch up.  But there's too much to cover in one post alone.  So expect some updates more frequently now.  That's it, I'm not going to make any crazy promises like expect a weekly update or anything, as that would be restrictive and I'm really enjoying writing as it interests me, or there's new content to share.

So yeah, don't expect updates weekly.  Especially don't expect them to be already somewhat in work, and ready to publish.  As that would be to well organized.

STP 2011....correction S2P

The one and only, Seattle to Portland ride.  This event is the penultimate bucket list items for many many folks in the Pacific Northwest.  There's even people that travel from all over the nation to attend.  Here's some stats from their site:

Who rode in 2011?

• 9,999 other riders
• Oldest rider: 85
• 18% first-time riders
• 100 safety and medical riders
• 30 Ride Referees
• 228 riders who have participated in 10+ STPs
• One rider who has ridden them all: Jerry Baker!
• In 2011, riders came from 42 states plus Canada (Alberta, B.C. & Ontario) and England.

Unfortunately the stats they provide don't show how many folks opted for either a two day (100 miles each) or a one day (200 miles).  Since this was my first go at it, and I'm convicted not to participate in anything that will take place during worship hours on Sundays, I opted for the one day. Also, I rode along without paying for the event.  I know it may seem wrong at first, but here's my logic:

1. I don't want any of the food they're providing, I'm packing my own the entire way. Plus, the products I use work really well, so why go with something that isn't proven? 200 miles is a lot of work, I'd hate for something to go wrong and upset the whole ride.
2. I'm broke. The fitness funds in the budget have been turned upside down, and I really wanted to get this particular ride under my belt at some point. (see next point)
3. My companies convention has always fallen on the same weekend as the event, except for this year...
4. I'm not completely convinced that the organizing body of the event is high on my list of favorites. 
5. I don't need anything that they're providing along the way, there's plenty of facilities all the way there.

So here's the tenants that I agreed in order to ride the event without paying the registration fee:

1. No using any food or water at the rest stops. Gotta find my own way.
2. No using the restroom facilities they provide. Gotta find my own means.
3. No enjoying the starting line or finishing line festivities. It's their party, not mine.
4. Find my own way home. 

All that said, it would be simple enough to do this quick 200 miler (double century).  Also, I was still not convinced that it was an ok thing to do without paying... But... 202 miles with almost 2,000 feet of climbing, sounds like fun. 

First the nutrition plan

Sustained Energy by Hammer Nutrition

I really like Sustained Energy, and planned on 2.5 scoops per hour for no more than 12 hours.  If it went beyond that I would be in trouble, or have to stop at a mini-mart to get food.  That being said I know that I went through nearly $45 in product during the ride.  Also, I've yet to figure out a method to keep the bottles from spoiling when mixing more than 2 hours.  It's a great concept to stretch out the time needed between rest breaks, but haven't been able to break the 2 hour barrier...yet.  Perhaps I'll have better luck with the other nutrition source, Perpetuem by Hammer.

Nuun Tablets

Electrolytes without the calories.  Nuun would be my mandatory electrolytes during the ride, 1 bottle per hour.  I had enough for 14 hours.  Very simple, very easy choice.  I love the product!

Everything on the ride was great.  Most every time some friends would stop for a rest break, I would simply "catch up" with them later on the ride.  Or if I did head into the break area, there was no sampling of the goodies, enjoying the fellowship of other folks suffering (camaraderie is a big deal here), or even using the can.  In fact weeks later I would get a compliment from a new friend about sticking with my own rules.

It all seemed logical, and straightforward.  Until I got to Portland.

Once in Portland I got a flat.  No surprise as later I found out that someone had tacked the course, who does that???!!!! (Oh wait I know someone who would do that... yes they have just as pleasant a personality as you'd imagine).

The thing with this flat was that I didn't want to stop to change the tube.  So I aired it up, and kept rolling.  Took 15 minutes to leak out but I was only just a couple miles out from the finish so I thought.  So I stopped and aired up, 10 minutes to flat, air, 7 minutes, air, 5 minutes, air, 4 minutes, air, at this point I saw lots of people on the side with a huge number of flats in Portland, strange... (tacked course) 3 minutes, air.... ARGGG!

Finally I rolled past (not through) the finish line to meet up with my sister and the rest of the group I'd ridden with for the last 200 or so miles.  It was great to be done, but especially great to not deal with that flat anymore.

After missing the last train to Seattle, and finding only an overpriced (although quite comfy) hotel room nearby, and missing Church the next day.  Also, I had a terrible chafing issue that is quite indescribable.  All that and I finally learned a little lesson.

Even though I can justify, and fully support myself on a ride like that, and make great time doing it.  ALWAYS PAY TO PLAY.  I thank God for teaching me a little lesson about what is right, and what's not.  Fortunately for me, those kinds of lessons only need to be taught once.

For 2012 already a fellow co-worker wants to do the ride in one day, and I'm kinda hoping that she forgets about it, as there are so many great rides in July!  Although, I do really want to do it again sometime, but this time pay and enjoy.