Thursday, December 10, 2009

Moose Mitts


Well I suppose I'd better post something so my two readers out there don't think this is a zombie blog-living on for eons after I'm off to the Great Beyond. I bought some Moose Mitts to combat what has become chronic cold hands during the winter. The Moose Mitts are also called pogies. The temperatures plummeted this week to near zero and I've wimped out on my commuting. Maybe fortified with my Moose Mitts I can venture out over the weekend when the weather supposed to moderate to the 30's during the day. I've also purchased some Snow Sneakers to keep my feet warm. I'm looking to break my personal record of +9 degrees set last year. Bring on the winter!

Monday, June 29, 2009

Tour de Fance Baby...



No time to really think about a post this morning but thought I'd let you know I haven't forgotten that the Tour is on the horizon, baby! Here's a little mountain action from Mr. Armstrong. He's in the race this year and they climb this mountain just before the ceremonial ride into Paris. Should be something. Enjoy!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Training for an Ultra



I thought I would give you all a good example of why ultramarathons are so much fun-for the crew that is. Keep running boys. You can never train too much!

;)

Friday, May 29, 2009

Biker Who Runs


I told my running buddy that I'm officially the biker who runs, not the runner who bikes, but I saw this license plate on the way back from Kansas a couple of weeks ago and it seemed like a sign that I should reconsider. Now I run one day and it takes two days to recover. However, I'm racking up some impressive commuter mileage! In April I covered 557.9 miles, a new monthly record (I think). May has even been better. I've got 645.4 miles in May and still have a couple of days left. I'm going to try to run a bit more but this biking thing is getting pretty intense!

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Ice Age this Weekend

Onwards from AKQA on Vimeo.



I won't miss the run but good luck to those of you who are running. You know who you are!

Sunday, March 29, 2009

It's about the bike...



So I sold a mountain bike frame on eBay. The entire bike cost me $65.00 on Craigslist . I sold the frame for $102.00. Nice, right? This comes on the day I picked up my new touring beauty, a 2009 Jamis Aurora. Then I find this interesting little bike gathering coming to Chicago in July. Somethings going on here and I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm definitely commuting to work tomorrow.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Lance Twitters, Do I?

Just when I think I'm catching up with the techno wave (I finally got a cell phone!) I find some new cool but totally unnecessary gadget. I'm fascinated with Twitter. I know it's only new to me, but I've been following the Tour of California via Lance Armstrong's Twitter feed. This guy continues to amaze me. He's either the most amazing, accessible, and savvy athlete ever, or one heck of a con artist. I don't want to hear anything about blood doping.

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Almost Famous



A photographer from the Gary Post Tribune was in one of the few cars I encountered running from my house to Wilson's Shelter at the Indiana Dunes State Park and back. The local report estimates that we got over 20 inches of snow over the last twenty-four hours.

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Goundhog Day

Bill Murray would be proud. I had the perfect winter commute yesterday. The ice had finally melted off the road so I switched out the studded tires for my skinny tires. It felt like I was flying. It was cold but not too cold. Alas, it was bright and sunny, so the chubby woodchuck saw his/her shadow. Today-up to 18" of new lake effect snow!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Snow Commute



The aftermath of my Monday commute home in advance of several days of frigid weather. My studded tires are the difference maker when the roads are snowy and icy. Most people heeded the blizzard warning and stayed off the roads, so there was not much competition for the best line through the snow. I doubt I'll venture out again this week due to the forecast for pretty cold, windy weather.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Saturday Run


Every weekend runners young and old converge on the Wilson's Shelter Parking Lot at the Indiana Dunes State Park. During the summer they compete with picnickers who arrive early to stake out their turf (a Picnic table). In the winter there are few others, maybe a cross country skier or two, who care to brave the harsh winds and cold that settle in until the end of March. The lot fills with cars before 8:00 AM. Then it empties and fills through out the morning with waves of hardy runners. I shared a run with this group of ancient runners today. What a blast!

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Resolutions-Welcome to 2009

The beginning of a new year is a wonderful experience, isn't it? So much summing up of the past year and then looking ahead over the next twelve months.


1. I resolve to post more often to my blog!
  • I hope to up my readership from one to two!
2. I resolve to end 2009 in fitter health than I begin it.
  • 2008 was a tough year, fitness-wise. I went almost three months without running a step. This is a personal record of sorts for me. Since I've returned to running (in about September) my running mileage has been very low but I'm injury free. I'd like to average at least five days a week running or at least 260 days running this year.
3. I resolve to continue to commute to work by bicycle.
  • I haven't totaled up my bicycle miles yet but I had already exceeded my 2007 mileage by the end of October (I think, I need to check). I bought my commuter bike for about $300 dollars. I thought I'd paid too much at the time but it has more than paid for itself. By the way I thought about naming it Floyd in honor of Floyd Landis. Needless to say I've changed my mind. I'd like to commute at least once every week throughout the year. This will be tough during the winter as I still haven't figured out a reliable way to stay warm down into the teens. My personal record for cold is eight degrees-it was not fun!
4. I resolve to get my professional license. I won't bore you with details here. This has been a decade long process. I need to get it over, already!

What else?

Wish List (these are not goals or resolutions so much as things I think about): New bike; ride around Lake Michigan with Steve; complete Pike's Peak (ascent)-not likely this year; new job; a variety of home repairs/improvements; hike Appalachian Trail; backpack at Glacier National Park.

That's it for now. I'll be back to post my 2008 bike totals and maybe a picture from today's New Year's Day run at the dunes.


Price of a gallon of gas: $1.59