I did my first crit of the year today. In fact, it's probably been at least a year since my last crit.
I don't like crits. It's a lot of riders navigating a tight course at high speeds, so of course crashes are likely. And I can personally attest to that, having lost skin on two occasions last year in crits.
My goal for this crit was to finish safely with the main field, and I'm happy to say I accomplished that. I was at the tail end of the main field for most of the race because my "crit confidence leve" wasn't high enough for me to try and mix it up with the big crowds. :) Maybe next time. I can tell my fitness and bike handling skills are much better than last year.
Next weekend is a 60 mile road race.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Friday, June 9, 2006
20 minutes
I rode in to work this morning and I finally made the 6.7 mile ride in less than 20 minutes. It was relatively cool this morning, and I was just hitting all the lights right. A construction worker even stopped up traffic in a 1-lane section so I could pass through without stopping. Average speed was 21 mph.
Early in the season I decided it would be a good idea for me to get down to 140 lbs to help improve my climbing. About the time I finished up my weight training for the season I had hit 140 which I kind of figured is where I'd stay. I weighed myself this morning (on the same scale) after my ride in to work and I'm down to 132 now. Wow. I guess it's a little easier to shave off the pounds later in the season when I'm doing more hard riding.
Early in the season I decided it would be a good idea for me to get down to 140 lbs to help improve my climbing. About the time I finished up my weight training for the season I had hit 140 which I kind of figured is where I'd stay. I weighed myself this morning (on the same scale) after my ride in to work and I'm down to 132 now. Wow. I guess it's a little easier to shave off the pounds later in the season when I'm doing more hard riding.
Thursday, June 1, 2006
Garmin GPS Cyclocomputer
A little while ago I got a Garmin Edge 305 Cycling computer. It's a cycling computer, heart rate monitor, and GPS unit all in one. It's pretty fun to get a map and altitude reading of all my rides. It also has some other fun features like a virtual partner to race against, and programmable workouts and courses. I'm still playing with the various online software, but here are a couple links to a ride last weekend:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/invitation/accept.mb?senderPk.pkValue=39461&unitSystemPkValue;=2&episodePk.pkValue;=835999
http://www.trainingpeaks.com/map/shareworkout.asp?public_code=EQC6EGZRDUHR3Q80528200629
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/invitation/accept.mb?senderPk.pkValue=39461&unitSystemPkValue;=2&episodePk.pkValue;=835999
http://www.trainingpeaks.com/map/shareworkout.asp?public_code=EQC6EGZRDUHR3Q80528200629
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Bucket
Yesterday was a very tough day around the house. We had to say goodbye to Christine's long time best friend, companion, and pet, Bucket.
Ever since Christine rescued him from the Humane Society, he's led the best life a dog could ask for. Christine was as good a dog parent as there ever was. From lifesaving bloat surgery to joint replacement surgery, money was never an object when it came to getting the best care possible for Bucket.
He was such a loving and playful dog. There's so many things I'm going to miss: I loved the little "grumble" sounds he would make when he enjoyed the attention you were giving him. I loved the way he would get all excited about walks, and carry his own leash. I loved how he would sleep in our walk-in closet like it was his own little bedroom. Even up to his last day, he still loved to play catch with the tennis ball.
He had a good last day with lots of loving, peanut butter filled bones, and a steak dinner. He will be greatly missed.
Ever since Christine rescued him from the Humane Society, he's led the best life a dog could ask for. Christine was as good a dog parent as there ever was. From lifesaving bloat surgery to joint replacement surgery, money was never an object when it came to getting the best care possible for Bucket.
He was such a loving and playful dog. There's so many things I'm going to miss: I loved the little "grumble" sounds he would make when he enjoyed the attention you were giving him. I loved the way he would get all excited about walks, and carry his own leash. I loved how he would sleep in our walk-in closet like it was his own little bedroom. Even up to his last day, he still loved to play catch with the tennis ball.
He had a good last day with lots of loving, peanut butter filled bones, and a steak dinner. He will be greatly missed.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Calculus Love
I snagged this from someone else's LiveJournal (who I don't even know). It's a bit of a stretch, but I thought some of my nerdier friends would get a kick out of it:
Even though there are many variables, we already know the answer is simple
It still pales in comparison to this equation:
Even though there are many variables, we already know the answer is simple
It still pales in comparison to this equation:
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Yum
One of the things I like about traveling for work is the food. I'm forced to eat out so I try to find some nice restaurants, and San Jose doesn't l let me down.
I found the Faultline Brewing Copmany the first time I came out last year, and it's since been a required stop for me. They brew several really good beers, and their food never fails to please me. Check it out if you're in town.
Today I tried a French place called Emile's. My plan was to not have seafood today, but when they told me the daily special was macadamia encrusted halibut I couldn't refuse. It was a pretty small portion so I didn't feel guilty about ordering dessert, and boy was that the right decision. I had an almond tuille with house made vanilla ice cream, garnished with fresh raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and a rhubarb and strawberry compote. It was placed on a plate with passion fruit and raspberry sauce, where the raspberry sauce was swirled into the passion fruit sauce in what looked like a fractal pattern. Super cool, and extremely yummy! (And the Medeira wine I had with it wasn't too shabby either.)
I found the Faultline Brewing Copmany the first time I came out last year, and it's since been a required stop for me. They brew several really good beers, and their food never fails to please me. Check it out if you're in town.
Today I tried a French place called Emile's. My plan was to not have seafood today, but when they told me the daily special was macadamia encrusted halibut I couldn't refuse. It was a pretty small portion so I didn't feel guilty about ordering dessert, and boy was that the right decision. I had an almond tuille with house made vanilla ice cream, garnished with fresh raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and a rhubarb and strawberry compote. It was placed on a plate with passion fruit and raspberry sauce, where the raspberry sauce was swirled into the passion fruit sauce in what looked like a fractal pattern. Super cool, and extremely yummy! (And the Medeira wine I had with it wasn't too shabby either.)
Sunday, May 7, 2006
Lookout Mountain
Yesterday was the annual hill climb race up Lookout Mountain. I didn't scare anyone with my climbing prowess, but I was pleased with my results.
For once, my category got to start a little later in the morning (10AM) which gave me the time to get there early to register and warm up. This, more than most other races, requires a good warmup. I ended up warming up for 40 minutes, but I think I should have gone a little longer. I was a little worried about getting all my extra stuff in the car and getting to the line in time for a good starting position. I still ended up starting near the back of the pack, which isn't a huge deal on this race but it still added probably 10 seconds to my time.
Partway up I got a really bad side cramp and had to let up a bit. I hadn't been looking at my heart rate during the race, but afterwords I can see why I was hurting. My heart rate was pegged between 180 and 190 the whole time. One of the cool things about this race is that having all those fast riders around makes me go that much harder.
Last year my time up Lookout was 24:10. Last week when I rode it as training my time was 22:40. Yesterday my time was 21:48. A personal best, and an excellent year-to-year improvement (almost 10%). I love knowing that training works. :)
For once, my category got to start a little later in the morning (10AM) which gave me the time to get there early to register and warm up. This, more than most other races, requires a good warmup. I ended up warming up for 40 minutes, but I think I should have gone a little longer. I was a little worried about getting all my extra stuff in the car and getting to the line in time for a good starting position. I still ended up starting near the back of the pack, which isn't a huge deal on this race but it still added probably 10 seconds to my time.
Partway up I got a really bad side cramp and had to let up a bit. I hadn't been looking at my heart rate during the race, but afterwords I can see why I was hurting. My heart rate was pegged between 180 and 190 the whole time. One of the cool things about this race is that having all those fast riders around makes me go that much harder.
Last year my time up Lookout was 24:10. Last week when I rode it as training my time was 22:40. Yesterday my time was 21:48. A personal best, and an excellent year-to-year improvement (almost 10%). I love knowing that training works. :)
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