thursday opus ride

My camera died part way into the regular thursday ride so this is the little bit I got before it died.

dull boy

All work and no rest, In this case is making Joel a dull rider. Today, mountain biking with a guy from the team was my third ride in row with lower than normal performace. My heart rates on really hard efforts are very low too. On yesterday's ride I was blowing up with heart rates in the low 170's. today I couldn't get out of the high 160's. All these are canaries for me to heed. My vo2 max is aproximatly 182,though I see high 180's to low 190's regularly on a strong day.

So I am laying down the law
" no bike for you tomorrow"

I think a full day of rest then a couple of medium pace cruisers ought to set things to right. The up side here is. I'm finally acruing enough experience to start seeing these trends and dealing with them before they get worse.

it would be great to get one of those magic days where you have tons of gas. Hopfully a little test will have my back on my better game.

Never better

I was coming home from a meeting yesterday. I had ridden my bike to the meeting about 40 minutes or so to get there. While i was in the meeting the weather changed and I started my ride home into a 40 mph headwind at the leading edge of an inbound thunderstorm. When the front rolled over the air cooled and the rain started. It was the industrial size drops that come with a good old fashion midwestern thunderstorm.

it goes with out saying that i got soaked. I could not have gotten wetter had I jumped in a swimming pool. But here's the fun part. Every once in a while l'll catch myself kavetching about something and just have to smile. This was just such an occasion. I was riding along in the rain grumbling. When it occurred to me this was some premier grade complaining!

Sometime complaining is just good clean fun and you shouldn't have to feel bad for it. So I laughed to myself for a few seconds then went right back to the highlight of my day, bitching about having to ride home in the rain : )

Lebanon hills

Here is a little video from a trip down to Lebanon Hills just south of minneapolis.

new and improved with video

a friend started posting video on their blog and has up'd the anti so I went out and bought a helmet cam and here is the first test. enjoy

Will mountain bike racing screw me up?

I have been riding a fair bit of mountain bike in the last couple weeks. It seems to go well with the fallish weather we've been having lately. I must say i am really enjoying it. i am worried however about loosing focus on my road goals. 

I think doing some mountain bike races may be really fun and put some energy into training. I've had to work pretty hard to acquire the fitness I have and don't want to jeopardize it. I'm not saying that mountain biking is easier. Obviously it can be as hard as you like just like road riding. It's  more a concern for maintaining focus and keeping my eye on the prize. 

I hired a full time coach last spring for a few months to help me get ready for the racing season. She is an ex pro mountain bike racer I am sure she will have all kinds of advice.  I can sort of already hear her in my ear. "well you have to decide what your goals are" 

I am really glad my season ended on a relative high note. It has me already thinking about the durand road race in the spring. Hopefully another season of skate skiing and the indoor cycling classes by my coach will have me all set to do better at durand than last year(crossing fingers).

These are the three numbers from the three races this year. Sort of a little scrap book above my desk.

Well better get back to it, i have a mountain bike ride at noon and I have stuff I need to get done before I can go.

Ratts back to fighting.

So I have avoided politics mostly because there is so much political ranting going on on the internet that it's covered pretty well. But.... after the speech by Gov. Palin at the republican convention I feel compelled to note something just this once.

the politics of the US has been driven by a strategy of the republican party that seeks to divide the country in a way that garners them the advantage. it's been very successful for them from the point of view of gaining and retaining power. But at what cost?  

This concept again and again demands of americans if they are to consider themselves americans in good standing to revile their neighbors and fellow americans. It demands that pick and support them in their entirety with out question and vowing total allegiance to their cause. It demands that you fight with every fiber to destroy those who would choose something different particularly the democratic party. It demands that you separate yourself from "them" politically socially geographically, and  religiously. The architects and tacticians of this strategy would have you forget that the " them" they may be talking about are your neighbors, family and fellow countrymen. Those who plan and impediment this dissecting of the american people would have you fill your heart with fear and hatred for your own family if they do not subscribe. 

The Mc Cain campaign has up to this point payed passing homage to this policy but largely avoided it and I have appreciated them for there courage. It would take some strength to not succumb to it as a leader in the republican party. this has been the way they have conducted themselves, that is until last night. 

Governor Palin last night demanded of the convention and the country that they fill their hearts with suspicion and hatred for anyone who doesn't support the presented ideology and it doesn't matter how kind or hard working or faithfully they and their ancestors have sacrificed for this country. If they will not march in lock step and carry the republican torch, you must hate them.

I am truly sad. I had hoped that We the People could take this opportunity to address some really troubling times but it would seem we will be wasting our time finding reasons to undo the work of our neighbors. 

Sadder still is how willing the american population is to give them their wish. So many of us will say yes. Yes I will oppose and disassociate myself with my fellow americans. Yes I will segregate my community and tell my children that they are not to talk to the kids across the street or across town. Yes I will say aloud that those who believe differently from me are dangerous and that peril will come to us all unless we destroy them.

Last night we returned to the gloom and I am sad and angry for it. I don't want to be afraid. I don't want to hate my neighbors to tell you the truth they seem ok to me. 

I don't want to be hated. 

look how far away we've fallen from, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself !"

Gone is the america that is a squabbling family that loves each other, and would do anything for their brother or sister.

Just really sad.

On the bike after a week

I finally got on the bike last night after being away from it for over a week. I've been getting thinner and thinner on patience for days now. It is a good thing I could finally got a ride in before I totally loose it. I can tell that I've lost some strength from my being away from the bike. But work and the beginning of the school year have made my bed for me. 

All the people that know fitness stuff say however good long term strategy comes with periods of rest and  recovery so I'll just pretend this is one of those. The people that ran the race I was in last still don't have the results up, bugger. I've even emailed them to ask when they may be up and no response. hmmmm. sort of frustrating, may be my best finish of the year and I can't find out. well we'll see. 

The air for the last two days has made a definite turn cooler and the smell of  fall is out there believe it or not. I am not ready to give up on summer weather but it's not up to me.

If anyone reads this please leave a comment I am curious if anyone other than Tamsin reads this at all. 

hey tam