The finish line in Memphis

Perfect day for running, and I somehow found a way to finish with a pack of ladies (always do).

St. Jude Half-Marathon

Race report link: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=97660

Comments on the run:

A bit hillier than I remember Memphis being. Any steep hills were really
just some short risers, so they didn't last that long. The entire course was
rolling, for the most part. Long steady inclines followed by a long steady
decline. I had trained in my neighborhood, which may be the flattest place
on earth, so it was a challenging for me, but not unbearable by any means.
The route was great. The weather was perfect so running down Riverside
Drive, you had a great view of the Mississippi River and the I-40 bridge.

There were people everywhere downtown cheering for you, bands and
other performers were all over the place (big thanks to the belly dancers at
mile 11). We ran through some neighborhoods and it looked like some of the
people had decided to set up their own entertainment for you in their front
yards. It was pretty cool to run down Poplar, which is a very busy main road
heading east out of downtown. We had two lanes to run in, so traffice was
pretty much at a stand still, but most of the motorist were hanging out of
their cars cheering you on. The only spot were there were really no
spectators was a cut through road in Overton Park, and it was kind of nice
having about a mile of quiet, tree lined path to sort of gather your thoughts for the final push.

A very enjoyable but challenging run for me.

I've got some pics of the finish at Autozone park that I'll put up when I remember to.

More from San Destin

I finally ordered some of those pics that the photogs take at the events. So now I got some action photos. This is me on the bike, having a good day. My split was a PR this day. The run? Not so much, but I did finish.

I just finished the St. Jude half marathon in Memphis this past weekend, too. No pics of the course, which was awesome, but I'll have some of the finish area in Autozone Park and a race report up soon.

New kicks

Turns out I own the 'Best Buy' of the fall line of running shoes according to Runners World. I don't have a link or anything. I'm just trusting the info from the Mizuno website.


This is the Wave Precision 8. Haven't even run in them yet. I did a twelve miler in the old Wave 7 Monday afternoon, and they felt like flat tires after mile ten. I definitely stretched them out a bit too long. I trained for and ran in the Sandestin Triathon in them, then had been training for the Memphis half marathon in them. So, they had some serious miles on them.


Therefore, it was off to Fleet Feet yesterday to pick some new kicks up, and this is what they had. Much like white bar type makes a bike (for me anyway), the red laces kick ass on this shoe. Hey, I'm slow, so I at least have to look good.

Ok, so that's not exactly veloporn, but this is. It's the '08 Felt DA and it's got a sticker price that's closing in on ten grand.

Random Long Time Gone Post

Well the season is almost over. The tri and bike season is long since over actually. Sandestin was my last triathlon, and it's dark before I leave work now, so the biking is now pretty much a spin class or the trainer. All that's left now is a half marathon in Memphis in about three weeks. Ofcourse, the '08 season starts out quickly with a half marathon in Jackson, MS on January 8th.

Oh, and by season, I in no way mean to imply that I am actually competing in this stuff. I am not a triathlete, I'm a guy who does triathlons. I'm am not a runner, I'm a guy who runs so he can finish triathlons.

Anyway, I've pretty much decided the main goal for '08 is the half ironman in Austin, TX. Hey, a buddy up and ran the Chicago Marathon just a few months after I ran New Orleans, so it's time to one up again.

Till then, see you on the trainer, watching the Grizz, and pedaling to the Editors.

Oh, and holy crap did Abita do right with this one:

New Stuff from Masi

Cafe Racer Solo

Masi/Haro is expanding their line of bikes. Tim Jackson (Masiguy) has been giving a couple of sneak peeks at what will be landing at a LBS near you. I really love the new commuter bike above. It's too bad that biking down Hwy 471 in the morning would be suicide. I would ride this thing anywhere.

Unexpected Metric

Went to a great organized ride on the Natchez Trace this past weekend. It was the Cyclists Curing Cancer ride, put on by the Baptist Healthplex in Clinton, MS. The proceeds are going to a serenity garden for cancer patients and their families. It's always great getting to do something as fun as riding a bike while helping a great cause at the same time. Cycling is more than just a great workout sometimes.


Well, I went expecting to do 50 miles. This was going to be pretty tough since for two months I had done triathlon training rides. Basically laying on the aerobars and hammering as hard as I could for 20-30 miles. I also wanted to get back to my house in time to catch the start of the Mississippi State and Auburn game. Well, to quote the LBS owner, if it has two balls and it's on two wheels, it's gonna race. We went the first 25miles at .5mph lower than my personal best. I was ready to cry uncle and turn around. Unfortunately, we had caught up with a guy I work with.


He said, "Come on, it's only six more out and back, then back in from here. Let's do the metric." Well, I couldn't get upstaged by a guy I see at work every day, so I went for it. Turns out, I was kicking some ass. I ended up pulling him and a few others to about the 55 mile mark, and I was turning at a great pace for me. I could have even rode off and left them, but I was all about being the stud that yanked the wheel suckers along.


Then my legs fell off. Everbody was sucking wind. No one could pull. We were fighting a hellacious head wind. Mortorcycles and cars were whizzing by, pissed at the group that looked like a bunch of drunk bikers struggling on flat ground. To top it off, I got in my car, turned on the radio, and found out I had missed MSU scoring the first thirteen points against Auburn.

Well, I got home, cracked a beer, turned on the game. My legs were throbbing, I was still breathing hard, and it was then I realized how much freaking fun I had. Even when it breaks you down into a whimpering puppy, riding a bike is exactly what Bobke said it is (see the quote at the top of the page).


Two other things made the day great:


and:

Sandestin Tri

See those two flags. The red and the purple one. The red means the water isn't safe for swimmers. So ofcourse, we swam in it. The purple on means "sea pests present." In other words, jellyfish are all over the damn place. I only got stung five times. Face, shoulder, back, chest, and ankle. Good times.

I did finish in under two hours, which was my goal. You'll notice down below the clock says 2:02 when I'm crossing, but our wave started five minutes after the first one. Here are some random pics. I had a great time. Great race, good location, just too damn many jellyfish.

Jellyfish suck.

Details to follow.

Finally reading Lance's book.

Don't ask me why it took so long for me to pick it up. You don't even have to be a cyclist to want to learn his story, but being a cyclist, I'm almost ashamed I haven't read it. I'm about half way through it right now, and I hope to finish it this weekend. I've got a tri down in Sandestin this weekend, so Friday night before the race will be good for a ton of pasta and some inspirational reading. If you feel like checking it out, here it is:



It was written before he won his last two Tours. Here, he's tied with Merckx, which at the point I'm at in the book, seems very appropriate. Also, check out Lance's foundation. Not everyone can win bike races, but everyone can help the fight against cancer.

http://www.livestrong.org/site/c.khLXK1PxHmF/b.2660611/k.BCED/Home.htm

A nod to Boston.

I had a blast in Boston about two weeks ago. Caught three Red Sox games. Ate some lobster, clams, and chowder. Drank a lot of beer. So, in appreciation, Harpoon Brewery gets a nod for their IPA. I think I had one at every meal, including breakfast. Also had one of their UFOs (Unfiltered Offering), which is a Hefeweizen. I'm not a huge fan of the wheats, but it was quite good.

Bonus points for having cycling jerseys:

Tour day Frantz revisited

For some reason, I was scrolling though Jim Caple's old columns and started reading some of his Tour stuff. For the record, he's one of the few columnists at ESPN that I read because he will write about cycling, and soccer, and other great sports that are tough to follow in the States.

Anyway, I found the following pretty funny:

By the way, Rasmussen bears an uncanny resemblance to Lance Armstrong except the resemblance is to when the seven-time champ was in the hospital undergoing brain surgery for cancer. With his shaved head and sunken eye sockets, Rasmussen looks so gaunt even Mary-Kate Olsen would tell him to grab an extra power food bar in the feed zone

and....

My favorite shot of the Tour, meanwhile, is this one from Stage 9 when a dog wandered onto the road right in front of a T-Mobile rider. Amazingly, the dog not only walked away from the collision but just signed a three-year deal with Michael Vick.

and his thoughts on Bob Roll, who definitely is the best announcer in sports...

Versus announcer Bob Roll continues to be the most entertaining analyst in sports. I enjoyed his humor and strong opinions ("Yes, there will be a Tour of America race … just as soon as we run out of gasoline."), but he jumped to a new level when Al Trautwig asked him to name his favorite Van Gogh painting and he immediately replied, "The Potato Eaters." He then proceeded to educate viewers that Van Gogh painted "The Potato Eaters" (a truly gloomy, depressing painting) when he still lived in the Netherlands and had yet to develop the colorful style which would bring him lasting fame. I'm sorry, but you just don't get this kind of information from Joe Morgan.

There are no bad bicycles,

Just bad bicycle owners. - Stuart O'Grady in his latest Velo-news rant.

I thought that was a fitting way to label the dopers.

Anyway, I swim with the sharks (hopefully not) in less than two weeks in Sandestin. Really looking forward to this triathlon. It's been a while since I did my last one. The 100+ degree head and 100% humidity is making training a bitch, so this one might be hellacious. I've got all my miles for it, though. The .5 mile swim and and 20 mile bike are no sweat. I've went through some more IT band crap, so I had to take a month off from running. I only got up to four miles last night (and I've run a marathon before. How quick did I crash back to earth?), and I don't want to think about the bike/run transition right now. The first time I did it I almost keeled over dead.

Oh well. Advil and gallons of water are my best friends right now. At least until August 25th.

First Crash!

And that comes with an exclamation point because it wasn't serious. In fact, it was sort of embarassing. It actually happened the last day of the Tour, but I've been in Boston all week and forgot to post about it.

I was on mile 36 of 37 during a loop around the Ross Barnett Reservoir, turning left onto Hollybush Road. This is the road my subdivision is right off of. I was practically home. My back tire hit a patch of dirt and gravel and kind of kicked on me. I did a major wobble, but straightened out. Unfortunately I straightened out headed right at ditch. I turned hard left, but ended up running off onto the gravel shoulder. As I tried to remain upright, I unclipped and decided coasting would be better than braking and skidding uncontrollably. Well, it was really rough and loose and I started tipping to my left, toward the asphalt. I set my left foot down in reflex to try and break the fall. As roadies know, road shoes don't exactly have traction. It slipped right out from under me, and I was fully in a fall. I twisted and landed right on my ass, skidding just a bit as I had slowed down a good deal.

The final result? A bruised left cheek andd ego, but the shorts, bike, and tires were all good to go. I didn't even check myself out till I got home. I looked the Masi over and over though. The bike comes first. Hey, and at least it didn't turn out like this bike that I saw locked to a rack at MIT. (I did get some MIT socks at a bike store I randomly walked past.)


And here's a sign a cyclist can't be too thrilled about. You're private space is ending followed by a request that all to often goes unheeded.


This was cool, though. Here I am at the Boston Marathon finish line. Probably the only time I'll ever cross it, as my running style is comparable to a sloth.

This is so cool.

The Tour LeFleur was a professional cycling event in Jackson, MS. I think it's run it's course now, though there are a few people trying to revive it. I really hope they do. When was in high school, I remember volunteering for it. Part of the Key Club or some honor society or something. I was selling Powerade in a Coke truck. I remember one of the members of the Saturn females racing team coming up and asking for one immediately after the race. I handed one to her, she kind of patted down her shorts and said, "I kinda don't have my wallet on me right now." I let her slide.

Anyway, here is the cool stuff, and it's why I hope the Tour LeFleur comes back. This is a high light compilation from the 1997 event. It was posted on the Jackson Metro Cyclist email list. Be sure to pay attention to the end of the video, as the road race winner crosses the line, then check out the podium finishers for this year's Tour de France.

Levi saves the day

Well, he saved professional cycling for me. I'll never get off my bike, but I had just about sworn off ever watching another pro bike race again. This year's tour kicked fans in gut. On the one hand, it's a good thing they caught so many cheaters. On the other hand, it's really hard to handle when the yellow jersey gets kicked out along with Vinokourov. It was a week long nut shot.

Then Levi rode the Stage 19 time trial. I've never seen anything like it. Fourth fastest in tour history. He made up almost two minutes on the yellow jersey. He was flying on his bike and it was a beautiful thing to watch. I even found myself standing up screaming "Go Levi Go!" right along with his coach in the car. Still, I gained even more respect for Levi for what I heard he did after his time trial. He was back in his team's motorhome, watching his team mate, Alberto Contador ride his TT, the man who was wearing the yellow that Levi wanted so badly. Levi couldn't win the yellow, Cadel Evans had held an eight second lead (down from :50) over Levi. Now Levi was standing in the motor home, screaming for Alberto. Cheering his 24 year old team mate to hold onto the yellow.

Alberto held it, and Levi could not have looked happier.

He's a true professional, a great cyclist, a great guy, and he's never been mentioned in the same sentence as doping. It was a privilege to watch Levi race this past Saturday.

Apparently this is Veloporn

What in the hell is going on with the Tour? Vino apparently went old school. Went back in time to a place before EPO and did the whole transfusion thing. Now Rasmussen, who basically wrapped up the GC today, has been kicked out of the tour BY HIS OWN TEAM. He missed FOUR mandatory tests and lied about where he was all June. Screw him. Why was he allowed to ride in the first place? They tested Lance while his wife was in labor, and this guy skips four tests? He didn't deserve the yellow, and I'm glad he's out of it.

Here's the link to the Velonews.com story: http://www.velonews.com/tour2007/details/articles/12944.0.html

And here's a picture from that article. I'm guessing it's some sort of fan protesting like when the fans at a San Francisco Giants game held up a bunch of syringes and asterisks. If so, well done. It's also a lot safer picture to show than the naked guy that was running with the leaders in today's stage.

Despite the Tour getting an enormous black eye, I had a good day. I woke up and was still pumped about setting a personal best while doing my triathlon training. Casey Gibson, who has a gallery on Velonews.com took this picture, which sums up nicely how I felt when I was done riding yesterday.

Dopers Suck!!

Shit meet Mr. Fan

Yep, the shit is hitting the proverbial fan, and there is no lack of poo. Name a rider, any rider, don't be shy. Did he dope?

Probably.

Dopers suck. They suck, they suck, they suck.

In case you don't know, Alexander Vinokourov tested positive for blood doping. (Check the Velonews RSS feed on the left) He was the team leader for Astana. The one who was fighting through pain with stitches in his arm and knee. Completely out of the hunt for the yellow jersey. The pre-race favorite gutting it out, riding with class, and winning two stages to prove he could have done it and he was no quitter.

Well screw him. Screw Basso. Screw Hamilton. Screw Floyd??? Maybe. Am I an idiot for still holding to belief that Lance was clean? He'd one of the main reasons I ride. If he can beat cancer and win seven Tours, I can get off my ass and shake off knee surgery to run marathons and triathlons. I even set a personal best today (for a 20 mile ride, which is the distance of the bike leg in my next triathlon). Still, every single rider that stabs the sport in the heart with a doped up dagger makes me believe less and less in Lance.

Damnit. I had a great day at work. I set a personal best on my bike, which has really fired me up for my triathlon on August 25th. It finally hit me that I'm going to three Red Sox games in about a week and that I'm finally getting down to the beach in about a month with my girlfriend and a bunch of my closest friend. However, this doping bullshit is still eating at me. It shouldn't. I know that. I ride because I like to. I will never be a professional. I ride against myself. Still, I wish the sport I have grown to love would not do this to me. The sport I grew up loving, baseball, has already done it to me.

Are there any clean sports out there?

Bad week to be a dog.

With all the Mike Vick/Ron Mexico/ Ookie stuff coming out and then riders slamming into pups at the Tour, it might be a good week to hide your pets. Thank goodness there's no video of what Vick did (I guess if there was it would be easy to convict him, though). But, since the dog walked away, here's the video (look at the wheel crumble!):

Dog vs Bike

Dog wins!




Those pictures are from velonews.com (link on the left).

I've been getting some good tour updates and analysis from the masiguy (also linked on the left). It's good stuff, you should check it out.

Starkville, MS Bike Race

Awesome. A bike rice in the ol' college town. Where was this when I was there? Not that it would have mattered since I've only been biking a year and a half. Anyway, it was scheduled for August 25th but it seems to have been postponed till the Spring of '08. It's a crit with a road ride (apparently not a road race) on Sunday. I've never done a crit before, but they have a relay, which could be a nice intro for some folks. Here is the link:

http://www.starkvilleinmotion.org/Starkville%20Cup/Home.html

JMC July the 4th Cruisin' Clinton Club Ride

The Clarion Ledger posted some pictures. So here is proof I at least woke up in time to make it to the thirty mile ride. The route was great and so was the turn out. It was a great holiday morning (despite threatening to rain all day).

Clarification and the Friday Brew

When I said my knee was acting up (in the previous post), here is why:


Those screws are holding in my posterior cruciate ligament. Well, it's not my ligament per se. It used to belong to some kind cadaver. Now it's bolted to the femur and tibia, and threaded through my right knee. There was also some MCL stuff they had to fix. It was quite cool before the surgery. My tibia would move back and forth and twist a bit. A great way to gross a lot of people out. Eventually, though, it became painful to run, so I had the operation to tighten things up a bit. The Doc was surprised I could walk into his office.

What was the point of that story? Well, it's how I got into cycling. The orthopedist and the therapist said a bike would a great non-impact excercise that I could do. It would keep the strength in that leg, and I would be able to do it as an endurance sport (I was training for my first triathlon when I had to go in and get the operation..... bummer). Needless to say, I got hooked.


Then the doc made the mistake of telling me I was cleared to do whatever I wanted. The next day I signed up for the Mardis Gras Marathon. Since then I've done the marathon, two triathlons and a metric century. This isn't that astounding to some people, but it is my first summer of endurance sports. So, I'm pretty happy with the way things are going.


Anyway, I think the knee pain was just a little reminder. You know, a "hey jackass, did you forget what you're working with down here?" But, I'm back to normal. I've put 60 miles in this week and I hope to do another 30-40 this weekend. I've got some new pedals and shoes coming in for the Trek that I hope to break in on an easy Natchez Trace out and back.


Now, on to the beer:



Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is probably the best American Style that is readily available at the local grocery. It may be the only one, actually. That is no matter, it is still a great pale.

Been a while...

Couple of things happened recently that have kept me away:

1. The knee started acting crazy. It hurt like hell for a while, but it has passed.

2. Work got a little crazy as well, but that has passed.

3. They cut my cable line doing prep work for the foundation of the house being built next door.

Anyway, enough excuses. Hope everyone enjoyed their Independence Day. Here are two things that helped me enjoy mine:


That's the Specialized Tri-vent and four pints of Boddingtons Pub ale.

The Jackson Metro Cyclist had a club ride on the morning of the 4th out in Clinton, MS. It was a great route and a great time. I had planned to do the metric century, but I over slept. So I ended up rushing out there to do a 30 mile loop. After that I headed home for more sleep (since that's how I spend most holidays). I eventually got out of bed and watched the History Channel for a while. They had a great series called 'Revolution' on. Definitely worth Tivo-ing if you can. Then, a few pints of Boddington's and the neighbours setting off fireworks capped the day. So, all in all, I had a good day off.

However, I really just wanted to show off those shoes.

The Bike Build is finally done..

It's not exactly a custom carbon framed rocket, but my mom has ridden it and is officially hooked on riding. So, it was a success afterall. Just a reminder of where this thing started:

After a few coats of paint, a new seat and post, new handlebars, and handle bar bag, new cables, a cage and bottle, and new tires; We have this (and the gears even work):

and some more shots:

Doing this was incredibly fun. I'm now looking for a aero triathlon bike frame to build up my own. Don't know if I can do it or not, but it'll be fun to try. If I screw it up, I'm sure Gary would be happy to slap it together, for a small fee. The hardest part so far has been locating a good tri frame (that I can afford at the moment).

Heading to the beach this weekend, so I'll throw out the Friday Brew a day early as well. It's Tecate, and I'm going to be drinking a lot of it

Belated Friday Brew...

I completely forgot that since I was on vacation, there was no Friday Brew recommendation. So, in rememberance of the vacation to New York, the Friday Brew is Brooklyn Lager.

Great stuff, and actually brewed in Brooklyn. A good Amber Lager that goes with absolutely any food.

On with the build...

Back from NYC, and it was incredible. Yankee Stadium was amazing. I can't believe they are going to be tearing that place down. There will be pics and stuff from the trip a little later on, but for now I feel like showing how the bike build is going.



Here are some of the parts. First is the box of stuff that arrived from Nashbar. Next, you see the new tires in relation to the old. A little less tread for easier rides on the road. Then the new seat and seat post, and the handlebars and grips. Not shown right now is the new chain, brake and derailleur cables, cage and water bottle, and handlebar bag.


Now that everything was in, I just started to piece the thing together. I hung it on my workstand and just sorta took off without much direction.
So far the seat and seatpost are on, the rear brakes, the cage, the stem and handlebars, and the grips and brake/shifter levers. This is the point where it got interesting, and slow, because up next is running the cables (the first time I will have done that), putting on the chain, and cleaning the bearings in the wheel hubs.