New Media system arrived!

Oh yeah... Change is coming! The new media system for church has arrived! I'm giddy!

I shot over 400 photos today during the MLK Parade. It passes 1/2 block from my office. It was a great way to spend lunch! Lots of really nice folks.

Ok, yes, I was the token cracker in the crowd but it was seriously fun. Lots of laughing.

I'm charging the batteries to the camera full charge and using a blank card so I can document the day. I plan to start shooting as soon as I get up. Don't worry... it will be a shot of the TV with the time and just a screen shot. I do have a plan for what the "moment" photo is going to be if she will let me take it. "She" doesn't like her photo taken but she has such as passion about what will take place tomorrow. "She" has the office next to me and yes she is black. I have my fingers crossed for tears...

I'm taking a day off from training.

Life is good... when you are excited about what tomorrow may bring.

Sunday 01 18 09

Been a good week of training. Got some core in a few days and got to spend the afternoons both Sat and today riding.
Knocked down 52 miles on Saturday. That wind! What do we do? Geesh Louise!
I spotted Chris Ironman yesterday out for a 14 mile run. Man, this guy is looking strong! We stopped for a few and got caught up and could have yakked for a while but we both had business to tend to and neither wanted to start back up if we stood around very long. I spotted a couple of other groups out but they were always going the opposite way than I was. I would have jumped on the train. I did see Doug Pope leading one so I knew that was a fast and furious little group. After all the side roads along the river and Burns Park I could find I was aching for some real open road so I headed out to Scott (farmland). Cross wind on the way out turning to headwind on the way back in. I just put my head down and cranked it out. Just get it done. Got back as the sun was setting and it was good to because the temps were falling from the 56 degrees it had been.

Headed out to climb stuff this afternoon and playing on Batesville Pike. It's just out the backdoor from the house. Lots of good climbing back there. On the way down the hill there was some really crappy road so I braked it most of the reminder down. The climbing was fun! I normally try to just look at the road just ahead rather than up the hill. My mind seems to control my legs (I know, that was a goofy thing to say... of course they control them) but what I mean is that if I don't really sense that I'm climbing (visually) then I can climb fairly well and not tire out but if I look up and the what I climbing then for some dumb reason I start getting tired. If your mind and heart is into it then your body is going to follow.

Saw a friends Twit a little while ago stating she just did a run and was at her hotel with the door open. She's in AZ. I could handle riding in AZ right now! HA!

Another is heading down to Austin to train with a pro team for a few days. You dawg! Can't wait to hear the stories of that adventure!

Got to see U2 perform at the Washington celebration. Now I have "In the name of love" stuck in my head. Not a bad tune to be stuck with.

Tomorrow is MLK day and I'm working. The parade comes a block from the hospital so we'll walk down there around lunch time and wave. I'm thinking tomorrow's parade will be high energy with Tuesday being Obama's swearing in.

Life is good!

Rotten to the core

Different set of core after work today. Felt like my gut was being ripped out by Predator. It certainly woke up some muscles that have been stationary way too long.

Tomorrow is a trainer day. I never thought I would look at a trainer day like a recovery day.

Tyler came over for dinner and now my tummy hurts more from laughing so much. He always cracks me up!

Life is good... when the Predator rips your guts out and throw them up in a tree. Ewww!

Time management

Time.... oh the thing that gets away from me all the time.

I'm going to have to schedule my whole day and put it on a clip board and attach it to me short collar. So kiddos... these blogs may become more like Facebook or Twitter messages.

Actually I'm just waiting for food to settle before core workout. At least I can have something like biggest loser on while I do them. Some will have to be in the gym but others I can do here.

Oh, here you go... my coach... Brad Cooper... will be playing in Ironman KY on the way on Kona. The company: http://www.uscorporatewellness.com/
When you get to the site, click on Personal Wellness Coaches, then you will see down at the bottom a icon for video. Click it and give it a few moments and after the intro the Brad is the guy talking. He is in Boulder, CO and his wife has family here. I met him when he or someone posted a note that he was going to be in town and looking to ride. We didn't get to ride but we did get to hang out a little while together and it was a great vibe.

I have been so fortunate to have some awesome kick butt coaches of the past few years. Rance Bryant, Mark Rogers and now Brad. But more importantly I've been extremely blessed to have a massive amount of good folks who believe in me and my psycho rides. Man, I love you guys! Ok, let's all hold hands and sing Kom-by-ya!

Hey, by the way, I saw a sort of sneak preview of the jersey design... oh yeah! Very cool! It's a different look that what I normally have but trust me, it rocks like no other! Grunge/rockstar ... no it doesn't have the Rock and Republic skull on it. You know I'm a Team OUCH fan now anyway! Matt has ready made this design come to life! You're gonna love it!

Ok...to the floor for the core....

Life is good... SOOOO GOOOOD!!!

Note from the coach

Got an email from the coach today. Holy smokes life as I know it is about to change! It started today. 3 hours of riding... no excuses except for rain then I would have had to park it on the trainer. Called me a psycho athlete. Also said he only trains those and executives. Oh and the ride... BRR! 10 degree temp drop while riding (47 to 37F). Wind was 25 mph gusty. A couple of the side gusts just about took me down ... but it was a really good ride once I got about 10 miles into it and warmed up.

Get this... one of my training sessions for the 24 hours Gears For Ears ride starts at 10 and ends at 6. Kiddos...that's 10pm to 6am.! It will be done around the neighborhood and then on the trainer to for really late night early morning stuff.

Rides are at 3 hours now about will increase all the way to 10 hours. Told me I could start at 4am and be done mostly by noon. By weekday rides are now 2-3 hours. Yes, as in eat dinner on the trainer. That's supposed to help your tummy get used to meals and rising.

He wants me to be as tired as I can be by the time I do core workouts after work. It made a lot of sense to me because it puts me in the mental frame of mind that I will be in my hardest times on the ride. He asked if I could work standing up. All my phone calls I do standing and pacing... and looking out the window. HA!

As I get closer to the event I can only eat on the training rides what I will eat on the event ride.

I've been nervous about having someone so elite as a coach but he is awesome. Very motivating. Thanks Brad! I'll make you proud.

Life is good... when you a honored enough to be called a psycho athlete.

Real quick like

Been a few days I know.
Life does that.
Communicate in short simple sentences.
It's all textings fault.
You know?
Heard the OMG news?
Floyd Landis and Pat McCarty will be racing for OUCH.
They will be at Joe Martin Stage Race in May!
I will see Floyd race.
My simple sentence life is so happy.

Life is good...simple but good!

Morning shoot

Still foggy in Sherwood so drove down the road to the park and played with the camera. Enjoy.

Been so long since this poor road has seen bikes that moss is growing.

I have been wanting to shoot dew drops and now I can. Certainly not the best shot but it a start.

I kept waiting for those evil dead looking warrior guys from
Lord of the Rings to come around the bend.

Spooky outside

I'm still test driving the Nikon. I'm loving it. I haven't had a digital camera that lets you be the driver. Normally my play camera would have flashed and I would not have gotten the effect I wanted. The cool looking different street lights (yes there is a green one and an amber one) and the fog just made it spooky looking out tonight.

I also took a bizillion shots of our front porch light in all sorts of stops and combination just so I could learn the different looks I can get.

Terri and I ran over to Wal-Mart tonight. Yes the one in my hood. The shelves are bare except for plastic boxes. Rows and rows of plastic boxes that are all the same. Guess they had to fill the shelves with something. Terri and I started laughing. The first row was right across from the pet food and i told her it looked like a whole row of plastic pet coffins. She busted out laughing. She thinks I'm a juvenile delinquent. Oh well...

70% chance of rain tomorrow... maybe I get a ride in. I know the streets will be wet in the morning from all the heavy fog.

Life is good... onward through the fog!

Happy New Year!

Darkened field lights at the Sherwood sports complex. They almost look like little space ships that dropped ropes for little alien SWAT men. HA!

Seriously it was one of the first shots I made this evening as the sun set on the first day of the new year. I stopped by Mark's late this afternoon and picked up the Nikon D70s to test drive this weekend. More buttons than Nasa's Discovery! As I was driving back to the house the sunset was really nice so I drove up the hill that overlooks the baseball fields. It was strangely quite.

So today was the first day of diet-o-rama for America? How did you do or are you waiting until tomorrow or maybe even Sunday or Monday... or maybe sometime in June? I did OK today but that's all....just ok.

I got up about 7 after going to bed at almost 1:30am. Got all ready to go to Two Rivers park over in Little Rock to meet friends and ride. Just as I was about to load up I flipped on the TV to check weather. I almost wished I hadn't. It was 31F with a wind chill of 25F. BRRR! I decided not to go. Bummed to say the least but I knew I would be riding today but only after it warmed a tad. Well I did ride! 47 miles! The afternoon was awesome and there were a lot of folks out biking and running. My numbers were good until I got to Ft Roots at the end of the ride. I got a little put out with myself for taking my time on the first half of the climb and turned it into "push energy". After the last switchback I stood and cranked it out. It was a good feeling. On the way down I spotted Diane B and a few others. One of my goals for this year is to ride with that bunch again.

While I'm thinking about it here are some of my goals for Oh-Nine...
Go to BACA and Arkansas Bike Club meetings again. I enjoy going to those and they are always fun. I just got out of the habit.
Bike to work and home more this year.
Log my numbers on www.bkejournal.com
Ride the Tour de Rock this June.
Ride the 24 Hours on the river (Gears for Ears) on April 30/May 1st.
Volunteer again for the Carve Crit Series in June/July
Go to Joe Martin Stage races in May
Hit the beach in Destin on May 23rd!

More personal goals are to be a better friend. I have some awesome friends and I just can't seem to get with it to hang with them like I want to. Not getting over to the ride this morning is a perfect example of what I am talking about.

Be more positive. Some things and some people you just can't change so smile and enjoy the differences and live on!

Laugh more and laugh hard!

Ok the list is going to be 326 miles longs so I'll just leave yo with those.

Life is good... when you are happy and have goals.