I'm BACK Baby!

After a long hiedus (some deserved but mostly self indulgent) I'm back!
The shoulder is good, the bikes are updated, and the motivation has returned. I've decided that there will be lots of racing this summer starting with a Half Ironman in Illinois. I did this race a couple of years ago right before I got hurt, and if I remember correctly the race will hurt - A LOT.
It is now March 12. I'm going on vacation until March 20th and then in the shadow of Rocky I will begin my training. Rockman looms in the distance, and a bunch of my friends will be there. The shoulder is good, the bikes are ready to get the dust off, and the pool is calling.

So what has happened since I last updated? Well, I got fat. I ate and drank a lot. I built some nice bikes, and I logged about 3500 miles in the saddle. One thing I learned is that without the pool and the run I lose motivation. I didn't even cook anything worthwhile. I did make some killer wings the other day, but that is really not on topic.

I made some great new friends. One si a kid that could win Junior Nationals if we could get him there and the other is a really strong Duathlete that has a way of kicking my butt and making me feel like I'm doing him the favor.

Since I'm officially out of training at the moment I'll share some pics of the big winter party - The Mustachio Bachio

I Officially Accept the Dumbass of the Year Award

Well the story starts in the GEAR column. I bought the perfect City bike. I won't get too into it here but there is a difference between a Townie and a City bike (also covered in GEAR )Anyway the perfect city bike for me was a Lemond Poprad Disc 2006. Really very hard to find. It took me a few weeks of intensive searching nationwide to find the proper size and bike at the right price. I finally found it just in time to tool around the neighborhood and fall inlove with my purchase. Of course I had to do a few modifications and recable the whole thing, finally the night before our trip up north the bike was ready for serious service and I had to show her off.
In tangled with this overhaul was another project that would lead to catastrophe. I was trying to set up the garden for automated watering a mere 36 hours before our departure. NOT a good idea. As a triathlete I know not to try anything new on race day, but I ignored every bad feeling and pressed on with my project. Several trips to both the Homedepot and Lowes later I had the gardens ready for watering. Along the way I had to replace outdoor spigots, piping, and had to return at least two timer. More bad signs. The darkness loomed and I thought I had claimed victory. I even disassembled the whole bike on an overhaul that night and got it back together before dawn. That bike fought me the whole way. A simple recable took me three hours - another bad sign.
I had left the addition of an additional bike rack until the morning... halfway through mounting the rack I was distracted by checking on my watering greatness. There was no watering - the timer was a dud. Another trip to Homedepot and more agricultural purgatory, and I was left with what I had started with in the beginning.
Now we were late and still had errands to run. I threw the bikes on top of the car, locked down the expensive ones but had no lock for the new bike and no time to find one.
An hour and a half later after detours we were finally on 696, a busy four lane highway, we were free doing 70mph in the center lane, then the wheels came off - literally.
The wheels of the Poprad came off the roof of the car. There was a loud thud and clunk. Profanity was abundant and then a wheel of the bike was visable in the rear view mirror. A second later the bike was spinning across traffic in the center lane. I pulled the car over to the shoulder, got out and ran.
There it was, orange and intact in the center lane. I ran thinking it might be OK. I could fix it. As I got closer, it got clipped on the wheel - the wheel exploded. I thought - I can fix that too. Then it happened. 70mph Bike vs Cadillac the whole bike exploded. I thought - Sh!# - what's left. Then it was hit again and again. I wanted to cry. A grown man, on the side of the road, wanting to cry over his bike. If you don't understand, you never will.
I was able to haul the mangled wreckage off the highway - there was nothing to be salvaged - nothing.
After collecting my bike off the highway I was escorted by the Police to the motorist that had dealt the fatal blow to the bike - they had a flat tire - thank God nobody was hurt. Charles was the Coolest Cat ever. No hard feelings, no anger, just sorry he ran over the bike. The cops were great, they just wanted to see the wreckage which was stuffed in the trunk.
The toll: One (new to me) 2006 Poprad Disc obtained from Colorado and modified with all the good parts in my basement over about 20hrs, and one 22" tire. Off a Cadillac.

Is this a homeowners claim or a Drivers? Either way, I'm a Dumbass because in trying to get my sprinklers to work I forgot to reattach the wheel strap and at 70mph the bike took flight.
Anybody got a 55cm 2006 Poprad for sale? I'm looking.

It 'Aint Easy Being Green

OK, OK,

I know it has been a while since I've posted. I know it has been even longer since I've had a recipie to share. I'm sorry, really I am. The thing is, I've not been busy, I've not had other things to do, I've not been out living the big life. Truthfully, I've been lazy.
There have been fabulous meals, and funny stories. We've had good stuff, and bad stuff, and I've just not checked in. My bad.
So there is the apology, and here is the the funny and the eats :-)

I recently made a resolution to be GREEN. Really I made a resolution to not fill up my $75 gas tank as much, but it still counts. So Beck and I have resolved to bike to as many things as we can, but as you might guess, the first step is the hardest.
I've been looking for another new bike (I'll tell you about my first new bike in the GEAR section soon) but it seems that I'm unwilling to pay for the bike that I want at this time. The plan was to build a city bike that I could ride everywhere and be good enough to hook a trailer to, and hopefully race some 'Cross in the fall with. Well, I had te perfect bike all planned out, but it was $4K. Needless to say, that was not in the budget. This fact prompts my story.

The Sequential Vortex
I have been lusting for a Cyclocross bike since I bought my first road bike, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to add such a bike to the growing stable in the basement. As simple as it seems to procure one of these via ebay, the reality is 'not so much'. Anyway, me being me, I'm looking at townie beaters that are wayyyy out of the price range, so I decide to resurect my mountain bike that has been laying dorment for years. This seems like a good reponsible idea.
So I get the old Hoo Koo E Koo out of the rafters. I raid my parents garage to reposes my old fender rack and I make two trips to the local bike shop to get the two to meet.
I also have a reason to take a package to the post office that is about three miles away, so this is a SIGN. I pump up the tires on the old Hoo Koo, it takes me almost an hour to actually attach the rack to the bike (appatently this rack was designed for a different ride) and I'm off.
I'm GREEN baby! I'm feeling good, I even have my helmet on. I am Zen with the Earth and I'm smiling from ear to ear. Then I flat. It appears that my 15yr old tires were not up to the challange. I turn around and walk the bike about 7 blocks home. However, I am not detoured! Once home I get out the fancy bike and the shoes and begin to ride to the bike store to procure a new tube! Then I think better of it, i turn around (it is obviously not my day) and hop in the car to go to the bike shop.
Of course there are no matching tires for my 15yr old relics I need to buy two new tire and tubes. So $50 later I'm on my way home.
I'm pretty handy with the bike but, damnit, it took me 30 min to change both tires and tubes, and I still have not been to the post office!

Serves me right for having something to do with a bike out of the rafters.
The good part is that the bike got fixed and Beck and I rode to the post, (which is another story) dropped off the package, stopped by the burrito place, rode to our friends for beers. We rode home and had a great time! Gotta love the suburbs!

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Mothers Day Dinner
First course - Fume Blanc
Asian Salad
Romaine Hearts
Carrot Shreads
Orange Bell Peppers
Red Onion finely chopped
Dressing (Rice wine vineger, red wine vineger, honey, EVOO, Dried basil, S&P, Coriander)
Alaskan King Crab Claws steemed in Corona and half a lime an half a lemon

Main Course
Orzo Salad
Chilled Orzo
Cilantro
Coriander
Mix of Heirloom, yellow, red grape, and orange, tomatos.
Red wine vineger
EVOO
S&P
Pan Seared Scalops (sear them in EVOO and Butter with S&P and coriander)

Four biig claws and 12 big scallops later there were no leftovers.

MmmmMmm Good!

The Vacation is Over. Time to Get Focused

Well I'm now about 7 months post-op so I'm running out of excuses to not get back to business. Shoulder Update: This thing is still not right, but at least now I can do a couple of push ups, well seven actually. It is still pretty crunchy in there but at least now it is mostly just noise and not terribly painful. Weight Update: This is not good, as of yesterday I'm over 192lbs, yikes. i still have until mid March before I go to Florida for a little fun in the sun, so technically I stil have enough time to get back to fighting weight, but the question is if I still have the resolve.
One thing that will certainly keep me motivated though is the Navy SEAL fitness challange that both Becky and I have signed up for. It is the standardized test for BUDS school and it is coming to Dearborn so you can compare yourself against some of the best military operatos in the world.

I'm No Longer The Endurence Athlete of Note in the House

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later. My wife, Becky, who has through her life has achieved goal that I would only dare to dream, has done it again! While I was trying out for the JV LaCrosse team in highschool, she was winning a gold medal in the first ever female amature hockey tournament hosted in Russia. Well I was recovering from my crash she One-upped me again, she is now the first member of the house to hold a medal for the completion of a marathon.
Some may be jealous of this fact, but I could not be more proud! Even though I could never understand what would posses a person to go out and run 26.2 miles (unless you are finishing an Ironman) her efforts and stellar performance has inspired even me - the marathon cynic.
Although I'm sure that Becky will argue a couple of the finer points of this story, here are the details as best I can relate them.
Although I would like to say that my recent commitment to Ironman was the driving force behind her Herculean effort (she likes to joke that she got tired of coming to my races and not having a response for the "What are you training for?" question) the real truth is that she has wanted to run a marathon for as long s I have known her. In fact she thought that she had nipped it in the bud, but last yaer her cousin ran the Disney Marathon and the dim candle of desire began to burn brightly once again.
Much to her credit, and my dismay, she planned, researched, trained, and implemented what turned out to be a near flawless marathon plan pretty much all by herself.
Back to the race - The day at Disney was perfect. Early, but perfect. We rose at 2:30am and get tot the start just in time for a cup of java and a long wait it the line for the restroom. After that I said good-bye with eh promise that I would see her on the course as much as I could and the race was on!
I saw her at mile nine and it was all smiles. I was so excited that I didn't even get a picture. Then at mile 13 and still smiles as the pictures prove. I jumped on the Disney transit to mile 23 and she was still smiling, but rumors have it that she was really hurting by this point. I tried to beat her to the finish but the call from her parents at mile 26 reveled that I would only catch her in the recovery area.
Still all smiles and sporting a Mouse Ears Medal that would make Flava Falve she was officially a Marathoner and had such a great race that she is even thinking about doing another one - maybe in 2010.

As for me things are good. I've been moved and inspired by my wife once again and the good thing is that in all this marathon madness I was given the OK to start to train again.
Look out for more food, some gear projects and maybe even some how-to's.

Later

It's not like I remember...

Well, so life has pretty much sucked for the last 20 weeks or so. No running, no biking, no swimming, no lifting, no nothing but 12oz curls. I gotta tell you, I prefer 4 hr rides and sore legs to a hangover.
I had a 'consultation' on the 20th of november. The Doc said no running again. I never thought that I would want to run in favor of a night out. Well I split the difference with him. I took another two weeks and I had to start up again. Four miles kicked my ASS! I'm still sore three days later.
The shoulder hurts - ther is still no muscle there. I have along road ahead of me.
I have to ask, how is this possible? I was not that banged up it seemed, but I face a long road. I can't even ride the trainer for more than 15min with out my shoulder screaming.
It is getting better though, at least I can move the arm. I guess it is about 60%. I'm still not sure if I'll ever be able to race Tri again, but I can put the dishes away. And I did run - against doctors orders, but I was losing it.

Race Day...

Well it's 12:01am on race day. I should be sleeping or at least trying to sleep. I also should be in Florida, and weigh about 170lbs.
Instead, I'm up, drinking a nice glass of Scotch, at my computer in Michigan, and I weigh a disturbing 193lbs.
I suppose that this is how things go sometimes, but I swear that I might vomit the next time someone tells me that everything happens for a reason. I mean, that is not really how it works. Sure things happen, but not always for a reason. What we do in the face of adversity often makes us stronger, and is often a bigger challenge and yields greater rewards than the initial task for which we set out, but I don't think that's the same thing. Oh well, it doesn't matter.

The weather should be good today, and the race should be fast. Good luck to all those who wade into the water in about seven hours.
To paraphrase something old and good:

May the ocean currents carry you swiftly and safely to shore. May the southern winds be at your backs and embrace you like the breath of God. May the sun warm your soul but not scorch your spirit. And may the taste of victory be cool and sweet upon the lips of You, the Champion.

Godspeed

Back to the land of Function - Sort of...

Well I got out of the sling just in time to attend Brian's Funeral, that was a month ago now. Things have been pretty good. I can now do a 12oz curl with my right arm, I can finally sleep on my left side and on my stomach, and best yet- I can drive!
the down side is the weather - what a great summer! If I could have trained I woudl not have done a single day inside, but alas, my bike hangs in the basement collecting dust, and I'm still not allowed to run for another month :(
The other good news is that I can cook again, so the meal have been flowing. The newest is an imitation of the Outback salad. Really simple to do (the recepie will be at the bottom)
The bad news is that I've gained 20lbs (although I'm the only one that seems to notice) and my fitness is for crap. I guess that is good though since my race is this weekend and I don't have to feel bad about not being there.
We watched the Race in Kona on the big flattie a coupole of weeks ago, which was really cool. You can't get the race on TV but I was able to hook up the live internet feed through my laptop and into my TV. I was pretty proud of myself.
I've rebuilt my bike using the proceeds from the sale of my race wheels and I think that the project turned out pretty good. The roadie is now sub 14.6lbs which is below the legal limit for the Pros. The problem is that with all this free time i've already grown boared with it an wna to build a new ride!
I think that I'll keep it and ride some mountain tours with my buddy Jon this summer and then think about turning it around for somthing different.
Becky is getting pretty serious about her marathon training (she is going to do the Disney marathon in January) and she is progressing alot faster than I ever could have! I think that next week she will surpass my langest run with a 14mile training run. Although I have to saw that I'm pretty jelous, I'm more proud of her than anything.

Sorry that there are no pictures this time, but here is a long awaited recepie (simple to start)

OUR OUTBACK SALAD
Romaine lettuce
Chedder Cheese
Big cut tomatoes and Red Onion
Pumpernickle Crutons
Thick cut Manchengo cheese
Hidden Valley Ranch with Chyanne Pepper

The Last Goodbye...

Well where to start? I guess with the bad... I buried a friend on Friday. He was smart, successuful, charming, and the King of us. He was untouchable, Teflon, Bulletproof, and a good guy to boot. Words cannot begin to describe what Brian was, so I won't try. All I can say is "Peti, you are the best of us. We will do you proud. My 401K is in order and my cuffs are linked. God's speed, I will miss you, but I know you'll call. I love you buddy, take care." - goodbye

Soooooo Frustrated...

I'm going on almost nine weeks in the sling. Since the crash I did a month of healing for no reason, followed by surgery, follwed by another month in the sling. I know I have to do it to get better, but that does not make it any better. I can't drive, I can hardly cook, and I surely can't train. My shoulder is in nearly constat pain, and I have not had a good night of sleep since the accident. Ugh...
IMFL is looming on the horizon. I had actually convinced myself it was in a week - I think just to have it over. I just sent in my withdral on the 14th (the day before the deadline) and it made it seem all the more real. I'm tired of being called 'gimp' or 'criple' even as a joke. I'll never use those terms in passing ever again.
Shoulder watch is a big frustration. How am I doing? Crappy. The mother hurts, and it does not move very much. I know that the greatest athletes are forged from fire, but I never really understood that the fire happened during our lives.
I will be stronger and faster after this, I have to be. The 10hr IM does not seem like a goal anymore, it is a requirement. If I can suffer like this for nine weeks, I can suffer on the course for 10 hours.
I suppose there is some good in this afterall.
Peace. No worries. Just another step to victory.

Post IM Depression... And then some

Wow. Talk about a kick in the butt.

I was just at IMoo (Ironman Wisconsin) to support my training buddy Cris Ferrone. Cris is a little tiny woman, weighing in at about 85lbs soaking wet and she is an IRONMAN. She looked so great the whole time it made me wonder if I had the stuf to be an IRONMAN.

Her race was perfect. She got out of the water right on time (1:42) only 5 min after I thought she would. That time was great for her, since she is not the big swimmer.

All smiles out of the water and up the helix (for those that don't know the helix is a cruel 5 floor wind of a parking garage) to her bike. we were lucky enough to get a pic from above.

On to the bike and another spot on time 7.5 hours and some change right on schedule.

Then it started to happen... Cris started to CRUSH the run! She was so fast the we thought that we had lost her, and then she was there,well ahead of schedule, and smiling from ear to ear! Her she is looking great.

I think the run was harder on us than her. look at this form!

We saw her at the finish, and she looked like an IRONMAN.

Cris is HTFU she is tough beyond words, She is MY inspiration, she is IRONMAN!

Congrats to you Cris, against all odds, you did it!

>

I am the BORG

Have you ever watched Star Trek? Well if you have recently then you know what I'm talking about. Right now I'm half man, half machine, and I have parts in me that I was not born with.

I've had a shoulder Reconstruction. So here is what happened: Large incision in my right shoulder so the Doc could shave the tip of my clavicle, remove the meniscus and quote "shredded pieces of the cartilage and ligaments" that used to be my shoulder. He also removed a bunch of 'shredded' muscle, and determined that "that was never going to be right". After the carnage was removed he drilled two holes in my clavicle to attach an 'alograph' tendon (a cadaver piece of tissue) using two bio-absorbable anchors.

So I feel pretty good about the whole thing. I was given some GREAT drugs in the hospital. There is no secret why you cant get these at the corner drug store! If I could I'd be a very happy, very non-productive, member of society - kinda.

After traveling all over the state getting second opinions I'm glad that I went with my guy. He did an awesome job and I barely have a scar (bummer ;-).

The after drugs seem to be a total let down. yeah they dull the pain, but where is the drug euphoria?!? But how could they compete with the IV stuff right? Seriously though they do work as I have found out today as my Rx ran out. I had no idea I was in this much pain! Good thing for me I can have more starting tomorrow.

The good news about running out of drugs is that I got to have my first beer in what seemed to be a really long time. I have no idea why people get addicted to pain killers - beer is sooooo much better!

So as if getting shoulder reconstruction was not enough to keep me occupied, the night I got home from the hospital a FREAKING tree (well a very large branch) fell on my car! Small favors prevailed and it turns out that they can fix the damage, but seriously, when it rains - it drops tree branches too.

Well, I think that is enough for tonight. Sorry that there are no recipes. I'll work on that since I've got a bunch just waiting.

meanwhile, I hate to cyber-beg, but I'll take donations to the new bike/medical expenses/car deduct able fund @ bigsky17@yahoo.com via pay pal.

A bump in the Road, well, a Road Block really...

I know that it has been a long time since I've updated the site, but I was really busy, or lazy, or distracted, or something. This post will be an update to my current situation, regrettably with no recipies.

It is now August 6, 2007 and I'm no longer training for IMFL. I'm currently training to wash my hair with my right arm :-(

About a week and a half ago everything was going according to plan. I had returned from vacation in Northern Michigan with a couple of long rides filled with hills and surprising average speeds on the bike. I even managed a spontanious 10 mile run followed by several hilly and hot 7 milers. I was king of the world - on track with the right amount of weight to lose, and looking forward to the Big Build to Ironman.

Then I suffered a series of setbacks. Before the vacation and after my early 1/2 IM (report to follow) I was called out on a couple work weekends which seriuously messed with my plan. I was then dropped by my coach due to my lack of communication of my schedule (not that I had a lot of control over that - but it is what it is).

Still, after suffering these set backs, and at least one more hideous working weekend, I found myself renewed in my efforts to make a good showing at the race. I had many more working weekends planned, and several weddings to attend, but I was solid, and committed to the race - still dreaming of a 10 hr finish.

Then the house of cards came down. Immediately upon my return home I was hit by what we refer to as the Nicaraguin Plague. 24 hours of harsh flu and losing the wrong kind of weight. A big bummer for sure, but nothing to jeoperdize the race.

I missed a 60+ mile group ride that I was looking forward to, but I was determined to make up for it. Perhaps this contributed to what followed, but most likely not.


On the next group ride I took the bike up from the basement, rode a preliminary 20 miles and met the group at the local bike shop. Approximately 10 miles into the ride I heard a strange rattle coming from the bike - surely a bolt from the water bottle cage. Approx 2 minutes later I was on my ass taking stock.

The strange rattle turned out to be my front skewer (the thing that holds the front wheel in place) and the result was me going ass over tea kettle onto the pavement via my head and my shoulder. The good people a Bell Helmets kept my noggin intact, but the good people at the paving company insured that my shoulder was whacked.

I suffered a Grade III Acromioclavicular separation. In laymens terms I separated my shoulder really badly (tearing all the ligaments and tendons surrounding the collor bone at that top of the shoulder). After the first trip to the surgon I was given a light at the end of the tunnel. 8 weeks of rehab and I should be fine. After an MRI and a second consultation I was told to shoot for washing my hair with my right arm - bummer.

It is really hard to know what to make of this whole thing. On one hand, I'm truely thankful that I'm not taking my meals through a straw (or even just taking meals in general). On the other hand, I'm really bummend about missing the race. It's not about the money, or the fact that the bike is broken. It's about the fact that I really thought that I could do it, and now I have to wait, perhaps for a long time, to make another attempt.

Friday holds more hope. I go to see the surgon again, and hopefully, he will tell me that I should find a shoulder specialist, or that everything will be fine with a little more time. Anything but limbo will be better than this.

On the positive note, I will have lots of time to post the great dinners we were making in the last couple of months, and after my recent trip to Napa I have a few win recommendations for everybody as well.

Make no mistake, I will be back on the Triathlon circuit soon enough. I don't care what my shoulder ends up looking like, or if I need to pioneer a procedure myself.

The IronLife will continue...

Day whatever - Back from the dead

Well, it has been a while, and for that I apologize to my throngs of fans who I know have been waiting with bated breath for my newest installment. Well wait no longer, I have returned.



The holidays were a training disaster. Too much food, too much wine and not nearly enough swimming, biking and running. All of this resulted in a post holidays weigh in of 188 peak lbs!!! Not good. After the New Year i got back into the swing of things and even pulled a couple of tripe training days. January turned into February and I found myself feeling pretty banged up and a little hurt. Brian and I decided to change up the plan a little bit since it is becoming a little obvious that my legs are lagging behind in the recovery department.



I've been spending a lot of time in the pool and feel stronger now than I have the last couple years. This is good news since the plan in to get out of the water in about an hour at IMFL. The only hiccup is that I spent a whole week down with the flu and I'm still shaking off a cold that followed it. i don't know but it might have something to do with the terrible weather that we have been having here in MI, with 40's one day and negative wind chills the next. the good news is that we got a nicer TV down in the basement so the long rides on the trainer and running on the treadmill are a little more bearable. I still dream of spring...





March 1st marked the official beginning of the NsOSRSGDtYRWC better known as the Not so Official Semi-Rockman Smackdown Get Down to Your Race Weight Challenge. Spurred on by my bought with the flu I intend to cut down to my racing weight of about 170 lbs by June 10th (or earlier). I have also been joined by several of the SlowTwitch community in cutting weight, so it should be fun to see how everybody does. So far I've been successful in dropping one more lb by cutting all of my usual portions in half, it's been tough but the leftovers sure last longer!



Here is a new recipe for all for all of you that are looking for something light:



___________________________________________________________

Tilapia with Mango Salsa and Citrus Vinaigrette Salad



Mango Salsa

1 Mango diced
1 Blood Orange diced
2 Cloves Garlic diced
1/2 Avocodo
1/2 Lime (juice)
~ 2 Tbs Cilantro diced
Salt
Pepper
Orange zest
1/4 Red Onion Diced



Citrus Dressing

1/2 Lemon (juiced)
EVOO
Red Wine Vinegar
S/P
Orange, Lemon, Lime Zest
Fresh Ginger diced



Bake the Tilapia in the oven with a little EVOO and Lemon pepper at 400 deg for about 15 min. I made the salad with pine nuts, goat cheese, Red onion, and dries cherries.
Serve with Sushi Rice.

Day 27 - I slay the most mighty tree in the wood

I am not a Christmas person. I have been told that I am a 'Bah Hum Bugger'. Not that I don't like Christmas, just the getting to Christmas. Perhaps this is because I believe that there is very little Christmas spirit left in the world, what with all of the mall madness, and the stress, and the making sure that everything is just perfect, and the never breaking of any tradition, and the travel, and moaning, and groaning about being happy on Christmas damn it overshadowing what the season is really supposed to be about. True or not, let's just say that I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder about the whole holiday exercise, so when Becky announced that this would be the year that we got or first real Christmas tree, I was less than thrilled.

Now since I am aware that I am not a Christmas person I can work toward being in the holiday spirit. I believe that there should be laws about decorating your house before thanksgiving, but I was out there on Friday with a wreath, garland and 1,500 lights to dress up the joint for the celebration of the birth of our Lord. The house looks great, and I am happy that I did it. I can get into Christmas, it just has to be on my terms.

If we must have Christmas tree we are certainly not going to the local Home Depot and throwing one of the precuts on top of the car. If it were up to me we would do it Clark W. Griswald style, drive out into the wilderness in the family truckster, dig a tree up with out bare hands in 20 deg weather and 3ft of snow! I knew that this was impractical, and I really did not want to Dig up a tree, so I settled on trucking about and hour out of town to a cut your own tree farm.

The warm weather of last week was now but a distant memory and the snow had begun to fall as we headed out in search of our tree. After driving for abut 45 minutes we arrived at the Addison Oaks tree farm. Stepping out of the car on my appointed manly task the words "Be careful what you wish for..." we echoing in my head as the 20 deg wind whistled past my bare ears. With my wife rolling her eyes at me and my dog jumping out of his skin to go personally mark which tree he wanted, I was not to be deterred and we pressed on into the field.

I have very vivid memories of cutting Christmas trees in my youth. Just like the Griswalds, the whole family would pack into the 'green bean' (our 1981 Volvo 240DL station wagon) and head out to find the perfect tree. There are rules about cutting a Christmas tree, the first and most important is to NEVER pick the first tree you find. This is an adventure, and if my chosen sport is any indication, adventures take time.

After finding and rejecting several candidates, with the cold lowering our standards, we found the perfect tree. Time for my manly task of felling this wonder of nature and thus proving my ability to provide for my family.

I am suddenly transported back to 1987 when as an 11yr old I uttered my first curse word in front of my parents. My hands numb and the tree fighting back with needles in the eyes and ears, I am beginning to think that this may not have been the best idea. Since it is waaaayy to late to turn back, I press on hoping that this will not take long enough to lose a finger to frostbite.

After about five minutes of cutting VICTORY IS MINE!

With our trophy lashed to the roof of the car we began to wind our way home. Due to a parade in one of the small towns this too turns into quite and adventure, as we drive on dirt roads for about 45 minutes before we return to civilization. Our Adventure now official and authentic, I decide to leave the actual decoration of the tree to Becky.

I have to say that she did a mighty fine job with the lights and ornaments, even if I did not do such a great job with the straightness of the tree. No worries, it is now perfectly straight and shining in the front window.

Day 26 - Back on track

It has been a while since my last post. Call it a turkey hangover, call it depression from watching the Irish lose, call it a little bit of burn out, or call it the first round of germs that tried to take hold. I have been neglectful of some workouts and as a direct result this blog.
Last Friday the house hold chores and a full belly of thanksgiving Turkey won out and I took my first full rest (well no running) day since I started. Instead I elected to put up the Christmas lights while the weather was still unseasonably warm. Three trips to Lowe's later, my work was done and it was time to go and eat more turkey. Skipping workouts is a slippery slope, once you have made peace with skipping one, you are far more likely to skip another, which I did on Saturday. I skipped the bike, but did do my run putting up a 48 min 10k. Then it was time to watch the Irish take on USC. - Sunday I was too depressed to workout and decided to do work around the house instead. Monday I skipped because I was really moving down that slope.
I felt really bad about skipping those workouts and did not want to post about them, but there they are, I have come clean. Now with two consecutive days under my belt again and no intention of skipping today's run (even though last night really hurt) I feel better.

The really bad thing is that the weather has finally turned for the worse. Yesterday it was cloudy but almost 70 deg. Today it is raining and getting colder every minute. We are supposed to see snow tomorrow and all weekend which means lots of treadmill work is in my future. Oh well such is Multisport in Michigan.

We had some pretty good meals here in the last couple of days. Here are the marinades that we used on the chicken, the pork, and also my homemade spaghetti meat sauce (well, my mom's really)
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Grilled Chicken Marinade
Balsamic vinegar
EVOO
S/P
Dried Basil
Simple and tasty, we use this for grilled chicken salad.
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Grilled Pork Tenderloin Marinade
Grey Poupon
Worcester Sauce
Soy Sauce
S/P
Minced Garlic (3-4 cloves)
EVOO
Great stuff, served with some homemade apple sauce (Granny Smith's skinned with brown sugar and cinnamon) and some Broccoli

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Spaghetti Meat Sauce
1lb ground Round
1 diced yellow onion
3 diced cloves garlic
S/P
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
Italian Seasoning
It gets better the longer it simmers, so put it together before your run and let the flavors come together while you're out building an appetite.
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I have to also thank Becky for 'brining me home' last night on the run. I ran into her on her way home (my way out) from her run with the dog and she rode her bike out to meet me at about mile four (still 3.5 miles from home). I was really hurting and starting to think about giving up and walking. With her by my side I began to feel better and actually finished up pretty strong. It's really nice to have support out there - Thanks Baby.

Day 19 - Part II - Great Day for a Run

What a beautiful day, and an even better run. After all of my worries about my my legs I ended up feeling great, the temp was perfect, the sun was shining and I had Becky as my pacer and personal photographer along with me the whole way. We ended up going 32 min out and 30 min back for a 7.6 mile total and a 2 min negative split! More importantly I felt great and had almost no pain the whole time.

Now I can eat all the turkey I want!!!!!!

These are some of the pics from the run. All of these are along my usual route along the lake. I guess a fella could do worse for scenery.

Day 19 - TURRRRKEY! TURKEY! TURKEY! TURKEY!!!!

I love Thanksgiving. The turkey the, the family, the football, the turkey, the crisp autumn air, the turkey, and the turkey. Today is turkey day so you all know what we will be having for dinner tonight, and I'm not going to bother to post any recipes since I actually don't know how to cook a turkey (but do know that we cook it breast down to make it extra moist) and I have not made the potatoes and gravy yet (this is my first year) so I have to test them out on my relatives before subjecting my loyal readers to unforeseen disaster (although at this point I think that they are both the same group - oh well).

I have to give a big shout out to my Mom and Dad, who are out visiting my sister Kristen, my brother in law Steve, and their boys Christopher and Brenden (Boo), and of course Kree the big black dog. I'm sure you are all glued to the computer screen anxiously awaiting my next post. Please send pictures and I will show you all off.

I also hope to post some pictures from Becky's folks' house tonight where we will be, and we can have a virtual thanksgiving.

I have to say that as excited I am about the turkey and the beautiful day we are having today, I am almost equally less excited about today's run. Normally an hour and five minute run means about eight miles and that I was really looking forward too until I decided to push my run on Tuesday and turn 4 sub 7:30 miles. Not a good idea, and not my coach's idea either, I just got a little carried away feeling like a 98 lb Kenyan until the wheels fell off. As a result last night's run was a disaster, a real demoralizer. I hurt bad for the first mile, just hurt a little for the second, and really hurt bad for the last mile. I made it through only stopping for traffic, but it was a far cry from how I felt on Tuesday, and even more so it was hard to keep myself convinced that this was part of the process and that I was still getting better at running. I have to say that this was the first appearance of 'The Voice' which I will go into detail about after my run today. For now it is time to stretch out and get ready to hit the road.

I'm going all Rocky Balboa on this run just to get through. DA DA DA NA DANANANA DA DA DA NANANA!!!!!!!!

"If You want to Fight for Ten minutes you Gotta Train for Ten Thousand Minutes!!!!"

Day 15 - Note to Self, you cannot run off a Hangover.

This weekend was great, and it was also a little rough. Friday's runs were no problem, we discovered that Red wine is actually a performance enhancing drug (well kinda) and I got to bed early. Saturday I had a banner workout early in the morning consisting of a 1 hour trainer ride followed immediately by a 35 min run. For all those unfamiliar with the lingo this is called a 'Brick' workout, mostly because that is usually how your legs feel when you get off the bike. Well, I was not setting any records for transition time but starting my run my legs felt great and a knocked out the 35 min on the treadmill without a problem, and I even finished with a 5 min build increasing the incline and speed every 30 sec. I felt great, and after cooking a little breakfast (leftover potatoes from the salmon night, eggs, cheese and tomatoes) it was time to start thinking about the big game.

Anybody that knows me knows that I am a Notre Dame fan, but the game that I was interested in this day was the Ohio State University of Michigan game. Not only was I looking forward to the #1 vs. #2 match up, but a certain nutrition company had posted a giveaway of $100 of their stuff if you picked the winner and total score. That company is InfinIT Nutrition, and I have been using their product to train and race with for the last year. I cannot say enough good things about their stuff or their company, so needless to say I was really hoping for a final score of OSU 45 U of M 37. Well I was close, and in fact was close enough to win the big prize!!!!! So I would like to thank Mike at InfiinIT for unintentionally becoming my non-official Nutritional Sponsor for IMFL 2007 'catchy phrase TBD'.

Now, while I was very well behaved for the game, and pretty good at the dinner that followed, the Red Wings needed to go into overtime and then a shootout which pushed my evening into the wee hours of the night, and also meant that alcohol to water intake shifted into the Hangover zone. Now while I knew that this was happening as I sat and helped my buddy Joe make sure his high quality Scotch's had not gone bad, it seemed totally worth it. It was worth it right up until I had to muster a run on Sunday. I know from experience that you cannot run off a hang over, but I was determined to try. I figured I might be able to sweat it out, but the body was weak, and after running for 25 min, and wanting to vomit the whole time, I threw in the towel.
I'd say lesson learned and that it will not happen again, but I know that when Joe's Scotch needs to be checked for consumablity I will be first in line.

We have not cooked since Thursday night which means that I'm probably not doing too well in the no weight gain holiday challenge, but there is always this week to improve. I'm hoping that I will soon start to see the benefits of all this running (almost 40 mi last week), but I think that I will have to do a better job with my portion control, and alcohol units.

I need to thank Ferrone for cooking a great meal for us on Saturday night. She made this egg white quiche that was out of this world and I will have to poach the recipe for it. I also need to thank Val (and Mark) for putting on such a fabulous spread last night. I'm not real sure how the pork was prepared, but it was great. Also the little onion deals were super tasty, but you went way over the top with the homemade Swan marrange white chocolate moose dessert, and I'm blaming this weeks extra poundage on the box of homemade chocolate truffles you sent home with us. Thanks so much, that whole evening was terrific.

Day 12 - Not fit for Man nor Beast

Yet there is still running to be done. Last night's run was dark, cold, wet, and longer than I have run in quite a long time. Needless to say I was having a little motivation problem. The alternative, however, was a 55 min run in my basement on the treadmill, and no matter how nice I make my basement the thought of running down there for an hour is less than appealing. this is especially so because it can be a long winter here in the D, and I am sure that there will be many nights spent running down there.

So with a few words of derogatory encouragement from my buddies at SlowTwitch, and my cool new a3. beanie (thanks Brian) to keep my head warm and earphones in place, I was off to enjoy the great outdoors. even though the weather could have been better the rain held off for most of the run and the wind was only a factor on the way home (of course), but I still managed a 2 min negative split for the return 3.5 of 7 miles. Not too bad considering that if it were up to me, I would have been planted on the couch all night listening to my butt get bigger. I have to say that this is the area where having a coach to direct you to your full potential, and a group of fellow athletes who are not afraid to call you out as a big wuss really pays off.

To complete this truly healthy evening dinner was one of my favorites, especially after a big run, Copper River Salmon, Smashed Red Skins, and Pine Nut and Goat Cheese Salad. A word about Copper River Salmon - This stuff is a real treat, bright red, full of flavor and Omega 3's, the Copper River Fishery in Alaska is a sustainable fishery that only harvests once a year. When the wild caught salmon hits the shelves in the summer I buy it by the freezer full so that I can freeze it and have some all year long. This fish is much better for you than the farm raised stuff and tastes a lot better too. Here is how we like to do it.

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Copper River Salmon w/ Smashed Red Skins

Lay the fillet on foil skin side down, season directly with S/P. Coat lightly w/ Marinade (grey poupon, red wine vinegar, rice vinegar, EVOO)
Grill (on the foil) for about 10-12 min over med high heat. The fish should just flake when cooked through.

Potatoes - Boil red skins until cooked through and drain. Add butter (not a lot needed), sour cream (again not too much) diced Scallions, and S/P. Smash w/ potato masher to a coarse consistency, mix with a spoon.

Salad - Goat Cheese and Pine Nut Salad

Also goes great with asparagus when in season.

Healthy, and really good after a hard workout. Takes about 20 min to prepare (mostly waiting for the potatoes to cook). - Just try not to eat a pound of salmon like I usually do...