latest hi end upgrade

Cory @ EKHO hooked me up w/the newer TE-15 Transmitter which has greater flexibility in the material. I've had problems getting a reading occasionally & so hopefully this will remedy that.

Otherwise, just kickin' it w/my cats, doing laundry, and preparing sloppy joes...

still hangin' tough yet

I thought I'd be down for the count by this point based upon the flu bug that invaded me for a couple days last week. However, the road 5k @ Sky Harbor Airport on Saturday left me a bit surprised. Going down there I had zero motivation but needed to go since I already signed up & wanted to gauge whether traveling to race my bike on Sunday would be worth it. Like I mentioned, right away I felt really good in terms of joint aches probably because I lost 12 POUNDS while sick. A bonus like this carries heavy baggage in the form of weakness that was evident in my two-mile warmup. We shivered intensely during the National Anthem as the clouds spit at us. Fortunately, only a light breeze needed to be dealt w/around the soccer fields. On this morning, I chose to run w/o a watch or HR monitor for the first time in I can't even remember and it was something enjoyable. On the way out to the turnaround, everyone held their positions but on the return there was much surging and dropping of people. Unexpected participant, Andy Holak was in the field and he made the race for me as I know he is as solid as they get being a talented and veteran in ultra marathoning on the trail so I figured the pace wouldn't fall off. He pulled me pasted a few once back thru the park gate and I felt a little bad out kicking him in the final tenth before the line. Finishing 5th overall w/a time of 17:56 left me pleased & optimistic. Cooling down w/David Hyopponen for another two miles was nice because he's encouraging me to latch on to him during the Gobble Gallop 5k which would have been great had my form been stronger earlier too??

On Sunday, the alarm went off @ the usual 5:45 AM to get me moving thru my now very drilled routine to hit the road by 7:15 AM. Bassett Creek Park in Crystal, MN has long been the venue that holds the final racing action for cyclocross in the state and one could easily understand why! The course has everything to test the skills of a rider and it used all features by stringing them together a different way year after year. Lots of fast asphalt paths, turny off camber grass, double & triple barrier sections, railroad tie steps(dubbed "the staircase to hell"), sand(beach volleyball courts), and a mini expo to set the atmosphere w/rowdy fans. I had an OK start considering officials did callups based on order of registration which put me in the back. Despite that, I rode well and found the openings to make my way to the front and then it was over before we completed the first lap. Somehow I got caught snoozing and let the lead group jump off the front w/o even noticing which later as things developed I realized I didn't have what it took anyways to mix it up. Quickly everyone learned strengths and weaknesses of their competitors and it was on!! My struggles were spinning the always dreaded flat tarmac and shouldering my bike for the run up(which I later concluded grabbing the downtube would have been more fluent than the top tube near the seat collar). My favorite piece was rolling into the double barrier section because there was a slight valley before rising to a slight incline where they were propped on the crest. I was confident coming into them quick which enabled me to showcase my agility and put a gap on my rivals. Plenty of changes in spots occurred but I held on for 6th overall in another talented single speed field.

tough luck for us

I've missed a couple days of work this week due to a virus that wiped me out! Symptoms were full body aches, uncontrollable shivering, and diarrhea that ended up making me very weak and probably caused my freezing sensation because I couldn't stoke my furnace. This occurrence more that likely puts the final nail in the coffin for the '09 season but I feel slightly better today and I have a local 5k that I preregistered for tomorrow. No complaints though, my autumn has been spectacular & fun.

Most importantly, one of our cats, Mayhem got some bad news from the vet this week. He's got a cracked molar and is going to be knocked out next Thursday to have it extracted. Drooling that wouldn't stop had Jen and I thinking that was a little odd for a kitty. It's hard to see our fuzzballs go through adverse situations but he'll ham it up again soon.

I AM THE "Supa-Freak"

Peace Coffee threw a year end party for the team @ Chatterbox Pub in St. Paul on Saturday night. Along w/a couple drink tickets, lots of great food, and a slideshow it served as an awards banquet too. From the title above this, it essentially sums up the best all around team member(volunteering, various races, placement, etc). To be nominated was awesome enough but to be voted in for it was special. Living in Duluth and racing for a Minneapolis cycling team I don't see my teammates much more than at the races. So, this came a bit unexpected to put it lightly. Good thing Jen came w/me as I needed her to help carry stuff(51 oz/12 cup Bodum Chambord French Press w/my name inscribed on the surface, hat, mug, pint glass, 2 lb of bean, gift certificates from our other sponsors including Trail Cycle, Birchwood Cafe, Cars-R-Coffins, & One On One Bike, plus, a handful of CO2 cartridges for good measure) out to the car.

Earlier that day, I was @ the National Spots Center in Blaine to roll up to the line w/the defending U.S. Champ and many other top notch bike racers from the region! Starting second row I had to deal w/a stupid crash that happened right in front of me off the pavement roll out onto a soccer field. Once again, I would need to chase for 60 minutes rather than the usual 45 on this day. The course definitely wasn't a compliment to my strengths as it had some tarmac, very flat, and just one barrier dismount per lap. Crossing a wet drainage ditch twice and riding along the off camber of it was the only break I really got but that's cyclocross for ya! Designs won't always play in your hand which came unfortunate for me on such a big day!! Oh well, I placed 12 out of 30 and spent most of the time in good company.

I'm going for a trail run this afternoon because my commute home last night gave me some uneasy vibes...

Could it be.....?

This has been my best autumn season ever & I'm only just now getting down to the nitty gritty. Having the Midwest Single Speed Championships on Saturday marks the most important weekend of the fall racing calendar! It's always a work in process to treat us like science projects in preparing ourselves to be all jazzed up for one day. After taking a bus down Superior St to 26th Ave E where I then walked down to meet Dudley behind the Holiday Gas Station for a run that now has me believing in the aforementioned being more than an elusive myth. We ran a total of 50 minutes and had a preconceived notion that using a mile split from the DCC Harvest Run course near the end to see whether things are going according to plans was a good idea. Anxiety creeps into me when I do things like this because I take it really personal if I don't perform up to my expectations. Instead, nervousness is high in the other direction since I ran a 4:57 and it felt VERY EASY!! Training as an ultra MTB racer all spring and summer can't give an impression that one will transform into a machine of such different nature. Everyday I'm pushing my limits of suffering to be certain not to jip myself. Staying confident in my abilities is all I need to worry over until then...

no match for CASPER the friendly ghost

Action down @ Erickson Brothers Tree Farm proved to be great once more! The guys have hosted this event for five years now and it is only getting better. With a very flat course that suits riders that can spin high RPM but have the power to roll over grass and stay upright in many 90-degree turns. Most of the circuit was surprisingly dry minus some messy pools of crap. Creative design featured a hairpin of double barriers, a mud pile run up, & the usual climb of the railroad ties. Getting the holeshot off the line this time was unfamiliar and to be quite honest, I choked about two minutes into the race not knowing what to think or how to feel in this position. Just then, around eight or 10 guys blew by me while in the midst of clearing my psyche. I've been there in the past and learned that when one gets a good start it can screw a person in the opening lap or do what it's suppose to do,....give you the advantage!! At any rate, I realized my legs were strong again so I gave a hard chase. By the second lap, there was a spot on the course that you could see other riders after they'd covered some ground before they came into view and seeing Dan Casper open up a gap that huge early on had me demoralized and settling for something less than a win. Each lap got progressively quicker as I got a sense of what I could lay out there and risk. I would stand on the second tallest tree stump when it was all done and podium finishers received unique wooden medallions. Also, to go along w/the weather of late I won a rain shield cycling jacket & tri-flow superior lubricant for merchandise. Before leaving I had a couple hot dogs and a beer while socializing amongst fellow competitors. Upon arriving home, I took a shower and went to Evil Dead the musical, and laughed my ass off @ Jen and her castmates.

This evening I'm baking apple bread and doing more of nothing like I've accomplished all day. During the afternoon NBC covered the New York City Marathon for two hours and it was inspiring seeing Meb win as an American hasn't since 1982.

wet autumn continues...

Went on a trail run w/Dudley & Erik in Lester Park this morning for an even hour. Keeping the effort simply aerobic for conversation to happen was unanimous. Besides, if I'm going to last until Thanksgiving then any activity between weekends of hard racing needs to be just maintenance. I've had many commutes in the rain this fall which doesn't bother me in the least since it means truly great cyclocross is waiting!!!!! Full report after the events of this classic wrap up in Taylors Falls on Halloween.