...then I don't want to be right. Sunday, January 3, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
2009—A Year In Review
To continue my end of the near tradition, here is a recap of my best and worst list:
- Best road race course: Sibley RR—I came close to winning my first road race
- Worst road race course: Durand—I got dropped before the first turn and had to TT the entire race solo.
- Best road race moment: Being the only person in my category in a 3 person breakaway with Teresa from Flanders. AND doing a solo breaking away from the pack on the final hill during the Ken Woods RR getting 3rd place overall. Jay said I was laughing up the hill—trust me it wasn't laughter it was pure pain.
- Worst road race moment: Getting dropped during the Lakewood Road Race (Duluth Classic) on the hill twice and had to catch up with the group—took everything I had for over 2 miles both times to get back to the group.
- Best Crit course: Mankato and Northfield—I really started to feel good about my handling skills.
- Worst Crit course: Pinehurst (Duluth Classic)—it was pure torture the entire time.
- Best Crit moment: Mankato—I found confidence in my corning without touching the breaks
- Worst Crit moment: Northfield—just when I felt good about the course and my handling skills it started to rain on the downtown streets—amost went down three times.
- Best TT course: Charity TT—won my first race by a 10th of a second
- Worst TT course: St. Peter—48 degrees and raining for a 40k race. I couldn’t feel anything at the 20k mark.
- Best TT moment: When I passed a guy that went off at the Blackdog a minute before me—he was pissed that I passed him on my stock bike.
- Worst TT moment: Missing my start time at the MN State TT—I think I would have gotten a higher placing if I was on time. Lessen learned, I’m now 10-15 minutes early for my start time.
- Best non-racing moment: Everything about RAAM—ok that’s racing but I wasn’t on the bike. Supporting our friends during the WI Ironman—it should have been illegal on how much fun we had. Along with getting my picture taken with Kristen Armstrong and Floyd Landis.
- Worst non-racing moment: Being in the car when Jason from Surfing USA was hit during RAAM.
- Best REGBRAI moment: Roadside party on the first riding day and meeting up with Holly, John, Carol, Belinda and Neil during the Johnny Holms concert.
- Worst REGBRAI moment: When a girl from the Bud team touched wheels and went down at 40 mph.
- Best Group Ride: Tour of Timmer—not sure where we went since there were so many turns but it was some where in Excelsior.
- Best Group Ride moment: Realizing how strong Carol had gotten over the season while climbing the hills in Preston—she was able to have a full conversation the entire time while I was riding on my limit a quarter of a mile behind her and Neil.
- Best Solo Ride route: Candy Shop Ride
- Best Solo Ride moment: Stopping at the Minnetonka pier on the first day of Fall—it was a great day!
- Worst Solo Ride moment: Riding back home from Champlin after a relentless 40 mile headwind ride.
- WTF moment: While running my own half-marathon course, after the city of St. Paul cut the course in half due to extreme weather, my face mask was frozen to my neck I thought “Up until this exact moment it was important to me to finish this goal, but now I’m rethinking my sanity.”
*Note: the worst course list does not reflect against the promoter, it's purely based on my crappy performance that day.
Total Miles: 4,021
2009 Races and Places
- April 18 - Durand (women’s open)—16th place
- April 25 - Ken Woods—3rd place
- May 02 - Marty Place—5th place
- May 06 - BlackDog #1—4th place
- May 09 - Sibley RR—2th place
- May 16 - Synergy TT—3rd place
- May 17 - Charity TT—1st place
- May 20 - BlackDog #2—1st place
- May 22 - Wrenshall Time Trial—4th place
- May 23 - South Range Road Race—3rd place
- May 24 - Lakewood Road Race—7th place
- May 25 - Pinehurst Criterium—11th place
- May 30 - East Union Circuit Race—5th place
- June 03 - BlackDog #3—2nd place
- June 06 - St. Peter TT—4th place
- June 13 - Mankato Crit—4th place
- June 17 - BlackDog #4—4th place
- July 01 - BlackDog #5—5th place
- July 04 - Northfield—6th place
- July 05 - Spam Jam—2nd place
- July 28 - Summit/Hollywood Criterium—6th place
- August 18 - Birchwood Road Race—6th place
- August 28 - BlackDog #9—3rd place
* this year the fields were much larger.
Friday, December 18, 2009
That was one messed up class
Wednesday evening I thought I would checkout a new spin class. I’ve been to this instructor’s class before but it was a while ago. I was warned several times not to go, but I didn’t listen—sometimes you need to make your own mistakes in life to learn a lesson. All I could remember, she had an insane amount of energy with pretty good music and she didn’t put enough (if any) tension on her bike—no problem I would. 10 minutes into class I was thinking about my exit plan. Should I just leave, how should I leave or should I stick it out? I stuck it out only to be witness to the most F-ed up class I’VE EVER ATTENDED!!!
Reasons why:
#1
If you’re a guy, you might not mind this first grip, but I was the one in class so let’s precede…Every female in the class (including the instructor) was wearing the short booty shorts. You know the kind that is so short you can see cheeks. No wonder you hear women complaining about their seat hurting. All you have on is a thin piece of cotton that is barely covering your ass! I, on the other hand, felt strangely awkward being the only one in padded spandex shorts that went halfway down my thighs. Hell, I even had them pulled up from where they normally would fall!
#2
In other classes when the instructor says “turn up your resistance” you turn the dial a minimum 1/8 of a turn to maybe a full turn. Not this class, she kept telling us to turn up or down the resistance 10 to 15 full rotations! OK STOP…if you have to turn your resistance up 10-15 full rotations and you’re still in a seated position—you don’t have ANY resistance on in the first place! What’s the point? It’s like going downhill in your smallest gear. The very sturdy and durable bikes were moving from their location due to lack of tension they looked like they were going to take off.
#3
While we were turning our dials up and down—which, by the way, I kept at a reasonable climbing resistance—she had us do push-ups and jumps. If you’ve attended a class with me you will know that these two moves are on the top of my short ‘hate to do’ list. There is no benefit to push-ups. When was the last time you did a push-up on your bike outside? That’s right—NEVER! Jumps—I’ll do 4 or 8 counts since you might need to do them when you run out of gears during a uphill climb (or if you are a MTBer) but if you need to do 2 count jumps while you’re on your bike—you’re expending more energy then you should and should just sit you’re butt down and work your way up the hill.
#4
Outside, the talented riders can ride no-handed while zipping up their jacket, opening up a package, etc. I am not one of those talented riders—at least one hand at all times. The “no handed” trick can only be done while seated. During this crazy class the instructor had us stand—while spinning—and do some synchronized swimming moves with our hands. Again, I did not participate in this action.
Now…here comes the best part of the class…
#5
She had us take one foot out of the clips/cages. So far I’m in—this is a great way to focus on your less dominate leg, but then she said “now stand up” WTF? Oh hell no! I clipped back in and refused to participate. I wish I had a camera because this was so absurd and is hard to explain—I was in a full on giggle the entire time. I was picturing Matt and Bill’s reaction if they were in class with me. While only clipped-in with one foot she had the class stand up—causing most of your body weight to be transferred to the bars—and use the momentum and the strength of your arms to continue to peddle ONE LEGGED while standing.
A few times I caught the instructor looking at me—since I sat second row right in front of her and refused to go along with her shenanigans—and was not please with my participation. Although, I did my own thing I had a pretty good workout—I stayed in a high zone, sprinted several times in a high resistance and burned a ton of calories.
If your focus is not outdoor riding and just want to have fun maybe this particular class is for you, but as someone who attends several classed I would have to say there are far better ones out there that are just as fun.
The next morning I went to Chris’s class. She was not aware of the crazy class I went to the night before but by coincidence she said, “If your legs are rotating too fast and your bike is moving, you don’t have enough tension and are doing a disservice to your workout.” Later, “I don’t do push-ups because you would never do push-ups on your bike outside.” And another instructor said a week prior, “I don’t have you stand and go no handed because it will do more harm to your body then good.” AMEN!
Reasons why:
#1
If you’re a guy, you might not mind this first grip, but I was the one in class so let’s precede…Every female in the class (including the instructor) was wearing the short booty shorts. You know the kind that is so short you can see cheeks. No wonder you hear women complaining about their seat hurting. All you have on is a thin piece of cotton that is barely covering your ass! I, on the other hand, felt strangely awkward being the only one in padded spandex shorts that went halfway down my thighs. Hell, I even had them pulled up from where they normally would fall!
#2
In other classes when the instructor says “turn up your resistance” you turn the dial a minimum 1/8 of a turn to maybe a full turn. Not this class, she kept telling us to turn up or down the resistance 10 to 15 full rotations! OK STOP…if you have to turn your resistance up 10-15 full rotations and you’re still in a seated position—you don’t have ANY resistance on in the first place! What’s the point? It’s like going downhill in your smallest gear. The very sturdy and durable bikes were moving from their location due to lack of tension they looked like they were going to take off.
#3
While we were turning our dials up and down—which, by the way, I kept at a reasonable climbing resistance—she had us do push-ups and jumps. If you’ve attended a class with me you will know that these two moves are on the top of my short ‘hate to do’ list. There is no benefit to push-ups. When was the last time you did a push-up on your bike outside? That’s right—NEVER! Jumps—I’ll do 4 or 8 counts since you might need to do them when you run out of gears during a uphill climb (or if you are a MTBer) but if you need to do 2 count jumps while you’re on your bike—you’re expending more energy then you should and should just sit you’re butt down and work your way up the hill.
#4
Outside, the talented riders can ride no-handed while zipping up their jacket, opening up a package, etc. I am not one of those talented riders—at least one hand at all times. The “no handed” trick can only be done while seated. During this crazy class the instructor had us stand—while spinning—and do some synchronized swimming moves with our hands. Again, I did not participate in this action.
Now…here comes the best part of the class…
#5
She had us take one foot out of the clips/cages. So far I’m in—this is a great way to focus on your less dominate leg, but then she said “now stand up” WTF? Oh hell no! I clipped back in and refused to participate. I wish I had a camera because this was so absurd and is hard to explain—I was in a full on giggle the entire time. I was picturing Matt and Bill’s reaction if they were in class with me. While only clipped-in with one foot she had the class stand up—causing most of your body weight to be transferred to the bars—and use the momentum and the strength of your arms to continue to peddle ONE LEGGED while standing.
A few times I caught the instructor looking at me—since I sat second row right in front of her and refused to go along with her shenanigans—and was not please with my participation. Although, I did my own thing I had a pretty good workout—I stayed in a high zone, sprinted several times in a high resistance and burned a ton of calories.
If your focus is not outdoor riding and just want to have fun maybe this particular class is for you, but as someone who attends several classed I would have to say there are far better ones out there that are just as fun.
The next morning I went to Chris’s class. She was not aware of the crazy class I went to the night before but by coincidence she said, “If your legs are rotating too fast and your bike is moving, you don’t have enough tension and are doing a disservice to your workout.” Later, “I don’t do push-ups because you would never do push-ups on your bike outside.” And another instructor said a week prior, “I don’t have you stand and go no handed because it will do more harm to your body then good.” AMEN!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Preparation H
For the past few months I’ve had the joys of going to the gym during the day where I can wake up at a decent hour (9 or 10am), I don’t need to fight for a machine, space on the track, or bike during spin class. Yes, there are the benefits of a mid-day workout. Although, there are some downsides.
You might think I would say the number of small children. No, they’ve actually helped me work on my quick reflexes – you never know which way they are going to dart.
It’s the number of elderly people. Hey, good for them towards staying active – I hope I have the same amount of energy they do at their age. What bothers me is in the women’s locker room there are more naked women over the age of 65 then all the women combined during high traffic hours. I won’t get into details—because they should never be discussed. I acknowledge these older women had many years of rushing through life and now have the right to take it easy. BUT, I would like to point out, this does NOT mean they need to have a 45 minute casual conversation naked while they do god knows what—since there seems to be no progress in that 45 minutes towards getting ready. The same four words go through my mind everyday: Put some clothes on!
The other thing I’ve noticed is that Preparation H has a very strong and distinctive odor. Either that or my senses are more sensitive while I’m in a high zone hart rate. What I know for sure is at 10:30am if you are on the track you will be punched in the face by the oder every time you go past the aerobic room and when you pass someone.
Quick rundown on what I did since my last positing. Friday: Did my own 1 hour spin class followed by interrupting Kenny’s 1 hour spin class. Then my 40 minute 15 % incline walking (switching every 5 minutes forward or 5 minutes backwards) – you sweat as much as you would during a cardio class. Saturday: Jody skipped class so I skipped working out. Sunday: recovering from the Loon party with a hangover – yeah I know I’m not on the team anymore but racers from other teams crash the party. Monday: Checked out a new spin class at Plymouth—good class so I’ll go again, followed by light elliptical. Tuesday: 20 minute run, spin class that almost killed me, weights.
I recently got the current Runner’s World magazine. A survey was taken (over the course of a year with 17,000 submissions) the Fargo Marathon was ranked #8 for the best overall marathon. The Twin Cities Marathon was ranked #18. I’m feeling pretty good about my choice.
You might think I would say the number of small children. No, they’ve actually helped me work on my quick reflexes – you never know which way they are going to dart.
It’s the number of elderly people. Hey, good for them towards staying active – I hope I have the same amount of energy they do at their age. What bothers me is in the women’s locker room there are more naked women over the age of 65 then all the women combined during high traffic hours. I won’t get into details—because they should never be discussed. I acknowledge these older women had many years of rushing through life and now have the right to take it easy. BUT, I would like to point out, this does NOT mean they need to have a 45 minute casual conversation naked while they do god knows what—since there seems to be no progress in that 45 minutes towards getting ready. The same four words go through my mind everyday: Put some clothes on!
The other thing I’ve noticed is that Preparation H has a very strong and distinctive odor. Either that or my senses are more sensitive while I’m in a high zone hart rate. What I know for sure is at 10:30am if you are on the track you will be punched in the face by the oder every time you go past the aerobic room and when you pass someone.
Quick rundown on what I did since my last positing. Friday: Did my own 1 hour spin class followed by interrupting Kenny’s 1 hour spin class. Then my 40 minute 15 % incline walking (switching every 5 minutes forward or 5 minutes backwards) – you sweat as much as you would during a cardio class. Saturday: Jody skipped class so I skipped working out. Sunday: recovering from the Loon party with a hangover – yeah I know I’m not on the team anymore but racers from other teams crash the party. Monday: Checked out a new spin class at Plymouth—good class so I’ll go again, followed by light elliptical. Tuesday: 20 minute run, spin class that almost killed me, weights.
I recently got the current Runner’s World magazine. A survey was taken (over the course of a year with 17,000 submissions) the Fargo Marathon was ranked #8 for the best overall marathon. The Twin Cities Marathon was ranked #18. I’m feeling pretty good about my choice.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Fall training is now over (or what others might call the “off season”). It’s time to get serious!
To stick to my last post committing to going to the gym and telling you want moronic thing I did or saw, here we go…
This past weekend was my family’s annual holiday cookie making weekend. We make somewhere between 10-12 different types of cookies at 2-3 batches each. I dread this event. Why? Because I have no willpower. On top of that I have to take home a quarter of the quantity. I have full intentions on packaging them up and giving them out, but in reality I can’t control myself and I eat too many of them. So I quickly packed them up, gave them out, consumed the rest in a timely fashion and as quickly as I consumed those cookies I ditched my fall training program to start my “New Year” program before the new year.
Yesterday was Chris’s spin class—same Chris I talked about in my last posting. After three weeks she was finally back in town to teach her Thursday spin class. She travels a lot for fitness education and appears on QVC. She’s also in Prevention, Oxygen and a few other magazines. So I was surprised when she recognized me and said hi before class started—she knows a lot of people. Today’s mix of everything was very much welcomed after three days of specific training. Overall, I was happy with my performance—I would even dare to say I was shocked at my performance. I pushed it and still had a lot left to give.
That said, I ran intervals on the treadmill for 30 minutes and then jumped in the pool for another 20 minutes of non-stop swimming. This was the first time in 3 months that I’ve been in the pool so I wasn’t sure if it was like riding a bike (sink or swim). I swam.
I’m happy to announce I’m now 1.5 days clean of cookie goodness.
I should have my marathon training program in the next few weeks. Something about “we’ll make sure to schedule in planned events” came up during the conversation which clearly meant other running events. I don’t know how others train for a marathon, but “planned events” was not really part of MY plan. Run a bunch of miles, do the marathon, get the t-shirt, drink a few beer and talk about it on this blog—that was my plan.
This past weekend was my family’s annual holiday cookie making weekend. We make somewhere between 10-12 different types of cookies at 2-3 batches each. I dread this event. Why? Because I have no willpower. On top of that I have to take home a quarter of the quantity. I have full intentions on packaging them up and giving them out, but in reality I can’t control myself and I eat too many of them. So I quickly packed them up, gave them out, consumed the rest in a timely fashion and as quickly as I consumed those cookies I ditched my fall training program to start my “New Year” program before the new year.
Yesterday was Chris’s spin class—same Chris I talked about in my last posting. After three weeks she was finally back in town to teach her Thursday spin class. She travels a lot for fitness education and appears on QVC. She’s also in Prevention, Oxygen and a few other magazines. So I was surprised when she recognized me and said hi before class started—she knows a lot of people. Today’s mix of everything was very much welcomed after three days of specific training. Overall, I was happy with my performance—I would even dare to say I was shocked at my performance. I pushed it and still had a lot left to give.
That said, I ran intervals on the treadmill for 30 minutes and then jumped in the pool for another 20 minutes of non-stop swimming. This was the first time in 3 months that I’ve been in the pool so I wasn’t sure if it was like riding a bike (sink or swim). I swam.
I’m happy to announce I’m now 1.5 days clean of cookie goodness.
I should have my marathon training program in the next few weeks. Something about “we’ll make sure to schedule in planned events” came up during the conversation which clearly meant other running events. I don’t know how others train for a marathon, but “planned events” was not really part of MY plan. Run a bunch of miles, do the marathon, get the t-shirt, drink a few beer and talk about it on this blog—that was my plan.
Dear Santa,
I've been evaluating my performance over the past year and I feel that my performance would qualify me to be within the top 10% of your criteria to warrant a good review.
That said, I decided instead of a lot of little presents this year that I would only list two (in case the first one is not available).
If possible, can you see if they can throw in Shimono Ultegra pedlas on either bike?
Sincerely,
That said, I decided instead of a lot of little presents this year that I would only list two (in case the first one is not available).
1. Trek Equinox TTX 9.8 size small (or equivalent to a 52" Madone)
2. E-Rocket
If possible, can you see if they can throw in Shimono Ultegra pedlas on either bike?
Sincerely,
Madonna from Minneapolis
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Are Blogs a thing of the past?
Now that we have Facebook, Twitter and Woot (a shopping site where you can talk about products) should we abandon the originator Social Media outlets like MySpace and Blogger? Truth is, I was never a fan of MySpace but there will always be a little piece of my heart still with Blogger. I’ve noticed lately blog sites I would drop in and check out are either blocked or they are linking their Twitter/Facebook/Blog together. Quite frankly, it’s not the same!
5:45am class seems like a chore. When Jody walked into the room everyone went silent. Even the crickets stop chirping! She had on a light African print jacket and a skort (a skirt that goes over your shorts) that was Hawaiian print. A need to do laundry and adequate home lighting was questioned by several men in the room. I had no right to talk with my bottom of the dresser draw selection.
Plymouth
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