Hey everybody, or anybody! I put this update off for a couple days. I have been busy again. Or is that still. Posting an update always seems to fall at the bottom of my list of things to get done. I am going to TRY, key word try, to update more often. Maybe every few days. If I try this then maybe I can remember what I want to say and won't end up rambling for so long.
I was laid off again the week of May 11. Our mill was down for annual maintenance work. I spent part of the week painting the stairs. It seems like they will never get done and just when I thought I could see light at the end of the stairs, my wife wants some trim painted and added where the risers meet the treads. Who knew it could take so long to paint stairs?
Trying to get things accomplished while I am off usually means that my training suffers, just a little bit. I feel a little guilty taking a few hours to get in a run or ride, or whatever piques my interest that day.
On Tuesday, Tammy and I had a great walk on the Ice Age Trail. I rarely walk out there, and it was really nice to slow the pace and enjoy what goes whizzing by when I am running. We walked for about 2 hours and Tammy took a bunch of pictures. We kept checking for ticks whenever we stopped for a photo and we only found a couple. That was good. But, apparently I missed one, somehow.
I went to the gym on Wednesday and had a great strength workout. I am still doing the one I was given before the Birkie. It seems just the right balance of exercises. I am not sure if it is helping alot but I think it is, and I guess that is all that matters. I rode the bike to the gym, even though the weather forecast was calling for rain later in the evening. I almost beat the rain before I got done. I ended up having a short, wet and cold ride home. I soaked for a couple extra minutes in the shower to warm up and was scrubbing of the sweat and road grime when I felt a bump behind my knee. I felt a little sore and achy. I thought maybe I had been sitting or kneeling in some odd contortion while I was painting earlier that day. I took a better look when I toweled off and sure enough, I had a tick buried in my leg. DAMN!!! This didn't look good. It was just far enough on the side of my knee that I couldn't reach it. I smothered some Vick's on it and let it sit while I ate. Tammy tried to pull it out but it was in just a little too deep. So Thursday morning I ambled down to the doctor's office and had the little bugger removed. Even worse, it was deer tick, so now I have to watch for the dreaded bullseye rash. The last thing I need is to end up with Lyme's Disease. Tammy had it/has it and it knocked her on her keister a couple of years ago.
Thursday ended up better than it started. I did my first group bike ride in years. A small group meets here in town on Tuesday and Thursday and goes out for a couple of hours at a moderate to fast pace. It was very windy which made riding in a group even better. The group of about eight quickly split up as we hit the wind and four of us ended up doing a really nice ride of about 36 miles in just a little over two hours and fifteen minutes. By then end I was tired and my legs were dead but it was a great feeling. I rode with a group about eight years ago and it got me in the best shape of my life. Nothing like being pushed and pushing back. It is almost like a race in that I can't keep up the same pace by myself. I need to fit this into my schedule more often.
I took the day off on Friday and Saturday I went to Iola to preride the course for the first mountain bike race of the season. The venue is only about half an hour from my house. It is nice to get out and see the course before the actual race. I have raced here numerous times over the years so I am familiar with the course. There were a few changes, but nothing drastic.
Sunday morning I was up nice and early and Tammy and I headed off to the race. I did a 5K trail race at 8:30 that morning. I figured it would be a nice warm up and wouldn't take too much out of me. I went out at a good pace but didn't push too hard. The first part of the course has some pretty nasty hills and I wanted to save something for the bike race. I settled into a comfortable pace and enjoyed the morning. I finished in just under 28 minutes. That was good enough for third in my age class and twelfth overall. Now I had about two and a half hours before the bike race. I ate a little and just relaxed. I did a very short warm up and then headed to the start area. I knew a good start was going to be crucial since it starts out hilly. In addition to the hills there was a short section of deep sand at the crest of the first hill where I knew it would bottleneck. I planned on getting a good jump and then a quick run through the sand so I wouldn't get left too far behind. My start strategy worked pretty good. I didn't want to go all out right away due to the hills in the first mile so I held a little back. Once the course flattened a little the singletrack began. I did well through the singletrack and tried to push on the wide open ski trail sections. The first lap went well and I picked it up a little for the next lap. I pushed hard and tried to save a little when I needed a burst to make a pass. By the middle of the third and last lap I was getting a little tired and winded, but still felt good. I didn't keep my lap splits but I am quite sure each lap was faster than the previous lap. I had one rider right in front for the last part of the race and tried to push to catch hime since I knew he was in my age class. Every time I pushed the pace he picked up his speed. The last portion of the course is mostly singletrack and even though I could stay on his wheel I just never could get the extra little speed to pass him. I finished in 1:23:19 for just under 15 miles. My placing wasn't quite what I wanted by my time goal was to finish in under 1:30:00 so I was happy. Plus, I finished in one piece and the bike worked well, so I have no complaints. All in all a good day.
Now it's back to work. 11p.m. to 7 a.m. Plus no day off until probably next Sunday, the 31st. I am not complaining. I just wish it wasn't feast or famine where work is concerned.
Well, I better get my butt moving. I want to try and get in a group ride before work tonight. Not sure if that is smart, but I'll try it anyway.
More soon.......gotta ride!!!!
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