Back to the pain...

After yesterdays fun jaunt home on the SS CX, today I needed to turn it up a little. For those who haven't experienced cyclocross its 60 minutes of absolute hell, pain like nothing else. Its pretty cool. To put things in perspective, the U.S. Gov't elected to use waterboarding at Gitmo as cyclocross was deemed cruel and unusual and couldn't be defended at the Hague. Really, I read that on the Internet, some guys blog.



But all joking aside, today I felt like hell before even going out and putting myself thru hell...for some reason lately I find myself awake around 2am with no hope of getting back to sleep, usually until about 4am, when my alarm goes off at 5am....I know whaaaa!



As I ride out to the trails thru downtown I think to myself, I will just spin....so I cross the old railroad bridge and drop down onto the single track and slowly start ramping the effort up. A long section of this trail is fluff thanks to some fires they had a few months ago, graded up by CDF dozers. At least they followed the old trail path....for some reason it just hasn't been compacting at all, then I see why...

Seems the folks from CalExpo are taking their harness racing horses out on these trails since they are no longer single track...so picture two people in the trailer, since I have no idea what its called, and two more horses running behind it! Pretty interesting to say the least....and they actually smiled and said hi....

So after slogging through the mile or so of 4inch fluff, it hardens up a bit and I start flying along the trails, pop out next to Campus Commons golf course, cross over the river at Slac State and continue up the trails towards Rancho. These trails are always empty, well except for today when I actually came head on with two other CX riders...I yelled at them to get off the trails, they happily reciprocated and we laughed as we squeaked passed each other....

Somewhere in Rancho I turned around and tried to negative split the ride out riding up onto and then back off the levy each time the trail snaked out to it...ouch! Holding this effort was brutal with the last bit of dirt culminating with a ride up onto the secondary levy in gravel a few inches deep... just about killed me....once at the top the lactic acid makes me want to cry but the pain eases with each pedal stroke and they just keep feeling better. I did receive some funny looks from the couple out walking their dogs, I guess they were taken aback by the snot all over my face and my gasping for breath with druel flying about. Doesn't everyone experience that on a regular basis?

Back onto C street I decide I am going to spin my 42x17 as fast as I can from 28th street to 10th street....a different burn all together...So I get back to the office, yes it was a 1.5 hour lunch today, and make my way back to my desk, after showering, with a smile on my face.

Yes I was happy I rode, duh, but happier that I tortured myself when all I really wanted to do was kick back and "rest." Lack of sleep is my nemesis and I am still trying to get over the "wussification" I was exposed to for years... of course I don't want to get sick but "resting" every time I am tired isn't going to get me to the front of any races...

As for the "wussification" statement, if you are reading this it doesn't refer to you :)

The road home is paved with dirt...

Well I finally pulled off the whole nine yards yesterday commute-wise...door to door on the CX bike from 10th and I in Sacaramento to the park-n-ride in El Dorado Hills, thats EDH for the snotty folk reading this. My goal was to see just how much I could ride on dirt on what is a 42 mile ride on the road, bike trail and surface streets.

My first assumption is that the dirt is the same mileage as the road, its probably a little longer (considering the route I took, maybe 2 miles at the most). Of that 42 miles, I was on pavement 8.4 miles. Not bad. Now several miles is the DG trail along the paved bike trail, but it is dirt nonetheless.

As I leave downtown Sacramento I can quickly hop on some double track and single track for several miles to the Watt Avenue undercrossing, then I am on DG and fire road along the American River Parkway to Goethe Park (Opps, lets be PC, thats "River Bend" park now, don't want to offend anyone) where I am forced to ride the pavement in order to ride the bridge over the river. Then we ride single track, gravel and dirt access roads to the Fish Hatchery at Hazel, and hop on single track all the way to the Rodeo Grounds....then we are forced onto pavement for a few miles before climbing up to Dyke 8, sorry again, en lieu of offending its now "Folsom Point, formerly known as Dyke 8"...ride around Lake, well Puddle Folsom, to Browns Ravine where again its on pavement for 1.4 miles until we ride along New York Creek in EDH (see above snotty reference) to the EDH CSD and have to finish out the last 2.2 nmiles on pavement...

Not bad if I do say so myself.....I had to pat myself on the back today!

Tears of JOY...

You know that feeling you get,when your path crosses with someone you care about deeply, and you haven't seen each other in a while? Or maybe you see that girl you were infatuated with in high school, and you still get that nervous feeling in your stomach?

Well that happened to me this morning. I was meeting a beautiful girl, one that I hadn't seen in way too long. My stomach was full of butterflies, and the anticipation was killing me. When I saw her, it was like we had never been apart. It was truly amazing! Now she is back with me, by my side,

here she was on a cold winter ride in February '08

We had been separated since Friday night, for reasons I would rather not go into. I don't think I could hold it together long enough to type the whole story....

ALAS, a happy ending!

p.s. Chris, you have obsession issues!

Taking what your given...

This weekend was full of soccer and every other physical activity you can picture a 4 and 6 year old doing...I guess I am very lucky in that way, my kids are as active as me, sometimes a lot more active than me!! I was raised to lead by example and so far I think I am doing a good job. Now don't get me wrong, I have a lot to work on, but I was raised respect for others, ESPECIALLY your elders, give 110% in school then play (in that order) and most importantly be happy - and what I have learned is that is MY responsibility.

I see so many kids that are over weight and just plain lazy....I just can't wrap my mind around that because my kids are INSANE energy-wise and love being outdoors, playing soccer, biking, riding their scooters, gymnastics every second of the day...I could go on.

A good example is at the gym Sunday, I rode the bike for about 70 minutes. The kids room is HUGE and full of video games, jungle gyms and basketball courts all indoors....each time I return the girls working always comment on how Cam and Annika are always playing on the courts while most of the others are on the video games. Don't get me wrong, I will be playing xbox tonight, but like everything else in the world....MODERATION!

For me being healthy is happy....seeing my kids healthy and happy makes me even happier...

I guess I just hope for all these parents and obese children that they figure out whats healthy...its sad.

With that said, get off your butt and go play with your kids!!!! Too tired, thats what Monster is for...believe me!!!!

...watch out for the angry squirrel, I hear he struck again!!

AHH the wildlife...

...so I discovered some new single track, well new to me, between Howe Ave and Watt on the S. side of the American River. Really fun and twisting single track teeming with wildlife...and I do mean TEEMING.

So I am cruising through a section deep in the trees with tall grass on either side enjoying the twists and curves when suddenly I get a nice warm fuzzy sensation on my left calf as I am pedaling! I was reminded of Phil, was it he snuggling between my legs like he does at night at the foot of my bed? How did he get from Marja's house out to the trails? Wow, what a smart dog, what a fit dog to come all this way to find me....

Well I look down to see my trust worthy dog and what do I see? Freaking Rocky the squirrel spread eagled between my water bottles squeaking like mad trying to figure out what to do....I just about screamed like a little girl waiting for Rocky to bite me. Finally, when I stop pedaling and he figures it out, he jumps clear. I'll hand it to Rocky, he jumped clear of my front and rear wheel avoiding decapitation, but all I could think about was the rabies shots I was gonna need after Rocky bites me out of frustration!!

Too damn funny! Shortly after that I just about run over Wile E. Coyote as he is trotting down the trail, I am running stealth with no chain-slap...and a few minutes after that its Wile E.'s little brother I almost hit - Phil? No, not Phil!

So I make my way home, go pick up some Chinese food for Mar and I (Tues/Thurs are her ridiculous days) and enjoy some tasty food. I grab my fortune cookie as soon as I am done of course and wtf??

Looking forward to a 3hour cross ride manana in the dark before work...any takers?

Illusion...

So anyone pick up on the illusion? (hint below in last post)

Take what I can get...

Friday was "cocktail day" in the Cole household....no, not what you are thinking....Annika was up for her kindergarten shots including a flu shot (that was 5 total, she's a stud) and Cam and I were on tap for a flu shot.

For those of you who are not believers in the flu shot, I never was until last year, when I had what the doctor called "the flu," it was more like death but I wouldn't die, I just had to endure it. I had a fever for a week, I was dressed in fleece head to toe under a heavy down comforter for the whole time, then the fever broke and said fleece and comforter was sopped...I changed my bedding (um, no I didn't wet myself) and went to bed with a smile...by morning temp was back up over 100 (my normal body temp is 96.9)...my back was on fire, etc.. I know, WHAAAA!

The moral of the story, everyone I know who had the flu shot never got the flu...the few that were w/o the flu shot joined my hell. I am a believer now!

At any rate, I took the day off for the event. No, I don't like needles all that much, but it was a great excuse to go ride. After the kids were at school I got home and hopped on the CX bike and headed up the rail-trail to Placerville, I'd say 95% single track. Fun CX ride with a couple long run-ups for kicks! It twists along an old rail line between Sac and Pville so the average grade is about 5% up to Camino, with the ups and downs along the actual rail it adds up quick. So after busting your hump to get above Pville, its a ripping ride back down to Cameron Park. Probably a 25 minute negative split.... rear end got soft again, and yes by Saturday a.m. when I walked by the CX hanging in the garage it was FLAT....AGAIN...thanks SCHTEVE!

Finally signs of Fall along the trail, this is the only portion where you have to deal with "train-track-gravel"...most of the trail twists and turns on single track following the general cut of the tracks.Just below Pville, we have to cross the Weber Creek ravine on the old bridge..a wee bit bumpy riding the old ties. Notice the deflection of my wheel in the below picture!

After the ride I quickly headed down to grab the munchkin heads and get our shots...we were in the doctors room waiting for our shots and Cam and Annika were arguing over who was more brave and who would go first...Ah, naivety... So Cam gets up first, sees the needle and gets upset...when he was done he hops down and tells Annika it didn't hurt and they laughed! Me next, needles in general will always make me nervous but when all is said and done its no biggee.

Now Annika's turn, my little girl was terrified, this nurse walks up and sets down two handfuls of needles, shit I was freaked out! Finally she mellows a bit to say she wants them in the arm like Cam and I, so she sits up and then starts to cry. She NEVER moves a muscle though as the nurse puts 3 in her right arm, walks around me to put 2 in her left arm...I then asked Annika, "you ready" and she screams "just do it, get it done!"...and I say, "your done"...she never knew what hit her! She stopped crying looked at the band aides and said that didn't hurt! Guess you have to be a dad to appreciate that one! Of course she walked out of the office holding both arms completely still, making sure not to move them. She spent the rest of the night at the gymnastics gym tumbling for 4 hours! My arm still hurts though, :(

Saturday:

Soccer was great, Cam's team actually exploded the last 10 minutes of the game after spending the first 3/4 of the game playing very timid! It was nice to see!! They looked great and had so much fun, thats what makes it worth it!

After the game Marja and I headed to Arnold for her Dad's 60th, great party...For those of you who do not know Arnold, its close to the Bear Valley Ski Resort and many Bay Area folk have cabins there for summer and winter play. Like most areas, the locals depend on the revenue from the "weekenders" but most have a really hard time with them "taking over" their town. On the road back to Marja's parents place was this one home, I really can't figure out if it is a Bay Area Vacation home, or a local....but the landscaping gives you a hint:

You tell me...look closely!















On a lighter note, for those of you who don't know, we are dog people....so this was extra cool to us....Marja thinks we need one for my DeSalvo, matching Ti of course, she took this photo driving home from UCD on Friday: