Shift

My 2009 cycling season training kicked off on Saturday morning in foggy 34 degree weather. I rode out North Valley, by Tillikum which was on the season finale of the Amazing Race, down Laughlin road, back on the 240 over the hill, and back to North Valley road to Newberg. The rolling hills was a good early season work out - right at 2 hours of riding. I hadn't been on the bike in almost two weeks and hadn't ridden outside for seveal more. It felt good to be out. Something about riding out through the farm land, the hills, the ponds and streams, and everything else renews me.

Last year I focused on the miles. This is the year of my paradigm shift. I have always got carried away with mileage and miles per hour as a measurement of my fitness and how to determine my work outs. This year I will go to the LA method of determining distance - time. As many professional cyclists proclaim, it is about time on the bike. If any of you have lived in the LA area, you know that you don't talk about miles to get somewhere, it is always a distance as measured in time.

"How long to get to Disney Land?"

"About an hour to an hour and a half from Simi Valley."

I believe by taking this approach, I will be able to improve my time on the bike before the STP rather than just focusing on the miles in order to take that step to the 12 hour total time ride. July will tell if my approach is sound.

Focus

2008 was a good year for me on the bike. I met the two goals I set for myself and really enjoyed the riding and fitness that was a result. In looking at 2009, I really only have one goals - 12 total hours for the STP. I believe that simplicity will add to my focus. This definitely is a stretch for me but attainable. Last year I finished around 13 hours but reviewing the ride, 12 hours was there if I didn't take as long at the rest stops. I will get my plan more finalized as I get closer to the date but a few ideas that I have right now is get more longer rides on Saturday with some longer Friday night rides. Keep up the intensity on the weekday rides, especially when I start riding to work again. Get to the hills and add to the leg strength. Do one hour time trials to keep the speed up. I am excited for the year of riding.

I am also excited for the year in Professional Cycling - Lance is back, Astana is stacked, and we have two strong US pro teams in Garmin-Chipotle and Columbia. A lot of good cycling to follow and watch this year. Let's get riding.

I know it may seem short sighted to just focus on the STP but my building to ride the STP starts right after it ends. All the miles I put on the bike the rest of the year only help me to get the job done in July. Plus, August will be a busy month for me with all of the C activities that she has and my own obligations with the church youth program. We have a high adventure planned to do some hiking around Mt. St. Helens for 4 days in August. I will still bike but I will still have other fitness activities to keep me going.

The biking has been slim this week. We spent New Year's with my brothers and parents in Tacoma. It was good fun to eat and visit with all of them. On Beecher Street, there is a nice picture of the entire family at Josefina's restaurant on New Year's Day. The other part is that I had a massive stomach bug. The pain meter was at an 8. I was down and out till this morning where I still feel the lingering effects. Yesterday, I spent about 6 hours at the clinic getting poked, proded, and lying about. Not good for the bike but this coming week, I will get back into it. It just irritates me to be sick when I am off of work. Not fun for me or for my family. As I am driving home from the clinic, I notice that the roads are dry and it is partly cloudy with some sun. This only adds to my frustration. I am not only sick while I am off of work but the weather is great for winter Oregon to ride in and I don't get to hang with the C. Triple Whammy!!!

Anyway, 2009 has begun. Let the goals be achieved and the fun begin...

Tale of the GPS

I rode my last ride of 2008 last night - a 45 minute spin in the garage to keep the legs loose. I thought I'd just post my stats from 2008. By far, this has been the most miles I have ridden in any year and it felt good.

Total rides: 183
Total miles: 5,351.1
Longest ride: 204.3 (STP)
Average ride: 29.24
Shortest ride: 5.5 miles (Racing Craig around the block)
Average miles per week: 102.91
Miles before STP: 3231.61
Miles after STP: 2119.49
Total hours on the bike: 319.95
Average hours per week: 6 hours 9 minutes
Average time per ride: 1 hour 45 minutes

Almost 40% of my rides were between 10 and 20 miles - these are those one hour or so highly intense training sessions on the trainer or around Newberg. The weekly graph clearly shows that I ride for the STP. Much like Lance and the TdF, I focus on doing well that second Saturday in July.

Here is a graph of my miles by week:

Here is a histogram of my miles by ride:
I really enjoyed all of the riding this year. The best part was seeing new places and riding with new and old friends. I hope I can do more of both in 2009!

Proof

Here is proof that I actually work while at work. This was fun to drive but took a bit getting used to the snow. The problem was that there was no heater so it got cold quickly.

Closed

The plan was to be open for business today. Mother Nature was not cooperating, dumping more snow than expected. As the supervisors and I roamed around the parking lot when we closed the plant, I took a few pictures as we pulled and pushed employees to get unstuck and on the road. The snow was angry that day my friend! As the employees came into the parking lot, the just left their cars where they got stuck.

Using the "Bobcat" to pull employees out of the parking lot so they could go home.

Notice the visitior parking sign. The top of it is about 30". The snow had drited this much over the weekend. Also, see the ribbons of ice from the roof. This is from the freezing rain and the slow thaw. The ice is in ribbon because of the ridges on the roof.

We are going to be closed tomorrow due to the weather and us trying to get the parking lot cleared.

Snowed

The snow just keeps falling. The week started with snow and has ended with snow, with snow in between. You could say we've been snowed over this week. The kids didn't mind at all - school was canceled all week. Christmas break came a week early. It just means they have to make it up later in the year. With school canceled, everything else at the schools is canceled as well to include basketball. We had no practices and no games. So other than work this week, I just rode three hours in the garage and did little else.

Today, snow started early and fell all day. I really didn't want to stay at home all day so after choir practice, the C and I headed out. We hit Franklin Covey for next year's pages, Honey Baked Ham for our Christmas ham, Sushi bar for my weekly raw fish fix, Border's for "Breaking Away"and Peaches, and finally home. Half-way through our travels, I broke out the chains. Traction had deteriorated so I needed help. I was glad I did. Over 6" worth of snow has fallen with more on the way. After getting home, we headed over the church and played basketball for 90 minutes. It was good to be active after sitting in the car for so long.

After getting home after playing basketball, we played in the snow for a while. It was cold, especially in shorts but fun. Now it is just sit and watch BYU - AZ. Go Cougs! Right now, they need to pull their head out and play.

On the bike, the garage continues to test me as I push and practice cadence. I try to keep it high and crank up the pain. It helps to have a TV and ipod to keep my mind off of stopping. Only a few more months till I can get back outside and on the hills.

Sun & Solvang - March 14, 2009.

Intensity

We had our second game of the season on Saturday. I'd sum the whole game up with one word - intensity. The first half was a close one as we end the half only up by one, 15-14. They had two good players and we had managed to stay in front of them for most of the half. We got lost on defense a few times and they made us pay with easy baskets. Our players also got caught up with worrying about the referee rather than playing basketball. At half time, I gave them the "referee's don't win basketball games, players do" speech as well as let's pick up the defensive intensity. Matt, our post player, and Craig went to work on their best players. Matt frustrated the other player so much with his defense that he started pushing and fouling Matt. Craig simply shut the other player down, not letting him get by him or to the basket the entire second half. We held them to 3 points for the half and ended up winning 28-18. I'd like to think that the team is a reflection of the coach and they have picked up on my intensity and passion for defense. I was very proud of how they played.

Craig hit a pair of jumpers - really nice shots, good form, nice follow through, good arc on the shot, nothing but net. No threes this game but that is okay. His defensive effort was impressive. He is so quick. Most of the time players can catch up to a player dribbling up the court, not with Craig. He can get down the court just as fast as the other players running. He just needs to work on his lay ups and he will be extremely dangerous. Just another item for practice.

The cycling was more of an escape this week rather than exercise. I rode for 4 hours total, one hour on four different days. I needed the escape as we were downsizing this week and letting some really good people go. For the year, I went over 5200 miles, meaning my weekly average will be above 100 miles per week for the year. Nice! The work I am doing now on the bike is focusing on leg strength and cadence. I sit and get my cadence to 85-95 RPM and cycle up the gears at descending intervals. I start with 15 minutes on the easiest to warm up, click down, 10 minutes, and then 5 minutes for the next 5 clicks down, finishing with 10 minutes of cool down with 5 at halfway back up and the last 5 where I started. At the highest gear, it is painful to keep up the cadence but it does the body good. The hour just flies by when I do this. With all the inclimate weather, I will be spending a lot more time in the garage. It is all good. This is how this year started out. The legs feel good and I need the time on the bike. March is not so far away.

Coaching

A few weeks ago, I started to coach Craig's basketball team. It has been quite interesting and fun to work with the boys, teaching them a bit about basketball and teamwork. There is a talent difference on the team. We have polar extremes on the team - from those that play frequently and watch basketball to several boys without a clue and less talent. Practices go between drills that require a high level of skill and those that are basic. We do quite a bit of coaching in both types of drills. We run suicides and full courts sprints at the end. I remember how much I hated running suicides at the end of practice. I see that same dislike in the eyes of the players but they still work hard and run for me. I even will run with them at times.

We had our first game Saturday morning. We lost 27-26 but learned a lot about how the players respond in a game. Craig had 6 points, 2 assists, and 6 steals. He even hit a "in your face" three pointer. We have talked quite a bit about shot selection and how the closer to the basket you are, usually the higher percentage. We have even proven this out on the court by having him shoot threes and then free throws. Each time, the higher percentage shot was the 15 foot free throw. In the game, he takes the inbound pass, turns, shoots, and banks in the shot. It sparked the team. We had a shot at the end to win but couldn't get the shot off. I learned something as a coach as well. I need to stay out of the moment of the game and think - players play and coaches coach. The C was up early and performed scorekeeping duties for the team. I appreciate her helping out.

The week of riding was good as the weather held til this morning. Solvang is right at three months away and I want to be ready to ride. I will be challenged with coaching basketball, youth activities, riding, working, and doing all of my other duties.

The Steelers are struggling again at home right now. They just need to play all their games on the road. They play so much better on the road as proven the last few weeks. Before the game and all day at church the day, various Cowboys fans called me and talked to me about the game. It could be a painful Monday morning.

Thanksgiving

It has been a busy yet fun couple of days.

It all started on Wednesday. All week I had read about how bad the weather was going to be for the Thanksgiving break which translated to me into staying indoors. Getting up on Wednesday morning, the weather prognosticators were all wrong. The skies were clear. In talking with Christine, she wanted to do a bit of shopping. I left work early, got in a 75 minute ride, got cleaned up, and took Christine to do a bit of shopping and to get a bite. We got home in time to meet my parents.

Thursday morning started early with some cooking. Then, Cassie, Craig, Pa, the "C", and myself headed over to the elementary school for the Turkey Bowl. We had 60 people show up to play some football. We played for two hours with four teams. We had good sportsmanship and no injuries. Although there were some collisions, all players got done with all their teeth and with no broken bones. After getting home, Craig and I put up the house Christmas lights. Playing football and putting up the lights, we were quite hungry. The "C" and my mom put together a feast! We all ate and ate, had some good conversations at the dinner table, and walked away quite fed. The evening ended with some football and some TV. Craig and I even got a game of Madden in. It was a very relaxing Thanksgiving day.

Friday morning was a more typical weekend day for us. OB12OLD and I got on the bike for a two hour tour to Laurel and back. The body was sore from the Turkey Bowl so it felt good to get out and just recover and spin. We got back, ate some turkey, cleaned up, and ran some errands. Then we drove out to Beaverton, caught the Max to downtown, and hung out at Pioneer Square to watch the tree lighting with about 25,000 of our closest friends. It was quite the festive place. They played music, we sang some Christmas carols, and then they turned on the lights of the 100 foot tree with 2.5 miles of lights on it. On the way home, we hit Juan Colorado's for some Mexican food. Pretty cool stuff - the best part was being together and enjoying each other.

Saturday, we had to say good-bye to my parents in the morning. I then hit the road for 30 miles. After warming up the first ten miles, the legs felt strong so I pushed it back home, averaging 20.2 MPH the final 20 miles. It is time to start preparing for Solvang. I spoke to JD last week about his TdT ride and Solvang. Looks like the plan is to hit the SoCal ride in March. It will be like our Spring training camp in preparation for the 12 hour STP. I look forward to the ride in March.

The rest of Saturday was getting Craig some good church clothes in preparation of him turning 12 and then running some additional errands - bassoon reeds, groceries. When we got home, we sat down and took a breath. It was a busy, fun couple of day. We really appreciated my parents coming and hanging out with us - the more the merrier. The "C" took pictures of all the fun on our family website, so check it out.

Time to get back to watching my Steelers against the Patriots....

Sympathy

Just a quick shout out to JD - way to go!! on the TdT, getting in at 6 hours 10 minutes. I missed being out in the 70 degree weather and 8,000+ of our closest friends. Although I wasn't there in Tucson, I hit the road this week for a total of 110 miles. The goal was to ride more on Saturday but the schedule and the weather was not cooperating. It was cold, damp, and foggy. It is unnverving riding in the dense fog, no shoulder, going down the back side of Chehalem mountain. It was good to get out and ride. I am 11 miles from 5K. Sometime tomorrow night on a short, unceremonious ride, I will go over 5K miles for the year - definitely more miles than 2007.

I started to coach Craig's basketball team this week. I have found it enjoyable to teach, reinforce, and then see it put into action. It is going to be a fun season, watching these young men learn the game.

It is a short week - nice!

To all, wishing you a happy and joyous Thanksgiving.

Tucson

Just wanted to send a shout out to JD.

Good luck with the TdT tomorrow. I will be there with you in biking spirit, wishing I could be taking up some of your slipstream!

May the road rise up to meet you...

Clear

The week started gray, cold, and wet. Not a lot of hope for better weather as the week started. I rode in the garage Monday and Wednesday only to wake up on Thursday with clear blue skies. It was incredible to have such weather in November in Oregon. When I woke up on Saturday morning and it still was clear, although it was cold, it warmed my heart to see a cloud free sky and dry roads. Cassie had to be at swim team practice by 7 AM so I rode with her over to the pool at 6:45 AM. From the pool, I headed up Chehalem mountaing. Going up was warm and cozy. I didn't work that hard since I didn't want to sweat that much as it was only 40 degrees. The 4 miles down the back side were cold. The payoff was the view from the top. The sun was just peaking over the ridge line, casting shadows in the valley. There was a light fog in the crevaces of the valleys. The tall pines would pierce the upper layer of fog as if trying to escape to greet the morning sun.

I rode out to the start line of the Reach the Beach ride and back over Krueger road, by the green house, and Gibb cemetary. I felt good, like I could ride all day. If I didn't have more to do, I would have continued to ride. All told, I rode over 2 hours for 36 miles.

After the ride, I took Craig to basketball placements and allowed others to talk me into coaching a team. I know a little about basketball and am excited about the opportunity to help 5th and 6th grade boys learn a little about the game as well. We start this next week.

After basketball, we headed to Monmouth to watch the C's high school team play in the state football playoffs. It was fun to watch her get excited, cheer, yell, and show some school spirit. There is passion there for her alma mater. Ontario kept the game close but couldn't close the deal, just too many turnovers. Without the turnovers, regulation ends either in a tie or they win but they ended up losing 28-14. Ontario had only 8 seniors on the team with a lot of juniors. They should be good next year. Hopefully we can see them play again.

Saturday night was Cassie's first church dance. I was so excited for her to go. She danced all night and had a great time. Has it really been 14 years? It goes by so fast.

Sushi

The week started and ended strong but the middle was light - I got lazy and I payed for it.

It was Kaizen week so I ate too much and exercised too little. On Monday night, the indoor riding finally started again. For the next four months, my weekly riding will be on the trainer, in the garage. Not all that bad, with Chris in my ears or on the tube, I get a good work out and maintain fitness. Saturday was a ride in the rain for 30 miles. By the end of last winter, I was mentally prepared to ride in the rain each Saturday. I am not there yet. It will take me a few times to get back into riding in the rain. You'd think that riding is riding. There is something depressing about sitting in the rain on your bike, pedaling. Maybe it is remembering all the great rides when there was no rain. Also, I have a hard time riding hills when it is wet out and for me, that takes some of the fun out of the riding. After all of the suffering to get to the top of the hill, there is the satisfaction of bombing down the back side. No suicide bombing the back side on wet roads. Saturday's 30 was flat and average speed.

The middle of the week, I headed to Tacoma for business. I thought I'd at least get on a spin bike for a few hours but I was lazy and didn't go when I had the chance. The meeting went well but I didn't exercise. I payed for it with a pound or maybe two. Ooh well, I get it back this week. No plans for travel at least not right now.

Friday night, the C and I went out to a Sushi Bar. It was interesting but good food. I am sure we will go back. The California rolls, house rolls, sushi, etc was tasty. I appreciate the C being willing to try new and different foods. Now if Colin would only do the same.

Data

The cycling season is slowly coming to a close. At the same time, I am closing in on 5K miles for the year. I thought I'd share some data and graphs about my riding this year.

All data current as of today.

Number of rides: 156

Total time on the bike: 285 hours 21 minutes

Total miles: 4,757.49

Shortest ride: 5.5 miles

Longest ride: 204 miles

Average miles per ride: 30.5

Average time per ride: 1 hour 51 minutes

Median miles per ride: 21.85

Median time per ride: 1 hour 21 minutes

Average MPH: 16.67

Although I am not a professional, I still like to track what I have been doing and how far I have ridden for the year. The mileage graph shows how I built up to ride the STP and since then, I have dropped off the total weekly mileage.

I did get out to run twice this week. I did a pyramid on Monday night, running 200, 200, 400, 400, 800, 800, 400, 400, 200, 200. The C ran with me and I got to chase here around the track. On Wednesday night, I rode and then ran. The running was much harder after riding. The legs were tired and the body worn. I did fight for two miles.

All else was a quiet. No $5 foot long, no Mashitas, no pass "go" and collect $200.

Calling

While I was standing out at Craig's game, JD gave me a ring. I gave him the news that the C had probably told K, I was not going to ride in the Tour de Tucson. The decision of not riding in Tucson in November hurt when it was made but became reality when I said the words to JD. I remember Red in Shawshank Redemption as he was heading South to see his friend Andy, " I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope."

I remember all our rides this last summer and last fall. I remember the fun and good times our families had together. Those are good times that I hold close, making the decision not to go even harder. JD - I appreciate the call sorry for not being able to ride. I'll miss sitting behind your skinny, fine tuned tires, rolling down those free miles at 30+ MPH.

Tito, get me a tissue; Jermaine, stop teasing. I'm out...

Slowing

Not much to write about the last few weeks - just running, riding, watching football and soccer, going to church activities, and working. The plan to maintain the gains has been at work for the last two weeks. I have ran twice a week for the last three weeks. It feels painful enough and I get a good work out. The riding has come down as well. The frequency is off only slightly but the miles are down significantly. I have only been averaging about 60 miles per week. I only need to average 35 a week to hit 5K for the year. The legs feel good and the weight is stable. The key has been eating less and staying active. Let's see how disciplined I am during the holidays.

Some interesting news from the pro tour, Ivan Basso place third in the Japan Cup. Another former TdF contender is making his comeback. I have always like Basso and it is good to see that he is back on the bike and riding for Liquigas. I will have to get LG stuff to add to the hat I have. It is going to be an interesting 2009 Pro Cycling season with the stacked Astana with Contador, Armstrong, Leipheimer, and Kloden, the return of Basso, several new teams, and all the normal cycling destinations with the usual fun.

Final game notes - Craig had his final football game on Saturday. He carried the ball 3 times for 43 yards. He was slipping tackles, sliding through holes, and running away from people. I just wish he had more carries. He had a good game and a good season. As we were walking off the field, I look down at him and he is holding back the tears. I asked him what was wrong. He was sad that it was over, even though it was tough and painful, he still wanted to keep playing. I knew exactly what he meant and how he felt. I had been there. I just put my arm around him and gave him a hug. Thanks Craig for the memories and for loving footbal as much as I do.

The primary colors went for a ride on Saturday morning. Cassie dressed in blue, OB12OLD in yellow, and I was in my usual red. Cassie was motivated and rode hard. Pa was making a recovery ride from a back strain and pneumonia. I just sat back on enjoyed the fun.

Chihuahua

I am an avid velonews.com reader. It is were I get all of my pro cycling news. Here is a picture from the site as it covered the Vuelta Chihuahua.

Can you say a Chihuahua from Chihuahua, Chihuahua? Now that's a lot of Chi and huahua!

Diversity

It has been a good week for exercise but the cold is starting to creep in, making it hard to remain motivated to stay riding outdoors. So I started to run a bit. I bought some new shoes, supporting Livestrong. I hit the ground on Tuesday with a 1.35 mile run with Craig. He pulled me along the entire time and dropped me as we got back to the house. I didn't time it. I just wanted to see if I could run. It felt good but on Wednesday, my legs were sore. Thursday was a bit more running but just a shy longer at 1.5 miles. It was much easier and I felt better on Friday than I did on Wednesday. What I like was I was able to get a decent work out in but for less time. If I keep at it, I might be able to run with the C.

I did get on the bike for over four hours this week as well for over 72 miles. All told it was five days of exercise between biking and running. I will try to mix it up more this next week as I try to get some pounds off in these next few months.

Craig had a good game on Saturday with some tough inside running. They didn't give him the ball as much this week as he carried 6 times for 18 yards - no long runs this week just the tough between the tackles running. He was 1 for 2 on short yardage. The second attempt there was no blocking as he was met by the linebacker right in the hole at the line of scrimmage. He is starting to see the field better. He gets through the hole and you can see him looking for daylight as he moves forward. Now we just got to work on him hitting the hole harder.

This will be a busy week with quite a few church commitments....it'll be all good.

Sidetracked

The week started off with sun and ended with rain. For riding, it was not a good week at all. I got on the bike on Monday and rode 16 miles, ending on a high note of getting up Coral Creek in 9 minutes - besting my time up the hill by 4 seconds. The difference was this was into a nasty wind. The effort felt extreme and I had hoped for a better time but the weather was not cooperating. I was surprised at only improving by 4 seconds. I had an interesting experience on the bottom of the small climb - doubt. As I started, my mind wandered as I pushed myself to my lactate threshold. I thought to myself, "with all this pain and wind, do you really think you can get up this hill faster than last summer?" I had a choice, give up and explain away the reason for not trying due to the weather. Or, I could put my head down and try. I went back and forth for a few moments as I standing on the pedals pushing up the first part of the grade. Rather than give up, I decide to see what I could do - to give it my all and to see if it was good enough. I rationalized that since I had ridden more miles, weighed less, and had better gearing, I had a good chance of succeeding so I should push on. I always finds these types of experiences in life when doubt enters in very interesting. They come at different times and in different circumstances and usually ending in a rationalization for either triumph or failure without trying. The lesson I take away is much like a quote many have heard that says you cannot make the shot if you don't take the shot. It is in the taking of the shot where learning occurs.

Those were my only miles for the week. On Tuesday, my throat starting getting sore and by Wednesday I had the flu. I trudged through work on Thursday and by Friday I was starting to feel better. Rather than try my luck on a Saturday morning ride in rain and wind, I opted for more stable weather indoors in a warm bed.

We headed out to Craig's game in Portland. The weather broke for his game with only a slight breeze. The team played well as did Craig. He had 9 carries for 31 yards. He continues to be the short yardage back. He went 4 for 5 on short yardage carries getting the first down. The one he did not make it on was a 4th and 5. He got 4 1/2 yards but not the five but the beauty was in the trying. He could see the marker and accelerated towards it, getting hit by several defenders as he reached out, trying to get the ball across the line. On another carry, he got past the line, side stepped a backer, took a hit by the safety who clamped on to him, a backer came over to help, then another defender, and another, and another, and finally then going down. Six tough yards that brought cheers from the team and crowd. On another carry, once through the line, he saw a gap between the backers and sprinted between them only to find the safety filling the gap. Whap! You could hear the contact. Both went down and bounced right back up - a good hit on a good run. On a carry before the half, from the five, he got to the end zone but the line judge could not see the ball crossing the end line to call the touchdown before he was pushed back. If there had been replay, the call would have been overturned. It was a good day on the field for Craig and it was fun to watch.

This week marks my final push to meet the second of my two goals from the beginning of the year - to get my weight down. I am stuck at 205 and want to get under 200. In order to do that, I am going to start a core workout session with some running twice a week. As the weather has turned to typical fall Oregon weather, more indoor time will be necessary to make this happen. Only 500 more miles to 5K....

Talk'in it up

Stop me if you heard this one before... What do you get when you cross a 1/2 Gibb with a 1/2 Baldy ... a Bald Gibb (aren't they all bald by now) without the funky gold medallion!

"Here we are... in a room full of treasure... talk'in it up... talk'in about politics...it's the Barry Gibb talk show"


Let me explain - Monday was the big budget review with the Milgard Leadership Team. It was a long month of preparation for one day of execution - it went well. As always, we got some good feedback on our plans but also received praise for our location's results. I ran out of day light on Monday but I did get out on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday for a total of 100 miles. Wednesday was big gear day as I rode the rollers and left it in the big gear all the way around,even on a few hills that I usually dropped down on. It felt good but hard. On Friday, I rode up half way to Gibb cemetary and then half way up to Bald Peak. The climbs felt good as the legs felt strong.

I got up early and was on the rode by 6:15 AM. It was still dark. As I rode over the Willamette river, the sun was just starting to light the morning sky, the fog was sitting in the trees and hovering over the water, the yellows, blues, and reds of the morning sky lighting the background...just beautiful! I headed down to Willamette Mission State Park and back. About mile 40, the legs started to feel the hard climbing from the night before and the going got a little tougher as I finished the last 10 miles.

After the ride, we headed over to Craig's game. He had a solid game - carrying the ball 8 times for 40 yards. I just love it when he runs up the middle. He has no fear. On several carries, the linebacker would step up and Craig would lower his shoulder and give the hit, gaining a few extra yards. Bam! All of his run except two were up the middle. He had an off tackle run that was backed up and he reversed field for a twenty yard gain. On a 4th and 2, he got the call up the middle and got the first down. On the other side of the ball, he had several solo tackles in the open field. Craig was laying the wood on both sides of the ball. Gotta love it!

It's been a good, full week.