Bike porn

Leopard M1SL carbon frame
Sram Red groupo
Sram S40 Wheels
Zipp handle bar

She still needs a couple more enhancements and then a full centerfold reveal will be posted.

A long transition

This autumn season has lingered a bit with a nice warm up last week.
I'm still working on a very involved project 6 days a week, 13 hours a day.
Looking foreword to the holidays with family.
I hope it snows soon.

A change is coming

Shorter days
Longer nights
Colors
Transition
Autumn


October dawn


Warm but cool


It's go time

Some days are diamonds

Quiet morning


Dew drops


Fall comes early in the north country


Still warm enough for a swim

Forest and Flower

Is it possible to get writers cramp from typing too much?
Holy crap I have to do a lot of time on the keyboard lately. Work time. Glad to be getting paid for it.
When I'm not typing I'm in the woods. Glad to be getting paid for it.

The Foggy Dew

Morning mist in the south pasture

Fungus

Deep in the dank forest.

Out Of Office Reply

A typical morning at the field office.


Another work assignment has taken me out of blog land for the next few months.
It's a good gig with long days, lots of time out in the woods and wood ticks crawling on me.
I won't be posting much, if at all, but I'll be lurking and reading.

Ripped suit... Bum-er

It's the wardrobe malfunction to end them all.
Italian Olympic swimmer Flavia Zoccari was forced to sit out a championship race at the Mediterranean Games yesterday after her bathing costume burst open in a very unfortunate place.
Flavia, 22, was wearing the controversial £318 top-of-the-line Jaked J01 swimsuit when disaster struck at the Games in Pescara, Italy..
She burst into tears as she was forced to stand down from her race.
Jaked boasts that the full-body swimsuit - complete with back hinge - is 'more than skin'.
However the aerodynamic costume has been the subject of controversy after it was banned by FINA (the International Swimming Federation) earlier this year because it gave swimmers wearing it an unfair advantage.
FINA lifted the ban on the swimsuit a month later, in June of this year, after Jaked, which sponsors the Italian national swim team, protested the ban.
Zoccari - who is nearly six feet tall - later apologised for the embarrassing incident.

I kinda like the "open back" design.

I've got plans for you

I received a letter from a Loan Processing Center...

DEED OF FULL RECONVEYANCE
SECURITY TITLE COMPANY OF MONTANA
...to reconvey the estate granted to the Trustee (Benson)...does hereby and by these presents, RECONVEY, RELEASE AND REMISE to 'Benson' without warranty of any kind, all of the estate, title and interest acquired by the Trustee...real property:...Big Sky of Montana...



It's finally all mine. Yippie! Dancing a smiling.
The dream continues.

About 10 years ago, I took out a loan to buy this property with the intent of building a home and eventually spending some of my retirement years there. And that is what I'll do...right after I finish the designs for the

BIG SKY MONTANA MULTISPORT TRAINING CENTER.

Otherwise known as Ahhhhhhhz.

The facility will be located in the town of Big Sky, Montana on a parcel adjacent to the Gallatin National Forest at 6,300 feet elevation. Altitude training. Higher altitude can be found by continuing west on the main road to 8,000 feet and then off road to 9,500 feet and by foot to 11,166 feet. Enjoy.
Off the back of the property is National Forest and dozens of miles of mountain biking trails.
To the east and south of the property is green space that cannot be developed.



The Gallatin River is 1 mile to the east. Trout fishing, rafting, kayaking.
The golf course is a half mile to the south. FORE!
The swimming pool is approximately 1/3 mile away.
The nearest bar and restaurant is 1/3 mile away next to the swimming pool.
Lots of paved road loops for biking.
Many miles of roads and trails for running.
80 kilometers of cross country ski trails are accessed 500 feet away.
Massage therapy and yoga will be on site.
Hot tub and ice baths will also be on site.
Downhill skiing and snowboarding are available 7 miles away.
Yellowstone Park is 15 miles south.
My neighbors are elk, mule deer, moose, bears, and big horn sheep.
Many direct flights into Bozeman, MT.

If you read this blog, you'll be invited.
I've always wanted a place with an open door policy.
Families, kids, and pets are welcome.

It may take a couple years to get it built but it will happen.
Plan accordingly.

Eat your ORGANIC fruits and vegetables

I can't believe it.
I've become a food snob. I read labels. Critically.
I rarely go out to eat because I like cooking at home and I know exactly what I'm shoving down my pie hole. I love grilling out on the BBQ.

So why eat organic?

Public service announcement:

The fruits and vegetables that our parents ate when they were growing up were more nutritious than the conventional model of today. Organically grown fruits and vegetables are proving to have higher levels of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals than their conventionally grown counterparts.
A recent study backed up this claim.
The Biochemical Institute at the University of Texas, Austin, recently analyzed data gathered by the USDA in 1950 and 1999 on the nutrient content of 43 fruit and vegetable crops. Researchers found that 6 out of 13 nutrients had declined in these crops over the 49 year period (the seven other nutrients showed no significant, reliable changes). Three minerals, phosphorus, iron and calcium, declined between 9 and 16 percent. Protein declined 6 percent. Riboflavin declined 38 percent and ascorbic acid (a precursor of vitamin C) declined 15 percent.

And Beth reminded me that buying local organic is twice better. Hell yeah.

I also hear that a good multivitamin will help fill in the gaps.

Be Well. Eat well.

Splish'n and Splash'n

This doesn't sound like much but I seem to have knocked 5 seconds off my 100 swim pace.
What the FFFFFFandango?
Going from a pace of 1:30 the past 3 years down to a 1:25 this past month has me puzzled
and pleased.

Flashback to my glory days in high school... I was 15 pounds lighter (read as SKINNY) and would regularly stay below a minute per 100 freestyle and had a backstroke PR of 1:04. Neither was good enough to make it to the state finals. So here I am.

I'm older now (much older) and tipping the scales at 155-160 and haven't been running since knee surgery last Dec. I've spent the past few months maintaining with some moderate strength training, swimming and biking. Nothing exciting there.
But, I have tweaked my swim stroke with a quicker catch and focused on maintaining a bent elbow through the stroke with a lot of stroke drills January through March. An old dog can learn some new tricks.
April and May, I upped my swims to a minimum of 3,000 yards per session with a few 4,000's thrown in.
The past 4 Saturday's I've been testing myself with 200 and 300 yard time trials.
The result...
A 1:25 per 100 pace and 1:22-1:23 for 100 repeats. Like I said, WHAT THE eFF!
I don't know how this will translate to an open water swim of more than 1,500 but I'll plan a lake swim soon and find out.


Pre IM Switzerland, 2007.
(check out the goober spit)

My knee is doing well but I still have a ways to go to get my right leg the same size as my left.
I guess it's back to the weight room and more protein.

Bike, Wine, BBQ

Saturday was sunny, warm, and windy.
A perfect day for a bike ride and wine tasting.

An easy 30 miles...with the wind.
Coming back against the wind was a bit of a challenge. Especially with a wine buzz.


Baby grapes






Ready to begin tasting...8 wines.


Post ride grilling and some beer.

This outing may become a monthly event.

Cool commute

Brief rest stop by the river.

It was sunny, windy as hell, and 45 degrees when I started my bike ride commute to work this morning.
Nothing like a cold slap in the face, watery eyes, and a runny nose to wake me up.
When I got to my office, I immediately brewed a hot cup o' joe to thaw out my fingers and toes.
Luckily I was the only one there cuz by the time I stripped off my layers of biking clothes, (socks, knee warmers, shorts, tech t-shirt, arm warmers, jersey, and wind breaker) I was standing naked under my office' hot air vent while sipping that glorious hot liquid and waiting for my cajones to drop out of my stomach. Gawd, the shrinkage and retraction were devastating.
Move along, nothing to see here, move along.
I'm fine now.

Froggy Friday

It's springtime in the north woods and the water is warming up. I'm not quite brave enough to dive in for a lake swim just yet but the warming temperatures means all the seasonal ponds and wetlands are teaming with frogs and toads.
My dog walks through the woods are getting noisy. Not from me or my dog but the sounds of Chorus Frogs,


Song of the Chorus frog.

Leopard Frogs,


Sound of the Leopard Frog.

and the American toad.


Song of the American Toad.

And soon the Spring Peepers


Peep of the Spring Peeper.

and Wood frogs will be puffing out their throats.


Sound of the Wood Frog.

Enjoy the sounds of spring.

Swimming humor

Q: Why did the Boston swimmer with the sore throat try to swallow his TYRs?

A: Because the doctor told him to GOGGLE with salt water!

Ground Zero, Swine Flu

Please practice common sense personal hygiene.

AND DON'T LICK A PIG!

Bike Commute Wonderings of My Mind

I set off on my 15 mile bike commute to work this morning and it was 42 degrees, sunny and WINDY! Gusting up to 30 mph.
The extra 12-15 pound pack on my back did not help. No Aerodynamics. I could not get above 16 mph.
So that left me with a cool one hour commute. It was nice. I saw only 2 other bikers on the commuter trail and 4 runners. Now that's what I call "No traffic jams."



Since I was only pumping along at a moderate pace, my mind began to contemplate words and phrases. I don't know why. Some things that just don't make sense and thus...bug me.

Birth Control Pill. The 'pill' doesn't control birth, it controls menstruation and hormones. Right?

Boneless ribs. No such thing.

Seriously funny. Which is it? Serious or funny.

At the end of the day. It's the end of the day, duh.

Racist and Racism. These words have been overused and thrown around so much they no longer have meaning.

Somali gangs are shooting each other 3 miles form my house. How long do I have before they're in my neighborhood? Can I shoot back?

Embrace diversity. Please explain. Is this a command? A suggestion? Can I decide what I'll embrace?

A car turned into my designated bike lane, near the University, and stopped. I locked up, skidded, and stopped 3 inches from the back bumper. Lots of witnesses heard me curse loudly. Apparently the driver thought the bike lane was also a turning/stopping lane.

I'd like to nicely ask with sugar on top...please take your ear buds out and "embrace" your environment. Maybe even talk to the person near you. I feel like I get the cold shoulder more often. I'm saddened by the growing number of people at the fitness center (YMCA) who have blocked out their surroundings (me) with ear buds. No problem with rocking out on the dread mill or other stationary cardio equipment. Sometimes that's just a necessary survival tool, but I miss interacting and making eye contact with people in the weight room/fitness center. Even a simple acknowledgment to them with a nod, a hello, or a smile has waned away. Too many of them, some are long time friends, are now drones. Always looking down. Focused only on themselves, their shoes, the floor. Gazing down as if having had a lobotomy.
"Excuse me, are you using this?" Long pause. "Are you done here?"...
"Can I work in with you?"...
"You have something gooey stuck on your back."
(tapping on their shoulder) "Excuse me, are you done with this?"
PLUCK (sound of ear bud being removed) "What?"
"Are you done with this?"
"Oh...uh...yeah. Go ahead."
"Thanks. Would you mind..." PLUG (sound of ear bud being re-inserted)
"Would you mind spotting me on this bench press?"
PLUCK. "What?"
"Could you spot me on this bench press?"
"Uh...sure."
"Thanks. I think I can do..." PLUG.
"Never mind. I hope I don't drop this on my neck."
PLUCK. "What?"
"Thanks."
PLUG
She was probably a very nice and talkative woman anywhere else but I'll never know.
Maybe I'm overly social but pointless chit chat and chatter I used to have with people before ear buds was good for me.
Maybe I should learn sign language.

Joke Friday

The Pedestrian and the Cyclist

A pedestrian stepped off the curb and into the road without looking one day and promptly gets knocked flat by a passing cyclist.

"You were really lucky there," said the cyclist.

"What on earth are you talking about! That really hurt!" said the pedestrian, still on the pavement, rubbing his head.

"Well, usually I drive a bus!" the cyclist replied.



be careful out there and wear your helmet.

I just had to mention this

Granada, Spain 2010.

I sent in my deposit for Strong Like Bull training camp in Spain, Feb. 2010.

Why?

I need this. Something to look forward to and train/rehab for. I need some light.
I don't have plans to race this season because of my knee-hab.
My knee is coming along pretty well with weight training, spinning, and swimming but it's slow going. No running but lots of walking = boring. I really want to run and staving off that craving is a real mental battle. I'm forcing my mental discipline to new levels in that regard. It's tough. "Make your weakness your strength."

Even my dog is getting a little antsy to run more. I've been taking her to the dog park so she can run and chase with other dogs while I walk around watching from a distance. Envious. She is so beautiful when she runs her heart out. Her Border Collie instincts take over and she starts to heard all the other dogs by circling them and nipping at their heels. Man, I wish I could run like that.
In due time.

Catching some Z's

There are no awards for being sleep deprived.
Bragging about how little sleep I've had makes me sound stupid...cause it's just dumb to not get enough sleep. "oh, look at me, I got 6 hours of sleep and my energy levels are down so I'm a zombie at work and walking dead during my workouts." Yay for the dumbass (me).

I'm a slave to proper sleep. I need 8 hours minimum. I prefer 8.5 to 9 so I sometimes get a little selfish when it comes to MY time.
It's easy for me to go to bed early because TV shows have gotten very dumbed-down and the evening news is mostly bad..."more layoffs, the economy is still flagging, and the weather is..."

Lately, I've not been setting my alarm clock to see how long I'd sleep naturally. Most nights it's 8 hours and some have been 9 hours. I feel better all day.

Sleep for Optimal Recovery
By Jason Gootman, USAT Certified Coach

Sleep is a critical aspect of health and one of the most important aspect of recovery from your workouts. Aim for as much sleep as you can get. Six hours is the minimum effective amount of sleep for an endurance athlete in heavy training. Eight to nine hours is ideal for most athletes.



Are you getting enough?

Biking Season...lube your chain

Tomorrow is the FIRST DAY OF SPRING. Yay for Vernal Equinox.
Many of you, (in the south, on the coasts, and on the islands), have already been out bike riding and we here in the north, just might begin our outdoor season this weekend in earnest.



Here's a tip I read at Road Bike Rider:
Lube your chain in Advance. When you hear your chain chirp or are due for regular chain maintenance, lubricate the links right after riding.
Firstly, you won't forget.
And secondly, it will give the lube's carrier a day to evaporate before your next ride. There will be less lube on the chain's surface to attract grit and be flung onto the frame, derailleurs and rear wheel.
The lube belongs inside the links, not thickly coating them, so before riding again run the chain through a clean rag. Then go out and enjoy the difference a well-maintained chain makes.

And please wear your helmet.

Happy riding.

Be Green

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Fashion Week , Aspen Colorado, 2009

P and H with models at Aspen airport


"does this snowboard make me look fat?"


P and H on the sidewalk/catwalk


The real deal models


The real deal. P, Me and H apre ski


Fashion Week Founder, Lisa Johnson and Valentino


P, H and me with Fashion Week Founder, Lisa Johnson


"let's go shred"


Me, P and H striking a pose


"green is eco-friendly"


"I'm too sexy for this town"


"I'm too sexy for snowboarding"


Striking a Rubenesque pose. "MORE WINE!"


H and P with model Kellie.
Kellie is 6'1" and enjoys men dressed to thrill



See you next year