spokes ‘n spurs 2008

yesterday i rode the spokes ‘n spurs ride in liberty hill, texas. the funds raised for this ride are used to support the spirit reins foundation which provides support & healing for troubled children. this was my first organized ride of 2008 & outside of the 30 degree temperatures it was an awesome ride with great course support & sponsors.

the spokes ‘n spurs ride course was for the most part the same course that was setup for the rip roarin ride i did last year with dave & laura. i recall that rip roarin ride being a tough one too – i did the 108 mile coarse & there were only like seven other dudes going the full distance (other distances included 20, 40, 60, & 80) & the course support near the end was basically non-existent. i recall coming into the finish area & 95% of the cars in the parking lot were gone.

the t3 team was representing at spokes ‘n spurs & while the longest course was 62 miles (100K) we added an additional 25 of our own. it was quite motivating getting to the end & turning back around & passing by all the other participants (many of who were just riding the 40 mile distance) that were still coming in knowing that you were adding another 25 miles to your ride. on top of that, t3 had us scheduled for a 3 mile run after we finished our 80+ mile ride. the good thing about the run at the end is that the sun finally started coming out & for the first time all morning i could feel both my hands & feet!

my thanks go out to lara bar who was out sponsoring the race & handed out those perfectly sized trial bars that i love & which work so well while on the bike – i wish they would sell this size. accelerade was there sponsoring too & they were handing out full sized bottles & there were plenty of ‘em. while i have mixed opinions about this product & i go back-&-forth between using it – yesterday it was nice to have one. lastly, a HUGE thanks to all the volunteers who were out supporting us. many of whom were out there before & stayed out there longer than most riders. these volunteers were so cool that they even prepared PB&J sandwiches on wheat bread - while traditional wheat bread doesn’t come close to super healthy (& pricey) hemp bread that i’ve become accustomed too, they still looked damn good.

oh, & congrats to carlos who enjoyed his first road ride on his new bike. also, thanks to dave & laura for making the trip out there too. while we didn’t get to hang out or ride together it was just nice knowing that friends were out there on the course with me.

heading to CDA on the b12

i just bought a new bike. the felt b12 is finally mine! it is gorgeous & will make me go so fast – it damn well better… good thing we sold the audi when we did :)

since december of last year i’ve taken 7 really nice tri bikes for test rides. if you are going to spend some serious cash on a bike & you plan to be on that bike a lot (say for 5+ hours at a time) you want to really take it out & ride it; not just tool around a stores parking lot.

while i love the folks at bicycle sport shop & i think they do a great job at what they do they can’t compete with a store like jack & adam’s when it comes to setting you up & getting you on the right tri bike. if you need a good road bike, mountain bike, or service on your bike definitely head to BSS – they’ve saved my butt a couple of times.

i did start at BSS back in december. i road an ’07 specialized transition e5 comp. it was a nice bike but it wasn’t carbon & it just didn’t feel all that hot. specialized has actually totally redesigned the transition for ’08 & according to bicycling magazine it’s a sweet ride. given that the transition is the only tri bike that BSS sells i headed over to J&A's put myself in the hands of the pros. right off the bat i knew i found the right shop – there’s no tooling around in the parking lot with the bike – they fit you & give you the keys to take it out as long as you need. need it for a couple of days to get some time in on it – sure thing!

my first ride was on a quintana roo kilo. i like the QR & since my current tri bike is a QR (a really old ’01 QR that i bought off craigslist – got a great deal actually) i figured i would see where seven years of technology/development had brought the kilo. the kilo has an aluminum frame, not a carbon frame & while this bike retails for $1,600 it is still considered an entry level tri bike. i got out on the kilo & while the fit on this bike was much better (J&A’s sized me for a 54 – my existing QR is a 56 (way too big)), the bike itself didn’t feel all that much different than what i’ve got. so after one long ride on the kilo i passed on it.

*** note: just like car manufacturers, bike manufactures change things up from year to year & most new bikes don’t arrive until late Q1 of the new year since in majority of states folks can’t ride their bikes outside because it’s too cold (doesn’t apply to us in texas). so J&A’s inventory was low & they, like me, were just waiting for the new bikes to arrive. ***

given that the racks in the shop were mostly empty jack set me up on a kestrel talon that had a carbon frame. kestrel is a damn good brand & a number of ironman championship races have been won on a kestrel. however, i wasn’t digging the frame or the look of this bike at all. while looks aren’t everything, when you are shelling out BIG bucks for a bike you want to enjoy looking at it. kristin has already warned me that whatever we buy i need to keep for the next 3 – 5 years so i can’t afford to make any mistakes on this purchase.

once i jumped on that kestrel with a carbon frame i knew there was no turning back to a bike with an aluminum frame. a carbon frame is just so much more forgiving on your body & so much lighter too. i told jack (owner of J&A’s – damn cool cat) that from this point forward i only wanted to ride carbon. we had a problem though - that kestrel was the last carbon bike in stock that was in my price range & until the newer bikes were to arrive there was nothing for me to test ride.

after doing some internet research & talking to friends i narrowed my search down to three carbon tri bikes that were in my price range: the kuota k-factor, the cervelo p2c, & the felt b12. all are damn fine bikes with their own little perks.

of the 3 bikes i was now shopping, J&A’s only carried two of them. they don’t have the distribution rights for the cervelo. the folks down the road, austin tri-cyclist, are the only guys in town with the distribution rights to the cervelo (jack, from J&A’s is working on this). while i am no doubt a huge fan of J&A’s, I needed to see what the cervelo p2c was all about. so i ventured down to the austin tri-cyclist shop & i have to say the cervelo p2c is damn sweet. the folks at cervelo hit a home run with this puppy. not only was it sweet, the guys at austin tri-cyclist were offering it below MSRP & they even were throwing in a package deal to include wet-suit, new shoes, new clips, & helmet for a $100 bucks over what the MSRP was on this bike. at this point i hadn’t ridden the kuota k-factor or the felt b12 (because they hadn’t come in yet) so i didn’t just want to move on the p2c without giving these bikes a chance.

the kuota k-factor was the first of the two bikes to arrive at J&A’s in january. jack called me up & that saturday we scheduled a fit & a test ride. when saturday rolled around i couldn’t wait to get down there & pick-up the k-factor. i ended up taking the k-factor on the 360 loop & back. while a nice ride, i wasn’t impressed. it was the cheapest of the three bikes i was now considering & while it had a carbon frame it just was lacking in so many other spots. i returned to J&A’s & told jack that i’d hold tight until the b12 was in.

at this point i was really getting sick of riding my QR. it didn’t fit me & i now knew what a real tri bike was supposed to feel like.

when the b12s finally arrived in early february i reserved the first available 54 (my size). i scheduled my fit for a friday night; that way i could take the b12 on a long ride with the t3 the next saturday. after work i gave jack a ring & told him i was on my way in to get my fit down. he had bad news – one of the guys goofed the scheduled & let someone else take out the one b12 in my size. i was devastated & a bit pissed because i’ve been waiting almost 3 months for this bike to arrive & when it finally did i still couldn’t get my hands on it. jack could tell i was bummed & that i was getting sick of riding my QR.

jack & i talked later that night & even though they were closing he told me to come down to the shop & he’d hook me up with something very fun to ride the next day. when i got there he had pulled the top of the line kuota kalibur off the rack for me. this was a very high-end tri bike - $4,000+ & if you add race wheels you are easily looking at a $6,000+. this bike was hot & i was looking forward to hopping on it in the morning. i ended up talking to jack for about the next hour while we dialed this bike in to fit me perfectly – no reason to ride a bike this sweet if it didn’t fit me just right. i learned a lot about J&A’s, jack, & the whole austin tri/athletic scene.

needless to say, the ride on the kalibur the next morning was awesome. i was riding the audi (i’m an audi guy – what can i say) of bikes. i was almost nervous that after being on this nice of a bike that the b12 wasn’t going to be all that i had expected it to be. it didn’t matter though – neither kristin nor i were going to spend $4K+ on a tri bike.

that third weekend in february it finally happened; another b12 in my size arrived & jack had it reserved for me. i was pumped to get out on it. unfortunately it rained the saturday & i my first “ride” was indoors on my trainer. the next day was the AT&T marathon & i crashed that race to get in my 15-mile long run. however, later that afternoon i did a recovery ride on the b12 down south with kristin around the veloway & the s. mopac loop - while only a 19-mile ride it felt good. i called jack & he told me to hang on to the bike until the following weekend so i could get a real ride on it. that next saturday the weather turned bad & i found myself indoors with t3 on the trainer for 3-hours – again, not how i wanted to spend my time on the b12. the next day, prior to our long run, ed, noah, i got in a 20-mile ride & we spent a little time on bee caves (fast, hilly, & good turns) & the b12 felt awesome! i called jack right away & told him i’d take it.

it took almost a full week until i was able to make some time after work this past wednesday to make it to J&A’s to get my official fit & actually hand over the cash for the b12. jack gave me a great deal on the accessories that i purchased with/for the new ride along with some other additional goodies for both kristin & i.

it took almost 4-months to find the bike that worked for me. never before has buying something involved so much work, yet so full of fun along the way. a BIG thanks to jack & the guys at J&A’s for working with me on this one. i am one happy client & i’ve got one kick ass bike! coeur d’ alene – here i come & i’m coming on a b12!

vegan indian dinner

i really am enjoying all the new vegan/vegetarian meals i've been introduced too. i almost enjoy cooking them as much as i enjoy eating them. when it comes to a vegetarian meal it's all about the freshness of the ingredients & the flavors you can bring out with the spices that you mix in.

kristin has this vegetarian indian dinner down! it's so damn good & spicy! what the heck is it you are wondering? curried tofu with brown basmati rice, & red lentils.

not only does it taste wonderful; it also always fills us both up, there is always enough for lunch the next day, it is super healthy (minus the coconut milk for which we substitute in lite coconut milk to reduce some of the fat content), it is packed with protein, good carbohydrates, & vitamins - all things that we both love. it even presents well in my opinion.

the R8 in town

i assume there aren’t too many audi R8s zooming around town so i feel comfortable referring to the one i saw this morning as “the R8” in town. zia, a good buddy of mine, e-mailed me pics of this dream machine many months ago. i thought for sure the R8 would be one of those cars you only see in high dollar action & sci-fi movies & only once in a blue moon on the actual road.

low & behold i ran past one this morning just 10 blocks from our house. where was it? the R8 was parked on the street right outside austin’s very own & the original kerbey lane cafe. if you are from austin then you know the original kerbey lane restaurant is just a fun loving looking cozy cottage just off 35th street on kerbey lane. the contrast of the R8 with it’s jet black paint & futuristic design in front of the live & loud paint colors used on the cozy cottage was something to see. i wish i would have taken my iPhone with me on my run i could have captured this contrast in design & color with a picture.

austin is such a cool place. isn’t it great that someone who will pay between $109,000 - $118,000 for an automobile like the R8 is still down to earth enough to get his or her breakfast at a place like kerbey lane? heck, for $6 bucks you can get a bottom less cup of fair trade coffee & short stack of kerbey’s famous buttermilk pancakes for less than $6 bucks! i bet this masked person is a graduate of UT’s CS department & is now a game developer who works long hours, makes good money, & can’t get enough of kerbey lane’s pancakes :)

you get what you pay for...

i’ve commented before that kristin & i do the majority of our grocery shopping at whole foods & central market; probably 75% at whole foods & 20% at central market. the other 5% of grocery shopping is done at HEB & just recently we ventured back to costco.

last week i made a quick pit stop at the HEB in the arboretum after a workout & prior to picking up firebowl for dinner. it’s never a good thing to send me into a grocery store for just a few things especially after a good gym workout because i’m super hungry & i start making impulse buys left & right. the normal trip to HEB includes cat litter, cereal, a particular type of oat meal, a particular type of figs & prunes (can get the prunes at costco now), protein shakes (can also get at costco now instead) & a handful of other canned goods & pastas that are the same ones at whole foods & central market but about a 1/3 of the cost.

where i feel the most pain of going to a grocery store like HEB is at the check-out area. lines are long, people look miserable, cashiers are not friendly or very intelligent, the check-out lines are laced with trash magazines & candy crap, & what really got me the other night is their inability to bag your damn grocery somewhat correctly!

my first taxable job was sacking (call it bagging if you want) groceries at a tom thumb page grocery store (same store is called randalls here in austin) in garland. we weren’t called baggers or sackers either – they called us courtesy clerks :) anyhow, i was a damn good courtesy clerk too! we were allowed to accept tips back then & i would pocket $20 bucks on most days. back then it seemed everyone wanted their groceries taken to their vehicle for them – these days i rarely see someone having their groceries carried out for them. i knew who the BIG tippers ($2 bucks) were & i made it a point to take extra special care of those customers. i would tell all the ladies how great their dresses, hair, shoes, etc. look. most of the time i was actually being honest, i wasn’t just saying it to say it. if you look hard, you can find something nice about anyone :)

regardless of what i said or didn’t say i was a damn good bagger. i’d square up the bags whether paper or plastic, frozen foods were bagged with other frozen foods, cold with cold, can goods with can goods, products like soaps, bleach, tooth brushes, etc. were bagged separately. always treat the eggs, breads, chips, etc. with the utmost respect for care. not only was i diligent about my bagging, i was fast.

these kids at HEB are just a mess. they go right to the plastic 90% of the time without even asking what type of bag you prefer. they don’t attempt to talk to you at all – normally they are chatting with the cashier about homework or something, they throw things in the bag in the order they come down the line with no regard for colds, dry goods, chemicals, etc. hell, i go out of my way to put things on the conveyor belt to make things easier for them & still they F it up!

when i walked out of HEB the other night with my groceries one of the bags i was carrying ripped in half & spilled all over the parking lot – talk about me being pissed!

in the end i just shook my head & reminded myself that you get what you pay for.

democrat for a day

i noticed a number of blog posts today from friends who noted that they voted. would anyone actually blog or announce to the world that they didn’t vote? maybe there should be stickers for non-voters - "i'm a slack & did not vote." we are all like little kids walking around with our “i voted” stickers. actually i was sporting one too until it blew off my shirt during my run home from the voting spot i'm assigned to. why was i running home from the voting spot you wonder? well it was freezing this morning in austin – 36 degrees out when i woke up (note: it is supposed to reach 80+ degrees tomorrow – texas weather for ya). anyhow, i was supposed to swim this morning but i couldn’t bare another morning of getting in/out of the pool with weather that chills you to the bone. so instead of swimming i hopped on the trainer for a hour & a half at the house & then i journeyed outdoors for a 30 minute jog in the neighborhood. on my way home from my run i swung by my voting spot (elementary school 3 blocks from our house) to vote for obama. yep, i was the only dude standing in line in my workout clothes – luckily it was still a bit chilly outside so i hadn’t really broke much of a sweat.

it felt good to finally play part in our democratic election system. i’m 30 & admitting to all of you that this is the first time i’ve ever voted. not only was i voting for the first time, i declared myself as a democrat for the first time too. it’s exciting here in texas – it’s been a long time since our vote has mattered. this election is very important for a lot of folks & with the election being so close between clinton & obama our vote will most likely decide who the democratic nominee will be.

in texas we have both a primary & a caucus – sort of confusing & actually a bit frustrating because you have to vote first in the primary & then show up to vote again in the caucus. your vote at the caucus is supposedly the one that really matters for the presidential election. as i approached the desk filled with sweet ole 60-somes i was asked to declare myself as a democrat or republican. i laughed & said (for the first time ever) i suppose i’m a democrat. just like that i was branded. a sticker then spit out of this machine with my name on it & in BIG bold letters above my name read DEMOCRATIC PARTY. wow, just like that & i’m a democrat… all my life i thought i was a conservative republican & now as i vote for the first time in my life i’m a democrat.

i was then handed an invite to tonight’s caucus (see pic) & then directed to head over to the “machine” to place my ballot. i quickly selected obama for president (fingers crossed – no clinton please) & selected “no selection” for all the local positions. i can vote for obama, but to vote for more than one democrat in a day would have just put me over the top :) baby steps right?

brett favre hanging up his cleats

even as a die-hard bears fan i'm sad to see favre go. after 17-years in the NFL (16 years with the green bay packers & 1 year with the atlanta falcons (didn't know he was drafted by atlanta in '91 did ya?)) favre officially announced today (tuesday, march 4th) that he is retiring. for three off seasons now there has been talk of favre retiring. many people, including myself, thought he was crazy for coming back again this past season. then he surprises us all & takes the packers one game shy of the super bowl.

there are not a lot of favre like athletes left in the NFL. the NFL like so many other sporting institutions is being taken over by money & marketing. you've got to have cable now just to watch a monday night game (now on ESPN) or a sunday night game (now on TNT). with the introduction of the NFL network, you'll have to pay even extra to watch your home team on TV.

players bounce from team-to-team every few years chasing the dollar signs. endorsements are out of control too. almost every player dances in the end-zone now. hell i see a guy make a basic tackle & he celebrates like he just won a million dollars (maybe he did - so many contracts are tied to player stats). i miss watching players like walter payton who could score touch down after touch down & be humble about it.

i'll miss watching favre & the class he brought to the game. he's going out on top in my book. he's healthy, he proved that he can still lead a team, & he's leaving on his own terms.

love pizzas begin a new tradition of homemade pizza making

this year kristin & i celebrated our love on valentine's day at home. we opened a really great bottle of pinot noir & made homemade pizzas - to include the whole wheat crust!

kristin's vegetarian pizza: whole wheat crust, pasta sauce, baby spinach, baby bella mushrooms, artichoke hearts, black olives, & mozzarella cheese.

brian's protein packed pizza: whole wheat crust w/ a scoop of plain protein powder, pasta sauce, baby spinach, baby bella mushrooms, artichoke hearts, black olives, mozzarella cheese, & chicken breast.

we enjoyed the home pizza making experience from vday so much that we made pizzas at home again this weekend. during this episode of homemade pizza making we learned that the expiration date on yeast *DOES* matter. after i ran to the store to pick-up new packets of yeast we realized that we couldn't wait another 2-hours to let the dough rise so we opted for a 30-minute dough recipe from allrecipes.com which worked out pretty well.

the pizzas from this weekend looked much better than the attached pic from vday '08. however, i thought it better to share where our pizza making tradition started - we even have a second pizza pan now & a much BIGGER pizza slicer.

green gold

i've blogged a few times now about my new love affair with the food network & i've been raving for months now about all the new veggies i've been enjoying since kristin became a vegetarian. more recently i've been stepping up to the plate (oven) & cooking more for kristin & i. last week i introduced us both to a new tofu & black bean taco recipe that we both fell in love with. i cooked this up last monday & kristin liked it so much that these tofu tacos appeared on the menu two more times later that week :)

i proud to show off my new talents in the kitchen & i find that as long as meat isn't involved i do pretty well. cooking grains & veggies is so much easier than meat in my opinion. a few weeks i made backed some green gold (brussel sprouts) & they were amazing – don’t you think they look awesome? so simple too: break them fresh off the stalk, rinse them, toss them on a cooking pan, drizzle on the olive-oil, shake on some sea-salt, & crack some fresh pepper. toss them in the oven for 45-minutes at 450-degrees remember to shake the pan every 15-minutes so they bake/roast on all sides.

week8 - CDA training in 2008

this was a rough week for numerous reasons. i couldn't seem to get my diet/nutrition under control. i'm hungry all the time so i find myself eating all the time. as a result i was constantly feeling bloated & is if my belly was hanging low during workouts - not a good feeling. i also didn't get outside & ride once this week. i was jazzed about riding saturday morning but the weather went south & i found myself indoors with 20+ other t3ers on trainers for 3 hours. i did a late long run on sunday & again the weather conditions weren't favorable - strong winds & dark clouds along with a lack of food/water prior to the run made those 15-miles absolute hell. i wanted to cash in a number of times but knowing some days are going to be good & some not so good i pushed on through. the one highlight of the week is that my mileage in the water was at its highest so far - 5.25 miles! i'm really having to work my butt off to stay in the t-two lane. i still find myself muscling it more than i need to be & i'm trying to slow it down & really focus on my form.

week8 CDA ‘08
feb25 – mar2

mon
- spin class at pure (1-hour)
- total body weight workout (15-minutes)
- total: 1-hour & 15-minutes
tue
- swim (3400 meters) with t3 (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- spin bike at pure (1-hour)
- run (1.75 miles) on treadmill at pure (15-minutes)
- total: 2-hours & 30-minutes
wed
- run (3 miles) around rosedale (30-minutes)
- elliptical at pure (30-minutes)
- total: 1-hour
thu
- trainer at home (45-minutes)
- spin bike at pure (30-minutes)
- run (3.5 miles) on treadmill at pure (30-minutes)
- swim (3400 meters) with t3 (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- total: 3-hours
fri
- run (7 miles) at townlake with ed (55-minutes)
- total: 55-minutes
sat
- trainer with t3 (3-hours)
- open water swim (1600 meters) at barton springs (30-minutes)
- total: 3-hour & 30-minutes
sun
- run (15.5 miles) at townlake (2-hours & 5-minutes)
- spin bike at pure (30-minutes)
- total: 2-hours & 35-minutes

total training time: 14-hours & 45-minutes
total run: 30.75 miles
total bike: 0 miles road & 6-hours & 45-minutes spin bike/in-door trainer
total swim: 5.25 miles or 8400 meters

week7 - CDA training in 2008

it was nice to have a slow week compared to the hours i put in the previous week - i needed the rest. in the weeks to come i'm really supposed to begin bumping up the weekend miles both on the bike & the run. i'll also be adding some significant brick training to the weekend schedule. this week included my first open water swim & i'm actually looking forward to future swims at barton springs.

week7 CDA ‘08
feb18 – feb24

mon
- elliptical at pure (7.5-minutes)
- pure pump class (total body workout) at pure (1-hour)
- elliptical at pure (7.5-minutes)
- total: 1-hour & 15-minutes
tue
- spin bike at pure (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- run (1.7 miles) on treadmill at pure (15-minutes)
- swim (2600 meters) at pure (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- total: 2-hours & 45-minutes
wed
- hill run (4 miles) + cool down on 46th (45-minutes)
- light weights at home (15-minutes)
- total: 1-hour
thu
- swim (3000+ meters) with t3 (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- spin class at pure (45-minutes)
- spin bike at pure (15-minutes)
- run (2.5 miles) on treadmill at pure (25-minutes)
- total: 2-hours & 40-minutes
fri
- yoga/pilates at pure (1-hour)
- total: 1-hour
sat
- open water swim (2000 meters) at barton springs (45-minutes)
- road bike (45+ miles) the dam loop (2-hours & 25-minutes)
- total: 3-hours & 10-minutes
sun
- road bike (20 miles) from J&As to bee caves & back (1-hour & 5-minutes)
- long run (10 miles) at town lake (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- total: 2-hours & 20-minutes

total training time: 14-hours & 10-minutes
total run: 22.2 miles
total bike: 65+ miles road & 2-hours & 45-minutes spin bike/in-door trainer
total swim: 4.75 miles or 7600 meters

standard presumptive value

have you ever bought or sold a used car & when you go to write up the bill of sale you tell a small fib regarding the actual purchase price of the vehicle to avoid paying a higher tax on the vehicle you just purchased? if it’s something you’ve done before don’t bother trying to do it again in here in the state of texas.

standard presumptive value (SPV) relates to used car buying here in texas. it's a new law that was passed in late 2006 that places a regulation on how your vehicle’s value is determined. rather than going by what is written on the bill of sale for what you paid for the vehicle, state will evaluate your vehicle's value & based on their determination of your vehicle’s value that is the dollar amount for which you will pay in sales tax.

no more “tricking” texas on this one.

fun math

a very easy math question that a lot of relatively smart people get wrong:

a bat & a ball cost $1.10 in total. the bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. how much does the ball cost?

a. $1.10
b. $0.10
c. $0.05
d. $1.00
e. $0.15

hint: the answer is not b.

is there such a thing as a healthy holiday?

a couple weeks ago after a long run i was listening to a news article about paczki’s day (a polish holiday celebrated on the thursday (“fat thursday”) prior to lent) & i began to ask myself whether there was a single holiday that i would associate with good healthy eating. the tradition of paczki day is to use up all the forbidden food ingredients (lard, sugar, eggs, & fruit) that are in the house prior to lent & the result is the paczki.

a paczki is basically what we americans call donuts – they are deep fried donuts that are filled with either a sweet jam or pastry cream. a jam filled paczki on average is 450 calories with 25 grams of fat & a pastry cream filled paczki packs up to 650 calories with 30+ grams of fat. here i had just finished a 12 mile run & was recovering with a cup of coffee & large bowl of oatmeal & i was listening to these people talk about eating between 3 – 12 paczkis in a single sitting. the news article was describing how folks will line up for blocks outside bakeries in cities like detroit, chicago, & milwaukee waiting to get their hands on some paczkis.

i started rattling through the various holidays we celebrate here the US & i began pairing them up with the most common foods associated with holiday…

valentine’s day: chocolate & more chocolate

st. patricks: beer & potatoes

easter: baskets filled with candy & chocolate to include the infamous cadbury crème egg

the 4th of july: hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ, ice cream, & pies

halloween: baskets (grocery bags) even larger than those used for easter filled with hard candies, chocolate bars, & sugary other goodies

thanksgiving: excessively large meal followed by pumpkin, apple, & pecan pies

christmas: egg nog & cookies, an excessively large meal very similar to thanksgiving followed by more pies, homemade candies, & things like peanut brittle

& then there is new years! new year’s day is famous for folks eating lots of healthy blacked-eyed peas. the blacked-eyed pea of course is associated with good luck & fortune & while the majority of people aren’t fans of the blacked-eyed pea they’ll at least eat them on this day. so if you tell folks their luck will change for the better then maybe they’ll put down the cookie & pies for a day & go for something better.

is it true that new year’s day is the only holiday associated with eating food that is good for you? i suppose it makes since that the most popular day for people going on a diet, starting to workout, giving up cigarettes, etc. should be associated with good food. of course two months later (feb – valentine’s day) the diet is over & these same people are now enjoying decadent chocolates & the following month (mar – st. patrick’s day) these same people can drown their sorrows & unachieved diets with beer & potatoes :).

ironman training interferes with weekend tradition

when preparing for an ironman (especially your first ironman) it’s easy to let the ironman consume so many aspects of your life. when you aren’t training, you are preparing to train. you’ve got to plan your workouts, track your progress, prepare water bottles & nutrition for each workout, pack gym bags, eat right, get to bed early, etc. weekday (mon – fri) training depending on which phase of your training schedule you are in consists of 1 – 3 hours daily. it is those weekend training days when the hours really add up & we refer to these workouts as our “key” workouts.

during these key workouts we are supposed to be ready to perform at our best so it’s imperative that we don’t overdue it during the week. the weekends are our opportunity to log both the long miles & time. we begin to introduce some serious brick (swim + bike or bike + run) workouts into these workouts too. these workouts closely resemble the actual mileage that we’ll have to put in on race day. so for an ironman we are talking 100+ mile bike rides & 20+ mile runs. while we don’t move slow, we don’t hit these workouts at race pace either which means that many of these workouts will consume 6 – 8 hours of our day. since this season’s training has begun i’ve begun to wonder – where did my weekends go?

t3, the training group i’m with, schedules our long rides on saturday & our long runs on sunday. this weekend’s schedule included a 65 mile ride followed by a 30 minute run on saturday & a 15 mile run on sunday followed by a 1 – 2 hour “recovery” ride. we normally kick these workouts off first thing in the morning so we are done by mid afternoon. we of course spend the rest of our day recovering from that morning’s workout & preparing for the next day’s workout – sounds fun huh?

for the past two sundays i’ve been fighting back! while it’s great to meet up with the group prior to each workout i often find myself running by myself at my own pace on long run days so beyond the initial meet up i don’t get much from the group. as a result i’ve taken my sunday morning’s back!

for the past 4 – 5 years kristin & i have gotten into a groove on sunday morning’s. they are our special little time to spend relaxing with one another & enjoying the simplicity of things. we’d wake up around 7:30 AM (what used to seem early to both of us – not early anymore) & make a BIG pot of coffee. when it is cold outside we will bundle up with blankets & when the weather is nice we open the doors & windows & listen to the sweet morning sounds. we’ll go through waves of making the same breakfast dishes weeks on end until we get bored with it & then we’ll repeat this cycle until we begin to get bored with the next meal. some of the longest running dishes included ham, cheese, & mushroom omelets (no ham anymore since kristin is now a vegetarian), whole wheat pancakes, buckwheat buttermilk waffles with peanut butter, even plain ole’ cereal had its run, & now oatmeal is king. by 8:00 AM we’’ll sit down together with our cups of coffee & breakfast & watch the CBS sunday morning show with charles osgood. the sound of that morning trumpet from abblasen makes me smile from cheek to cheek. CBS sunday morning is such a simple show – mostly just good hearted news with some interesting & fun facts along the way. when the show concluded an hour & a half later (9:30 AM) with nothing but a scene of nature from somewhere beautiful in this world kristin & i were relaxed & looking forward for tackling those remaining weekend to-dos.

since ironman training & beginning to bike in general i’ve missed a many of sunday morning’s with kristin. i am happy that today i was able to steal back another sunday morning during this ironman training & now that i’m up between 5:30 / 6:00 AM i am beginning to enjoy the texas hill country reporter show that comes on just prior to CBS sunday morning. if you were to ask me what i’m going to enjoy most about not training for an ironman i’m positive i’ll tell you that it’s having my sunday morning’s back with kristin, our BIG cups of coffee, our ritual breakfast meals, & what our friends call our “old people” TV show.