Time

Who is this good looking couple? Yeah, I do feel naked without the goat.

I remember reading in an Ensign a quote from Thomas S. Monson. He wrote, "It is well to remember that he who gives money gives much, he who gives time gives more, but he who gives of himself gives all (December 2003)." This has been the story of this week. I have been giving a lot of myself this week to others. I cannot say that it all has been for others, it just seems that a lot has been.

I have swam with Cassie a few times this week. This is hard work and great for the entire body. She really liked it as well. Craig and I went to the Pack Meeting this week. We topped it all off with a wedding and reception yesterday. Thanks to Bob and Mel and the McBride family, the wedding and reception was great and top notch. The atmosphere, food, music, events were all great. It is always good to see family. Although I belong to the PSSG (Putnam Spouse Support Group), there was no need to call my sponsor for aid in this outing. Thanks for a great day in San Diego!!

This week is full of preparation for the May 13th ride. I am mentally ready and by weeks end, I will be physically ready to go. Steps on the road towards the STP and the HHH. This is not a news flash but just an update for all that might not be in touch with Pop culture, Hammer retired some time ago. Hammer time on the other hand, means something else.

Keep posted for more fun and taunting.

Hammer Time

May 13th is fast approaching, all I can say is "Hammer Time!" Time to step it up a notch because I'm 2L2Q.

All you pretenders and player haters, step off!

Out.

The Norwegian Grade

In the area, there is this famous hill. Like most hills, it has a name, the Norwegain Grade. Why is it called this? I do not know. I need to ride with some locals and get the scoop. Now, this is no Alpe d'Huez or Mt. Ventoux but it is tough, a little over a mile long and between 7 and 9 percent grade. I had to change course today. I had planned to ride Balcom Canyon but I got a flat going out and I only had one tube. I did not want to get stuck in the middle of no where trying to tell Christine how to get me a tube. I was somewhat disappointed because I had been thinking of this climb all week. In spinning class, I was envisioning me summitting this climb. I had the mental picture. Yet, sometimes the right and responsible thing is not aligned with visions and dreams. I did the prudent thing. Okay, enough justification of why not. And NO, for all of you haters out there, I was not scared nor afraid. Just give me the lumps now, I can here them already.

Anyway, so I settled for the Norwegian Grade. It was a nice little climb that after I settled in to a cadence and breathing, it was done. I had to be home by 10 AM so I cut it short. I was out 2 1/2 hours. If I had not gotten in so late last night from Hollister, I might have been able to get up earlier and ride longer but there is always next week. I thought a little picture of me after the ride would be nice. The pounds are slowly coming off!! YEEEESSS! Jesse... now Jerome... Where is Morris Day and the Time now? Anyone know?

I can see why JD liked San Jose. It is so green and beautiful. I liked the area. I could see a lot of potential rides while I was out there. Granted, I was in the plant all day long and did not get to tour anything except the 101 and some other state highways to and from the airport and plant but it was a nice area. Excellent choice!

I post this picture because Cassie definitely has some of my traits. She likes the self portrait/picture. Way to go Idaho!!

She definitely is growing up to fast. Where is that little girl who would say La La La Wuv? She definitely is Daddy's little girl. I love you Cassie!

Let's Go Spurs

It is almost that time of year when the Spurs doubters start writing that they can't win it all due to the team chemistry, lack of offense, Duncan's absence in big games, and all of the other negative aspects that analysts think they see. Then, SA proves them all wrong. Let's go Spurs!!

It's been three days of spin, ride, spin. Tomorrow, I'll be on the bike again for about two hours. The ride was nice yesterday morning. It felt good to tie in the spin class with the road hours. My legs are a bit tired and worn but I can rest on Friday while I am in Hollister. Hopefully the weather will stay nice and I can get in some hours on the bike on Saturday morning. Balcolm Canyon looks quite a good challenge. I will let all know how it goes. Four weeks till the Conejo Valley Century. I will have a good idea where I am at after this ride.

A little bit of softball

When they asked me to play, I was a little bit weary. My shoulder still doesn't feel all that great but I decide to go and play anyway. I mentioned I wanted to play first base to conserve the shoulder. They agreed and the contract was signed. Well, it didn't happen that way. I showed up and felt good warming up. They asked me where I wanted to play. I said first base; I ended up in left center. It all worked out. We ended up winning 13-12 with an almost three up three down last inning to perserve the win. I have a couple nice cracks. On a regulation ballpark, they'd been out. Heck, they cleared the lights. We are talking "The Natural" type of pokes. The first one surprised them. The second one they were playing behind the lights and it was a deep out. At least the runner moved over. It was nice to play.

Anyway, it was wet Saturday so I took the boys on a drive to find this 20% grade of a hill. It was a steep hill. It is a four mile climb with the last mile plus being tremendously steep. The good thing was not too many cars around. I want to ride it this Saturday. It should work out if I can get up early enough and get going. It is almost a 60 mile ride. If I am out by 6 AM, I should be back before 10 AM. We play softball again next Saturday.

Spin class was a lot more muscle tension today. It felt good. I cranked up the resistance and felt it today. The spin instructor did not like to stay on her bike. She kept getting down, adjusting the fans, adjusting her bike, looking at this card. She didn't look like she wanted to work that hard this morning. During the cool down, she is putting the unused spin bikes away and straightening up. Maybe she had somewhere to go. Maybe I can get trained and be an early morning spin instructor. Yeah, that's the ticket. I can work out and get paid for it. Here we go. Maybe at least I can get the club membership comp'ed. Now we are talking. Anyway, with my modified work schedule this week, I will be able to get a couple hours on the bike tomorrow. Nice!!

Just Spinning

The rain brought some enlightenment this week to my ride preparation. Christine had mentioned to me about this spinning class at the health club. I told her no thanks. I'll just spin on the road or on one of these exercise bikes after I swim. My parade got rained upon on Wednesday. I usually get some time on the bike on Wednesday. Since it was raining, I decided to go to the spinning class. We got there earlier than the class so I could spin and loosen the legs up a bit. The class was difficult but worth it. It pushed me to work a bit harder than I had done on my own interval training on the bike. Plus, it was fun. The music is loud and the room almost dark with some twenty other people suffering in the same way. Thursday, both Christine and I took a rest day. Friday I went back to the club, swam for 20 minutes, and then hit the spinning class. It was a different instructor and she pushed harder than the one on Wednesday. After I got done, I am asking myself, "How am I going to ride tomorrow?" Well, I did. I put 50 miles on the bike yesterday. I rode out to Camarillo and back. Some hills early but not a lot late. The ride was real beautiful from Camarillo back to Simi. Green hills, groves of trees, homes on the hill, and horse properties. It was all very soothing. In all, just a little bit over three hours of riding. The legs felt good and strong. There were moments before I got loose that I felt I should just turn and go home. I didn't. The interesting thing was I felt I got stronger as I rode on, punctuating the day climbing the hill up First Street in the biggest gear to date. The spinning class' tendency to stand while riding helped get up a lot of the hills and helped pull through the day.

On a note to Christine's idea to join the class, in this month's Bicycling magazine, it mentions how several riders took spinning interval training a saw some good improvements in strength and explosiveness. Well, here I go. I will continue to swim and spin while tieing in the endurance rides to all of the cardio work. I should be ready to ride the century here in May and really start to put some miles on the bike in preparing for the STP in July. 204+ in one day is the goal and will help boost confidence to roll into August.

I am looking forward to going to Tacoma this week. I do not have a lot of time to visit family but at least I will get to see them for a little while.

About the picture, just a little inspiration. Look at his face, then look at the faces of his teammates and others. He is in control and in the zone. If you've never been there, you don't understand. That look on his face tells a huge story while offering inspiration. If he can suffer like that, I can too!

High School Pictures

I was looking back at some old photos. I found two very memorable ones of both Yoda and JD in high school. Oooh when we were young and our hair was ............ a mullet. Check out the hair and the glasses!!! JD was on his game this day! Hey K, was he always this good looking?

Then there was those times when we had to call on a high power to get us out of some jams. No, it wasn't our parents. It was Guido. He got us sprung. He had the major hook up. Hey Yoda (or Bubba Joe as we called you then), remember this night when we had our mug shots taken? One too many shots of Mr. Cuervo. Love that hair and beware of that glare from the forehead!!

On a more serious note, I got in 24 laps in 20 minutes today in the pool It felt good and I am getting better. Heck, in another couple weeks I could be up to half a mile. I was in the pool for about 15 minutes when this girl jumped in. She was the all star. She was doing 4 to my 2. Too bad I don't have an ego or the lungs, or I would have been embarrassed!! Anyway, enjoy the photos.

Those darn pedals

4:30 AM came earlier this morning. The time change really doesn't help when getting up early. I got into bed around 9 PM to try and sleep. I was able to close my eyes and get to sleep but still, the body was not ready to get up and get going. Yesterday, I cleaned my chain, sproket, and bike. The bike got a good lube as well. I could here it saying "Thank you" when I was done. It was time for it. Anyway, it was a nice tempo ride. I rode 35 minutes of tempo and then hammered it home. I got out to the other side of Simi faster than I have ever before. The whole turn took 75 minutes rather than the usual 80 to 85. The legs felt strong and I felt fast. I have lost another half pound. I expect to keep this up for a while. After only one week of swimming, I can feel it helping already. I am pumped to go swimming again tomorrow. I have about 6 weeks to the years first century. It will be punishing with all of the hills. I plan on hitting some of the hills this weekend and putting some hours on the bike. I need to be at 150 miles per week by the 17th of April. I am going to struggle next week being out of town but we'll see. If the hotel has a stationary bike, I will be all over it.

Anyway, as I was coming into the keypad for the gate to enter the code, I am trying to decide whether to unclip or not. It is dark out still and the keypad is approaches faster than I anticipate. Next thing I know, I have fallen into the bushes on the keypad's island. I bonk my knee on the top tube and slam my chest into my handle bars. My head lands gently in a small flowered bush. I got up quickly and try to shake it off. It did not feel good. Both my legs have small scrapes and my head hurt most of the day. I could only laugh at myself as I got up and pedaled home. Surprisingly, I did not scream nor did I use any foul language. Wow! I wish I had the video tape to show it here on the blog so all could get a laugh but oh well, maybe next time.

Well, I am excited to have JD moving out this way. At least we can get together and hit some hills every once in a while. There are centuries all over California. Maybe I can get him to ride in Death Valley in October!! Just one question, who is the Lucha Libre wrestler in the picture? Is that the California Dreamer? I admit, I don't get the connection. I hope Yoda and JD get out for a ride. Upper Balcones is beautiful this time of year, plus it is a nice challenge. Good riding and may the force be with you.

MS Walk Saturday

I was ready to ride on Saturday morning before the walk but the weather did not cooperate. It stopped raining about 3:30 AM and the streets were too wet to get out and ride. The drainage system is nothing like in San Antonio. This is probably a sympton of not having substantial rain throughout the year. A heavy rain for the locals is only a light rain in Alamo Town. The water just does not get off of the road. By 10 AM, the time of the MS Walk start, everything was pretty much dry. The walk was fun with a lot of people participating. We all wore our Milgard shirts and had a good time. Later in the day, we went and played some tennis as well. Cassie and Craig are getting better.

I had to work a bit on the bike. The new tires I bought would not seat right on the rim. I kept getting this bump in the tire. Actually, it was an indention because the tire would seat too deep. After working with the tires and rims for about an hour, I finally got them right. I had to hurry since I was going to Conference. I still made it one time with Christine's help. We wash my car and she was nice enough to dry it for me. She loves me. Conference was great. Some very inspiring words were spoken by our leaders. Love one another, avoid speaking ill of others, work towards the End, value your membership, serve, and so much more. The meeting finished and I felt renewed and reinvigorated.

Christine and I had talked about going out to eat. I met her at the Wood Ranch BBQ. Several of her friends had told her it was the best around. We thought we'd try it. It was okay. After having the worst BBQ in Texas, it is hard to have anything else. I miss the cream corn, the sauce, the turkey, etc. I need to open a Rudy's here in CA. If only to satisfy my BBQ appetite. Ooh well, I'll have to do it on my own to get good BBQ. Anyway, Christine and I had a great time. The atmosphere was perfect. We talked and just hung out. A good way to end the week.

Swim day two

It was a much better day in the pool. I did a better job of pacing myself and pounded out 20 laps in twenty minutes of swimming. I felt better when I quit. It is all a matter of time. Christine came with me this morning as well. It was fun to ride a little and do some abs with her. She is going after getting in shape with some reckless abandon. Okay, it is not reckless nor is she abandoning anyone but she is motivated. She is inspiring me to work harder.

Tomorrow will be fun. It is Friday and I don't plan on riding this weekend due to the MS Walk here in Simi that we as a family are participating in. I am going to get up at 4 and see if I can ride for about two hours tomorrow. I need some help here. What does Yoda say, "there is no try, only do!" I must definitely "do" tomorrow. It will help complete a good week of work. Time on the bike and in the pool with some gym work. Next week will be fun as we go back to regular time. Spring forward will be exciting come Monday morning at 4:30 AM. Stay tuned as the fun continues in my quest to blow up (as in how Lance blew up the TdF) the HHH in August.

I will leave with a quote from one of my most favorite t-shirt sayings (Okay, I am digging now going to the t-shirts for help), "Pain is weakness leaving the body." What is your pain?

Hills and more hills

Today was hill riding. I rode for almost 90 minutes of solid hills, except for when I was coming down from the one I had just rode. It is not fun going up between 12 to 14 MPH and then cruising down the other side at 30+ MPH. These long hills mean you can't attack them the entire time, only at the top. I just spun up them and attacked the top. It made for a good workout. The heart stayed around 136 BPM.

Tomorrow, I get back into the pool to see if I can swim a bit more. I can tell that this will help me on improving my VO2 max. Yes, that means more power for longer.

Let's Go!!

Ride and Swim

I am two for two this week. I have gotten up both days and hit the exercise trail. Yesterday, I got on the bike for 80 minutes, about 25 miles through Simi. It was surprisingly bright for that time of day. The sun was up by 5:30 AM. I got up at O dark thirty, as we said in the Army, really only 4:30 AM. I stayed flat yesterday. My legs were heavy and not cooperating but I still averaged over 17 MPH going out the first 10 miles and over 22 MPH coming back in. It was a nice ride. Maybe I was so happy to be out early that I put the hammer down.

This morning I got up and went to the club with Christine. I was so happy that she came with me. It was fun to sit and talk and work out with her. She's the best partner. Anyway, I thought I'd try to swim for 30 minutes. I thought if Cassie can do it for over an hour, I should be able to do it for at least 30 minutes. I got to 20 minutes and was done for. I got in 16 laps in that time. I then got on the bike for 30 more minutes. The bike said I had ridden 11 miles in that 30 minutes. It was the easiest 11 miles I have ever ridden. I guess if you don't have to pull your own weight it is easier. The club has spinning classes as well. I might try one of them out and see how it is. This is looking promising.

After riding, Christine and I worked on abs. It felt good to get it all in. I started to feel all of it by about 10 AM. I was super hungry. I kept my mind and body busy till lunch time and Christine and I got a Subway. That was one of the best sandwiches I have had in a long time. Thanks Jared!

If I can keep this up, 200 pounds will be nothing but a bad dream. The word is if. If Christine keeps motivating me, well, I'd better sign up for the '07 TDF because I will be ready!!

Beech to the Beach

I had been talking about riding to the beach for a while. Yesterday, we got everything ready and I left about 9 AM. The first 20 miles or so was through Thousand Oaks and out to Potrero Road. Then there was a little fun. In two different spots, there was some downhill riding through this canyon, steep and sharp turns with no bail out areas. I had to ride my brakes pretty good to get through it all. The wind picked up out on the Hueneme Road where there is no protection from the off shore winds. It didn't help that their was storms blowing in either. After about 10 miles of solid wind I got on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). The wind was not so bad there. It was great to ride down the coast for the next 20 miles or so. The waves, the rocks, the sounds, the other riders, it was beautiful.

A highlight of the ride was seeing this orange bike riding rider up ahead of me about 1/2 mile. It was motivating to think "Hey, there's Yoda, time to go!" Within the next mile and at the top of a next hill, the chase was over; the catch was made. It feels great to catch someone on a hill. In a look reminescent of "The Look", I stared back at the man and said, "Good morning!" Then, I put the pedal down on the downhill and I never saw him again. In fact, I thought I'd better ride hard because I don't want to see him again. That would mean I was not riding hard enough.

The end was the best. I was finishing up the ride, looking for a place to wait for Christine and then there she was. I turned around and went back to meet her and the kids. This is when Craig took the picture above. We stayed at the beach for about two hours, sitting, talking, playing football, and just hanging out. On the way home, we stopped in at Chipotle and got a burrito. Hey, after riding 50, I had a great need from some calorie replenishment. A little rice and beans never hurt anyone. After getting home and watching Texas lose in OT, we went off to look at a health club. Christine has a group of women she plays BB with that attend every morning. It has a pool, sauna, weights, etc., just like any health club. I think it would be great to do. Then I could swim twice a week, sit in the sauna, and lift a little to supplement my bike riding. Yoda has given some advice that I need the cross training to aid in the weight loss effort. I think I will take him up on it. More importantly, Christine and I could work out together a couple time a week. On the weight loss note, I lost another half a pound this week!! 200 here I come.

And I will call him....

Mini Me! I appreciate the teaching about acceleration with power-to-weight ratio. Where it comes into play is yes on acceleration but also on long rides. There is no match for riding and getting ready and a persons weight is an indicator of how long they can push, making power-to-weight important. I appreciate the time Yoda put into finding the information about long rides. When Mini Me has put in the time on the bike, he can try and take the pea from my hand! Until then, he will be best know as Mini Me.

The order of the eve was 26 miles in just under 90 minutes. I felt good tonight and pushed a few hills on the way. I averaged over 17.5 MPH and 143 BPM. It was cold but that's okay, I pushed on. I wore my HHH jersey, got honked at one time, and almost got can off the road only a couple of times. At least Simi is getting in the act. They have painted bike lanes all over the city. It is a lot different than when I first road through the city.

As long as we are quoting Confusius, let me add this one. Confusius say "if you no ride bike, you buy the grande chimichanga for two!"

Sometimes...

The garage has to be good enough. It was wet and cold so I just rode in the garage while watching U2. It was an all tempo night, 45 minutes worth of muscle tension to build leg strength. It was tough but worth it all. Who isn't motivated by the sounds of U2 and "I will follow." Makes me think of the competition, just follow. I will lead the way. Cycling is interesting in that you need your competition along with your teammates throughout the race in order to win. It is the last bit that really makes the difference. Stay together and in touch most of the way and just hammer it the final bit. All of this riding is the hammer for the little bit at the end. Here is some motivational pictures for all the pretenders out there.

Remember the power-to-weight explanation. This is how I lower the denominator to be the dominator!!

Power-to-weight

Wikipedia describes power-to-weight as "the power the engine develops, divided by the vehicle's (or engine) weight." I have been pushing some weight for some time. Now that it is starting to come off, the ratio is starting to blow up, Testarosa style!! Here's a picture of me on the road getting it done!!

JD gave me a shout out tonight. Looks like Cali is in the cards. We might be Cruis'in the Conejo earlier than expected. Sounds like a plan.

Don't be hating Sonny Crocket

Everyone wanted to be Sonny Crocket growing up. The car, the clothes, the shoes, and the girls...so...don't be hating on Mr. Crocket, it's Sonny if your nasty. Thanks Ms. Jackson for the lyrics.

The ride was a fun 25 miles. I tried another route. Down to TO, up to Moorpark, and back to Simi but over Lost Canyon. I kept the heart rate up and the legs kicking. I wanted to ride longer but Christine left for a Women's Conference in Long Beach so I couldn't get out longer. 90 minutes is good enough for today. I am glad that I found this route. It will be my 90 minute route for the weekdays. This way I don't have to ride in circles and at least the scenery will change. Time to get going. Its off to the bike shop for some tools and some adventure with the kids.

Where are you at dawg? Is Michael Knight and his sidekick, Kit all you got. That deserves another Rocky quote for the sports pretenders. This quote is from Apollo, "Stay in school and use your brain. Be a doctor, be a lawyer, carry a leather briefcase. Forget about sports as a profession. Sports make ya grunt and smell. See, be a thinker, not a stinker." So don't be a stinker, be a thinker. On the other hand, this is what Mickey has been telling me, "You're gonna eat lightnin' and you're gonna crap thunder!" Just don't ride behind me.

Peace and I'm outta here.

Let Sonny Crocket be your guide

What is up with the ugly flashback to Gary Coleman. The man who played an eight year old when he was twenty-two!! Knight Rider, that was another story. Hit the Turbo Michael!!

To help all of you out there in need of some urging and coaching, let Sonny Crocket be your guide. If you remember well, Crocket and Tubbs were the detectives on Miami Vice. Crocket, the Florida native and Tubbs, the out of water New Yorker hitting the Miami scene. This was one of the few shows I'd watch as a teenager, otherwise, it was I am outta here and off to the club. Where's fitty cent? That's $0.50 if your not nasty.



Pretenders, listen to Crocket, "The secret to success, whether it's women or money, is knowing when to quit. I oughta know: I'm divorced and broke. " So if you want to win, just quit. You'll feel better in the morning. And finally, "People in stucco houses shouldn't throw quiche."

Peace and I'm outta here!!

Clubber Lang

In the immoral words of Mr. Clubber "Pain" Lang, "I pity the fool!!" Pain will be the theme all summer long, culminating in a painful August for my competitors. Today was another step on that "pain" journey. 90 minutes of hills and more hills. I can tell the legs are kicking in because I am getting up hills in larger gears than before. This is the payoff. Wait, I hear your mouth. Another memorable quote from Mr. Pain, "What did you say, Paper Champion? I'll beat you like a dog, a dog, you hear?" Okay, enough testoterone for one night.

I'll be going to Tacoma in April for a few days. I have a Senior Leadership Development Conference for two days. I hope catch a couple of family members for a couple of hours and some grub. I let everyone know after all of the details are worked out.

I couldn't help it. "Hey fool! You ready for another beating!? You shoulda never came back!" Y'all should never come out. I pity the fool!!

On the bike

Craig and I got on the bikes tonight. We rode around our neighborhood for a couple of miles. Craig was peddling as hard as he could to keep up. He made me laugh with his jokes. We got on this "hill" and he says to me, "Dad, why do you like to torture me?" It was timely. After riding almost four miles with Craig, Craig tagged his Mom and she rode another six miles with me. It was a nice ride and time to talk. It was a slow burn at an even pace. It felt good. Tomorrow morning will be a bit more brisk as I will ride alone and do some hill work as well. I have two months till the Conejo Valley Century. I need to be ready for the 6,000 ft worth of climbing. I have rode some parts of the ride already. It looks like the Mulholland ride will be part of the century ride. I need to get over there to ride it and see what the hills are like. I hate getting on a hilly ride and not knowing the hills, how long they are, the pain involved, the speed needed to get up the hill, the speed that can be generated on the hill, the turns, and the flatter portions. I could make the century today. I just don't think I could crush it though. In two months, crush it yes. In four months, 200+ miles. In five months, crush the polka dots. There are no mountains on the Hotter 'N Hell. There aren't any rent-a-fans either available. Where's Roscoe Pecol Train? Just some good old boys....