The Storm...

Crazy weekend! We had about 18" of snow in about 24 hours. I haven't seen a snow storm like that in a long time. It always brings back fond chilhood memories of life on the farm. Building snow forts, pulling the old chevy hood behind the tractor around the driveway, making a snow jump ramp on the hill in the backyard, great snowball wars...what fun!!!

Here's a few pics of the weekend:

Cleaning the car off mid day Saturday:


Off to buy a snow shovel with no success!


Back yard!


Not exactly your St Bernard!


Nice, toasty fire:


Dad's gift basket..perfect timing!


Leo the ham:


Igda & I made it out Sat night to her friend's house for dinner:


Igda busy making sweets for coworkers!!

On the training front...

Everything is on track.  I had a nice little recovery week last week.  Backed off a smidge and finally got my TSB to “0”.  CTL didn’t drop too much since I still did some endurance riding.  I just kick started the next 3 week block.   I’m just beginning to ramp into some solid tempo work.

 

In hindsight, I’m really glad I hired Ken to coach me.  He has me on a very well thought out plan for progressively building a good solid aerobic base.  It’s a disciplined approach and it definitely takes putting faith into the long term plan.   His feedback so far been great.  He has me working on some muscle power intervals often enough, that along with the basic fitness improvements, I’m feeling stronger day by day.    It’s taking some serious patience from not wanting to go out and bang out the threshold stuff, but that’s ok.   Time will tell, but I’m thinking this good revist in establishing a strong foundation will help me push far higher when the time is right.   We shall see…

 

We have a nice team ride scheduled for Saturday so that should be fun to catch up with everyone.  There’s some great guys that will be focusing on the Masters races along with myself.  It’s just important to get out with them in order to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses.   Any result we can put together in a Masters field around here will feel like winning a championship.   Crazy tough competition.  But I guess that’s what will make it fun. 

 

Thanksgiving short recap

Igda, Leo and I had a really great Thanksgiving weekend at home.  We cooked a great meal.  Did a bunch of stuff around the house which we’ve been procrastinating. I got some riding in, but otherwise we just spent a whole lotta time together which was cool.

 

In one of the more playful (not really for me) times, Igda had a good chuckle at my expense.  I have never realized that I like to talk out loud to myself when I’m in the middle of figuring something out.  Well, that turned out to be some electrical work I had on tap for Saturday.  I was going to start replacing old painted over switches and wall circuits in some of the rooms.   I made my trip to Home Depot for all the supplies I *thought* I needed, put my apron on and headed upstairs to get to work.  Oh, yeah, I triple checked to make sure the right circuits were turned off first.  The short version of the story goes like this as Igda listened in from the other bedroom:

 

Me:  Hhhhhmmmmmmmmmm.

Me (a minute later): Hhhmmm, that’s weird.

Me (another minute later):  What the hell is this?

Me (another minute later):  Why are there more wires than plug-ins?

Me (another minute later):  How come I don’t have the right one?

Me (another minute later):  God dammit, what the F—k! (sorry Mom & Dad)

 

In the matter of 5 minutes, I went from a can do attitude to completely frustrated!  7 hours later and one more trip to Home Depot I was finally done.  Geez.

 

 

Training...

Coach was sending me some feedback on how I am progressing with The Plan. He said something that rang so true, "This time, it’s almost a gray zone, we keep pushing forward through the mist, never recovered, never worn down…"

That's exactly how I feel right now...staying patient...sticking to the structure. Body and mind are responding well so far.

Commuting...

Well, it’s a been about 3 weeks now since I’ve been bike commuting pretty much every day. I’ve learned a few valuable items:

The first item is gear. While commuting about 2 months ago during a pretty good rain, a guy pulled up next to me with what looked to be a great waterproof backpack. I asked him how he liked it and noted the brand. After doing some research, I finally located it. It can be found here: http://www.summithut.com/products/rkv-reykjavik/.


It’s made by Pacific Outdoors. These folks know WET. It’s a waterproof material and the zippers are welded so no water gets in. Absolutely no water has penetrated so far. I feel completely safe carrying my laptop in it during a downpour. I opted for the Reykjavik. It’s about the perfect size for carrying what I need on a daily basis. My laptop is 14”, but you may need the next size up if you are carrying anything bigger. It has lots of pockets for storing stuff. Most importantly, it has an upper chest strap and a lower belly strap which can be adjusted. It has some nice, vented padding on the back, too. When I wear this, I hardly know it’s on.

The second item is weather. Wow, it’s been pretty darn nice lately. I know it will end at some point but I’m enjoying it while it lasts. But, I’ve come to the realization that you CAN’T let weather serve as an excuse to be lazy and take the easy way out. Rain, no problem. Just pedal your ass off to work or home for 45 minutes and it’s over. I’ve collected enough various articles of clothing to get me through just about anything. Now ice and snow will require something special. Still not sure how I’m going to handle that one.

The third item is training. So far this has worked out well. It generally takes me ~30 mins to get to HP. That’s my warm-up. Then I usually bang out the workout for the day and commute easy home. So simple and the time savings I’ve added to my life has been great.

Excercise of the month

Wow, I've never done this exercise before, but coach throws this little diddy into the mix and it is way tougher than I thought it would. It really hurts when this is thrown into a core workout superset. Here it is...The Squat Thrust (Burpee to others)

Description: For Squat Thrusts, squat down to the ground, bending your knees and not your back. Kick your feet back so you’re in push-up position, then bring your feet underneath you and stand up quickly, then go right back down for rep #2…

Demonstration: Click Here

the weekend recap

Igda and I chilled at home Fri night. My Saturday turned into a bust. I had only planned on going to the office for a few hours in the morning, but then all hell broke loose with a client that needed docs prepped and in NYC by Sat night for trial. Argh. I ended up getting home about 4 p.m. and then just hopped on the rollers for a couple of hours watching football.

Igda and I ran some errands in the morning. We are becoming big spenders at Bed, Bath & Beyond. Geez, stop the madness! I then proceeded to take about 3 hours hanging curtain rods and drapes...yippee. It was fairly funny when one of the drapes was about 6 inches shorter than others. Hmmm, the Chinese are slacking with their quality control. By the way, is anything actually made in the USA anymore?

Finally, around 4 p.m. I struck out to explore Alexandria. I ended up going down to Mt Vernon and otherwise just cruising around for a little over 2 hours. Got some good work in. Sticking to the plan. Not planning on shredding myself just, yet. I think I have a little recovery week this week but I'll still be commuting. That's a wrap.

This makes me laugh everytime I watch it...

The Update

Wow, it’s been a busy month at the homestead. Igda and I moved into our new place in Alexandria on Sept. 30. We still haven’t unpacked everything but we are pretty well settled in. We are very happy with the home. I’ve been dusting off some of my home improvement books and taking a whack at a few repairs/upgrades. Nothing big, more or less replacing certain things we don’t like. Thank God Home Depot is so close. I’ve made many a runs there in the last few weeks.

I had forgotten how the seemingly easy home improvement projects can morph into a day(s) long projects. Nothing goes as planned. When you dive in, you’re bound to uncover something you hadn’t planned on seeing. Fun stuff. One of coolest things we did was have a flatscreen TV mounted over the fireplace in the living room this past weekend. Had to pay a guy to do that one but it turned out great.

I’m also loving the location as my bike commute is nearly perfect. After fumbling around for a few days trying out different routes to get to DC, I finally nailed it. Perfect commute which takes me about 45 minutes to get to the office from home. I also can add time and miles as I please by hitting Hains Point as much as I want since I pass by it each way. Sweet. Somehow I managed to put in close to 200 miles last week. I finally had to succumb to sending my training wheel with the Powertap back to Saris last week. I just couldn't get that thing to work right. So hopefully I'll get that back next week. Workouts just aren't the same. I like knowing and seeing whether I'm improving or not. No lies.

Onto my cycling. I hired a coach which I’m really stoked about, Kenneth Lundgren (www.eliteendurance.com). I’ve read a lot of his stuff on PE and was always impressed with his knowledge and approach. He’s out of New Jersey, but with the advent of the internet, he’s always a click away. There were a several key items which led me to him:
1) Experience
2) A successful bike racer in his own right
3) A plan for using commuting as training
4) New, fresh ideas to provide motivation for me
5) Tracks ALL workouts in wko. All I need to do is upload files daily. Perfect.
6) Accountability- For me this is huge. It keeps me ON plan and focused. I missed this last year by not having a coach.
7) Having a plan for peaking and building to that end.

So far, so good. Ken has me doing unique excercises in the gym which I think will help me push to another level. Right now we’re doing a prep phase and will be starting the foundation work in a couple of weeks time. I took a nice amount of time off the bike, but the fitness is coming back quicker than I expected. So with a little patience and consistent hard work, I’m really looking forward to 2010 race season. I’ve got my sights set on 2-3 peak races, but things may change over the next few months. Who knows?

Tradition...Kansas Basketball

Nothing bigger in Kansas than KU Basketball. A great clip worth sharing...

40 down, 40+ to go I hope

I went to KC this past weekend to celebrate my 40th birthday with my family and twin brother, Syd. It was a blast. I'll get some photos up soon. Syd's wife, Kim, hosted an amazing surprise b-day party for Syd. Needless to say, he was surprised by the party as well as my appearance. I'm so fortunate to be have a wonderful, loving family.

My Mom sent me a photograph for my b-day. The picture tells it all with the challenge of raising twins (take note of the destroyed room and my lookout to see if anyone is watching):


And to make it all that much better, my Mom sent this photo to my Grandmother at the time with a note on the back:


Not in her note but worth mentioning is the fact that my parents had to bolt all of the furniture down to the walls to keep us from causing more havoc.

Bigger, Stronger, Faster

If you haven’t seen this documentary, yet, it is absolutely stunning and thought provoking.  We watched it last night.   I found it hilarious that Henry Waxman didn’t even know the drinking age in the US (he actually had to ask his advisor during the interview if it was 18 or 21….HELLO, this was filmed in 2008).   Without intentionally meaning to, I found it a nice supporting argument I like to make that our Politicians are completely oblivious to what is actually going on in the world.

 

Here’s the synopsis:

The documentary examines the steroid use of the director Christopher Bell and his two brothers, Mark and Mike Bell (wrestler), who all grew up idolizing Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hulk Hogan, and Sylvester Stallone, and also features professional athletes, medical experts, fitness center members, and US Congressmen talking about the issue of anabolic steroids.

Beyond the basic issue of anabolic steroid use, Bigger, Stronger, Faster  examines the lack of consistency in how America views drugs, cheating, and the lengths people go to achieve success.

The film looks beyond the steroid issue to such topics as Tiger Woods' laser eye correction to 20/15 vision, professional musicians use of anxiety reducing drugs, or athletes' dependence on cortisone shots, which are a legal steroid. It also takes a skeptical examination on claims to the health risks of steroids and is highly critical of the legal health supplement industry.

 

 

 

Finally...we have a ratified contract

Geez, that took some patience but the deal is done.  Barring any unforeseen calamities (home inspection and appraisal) it looks good to close on Sept. 29.  We’re very excited.  Now the fun begins!

 

Here are some photos:

Home buying saga continues

Well, we don't have an "official" contract, yet. We signed all of the formal contracts on Saturday and submitted to the Seller. Our understanding is that there was a death in the family, so the seller hasn't responded. They did take the house off the market, so that counts for something. But still. We need this thing closed to get the rest of the show moving. It looks like closing will be Sept 29.

Igda and I had a pretty relaxing weekend. We really just took it easy and hung out. Watched "Gran Torino" with Clint Eastwood and "17 Again" (very funny movie actually). I didn't touch the bike. BUT I did put new cleats and my new Spiuk shoes if that counts for anything.

The new diet starts tomorrow!!!! This is part 1 of my plan for taking it up a notch in 2010. I'm really interested to see how low I can go and still feel strong.

Locked out!

What a day! Igda and I head out the door to begin our day of home searching and we lock ourselves out of the house. Yes, very stupid AND expensive! I look at her. She looks at me. I realize we're in deep doo-doo without even asking. So I ask anyway - just to confirm what I already know. Locked out! Thank god I had my phone with me. Googled a locksmith and he arrived in about 20 mins and took another 5 mins to open the door. I wrote a check for $208 and we were off for the day.

A little bummed. Someone put an offer on a house we really liked. I'm wondering if this little tax credit situation isn't creating some artificial demand? It will be interesting to see what housing does after Dec 1.

The home search

Igda and I are going to be really busy the next few weeks looking for a home to buy.   It’s only been a week so far and we are already somewhat tired of it.  But the show must go on.  We’re going to be looking around DC this weekend.  We found a townhome this week in Alexandria which we really liked and it appeared to be priced fairly.

 

So, I have no idea what the heck I’m going to do with the remainder of my cycling season.   Honestly, I’m finding it a bit hard to get motivated to do the hard stuff right now.  Who knows?  Things may change.  

 

Millersburg Recap

Igda and I had a nice weekend. She's a trooper for going to these races with me and putting up with my mood swings along the way. She's always very supportive.

Millersburg is a quiet little town about 25 miles north of Harrisburg. It's about a 3 hour drive from home.

Here are some pics:




Pre-Race:


Pretty Sunrise on Sunday:


Start of the Road Race:


I'm sort of tuckered out for a full on race recap, so I'll keep it brief. I placed 3rd in the TT. Good to know I can still TT well without really focusing on it the last month or so. Room for improvement for sure. Hats off to my teammate Michael for destroying everyone and taking 1st. I made a little money to pay for gas.

A few clips from Igda's friend Sam:



The Crit race followed the TT a few hours later. A hard, fun course which was really selective. My teammate, Tom, got me where I needed to be coming off the final climb toward the front, but I just did a poor job holding my position down the descent. I was upset with myself afterward since I knew this was a crucial spot before the race even started. You just don't get second chances in bike racing. I guess it was a small victory to finish the select group. I picked up a few more GC points.

The Road Race. Honestly, the course just wasn't selective enough. As a team, we tried to be active and attack the race, but it just didn't pan out for one reason or another. We got our moneys worth, though. Again, I'm thinking my "survival instinct" took over toward the finish and I just didn't have the gumption to fight for the right position leading up to the turn into the finish which was more important than the final sprint for a top 10. Finished 22nd. Just out of GC points for the race. I ended up 12th in the GC for stage race. Maybe by next year I'll grow a set of balls and make sure my disability and health insurance premiums are in force beforehand.

Bottom line: A wonderful race weekend. The town and volunteers REALLY go out of their way to put this event on. Hopefully this race will continue to grow because it's a must do event.

Millersburg 3/4 Criterium Video

Igda went with me to the Tour de Millersburg this past weekend. A super fun, organized stage race in a great little town up in PA. I'll write more later but for now I'm posting up a video from the Saturday afternoon criterium race. It was a really tough, fast race. My teammate, Tom, flatted during the time trial in the morning. He had some pent up frustration to get out and was just crushing it...and many in the field. Which was also good for our team since we didn't want a break going.

**The first 2/3 of video is shot coming down a sweeping descent which led to two more quick turns into the finish. This descent came AFTER a ~1/3 mile climb which shelled guys when we blazed up it 18 times.

Tour de Millersburg 3/4 criterium 08/15/2009 from Peter Warner on Vimeo.

Some Pics

Here's some pics Igda's good friend, Sam - Check our her photos HERE, shot:
Coming to the line:




A Win!


The Podium:


My first Podium kiss:



My second Podium kiss:



Our Baltimore trip (a little late in posting):

540 Cat 4 race...tons of fun

I'm posting up video now, but I will add my other thoughts at some point today. In short, fun course (18 laps/22 miles). I got some great guys to be in a break with. Everyone worked hard and well together. I was lucky enough to get the win at the end. Igda got a little excited at the end and forgot she had the camera in her hand. Too funny

540 Cat 4 Race from Peter Warner on Vimeo.

OK, I have a few minutes to jot down some more thoughts. I planned on doing the 4 race and the 4 35+ race back to back. For the 4 race, I really wanted to race hard. Attack until I couldn't anymore. I started the race hard and realized after a few laps, I'd need to just keep hitting that little hill really hard to wear some folks down and hopefully get some guys off the front with me. The course is fast, so it really is the only place to get some separation. I told Grayson (Bikerack) that I was going hard after the prime lap. But nobody really went for it, so I waited until the next time at the hill and punched it again. With Grayson on my wheel and two young NCVC's coming as well, I thought this was it. Everyone jumped in full bore and did a great job working it. It didn't hurt that Bikerack and NCVC had quite a few guys in the field to disrupt the chase. They did a good job of it. I'd guess the field gave up with about 5 or 6 to go and we rolled pretty steady. I just waited patiently on the last lap and had enough pop in the legs to take the sprint. It's always a blast trying to stick a break.

My teammate Brian got some vid of the finish (check out Emi in the background- awesome!)

540 Cycling Crit Series #3, Cat 4 from Brian on Vimeo.

For the 35+ 4 race, I just decided to use it as good sprint practice and go for the primes. I got two of them and Grayson got one. I won a few RoadID gift certificates. I ended up 6th in the end. I just got too lazy at the end and had poor positioning. Thanks 540 for putting this on. It was well run and a nice course.

Real Madrid rocks

Just a quick update. Igda, Emi and I went to the DC United vs Real Madrid soccer game this afternoon. It was really cool. Umm, yeah, the skill level of the Real Madrid player's is pretty incredible. It's amazing to watch them pass, dribble and work together. Mad SKILZ! Oh, I spray painted Emi's head! Awesome!

Here's some quick photo's. We had some pretty sweet seats. All 3 RM goals were at our end. Just a bit sad Christiano only played the first half:

Lancaster TT- a nice change in weather

Tour of Lancaster Time Trial Start/Finish from Peter Warner on Vimeo.

Lancaster weekend photos & vids

Here's a grab bag of photos:

Road Race:







Scenes from around the area:

















Time Trial:






Crit Race:












Here are some short video clips: