The random thought bursts from a heavyset guy trying to reduce his load by training for triathlons. Plus, other tidbits of free floating whirling shiny musings will be sprinkled throughout.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas!
It was a great Christmas morning and I loved watching my nieces open their gifts. I received some excellent gifts (thanks everyone) too. Plus the view of the pond is nice while drinking coffee. Merry Christmas everyone!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Halloween Oreos
What the?!?!?! It was too late, I was caught in the neon glow of sugary goodness. Delicious Oreos with neon ORANGE cream filling.
I love things that are orange. I love delicious chocolatey Oreos. Combining the two creates something that I could not walk away from. I had to let a package jump into my cart and join me in the car ride home. I was able to ignore the siren song of the fantastic treats last night. I thought about inviting people over so that I wouldn't be tempted to eat the whole pack on my own. I almost did it but the thought of giving away such treasures was too much to bear. I resigned myself to the knowledge that it is me against the black and orange temptresses in their little plastic house. The key is to
Monday, August 1, 2011
WAM300 teaser post
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Knee update
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Mountain biking
Knee is a little swollen |
Thankfully I was in the back so nobody saw it and I didn't get run over. As I lay there for a minute I was thinking that going mountain biking a week before I am headed to Michigan to ride 300 miles over 3 days might not have been the best idea. The knee hurt for awhile but we finished riding the blue trail and then the green trail again as a cool down. I did much better on the green trail the 2nd time around and really enjoyed myself. I am definitely going to be doing more mountain biking in the future. Now I am watching my knee and hoping it will be back to normal by next Friday. It is a little swollen and sore right now.
It gets dirty mountain biking. |
Have you been mountain biking? What was your first fall?
Monday, June 27, 2011
Side stitches
Yesterday had to be the suckiest ride I have had all year long. I had mapped out a new route from my house that got me to 50 miles and was excited to try it out. I then foolishly slept in and Sunday morning and was either going to have to ride in the heat of the day or what until the end of the day. I chose the end of the day when it cooled off a little bit. This allowed me to get things done around the house which was nice. At 5pm I decided it was time to get out there and try this new route out. It was an out and back with a loop on it. The nice thing about the loop is that I can add more miles if I want by just going back around the loop. The 50 mile plan had me going around the loop twice. This is the first time in a looong time that I didn't have my Garmin FR60 with me as it has been sent back to Garmin due to water under the face which took out most of the screen. Thankfully they are fixing it free of charge but it sucks not having data. I used my Cat Eye cycling computer to keep track of things but it just isn't the same. I was using my new Mavic Tri Race cycling shoes (1st time) and realized a few miles down the road that the cleat on the right shoe need to be adjusted slightly. It was putting my foot in a weird position which was causing discomfort. I stopped at mile 4 and loosened the shoe which helped a lot but by then the right foot just wasn't happy. Don't get me wrong I love the shoes; I just should have had tools in my bag or used a much shorter ride to shake them out. The biggest issue was side cramps or stitches or whatever you want to call it. It started about mile 3 on the right side and showed up on the left side about a mile later. I wish I knew what brought it on but I don't. All I can tell you is that it got worse and worse as the ride went on. By mile 20 it was really beating me up and the more I pedaled the worse it hurt. I would have to pedal hard and then when it hurt to breathe I coasted until it eased up enough to get back to it. Those last 10 miles where much slower than I would have wanted and I was feeling totally drained by the whole thing. I was hoping to try for another 20 miles but my body had let me know it wasn't having anymore without upping the pain. I decided to shut it down and head home. It was mix feeling kind of thing. I hated not doing the goal of 50 miles but felt good that I had pushed through the pain for 26 miles. It took a little over an hour before the effects of the cramping went away. I am going to do some research on this to try and figure out how to avoid it in the future. I have a feeling that my lack of core workouts recently may play a factor.
Has anyone else had side cramp issues on the bike or run that they were able to resolve? How did you resolve it?
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Training recap
Monday: Rest Day
Tuesday: Run 35 minutes - my "run" is still very rough. My cardio is in serious need of improvement.
Wednesday: Swim 1000 meters
Warm up: 100m
Sighting drill: 4 x 50 m (w/ 30 sec rest)
Freestyle swim: 3 x 200m (w/ 45 sec rest)
Cool down: 100m
Thursday: Weight training: 80 min
Brick -Bike 1 hour (20 miles); Run 13 min (1 mile)
Friday: Night Out
Saturday: Bike 25 miles 1:40 (first real group ride)
Sunday: Swim 1400 m
Warm up: 200m
Flutter kick drills: 4 x 50m (30 sec rest)
Freestyle swim: 2 x 200m (1 min rest)
Fartlek swim: 400 meters (50 hard, 50easy)
Cool down: 200m
OK, so Friday was supposed to be a run day but I didn't wake up early and then work got crazy and I had to meet people out that night to see the band Live so it was sacrificed. All I hear in my head when I don't workout in the morning is a quote I saw on Sweaty Emily's page that said "I never regret a morning workout but I regret every morning I don’t workout." I head my head in shame now.
This is a new week and today is a rest day which for the first time has made me feel antsy. I have a lot of mile to catch up on for #500MIJ and I wanted to do something but I am sticking to the plan and following the rest days.
One last thing, I am in need of donations for the LIVESTRONG Davis event on July 10th. Anything you can give will be greatly appreciated and goes to a good cause. Plus it allows me to ride a 70 mile cycling event with Team Fatty! Thanks for your help.
http://davis2011.livestrong.org/squirrelhead
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Feeling good again
Sunday I meet up with a friend so that we could do the 100 Miles of Nowhere ride that Fatty puts on every year. We had never actually ridden 100 miles so it was a good opportunity to see what it was all about and if we could even do it. The goal is obviously to ride 100 miles in one day but the trick is to find a short loop to do it on or to ride it on a trainer. Basically you should feel like you are going nowhere for a very very very long time. We started out at 10am (I realized later that we should have started much earlier) and rode the 1.5 mile loop. We took a break at 25 miles to refill water bottles and visit the nutrition table.
What? I like to have options. |
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Another day....
Want to join the 500 miles in June? You know you want to join in all the fun. It trends as #500MIJ on Twitter.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Birthday week!
The place is still full of boxes. Right now I am more concerned with spending time with my nieces than I am unpacking boxes. I am going to miss those sweet little monkeys. I was over at their house today to help my brother in-law get a few things done. I ended up watching the girls so they could swim in the pool. Of course I didn't even think to bring my suit so I couldn't get in the water with them. I had to settle with sitting on the side trying to keep myself in whatever shade I could find. Near the end of it I thought I was going to melt. It was worth it to watch them have so much fun.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
New Gym!
Since it also has a ton of classes as part of the deal, I think I will finally take a spin class. I have heard a lot of people talking about how great the spin classes are and how much they kick your butt. I think I am finally ready to step up and take a spin class beating. If it will make me a better cyclist I will take the pain. I went to the gym tonight so that they could get a baseline for me. That was pretty interesting for me to see where I am now. There is still a lot of room for improvement but it was nice to see that I have made some good progress on my goals. Plus now I have something to measure against as I continue forward.
How tough is the spin class in the beginning?
Friday, May 13, 2011
Back to it
: as I types that the lights went off. I guess I need to move around more) I feel like I am relatively settled into to the new place. Don't be crazy and think everything is unpacked, setup, and tidy because it isn't. But I do feel like I know where my basic necessities are and I can function again. So far only 1 plate, 1 shot glass, and 1 vase has broken. Not too bad I guess. I found a nice 20 mile cycling route up to the lake that I am going to try out this weekend. It should be just what I need to kick off the return to workout tour. I an finally over the sickness that plagued me for a month so it is time. My workout partner has finally returned from 3 weeks of work travel and he is in need of getting back on the workout train as well. Plus hr just got a bee bike so I know he is ready to do some pedaling.
I also need to get to the grocery store so I can start eating right again. I have been craving some green smoothies thanks to Frayed Laces

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
So many boxes!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Moving time!
A little glimpse into the awesomeness that is me before I go. One of the fun bonding events they did this weekend was a pit crew challenge. Each team had 5 people. One guy handles the jack two have the airguns and two handle the tires. It was a very interesting to learn the different jobs and then actually run through it. I was on the winning team that set the all time record of 54 seconds. That is pretty fast to change 4 tires. Or so I thought before they let us know that a NASCAR team does it in 14 seconds. Really?!?! 14 seconds is crazy fast. I have no idea how they pull that off at all. Anyway, I got a sweet trophy for my kickass performance. Oh yeah, that's right. Of course I should have been given a 6 foot tall monster trophy for keeping away from desserts like this chocolate cake.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
A long work week ahead
Doesn't everyone have their bike on a trainer in their hotel room? I would love to go ride outside but I can't be gone from the hotel that long just in case one of the big boys needs anything. It isn't all bad though. They feed you well and make sure there is plenty of wine in the evenings.
There are also these geese that have decided that one of the planters on the balcony is their private clubhouse. If you go out on their side of the patio they honk and hiss at you until you go back to the other side of the patio. It is pretty funny to watch.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
3 Things Thursday
1. My newest niece is the cutest thing in the world. How awesome is her little sock monkey hat? I am actually a little jealous of it. All of my 7 nieces are beautiful sweet (most of the time) girls. My nephew is a wild little maniac that I also love.
2. There is something about luchadores that is awesome!! On a trip to San Antonio I bought myself a luchador mask. I break it out when I am feeling goofy or it is battle time. I think I would like to run a race in it sometime this year. I will add that to the must do list! Who is with me?
3. I really really really really miss my trips to Paris. That was the best thing about my old job. I was able to travel to Europe a ton! I would hot Paris at least 5 times a year, not to mention London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Amsterdam, and Stockholm. The picture above was from a spring picnic in the Gardens of Versailles. Great friends, food, and best of all WINE! The greatest thing was that my friend Shana Banana lives in Paris so I always got to see Paris from a locals view. She is a great friend that I totally miss and always makes the perfect bite.
I have a sprint triathlon on Sunday. We will see how much I can improve my time from the race I did at the end of March. Then I will analyze my performance, realize I need to train harder and push hard to be stronger and faster for my June sprint triathlon.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Longhorn!
Monday, April 18, 2011
No more excuses
Training fail this weekend.
What do you do about training when you are sick? Do you slow down at all or just continue training like nothing is happening?
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Training sick
Some great news to report today! My application on a rental house was accepted and I will be moving closer to Charlotte in May. I am currently out in the boonies where not very much happens. The new place is 10-15 minutes from the center of Charlotte and right in the middle of where all the tri clubs like to do groups rides and runs. Plus there is a gym close by with 2 indoor pools so I can swim before work now. WOOHOO!!
Do you ride your bike in the dark? If so, what do you recommend for a light?
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Phlegmville
Monday, April 4, 2011
Slacking
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Crazy thoughts of running
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Snowboarding in WV
The next day I was a little slow but we got things worked out and had tickets and rentals (for those that needed it) ready to go by 10:30 or so. The first day of boarding for me was a lot of shaking off the rust and remembering what I was supposed to be doing. It was cold, snowing and WINDY! By the end of the day I was pretty fluid and having fun. Then it was another night of great friends, great food, many beverages, hot tub, and funny antics. The second day of boarding I went out with the boys and we had a great day making all the different runs on the hill. It was warmer on this day which was nice because the hill wasn't all ice. It was a little slushy but I just called it east coast power and had a blast. The final night of great food, drinks, hot tub and playing pool. Daylight savings throws a monkey wrench into the works when you stay up until 4:30am and have to be up early (an hour earlier than early thanks to DST) to check out of the house. Thankfully I am quick to get moving and had the car ready to go in no time. I said my goodbyes to my great friends and headed home. Thankfully I could use the GPS this time and it showed me all the big highways home. I had forgotten how much I liked to snowboard.
A huge thanks to Kels for setting everything up!
Congratulations again to Malc and T on their engagement. That was awesome news!
PS If you are interested in an AWESOME giveaway you need to check out And I ran...WHY?: Spring Break & a Giveaway! She has some fantastic things in her giveaway package like candy, GU, socks, and sweet tunes.
Monday, March 7, 2011
ABCs
A~Age: 38. My 39th is just a few months away. Yay for CAKE!
B~ Bed Size: Queen bed. I like to stretch out and have plenty of space.
C~Chore you hate: cleaning the bathroom.
D~Dogs: 2 crazy beagles that love to drive me crazy.
E~Essential Start your Day Item: A shower. I wake up under the streaming water.
F~Favorite Color: Orange.
G~Gold or Silver: uh....I'm not a big jewelry person but I would go silver.
H~Height: 6'3"
I~Instruments you play: I played the baritone when I was in middle school.
J~Job Title: Senior IT Analyst. You have to love vague titles.
K~Kids: No kids at this time.
L~Live: Charlotte NC.
M~Mom’s Name: Mom....duh
N~Nicknames: Clearly that would be Squirrelhead.
O~Overnight Hospital Stays: Oh so many overnight stays. Several hernia surgeries including a diaphramatic hernia and a jaw surgery.
P~Pet Peeve: unreasonable people
R~Right or Left Handed: Right handed
S~Siblings: Three sisters. One older and two younger.
T~Time you wake up: Usually I wake up about 7am but I am trying to change that to 5:30am so I can workout in the morning.
U~Underwear: Yes nosey I do wear underwear. I wear boxers and boxer briefs for workouts.
V~Vegetable you Dislike: I always seem to have issues with eggplant.
W~What Makes You Late: I think that is just me and my love of sleeping.
X~X-rays You’ve had Done: teeth, jaw (a lot of extra hardware), knee, elbow, abdomen, ankle. It is kind of scary when it's all written out like this.
Y~Yummy Food you Make: I make all kinds of good food. Recently I made a fruit tart that turned out really well.
Z~Zoo Animal Favorite: The monkeys are my favorite. They remind me of me and my friends.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Wiped out!
Side note: I got a new mountain bike thanks to my company. Thanks company!