Random Road Rage

Running With the Gazelles

Jeffrey — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 21:42:00 +0000

This morning I ran my first ever 5K. Didn't know what to expect, either.

You see, I'm a Badger. And Badgers are low-slung waddlers. Not much in the long-legged running department, so I really didn't know what I was getting myself into.

I lined up a few rows from the front, hoping for a new PR (that's a personal record, ma) and set my sights for a 24:00. That meant that I needed to be at the first mile by 7:45. The whistle blew and we were off. It was pretty cold and windy, but the adrenaline was flowing and I started passing folks. I managed to slip into a groove with about 20 folks in front of me and when I looked at my HR monitor, I was already at lactate threshold. I thought, "well, we'll see how far you can hold this," and just buried it. At the one mile mark I was at seven minutes. I couldn't believe it. I was smiling! I was actually SMILING while RUNNING (for the longest time I've thought of those two things as being mutually exclusive - one does not usually smile while getting flogged!).

Long story short: I busted a PR, coming in 22:36, which put me 2nd place in my age group and in the top 20 out of over 400 runners that started the race. Needless to say, I was VERY happy. Especially when I saw that the winner of my age group ran a sub-20 minute and there was NO WAY IN HELL I would've caught him even if I'd tried!

So I celebrated by going to my local burger joint and having a double bacon burger with a fry/onion ring combo! BURP! I felt bloated, but went to the pool and put in 1800 Meters before I called it a day.

And what a day it was. I might not be an antelope, deer, or graceful gazelle, but I'm a pretty quick badger.

And that's okay with me.

Train smart, race hard, and keep it positive!

Jeffrey

I'd Write More....

Jeffrey — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:54:00 +0000

If I cared more.

Sad, but true, to quote that old classic by Metallica. But I have lost my passion for the cycling, and by having lost that, I don't have much to write about. Well, unless you want to hear about my triathlon training? Nah, didn't think so.

Spring Break pretty much sucked. It was too cold and wet and when I did get a chance to race, well, let's just say it didn't go so well. I think I'm pretty much giving up on mass start races for while. I think I'll stick to the human destruction machine known as "Triathlon."

I'm swimming much better and my running is coming around. I have my first 5K race in less than two weeks, so I'm excited about that. Never thought I'd be running in my first race (since high school cross country that is) when I was 38.

Wow, I'm getting old.

But not as old as dad, so it's all good! Ha!

Hope all y'all are well. I'm looking for the joy. I'll let you know when I find it.

Peace,

Jef

Not Too Shabby....

Jeffrey — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 02:59:00 +0000

Well, it was colder than a witch's thorax (as mother would say) all day today for Spring Fling #3 (or as I heard one racer refer to it, "Spring Freeze"). It was cold and windy, with a dusting of snow early in the morning, and I just didn't want to race. I waffled around the house in the morning and finally loaded up my gear around 10.

Glad I did. Even though I burnt too many matches trying to cover breaks by my lonesome, I managed to have a very strong final sprint, finishing fourth, and fifth in overall points. Not too shabby, indeed.

Then I ran two miles. Just for good measure.

Man, I'm digging this new diet, my new workout procedures, and life in general. I haven't had this much fun with my athletics in a long, long time, and I'm looking forward to a great season of racing (swimming, biking, and running!).

I'm pretty tired, so I'm going to call it a night. More later, as it is Spring Break, so I'll spend too much time playing online.

Train hard, have fun, be safe,

Jeffrey

Back in the Saddle....

Jeffrey — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:54:00 +0000

Again.

Well, I had my first crit of the season yesterday. Went okay, I guess. Felt pretty good in the Cat 4 race but made the mistake of getting off the bike and eating something before the Cat 3/4 race. The bitterly cold wind and the 34-degree temperature had its way with my hamstrings like a priest with an altar boy, and needless to say, that second race pretty much sucked. I finished in the top 20 of the first race though, so that was cool.

It was weird pinning a number on a jersey that wasn't my old team. I'd never raced in anything but blue and orange, so donning my all-black "Dopers Suck" kit made me feel a bit like a ninja and an outsider at the same time. Although, to be totally modest, the fact that I'm 20 pounds lighter than last racing season meant I looked good regardless. It was fun hearing the comments from "Wow, you look great!" to "You got a tape worm or something?" Either way, people took note and I felt good.

My distances continue to improve in the pool as my times go down. I did 1000 more meters in the pool this week than last, and in 12 minutes less time. I'm getting lots of good advice from friends and family, and it does get a little bit easier and more fun every time I get in the water. This week I'm going to go for thirty minutes straight and see how long I can go before I drown (or stop).

Recovery week this week, so my volume is down on training, but I'm looking forward to trying to get some work done around here. Finishing up a commission (jazz piece for a Chicago school), and some handiwork around the house (need a new screen door on the back porch). Stuff to keep my mind off of the fact that I'm not training...Grrr! I guess the best thing about it is that it makes me want to train even harder when my time goes back up, and that's a good thing.

Weather is finally starting to cooperate as well, with highs in the upper 60s Tuesday and Wednesday this week before Mother Nature pisses on us once again. Hopefully it'll be a warm rain this week, and not that cold miserable wintry mix crap. I'm hoping to get out during our spring break here in a week and enjoy the weather. I'm hoping the weather will be nicer up home in Iowa, too, in case I have to go up and give dad a big wet kiss for his birthday over break. I think he's turning something like 72 or something like that. Can't really tell....

Hope you're all doing well. Stay warm 'til the weather cooperates fully.

Jeffrey

Wow...Has it Really Been....

Jeffrey — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:10:00 +0000

Two Weeks since my last post?

Man, what a slacker.

Let's see...what's up with me? Oh, yeah. I've been training like crazy and loving it. Swimming isn't quite so painful and I really enjoy my time in the pool. I'm not very "fluid," but my endurance gets better every workout. I'm not dreading the swimming portion of the races so much now and I'm actually starting to get excited for this Tri season.

Yeah, I know. I'm the one who bagged on Tri Geeks for years. I know, I know, I know. Get over it, okay? I'm sorry already! I shouldn't have been talking smack on folks whom I knew nothing about their training. Okay? Can we move on now and all my friends out there let me get on with it? Please?

Thanks.

I've been on a new diet the last two weeks and it's really going well, too. It's called "the Paleolithic Diet for Athletes" by Cordain and Friel (Joe Friel of "Triathletes Bible" fame). I'm down 16 pounds since the beginning of the year, and I've never EVER been this light since high school. I'm right at 160 pounds - something I never thought I'd ever see again. I'm soooooo thankful for the bike! (And the swimming and the running - but mostly the bike!)

Hope all y'all are doing well out there. I've been crazy busy with school stuff, lots of training, and composing. Sorry if I haven't been updating much, but know that I'm well.

More later (and sooner than later, I hope),

Jeffrey

Life Lessons....

Jeffrey — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:34:00 +0000

You're never too old to learn something new.

And thank goodness for that!

I had the opportunity this week to get two coaching sessions and it made me realize a couple things: 1) this triathlon thing is going to be a LOT of fun, and 2) this triathlon thing is going to be REALLY DIFFICULT!

Amy helped me at the pool Wednesday evening, pointing out all the stupid crap I was doing (my words, not hers - she's a really good coach). Did you know that you're supposed to breathe out of BOTH sides of your mouth? I didn't. Did you know that you're supposed to keep your head about eyebrow level in the water? I didn't. Did you know you're supposed to look forward and not at the bottom of the pool? What? You neither?

You get my point. I was swimming, well, I was propelling my sorry self through the water with a pathetic attempt at swimming, but I was doing it pretty much incorrectly. Amy helped me fix a lot of things and I began to learn how to flip turn! (Did you know you're supposed to exhale while you flip over? Guess what? If you don't, you get water in your brains!)

Today I had the pleasure of running with our Cross Country coach at SMNW, Van Rose. Van is the third winningest coach in America (yeah, the SMNW boy's XC team has won the state championship the past twelve years and has like twenty-two state titles in the school's history, all of which Van coached). Van was gracious enough to take me out with him on a quick little 4-miler in the freezing rain and snow. I was freaking out all day, as I had no idea what I was getting into, but Van is not only an awesome coach, he's one of the finest teachers in America (literally - Presidential recognition, no kidding!) and he's also a very cool cat. I've been having problems with tension in my neck and arms and with two little suggestions, Van fixed it!

I got some new shoes tonight as well. I'm ready to rock and roll!

In short, and you all know that I am short, I'm really enjoying not only the training, but also the techniques behind the training. And for all my friends who like to poke fun at me for becoming a triathlete, I have a little message: Yeah, I know, I was one of you not so long ago, making fun of tri-geeks and such. But I've decided to do this as I've lost any hope of having success in team bike racing, and I would hope that you would respect my decision to keep myself fit and set higher athletic goals for myself. And, if you can't handle that, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your negative comments to yourself. There's enough negativity in my life without you throwing shit my way.

In fact, before you poke too hard, why don't you come swim a thousand meters with me and then run five miles? Then you can talk all the smack you want.

And for those of you who've been nothing but supportive - thanks, I love ya!

Finding the joy in life,

Jeffrey

Swim, Swam, Swum...

Jeffrey — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 05:26:00 +0000

Is swum even a word? Must be, as my spell-checker didn't underline it in red.

Anyways, I'm very proud to report that I wen to the pool today. I'm even more proud to say that I did NOT DIE! Hadn't been in a pool for at least five years, but since cycling has given me a little bit better aerobic engine, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I actually worked out for about 30 minutes and did 600 meters of interval work. For a "real" swimmer, that's pathetic. But for those of us that swim like three-legged water buffalo, I felt pretty good about it!

Then Johnny GoFast and I did a little TT work while we watched the Tour of California. Gotta love the DVR. Recorded the tour while I was at an afternoon concert and watched it tonight. Got in a good 2-hour session and really dialed in my position. And I had a nice long chat with a good friend who is a fantastic triathlete and got a bunch of great pointers.

I think I can do this triathlon thing....

At least I'm excited about it and looking forward to the training. A lot of swimming, biking and running in my immediate future. But, hey, what else am I gonna do to keep myself off the streets, right?

If anybody's reading this, drop me a line. I miss you guys!

Jeffrey

Half the Man I Used to be....

Jeffrey — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:12:00 +0000

Not really, more like a third of the man I used to be.

I hit 74 pounds lost this morning. I'm down to 164 pounds and am still dropping! Can I get a "whoot-whoot," people?

However, I'm still recovering from the upper respiratory crud, so I haven't been really voracious of late. But I have been really meticulous about what I do eat, and it's working. I've been hitting the gym hard and I'm actually being smart about what I use as fuel. I'm protein-loading after my weight workouts, and I feel really, really good!

Haven't been on a bike in two weeks.

Hmm...Let me write that again: Haven't been on a bike in two weeks. Weird. I've actually not missed it. For one, I don't enjoy putting my lungs through hell by sucking freezing rain and wind at 20 mph. And two, I'm still pretty pissed over the whole team thing and I just don't have the desire to get back to it.

However however (I'm using however an awful lot tonight, aren't I?), I have been running a lot more. And I'm talking my favorite girlfriend into teaching me how to swim better. You can see it coming, right? "Oh, no! Jeffrey's going to become a triathlete!" you're saying to yourself. And you'd be right.

Now, I know all my friends know that I have often disparaged local triathletes for their lack of bike skill. And their goofy clothes (says the guy who shaves his legs). And their dipshit aero bars clipped onto their cheap road bikes. But, what else am I going to do? I mean, I don't have a team any more, so crits ain't exactly going to be fun. Road race? More like "hide in the pack and hope for a pack sprint" race!

I'm left with two viable options as an unattached rider. I can race mountain bike - which I plan to do as well. And I can compete in triathlons. And I have to admit, competing in triathlons is pretty much the epitome of pain and suffering. I swim like a rock and I run like a hippo, so I better kick serious ass on the bike. But, after doing a little research and watching those crazy sumbitches in the Ironman Championships in Hawai'i, I'm convinced that I can do it.

Why?

Because it's there. Because people will say "that's stupid crazy, man!" Because it's difficult, outrageous, and something that only a handful of people actually can say they've done (well, a few thousand anyways). I'm going to be 38 in April. I think I'd like to do an Ironman-length triathlon before I'm 40. And, you guessed it, wouldn't it be cool to race the Big Kahuna in honor of my fourth decade on the planet? Sounds extremely painful, brutal, and beautiful.

Now I just got to learn to swim. My left shoulder is still jacked up from my crash three years ago. I'm rueful of my comment to the doctor back then that "oh, I don't do much with my left arm, so 80% mobility is fine." Yeah, every time I throw my arm over my head in a swimming motion, the ball socket "pops" a bit. I don't think that's good, is it? Hmm, we'll see, I guess!

Well, I'm at least excited about something besides my weight loss. I've got a goal, and you know how I am about goals. All I need now is somebody to tell me that I'll never be able to do it. That would seal the deal. You know how I like to succeed when others have told me I'll fail. I'm a spiteful bitch that way.

So, tomorrow I set up my TT rig on the trainer and begin dialing in my fancy new handlebars. I'll tweak my seat position, and get after it. Supposed to rain and snow all damn day anyways, so it'll give me something to do.

Hope you're all doing well.

Jeffrey

Made Me Cry

Jeffrey — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 04:15:00 +0000

I know it's hard to believe, but sometimes, just sometimes, I am a bit of a pushover. I know, say it isn't so, but it's true. Take tonight, for instance.

We had a concert at school. Actually, it was at a local church, as it has much better acoustics than our auditorium, and gosh darn it, it's just got that whole "religion" thing hanging all over it. Music and guilt - what's not to love? So, we had our annual (and sometimes ironically named) "Great Works Concert" in which the orchestra accompanies the choir on a piece of big ol' (read: undead composer boy) piece of music. This year it was a Schubert Mass.

But it was the stuff AFTER the choral piece that was where I lost my heart. I love my job. I love the kids I teach, and when I get a chance to showcase their talent, I do it without any kind of apologies. My kids kick ass, and I'll tell the whole world if given a chance. And tonight, not only did they kick major tuckus, they also made me cry. And it was that good kind of cry. That "we're really, REALLY making music here" sort of cry. It hit me about 30 seconds into a new piece we commissioned. It was this wonderful, over-the-top rush of emotion that made my eyes well up. I had to think about dead puppies for a second so I didn't lose it.

Man, I love moments like that. Those too-good-to-believe kind of moments that make me remember why I got into teaching in the first place.

Sorry, this post isn't about cycling or random road rage stuff, but I had to share. I was just so proud.

Wish you could've been there to share it with me,

Jeffrey

Leave it Better than You Found It

Jeffrey — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 22:12:00 +0000

As I was walking to the village today (Amy took my car and my key to her car was conveniently locked INSIDE it) I had ample opportunity to think about recent events in my life. I'm a pleaser - I like to make everybody happy and I really don't like confrontation, so it's a bit odd that in the last couple months I've managed to tell a job and a team to basically bite me. I started the whole "what the hell is wrong with me" dialogue as I ambled down the sidewalk. It was cold, it was windy, but the sun was shining and I was wearing my favorite blue hoodie. That made all the difference and it really helped adjust my attitude accordingly.

What I finally realized was something I'm sure somebody much wiser than me, probably my grandfather, mother, or some smartass friend, had told me a long time ago: no matter what you do, leave it better than you found it. That struck a chord (pardon the pun from composer boy there) and I riffed on that for a while as I walked in the sun.

When I landed the youth symphony job, there were only three orchestras and a little over 200 kids in the whole program. When I left, I had helped build the program into seven orchestras and over 450 kids. Many of those kids I personally brought into the fold, as you can't really have a decent orchestra experience for ANY of the kids if you don't have full instrumentation. So I beat the bushes for the instrumentation we needed year after year. I made it better.

When I took over the presidency of the bike team, we hadn't had a decent operating system in place for two years. We installed a board, solidified sponsorship, garnered several big-money sponsors in addition to our current ones, and we managed to put up solid, and sometimes stellar, race results. I helped make it better.

Of course, if you want to get all metaphysical on me, I guess I could also say that I've managed to take my own self and make it better. I'm lighter, faster, stronger, and I dare say a little more savvy, after all the B.S. I've gone through the last few years. I got better.

There's still an area or two in my life that I look at and sigh. Things I've not managed to turn around or make better. But I'm not done yet. Joy is evasive and I'm still in the hunt. I will find it. I have to find it. Life is too damn short otherwise. Or else I'm just fooling myself....and that wouldn't be making it better, now would it?

Jeffrey

My Loyal Minions...

Jeffrey — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 02:02:00 +0000

Okay, mostly you're my friends and family, but doesn't "loyal minions" have such a nasty, little ring to it?

And, in my long, long absence from the blogosphere, things have definitely gotten a little nasty in my life. Needless to say, as you can tell by the new look of the ol' blog, I'm no longer with the blue and orange. I quit the cycling team and have decided to race unattached. Independent. Solo. Sovereign. Free. Unfettered. Ah, hell, let me put the thesaurus down and get down to business.

It's been a pretty shitty last couple months. I quit my job with the youth symphony program (long story short: crappy concert, I had higher expectations, I let 'em know it, and their parents wanted my head on a stick). Yeah, that was fun. Then the team stuff went south quickly. Funny thing, after I quit getting coached by the team sponsor, my services weren't needed. In fact, all communication pretty much stopped between me and coach. C'est la vie, eh?

And then, drum roll please: THE FLU! And not just the "oh, I have a sniffle and a bad cough" kind of flu. We're talking the "take a baseball bat and beat the living shit outta me and then stuff green slime behind my eyes until my head explodes" kind of flu. I was flat on my back for five days! Okay, I can hear the D-Unit saying "you shoulda got a flu shot, dumbass!" And he'd be right, of course, however, I don't listen to him. The good news is that I was home in Iowa, so I got to hang out with my folks, do a little shopping (before I went down sick), and watch the Super Bowl! THEN I got to spend two more days sicker than a dog.

So there you go. My life the last few months. Oh, yeah, I also lost 20 pounds. Don't know if it was the dope (just kidding, mom), the extreme diet and workouts, or the stress. Could be all the above, I guess.

So, here's my promise to you, MLM (get it "my loyal minions"): this blog is going to be a little bit different. Maybe a little bit of cycling advice, some weight loss tips, maybe a little humor here and there (did you hear the one about the cellist who married a tuba player? hilarious).

Stay tuned. I'll try to do the same.

Jeffrey