Day 12.......no training.

I'm still recovering from my illness. Each day I'm feeling a little better, but I'm not going back to my training routine until every symptom is 100% gone. I am really looking forward to tying the knot on top of my asics and setting out on a run to an unknown destination. I've become accustomed to setting aside an hour or two a day to be free of all the stresses of life; that wonderful time where I can fall into the rhythm of my breath and pit-pat of my sneakers and just let my mind wander. If you are a runner, I need not say more...

Now, as I wait to be sure I am completely recovered from the attack of this bug I have to find a different way to attack the stresses of life. I have not thought about a specific way of dealing with stress without training, it just sort of happened. And I've found myself keeping busy well into the evening with my studies.....and I feel rejuvenated in my academic pursuits. You know, I'm a treehugger (a.k.a environmentalist), and, like triathlon, this lifestyle has it's difficulties. Believe it or not folks, being a treehugger isn't all Bush-bashing and tofu-eating!

I have to say that although losing 2 weeks of training sucks, I am glad that I have been able to rekindle the fire that I have for environmental and social justice issues. So, if you live in Ohio and you are a treehugger too, you can go here to show support for renewable energy in Ohio, which is virtually as fulfilling as hugging (or even kissing) a tree. If you are unsure about renewable energy being a good choice for us, or would like to read a bit about the benefits of "green" energy go here or here.

You might recall the urban farm project I worked on last semester? I'll be giving a presentation to some of the active urban farmers in town in order to 1) stimulate interest and 2) continue brainstorming with folks who are knowledgeable about growing food in the city and getting that food to market. We are still putting together a working model, but the big question is, "where's the capital going to come from?"

Are you a Bioneer?? We've started planning for the Cleveland conference in 2008. More details to come on this as they are worked out.

I suppose if I'm not dreaming about a full carbon TT bike decked out in dura-ace.....or Kona, I might as well dream about wind turbines, local food, and a positive future!!!

I think I'm gonna make it.....

My friends, I am just getting over one of the worst illnesses I have ever suffered through. I originally thought it was the flu, I couldn't even get out of bed for the first day my fever was so high. I couldn't work for 3 1/2 days and am still recovering on day 7. Now, it seems something more like a sinus infection I'm fighting off. Who knows how long it will be before I resume training. At this rate, another week probably. It's funny, when I'm well the one thing I look foreward to is training.....but when I was sick, the things I felt the worst about getting behind on were academics and work. Maybe my priorities aren't as backwards as I thought ;-)

It makes me do things like grind my teeth.....

I first noticed it a little bit on Sunday after my run whilst using the Roman Chair. Then, nothing for two days, until I felt it again about an hour after my morning spin on the trainer. Then, I noticed it more and more. After a swim. Walking around campus. During my core workout. Then I noticed something important...

swelling on the posterior portion of my knee....

...and a lingering stiffness. Not sore. No pain. A little swollen and stiff.

So, when I realized that I might have a little problem I decided to forgo my trainer session and run yesterday, and opted for a rest day.....

.....until 7:00 hit and I NEEDED to get a workout in, so I hit the pool for 2500 yards, which I believe is my longest swim workout since I began swimming last fall. Yes, I had to relieve a 'lil stress. I went through with my trainer session this morning, have been icing all afternoon and into this evening....

......and now I've got to wait and see how the knee feels tomorrow. I'd just take a big rest (and I may have to), but I'm just about ready for a half-mary PR on March 2nd...and I'm about ready to start my build for the TOSRV.

Besides RICE, what else does someone do who is a bit stressed out about a swollen knee? Finally register for Steelhead. And the TOSRV. And purchase my USAT membership. And spend some time trying to put together a race schedule with all of my "B" and "C" races. And start bike shopping. If anything can get your mind off of a tweaky knee, it is planning out your racing season,

and this.......
*of course I can't afford that bike.....but it is way prettier than my stiff, swollen knee.

Do you wanna ride to the mall??

When I was about 12 years old, my neighbor that lived across the street (who was the ripe old age of 14) asked me if I wanted to ride my bike with him to the mall. I told him there was no way I would be allowed, and with 14 years worth of wisdom he responded, "Me either. We don't need to tell our mom where we're going. She'll never know." So off we went.

I can't recall if I was riding my diamondback or my GT, but it was certainly a BMX. The instigator, known here as big kidd, had a BMX as well. Who didn't have a BMX in 1988, c'mon?? I don't recall having any money, but I do know the round trip was somewhere around 10 or 15 miles. We had to be back by dark.

Off we rode, towards the park (at least that's what our parents thought)....when in actuality, we were headed to the friendliest mall of all. It was a long ride there and man.....there were so many cars to navigate around once we got close. I was overwhelmed with the volume and speed of the traffic. Big kidd was older and bigger than I was and I had a hella tough time keeping up. He didn't seem too concerned about waiting for me, so I just hammered down on those little platform peddles as best I could and tried not to fall too far off his wheel. I sure as hell didn't want to get dropped (or as I called it at that time get left in the dust).

When we got to the mall we didn't have much time to hang out, so we went to the music store (where I more than likely browsed the Public Enemy, Ghetto Boys, and 2 Live Crew selection) and then we hit Toys R Us to scope the Nintendo games. Yes, the Nintendo entertainment system....with 2 buttons and 4 directional arrows on the controller. The controller was square; not exactly the ergonomical designs of today. Neither of us bought anything. We had no money, or no job. We were 12 and 14 and we peddled ourselves all the way to the mall, which was way better than a new CD or video game.

The ride home was rough. I was tired. Very tired. As a matter of fact, I was falling off of big kidd's wheel and as we cut across an empty field on our BMX's I bonked....hard. The grass was too much for me to handle, so I stuck to the sidewalk for the rest of the ride and continued on grimmacing with every pedal stroke. The sun was setting. I was nervous about riding waaayyyy on the other side of town at dusk when my parents thought I was at the park. As if that wasn't enough, big kidd didn't wait for my tired ass because we had to be home by dark......and it was pretty much dark. But I kept peddling.......and since my folks don't read this blog (as far as I know) they still don't know that I rode my bike to the mall with big kidd (as far as I know).

So, as I lie here in a big puddle of achy legs with eyes that can barely stay open I'm blaming big kidd for planting the almighty seed of adventure. Adventure on two human powered wheels that I can't get enough of still today....beyond thirty (just barely ;-) It is big kidd's fault that my legs have taken me a few thousand adventurous miles over the last couple years. It is big kidd's fault that I am riding in the TOSRV. And, it is big kidd's fault that I spend all of my spare change on winter cycling tights and chamois butt'r.

I took advantage of the sunny afternoon and took Amaterasu out for a little spin. It's the multi-hour excursions with her I enjoy best. Temps in the upper 30's. Sun shining. Booties covering my shoes and jacket zipped up to my hairy chin. Nearly 3 hours of spinning, a couple thousand feet of climbing, and a good nights rest.......all because big kidd had to tap into my spirit of adventure at the ripe old age of 12 and pose the question, "Do you realize how far we could ride our bikes?"

Spring again??!!??

This morning whilst sipping on my morning coffee, I flipped through my Patagonia Heart of Winter 2008 Catalog and anticipated the 60 degree afternoon staying dry (and windy) in order that I could donn some shorts and take Amaterasu for a spin. It looks like the rain is holding off, for now, and that if I quit blogging and hurry up an finish up some work I can squeeze a ride in this afternoon. In shorts. On January 8. In Northeast Ohio.

Even though this is a perfect opportunity to mention climate change, I won't ;-) We did have some warm spells last winter, but I don't think any of them took us to 60 degrees.

As for the Buckeyes, they were outplayed. They needed to establish the run and control the clock, and they didn't.......Which was better than last year, when they didn't even show up. Now, all of my hopes are lying on the shoulders of the Cavaliers (at least until baseball season).

Lebron was the NBA's player of the week last week. The Cavaliers won 3 straight. Their defense looks like it may have reappeared, but their backcourt is still a big mess, particularly on the offensive end of the court. Boobie has been the only guard to show any consistency, but h0w much can you rely on him, in his 2nd year in the league, to be a one man backcourt?? This year, with Detroit playing so well and dem Celtics looking nearly unbeatable (which they aren't), it is going to be a long, tough series of games in the Eastern Conference playoffs.....and the Cavs won't make it through without a deep and consistent backcourt. Funny thing is they seem to have the talent, they just can't find a rhythm (or the rotation) to make it work. Maybe Danny Ferry needs to shake things up a bit and make a trade??

Go Buckeyes!!!!!

Iowa and The NBA

I will make no attempt to connect the hawkeye state to pro basketball.

But, I will say that I'm cool with O'bama doing well in Iowa. However, I am a bit worried about Mr. Huckabee. Not worried that I think he's a better candidate than O'bama, or Clinton, or Edwards, or my favorite GOP candidate McCain....but worried about, well....let's just say Mr. Huckabee is not my favorite candidate. But it is just Iowa. I digress.

Last night, whilst pounding out a few miles on the dreadmill I watched Lebron James take over the game in the 4th quarter against Atlanta (yeah, Atlanta with the 4th best record in the East) and I smiled realizing that he is well on his way to becoming one of the best to ever play. Now that he's added a nice mid-range jumper over the off season as well as improved his free throw shooting he's becoming more and more dominant, especially towards the end of games.

AK-Rowdy!!!!!! (had to get the hometown shout out in there)

The cavaliers will come around. They'll be playing good ball by playoff time... and they'll need to be, because of that team in green.

Not Boston again!!!! Uh boy. First Florida twice....now Boston twice??

The Celtics better keep it up because there's a team up here on Lake Erie that is ready to come out of it's shell. Shit, the playoffs don't start until April.

2008 (rhymes with great) A.K.A. another new beginning

This holiday season has been a crazy one. I saw the Black Keys play the Akron Civic Theatre just before Christmas, thought it would be a good idea to stay up all night drinking beer, and then woke the next morning with a cold. The day after Christmas was the worst of it....I could barely breathe and was just downright tired. I recovered just in time to celebrate my uncles 50th birthday a few days after Christmas where I proceeded to drink what is typically my monthly intake of beer in about 7 hours (wouldn't you think I would have learned my lesson after the Black Keys show? NO.) The good news is that I'm pretty well recovered from my cold and from all the drinking and now I'm ready to move into 2008....and I'm ready to start thinking about training for a nice long racing season. After finding that my early season half-iron, The Little Smokies Tri, had been canceled I began to look for another HIM to replace it....but instead I am beginning to think I will do the TOSRV instead.

Despite the head colds and alcohol I managed to train a bit over the holidays. I got to spend some wonderful time with family and friends. I got to spend a few days without thinking about deadlines and training goals. I am refreshed. I ran The Great New Years Eve Race on.....New Years Eve (of all days), bettering my time from last year by nearly a minute. Then, it was time to raise a glass of champagne at the witching hour to toast a year of goodness. Most folks wish for prosperity in the coming year. So do I. Only I do not wish for material wealth, but rather richness of life. What do I want for all of us in 2008?

New Beginnings.
The beginnings that reside somewhere in your solar plexus
Until you release them by living them.
Like your first day of school. Or your first day of college. Or your first time performing in front of a large crowd. Or if your not like me and got "all kinds of game," like an important first date.
New Beginnings....like January 1, 2008.

Waiting like a blank piece of paper for the writing.
A clean canvas for the color.
A spotless life for the living.

I started off the first day of 2008 with a trail run accompanied by Sage Doggie Dogg as the snow fell:




I hope that 2008 holds many good things for all of us. Smiles. Hugs. Accomplishments. You know, the good things. It's what we make of it.......

Spaghetti Arms meets The Pull

Last month I started my tri-swimming clinic out in Oberlin, which is a really great town. The downtown district is full of locally owned restaurants and shops. They still have a five and dime and no Wal-Mart. After the clinic, I visit the Black River Cafe (named after the nearby Black River, shown in the pic below) for blueberry and banana pancakes to refuel for the hour long drive home.
In month one of the clinic, we focused on kick drills and keeping our legs popped up in the water....the same things I've been working on for the last year in the pool. I did start incorporating a flutter-kick drill into my training which has helped me keep better form when getting a breathe.

It is now month 2 of the clinic and we've begun to work on our pull. Whilst learning the technique of a proper pull and trying to execute the drills @ the clinic things were a bit off. I couldn't quite coordinate my pull, kick, body rotation, and well....my entire stroke was ugly to say the least. I Regressed to my early experiences in the pool, where I was flopping and flailing around at a snail's pace. I was looking forward to getting back into the water to work things out.

As most of you know, I don't exactly have 24 inch pythons. They are....smaller. And as you might figure my upper body strength is not what you would call powerful. I fit better into the long and lean category than the big and buff category. Yesterday it showed. My shoulders were burning as I concentrated on keeping my elbows high and my hands near my center line on my pull. My stroke count had to drop a ton, but man was it painful. The good news is that I made big, big strides in getting everything back to a smooth cohesive stroke.....albeit a stroke that quickly creates a searing burn in my shoulders. This will make me a much better swimmer. My pull was about as inefficient as you could imagine. I'm taking my lunch break (a.k.a. swim workout) in a couple minutes. No ham sandwich for me, just a little fire burning deep in the back of my shoulders and a little water up my nose.

Winter Training in Northeast Ohio

I had plans to hit the pool this morning and then get in my long run later this afternoon. After spending too much time standing around a pool table and/or sitting on a bar stool last night, I skipped the morning swim in exchange for a little sleeping in. Aside from sleeping in, one of the joys of a little time off of school is that I get to read what I want to read.....so I started A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, a read which is far overdo. As the snow started to fall on us here in Northeast Ohio, I was inspired by some of Aldo's words,

"There are two spiritual dangers of not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other is that heat comes from the furnace. To avoid the first danger, one should plant a garden, preferably where there is no grocer to confuse the issue. To avoid the second, he should lay a split of good oak on the andirons, preferably where there is no furnace, and let it warm his shins while a February blizzard tosses the trees outside."

Today I did not plant a garden, nor build a fire....but I did experience a little of mother nature on my run (with my camera in tow)......

Setting out on the towpath:






A couple of pics of the mighty Cuyahoga:



Truckin' along down the towpath trail:

The snow picked up a bit before my run was over:

It is in weather such as this that a beard comes in handy (yes, icecycles had begun to form on my beard, eybrows, and eyelashes):

This is what happens to your car after an hour and a half of running through the snow:

The other side

Somehow, I manged to get everything submitted and now I am looking forward to a little break. I was forced into a recovery week due to all the time spent composing papers and making maps, but plan to get things going again this weekend. Two weeks ago my weekly running mileage hit 20 for the first time....and other than a wee bit of IT pain I felt pretty good. It would be great to get up to a 30 mile week before starting my next training cycle. Soon I'll have my race schedule solidified, but no doubt I plan to peak around mid-August for another 70.3. I'm thinking of a spring half-mary and early season 70.3; as well as a fall marathon, assuming I get my running mileage up to the point of marathon worthiness.

I just signed up for THE BEAST!!! today.

In other training notes, I've been attending one excel in cycling workout per week. These workouts are tough, but are exactly what I need to address my lack of power on the bike. I suppose my chicken legs might not be so bad for running....but they aren't exactly up for pushing big wattage on the bike...yet...

And now that my semester is over, I think it's time to really focus on my health.....

Almost there.....

My academic deadlines are completely overwhelming me right now. And I'm still trying to train as much as possible. Actually, I NEED to train....otherwise the stress would have me going through a fifth of Jameson per night. Well, the point of all this is that I have relatively no time for blogging. Everything will be back to normal after next Thursday. Amen.

Until then, here is some reading on how you can lower the carbon footprint of your Christmas gift giving if you live in Northeast Ohio Not only are these gift ideas ecologically responsible, they are often one of a kind as well.

And for those of you outside Northeast Ohio....check here.

Happy Shopping!!!!

Technology Sucks!!

What do you do when you spend anywhere from 5 to 10 hours each week working out alone. You buy an MP3 player....of course.

So, I bought one of these devices, a Sandisk Sansa Clip. It was great. I wore it in the weight room and on runs. And now the piece of shit won't communicate properly with my PC. I've had this thing for about 3 weeks.

Good thing I bought the extended warranty. Why whould I do that?? Because my palm pilot that has a one year warranty has broken 3 times....never making it over a year before it just quits working. So, I've decided to buy warranties with these piece of shit devices. Now, if I can just find the receipt to the damn thing........

Let me tell you, I was happy today when I was standing outside in the brisk 40 degree air messing with cheap ass thing and I couldn't get it to work. So, off I went on a 50 minute run with nothing but the sound of crunching leaves and exhaust pipes (and me swearing at a little plastic shitty MP3 player). F*$%ing technology!!!!!

SALE!!!!!

I'm off to Performance Bike for buy one, get one nutrition.....and then 20% off my entire order. But, the sale ends at 9:00 a.m. I guess that makes me a crazed early morning thanksgiving weekend shopper.

I'm hoping they have some windblock booties for my ride this afternoon. I'm sure they'll have some but the question is if they will fit my big feet!! For those of us that have larger than a size 12 (or maybe 13) finding footwear is not always an easy task.

The weatherman says nice riding weather today. Dry. Sunny. High of 41 degrees. Amaterasu is sporting some new (to me) aerobars and wants to hit the town....and the country. But first, it's shopping and the rec center pool for a few laps. It should be interesting to step on the scale after the last couple of days. I'm betting it says 194, still 8 or 9 lbs. above my mid-summer weight. What does triathlon do to a man?? Makes them weight conscious and gets them to shave their legs???? What kind of sport is this, anyways??

Thanks

I've eaten breakfast, and will be getting on my way shortly to the home run for the homeless 4 miler here in downtown Akron. Before I go, I thought I'd stop here and wish a happy holiday to you. In the spirit of thanksgiving, here are a couple of thoughts on what I'm thankful for.

Yes of course, I'm thankful for all of the things we all take for granted all too often....family, friends, my puppy, and the abundant wealth of living in America. I'm thankful I've found endurance sports, and I'm thankful for what the sport has given to me.

I suppose you could say I found triathlon by chance. Basically what happened was that I'd known Treetop for years; I met J; introduced Treetop to J; they got married; J's father started running marathons; Treetop and J started running and invited me to join their Akron Mary relay team. Then, they asked me to join them for the home run for the homeless 4 miler....this was 3 years ago.

That thanksgiving we ran in a blizzard. It was cold, very windy, and snowing like CRAZY. My beard was freezing around my face in a hurry. I was hooked....

Fast forward through a few road races the following summer where I met a couple folks involved in triathlon and here I am.

Here I am with plans to train for my second half-iron distance event next summer and with thoughts of IM Louisville or IM Moo in the back of my head for the summer of '09. All of the training has brought many good things to my life. I have improved my health. My outlook on life has changed.

I set goals. Long term goals. Short term goals. Athletic goals. Career goals. Personal goals. Goals that make my life more fulfilling by the act of pursuing them. I've begun to think of my life as always moving towards something great, as opposed to just moving. I used to think of life like a timeline. I was always moving forward, at a steady pace...slow and steady...day after day.

I now think of life like a mountain, and with each step I keep moving closer to that breathtaking vista. Along the trek to the top of the mountain the clouds, sun, trees, and trail allow for an occasional view, a moment of beauty and enjoyment.....but no view will be like the one at the summit. Thank you friends of endurance sport, and friends of life for pointing out this path. I'm on my way.....

Tonite at Ten...

Have you guys seen the Miller lite commercial where the newscasters fly through their broadcast and then head across the street to the bar. This post is going to be something like that, with a little more detail. If my life was newsworthy, here's what the newscasters would be saying...

I did a little running over the last week or so. 4 to 5 milers at a nice easy pace and I'm having not ITB pain, but still a little stiffness. It seems to be getting better so I'm going to plan on running a couple of days a week until the pain disapears and then I'll increase my weekly mileage. Thinking 'bout the pigskin classic on Saturday....

Sunday I got bit by a dog. On my lower lip. It is healing. It did not get infected, so I am happy. Bitch!!!

Sunday is the beginning of my tri swimming clinic (man, do I need that) so I hit the pool today for the first time in a couple of weeks. 2300 metres. I did a 500M and 1000M time trial. Not balls out, but hard. 500M = 9 min. 1000M = 18 min. give or take a few seconds on each. Haven't lost too much swimming fitness. Cool.

But I have gained 10 lbs. since the Greater Cleveland Tri in mid-August.

It will come off.

Went climbing for the first time in about a year on Monday. After a half hour of bouldering and I couldn't grab onto anything. It took me 15 minutes before I felt like I'd bouldered before. Then, my forearms were cooked. I'd like to keep climbing at least once a week over the winter.

Started some weight training. Ouch! Whilst swimming today, CSU's swim coach, who recognizes me as the slow swimming triathlete he's been seeing at the pool many an afternoon, asked me if I hurt my back or something....told me "you look a little stiff, like you're not walking like normal." Ok, so the weight room has me walking like a duck.

Monday I did my graded excercise test. Not exactly a VO2 max test, because Akron U doesn't have all the equipment. My VO2 max was estimated from the data colected, like my heart rate, blood pressure, etc.

The test went something like this...got hooked up to a shit ton of EKG's and started walking on the treadmill. Every 3 minutes the treadmill spead up and increased the slope. After 15 minutes I was @ an 18% grade or something, around 7 m.p.h. and I wasn't sure if my calves were on fire or if I was going to throw up on Julia, so I stopped. Estimated VO2 max is 58.4 ml/kg/min. I went here and estimated my VO2 max from my 5K PR last summer at 54.04.

C.C. wins the Cy Young....cool.

Tune in next time when......................






I think of something witty to write about.

A Little Data is Forthcoming

Monday I'll be taking a free VO2 max test.

Thanks J!!!

The only downfall is that this hairy triathlete has to shave his chest for the test....and I'm not exactly looking forward to that.

Red Flannel Metric Century

I woke this morning just in the nick of time to make it out to Oberlin for the Red Flannel Metric Century. This tour is put on by the Lorain Wheelmen and took us through the back roads of Lorain county. Yes, it was chilly....probably about 35 degrees when I set out on the ride. It warmed into the 40's for most of the day and I was relatively comfortable. This is in part due to the fact that I purchased some new tights yesterday to use over the colder months here in Northeast Ohio. They rock. Gore Bikewear Class action tights (chamois free) are highly recommended by me, for whatever that's worth. Yes, they were pretty expensive but my legs were comfortable all day. Even the chilly morning air wasn't leaking through to my thighs.

Most of the Red Flannel ride is on back country roads with almost no traffic. The course was very well marked. Other than a few small climbs the terrain was relatively flat. But, as the day progressed the winds picked up a bit, as one might expect. There were plenty of cookies, made from scratch, and other tasty indulgences to be had along the course. At the rest stops the volunteers served up homemade chilli, black bean soup, and warm apple cider. My stomach wasn't so happy with chilli (and a little Tabasco sauce) in the middle of a 100K, but not much would have tasted better (or been more seasonally appropriate).

As opposed to having a rolling start, most riders set off right around 9:00 a.m. so even through there was only about 250 cyclists the roads were fairly crowded with folks to ride with. One of my companions through these country roads snapped a few pics that I will post after they are e-mailed to me. I, unfortunately, left my camera in the car.....with my cue sheet, map, and chapstick.

This morning, I had my first experience of passing a rig that was traveling in the opposite direction on a 2 lane highway. The truck blew so much cold wind in my face I thought I might start rolling backwards. My chest and jacket served as a sail and I slowed almost 5 miles per hour in about one pedal stroke.

About 35 or 40 miles into the ride I was having a heck of a time buffering the lactate that was building up in my legs. After the Fall 'N' Leaf ride I took 2 weeks completely off (but worked really heard to catch up on my beer drinking), which may have been the cause. I also am wondering if the cold played much of a role. With all the climbing at the Fall 'N' Leaf I felt much stronger than I did today. My other thought is that the headwinds were tough on me, as I see many more hills than strong winds around the Cuyahoga Valley.

After the ride I stopped at the Black River Cafe in downtown Oberlin and the food was awesome!!! Organic coffee. Fresh Vegan pancakes with bananas and maple syrup from good 'ole Ohio maple trees. I had a short stack (2 pancakes) and these things were so filling!! My server told me she's never seen anyone finish a full stack of 3 cakes...which I could have done.....if I didn't also order home fries; which came with green and red peppers and onions. I was stuffed and my tab was 8 bucks!! The atmosphere in this place was great. It was a small room that was alive with chatting voices, sounding more like a sports bar on a Sunday afternoon than a restaurant. The folky rock playing from the radio in the kitchen could be heard over about one fourth of the room as could the clanking of dishes.

The floor was wood. The tables were wood. The chairs were wood. The walls were half wood and I sat at a wood bar that was opposite the windows that looked out onto the street. I picked up a new book at the bookstore across the street so I'd have something to read whilst eating.

It was a great ending to this years cycling season. Now I'm off to get some work done on my research of the feasibility of wind power as an energy source in Ohio. The good professor requires us to collect 40 sources, which.....might......take.........all..........night............

The possiblity of completing 832 IM's over a lifetime....

There was a new book recently published by Aubrey de Grey that questions the concept of aging as we know it. In a nutshell, here is what he is studying.....

Aging occurs as we lose cellular health, or the cells of our body are no longer able to reproduce new cells that work as efficiently as the old ones. There are 7 main factors, according to de Grey, that contribute to cellular health. In laymen's terms, one major factor is that there is "gunk" that accumulates in our cells over time which disrupt their ability to function optimally. So, I guess you could say the "gunk" eventually kills us. However, outside of our bodies there are known organisms that feed off of this "gunk." So, if you were to go to a cemetery the gunk is no more, because these organisms have feasted on it and eaten it all up (kinda like myself with a pint of ice cream). So, in order to live many, many, many years all we have to figure out how to do is introduce this organism into our living body to feast on this gunk.....and then we can live for say.....1000 years.

Ok, where do I sign up???

The Washington Post published an article about de Grey and his book "ENDING AGING" yesterday that you can link to here.

The leaves are a fallin'

I've finally downloaded my pictures from the Fall N Leaf 100K cycling tour that I did a couple of weeks ago. The tour also has a 50K option and takes place in "Mid-Ohio" near Mansfield and Mohican State Park. The very well marked route takes you on back country roads (not 2 lane highways) where the wood burning fireplaces added a pleasant odor to the air; and I saw more cows than cars (which added a different sorta odor to the air)...

The terrain is quite hilly....lots of rollers.


A nice big granny gear is recommended. Over the 100K there was somewhere between 4500 and 4700 feet of elevation gain. The crests of many of the hills are STEEP. I think a 25T cogset would have been much better than my 23. I never had to dismount, but I really had to do some slow and hard peddling to crest some of the hills.


I'll be back to do this one again.