Weathering the Weather

Hains Point is a really cool place at times.  Last night was one of those times.  Yes, that's right, while the lightweights, wannabes, and generally weather intimidated stayed home yesterday evening, I rode my bike at Hains Point.  It was totally awesome, because I had the place almost completely to myself.  While I was getting ready I saw a couple of cyclists, never saw them again.  One skater, but he didn't stick around too long.  At the time I pulled out of the parking lot on two wheels, a runner headed out the other direction.  I saw him a bit later... one lap and he jumped in his suv and took off.  He had appeared to be a more serious distance type runner than that... guess the wind was too much for him.

I layered up with all the good stuff - my addidas bib tights, my assos jacket, the cold weather gloves, booties, a nice wigwam knit hat to keep head and ears warm. Everything that is particularly good at blocking the wind. Pretty much the only part of me exposed to the wind chill was my face.  And I stayed warm.  My face got colder on the descents at Skyline a couple of weeks ago.  The wind was amazing.  There was only bits of tail wind, that was fun - look, 90 watts and I'm going 20mph!  Of course that was on the channel side.  Over on the river side, well, if you ever look at the trees on that side, you know the angle that the strongest winds blow from.  I didn't have any amazing watts numbers this ride, because I was spending a lot of energy controlling the bike.  Picture this - sit on your bike, straighten out your right arm, shift your body to the left of center and sort of hunch over your left arm and lean into the wind, really lean into it.  Then the bike mostly goes straight, only occasionally getting pushed toward the curb.  But remember, don't have a death grip on the bars...that just makes it worse when the gusts hit!  I played with the gears - spin with the tailwind, grind into the headwind, flip it next lap, forget about it the lap after that, just keep going.  Six laps - I told myself the first lap that if I did six, that would be good.  So 76 minutes and 6 laps and I called it done, enough was enough.

Maybe the watts numbers from my legs weren't impressive, but it was a rare total body workout on the bike.  I was having muscle spasms along my rib cage last night from the effort my core, and all my other upper body muscles, had to put out.  And it was good for my head.  There's something about going out and training when the weather is challenging to make you feel stronger and tougher mentally.  And it will give me lots of ammunition to toss at the guys when next I see them.  "I was here Tuesday, where were you? You let a little wind keep you inside?  Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy."  Probably won't be tonight when I see them, though, cause it's still a bit breezy and chilly.

Catching Up

The race season is over, and still I don't have much time to write.  At Turkey Day the best fun was drag-racing a tractor - it didn't have a trailer attached, but it was still good fun, out accelerating it in a block was cool, good to know that I could still accelerate, even in the heat, even after 2 weeks without the bike. (maybe I'll get some pix from Europe up sometime).  Kevin was on the moto with the race and commented on it the next weekend at Charm City.

Charm City was a good time.  Lots of fun overall and really the judging went smooth.  C3 was really happy with it all.  It was quite a different scene than the two Cross races I worked last year.  Both of those had much smaller fields.  The first field was insanity in a way - 100 men, 40 or so women and a handful of juniors.  But we sorted it out well.  Not a single complaint about the results.  Helps to have 5 sets of eyes on the line for a field like that.

Last weekend was awesome.  I was Chief Judge for both Cross races - BCA on Saturday and Kelley Acres on Sunday.  Stayed at Kelley Acres overnight between the two events.  Helped Megan finish up the layout of the cross.  It was wicked cool - nothing I'd want to race though.  Not ready for that sort of stuff without pavement.  Maybe next year I'll give cyclocross a try.  But first things first.  Winter training then road season.  And next road season will be different....

Wow, this blog is really boring...but that's pretty much how my life is.  Just like most other folks my life is mostly boring routine.

Got my new toy - my powertap wheel.  Have the TT bike set up to check it out tomorrow.  Haven't been on a bike or done anything athletic - other than turning the church around after the concert last night - since Thursday.  Then again I haven't been feeling particularly well either.  Friday was the worst - nasty ass sore throat.  Feeling better now, but it took its toll last night....ok, so last night totally sucked, but that's life.  Good help is hard to find and I'm still looking.  The new kid is nice, but he's clueless.  I just don't get why people can't manage to follow straight forward instructions.  "We have to put everything back exactly the way it is, so make sure you know where everything goes.  Use your camera in your phone if need be."  What's confusing about that?  But I'm not going to carry on about work...or me...or being human...though there are some people who don't seem to think that I'm entitled to be human.  I know that I promote that misconception because I don't show my personal weaknesses to others.  That's how I am and thus I pay the price of others thinking everyone else's feelings are more important than mine.

Ah well, such is life.  I am what I am.  Take me or leave me.  Love me or hate me.  The choice is yours and I don't give a damn what your choice is, because I don't live for the approval of others any more.  I've seen too much, been burned too often.  I know your values and your standards fall short of my own, so be false if you want.  Be disloyal.  I won't play your game.  I refuse to be false.  As the lyrics go - I'd rather you hate me for what I am than love me for what I'm not.  I'm ok, I'm good...all things happen for a reason and this life is transitory.  There is only the now.  The future is unknown and the past is over, a done deal.  So breathe deeply and focus on the moment.  Some moments will be good.  Some moments will really suck.  And some moments will be boring as hell!