Bier en modder

Thinking of Val Kilmer. Go back before Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. Back before The Island of Dr. Moreau. Keep going past his mid-90’s peak of Heat, Batman Forever, True Romance and The Doors. And step over Top Gun and Real Genius. It brings you to Top Secret!

There was a character in it, Latrine, who was part of the French Resistance. Latrine always burst into the scene severely wounded from one thing or another, covered in bloody bandages. Someone yelled out “Latrine!”.

This is what my week felt like.

Cut the back yard Sunday. We’ve got an old apple tree in the back yard which used to be very nicely pruned before we bought the place. We don’t know enough about pruning so we’ve let it go a bit too long. Being tall I need to crouch down real low to get around it. It’s a rare landscaping day in the backyard when I don’t drop an f-bomb about that tree.

So this week I’m picking up the dropped fruit and stood up too fast. I took a sharp 2″ thick branch point that was pruned years ago right in the back, just below the scapula. Dropped me like a rock. I don’t recall seeing that branch before but there it was. The aftermath is that there’s pretty sharp pain when I pull back…like on handlebars for example.

Yesterday I’m at home in the kitchen after work putting stuff away and getting ready to prep dinner (oven-fried chicken). Got the recipe book out of the cabinet and I’m leaning over my backpack. Again, I stood up fast…right into the cabinet door. Within a few seconds I feel blood dripping through my hair and down my head. WTF. 5 minutes later I get the bleeding to stop but there’s a nasty 1 inch gash on the top of my head covering a big lump.

Still hurts like hell.

I swear I’m more of a menace to myself than anything else in this world.

What else…

In between maiming myself, I see that the ‘cross forum is slowly starting to warm up. There’s discussion of modifying the schedule. I haven’t chimed in yet but I’d rather see the races a little earlier in the day. With a 2:30 or 3 pm race, I figure to get done by 4 and home by 5-ish. Doesn’t give much time to help with dinner and the kids. Plus the A race is a couple hours removed from the kiddie cross, which both my kids really like. I’m not sure how the logistics of having them participate will work out yet.

Been getting adding VO2 interval work in to my workouts. Did 5×5′ this morning through the cemetery. It’s just about 6 minutes top to bottom so the length works out just fine. First few were ok. Last 2 started to get very, very uncomfortable.

As I was coasting down to start one of the last couple reps, a glorious revelation came over me. Cross is almost here. It’s tough to fathom with temperatures flirting with triple digits this week, but it’s coming. And putting it very bluntly, you can’t go fast unless you put this sort of time in.

I’ve transgressed through the 5 stages of interval training over the past month or so:

1. Denial - “I feel fine. All I need to do is straight lactate threshold work. I don’t need to go anaerobic during a race”
2. Anger - “This is bullshit. I f-ing hate intervals. They suck. They’re uncomfortable. F.U. I don’t need ‘cross.”
3. Bargaining - “How about I start easy. Maybe one interval this week. Add one more next week. I’ll be at peak form in no time at all…like January. Do you think anyone will notice if I sandbag in the B’s?”
4. Depression - “Is it rest week yet? I need a break. I’m so tired.”
5. Acceptance - “It’s time to get ready. Pain and suffering are what this race is all about. I am going to be ready for whatever this season throws at me”

Yep. It’s close. You can feel it.

Not much to say about riding today.  It’s not that I’m not riding - I am…plenty - but there’s nothing tremendously exciting about 20′ intervals.  So we’ll just leave it at that.

What is exciting, at least right now, is harvesting veggies and getting the garden ready for the fall and winter.  Having been in our current house for a couple years and gotten used to the space I have (5 raised beds), I’ve finally settled on a nice rotation for each of the beds.  I’ve got a sense for what the family likes and how fast (or not) we go through things.

I think putting a little more effort this year than most came about during the early summer when I saw how exorbitant food prices were getting.  So if a couple hours a week is all it takes to harvest a reasonably steady supply of organic food year round, I’m ok with that.  Plus, it’s just good old fun to play around in the dirt.

This year’s late spring threw a lot of people off, myself included.  I’m not expecting a lot out of the heat lovers this year - cukes, tomatoes, peppers, etc.  Part of it was the weather.  The other part was the 6 truly naughty chickens we have.  It is utterly amazing to watch the speed at which they can shred a small patch of foliage if left unattended for 5 minutes.

So between them and our cat who continually likes to shit in the raised beds - I swear we were close to roast chicken with spicy cat sauce - I had a rough start this spring.  I’ve since fully caged the chickens.  I also place 2′ x 4′ wire fence segments over the little amount of bare earth where I put seeds down.  For the most part, I manage to keep the beds covered with a cover crop when they’re not in use.

Anyway, most stuff has recovered and we’ve had no shortage of lettuce so far this year.  The fall plantings are in full swing; cauliflower, walla wallas, kale, chard, lettuce, carrots and spinach.  I’m still learning how to plant seed in the heat of the summer so coverage is a bit spotty.  Should still be fine though.  Plus, I have slugs.  Slugs!  From what I’ve read, they’re likely hiding in the lettuce bed and are able to move around on the soil that I keep moist for the seedlings.  The bulbs, garlic and shallots, and winter cover crops will be later in Sept. and Oct.  Very exciting.

Light rain overnight.  Not bad.   The garden could always use a little extra help.  Got up early to get the Lemond ready to ride over the next few weeks while I overhaul & tune the cross bike.  That should be done by September - just in time to start adding little off-road rides to the training plan.  I like the Lemond but quickly forgot how cramped I am on it.

Just some fun commuting antics on the way to work.  Rolled up to the Hawthorne Bridge where the barricades were down and the traffic was backed up to Grand.  As I got to the bridge deck, a few commuters were heading the other way.  I saw that the bridge was still down and that a barge was backing away from the bridge.

Based on the angle they were at, I’m assuming they came in too sharp to make it through the opening.  Looked like it was the Revenge of the Worcester Speedball (a joint & a coffee with a shot of espresso in it).  That’s a terrible assumption.  And probably dead wrong.  Screw it, I’m going to run with it anyway.

So I turned around and did a quick sprint over to the Morrison Bridge which (wisely) didn’t lower it’s gates yet.  Got up and over.  By now the barge backed itself up to the I-5 overpass.  I thought I could barely make out a “Student Driver” sign on the barge.  Maybe not.

Made my way back to Main.  By the time I did that, the gates were still down and traffic was still parked.  It was pretty sweet to have Main all to myself.

Whew.

Yesterday was a shitty day.  Today - armed with new coffee and a fresh batch of granola - I’m ready to finish out the week…hopefully in one piece.  Short but hard 5×5′x5′ intervals today.  2×18′x6′ tomorrow morning.  Saturday off.  2-3 hour ride out Dirty 30 to Logie Trail & back on Skyline early Sunday am.

The week hasn’t started all that well.   I spent a little time Monday and Tuesday trying to coax the powertap back to life. Turns out it wasn’t the battery - although I replaced it anyway.  So I replaced the hub and chest strap batteries since it didn’t seem to be able to pick up a signal.  Nope.  Nada.

Called Saris and spoke with tech support;

“You do this?”
“Yep.”
“How about this…?”
“Yep”
“Well, did you see this on the screen”
“Yep”
“Hmmm, you have another powertap handy that you can check the signal against”
Yes, of course, I have them coming out of my ass, “Um, No, I don’t”
“Well, that doesn’t sound good.  We’ll need to look at both the hub and the head unit. Go ahead and send it back to us”

So that’s where we’re at.  It’s not the end of the world.  My bike is good.  I’m healthy.  Everyone’s doing well.  It’s all good.  I was, however, really enjoying using it and was thinking about covering up the unit’s power readout with black tape to avoid getting analysis paralysis during rides.  Ultimately, it comes down to how you feel when you’re riding.  I’ve been riding long enough to know that I’m pushing as hard as I can on a 20 minute interval.  I don’t need to know how much power I’m putting out to feel that.  So it’s on it’s way back to Wisconsin.

What else.

Called Merrill Lynch to get an old rollover IRA transfered to my regular one.  30 minutes and 4 transfers later, I was told that I couldn’t.  Apparently the address change I submitted 2 years ago never got entered.  So they were getting statements bounced back from my old address and subsequently put my account on hold.  It now needs to be reactivated before they can do anything.  I hate Merrill Lynch.

I’m on a roll now.

You know, I’ve been slowly coming to an uncomfortable conclusion that I really, really, really dislike other bike commuters.  It’s been building for some time now and I think this summer it’s coming to a head.  We hear commonly that drivers feel that most cyclists ignore the rules of the road.  In my opinion, I think that’s a pretty fair statement.  The shit that I see people do on bikes - day in and day out - sometimes defies logic and explanation.

I think the Portland area drivers have been becoming adjusted to bikes on the road for some time now.  We belong.  And while it’s not the same everywhere, I see and hear less of cyclists getting swerved at or honked at & told to get off the road.  Again, this is not a universal statement but it’s just what I see when and where I ride (east side, west hills, Clackamas Co).  Your mileage, especially in the ‘burbs or up in Vancooter, may vary.

But…I do see and hear far more anger and tension from drivers from people on bikes doing dumb shit.  Blowing lights & stop signs.  Swerving in and out of traffic.  Crap like that.  And while I try not to let it bother me, sometimes it does.  The drivers that I rely on to give me a little extra space or consideration is starting to feel they no longer want to anymore.  In some cases, it’s getting hostile.

I’m probably in the minority where I follow all the rules of the road.  Really.  I don’t clip out & foot down but I do stop & track stand for a split second before moving on even when no one’s around.  I’m even more anal when I have my team kit on.  Doesn’t cost any time but I do know that more often than not, it gets me waved through by any other cars in the area.  I guess I just don’t understand why it’s so hard to just…stop.

I’m not really sure where I’m headed with this although I could write about it for hours.  I certainly don’t have a solution.  I wish I did.  Education?  Stricter enforcement with steeper fines?  I don’t really know.

Whew.  Moving on to the little stuff…

It’s hot.  And being the delicate flower that I am, it’s a little rough on me.  Enough of this 90’s shit.  Gimmie 60’s and 70’s and I’ll be happy.  I don’t like hot.

All of my taps at home are dry.  I need to put a call in to Belmont Station to see what they have.  Aside from the “Pssssst” of a flat tire, there are fewer depressing sounds I know of than a sputtering blown keg.

Lastly, I’m out of coffee here at work.  Great.  I can’t believe it’s only Wednesday.  I gotta go.

Had a decent weekend.  Spent Saturday out on Sauvies Island.  Not riding but berry picking and hanging out on Rachel’s dad’s boat.  Pretty nice, low-key sort of day.

Sunday was OUCH.  Got myself and the bike ready and headed out to Corbett.  I must have done may math all wrong because I figured out a little too late that I was running behind.
As a side note, tt’s a small goal of mine to make sure that I get a decent warm-up in before races this year.  I had a nice 40′ set all ready to go:

• 15′ easy spin
• 10′ gradual build from tempo to TT pace
• 3′ easy spin
• 5′ at TT pace
• 3′ easy spin
• 1′ hard, high cadence
• 2′ easy spin.

My start time was at 33:00.  I found myself sitting in the porta-potties when the first rider went off.  Crap (literally).  I need to get moving.

Jog back to the car.  Do some quick math to cut the warm up short a bit and start spinning.  This doesn’t feel good.  It was a little chilly but after the first 10 minutes, the sweat was starting to run and things were improving.  I stopped the warm-up at 26 minutes in, figuring I had a 2 or 3 minutes to get over there.

Mmmmm, nope.  I got over there at 36:30.  So they just sent me off.

I don’t do many time trials but from my understanding a big part of doing them well is avoiding the temptation to go out too hard, too fast.  I had a decent idea of where I’d set my power at for the full hour or so.  So I got in that range and just set to work.

There’s not really all that much that’s exciting about time trials.  You ride hard until you cross the line.  And for OUCH, you go up.  And up.  And up.

About 2/3 of the way through, the batteries on the head unit went out.  By then I was about 40 minutes into the race so I knew what level of effort it would take to finish out.  Plus, I thought, it’s never a bad idea to just unplug once in a while.

Since I started 4 minutes late, I was out of the range of the 4/5 group and solidly in the middle of the 3’s and the 1/2’s.  I passed a couple 3’s pretty early on and got passed by a 1/2 shortly after that.  The rest of the race was fairly quiet.

Finished up at the top and kind of spun around.  I felt decent.  Exhausted but not totally spent.  Checked the time: around 1:11, which I’m assuming included the 4′ dipshit penalty I assessed myself.  so realistically I finished the climb around 1:07. Pretty good.

As a side, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why more ‘crossers aren’t in this race.  It’s an hour long at just at or over your threshold.  It’s uphill so there’s a little more muscular strength involved as opposed to just tucking in and spinning.  If nothing else, it helped set my 60 minute threshold power in a race environment.

Not much else to say about the race.  I downloaded what was left of my data and have adjusted my workout ranges for the next few weeks.  I’d like to get 1 or 2 PIRs in before they shut down for the year.  This week is a little busy but hopefully next Mon. or Tues.  We’ll see.