Coffee Comments

I'm sorry, I don't know what to name these posts anymore. You'll have to forgive me.

I'm taking the rare opportunity to blog at work this morning because work is so, so slow. I automated one of the build processes last week so when it came in last night I Was done with it in 6 minutes. I need more stuff like that to automate. It keeps me interested. But right now so little is coming in that I don't have a lot of material to work with.

I already finished my coffee but it was one of those moments when you smell the coffee and you're like, "Oh, that's just so perfect right now." By the end it was getting cold and not as good. I have like 50 comments to reply to.

Jake

i just felt obligated to comment. :)

Thanks. I'm glad someone is till reading/commenting. I can't blame you guys for bowing out because I don't update this thing very often. I just don't ride the train enough anymore.

FatCat


Dude,
There are better ways to freeze your ass off on your birthday. For example you could join us for a little football and tailgating. Just a thought.

I had no car at the time, so there ya go. If I had gone they would have lost anyway. I am the bad luck omen of RU football.

I was going to try and get to a game this year, but I have to be honest in saying I just never had any motivation to go. I just don't drink much anymore and I'm more or less bored by football. I don't think I watched a single quarter of pro or college football this year. Just not interested.

I made my fantasy football playoffs but lost to Terren. I asked myself why I bother playing anymore. The only reason I hung in there is because I got lucky with the draft and didn't have to change my lineup in the last 6 weeks. I score 98 and lost. I did nothing for over a month. I'm more interested in taking pictures of my basement and posting on flickr.

Man, my inbox is full of crap. I can't even find my old comments to comment on.

I ride my bike a lot still. I have a chance to hit 4000 miles on the road this year.

Never Satisfied

FatCat

"Norm, You need to go back to evaluating the people on the train. Or posting pole vaulter pictures. Your regular life is pretty boring otherwise. ;)"

Jeez you people are never satisfied. Well I'm on the train right now and a reasonably hot Asian girl is sitting next to me. She's probably 30 and is falling asleep. I'd take a picture but I think I pressed my luck last time I did that stuff. Other than that not much to see here. I've given up sitting in the 2 seaters for a while. So she's just in the middle of me and some Hispanic guy who is translating Spanish text on his laptop, which is pretty neat.

I'm probably 40 comments behind now. I'd like to say I'll get to them all but you know I won't. I'll chip away at a few but then never knock them all out. So it goes. It's something which you all know is better than nothing, unless you're counting bee stings.

It was 23 degrees this morning. As much as I want to see how well my winter riding gear handles the cold that may be a bit much. I guess we'll see how that works out tomorrow.

Alice

"I am too very excited for new winter shoes."

I don't know who Alice is but I feel your excitement. My shoes have turned out to be an amazing purchase, really. All you could expect and more. Last year my feet were always a cold spot but no longer.

Walter

"I was pretty excited to buy stuff today too. Good to see you"

Like Alice, Walter was into the shoe sale as well though I think he bought lights.

Ok fine, this is all pretty boring. So the girl next to me just took her top off and is dancing on the seat...

Wednesday Comment

A little late today. No BB on the train and no time at work.

Terren

"Norm, couple things:

1) Go crazy?
2) Laptop on your lap for an hour will fry your nuts, multiply that by 8-10 times a week
3) I've got mad wireless router skillz, if you need a hand with that"

1) Don't mind if I do!

2) It's not so bad as the old laptops but I think long term you're likely right. The boys would be girls before long.

3) I'll be calling you tomorrow almost surely.

I'm in the basement roasting coffee, blogging, and watching an NFL replay of Colts-Bears. How sweet is the power of technology if you know WTF you're doing?

Monday Afternoon Comments

ChrisG

"Well, I smoked a cigar Friday night, while sipping Eagle Rare bourbon on an oceanfront patio in Sea Isle City. First ceegar since a New Years Eve wedding, 96-97. Of course, the wagon is only at my house during the week. I'm intrigued by the team news, seeing as how I'm all out of the loop and whatnot."

As you know by now we had 2 people jump ship in the last day, first Gerilynn and then her boyfriend Mike. Both left on good terms and I had a discussion with Mike on the phone. It all went well and the reality is that they're both young, up-and-coming racers who want to get pretty serious about racing and our team brings blow up dolls to races and nails them to trees. So it goes. I agreed with Mike that it's a better fit for him to jump over to Bulldog so best of luck to them. Life is too short to hold a grudge. The reality is that we may all end up on the same team someday.

Jake

"i got snickered in grafton, ma. and will be actively getting on (or off) a wagon as of today. no beers were harmed in the making of this post either."

So it turns out that Jake is addicted to chewing tobacco which he is now giving up. I wish you luck with that because it's a pretty rough thing to be addicted to. I myself never smoked a whole cigarette, and have thrown up after trying both cigars and chewing tobacco. So luckily I never had any of those vices.

Walter

"If I remember correctly, I made a complete jackass of myself this weekend. I think its time the wagon to get parked at my house for a spell."

Well I'm not totally done with the concept. But I'm thinking that I like my own advice to Jake. I think I'm going to go on the wheelbarrow, so you can have the wagon. I think I like the idea of a wheelbarrow because there's no gate to it. With the wagon you have to actively open and close the gate. With a wheelbarrow you just lean over the side in temptation and it falls over and dumps you out. I think that works better anyway.

For all intents and purposes I'm in the wheelbarrow again for a few more weeks I think. I may grab another 6 pack of some sort of hoppy IPA before the warm weather ends but I'm ready to kick back with some good solid cold weather stouts and porters right now.

Sunday Comments

Terren

"Well, I don't know if your ticket lady is hugely obese but some extremely large folks smell because they don't clean underneath the folds. I believe that was how penicillin was discovered actually."

Hugely obese...no, I don't think quite that. She weighs more than me for sure but she's not the kind of person you think of when you see an all-you-can-eat sign. But still, there are plenty of hidden and unwashed places on a woman who is 5-5 and 225 pounds.

Mike aka Darkhorse Cycles

""every time i'm in georgia i eat a peach for peace" duane allman i try to do the same, except in new jersey, or new york, but i do go to georgia every once in a while......oh whatever they are yummy!"

Hells yes peaches rock. I've probably had at least 15 in the last 2 weeks. Love 'em love 'em.

FatCat

"The entire Vinny response is an absolute gem. LMFAO. However, I do think you're walking a dangerous path taking pics of the people. Although getting caught doing it would certainly add to the data. Cycle 87... got caught taking another picture today and the usual expletives followed. That makes, to date: Expletives 7x, threatened law suit 1x, phone number 2x (both Males), cheesecake pose 1x... Could be interesting data no doubt."

As you've seen by now the experiment is on hold. Before long the train will be stacked with people again and we can resume the observations. On Friday I sat solo which never happens in the morning.

And for you Facebook users, I hope to be immediately uploading the pics from the cell directly!

Variousness

Here's what the world looked like when I got on the train this morning:



It was a nice morning, bright sun, cool and crisp.

ChrisG

"I say do what is gonna give you the most return on the time you put in. Riding the trainer with purpose is better than sleeping in, if getting fitter/faster is a goal."

It's weird, I admit. And I know that part of you has to be like, "This guy is nuts." But I think we're all odd in whatever way, and this is just how my brain works. I respond better at 4:50 am to the idea that there's work I need to do as opposed to it being time to go have fun, as fun at that time of day is defined by more sleep.

BikNBen

"Trainers are off limits until the clocks change."

Last year I was better, but this year I'm just not motivated to ride in the dark before work. I also don't have a rear blinkey at the moment as 3 of mine blew up last year. While they're not very expensive it gets annoying having to replace these stupid things routinely.

Terren

"Thank you Norm. This should be read by everyone on the planet, even people in Antarctica."

I will print out the letter and send it parcel post to those people.

Walter

"its the same people that say, "It's not the heat, it's the humidity""

It's not the heat, it's the stupidity?

Dump Truck

Terren sent a cool ass link of slo-mo lightning.

The Life of a Blender

Don't ask me, sometimes there's just no useful title to give a blog post

Walter

"I've seen the new trains as well. Do you walk in and have the option to go up or down? Agree good call on the nixxing of the flip flop seats. A few days late but I bought Nicole the new Weezer and shes really liking it."

Each side, front and back, has 2 doors about 5 feet apart from one another. They both open up to this vestibule area where you can go up a few steps or down a few steps. Now that I think about it, this is another zero seat area which is surprising. I'm back on the 6:58 this morning because my ride got rained out and I'll be damned if I'm riding in the basement right now. This car holds 125 people if fully packed, which it never is because the seats up front are 2 facing 2. So you never have 4 people sandwiched in there unless you have train delays coming out of Penn Station. The Effective Full Capacity (tm Norm 2008) is 121. I should be back on the double decker tomorrow so I'll have to count how many people it can hold.

As we've established before, if Nicole likes music I probably like it as well, since she and I tend to share musical tastes more than you and I do. Though thanfully for you that doesn't go both ways, as there's plenty of stuff I listen to that I'm sure she was hate, and you would likely kill over.

BikNBen

"I don't read you blog for a while and now your taking pictures of women and posting them on-line. I think I need to pay more attention. ...and I thought planting a blow-up doll in the woods was going to get me in trouble. You a brave man! I think you should take the picture as you stroke her leg. Do I make you horney?!? Yeah Baby!!!"

You see, I'm here for you guys, my loyal readers. As I was pasting this comment into the post I got my victim for today and I may have to retract my decision to not take anymore pictures. There's no doubt that if I keep trying to get pictures of the girls I'm going to get burnt before too long, but like I said I'm here for the readers, the people who pay my salary.

I'm not sure how I would handle it if I got snagged. I think most people who just get uncomfortable if they caught me taking a picture but would say nothing. But you know someone would bust out an incredulous, "Are you taking a picture of me?" That could lead to an interesting discussion, but more importantly I would be tabbed as a pervert by the other regualar riders on the train. Maybe I could then turn the phone to video and post it on youtube?

Cycle 43

Sue me if the cycle number is wrong.

Victim: Tough call on age but I'll say 19-29, New Providence, woman, white, married, regular, not fat. Fairly tall and thin, diry blonde but mostly brown hair, nice build, not the best looking but the fat bald 45 year old guy across the aisle puts it into perspective. Wearing a blue and white striped (horizontal) shirt and grey slacks. Flip flops and a medium-big bag that she could probably use as an assault weapon. She crosses her arms and closes her eyes.

While I'm looking at her to describe her, and remember I'm all of 1 inch away from her so this is a fairly close condition you have on the train most days, she springs up, takes her phone out of her Assault Bag, and starts texting someone. I imagine her phone buzzed her with a message and she is replying.

Assessment: Good.

House Hogging

When I come down off my political ranting I'm left with everything else that matter. As Adams called it, life, the universe, and everything. That's what really matters anyway. The presidential election matters as much to most people as that male stripper on American Idol or Roger Clemens. I can't say I blame people. Entertainment is what keeps you sane so I no longer hold it against people who choose to reject politics.

ChrisG

"Dood, I'd be so down with moving to hillier environs, but it would be tough to pull it off in NJ. We bought our house in Fall 1993, when the market was really good to us, and then re-fied in 2003, when rates were stupid-low. So now I have only ten years left on my mortgage, and the house is worth more than twice what we paid for it. If we sell, we're taking our bag o' cash and heading to western North Carolina. I'll get a job teaching HS or JC English, and Christine will learn to serve lattes at the local Starbucks or something. As interesting as this scenario is to us, it won't be happening, since we're not down with moving so far away from the families. I live a little over a mile from the ocean and barely care most of the time. Oh well."

If you move to NC I'm going to hunt you down and chain you in my basement. I hear ya on NJ housing though. The housing market blows right now and I don't think you can reasonably move unless you're ok with taking a loss. People in NJ just won't sell for what they think their house was worth 1.5 years ago. So unless you find someone to pay too much for your house, moving within NJ is a losing proposition.

Nat threw out the idea of moving but for now we've resettled on the idea of building up, especially since Nat now has so many ties with the community. Neither is cheap but moving is a dreadful headache and I like where we live. So for now we'll have to just get together and ride as best we can.

Terren

"That's an apt description for life: marvelous yet sad. There you have it - life is like hogging. So how did you come across this wikipedia entry, Norm? Doing research?"

I told Walter that when his wife is away I'm taking him out hogging. Then I Googled it in the event that he didn't know what it meant and the Wikipedia entry came up. I wasn't sure, you see, because I had asked him "how's tricks?" earlier in the day and he asked me what tricks were.

But now that you mention it, life is both marvelous and sad. Well said.

Slow and Steady

Today's cliche is that slow and steady wins the race. This begs the question of the race. What race? If we're talking about the rat race then I agree. If it's a bike race, well enjoy 38th place. Like all subjective realities, the answer is somewhere in between.

Terren

"Thanks for the plug, Norm."

Fuck your yankee blue jeans.

Steve

"*You know, like I said, go with the flow and see where it takes you* sounds awfully familiar... (un)fortunately i missed chris' "ass" story at the picnic."

As did I. But I'm thinking that it was Ben's story as per the next comment below.

ChrisG

"Walter, I just got done laughing at that same memory while reading Ben's comments here. As I recall, he had some really funny anecdotes regarding care and grooming of the South 40 as well. Something regarding full-length mirrors... When ass stories cease to be funny, we'll know we're all doomed."

I think one or both of you guys need to get into the gory details of this story. But then maybe it was Chris after all:

Walter

"this may be off, but ChrisG told a very funny saddle sore story at the picnic, complete with visuals and all. Quite humorous."

I'm thinking now maybe Chris and Ben were doing stand up? I feel left out. Perhaps I was busy gorging myself with foodstuff.

Comments are great guys, keep them coming. Remember, all comments always get posted here. That is, until I get so wildly popular that I can ignore the people that brought me up through the ranks of the blogosphere. It is time for a change! Blogger needs someone who can move them forward, who can deliver synergy in under 30 minutes or you get a free synergy with ham and pineapple on top! I am change! I am synergy! I am woman! Hear me bark like a chicken!

On to politics and one last comment:

George

"Well, it was sort of interesting on Tuesday. Though it seemed like clinton won the popular vote, in reality Obama won more delegates. I guess I could get on board with Obama, but definitely not clinton. Knowing about her economic policies, and her supposed tax plan, there is just no way. I come to that conclusion after reading Sowell. If she does what she plans as far as taxing big corporations, and providing government funded (i.e. - taxpayer funded) healthcare, we will suffer economically in the long-term. That is my assessment. It may not be popular, but I am confident that by applying basic sound capitalistic economic principles against a more social economic policy... A free market economy wins everytime. Sure it is flawed, but countless social economic models over the last 100 years are rotting in the grave. Nice idea on paper but they just don't work. She has done nothing to assure me or most of the country that more taxes, and additional government provided services is the answer to the lower and lower middle class income problem. I agree though that a fix is needed, but it has to be well thought out and more than just "Tax the rich" It seems that McCain will lead the charge on the GOP side, and over on the Dem side it could go either way as of now. Still a long way to go before the November elections. When Ten came out, it was like a musical revolution in my opinion. What a great album. Vs, Vitalogy, & Yield are also great. (Given to Fly - something about the melodic rhythm takes you away to a place in your childhood, or just somewhere where hope and attainment seems possible)I sort of stopped buying their stuff after Yield, I was a bit disappointed in the direction change. But a great band for sure. I found myself cheering for the Giants too. The Pats are a well run, organized team which I really appreciate, but it was good to see the local team win. Your training regiment seems to be taking its toll on the old legs eh? I'm sure it is one of those deals where you just have to get used to it...hmm, get used to the pain? Sure, isn't that what all the tough guys say? I suppose no pain no gain works for some, but everyone is different. You will figure out what works best for you, then it's look out for Norm...he'll be rolling up and over you...punk! : ) Yea, winter blues over here man. Even though the hours of daylight are extending each day, it seems a long way off until warm days and sunshine! Keep pedaling dude."

On politics, let's be honest. This is just a conservative-liberal dog and pony show to see who ascends into the office and continues the years of American Imperialism abroad. Obama might seem to offer hope of change but without the good old boy network supporting him how does any change really happen? And if there is dramatic change how does that actually stick? To be honest it's just like discussing if there's life "out there" while sitting on a car hood drinking a few beers. This is entertainment, like Roger Clemens.

In hindsight I'm happy the Giants won because the entire New England region is taking it as poorly as you possibly can. They're defining what it is to be a Sore Loser and that's great to watch. I hope the Red Sox lose 100 games this year.

Biking is going well. More news at 11. Or not. As Fred says, kick ass sea bass.

Term Oil

I was always amused that you could write SHELL OIL on a calculator as a kid. You could not, however, write turmoil. Sometimes it's written in the stars and you just have to go with the flow. I got one of these email forwards recently which said that you can judge a person by how they handle lost luggage, the elderly, and 2 other things I can't remember. Maybe trench coat flashers and being stabbed. I forget. In the end you just need to go with the flow and do your best to enjoy the ride.

Enough with the vagaries. On to comments!

ChrisG

"I think I've asked this before, but what gear are you using for these tempo sets? Did Jason give you a back rub at the end of the fitting?"

Yes he gave me plenty of back rubbing and has me obsessing about the fact I have awful posture.
I think you asked what gearing I was using on the trainer for the threshold sets, which I forget the answer to. On the trainer it's mountain gearing so big ring then next-to-smallest ring. This is with resistance at 3 (of 5). So gearing isn't as useful because the resistance changes.

On the road it depends, sometimes 52-16 realm but usually 42-13 realm. I say realm because I don't know my exact cassette cog counts.

Today was the same as yesterday, overall cadence a bit lower, more like 87 than 90 which is good for day 4. I'm really noticing my bike fit on this is way off. I have my original mountain bike on it which is a size too small. So my saddle is far too back but not high enough. But if I do the saddle right my bars will be way way short. I think I'm going to slap the other roadie on there after I set it up right.

BikeNBen

"Just wanted to comment so you know I'm reading...As you pointed out, the saddle sore is a product of the trainer. On the road or trail you are constantly moving around on the saddle. Each crack in the road or root on the trail changes the position of you butt in the saddle. You get none of that on the trainer so you end up rubbing and rubbing the same piece of skin. Make a point of moving around while on the trainer. Ben (been known to use bathroom utensils to remove sores)"

Hey great to have another person commenting on the blog. Maybe it's a good thing that I have such a crap bike fit on the trainer because this morning I was squirming all over the place. OK, maybe not. I've also ditched the diaper shorts. Good for 2 weeks now.

I just found a "pore cleaner" that my wife uses sometimes. She hid it from me because when I find any zit anywhere I immediately smash it. But I caught her the other day and now I have the ultimate weapon for saddle sores. This is a long, needle-like implement that will be next to impossible to use without an assistant. But when you gotta pop, you gotta pop. I read somewhere to put a warm compress on it first to soften it up.

This is an old one I never got to:

Jake

"wow, lots going on: 1. good luck wiht the job. if they cut my web access, i'd quit. i'd also be in big trouble b/c i work from home 2. julia is wicked cute. i'm leaning towards the tom cruise theory. 3. walt is not real. he's the id."

The work blockage was a temporary glitch and it came back later in the day, thankfully. Yes we all agree at the Zurawski household that Julia is a cutie, almost surely a mistaken donor at the lab :) For all the commenting Walter does, he sure doesn't seem real. But I understand he's busy with work and things like that. It's like the rest of us who have to write blog entries in their car while waiting for the train.

Would you believe this whole entry was done in my car? The train is now 30 minutes late. Going to be a late start at the box factory today. You know, like I said, go with the flow and see where it takes you. Sometimes it's more interesting than you might imagine. The train later ended up getting stuck in the tunnel. Term oil indeed.

Super Dooper Thursday

Comments today...

Helmet

"Fond memories of hearing Pearl Jam and the Chilli Peppers blaring through the halls of Davidson A all those years ago, Norm. Good times indeed."

Wow, long time no see, Jeff. Just when you think nobody reads your blog a character from 15 years ago pops up and says hello. I assume you found the link through the Grease Truck? Do you post there?

My musical tastes have diversified since then, I assure you. Having said that I'm still not entirely sold on TV on the Radio.

George

"Norm, I enjoy the random sometimes scattered thoughts...keep them coming dude! Sounds like you are training pretty intense too...good on ya mate. Football: I could not believe how Dallas blew it. They just didn't show up - mentally. I've been a Cowboy fan for the past 33 almost 34 years, and that was as disappointing as I can remember. Big Tom's hat must have fallen off some grand mantel. Iv'e also been a Colt fan since 1975...and could not believe what I was seeing! My two favorite teams losing critical games. Somewhere in time...Johnny U was groaning! Beer: I had some Hoegaarden on Sunday watching the games. I'm not a big beer drinker, but I like this one - light, and crisp. I do enjoy a good weiss as well now and then. Politics: This could take up the rest of blogging space until the end of time. But I will just say that I'm not a big fan of Clinton or Obama, nor anyone on the left for that matter. At the moment, I'm leaning towards McCain. I need a candidate who understands what Sovereignty is, and will protect it. A candidate who can direct the U.S. towards a stable, and strong economy - not strictly dependent on trade and service sectors to keep us afloat. Fios: I hear it is a great service, and it is a good alternative to the monopolizing bastards of comcast. As soon as it become available here...I'm in. More football: Since both my teams are out, I will now root for the elder and the wise, Favre. Us old guys have to stick together! NJ Transit: I hear there may be some issues with the Amtrak strike? As if getting to the City wasn't a pain in the ass enough...I sympathize with you brother. Hopefully, it doesn't impede on you too much. Big words: Hmmm, I can undeniably fathom how expressing oneself with such eloquent, sometimes complex words may reveal a certain...shall we say egocentric mood. Lest we say, fore it is not to overshadow, nor bolster within...but rather edify - if only for ourselves! LOL. When all else fails, the Scot's say fuck all! Hope all is well with you and Nat and Julia. Take care for now my blogging friend."

Hey George, good to hear from you. Training hard, for sure. On football, I'm torn right now. Having grown up a Cowboys fan I'm supposed to hate the Giants but suddenly I'm sick of Boston. At the same time, it would be classic to see a team go 19-0. Who isn't sick of the 1972 Dolphins?

On politics I think it's time to stop with the balls first approach to govermnent. Thankfully I think all those candidates are gone. Looks like we have Obama/Clinton versus McCain/Romney. Of them I'm least thrilled with Romney but the reality is that I know nothing about him. I'm not a left vs. right guy and I think anyone who takes that stand isn't helping the process. What I look for is someone who listens to reason, regardless of their current stance. To me both Obama and McCain do, which is good. I think Clinton would be fantastic for the country but right now she's turning into a political scumbag. Romney is cardboard so it's hard to like him. A lot of people see McCain as equivalent to Bush, and the fact that the White House quietly endorses McCain is a bit of a red flag. So maybe I'm errant in that assessment.

I envision Clinton versus McCain election with Clinton so polarizing the country that McCain walks in a landslide. I think Clinton will win the nomination because it will be a close call and their machine will sue and cheat its way to the nomination.

Another possibility is that Edwards backs Obama on Friday and Clinton is left fighting to counter that move on Monday among all the post-Super Bowl media coverage. In that scenario Obama has a big advantage on Super Duper Tuesday. I have to imagine the Clinton machine is doing everything they can to stall Edwards from doing that, though most seem to think Edwards has been bucking for the VP or Attorney General spot the whole time and Obama's side is likely the easier path to that. I think Obama has a legit chance against McCain.

Ah politics. I'm about sick of it already but I can't help but be interested in this coming Tuesday's primary mess. Should be fun.

Was It Fun?

I want to address Maurice's comment first because I wasn't clear at all about one aspect of Saturday's race.

Maurice

"Hey Norm. Did you have fun during what you rode? How did you feel while riding? Mechanicals suck, but they happen (tubeless? I've got a pair of XT/816 wheels laying around, I'll do a nice price for you). I tackled NMBS #6 and my rear der. shifter kept getting stuck the entire race. Then I did the short track and the effect was that of getting my lungs ripped out of me. But I had a heck of a time. Wouldn't change a thing. I'm way tired from the driving/racing/riding but what a blast. Plus what an inspiring moment watching the pros race. 4 seasons ago I weighed 180# and thought Chimney Rock was not a place for bikes. Then I entered my first race..."

Without question this was the most fun I've had at a race yet. I felt good, no cramping though the legs were working hard and getting tired. But that's racing. You ride, you get tired, you sweat, bleed, vomit, shit yourself - it's what you do. Coming down the big fat bomb of a downhill where I got flat #3 was just absolutely fantastic. Pure unadulterated good old-fashioned speed. Good stuff. So when I wipe away the disappointment of the mechanical, it really was a good time out there and to use a cliche, I can't wait to go back. But, you know, maybe with those tubeless rims next year.

One thing I didn't mention yesterday was after the race, I was hanging out with Jay Dodge and Tim Dickson. Jay was first in the vet class and Tim was 3rd SS. When I went to get changed Tim was sitting on a picnic table resting and he gave me the thumbs up as I walked by. It was as if, by finishing, I was being accepted into this fraternity of "real bike riders". Quite frankly it made me feel like a poser, as if I had no business being there at all.

So I didn't enjoy the post-race as much as I should have. Jay and Tim are fantastically nice guys but I honestly felt like a total loser hanging out with them. Reflecting on it, there is now nothing I want more than to finish a race like that because I don't want to be the tool who can't ride a bike without having something go wrong. So it really serves to motivate me more.

After my brief foray with trashing the whole season I was once again looking at the race calendar yesterday to see what the next race is. For better or worse that would be the Darkhorse 40. So all indications are that right now I'll be there. But on what bike?

Jake

"your welcome to the fuel or the mary. as for the DH40, i've also decided to call it. my reasons are similar to yours...my fitness level just isn't there to do it. and i'm 200lbs."

It looks like I'm going to grab the Mary and run it for a bit at LM this weekend at some point. If it all feels good I may very well jump in the SS class for this race. Am I an idiot for entering the SS class on a bike I'm going to ride once or twice? Almost surely. But to be honest this race holds no appeal to me so I need to make it interesting at some level. Jake has a 32/20 on it which might be a bit light for Stewart. But then again do I want to push a gear that's too big for me? Who knows. Maybe I ride it this weekend and decide the old rigid Trek or the Stumpjumper are better options for me. Totally up in the air right now.

Another option is to go for a big ride at Allamuchy instead. Too many conflicting thoughts. Completely undecided but something that nags at me is that I hardly have room to be disregarding a race of any kind. 40 miles is still 40 miles. I have all week to think about it.

Here are some thoughts I sent to someone in a message this morning:

"I'm probably an idiot for even considering a new bike for that race. But I have to be honest I'm just not stoked about that race at all. But then who am I at this stage to shrug off a 40 mile race of any kind, even if it's all downhill? The sensible thing to do is to probably put the Resolutions back on the bike I'll be riding 2 weeks later at the 24, pump them up to 50 PSI, and stiffen up the rear shock quite a bit.

"Hmm, that's the kind of nonsensical rambling I usually put on my blog. But that probably makes more sense than running new tires on the Stumpjumper, riding a totally new bike, or riding my old full-rigid Trek with gears."

But hey another comment popped up so let's forget that for now:

ChrisG

"Another spin on the idea of being in over one's head is being ambitious. My take on things is that you are categorically NOT screwing around, the organization and focus you demonstrate is evidence of that- but you're still just getting started as a racer, so there is an interesting relationship occuring between your training, your mindset, and your race experiences. I think you're setting yourself up for a lot of satisfaction in the long-term, but that will mean weathering the steepness of the learning curve you're currently encountering on race day."

Good thoughts, and great usage of the expression "learning curve" there. This is something I've come to realize lately as I find myself inching up that curve, much like I was doing in the first 5 miles of the race Saturday. It's kind of neat to see the progression, like "hey check it out I think my pacing and calories are actually right today. Can you believe it?" I've gone through these things in other walks of life before, with hiking for instance. Experience is the best teacher, as they say. Or the best lessons are the ones we learn the hard way. Having said that I haven't learned anything in a particularly hard manner yet. Let's hope that doesn't change.

A lot of these guys have 10 times the races I do. Some of them literally 50 times. When I line up at the LMC any number of people who don't really know what they're doing will be there. Saturday, every single person out there knew what they were getting into. When they staged the racers into expected finish categories (honor system) I just moved right to the back. There weren't many of us back there. Most of those guys have been there before and are ready to lay it on the line. Right now I have to realize I'm just out there for the ride. Maybe I actually race the bottom of the Bell Curve someday. Not today.

Without question I need to step back and realize I've only done 6 races ever. I have a bunch of charity rides in there but really they amount to little when you compare it to the races. It's going to take time to learn a lot of valuable, and sometimes painful lessons. The guy Jay I mentioned earlier told me he's 47. There's a lot of riding and racing for me between now and then and it would be silly of me to blow up when I'm really only just getting started.

Good stuff all. Thanks for the comments. Some more random ramblings from an email I sent to someone else. Yes it's sad that I'm quoting myself but hey, full disclosure you know? Some of the comments are repeated:

"What is fun is certainly subjective. Some people like brutal pain but you need to do well. I like pain if I make something out of it. If I trash myself for.a DNF that's silly. I agree a lot of it is when you look back. It's why I keep going back. Now I just want to train harder. I want to hit 35 miles before I DNF. Then 40. Then I want to finish. I also think it evolves. But some people aren't having fun. And I have to not do that. It's unhealthy.

"The guy Jay Dodge won the vet class and he told me he's 47. Man that's a world of riding from now until then. The point is to be riding still then. Not to blow myself to the point I quit before I'm 36. So a lot of this is me saying to myself, OK I gotta make sure I don't burn out. I'm not smelling the roses by any stretch but I'm also not puking on them. It's a good mix for me right now.

"Hey I know I'm not going to win anyway so why not do it slow and steady?"

The smelling versus puking on roses comment sums it up nicely right now.

I did get on the bike this morning. I was going to do my Warren 35 loop but once I got going I ran to the hills. Then I ran for my life. I don't know any more lyrics than that. It's been a long time.

Holy shit the guy who just sat next to me smells like he's been drinking all morning. You don't usually get that from the button-down shirt and tie set. Goddamn he stinks! And he needs a shave to boot, not that I'm one to talk on that front.

Anyway I did my favorite up-down-up-down route this morning. 22 miles with about 100 feet of vertical per mile, including 2 monster climbs. At the top of the last climb I was at a 14.1 average. I finished at 15.8. I think we can get caught up with averages sometimes but on the other hand, a ride like this can end up being too easy if you don't press the pace on the rollers and flats. I think hammering for the last 20-30 minutes to bring up the average helps keep the ride as a solid training ride as opposed to a too-casual morning spin. It's also like "in session" intervals.

I'm making a push to drop weight again. To hell with this "performance eating" horse shit. So I'm going public with my daily numbers in an attempt to embarrass myself into not eating like a cow. This morning I was 212. No no, not really. It was 191. I need to be in the 180s consistently by the 24 hour race though. I'm carrying too much useless fat up the hills.

Rattling Creek

I mentioned yesterday I'm going to race in the MASS Rattling Creek Marathon next Saturday, somewhere out in the sticks of mid-Pennsylvania, just north of Harrisburg. I'm not sure how the course shakes out in terms of terrain, but there's "only" 6000 feet of vertical in the 48 actual miles of the race. It is being dubbed an "easy" way to do 50 miles. Another account from the guy promoting the race said his GPS reported 5000 feet. While those are ballpark figures it does put it short of something like the 50k, which is a good thing.

I don't know about easy but it does look a little less brutal than some of the other half-century mountain bike races. From what I can gather a 6 hour goal is not unrealistic though I would do well to plan for something in the 7 hour range, just to be conservative.

I'm pretty excited and yet nervous about this race. I'm excited because it looks like a good race that should be something I can complete, yet nervous because I haven't done this much saddle time in quite some time. In distances like this I always seem to have pacing problems at the start so it's something I have to be concerned about. Plus heat, hydration, and fueling always become an issue with rides this long. Should be fun regardless, in either a good or painful way. I'm sure you'll read all about it.

I guess I'm looking to take the good vibes from the LMC race and either extend them or destroy them. Smart money is on destroy, though sooner or later I'm going to get this stuff right. This is a great primer for the 24 hour race in terms of fueling, pace, and hydration. Like I said, both nervous and excited.

When it comes down to it I don't have the confidence I'll be able to pull it off. Strange in a way when you consider that I'll take off for an 85 mile road ride with 7200 feet of vertical and have no qualms about that. But put it in the woods and it's a whole new ballgame for reasons I am yet to put a finger on. Mental blocks wear many different hats.

So it goes. Now the decision becomes whether or not to camp out there the night before or get up early and drive the 2.5 hours early. I should probably float it out on the message board and see if anyone else is going. The decision gets tougher since it's a Saturday race, meaning that Friday could just be a killer day of commuting in and out of Brooklyn then driving to Harrisburg that night. More than likely it has to be an early morning drive.

Today's ride was an hour plus on local roads. No link this morning for the same usual reasons, no time before work. To be honest I don't think linking these weekday rides provides much to the reader so I'm going to stop linking them. You can always find some/most of what I've been doing on my MotionBased account here. I don't log all my rides so if you do look don't be surprised if you see big gaps from time to time. I will continue to link the big rides though. They seem to be more interesting to look at than these weekday 20 milers.

As always I aim to serve the customers so here's more feedback.

Steve

"if this is beverly hills, mtbnj, i hope to be knocking boots with shannon doughtery real soon. good stuff, 3rd party."

You know I was always lukewarm on Shannon Dougherty. My favorite was Jennie Garth. The funny thing about those shows was that we all used to watch them in college. I don't know how it happened but slowly they grew into Must See TV until literally everyone was watching weekly. In reality it was probably just another reason to sit down for an hour and drink beer.

Jake

"i did see that guy, all yardsale'd out right @ the switch. i guess he came in too hot and couldn't get the red knobs outta the corner fast enough and swamped the bow resulting in him getting all tweaked."

You kids and your jargon. All I am reminded of is the Jive Scene in Airplane (YouTube link here). "Oh stewardess, I speak jive." A brilliant scene in a brilliant movie. Terren and I were discussing how it always seems better "back then" but I wonder, do they make movies of that caliber anymore? It seems to me the days of Blazing Saddles and Airplane are over. I don't think Blazing Saddles passes the PC Police if it's made today.

Steve

"*Today's installment of Beverley Hills, MTBNJ can be found here. That's just good stuff. Third Party, your sarcasm is being paged.* Huh. Nothing there."

Well it seems the Drama Pot has been emptied so there's nothing for me to stir. With that I'm going to have to close the book on the Beverley Hills, MTBNJ series and move back to my fueling, hydration, and pacing issues. Thanks for the usage rights, Third Party, and those who were not injured in the filming of this docudrama.

George left a big comment that I will give attention to tomorrow. In the meantime, good luck, we're all counting on you.