Getting Close ,,,,,,,,,,,,

The weekend and my ride time! My massive training week is fast approaching and I am making plans. Maps have been glanced at and routes thought about. I tend to be the type to "kinda" make a plan. Most times I decide which way to go within the first mile. That's one of the reasons I like to ride alone. I like to get lost once in awhile.

Plus I truly feel like a kid when I make turns and go a brand new direction I have never been. When I was a kid and had the paper route I would deliver the weekend paper and be done by 6am. Of course being a kid I was up for the day, so off I would go. I would explore all over the city!

Mom and dad had no clue where I went. I used to ride all over the campus for the college, I would sneak in the football stadium and go downtown to the arena. No wonder the Kentucky Wildcats are my favorite team! I used to sneak in and watch them practice when I was a kid. I wonder if you could do that now..

Anyhow I look forward to getting lost in Asheville! That's what vacations are for, to make you feel like a kid again! I swear I dread growing up, it's gonna suck!!!!

It Came It Went,,, Again.............

Yesterday, we were wide open here at work! The day came and went  before I even knew what hit. It's gonna be a long summer! I can see it already, again not complaining but damn we are busy....

Yes we had the big game Monday night and no it didn't end quit the what I had hoped but at least we where there! Next year will be different! At least I hope so anyway....

Then yesterday when I got home I headed out the door as soon as I could. I got in a solid 2 hour ride and I enjoyed every minute of it. It's nice to see results once in a while. It seems I am getting stronger, I am hitting hills and carrying my speed really well right now. I have my trip to the mountains coming up and I plan to get in a good week of training. I hope if I can put in a solid week in the hills it should carry me well into May.

I hope it will help me with my first "race" of the year, it's about 4 weeks away so I am trying to peak at just the right time. I know that sounds kinda funny but at least I am trying to be ready. I plan to take both the mountain and road bike with me to Asheville. Plus a few hiking trips and I should come home ready to roll. It's gonna be a good summer..

Besides that life is rolling right along..........

It Came It Went ,,,,,,,,,,,,,

That's about how my weekend went. Saturday we had a planned outing, Karen changed departments at work and all her "old" co-workers wanted to give a going away party type deal. We meet at a winery over on Albemarle and had a good afternoon.

We hung out for a few hours and had a wine tasting and they all got to spend time chatting. By the time we left I had too much wine in me to try a ride so that was out. We came home and I took a nap, then the basketball started. I spent the afternoon watching the final four and my Kentucky Wildcats making the championship game!

It's tonight! I even woke up this morning to amped up to sleep. It's been an up and down year for us, they started the season ranked number 1 and finished barely making the NCAA tournament. Nobody expected them to still be playing this late in the year much less playing for the championship!!

Except me! We did a pool here at work and when I filled it out I picked my team to go all the way! Everybody laughed and said I was crazy. To me, how can you not pick your team. All these Carolina fans I work with didn't pick their own team to do very much. They were right, but still you got to stick with your team! I did and here we are!!!

                                              Go Kentucky!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did try to ride yesterday but I just wasn't feeling it. I did a 10 mile loop and came straight home.. Some days it just isn't meant to be.....

Slow Day ,,,,,,,,,,,,,

After the excitement the night before I decided to keep things simple last night. Meaning I never mentioned the street bike or Cody getting his motorcycle license. Instead I rode my bicycle, and I enjoyed it too. That made a perfect evening!

Except for the wind and the smell of shit it was a good ride! I had to keep an eye out over my shoulder for the next fertilizer truck but it's that time of year. Living in the country you get used to it, it's part of spring. I tend to look at it as a good sign instead of fussing about it.

I came to work this morning and a few people where fussing about the smell, I just laughed! As I said you have to keep your eye kinda peeled over your shoulder, if you see a farmer coming with a spreader truck you better ease on over far enough he has to slow way down! You don't want to get sucked up in the cloud he has behind him! Believe me I have been there... It ain't fun..

There have been times I had to come home and take a shower as soon as I came in the door. It sucks if one comes by at 45 and your all sweaty and he doesn't slow down. LOL...... Been there done that. Believe me I was looking back as much as forward. At least you can kinda tell by the sound the flotation tires make. That's your first clue it's time to get wide..

With that in mind I hope the rain holds of tomorrow. I don't really have any plans but I plan to ride and that's good enough for me. Have a nice weekend.............

The One Rule !!!!!!!!!

And my favorite rule! "It's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask permission". With that thought in mind I let the kid take his first solo street bike ride.

                                    I damn near had to sleep in the camper last night!

She was cleaning the inside of her car and wasn't paying us any attention and I had rolled it out in the yard. Cody has long since wanted to ride a street bike and we have talked about it a few times but nothing has come of it. Usually mom speaks up and that's it.

Well yesterday I said OK, I let him take it to the store and fill up the gas. Karen heard it crank up and leave and she didn't even look up, she just asked where had I gone. When I replied that was Cody heading up the driveway she like to had a heart attack!

                                                      She was not happy!!!!!

Of course he made it back and now he wants to get his permit so bad he can't stand it. I told her I would put him in the motorcycle safety training course at the local college but that didn't seem to help. I told Cody just let it rest for now and we will start working on it. This is gonna take a while...................

Oh' How Quick We Forget ,,,,,,,,,,,

As I mentioned yesterday I hadn't really ran any since last spring, I did the Charleston deal and then kinda went back to the bike. Well yesterday I had a plan to meet with Kelly and that fell through so I decided to go alone. I was gonna go over to Beatty park and had stopped at a store and ran into a buddy. He reminded me of the trail at Monroe Country Club.

I had forgotten all about it! I used to run there probably 20 years ago but hadn't even thought about it, I was even telling the wife the other day Monroe needs a trail to at least go walking on. I had forgotten all about that one. Well the dog and I headed that way. 4 miles later and I was there! 4 miles, 8 round trip! Beatty is 17 miles one way, how I forgot about the country club I'll never know.

Now back to what I forgot! I forgot how bad running can make you hurt! My legs are as sore as they have been in a long time. I only ran a lap and walked the other and I feel like a mack truck ran over me! Today will be a slow easy road ride guaranteed!

I need to spin out the legs. But I will be back down to the country club. That's a gem I had forgotten about, and it's in my backyard. Look forward to it. I am a little over a month away at the moment from the Pisgah 55.5k and I feel like I am doing pretty good as far as training. If you want to call it training, I call it just riding and enjoying the extra time on the bike.

Training would mean I had a real plan. My plan is to ride and enjoy it, then go to the mountains and ride and enjoy that. Perfect plan!

Now if I can just turn over the pedals today. My thighs are killing me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's See How This Goes ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

So I think I have made it pretty clear here lately that I am kinda tired of the mountain bike. It's no big deal I go through this every few years, I take a break and then I come back, it's like I never left. I still have all the skills and I just get back on and go like I never missed a beat! Right now I enjoy the road bike and that's what I want to ride. Enough said!

This time is different, I still want to play in the woods. I just don't care to ride the bike in the woods. Last week the wife and I went for a hike and we loved it. I have since picked up a few backpacking magazines and she and I have both been checking out the gear options! Of course we have no ideal what we need but a few trips to REI and maybe a class or two with a knowledgeable sales associate and we might get some where.

We have our trip to Asheville coming up and plan on doing a few hiking trips while we are there. I am excited about that,  I look forward to digging a little deeper into hiking. We hope to get in a few overnight trips by the end of summer. That will be cool!

But today I am gonna try something I haven't done in years. We are going trail running! Yep, Kelly and I are meeting at a local trail and we are gonna run. I brought my shoes and shorts and plan to be sore tomorrow! I actually look forward to it! I know this is gonna work muscles I haven't used in years. Yes I did do a few foot races last year and did the Cooper River Bridge Run but I kinda lost interest in running just to be running pretty quick.

I like doing the races because of the challenge and it's neat to run with a big group like that but as far as lacing up and heading out the door for a run. That just didn't workout to well. Maybe if I start doing the woods running I will enjoy it more. Something different, that's what I am looking for!

It's time for a change................................