Weekends should be Wednesdays!

Weekends should be on Wednesdays. Every Wednesday for the past several weeks has been beautiful and then the temp drops for the weekend. It was so nasty on Sunday afternoon I slept. A nap! I hated naps as a kid and there is no such thing as a power nap in my book. If I nap I am groggy for the rest of the afternoon. Some folks can nap but not this kid.

Anyway, the weather for tomorrow is cruddy at best. Cloudy, maybe some cold rain and basic (blowing raspberry). I have a leadership conference for half of the day then should be on the bike the other. I really have no choice but to be on the bike outdoors or in. The 24 hour ride is 2 months from Sunday. I have some build up to do and some weight to drop. 12 lbs to be exact. Emmy's friend is on a diet that is reverse! Must eat at least 4500 cals a day! He's a Hog football player. I'd say more Girl Scout cookies please.

The new website for the ride hits the matrix on Monday. I'm excited! It's actually just a part of the Children Hospital site but still.

No line on the Horizon comes out next week. New U2 baby! Can't wait.

No much else going on... listening to the rain...

Beautiful night ride!

Hit the river trail right after work and did meet up with the gang for some hill repeats. It was great seeing them and trying to hang with the crazies!

I had forgotten how beautiful it was climbing Ft Roots at night and seeing all the lights of NLR and LR. We really do have a beautiful city!

Life is good...

Hard training... hard ride

Saturday was a crazy hard/fun ride but Sunday... jelly beans kids! Jelly is exactly what was. I rode out to the farmlands and was having a great tailwind ride and I knew it was going to be tough coming back it but then that's what training is about. Pushing the limits on yourself. Well there I was whistling some theme song from Lion King or something... hey, it was Oscar day... gotta be in tune with the events. Anyway, whistling Lion King and counting all the dead raccoons and possums on the side of the road. The hyenas would have loved it. I'm having ADD tonight huh... anyway... I was riding out further and further then remembered I am supposed to have dinner with friends that evening. Oh crud! This is bad!

Turn around and into the wind we go. Head down only looking up every now and then to be sure I was not about to run over anything and check for cracks and pot holes. Ipod was cranking. I was cranking. Dawg, I was c-r-a-n-k-i-n-g.... and still going slower than I needed.

I finally rolled into riverfront and was happy with the push to get back in. Then the legs said, no more. Wha?!! Come on guys, just got to get me a few more miles to the dog park and we'll be done. Nope, not gonna! Awwright, so I get over myself, swallow my pride and stop a moment. Sipping the FRS and watching a few folks roll by. After about maybe 5 minutes I push on but it really felt like I was holding on the the brake the rest of the way in.

Note to Lollipop rider friends... hey y'all remember the end of that first ride when we all had religious experiences and cussed in the same breath. Well, and all the promises we made? I was in that state of mind!

I rolled up to the car and wasn't sure if the mind would really tell the feet to unclip and if the feet were really going to do it. The mind was also trying to tell the hands to apply the brakes before I crashed into the Exploder. I made it to a stop and even unclipped without falling over but my arms were numb!

I just busted out laughing... alone, in a parking lot, in a public park... tell me that isn't a scary thing!

Pushing myself to limits is a good thing. I've set some goals... well actually Brad set my goals. He called me a psycho and I must live up to the name and make him proud.

This morning I woke and was not sore like I expected. I was a happy camper.

Got an email from a bud for for a weight challenge. March 1 to May 1. Oh yeah, I'm so in this game! I weigh in right after riding for 24 hours. I may just be skin and bones by then. We all ante upped a hundred bucks. I goaled for a 12 pound drop. That will put me back at 168 where I need to be for the summer.

A cyclist here in Little Rock was killed around lunch today. Down a hill, across an intersection and into traffic... no helmet. I feel sorry for everyone involved and their families. Heartbreaking.

Tomorrow is an after work ride. Friends are doing the hill repeats and I may secretly show up and try a few myself. They will smoke my tuna on the hills but then I'm not racing them, just working out at my pace... you know, two miles per hour.... whistling Lion King! HA!

Life is good... Happy Fat Tuesday tomorrow!

Hard training, fun ride

I woke this morning and it didn't look so bad. They were saying nasty day with cool temps and rain. My first thought was hey let's go ride from the house to England and back. First, let's flip on the tube and be sure. Nahhh, man! The rain is just a few miles from the house it looks like. Sure enough, it was a steady rain within the hour. Weather Channel saying looks of sunshine after it passes. Guess I'll just wait it out.

Finally about 1:30 the inside of the house seemed to light up! Sunshine! I walked out on the front porch and it actually felt warmer than I expected. Oh, I'm getting giddy! Ride from the house? Nah, played it safe and went down to the river. I had put on a new saddle and wanted to test it a little before really riding. It was fine!

I rode the river and backside climb at Burn's. Spotted JohnE out for a spin. Since the saddle seems to be good to go I headed out to the farmlands. I had a nice tailwind going out that rocked my socks off!

Finally turned around and started heading back and yep, that fine tailwind was (__insert ugly word here __) head wind. Ugh! But it was actually a good thing because it made me ride into it. Only one way back to the car... into the wind. Of course the IPod was cranking and I had a new playlist that was perfect for the ride.

As I came back through the river front park there were several photographers out shooting portraits and the sunset. I had to slow down and enjoy it myself a few seconds. It was too pretty to pass up! Ya gotta enjoy life's simple things... even when training.

Got back to the car and the sun had gone behind the hill and it got cold fast! I stopped and stretched, loaded up and started the car to get some heat. It was 6:20 and I could still see around! SPRING IS HERE!!!!!! Yaaba Daaba Doooo! This boy will be riding a lot after work now!

Well, I'll be out there again tomorrow... smiling so big I'll get the first bugs of spring suck in my teeth!

Life is good... tailwind or headwind!

A haunting voice

It's like a haunting voice.... "IIIIII aaaaaammmmmm yyyooouur trainer! Come park yooooouuuurrrr fat butt on me and ride.....oooooohhhhhh.

I'm watching a lot of tv these days and riding on the trainer.

Training is training!

Life is good!

Are we all doing this?

I'm coming back to the living, like everyone else it seems. Serious now! I got caught up at the office and spent the last hour looking at blogs that aren't blocked. Oh the people I love to follow. You know what most are doing? The same stinkin' thing I am... bummed out and sitting around feeling sorry for themselves.

I did that this week and really now that I think about it, it was the wrong thing to do.

Friend Mandy said she was all for "timed pity parties" but once they are over, it's over and time to get back to work.

Tomorrow morning will find me on the bike. Sorry cowboy, but you ain't driving to the river to ride. You will be riding your bike to where you want to go. Your legs will be wanting you to cut corners but it 's not happening. Hills, wind, an occasional tornado. Doesn't matter, you will be riding.

I know I know, tomorrow is Valentines Day and I've already made the reservations for Vermillion Water Grill and I hope I can pronounce whatever it is I'll be ordering. One of the kind folks I recruit for at the hospital, it's her husband who is the owner and chef! I didn't even play the I know someone card when I made the reservations. What was really classy was I got a call from the place today and the gentleman on the other end of the line just called to confirm the reservation and told me they were looking forward to serving us tomorrow evening. That is class! Real class!

Keep Jason K in your prayers. He is going home from the hospital and will wait until next week to have another procedure. It will be next Friday ... his birthday. If you are reading this, hang in there bubba!

Keep Greg in your prayers. He is actually going to preach Sunday night! He will know more in a couple of weeks.

And my Dad... well, he's just an old guy and needs a little motivation. He says he wants to walk again but will have to eat different and exercise to get there.

So there you have it.

Love is in the air! Happy Valentines y'all!

Life is good... once again!

Still here

Sorry friends, just too much going on in life these days.

First my pal (and our preacher) got really sick and is still really sick. Cysts on liver. Plan of care is still in the works.

Last night m best pal from the hospital was admitted and they found bad stuff.

I lost it last night....

I have another blog that I seem to update more these days...
www.gears4ears.wordpress.com

Life is good...some days...