Saw MB last night at 1st Mariner in Baltimore last night. Awesome show. No opener. Started at 8:20 and ended at 11:10.
Set List
Pendulum
Hard to Imagine
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
Lightning Bolt
Lukin
Corduroy
Mind Your Manners
Given to Fly
MFC
Sirens
Habit
Daughter -(Walk on the Wild Side tag)
Wishlist
Present Tense
Spin the Black Circle
Let the Records Play
Setting Forth -(Eddie Vedder song)
Unthought Known
Rearviewmirror
Encore 1:
Yellow Moon
Man of the Hour
Nothingman
I'm Waiting for the Man -(The Velvet Underground cover)
Better Man -(Save it for Later tag)
Do the Evolution
Blood
Porch
Encore 2:
Once
Love, Reign O'er Me -(The Who cover)
Black
Alive
Rockin' in the Free World
Lots of old, some of the new. Damn solid.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Friday, October 25, 2013
The Big 180 is done.
I've officially logged 180 activities in Garmin or in 2 or 3 cases out this year so far. Well garmin has 177 but will have 179 after I upload so I only missed garmin recording 1 event. Pretty geeky. Just shy of 2500 miles.
Cycling is will hit 2300 miles in 133 activities, that leaves almost 200 miles of running.
My end goal this year? 220 Events 3K miles. To hit that mark I've gotta get back into regularly bike commuting with a few rides post work I think. I REALLY need to pull out the Winter gear. Next week warms up a bit but then after that we are solidly in the 50-30 daily range. Ugh.
Last nights WF TNR was a damn good ride for a group of around 12 people. We kept rolling well and only stopped to regroup a few times. We did shrink the pack on lap 2 with a few people bailing to change at the parking lot before I re-hit the bowl.
Trails are a mess with stream work and getting around WF over the next few weeks is going to get REALLY shitty with bridge's being removed on CCT sections, etc.
Rumor has it we may be doing something uh...interesting for the halloween ride.
If it doesn't uh...nevermind. Positive weather re-enforcement in place now.
And strangely enough I plan to keep running. In fact I actually want to try running a bit more and shoot for a possible half marathon of stupid. Who knows?
Pearl Jam Sunday. FCK yah!
Cycling is will hit 2300 miles in 133 activities, that leaves almost 200 miles of running.
My end goal this year? 220 Events 3K miles. To hit that mark I've gotta get back into regularly bike commuting with a few rides post work I think. I REALLY need to pull out the Winter gear. Next week warms up a bit but then after that we are solidly in the 50-30 daily range. Ugh.
Last nights WF TNR was a damn good ride for a group of around 12 people. We kept rolling well and only stopped to regroup a few times. We did shrink the pack on lap 2 with a few people bailing to change at the parking lot before I re-hit the bowl.
Trails are a mess with stream work and getting around WF over the next few weeks is going to get REALLY shitty with bridge's being removed on CCT sections, etc.
Rumor has it we may be doing something uh...interesting for the halloween ride.
If it doesn't uh...nevermind. Positive weather re-enforcement in place now.
And strangely enough I plan to keep running. In fact I actually want to try running a bit more and shoot for a possible half marathon of stupid. Who knows?
Pearl Jam Sunday. FCK yah!
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Ouchie. Ouchie. Ouchie.
Getting out of bed was never so trying as this morning since maybe my last bad crash or maybe the day I hauled 100 tons of lumber into Fountainhead by hand. I did take some advil yesterday but am avoiding it today in an attempt to expedite muscle recovery/repair.
It's also joint and other soreness, not just muscles. Some new bruises visible.
But still I'm thinking Spartan Race next year.
Update - Whoops never posted this yesterday. Muscles feel better today by a good bit but my left knee was a @#$@! last night and I slept like crap due to lack of advil taking/supply! Stooopid.
Special News Bulletin 1 - Sucky pre-winter weather has arrived with high temps in the 50's and low's in the 30's. @#!!
Special Special News Bulletin 2 - I like running. There. I said it. FML. Especially trail running.
I need a drink.
Photo's of me are up from Tough Mudder on MarathonFoto site. I'm gonna chump out and buy a bunch once I've found em all.
It's also joint and other soreness, not just muscles. Some new bruises visible.
But still I'm thinking Spartan Race next year.
Update - Whoops never posted this yesterday. Muscles feel better today by a good bit but my left knee was a @#$@! last night and I slept like crap due to lack of advil taking/supply! Stooopid.
Special News Bulletin 1 - Sucky pre-winter weather has arrived with high temps in the 50's and low's in the 30's. @#!!
Special Special News Bulletin 2 - I like running. There. I said it. FML. Especially trail running.
I need a drink.
Photo's of me are up from Tough Mudder on MarathonFoto site. I'm gonna chump out and buy a bunch once I've found em all.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
It was one Tough Mudder for sure - Tough Mudder - Mid-atlantic 2013 - Saturday.
It was a good day, to die hard.
Whoops wrong movie.
The Gods WERE crazy!
@#$@$ there I go again.
It was a cold and overcast Saturday morning as Team WolfPack rallied at the DKL Residence for the trip out to West Virginia to face the Tough Mudder Mid-Atlantic 2012 Event. It's not a race. Except against your friends and yourself.
http://www.strava.com/activities/90113789
11 Miles of trail. 1800 Ft of climbing. 22 Obsticles. Mud and Water and Cramps and Pain. That was what awaited us. We left Vienna around 9 at hit the parking field a bit before 11. At registration at 11:25 running a tad late. Our official wave was 12:15 but we were dropping our bags and making final preps when it was called. So we went out with the last wave of the day 12:30.
Last wave at 12:30? I could've sworn they had waves running till 2 or later on reg. Maybe they rescheduled them or something. Regardless we queued up in the waiting zone, then we made it to the starting line wait after scaling over 5 or 7 foot Berlin walls.
Prerace prep was cool and as the last group they didn't just play the National Anthem, we sung that mofo like the bad-asses we are. And we were off at a slow conservitive pace. 1st REAL obsticles were a ways away not counting small mud holes/creeks/etc. The first obsticle in some ways was the worst. I got the dirtiest on it for sure it was a crawl under barbed wire and on the 2nd half they kept spraying us from a water truck with VERY cold water. My bib was 2/3rd's torn off. And I looked like a mud man. I went thru one of the muddiest lanes I think. And we were off. Lots of hills and small mud sections till we eventually hit the Burn Zone. No fire this year, just exercise. 20 pushups, run up and down a steep hill, 20 lunges, another steep hill up and down, 20 more pushups, another 2 hills. Then it was time.
The Arctic Enema. I jumped in and compressed too much and went under I shoulda gone under the board then, instead I had to pop up, breath and swim under. More ICE at the far end then the front. Getting out was hard and starting to run sucked but at least I was mostly clean! And after a few minutes I was pretty warm and dry. Nike's Pro Combat Dryfit T-shirt saved me. Next time I wear long sleeves for crawling stunts. And we were off but group was suffering major fragmentation 12 dudes staying together is hard. One guy's ankles were already a mess. We chose to split in 2 groups. At first I was gonna stay with the slow guys but I wanted to push a bit faster due to the upcoming course clear at the halfway mark at 2:30. I made it to that at 2:05. I'm shocked the 2nd group must have made it with minutes to spare I think. I pushed on with several different groups of people till I caught up to the main group after some giant mud pits. I needed to empty/clean out shoes but honestly couldn't undue the laces. Too mucked up. I hung on. We continued to push on thru stuff like the beard, Wheelbarrow, Log Carry, Log Hopping. But my elbow went whack and me and my new partner Jimmy skipped the BIG Berlin Walls. 12 foot of suckiness. Crazy zig-zag Gorrilla Killer Hills then pushups for Wounded Warriors. I only could manage 10 at that point. My arms were shot. Then we pushed on throu 2 balance exercises. Skipped the electric eel due to cramps starting in legs a few nasty crawl things in pipes and in water were tough but fun. Near the end I had to skip Everest also as my elbow could take the pulling/etc and I was already banged up. Tried to climb up to walk the plank but legs cramped up again a bit over halfway up. The other electric stunt wasn't bad at all with carefull-ness got hit 1x. Pushed on and we were basically DONE.
Finished in 3 hours.
Our team with out shirts got lots of support and people could tell we were a team, anytime I was lagging or me and Jimmy were we heard our team was just ahead. Cutting of the sleeves and shit really helped me not be bound up in the shirt. Garmin watch kicked ass, it kept me on pace and let me know I needed to keep pushing.
Gear Good -
Trail Shoes - Worked well and way better tracktion then sneakers, only slipped once and that was cause I under committed on dry/loose. No problems with wet/mud other than crap getting into them.
Nike Pro Combat Dri-fit compression - Awesome, just use long sleeve next time to protect elbows a bit.
Socks - Wool - Okay, kept feet warm even after being wet.
Shorts - Reebok Crossfit Boardshorts - Nice, zippered pocket worked well.
Garmin GPS - Worked pretty well though did loose 600-800 ft of elevation depending on site.
Bad Gear -
Shirt - Go long sleeve.
Legs - Knee pads or 3/4 lengths tights with knee padding.
Socks. Maybe layer up with a compression long sock to protect shins from scrapes.
Socks Part 2 - Find someway to keep shit out of shoes.
Shoes - See Socks Part 2.
Bring Sharpie of decent size to mark up arms/legs/head's with #.
Bring real shoes for after - not flip-flops. Half mile in/out was a beast.
Training Notes -
Requires SERIOUS upper body training. I estimate a fit competitor needs to be able to do 15-20 pull ups. Plank for several minutes and have some leg strength training also. My legs were mostly okay. I would raise my base target to 8 or 9 miles with more hill work.
Whoops wrong movie.
The Gods WERE crazy!
@#$@$ there I go again.
It was a cold and overcast Saturday morning as Team WolfPack rallied at the DKL Residence for the trip out to West Virginia to face the Tough Mudder Mid-Atlantic 2012 Event. It's not a race. Except against your friends and yourself.
http://www.strava.com/activities/90113789
11 Miles of trail. 1800 Ft of climbing. 22 Obsticles. Mud and Water and Cramps and Pain. That was what awaited us. We left Vienna around 9 at hit the parking field a bit before 11. At registration at 11:25 running a tad late. Our official wave was 12:15 but we were dropping our bags and making final preps when it was called. So we went out with the last wave of the day 12:30.
Last wave at 12:30? I could've sworn they had waves running till 2 or later on reg. Maybe they rescheduled them or something. Regardless we queued up in the waiting zone, then we made it to the starting line wait after scaling over 5 or 7 foot Berlin walls.
Prerace prep was cool and as the last group they didn't just play the National Anthem, we sung that mofo like the bad-asses we are. And we were off at a slow conservitive pace. 1st REAL obsticles were a ways away not counting small mud holes/creeks/etc. The first obsticle in some ways was the worst. I got the dirtiest on it for sure it was a crawl under barbed wire and on the 2nd half they kept spraying us from a water truck with VERY cold water. My bib was 2/3rd's torn off. And I looked like a mud man. I went thru one of the muddiest lanes I think. And we were off. Lots of hills and small mud sections till we eventually hit the Burn Zone. No fire this year, just exercise. 20 pushups, run up and down a steep hill, 20 lunges, another steep hill up and down, 20 more pushups, another 2 hills. Then it was time.
The Arctic Enema. I jumped in and compressed too much and went under I shoulda gone under the board then, instead I had to pop up, breath and swim under. More ICE at the far end then the front. Getting out was hard and starting to run sucked but at least I was mostly clean! And after a few minutes I was pretty warm and dry. Nike's Pro Combat Dryfit T-shirt saved me. Next time I wear long sleeves for crawling stunts. And we were off but group was suffering major fragmentation 12 dudes staying together is hard. One guy's ankles were already a mess. We chose to split in 2 groups. At first I was gonna stay with the slow guys but I wanted to push a bit faster due to the upcoming course clear at the halfway mark at 2:30. I made it to that at 2:05. I'm shocked the 2nd group must have made it with minutes to spare I think. I pushed on with several different groups of people till I caught up to the main group after some giant mud pits. I needed to empty/clean out shoes but honestly couldn't undue the laces. Too mucked up. I hung on. We continued to push on thru stuff like the beard, Wheelbarrow, Log Carry, Log Hopping. But my elbow went whack and me and my new partner Jimmy skipped the BIG Berlin Walls. 12 foot of suckiness. Crazy zig-zag Gorrilla Killer Hills then pushups for Wounded Warriors. I only could manage 10 at that point. My arms were shot. Then we pushed on throu 2 balance exercises. Skipped the electric eel due to cramps starting in legs a few nasty crawl things in pipes and in water were tough but fun. Near the end I had to skip Everest also as my elbow could take the pulling/etc and I was already banged up. Tried to climb up to walk the plank but legs cramped up again a bit over halfway up. The other electric stunt wasn't bad at all with carefull-ness got hit 1x. Pushed on and we were basically DONE.
Finished in 3 hours.
Our team with out shirts got lots of support and people could tell we were a team, anytime I was lagging or me and Jimmy were we heard our team was just ahead. Cutting of the sleeves and shit really helped me not be bound up in the shirt. Garmin watch kicked ass, it kept me on pace and let me know I needed to keep pushing.
Gear Good -
Trail Shoes - Worked well and way better tracktion then sneakers, only slipped once and that was cause I under committed on dry/loose. No problems with wet/mud other than crap getting into them.
Nike Pro Combat Dri-fit compression - Awesome, just use long sleeve next time to protect elbows a bit.
Socks - Wool - Okay, kept feet warm even after being wet.
Shorts - Reebok Crossfit Boardshorts - Nice, zippered pocket worked well.
Garmin GPS - Worked pretty well though did loose 600-800 ft of elevation depending on site.
Bad Gear -
Shirt - Go long sleeve.
Legs - Knee pads or 3/4 lengths tights with knee padding.
Socks. Maybe layer up with a compression long sock to protect shins from scrapes.
Socks Part 2 - Find someway to keep shit out of shoes.
Shoes - See Socks Part 2.
Bring Sharpie of decent size to mark up arms/legs/head's with #.
Bring real shoes for after - not flip-flops. Half mile in/out was a beast.
Training Notes -
Requires SERIOUS upper body training. I estimate a fit competitor needs to be able to do 15-20 pull ups. Plank for several minutes and have some leg strength training also. My legs were mostly okay. I would raise my base target to 8 or 9 miles with more hill work.
Friday, October 18, 2013
It's time to start running!
It's time to start running!
As he says at the start of the video. Tough Mudder for me is tomorrow Oct 19. Distance wise I'm not super worried, I've done up to 7 miles and with a 3-4 hour eta for finish with obstacles and such I'm confident I have the leg power to finish with some longer rides in the bag. The elevation may be a biatch but I will survive.
The obsticles are another thing. Arctic Enema, Berlin Walls and a few others do scare me a bit. I am debating skipping the 2 electric ones due to my old school occasional heart beat issues. Temp should be low 60's at start. Debating tech layer Might go pick up a dryfit long sleeve tonight. Also must err pad the man nips. I know what happens to them when I run a long time and I don't want to repeat the last time. Tech compression underwear for sure. Wool socks. Wolf Pack t-shirt. May also look at some compression/tech running tights.
Gotta trim my nails for sure tonight, some are fricking claws I realized.
I'm nervous but excited.
Full report Sunday or Monday for sure.
As he says at the start of the video. Tough Mudder for me is tomorrow Oct 19. Distance wise I'm not super worried, I've done up to 7 miles and with a 3-4 hour eta for finish with obstacles and such I'm confident I have the leg power to finish with some longer rides in the bag. The elevation may be a biatch but I will survive.
The obsticles are another thing. Arctic Enema, Berlin Walls and a few others do scare me a bit. I am debating skipping the 2 electric ones due to my old school occasional heart beat issues. Temp should be low 60's at start. Debating tech layer Might go pick up a dryfit long sleeve tonight. Also must err pad the man nips. I know what happens to them when I run a long time and I don't want to repeat the last time. Tech compression underwear for sure. Wool socks. Wolf Pack t-shirt. May also look at some compression/tech running tights.
Gotta trim my nails for sure tonight, some are fricking claws I realized.
I'm nervous but excited.
Full report Sunday or Monday for sure.
Monday, October 07, 2013
Rainy after all
Seriously raining here today in DC. Ma nature is getting brassed off the gov't is still shutdown me thinks.
Went into DC yesterday for some cycling around the monuments with Pete from Freshbikes Mosiac. Good group and good times. Crazy to see all the empty roads blocked off by barriers and monuments also. You could have a pretty cool crit down there on the weekend safely right now instead of say Haines Pt. It was a nice but somewhat ridiculous 40 mile ride.
Now that fall is coming in last week was my first longer MTB ride since the summer. Going to start pushing harder on the rides and getting in good pre-rides. 13 Last week this week I'll push for a few more. Though honestly I did stop not too long after 8. With another 25 minutes I could have pushed out another 2 or more miles.
Tough Mudder training continues. Did a 4 on Satuday at lunch and felt like crap. I need to feel WAY better on next weeks Saturday so maybe Thursday will be a lighter mtb day. Ugh.
Also still have to figure out gear for the race. I'm thinking I'm going to wear gloves. And right now I'm planning on a longsleeve tech woolie shirt for base layer. Legs I'm not sure about. Might get a set of tech tights. Not sure. Weather still isn't clear. We are running above average so far.
Went into DC yesterday for some cycling around the monuments with Pete from Freshbikes Mosiac. Good group and good times. Crazy to see all the empty roads blocked off by barriers and monuments also. You could have a pretty cool crit down there on the weekend safely right now instead of say Haines Pt. It was a nice but somewhat ridiculous 40 mile ride.
Now that fall is coming in last week was my first longer MTB ride since the summer. Going to start pushing harder on the rides and getting in good pre-rides. 13 Last week this week I'll push for a few more. Though honestly I did stop not too long after 8. With another 25 minutes I could have pushed out another 2 or more miles.
Tough Mudder training continues. Did a 4 on Satuday at lunch and felt like crap. I need to feel WAY better on next weeks Saturday so maybe Thursday will be a lighter mtb day. Ugh.
Also still have to figure out gear for the race. I'm thinking I'm going to wear gloves. And right now I'm planning on a longsleeve tech woolie shirt for base layer. Legs I'm not sure about. Might get a set of tech tights. Not sure. Weather still isn't clear. We are running above average so far.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Jet Lagged
It's been a busy few weeks and now I'm heading into a VERY busy stretch here at work due to people on Vacation. I think for most of Oct I'll be grinding at least 10 hour days plus being on call. Ugh.
Good times this weekend starting with too much b33r on Friday though more moderate than last week by FAR.
Then my one of my roommate's rolled with me down to the Crystal City Diamond Derby. It was a blast an he wants to try some single speeding. We shall see if we can find him something cheap enough. Looking at Performance's Langer stuff and bikesdirect for now. He's a smaller guy and Craigslist is suprisingly light on small bikes currently. Versus they have a glut of stuff for gangly tall people like me, since I'm not looking for myself. Thanks Murphy!
Rebuild of road bike drive train a few weeks ago was a stunning success. Still not sure if all the creaking was from pedals which definetely needed re-greasing (they spun 3x times versus Speedplay says 1 to 1.5 is normal. 2 means re-grease. Or if it was cleaning and relubing the whole BB setup. I think it was both. Who knows? It's quiet and I like it.
My mtb has really suffered this summer with Road and CX riding/commuting but my mileage is WAY up. I'm over last years mileage just this summer. Hoping to get out for a decent CCT haul south tonight after work.
CCDD was a great event, with some cool stuff in the Open and some hard racing in the grand prix. Didn't get to stay for the team event as my friends back was hurting from a recent injury. Lots of crazy costumes, with some very nice ladies for sure! Good beer, cool people. Was a tad warm, next time I'll wear shorts. And next year maybe I'll race in the open category.
Good times this weekend starting with too much b33r on Friday though more moderate than last week by FAR.
Then my one of my roommate's rolled with me down to the Crystal City Diamond Derby. It was a blast an he wants to try some single speeding. We shall see if we can find him something cheap enough. Looking at Performance's Langer stuff and bikesdirect for now. He's a smaller guy and Craigslist is suprisingly light on small bikes currently. Versus they have a glut of stuff for gangly tall people like me, since I'm not looking for myself. Thanks Murphy!
Rebuild of road bike drive train a few weeks ago was a stunning success. Still not sure if all the creaking was from pedals which definetely needed re-greasing (they spun 3x times versus Speedplay says 1 to 1.5 is normal. 2 means re-grease. Or if it was cleaning and relubing the whole BB setup. I think it was both. Who knows? It's quiet and I like it.
My mtb has really suffered this summer with Road and CX riding/commuting but my mileage is WAY up. I'm over last years mileage just this summer. Hoping to get out for a decent CCT haul south tonight after work.
CCDD was a great event, with some cool stuff in the Open and some hard racing in the grand prix. Didn't get to stay for the team event as my friends back was hurting from a recent injury. Lots of crazy costumes, with some very nice ladies for sure! Good beer, cool people. Was a tad warm, next time I'll wear shorts. And next year maybe I'll race in the open category.
Monday, September 09, 2013
Where did some go?
Summer has nearly passed me by this year again leaving me staring back thru a hazy goblet of heavily hopped IPA. The golden tint of everything through this view makes the tale much more bearable.
The short story of the summer, is I rode a LOT. Well for me. YTD I'm at 149'ish logged gps activities at just under 2000 miles by the end of today. Last year I had 110'ish and 1350'ish total. Checking back in the logs I was at #79 June 1. Not bad considering I also had 2 weeks of forced car commuting and was sick as hell for a week and change also in Aug.
The commute in the AM was extremely nice due to a perfect temperature and nice scenery on the WOD. Pretty busy morning to. I did get passed but the guy was a total hammerhead on his commuting road rig. I tried to keep up but just couldn't push that fast that soon.
Doing a regular group ride out of FreshBikes Mosiac on Wednesday with PeteB and it's been good. I can see that in general I've been ticking up faster since the start adding about 1.1mph since the start. Last week was much slower due to tired legs and then HORRIBLE traffic coming down Gallows where we typically are flying. Basically had to almost walk before the 66 overpass to the metro station. Hopefully I'll be fresher myself this week. Going to push HARD to ride to work 3 or 4 days this week, though if I work from home on Saturday I might accept 3.
Busy week this week with MORE BOD meeting tonight, Tuesday has riding options, Wednesday MUSE (no freshbikes, oh well), Thursday TNR, Friday uh something. Jeez. Plus I'm on super grind at work starting tomorrow potentially for 2 weeks while boss goes to Pakistan. But the extra money will be nice. Will have to pack extra lunch. Today I packed a huge salad with chicken and a half PB&J.
Will weight in tomorrow for the first time in a while.
Also had Boatswain HLV and IPA last night from TraderJoe's. Not bad for $2 big boys!
The short story of the summer, is I rode a LOT. Well for me. YTD I'm at 149'ish logged gps activities at just under 2000 miles by the end of today. Last year I had 110'ish and 1350'ish total. Checking back in the logs I was at #79 June 1. Not bad considering I also had 2 weeks of forced car commuting and was sick as hell for a week and change also in Aug.
The commute in the AM was extremely nice due to a perfect temperature and nice scenery on the WOD. Pretty busy morning to. I did get passed but the guy was a total hammerhead on his commuting road rig. I tried to keep up but just couldn't push that fast that soon.
Doing a regular group ride out of FreshBikes Mosiac on Wednesday with PeteB and it's been good. I can see that in general I've been ticking up faster since the start adding about 1.1mph since the start. Last week was much slower due to tired legs and then HORRIBLE traffic coming down Gallows where we typically are flying. Basically had to almost walk before the 66 overpass to the metro station. Hopefully I'll be fresher myself this week. Going to push HARD to ride to work 3 or 4 days this week, though if I work from home on Saturday I might accept 3.
Busy week this week with MORE BOD meeting tonight, Tuesday has riding options, Wednesday MUSE (no freshbikes, oh well), Thursday TNR, Friday uh something. Jeez. Plus I'm on super grind at work starting tomorrow potentially for 2 weeks while boss goes to Pakistan. But the extra money will be nice. Will have to pack extra lunch. Today I packed a huge salad with chicken and a half PB&J.
Will weight in tomorrow for the first time in a while.
Also had Boatswain HLV and IPA last night from TraderJoe's. Not bad for $2 big boys!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Funder Thuck.
That pretty much describes work, life and the weather this week.
I wimped out early in the week on riding to work Monday and Tuesday (well Tuesday I had to as I was driving in from elsewhere) Monday I did haul home a 30lb system for some work and it wouldn't have fit in my bag.
Pace wise I'm picking back up on the CX bike slowly. Was sub 28 in today I believe and I hit most of the lights nearly perfectly. I stopped briefly at Nutley/Couthouse and 123/Courthouse but rolled every other light I actually made. Good think considering how late I left!
The ride in was nice but super humid, glasses were super fogged up by the time I hit Sunset Hills I had them way down on my nose to see.
Yesterdays ride home I dogged the storm by leaving work late, 4:30 or so. It was disgusting on the ride home. I did a tuneup ride working on adjusting my new pedals/shoes around 6 and it was much better. Not sure about the Pearl road shoes, they may be a tad narrow for me in the main foot, though the heel is almost perfect. Will play with adjustments a bit more. Right cleat needs to move inwards to move my foot outwards a bit so I can add a bit more heel in angle back on the cleat. As of now its too far out by a tiny bit to keep my heel from hitting the chain stay.
Tonights WF ride is not looking great weather wise once again. My plan is currently to ride, but who knows maybe it won't storm in WF land, like yesterday. I suspect W@W is using up our good weather luck for the year.
Got in new breakpads for the MTB but I won't put em on till next week especially under the threat of shitty, err I mean gritty conditions. Nothing like ruining new pads due to grinding the grit of the CCT/Etc.
Mileage has fallen back off. Since the Birthday Epic Week, really to be a better rider I've got to get a 2nd day off a week and put in 1 longer ride, my Sundays just aren't regular enough. Or I need to commit to a ride every Sunday be it a 6AM early bird or a forced march later in the day.
Weighed in yesterday at a shocking 196. Holy crap! Talk about un-expected especially after the Garbage In and Out weekend that last weekend was.
Well the hot fudge and brownie ice cream sunday I just ate helped that I'm sure, especially after eating salads for lunch 2 days in a row.
And to raise the level of awesomeness of this post I offer this for your viewing pleasure:
I wimped out early in the week on riding to work Monday and Tuesday (well Tuesday I had to as I was driving in from elsewhere) Monday I did haul home a 30lb system for some work and it wouldn't have fit in my bag.
Pace wise I'm picking back up on the CX bike slowly. Was sub 28 in today I believe and I hit most of the lights nearly perfectly. I stopped briefly at Nutley/Couthouse and 123/Courthouse but rolled every other light I actually made. Good think considering how late I left!
The ride in was nice but super humid, glasses were super fogged up by the time I hit Sunset Hills I had them way down on my nose to see.
Yesterdays ride home I dogged the storm by leaving work late, 4:30 or so. It was disgusting on the ride home. I did a tuneup ride working on adjusting my new pedals/shoes around 6 and it was much better. Not sure about the Pearl road shoes, they may be a tad narrow for me in the main foot, though the heel is almost perfect. Will play with adjustments a bit more. Right cleat needs to move inwards to move my foot outwards a bit so I can add a bit more heel in angle back on the cleat. As of now its too far out by a tiny bit to keep my heel from hitting the chain stay.
Tonights WF ride is not looking great weather wise once again. My plan is currently to ride, but who knows maybe it won't storm in WF land, like yesterday. I suspect W@W is using up our good weather luck for the year.
Got in new breakpads for the MTB but I won't put em on till next week especially under the threat of shitty, err I mean gritty conditions. Nothing like ruining new pads due to grinding the grit of the CCT/Etc.
Mileage has fallen back off. Since the Birthday Epic Week, really to be a better rider I've got to get a 2nd day off a week and put in 1 longer ride, my Sundays just aren't regular enough. Or I need to commit to a ride every Sunday be it a 6AM early bird or a forced march later in the day.
Weighed in yesterday at a shocking 196. Holy crap! Talk about un-expected especially after the Garbage In and Out weekend that last weekend was.
Well the hot fudge and brownie ice cream sunday I just ate helped that I'm sure, especially after eating salads for lunch 2 days in a row.
And to raise the level of awesomeness of this post I offer this for your viewing pleasure:
TheBadPiper covering AC/DC's Thunderstruck.
Monday, June 17, 2013
100 Miles of Nowhere.
I crossed the 39th barrier recently. Several notable stars on IMDB have their birthday listed on the same day. And apparently the kard-ass-ian spawn arrived around then also. Sigh. There goes the neighborhood.
I also believe I have come up with the most impossible classification for my #100MoN:
100MoN Workus Intrerruptus 2 Day Ride - You must make your commute to work, do at least 4 hours of work, Then go out and do at least 60+ additional miles. Then the next day you must do any remaining mileage on the route you originally took.
My plan was to ride the WHOLE W&OD, but since I couldn't get all day Saturday off I had to make it a 2 day since I had a 7PM dinner commitment. So on Saturday I blasted off to work at about 6:35 and did the 8 mile ride in. Worked till almost noon then headed back out on the warpath out to Purcelville VA at the trails end. An 8 to 10 mph headwind on the way out really wasn't bad. My book on MP3 kept me rolling along instead of bored out of my mind. At the trails end I stopped, at half a chocolate peanut butter sandwich and headed back. In s'Leesburg I stopped to refill water and have some Coke. It was damn good. Making VERY good time back so far. I thought wow I might have a slight opportunity to actually do this in one day.
Then real life caught up to me. About 5 miles out of Leesburg my left leg cramped a bit. I pedaled slower and lightly and eventually it cleared. But it cost me. I must have been pedaling a bit strangely as my left foot then decided to throw a fit just outside of Herndon. Couldn't put any real weight/power into it. My MTB shoes also contributed I think. Not really meant for 4 or more hours in the saddle and at 5 years old they are pretty worn out. Finally made it back to my office in Reston for Advil, half a Taylor Gourmet Deli Sandwich and more Coke. After checking on things and checking time I realized with my slower speed on the 2nd half back I had ended up with the same time out and back between work. When it should have been 20 minutes shorter or more. Foot felt a bit better but I still couldn't put full power into it or stand for long. Time to call part 1 a day. And back to starbase Vienna for a shower change and off to dinner. But still I must note, my longest cycling set and day 76 for the day and 68 for the main ride. That was my longest recorded total ride by 20 miles. With a 16.2 average. I've been commuting to work and back at about 15.6 lately with some faster days in the 16 range.
WAY too much dinner and drinks that night lead to the morning ride plan abandonment. So I had to wait to finish till yesterday afternoon.
Part Deux was upon me and my motivation was failing slightly. I went out to finish off the W&OD. I had added a bit extra in Vienna the day before to push my total up past 75 as I new Vienna was at MM 12'ish and I wanted to not have to go way further to complete my 100. So off I went, foot wasn't bad, legs were a bit slow. Got down to Falls Church with some on and off rain sprinkles. Stopped in at Bikenetic to chat on shoes and phone cases. I need new shoes.
Then back off down to Mile 0. It's a nice ride down from that point. Fly down Glebe and I hopped on the road. Found where Phoenix Bikes is and looked at their stock for a friend. Nothing like what he needs alas. And on I went. I was craving a beer so I rolled into Shirlington but no where really safe to leave my bike unlocked where I could watch it and I wanted to head back as it was already 4:30. Quick stop for another partial coke and back up the trail I went. 2 climbs sucked but the rest wasn't bad. Way easier than the @#$@# Custis trail for sure. Lots of runners and walkers out in both directions so I wasn't pushing speed very often.
And it was done. 105 miles in 6 hours 42 minutes over 2 days. With 4 hours of work in part during the 1st. Next year I'll do the whole damn thing in one shot. In fact my goal is to do my first full century in the next month or two. I've been pretty much a 50 mile a week guy.. This week I hit 140 and wasn't "dead" though I made 1 mistake yesterday. On saturday I went for a 2.5 mile walk post ride (after a snack and 20 minute rest). Yesterday I just vegged then went to dinner with no walk. And today I'm paying my knees woke me up at around 4am. 2 advil later I feel almost human but they were sore, no ride to work today alas. And I suspect no run. May have to do a short ride on the CCT or something.
My SIDI eagle 6's from 5 years ago are just worn out. Now I must begin searching for a new shoe in ernest. I want something cheaper for road and I think I will go SIDI again for mtb.
I also believe I have come up with the most impossible classification for my #100MoN:
100MoN Workus Intrerruptus 2 Day Ride - You must make your commute to work, do at least 4 hours of work, Then go out and do at least 60+ additional miles. Then the next day you must do any remaining mileage on the route you originally took.
My plan was to ride the WHOLE W&OD, but since I couldn't get all day Saturday off I had to make it a 2 day since I had a 7PM dinner commitment. So on Saturday I blasted off to work at about 6:35 and did the 8 mile ride in. Worked till almost noon then headed back out on the warpath out to Purcelville VA at the trails end. An 8 to 10 mph headwind on the way out really wasn't bad. My book on MP3 kept me rolling along instead of bored out of my mind. At the trails end I stopped, at half a chocolate peanut butter sandwich and headed back. In s'Leesburg I stopped to refill water and have some Coke. It was damn good. Making VERY good time back so far. I thought wow I might have a slight opportunity to actually do this in one day.
Then real life caught up to me. About 5 miles out of Leesburg my left leg cramped a bit. I pedaled slower and lightly and eventually it cleared. But it cost me. I must have been pedaling a bit strangely as my left foot then decided to throw a fit just outside of Herndon. Couldn't put any real weight/power into it. My MTB shoes also contributed I think. Not really meant for 4 or more hours in the saddle and at 5 years old they are pretty worn out. Finally made it back to my office in Reston for Advil, half a Taylor Gourmet Deli Sandwich and more Coke. After checking on things and checking time I realized with my slower speed on the 2nd half back I had ended up with the same time out and back between work. When it should have been 20 minutes shorter or more. Foot felt a bit better but I still couldn't put full power into it or stand for long. Time to call part 1 a day. And back to starbase Vienna for a shower change and off to dinner. But still I must note, my longest cycling set and day 76 for the day and 68 for the main ride. That was my longest recorded total ride by 20 miles. With a 16.2 average. I've been commuting to work and back at about 15.6 lately with some faster days in the 16 range.
WAY too much dinner and drinks that night lead to the morning ride plan abandonment. So I had to wait to finish till yesterday afternoon.
Part Deux was upon me and my motivation was failing slightly. I went out to finish off the W&OD. I had added a bit extra in Vienna the day before to push my total up past 75 as I new Vienna was at MM 12'ish and I wanted to not have to go way further to complete my 100. So off I went, foot wasn't bad, legs were a bit slow. Got down to Falls Church with some on and off rain sprinkles. Stopped in at Bikenetic to chat on shoes and phone cases. I need new shoes.
Then back off down to Mile 0. It's a nice ride down from that point. Fly down Glebe and I hopped on the road. Found where Phoenix Bikes is and looked at their stock for a friend. Nothing like what he needs alas. And on I went. I was craving a beer so I rolled into Shirlington but no where really safe to leave my bike unlocked where I could watch it and I wanted to head back as it was already 4:30. Quick stop for another partial coke and back up the trail I went. 2 climbs sucked but the rest wasn't bad. Way easier than the @#$@# Custis trail for sure. Lots of runners and walkers out in both directions so I wasn't pushing speed very often.
And it was done. 105 miles in 6 hours 42 minutes over 2 days. With 4 hours of work in part during the 1st. Next year I'll do the whole damn thing in one shot. In fact my goal is to do my first full century in the next month or two. I've been pretty much a 50 mile a week guy.. This week I hit 140 and wasn't "dead" though I made 1 mistake yesterday. On saturday I went for a 2.5 mile walk post ride (after a snack and 20 minute rest). Yesterday I just vegged then went to dinner with no walk. And today I'm paying my knees woke me up at around 4am. 2 advil later I feel almost human but they were sore, no ride to work today alas. And I suspect no run. May have to do a short ride on the CCT or something.
My SIDI eagle 6's from 5 years ago are just worn out. Now I must begin searching for a new shoe in ernest. I want something cheaper for road and I think I will go SIDI again for mtb.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
F Spring.
You know what else Spring brings besides cooler temps.
It brings rain. GOBS of F'n rain.
Since June 1st - Between 4.5 and 6.5 depending on where you are in NVA. MD has gotten more I think. Today we may add an inch or more again. And once again it's looking like no TNR. Though I did get some pre-ride pre-rain action last week. And it's almost the same forecast, clears for a bit this afternoon then turns to rainy/t-storm central starting at 5 PM for the next 4 or 5 hours. Ugh. I might have to commit to that ultimate sin after work. A run.
Desolation and other things are setting in I fear.
Yesterday I did bike to work, then opted to drive over to Fresh Bikes at Mosiac District and do the Wed ride in Vienna with Pete. It was a blast, pretty informal. Low key I suspect also. I averaged 15.6. In all 3 of my last 3 rides this week. I definitely wasn't pushing last night so I know I could hold faster and this was after 16 miles in commuting also. But it wasn't like I was Pete who had done 111 miles earlier in the day. But we all know Pete ain't all there, in the best possible way.
Also met up with Mike R, Vince A, and Sean C who I haven't seen in a while either. It was a lot of fun and I plan to be back next week with the course actually loaded.
Strava continues to be a tool of mostly good in driving me to push myself in distances and time and a bit in speed. I simply also realize that I'm not going to be strong enough for a while to challenge in some of the very regular segments out there.
This weekend I have flagged for my 100MoN for Fatcyclist.com. If I get Saturday off it will be awesome. Sunday won't be quiet as nice. Oh well we will see. It may have to be a 2 day split also. Who knows. I'd like to do it as 1 but life has a way of interrupting. At the least it will be 100KM of Nowhere. Out and back to P-ville will be 100KM+ I estimate actually that would be near, uh 109KM/68 miles. What will really suck is after I do whatever I do I will need to spend 20 minutes walking per 2 hours of riding to keep my legs from revolting for the next 3 to 10 days. I may even just build it into the ride and walk a few sections to keep the legs looser.
It brings rain. GOBS of F'n rain.
Since June 1st - Between 4.5 and 6.5 depending on where you are in NVA. MD has gotten more I think. Today we may add an inch or more again. And once again it's looking like no TNR. Though I did get some pre-ride pre-rain action last week. And it's almost the same forecast, clears for a bit this afternoon then turns to rainy/t-storm central starting at 5 PM for the next 4 or 5 hours. Ugh. I might have to commit to that ultimate sin after work. A run.
Desolation and other things are setting in I fear.
Yesterday I did bike to work, then opted to drive over to Fresh Bikes at Mosiac District and do the Wed ride in Vienna with Pete. It was a blast, pretty informal. Low key I suspect also. I averaged 15.6. In all 3 of my last 3 rides this week. I definitely wasn't pushing last night so I know I could hold faster and this was after 16 miles in commuting also. But it wasn't like I was Pete who had done 111 miles earlier in the day. But we all know Pete ain't all there, in the best possible way.
Also met up with Mike R, Vince A, and Sean C who I haven't seen in a while either. It was a lot of fun and I plan to be back next week with the course actually loaded.
Strava continues to be a tool of mostly good in driving me to push myself in distances and time and a bit in speed. I simply also realize that I'm not going to be strong enough for a while to challenge in some of the very regular segments out there.
This weekend I have flagged for my 100MoN for Fatcyclist.com. If I get Saturday off it will be awesome. Sunday won't be quiet as nice. Oh well we will see. It may have to be a 2 day split also. Who knows. I'd like to do it as 1 but life has a way of interrupting. At the least it will be 100KM of Nowhere. Out and back to P-ville will be 100KM+ I estimate actually that would be near, uh 109KM/68 miles. What will really suck is after I do whatever I do I will need to spend 20 minutes walking per 2 hours of riding to keep my legs from revolting for the next 3 to 10 days. I may even just build it into the ride and walk a few sections to keep the legs looser.
Wednesday, June 05, 2013
Spring! Redux!
Wow, I didn't think it would happen but Spring has returned after what was Summer weather last week. 60's this morning and the previous morning and highs for the next 10 days in the low 80's and lows in mid 60's. It's a beautiful time to ride your bike in DC. Or really do anything outdoors. I've run 2x times in the last 2 weeks and thats a LOT since March for me. Trying to get back to 2 to 3 runs a week alternating maybe. Need to start building for 10 miles by mid summer then start making the terrain harder. I'm solidly in the 10 minute area right now and that should improve into the low 9's fairly easily. Beyond that I'm not going to push that hard.
Did a bit of surprise gravel road riding Saturday on the way out to the half marathon J was doing in VA. It was a blast, plus it's somewhere I was familiar with as I grew up in the area. The big changes is some BIG damn houses.
On my 2nd ride into work for the week. Yesterday was great, today was a bit slower and I was over dressed, it ended up being a degree warmer I think today than yesterday yet I wore full kit. D'oh!
Strava is pushing me to push myself and try and go faster/do better in shorter stuff, now I just need to add distance. Debating doing a post ride from work out the WOD a bit and back or just going home first then going east. Depends on the winds. Whichever I do I want to head into the winds first.
Beer wise I've had a few things but nothing super new or unusual. Working down stock in the b33r fridge. The last unusual/rarity was a DFH 75 with maple, that I couldn't really taste the maple in at all, versus say Crown Royal Maple which is like pancake syrup with whiskey. I am gearing up for a brewing run soon, going to order a La Choufe Houblon clone from Northwest Brewer and get it going very soon. And once it's in secondary I want to get a fall beer also in by the end of June. Basement should stay nice an cool enough for good fermentation.
As of yesterday's morning weight in I was 200 flat. Not bad considering I ate like a horse all weekend including one of the largest pieces of carrot cake ever. Should be back to sub 200 by end of week, I'd like to solidly set at 190 again. But if pigs had wings....we'd have no pulled pork.
And I just found the most awesomely disgusting youtube food channel. EpicMealTime. Bacon is your god...bow down before it.
Did a bit of surprise gravel road riding Saturday on the way out to the half marathon J was doing in VA. It was a blast, plus it's somewhere I was familiar with as I grew up in the area. The big changes is some BIG damn houses.
On my 2nd ride into work for the week. Yesterday was great, today was a bit slower and I was over dressed, it ended up being a degree warmer I think today than yesterday yet I wore full kit. D'oh!
Strava is pushing me to push myself and try and go faster/do better in shorter stuff, now I just need to add distance. Debating doing a post ride from work out the WOD a bit and back or just going home first then going east. Depends on the winds. Whichever I do I want to head into the winds first.
Beer wise I've had a few things but nothing super new or unusual. Working down stock in the b33r fridge. The last unusual/rarity was a DFH 75 with maple, that I couldn't really taste the maple in at all, versus say Crown Royal Maple which is like pancake syrup with whiskey. I am gearing up for a brewing run soon, going to order a La Choufe Houblon clone from Northwest Brewer and get it going very soon. And once it's in secondary I want to get a fall beer also in by the end of June. Basement should stay nice an cool enough for good fermentation.
As of yesterday's morning weight in I was 200 flat. Not bad considering I ate like a horse all weekend including one of the largest pieces of carrot cake ever. Should be back to sub 200 by end of week, I'd like to solidly set at 190 again. But if pigs had wings....we'd have no pulled pork.
And I just found the most awesomely disgusting youtube food channel. EpicMealTime. Bacon is your god...bow down before it.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Development Arresting
Clip and Walk was what happened Monday. Sure I rode my bike into the area and in between work area's but riding isn't really a valid description. I did get most of the outside perimeter trail trimmed. Also cleared the north entrance (but not the trail) and the southern entrance. Also made a good dent into clearing the little used trail behind the lower ballfield. It's a safer exit than the southern entrance for sure, you don't have to make the hard right or end up in traffic. Or you may end up being on the recieving end of the next Emma Way of Norwich England who just hit the cyclist knocking him off the road into a shrubbery. Hopefully the Knights of Ni go and deal with that uppity wench forthwith.
Hitting the trails today then I'll ride in again on Friday on the road I hope. 143 Miles'ish into May so far, this should put me near 170 before the weekend.
And in the cosmic jokes of the week, a friend sent J flowers since our elder cat Merlin was put to sleep last week. Well it included Lily's. Lily's are VERY poisonous to cats. Stupid remaining cat decided to chow down on some fallen leaves/etc. He is now enjoying a 3 day stay at the vets. At a cost of a small country's daily GDP. Sigh. I think in the last 2 months cat bills/etc are going to have topped the cost of a VERY nice mountain bike.
They do say the average American household is now spending 15K per pet over it's lifetime in food and care.
For now this is my weekend plan.
Hitting the trails today then I'll ride in again on Friday on the road I hope. 143 Miles'ish into May so far, this should put me near 170 before the weekend.
And in the cosmic jokes of the week, a friend sent J flowers since our elder cat Merlin was put to sleep last week. Well it included Lily's. Lily's are VERY poisonous to cats. Stupid remaining cat decided to chow down on some fallen leaves/etc. He is now enjoying a 3 day stay at the vets. At a cost of a small country's daily GDP. Sigh. I think in the last 2 months cat bills/etc are going to have topped the cost of a VERY nice mountain bike.
They do say the average American household is now spending 15K per pet over it's lifetime in food and care.
For now this is my weekend plan.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Humidty is Hell
Got a good ride in on Sunday AM. Definitely not feeling full awesome yet, but doing better. Still have a fair amount of chest congestion/crud. Nothing like coughing while your getting up and seeing a green phlegm ball land on your nice white comforter.
So I rolled outa bed a bit before 8 and after consulting multiple weather sites I dressed for damp/light right/slight cool with my 3/4 length cycling shorts, bibs, short sleeved jersey and my high vis wind/water shell. By 8:30'ish I was rolling out. Hit Vienna and promptly ran into a big 5k run/walk on the WOD heading west. Sigh. Cleared that and raced off to Hunters Mill. At HM I opted to jump of the WOD and try Hunter Station Rd. ZOMG BFH! That hill is SERIOUS and I wasn't mentally or physically prepped/rolling fast to start with and it was a slow 3 minute slog. Up the rest of the way and over on Twin Brooks. No speed records for sure. Then back down to the WOD near work. And out I went, rain had stopped but I didn't want to. I rode almost to Leesburg. Really debated going the whole way but the morning was passing and I knew if I kept going partially I might be tempted to go all the way to P-ville and that would be bad. So I turned around and headed back. At Smith's Switch I stopped to use the facilities. And opted to pack the jacket into a jersey pocket. Sorta. A bit big. Back to Vienna was not bad even almost PR'd one section. Saw several MORE friends on the trail on the way back.
Only had 2 Lance Waffles on the course of the day so far, so I was starved when I was done. A PB and honey sandwhich got me thru my shower and setting the washer to wash the nasty cycle wash. Then it was left over chicken tenders. I spent the afternoon dragging due to lack of caffeine, so I eventually got one at the store when getting the weekly necessaries. I also found out Mr.Clean Magic Erasers are awesome at removing random tire scuffs/etc on house walls. I've been starving since the ride though.
I also pulled all my winter gear for storage and re-oganizer my closet, much easier to find/get to stuff for now for sure. I realized I now have near 13 cycle jerseys. Oops I think I'm off a few as at least 1 maybe 2 are in the basement. Damn. Oh well.
Tonight I've got clip and ride or more like clip and walk trailwork at Wakefield. I'll be happy if one other helper shows up. I hope 10 don't as I don't have that many pruners! :P
So I rolled outa bed a bit before 8 and after consulting multiple weather sites I dressed for damp/light right/slight cool with my 3/4 length cycling shorts, bibs, short sleeved jersey and my high vis wind/water shell. By 8:30'ish I was rolling out. Hit Vienna and promptly ran into a big 5k run/walk on the WOD heading west. Sigh. Cleared that and raced off to Hunters Mill. At HM I opted to jump of the WOD and try Hunter Station Rd. ZOMG BFH! That hill is SERIOUS and I wasn't mentally or physically prepped/rolling fast to start with and it was a slow 3 minute slog. Up the rest of the way and over on Twin Brooks. No speed records for sure. Then back down to the WOD near work. And out I went, rain had stopped but I didn't want to. I rode almost to Leesburg. Really debated going the whole way but the morning was passing and I knew if I kept going partially I might be tempted to go all the way to P-ville and that would be bad. So I turned around and headed back. At Smith's Switch I stopped to use the facilities. And opted to pack the jacket into a jersey pocket. Sorta. A bit big. Back to Vienna was not bad even almost PR'd one section. Saw several MORE friends on the trail on the way back.
Only had 2 Lance Waffles on the course of the day so far, so I was starved when I was done. A PB and honey sandwhich got me thru my shower and setting the washer to wash the nasty cycle wash. Then it was left over chicken tenders. I spent the afternoon dragging due to lack of caffeine, so I eventually got one at the store when getting the weekly necessaries. I also found out Mr.Clean Magic Erasers are awesome at removing random tire scuffs/etc on house walls. I've been starving since the ride though.
I also pulled all my winter gear for storage and re-oganizer my closet, much easier to find/get to stuff for now for sure. I realized I now have near 13 cycle jerseys. Oops I think I'm off a few as at least 1 maybe 2 are in the basement. Damn. Oh well.
Tonight I've got clip and ride or more like clip and walk trailwork at Wakefield. I'll be happy if one other helper shows up. I hope 10 don't as I don't have that many pruners! :P
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Down with a Sickness and a cat and a finger.
Last weeks free-meal-o-rama from work led to no less than 3 fellow co-workers being anywhere from sorta sick to sick as hell with a cold/flu/cough thing that punched my ticket over the weekend. The last few days I've been operating by the graces of liquid Mucinex cough and cold. It's helped me mostly sleep at night without too much drainage and coughing. Though I did have one good fit at bedtime or just after. But the 2 previous nights i did get at least 6 hours of good sleep before waking to cough/etc.
Otherwise the suckiness has continued from last weekend un-detered. Cat had a bad day last thursday again, J said he was in bad shape which he was, Friday was spent on cat watch. He was doing a bit better but the old guy was just not doing as well as 2 weeks ago before the last dip. Saturday I went to work for a bit then came home. J was waffling on taking the guy to the vet to be put to sleep, I convinced her not to since we had mobile vet coming Monday afternoon.
Monday cat's still not much better and in someways worse he's being a bit more "hidey" spending more time in the basement then out. But not fully hiding. Vets come and after 30 minutes of discussion or so we decide enough is enough. The cancer and the diabetes are just too hard on the guy. He's not walking well and his jaw is cracking when eating. We put him to sleep. Just after the 1st injection J is feeding him some turkey when he bites her index finger on the right hand at the big joint. They wash it out and we continue and in a bit the guy is gone. He was a great cat for sure. 2 years on the big D survival for a 14+ year old cat is pretty impressive. He was actually at least 15 1/2 by the end, I suspect it could be up to a year more however. The vet was awesome and handled things really well. Then informed us J should go to the ER or the minute clinic for antibiotics due to cat bite infections being bad especially in hands. And off we went.
2 hours later we were done at the Minute Clinic. J with a scrip for Kflex. We ate, came back and got the scrip and went home. Next morning I went back to work and J woke up sore err and more swelled and went to the ER. ER gave her IV antibiotics, put it in a cast type thing and had her keep it elevated and return wednesday for a check. Back yesterday we both went. Not too busy at 8 but still almost 10 before we saw the PA. Meanwhile crazy homeless lady in the hospital comes up and rips a bandaid right off J's hand! We later hear her telling nurse her height is 7 foot 5! hahaha. Full on crazy!
J's hand is now in a finger splint only but she is to keep it elevated and soak it in warm water 2x per day. Tomorrow she has a follow up with a plastic surgeon (huh will it scar that bad?!?!).
Tonight is Wakefield TNR we have a mod chance of a storm but I think we're going to edge it out again. Then Friday is Bike to Work Day. Finally gonna get my tshirt after 7 years! Well I only road for about 4 years of days. 2 years I mtb'd in thru the mud! It was nuts. last year I road the roads. This year I could hit 2 stops if I wanted Vienna and Reston. We'll see how time goes.
Hopefully by Sunday I'll feel good enough to lay down a 40-45. In the next month I've gotta do my 100 miles to no where. I may have to 2 day it not sure at this point as I have a LOT of commitments and not much time in the next month.
For now I'm off to check on ole one hand (what I call J in reference to Jaime Lanister in Game of Thrones).
Otherwise the suckiness has continued from last weekend un-detered. Cat had a bad day last thursday again, J said he was in bad shape which he was, Friday was spent on cat watch. He was doing a bit better but the old guy was just not doing as well as 2 weeks ago before the last dip. Saturday I went to work for a bit then came home. J was waffling on taking the guy to the vet to be put to sleep, I convinced her not to since we had mobile vet coming Monday afternoon.
Monday cat's still not much better and in someways worse he's being a bit more "hidey" spending more time in the basement then out. But not fully hiding. Vets come and after 30 minutes of discussion or so we decide enough is enough. The cancer and the diabetes are just too hard on the guy. He's not walking well and his jaw is cracking when eating. We put him to sleep. Just after the 1st injection J is feeding him some turkey when he bites her index finger on the right hand at the big joint. They wash it out and we continue and in a bit the guy is gone. He was a great cat for sure. 2 years on the big D survival for a 14+ year old cat is pretty impressive. He was actually at least 15 1/2 by the end, I suspect it could be up to a year more however. The vet was awesome and handled things really well. Then informed us J should go to the ER or the minute clinic for antibiotics due to cat bite infections being bad especially in hands. And off we went.
2 hours later we were done at the Minute Clinic. J with a scrip for Kflex. We ate, came back and got the scrip and went home. Next morning I went back to work and J woke up sore err and more swelled and went to the ER. ER gave her IV antibiotics, put it in a cast type thing and had her keep it elevated and return wednesday for a check. Back yesterday we both went. Not too busy at 8 but still almost 10 before we saw the PA. Meanwhile crazy homeless lady in the hospital comes up and rips a bandaid right off J's hand! We later hear her telling nurse her height is 7 foot 5! hahaha. Full on crazy!
J's hand is now in a finger splint only but she is to keep it elevated and soak it in warm water 2x per day. Tomorrow she has a follow up with a plastic surgeon (huh will it scar that bad?!?!).
Tonight is Wakefield TNR we have a mod chance of a storm but I think we're going to edge it out again. Then Friday is Bike to Work Day. Finally gonna get my tshirt after 7 years! Well I only road for about 4 years of days. 2 years I mtb'd in thru the mud! It was nuts. last year I road the roads. This year I could hit 2 stops if I wanted Vienna and Reston. We'll see how time goes.
Hopefully by Sunday I'll feel good enough to lay down a 40-45. In the next month I've gotta do my 100 miles to no where. I may have to 2 day it not sure at this point as I have a LOT of commitments and not much time in the next month.
For now I'm off to check on ole one hand (what I call J in reference to Jaime Lanister in Game of Thrones).
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
Iron Thone Game Man Vikings 3.1256
I don't often comment on my media habits but I do have to give big props for Iron Man 3 as being way better than 2, and almost catching 1 for being enjoyable entertainment and how well it came together. Further on that note I'm also enjoying the heck out of Game of Thrones and watching Jamie Lannister, The Kingslayer, trying and cut a steak with only 1 hand. Vikings has also been surprisingly good. Imagine game of thrones on semi-basic cable. Almost. Still really enjoyable. The fights can be brutal.
Otherwise my regular media habits amount to books on tape when driving and occasionally
when riding.
Otherwise it's music like this:
Or Red Fang or such.
Riding my bike otherwise a bit, rain kept me off Monday and Tuesday but I'm back today. Think I shaved a full minute of my best time this AM even on the Volpe with my commuting pack on. Might try it again on Saturday packlessly and see what happens when I do it on the Fuji Carbon. I've also named my bikes now that I've gone dark side and joined Strava.
Paragon is Miss Daisy....
Volpe is uh Volpe Vengefull
Fuji Team Carbon is now Kamehameha.
I think I was a bit drunk mentally when I was naming them but hey whatever.
Photo's from MC 2013 are now online surprisingly from me. I expected it to take into 2014 for me to find the cable.
Dinner tonight with the co-slaves, then ride home. I suspect a probable b33r stop either at WF or VI.
Otherwise my regular media habits amount to books on tape when driving and occasionally
when riding.
Otherwise it's music like this:
Or Red Fang or such.
Riding my bike otherwise a bit, rain kept me off Monday and Tuesday but I'm back today. Think I shaved a full minute of my best time this AM even on the Volpe with my commuting pack on. Might try it again on Saturday packlessly and see what happens when I do it on the Fuji Carbon. I've also named my bikes now that I've gone dark side and joined Strava.
Paragon is Miss Daisy....
Volpe is uh Volpe Vengefull
Fuji Team Carbon is now Kamehameha.
I think I was a bit drunk mentally when I was naming them but hey whatever.
Photo's from MC 2013 are now online surprisingly from me. I expected it to take into 2014 for me to find the cable.
Dinner tonight with the co-slaves, then ride home. I suspect a probable b33r stop either at WF or VI.
Monday, May 06, 2013
Camped Out 2013 - Forescore and Seven
The drive back sucked. It was rainy and extremely foggy at times, around 6 I pulled off to gas up and took a 45 minute power nap as I was falling asleep at the wheel almost. I rolled out hard then and made good time the rest of the way back to Woodstock VA where I arrived about 11 pm. I checked myself into my own room and when parking only saw Brett's van in the lot. I didn't care enough to even bring my bike in out of the on and off rain. I turned on the TV for about 10 minutes and was wiped out. I slept till 8 the next morning. Got up showered and hit the breakfast line. Lo and behold half the missing campers were they. Apparently the nutters hit Carvins Cove at night on the way back and didn't hit the hotel till 1 AM or so!
We all watched the weather and patterns as we ate crappy eggs, cinnamon buns, and such. It looked like we would be in just the right place and have a mostly dry day.
By 9 most folks were up and functional and we loaded up to go to Dunkin for some good coffee and donuts pre-ride. We took off and everyone drove past the DD but me which was right around the corner. I about died laughing. By 9:40 we were on our way to Camp Roosevelt.
We hit CR around 10:45 or so I think and prepped and loaded up. Started with a 2 mile'ish dirt road climb. Foggy as hell amazing overlook I'm sure. My one good photo is of everyone looking like were about to take off down the overlook. Then we crossed the road and climbed the rest of the way up on some nice but techy singletrack. Had to hike a bit more than I wanted but it was good. Amazing view at the top and then a pretty impressive descent. Not huge like Saturday but still pretty good. Nice ride with mix of conditions, much more in my capability matrix.
Near the end I was catching the back of the pack and had just waived them onwards when I hear CREEK/Crack!
FCK! Chain break. The last rider had just went around the hill and my swearing loudly had drawn no one back. An examination of the chain showed one bad link, an outer so I would loose no length. Dig out the big multi tool. Dig out the spare QL10. Dig out the kitchen sink. Got the bad section out, got the link ready. Noticed chain is VERY dry from rain on drive/overnight even though I lubed the hell out of it the afternoon before leaving the cabin. Uhg. And the rear D is having issues not shifting down to high gear! a few hits of a rock and shifting fixes it eventually. Reconnect it and flip the bike back over. And start repacking when HO comes back looking for me. I tell the story and we laugh. And it's .8 miles to the car at this point. A quick grind out very carefully and we're back. We start to change and have a beer when in rolls the local forest rep. State or Fed I can't remember but DK is trading war stories and we all want a beer. She leaves after 15/20 minutes. And it's beer time. We enjoy a few last official beers of man camp and head off. We all hit Jalisco in Strausberg VA for some tasty texmex. Damn good and we're on the road at 5pm on the way home.
And home a bit before 7. Unload most of the crap, a load of laundry in the wash and I'm done and passed out at about 9pm, with dreams of cougars, unicorns, tar heels and all the other hijinks of MC 2013.
We all watched the weather and patterns as we ate crappy eggs, cinnamon buns, and such. It looked like we would be in just the right place and have a mostly dry day.
By 9 most folks were up and functional and we loaded up to go to Dunkin for some good coffee and donuts pre-ride. We took off and everyone drove past the DD but me which was right around the corner. I about died laughing. By 9:40 we were on our way to Camp Roosevelt.
We hit CR around 10:45 or so I think and prepped and loaded up. Started with a 2 mile'ish dirt road climb. Foggy as hell amazing overlook I'm sure. My one good photo is of everyone looking like were about to take off down the overlook. Then we crossed the road and climbed the rest of the way up on some nice but techy singletrack. Had to hike a bit more than I wanted but it was good. Amazing view at the top and then a pretty impressive descent. Not huge like Saturday but still pretty good. Nice ride with mix of conditions, much more in my capability matrix.
Near the end I was catching the back of the pack and had just waived them onwards when I hear CREEK/Crack!
FCK! Chain break. The last rider had just went around the hill and my swearing loudly had drawn no one back. An examination of the chain showed one bad link, an outer so I would loose no length. Dig out the big multi tool. Dig out the spare QL10. Dig out the kitchen sink. Got the bad section out, got the link ready. Noticed chain is VERY dry from rain on drive/overnight even though I lubed the hell out of it the afternoon before leaving the cabin. Uhg. And the rear D is having issues not shifting down to high gear! a few hits of a rock and shifting fixes it eventually. Reconnect it and flip the bike back over. And start repacking when HO comes back looking for me. I tell the story and we laugh. And it's .8 miles to the car at this point. A quick grind out very carefully and we're back. We start to change and have a beer when in rolls the local forest rep. State or Fed I can't remember but DK is trading war stories and we all want a beer. She leaves after 15/20 minutes. And it's beer time. We enjoy a few last official beers of man camp and head off. We all hit Jalisco in Strausberg VA for some tasty texmex. Damn good and we're on the road at 5pm on the way home.
And home a bit before 7. Unload most of the crap, a load of laundry in the wash and I'm done and passed out at about 9pm, with dreams of cougars, unicorns, tar heels and all the other hijinks of MC 2013.
Friday, May 03, 2013
Camped Out 2013 - Part Threesome
When we last left our intrepid hero's, the Man Camp 2013 Appetizer battle had begun. Some of us brought our A games, and well some slackers just brought their appetite.
Knowing my recipe had some complexity and 2 slower parts I rushed in upon our return to claim a pan on the stove and to get my other part into the oven first.
My recipe of choice was: Hipster BLT's.
8 Slices of Crispy Fried Bacon (I used Applewood Smoked). Diced into nice chunks. Next time I use 12 slices, more bacon please!
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese - I used Monterrey Jack.
1/3 Cup Mayo - I used an A-1 Spicy Mayo from Helmans or such - Plus 2 table spoons of horseradish mayo/sauce from Safeway.
Mix Ingredients together in bowl.
10-12 Grands Honey Biscuits.
1 large very ripe tomato sliced in half down middle and de-cored to give 1/2 tomato slices.
1/2 large tub of Mach lettuce.
Split biscuits, put nice layer of Mach lettuce down. Put tablespoon+ of cheese/bacon/mayo mix on lettuce and a slice of tomato.
Everyone seemed to love it, they were VERY tasty I think. But it still wasn't enough. I got beaten by Thai chicken skewers with a humus and siracha sauce in 2nd, and 1st was Brett's homemade sausage mushroom on dainty crackers with fresh thin slices of manchego. I love manchego and I REALLY did like both other dishes but I don't feel they were better. Oh well I still placed. Karl did tasty quesadilla's. Darius did a salad that was good, but I understand his lack of effort, pulling the whole trip together is a HUGE deal. Someone else had something but it wasn't even in the running.
Then we had steaks. I had a small steak that I think someone switched on me. It was unimpressive if it wasn't. Oh well next time I supervise my own steak. :) Darius did a great job cooking it even if the steak itself was CRAP!
We had a grand ole time. Enjoyed lots of great wine, then a few beers after also. We hot-tubbed for near an hour and by 2AM everyone was sacking out. I was actually one of the last too be tired and in bed for a change. Plenty of water kept us from being hung over.
Rain of a serious magnitude was the order for Sunday. No ride so after breakfast we opted to hike Linville gorge/falls in the rain. We hiked 3 miles'ish and saw some great views of the falls. Several times I went trail nuts and cut/fixed drains were the rain was pooling badly. They needed a scout troop for a weekend and I could have the whole place mostly fixed. 2 Area's needed a drain put in.
So after the hike we detoured back to where the ride started the single track the day before. Apparently Darius had lost his gps early on. They head out we chill in the cars. 30 minutes later they are back and have it. It wasn't very far in and they found it on the way back.
A quick stop for coffee turns into the slowest coffee ever. The guy could only take 1 order/make 1 drink at a time. Oy no starbucks in his future. I managed to spill half my hot chocolate everywhere and cleaned it up myself so he wouldn't slow down more.
Back at the house and we change and pack up. I volunteer to stay as no one started the dishwasher before the hike and it has to be emptied before we can leave. Everyone else headed out around 3. Dishes finished at about 4:30 I dried em and headed out after a quick stop at Wendy's. 5 Hours of driving a head. And boy was it rainy, foggy and getting dark early. My favorite drive!
Knowing my recipe had some complexity and 2 slower parts I rushed in upon our return to claim a pan on the stove and to get my other part into the oven first.
My recipe of choice was: Hipster BLT's.
8 Slices of Crispy Fried Bacon (I used Applewood Smoked). Diced into nice chunks. Next time I use 12 slices, more bacon please!
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese - I used Monterrey Jack.
1/3 Cup Mayo - I used an A-1 Spicy Mayo from Helmans or such - Plus 2 table spoons of horseradish mayo/sauce from Safeway.
Mix Ingredients together in bowl.
10-12 Grands Honey Biscuits.
1 large very ripe tomato sliced in half down middle and de-cored to give 1/2 tomato slices.
1/2 large tub of Mach lettuce.
Split biscuits, put nice layer of Mach lettuce down. Put tablespoon+ of cheese/bacon/mayo mix on lettuce and a slice of tomato.
Everyone seemed to love it, they were VERY tasty I think. But it still wasn't enough. I got beaten by Thai chicken skewers with a humus and siracha sauce in 2nd, and 1st was Brett's homemade sausage mushroom on dainty crackers with fresh thin slices of manchego. I love manchego and I REALLY did like both other dishes but I don't feel they were better. Oh well I still placed. Karl did tasty quesadilla's. Darius did a salad that was good, but I understand his lack of effort, pulling the whole trip together is a HUGE deal. Someone else had something but it wasn't even in the running.
Then we had steaks. I had a small steak that I think someone switched on me. It was unimpressive if it wasn't. Oh well next time I supervise my own steak. :) Darius did a great job cooking it even if the steak itself was CRAP!
We had a grand ole time. Enjoyed lots of great wine, then a few beers after also. We hot-tubbed for near an hour and by 2AM everyone was sacking out. I was actually one of the last too be tired and in bed for a change. Plenty of water kept us from being hung over.
Rain of a serious magnitude was the order for Sunday. No ride so after breakfast we opted to hike Linville gorge/falls in the rain. We hiked 3 miles'ish and saw some great views of the falls. Several times I went trail nuts and cut/fixed drains were the rain was pooling badly. They needed a scout troop for a weekend and I could have the whole place mostly fixed. 2 Area's needed a drain put in.
So after the hike we detoured back to where the ride started the single track the day before. Apparently Darius had lost his gps early on. They head out we chill in the cars. 30 minutes later they are back and have it. It wasn't very far in and they found it on the way back.
A quick stop for coffee turns into the slowest coffee ever. The guy could only take 1 order/make 1 drink at a time. Oy no starbucks in his future. I managed to spill half my hot chocolate everywhere and cleaned it up myself so he wouldn't slow down more.
Back at the house and we change and pack up. I volunteer to stay as no one started the dishwasher before the hike and it has to be emptied before we can leave. Everyone else headed out around 3. Dishes finished at about 4:30 I dried em and headed out after a quick stop at Wendy's. 5 Hours of driving a head. And boy was it rainy, foggy and getting dark early. My favorite drive!
Thursday, May 02, 2013
PTI - Just one of those mornings.
Pardon the MC 2013 interruption but I have a few anecdotes to share from yesterday this morning.
If you are excited for your first bike to work day in a while you inevitibly forget to set the extra early alarm you need.
While grumbling about missing out on the ride you forget to grab your keys, only realizing it when you have walked out the door shutting it. And checking the stupid lock realizing the knob is locked and you have to call someone out of bed to let you back in.
My mtb still had water in it yesterday when I near fully disassembled it, blew it out with compressed air, re-greased everything, and stuff.
Before a ride where the bike has been in the rain over night you must re-lube the chain even if you put a ton of lube on the night before or it will break.
My derailleur was VERY loose on at least Monday's ride.
Beware of Cougar Mountain, in addition to Cougars it may have Tar Heels and also the rarely observed Flying Honey Badger. I think one bounced off my helmet luckily at one point. I was able to escape down the mountain before it woke up.
I need more hike-a-bike cross training.
More to come later I'm sure.
If you are excited for your first bike to work day in a while you inevitibly forget to set the extra early alarm you need.
While grumbling about missing out on the ride you forget to grab your keys, only realizing it when you have walked out the door shutting it. And checking the stupid lock realizing the knob is locked and you have to call someone out of bed to let you back in.
My mtb still had water in it yesterday when I near fully disassembled it, blew it out with compressed air, re-greased everything, and stuff.
Before a ride where the bike has been in the rain over night you must re-lube the chain even if you put a ton of lube on the night before or it will break.
My derailleur was VERY loose on at least Monday's ride.
Beware of Cougar Mountain, in addition to Cougars it may have Tar Heels and also the rarely observed Flying Honey Badger. I think one bounced off my helmet luckily at one point. I was able to escape down the mountain before it woke up.
I need more hike-a-bike cross training.
More to come later I'm sure.
Camped Out 2013 - Part Duece
No alarm clocks necessary on day 2 of Man Camp. The earliest to bed folks were the earliest to arise and from my position on the main floor couch everything is happening near by including 2 different people making coffee 2 different ways. The plan is currently our guide should arrive around 9:30 so we have 2 hours to get ready. Not long considering 11 campers need to eat mass quantities of breakfast. Frank fires the potatoes to start with. A bit later sausage hits the skillets. I go and prep my pack and gear. Back up and I steal a PB&raisin&honey sandwich from Darius and I'm about ready. One big breakfast later and we are mostly ready. Then it comes in that we are shuttling. Shit. Out to the car to try and get a gear/change bag ready. The sky is threatening the rain in the forecast.
Guide shows up a bit before 10 and explains the plan. Base ride should be around 18 miles (cough 22/23). And 2 possible extensions. Main ride should take 3 hours. Maybe for him! Lots of Descending! We will start near 4800 feet and end up at 1600. Mention of a few creek crossings. And we are off a bit after 10. 4 vehicles of bikers on the road. I'm rolling with Brett W in the VW battle van. We drive up the mountain and eventually stop just on the other side of the parkway off 221 I think it was. They now have to shuttle 1 car to the early stop and 2 more to the final end point.
And we wait. And Wait. And Wait. We are passed by a cougar in her Jaguar after her hike. She's scarily friendly and eyeing us all up and down.
The trip becomes officially known as Man Camp 2013 - Escape from Cougar Mountain!
Kegley works on his new rap songs for his new career.
We laugh and bullshit. Todd B finds a random part on the side of the road and smartly saves it.
An hour later the lone return car is back. 2 of the shuttle drivers report there cars in various states of fuel shortage from running on empty to possible on "Fumes". The shuttlers prep and we are off. On a 1.5 mile climb. Up the Blue Ridge Parkway. Several mechanical adjustments on the way and we finally hit the single track with a burly rock section doing a quick descent. Then we roll a bit and start a bigger and slightly less techy descent. Then it's a bit of up to the next big descent. We are now down to 1700' from 4800'. Damm. Now we climb back up to about 2400 feet and descend some rooty mess for a bit down to another screeming fireroad.
And the creek crossings start. Shallow little things at first but eventually crossing 50-100 foot knee deep or more crossings on foot. Lots of hike-a-bike also to go over insane rock piles etc. 7 or 8 big crossings. And we stop for a more substantial break. Or rather everyone else has waiting for me. I stop and eat 3 bites of sandwich heaven. And we are off and climbing again. Back from 1650'ish to 2200. And more creek crossings. 7 or 8 more of the same with some CRAZY hike-a-bike sections. Did manage some stuff, but I wasn't beast enough for a lot of it. Another big quick descent.
6 hours later we finish with 18+ gps miles and what must be really 22/23 miles total. I'm cooked and so are 3 or 4 others. We opt to drive the shuttle to the next point. BIG frickin climb up the mountain we pass everyone between half way and 3/4 of the way. The lead group ops to do a quick last trail hit for the Sinkhole/Mine trail. The others coming screaming down the mountain to the final meetup. Last of the riders rolled in at 7:40 from the trail group.
We load up after some celebration and talking shit and we are off back up the mountain and praying that the fuel supply holds. Which it does. We eventually find a gas station with old school pumps and all 3 vehicles gas up. The guide is behind a bit and doesn't need gas. Back to the house about 8:30. And Man Camp Appetizer Battle is ON!
Guide shows up a bit before 10 and explains the plan. Base ride should be around 18 miles (cough 22/23). And 2 possible extensions. Main ride should take 3 hours. Maybe for him! Lots of Descending! We will start near 4800 feet and end up at 1600. Mention of a few creek crossings. And we are off a bit after 10. 4 vehicles of bikers on the road. I'm rolling with Brett W in the VW battle van. We drive up the mountain and eventually stop just on the other side of the parkway off 221 I think it was. They now have to shuttle 1 car to the early stop and 2 more to the final end point.
And we wait. And Wait. And Wait. We are passed by a cougar in her Jaguar after her hike. She's scarily friendly and eyeing us all up and down.
The trip becomes officially known as Man Camp 2013 - Escape from Cougar Mountain!
Kegley works on his new rap songs for his new career.
We laugh and bullshit. Todd B finds a random part on the side of the road and smartly saves it.
An hour later the lone return car is back. 2 of the shuttle drivers report there cars in various states of fuel shortage from running on empty to possible on "Fumes". The shuttlers prep and we are off. On a 1.5 mile climb. Up the Blue Ridge Parkway. Several mechanical adjustments on the way and we finally hit the single track with a burly rock section doing a quick descent. Then we roll a bit and start a bigger and slightly less techy descent. Then it's a bit of up to the next big descent. We are now down to 1700' from 4800'. Damm. Now we climb back up to about 2400 feet and descend some rooty mess for a bit down to another screeming fireroad.
And the creek crossings start. Shallow little things at first but eventually crossing 50-100 foot knee deep or more crossings on foot. Lots of hike-a-bike also to go over insane rock piles etc. 7 or 8 big crossings. And we stop for a more substantial break. Or rather everyone else has waiting for me. I stop and eat 3 bites of sandwich heaven. And we are off and climbing again. Back from 1650'ish to 2200. And more creek crossings. 7 or 8 more of the same with some CRAZY hike-a-bike sections. Did manage some stuff, but I wasn't beast enough for a lot of it. Another big quick descent.
6 hours later we finish with 18+ gps miles and what must be really 22/23 miles total. I'm cooked and so are 3 or 4 others. We opt to drive the shuttle to the next point. BIG frickin climb up the mountain we pass everyone between half way and 3/4 of the way. The lead group ops to do a quick last trail hit for the Sinkhole/Mine trail. The others coming screaming down the mountain to the final meetup. Last of the riders rolled in at 7:40 from the trail group.
We load up after some celebration and talking shit and we are off back up the mountain and praying that the fuel supply holds. Which it does. We eventually find a gas station with old school pumps and all 3 vehicles gas up. The guide is behind a bit and doesn't need gas. Back to the house about 8:30. And Man Camp Appetizer Battle is ON!
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