ROLLING with BIGBLUE

Dynamite

2011-10-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

Avery's U12 Academy soccer team.

Frustration

2011-10-09T17:58:00.000-07:00

Looks like this...

Because there is not enough of this...

Another frustrating Sunday with a loss at home to the Bengals and a record of 1-4. It's sad that enjoyment on Sunday has to come from my fantasy team these days. Oh well, it can't get any worse. I know they have to start getting better. They have to...

New Hardware

2011-10-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

Here's the x-ray I hoped to get at my one week post-surgery follow up. You can see the ICD below my left collar bone and the wire leaving it and going into my heart. The other wires are external EKG leads that were in place during the procedure. This x-ray was taken right after surgery. Fascinating stuff.

So now that I have the ICD implant, I also have a device identification card that I keep in my wallet. But I also needed some identification more readily available so I got a new slim Road ID. The shot below shows the slim ID in comparison to my old elite ID. Cool stuff.

Football- don't really wanna talk about it. I will say that college football in the state of Kentucky AND the state of Florida sucks right now, but it really sucks for the dudes with the blue UK on their helmets. Maybe the Jaguars will get something going tomorrow. Maybe, but I doubt it. This all makes the start of Kentucky basketball that much more appealing! Go Big Blue!

Friday...

2011-10-07T07:55:00.000-07:00

It's already been one week since my surgery and besides being a little stir-crazy and a lot under the weather; I'm ready to get out of the house! Well, I did get out of the house a few hours Monday and Wednesday night to hit my classes at UNF. I also got out for several walks with Ness but you know what I'm saying. Anyhow, I really look forward to getting out to Avery's soccer game in Ponte Vedra tomorrow morning. Hopefully the weather will cooperate...

This morning Char and I went to her 27 week ultrasound and saw that our 2+ pound little lady is looking great! It's hard to believe that we are only 3 months away from her arrival. We have been steadily building up our baby stuff inventory and crossing items off of our Babies R Us registry as we get them. Man, I think I forgot how much stuff babies need!

Today I head back to Mayo for my follow up and a little ICD analysis with the pace clinic. I'm curious to see what has been recorded so far, if anything. Anyhow, here's how things are looking after one whole week-

The pain is pretty much gone but now I just feel a little tightness in the implant area. It pretty much feels like there is a hockey puck lodged in my chest. The swelling is about all gone so now you can see the outline of the device. Cool.

And while I've been home and drugged all week, I did not come close to out-sleeping my buddy...

Football this weekend looks ok, especially with the nasty weather we are supposed to be getting. So in the college world, UK visits South Carolina and I do not think that there will be another upset in the works like there was last year. I look for The Ol' Ball Coach to cruise. Florida heads to LSU and this could be an old fashioned butt-whoopin with Brantley out. But hell, Florida could keep it close after getting man-handled by Bama last week. Besides the Red River Shootout, Louisville has a match up at North Carolina that will probably be a baby-blue blowout for the home team. As for the NFL, of course there will be a lot of good games, but I will have my eyes on the Jaguars hosting the Bengals. This game should be interesting- and not just because of the rookie quarterback match up, but because the game should really dictate if the Jags are that awful or not. The Jags really need this win and with the worst offense in the NFL against one of the best defenses, it will probably be a long day for the home team and another step towards a high draft pick next year. Hopefully, somebody for Gabbert to throw to will be in the cards for next season. But as for now, the planned whiteout may not help. Wait... they are having a whiteout and it's supposed to rain? White t-shirts and water? Yikes...

joined a club

2011-10-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

I almost did absolutely nothing today, which would be day 5 of recovery and sickness. Maybe I didn't mention it on here but did on Facebook, but I managed to get sick in the hospital and now I've lost my voice along with feeling like total crap. Awesome. Anyhow, today I contacted a group that I had started to work with when I was first on the verge of getting the ICD a few years ago. The ICD Sports Registry is a group out of Yale University that studies athletes with ICD's. They are supported by 3 of the major ICD manufacturers and their goal is to determine the risks and safety of ICD'd athletes participating in sports more rigorous than golf. Very cool stuff. As soon as I can, I plan to get back to running and riding. My running goal will top out at a marathon after running a half marathon last year. As far as the bike, I plan to get back into the endurance mountain bike events. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do at the moment, I just know that I'm going to be doing some fun stuff. Either way, I'm stoked to be able to provide such valuable data to an important study.

my girls

2011-10-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

My 2 girls are soon to be 3! Most of you already know, but Char and I are expecting a baby girl in January. We are so excited! We have done quite a bit of work to get ready, especially with the nursery. We gutted our 3rd floor guest suite and transformed it into the nursery. All of the new furniture that was in there was moved to Avery's room, where we added a few new pieces and completed a full room make over while she was at her mom's. We donated all of her bedroom furniture to the Salvation Army. Anyhow, she was pretty damn excited when she came over to a brand new room.

In the nursery- since the room is so big we left a queen bed, added a chair rail, crown molding, new curtains, a crib, a changing table, and knocked out quite a bit of painting. We still have more wall decorations to add as well as the black leather rocker/recliner that is on order. We also had the flat screen TV mounted to the wall so it can be seen from the recliner and the bed. This room is plush!

So back to my ladies- Char is going in to her 27th week of pregnancy and so far everything has gone quite well. I have been to most of the major doctor's appointments up to this point, so it has been nice to be a big part of the whole experience. We have quite a few child birth classes on the slate in the next 2 months. We are also (I think...) close to picking our baby's name- maybe we can knock that off the list this week... Char has continued to workout (running & swimming) but just recently cut out riding. She plans to get back to serious workout stuff as soon as possible and I think she even has an XTERRRA offroad triathlon planned for the spring. I am eager for us to get back to training and racing in 2012 like the old days. At any rate, here is a shot of her and her bump at 23-1/2 weeks:

Miss Avery started middle school this year and so far so good. She had straight A's on her first progress report so hopefully that will set the tone from here out. She was extremely fortunate to get into one of the top 2 middle schools in Jacksonville, James Weldon Johnson College Preparatory Middle School. JWJ is a magnet school and has a heavy concentration on the gifted program, which Avery tested into coming out of kindergarten. The good thing about JWJ is that it feeds into 2 of the top high schools in the country, Stanton and Paxon. Aside from the academics, Avery has gotten somewhat serious about soccer. I posted earlier about the Academy soccer she has going on. She still plans to train and compete in triathlons considering it comes so natural to her. And aside from sports, Avery is just one cool kid. I absolutely love the time I spend with her and our daily interactions. She is growing into one amazing young lady!

One of my favorite soccer shots:

Rewind 3 years

2011-10-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

I was training and racing my butt off back in 2008 until I was officially diagnosed with HCM. Rewind back to September 2008 and you can see what I was up to and how I reacted to the news. Then came October 2008 when I was advised to get an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD). Now fast forward to last Friday when I finally had the procedure done at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville. There was much thought, testing, counseling, and confusion over those 3 years to get me to this day. Now that the device is in, I am relieved, I am protected, and now I can move on with life with virtually no limitations. With my paternal bond growing deeper and stronger with Avery and with Char and I expecting a baby girl in January- the decision had to be made. I now have the ultimate life insurance policy- if anything were to ever go wrong, I am protected. With that being said, I have some pretty kick ass hardware bolted in my chest. The Boston Scientific Teligen is one slick device and I am glad to have it on our team. I now consider myself BIONIC.

Here's a shot of the hardware...

And here I am 2 days post-surgery...

Hopefully this week when I follow up at the pace clinic at Mayo I can snag a chest x-ray. That would be a cool picture to post. In the meantime, I am taking a week off of work to recover and waste time by doing things like tinkering with my blog.

Football season...

2011-10-03T06:12:00.000-07:00

...sucks so far if you are a Kentucky and Jacksonville Jaguars fan. Both teams are supposed to be in somewhat of a transition year but this is beyond disappointing. I usually partially pull for my hometown Louisville Cardinals but they are terrible also. And since I've lived in Gator country for 15 years, been to dozens of games in the Swamp, and even married into a Gator family, pulling for Florida is just not natural. I mean, I do root for them anytime they are not playing UK, but I guess they will be my only hope this year in regards to enjoyable football. Although that blowout loss to Bama was a tough one to watch. With that being said, Coach Cal brought in his 3rd #1 recruiting class in a row. And did I mention they are preseason #2? After making the Elite 8 in his first year and then the Final 4 his second year, I think he has an excellent chance to make a strong push for Title #8 this year. I've also been following Coach Cal on Twitter/Facebook the past few years and I've genuinely become a fan of the guy- he's really a good dude. Anyhow, what I'm getting at is that I am ready for some damn UK basketball! Even though the Cats have lost 8 (yes, 8!) first rounders to the NBA in the last 2 years, their roster is stacked!

A reminder of last year's incredible run...

Academy Soccer

2011-10-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

After a few years tooling around with recreational soccer, Avery got into quite a bit of coaching and camp at UNF and has blossomed into quite the soccer player. She is now playing for the FCSA Academy Developmental team and has been playing half of her games at goal keeper and the other half at forward. She is doing exceptionally well, scoring a goal in each of her games (all wins!) and improving each week at keeper skills. I've never gotten into soccer, but it has been quite a pleasure seeing her develop and her confidence grow. She is going through a growth spurt right now and at 11 years old and 5' 2", her athleticism is growing with her.

Look what I found...

2011-07-17T19:27:00.001-07:00

My blog- I forgot all about it. Stumbled across it on my wall on Facebook of all places. Wow- so much has happened since I frequented this joint. Should I start blogging again? I don't know- my life may be rather boring these days. Besides, keeping up with The Book is plenty for my cyber-interaction. Anyhow, do people still blog?

Weekend Sports

2010-03-14T19:22:00.001-07:00

UK wins SEC regular season title #44 and SEC tournament championship #26. The Big Dance starts this week with UK as the #1 seed in the East. Man, it's great for UK basketball to be UK basketball again!

Here's an action shot from Avery's 2nd soccer game this weekend. She played well, had fun and continues to learn this new game. We both enjoyed another win and another super fun day at the park!

Soccer begins...

2010-03-07T18:42:00.000-08:00

I love me some Big Blue!

2010-03-05T17:31:00.000-08:00

I HATE Orange.

2010-02-28T10:21:00.000-08:00

Our Wedding

2010-02-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

Website

Number 1

2010-01-24T19:36:00.000-08:00

Chomp this

2010-01-15T21:03:00.000-08:00

Char and I headed down to Gainesville to check out the UK/Florida game this week and the game did not disappoint! UK proved to be superior, ended a losing streak in the O'so small high school gym with 2 banners and sent Gator fans home with a chant of "Go Big Blue." Nice. 17-0 and thoughts of a deep run in March are making the Big Blue Nation antsy for #8...

Ah yeah!

2010-01-04T14:50:00.001-08:00

It wasn't pretty, but a win over the Cards is always great! Go Big Blue!

Engaged!

2009-12-25T07:04:00.001-08:00

I had been toying with all kinds of proposal ideas before and after buying Char's bridal set a few weeks ago. The idea that seemed to be the best was proposing on Christmas Eve, when we normally open one present that night. Since we had the evening to ourselves, we had some wine, dinner and a bottle of wine and watched Gran Torino. I really wanted to incorporate Mayfield into the proposal considering how much she meant to us, especially Char. So I put the ring on a picture/ornament of Mayfield on the tree and told Char that I had somebody very, very special help me with her ring. There was a time when I had used Mayfield in this manner a while back where I had a big bow on her collar. It was a special memory between Char and I that added to this occasion. Anyhow, it worked out perfect, was very emotional and best of all- Char said YES!

I'm pretty excited for Avery to come over later today and we all open presents. After that we are headed down to the Smithley's for Christmas dinner. Should be an awesome day!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Puppy

2009-12-24T15:19:00.000-08:00

It's tough to determine how soon you should consider another dog after losing one. But after some long talks, it seems like the best decision for us was to offer our loving home to another rescue considering there are so many boxers in NE Florida without a home. That next rescue is Nessie- a one year old boxer stray that was missing most of her fur due to mange and has several pounds to gain. She is beyond sweet and has settled right in with her new family and home! Thanks again to BARC for all that they do for boxer rescues! Welcome home Nessie-Ness!

Man, Kentucky basketball is killing it right now! 13-0! I'm not going to get too deep into the season thus far but after beating North Carolina, UConn and Indiana, I am looking forward to the Cats beating the Cards in Rupp Arena Jan 2. It was great watching UK highlights the other night on ESPNU leading up to UK winning their 2,000th game. Wow- good stuff! Char and I scored tickets to the UK/Florida game down in the O' (high school gymnasium) Dome on Jan 12. Should be a killer game. Go Big Blue!

Rest well, beautiful girl

2009-12-16T13:40:00.000-08:00

This past Monday our beloved Mayfield passed away unexpectedly from a possible heart failure of some sort. This was a total, devastating shock and we are still trying to find our way through the pain. She was the most loving, perfect little companion that we will deeply miss and will never forget. Her kisses, her wagging tail, her smiles, her wiggly butt, her kidney-bean of excitement, her unconditional love...her total essence of being Mayfield gave us so much joy and a lifetime of memories in the short time she was with us. Mayfield never knew a stranger. Mayfield never had a bad day. Mayfield never stopped trying to please us. Mayfield was love.

Sweet dreams pretty puppy, I love you.

Believe the Hype

2009-12-09T21:03:00.000-08:00

Hell Yeah!

2009-12-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

No substance

2009-08-27T17:18:00.001-07:00

Ok, so it seems like I've posted crap since I've gotten back to this blog. Talking about school is boring, talking about reading books is boring, talking about work is boring, talking about sports, funny stuff, current events and bike stuff seems ok, I guess. It was fun when I talked about training and racing and traveling. Hell, it was fun just doing that stuff period. Talking about working out just to stay fit instead of training for a race or races seems rather boring too. I see people at the gym all the time- big whoop. I see people running all the time too but most of them are probably training for something. I'm sure some are like me and are just doing it because it's the quickest workout with the most bang- or maybe because some of them like to run. I also see people out on their bikes, which has got me thinking- I'd love to sit in a group ride. It's been quite some time since I've hit the group ride scene here in Jax. I used to love group rides and would think about them most of the day when I was going to hit Open Road, or County Line- you know, the Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday big boy circuit. I remember when I first started riding Open Road when my goal was to hang on as long as possible. Same with County Line. Before long I was taking lots of pulls, attacking, responding to attacks, sitting in, planning strategies and contesting the final sprint. Ah man, the thrill of the weekly local road race! Then there are the AB rides. You know, the ones that are not as fast. Those were cool to sit in on and check out the routes and group dynamics... and to crush the AB fast dudes! Or they were just nice to have as a recovery ride. Anyhow, since I have gotten into half way decent shape and my heart seems to still be working ok, maybe I'll show up and sit in on one of the many rides around town...just maybe...

the last weekened....

2009-08-22T05:23:00.000-07:00

...before school starts both Avery and myself. It looks like my fun-n-gun training schedule will drastically slow down next week. Not that I was training for anything, but my internal desire to be uber-fit had taken over the last few months. Also, I had done a little internet research and soul searching and came to the conclusion that I would be ok to pick things up a notch. I haven't come anywhere close to the training and racing efforts that I was doing up to last year, but I have been pushing my HCM heart a bit. At this point, I know how important hydration is and I know when to back off when things in my chest don't feel right. But I have actually felt great the last month or so- running, lifting and RIDING!

This week has been pretty mellow in the Big Blue world. Avery is away in Minnesota with her mom visiting family. Char has been knee deep in half-Ironman training. I had a nagging project at work that I completed Friday. I engineered a minor project and saved the company over $8000 by not using the OEM. Not that I hadn't done things like this many times in the past, but this time I just felt a larger sense of satisfaction when it was done. Maybe it was because I had tapped a few more resources, included many more team members than normal and maybe because the equipment and technology was some of the newest and advanced that we own. Either way- it was a relief and it was cool!

So back to school- I decided to go full time until I finish. Not only do I need to get school finished, but I need to use the rest of my GI Bill before it expires. I am a little behind for 2 reasons- 1. is because I took 2 years off in the middle to concetrate on training and racing. 2. I changed majors last year from electrical engineering t0 management. The pre-req's for EE and management are quite a bit defferent so I am playing a little catch up. I picked up all of my books this week and I am ready to get started. It will be a tough balance but I am ready to tackle another one of life's little challenges...

Ok, I need to talk sports! That's one thing that I missed during my blog vacation. Man, it's football season! The preseason is in full swing and college football is just a few weeks away! But before I get into football, there were a few big stories this summer- I'll touch on a few. Vick returns to the NFL- everybody needs to leave this dude alone and let him play football. Het got caught, came clean, did his time and now he is going back to work. Enough! Pitino soiled his image- what were you thinking Rick? He should bounce back ok- I mean he is Rick Pitino and he is in Kentucky, but I think The Pitino Brand took a little hit. Brett Fav... ah, I don't even want to say the name! Make up your friggin mind! I can say that I really care what he does but I am sick of hearing about him. Retire. Not retire. Return. Not return. Hold teams, owners and players hostage. Repeat. Decide to return after camp and 2-a-days? Not cool. Part of me wants him to do well this year, part of me wants him to fall flat on his face and part of me wants him to just go away. But I must say that it must be nice to have some real football excitement in your NFL town...

Last sports topics and then I'm out- the Jags and UK football. Wait, one quickie- Florida is going to be scary good this year. Saint Tebow and the #1 Defense. Damn. Just don't overlook Big Blue when you guys roll into Lexington this year, ha! Anyhow, the Jaguars may be in trouble. Ticket sales suck. Their off season moves sucked. They needed help on offense and some on defense and they tried to fix it through the draft and restructuring the coaching staff (again) and the front office. Our receivers have been horrible for years and they let their top 3 receivers from last year go (not that they were very good) and bring only brought in old man Torry Holt. Personally, I think the receivers have never developed around here because the quarterbacks have not been very good. And I really don't think Garrard is the answer. The Jags still looked boring in their first preseason game against Miami. Tonight they need to have a good showing at home against the Bucs and former Jag QB Byron Leftwich. A good performance by the team may earn them a few more ticket sales- and a little hope of a winning season. A bad game will leave them right where they are- mediocre and ripe for more move talk...

UK should be about the same as they have been the last few years- consistent and consistently getting closer to the big boys. Their SEC schedule is brutal, but they should easily win their 4 non-SEC games, including Louisville. If they could only win one of their home games against either Florida, Alabama or Tennesse- it would be huge! They almost knocked off Bama last year in Tuscaloosa so it could be possible. I look for them to possibly surprise Florida this year after UF embarrassed them last year in the Swamp, a game I unfortunately witnessed in person. Florida will be thinking National Title and looking ahead...kind of like at Ole Miss last year... I'd love to see them crush the Vols and their annoying coach, Lame Kiffin. UK's defense has gotten better each year- a trend I anticipate it again this year with some solid returners. The offense will also be better but how good depends on how much QB Hartline and the young receivers have developed. It will be a fun season, no doubt- and I see them bowl eligible once again.

Go Big Blue!

Scenery?

2009-08-16T07:13:00.000-07:00

I like to check out the Facebook pages and blogs of other athletes, especially the endurance athletes that live in training mecca's such as California and Colorado. They post some pretty amazing pictures of their local terrain where they get the pleasure of training every day. Sometimes the pictures of the mountains and everything else that is not Florida is oh so inspiring. But don't get me wrong- I love Florida and will probably never leave... but the scenery thing still got me thinking- what does my everyday scenery look like to those who do not live here? Well, I decided to take the camera with me on a short spin from my house and here are the results...

Most of our riding and running takes place around UNF, which is less than a mile from our front door...

The closest "cities" to Jax...

Pretty much all new roads come with bike lanes, even side roads...

I've grown fond of riding up and down the "new" Kernan Blvd. BTW- all of our climbing around here is done on bridges...

There are plenty of these signs everywhere... but there those one percenters who don't give a damn...

The beach is a few miles down Beach Blvd, which you can see has good bike lanes...

Tons of golf communities...

Love the driving range at UNF- open late, serves beer and is VERY close to home...

My ride ventures back into UNF and thier fresh blacktop roads...

The new student center at UNF- this school has really grown over the last few years....

And back home to our cozy townhouse tucked behind the St. John's Town Center...

Yeah, this is a little boring when I look back at it but it is at least different from most things that people see online. Anyhow, I got some new beer at Total Wine this week- Stone Imperial Russian Stout. Strong stuff at 10.9% but good nonetheless. I recommend drinking this after a hard ride so that it'll hit you like 4 beers should- considering that that is about what it is. I didn't have a koozie to fit the big bottle, so I squeezed it into a can koozie... Go Big Blue!

At the Links

2009-08-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we hit Cimarrone Golf Club for a mega-hot round of 18 holes with Brett & Raina. Those 2 are pretty solid golfers and would have killed us but the match-up was boys vs girls, which worked out perfect. The wager was the losers had to pony up for pizza and UFC. The winner/loser thing wasn't so much of a big deal compared to how fun (and humbling) the day was. After yesterday, Char and I have the bug to get better and play more. I'm sure I'll start hitting GolfPlex down the street at UNF more and try to get my drive and... scratch that- I need to get everything worked out! Maybe now we'll get serious about that coaching we looked into a few months back...

Here's Brett teeing off on the front 9- on his way to a PR...

My driver was as erratic as Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn...

Raina: the model of consistency...

Char showing me how to hit it straight...

Still looking gorgeous after 5+ hours in the 90+ degree sunny FL heat...

The Champs...still adding up my score...

I'm sure we'll hit the golf course again soon enough but our next challenge is a tennis match. That should be interesting....

So after golf we headed back to their place for pizza with the kids and then UFC. We hook up from time to time to check out UFC on PPV, which is always a blast! I don't want to recap the whole card but I do want to comment on the Forrst Griffin/Anderson Silva fight- FG has always been one of my favorite fighters for many reasons. This dude brings it every fight but I do not know what in the heck happened to him last night other than sheer embarrassment. He didn't even seem to be in the same league as The Spider. Now, I know that Silva is considered one of the best ever right now, but he toyed with and humiliated Forrest. I felt bad for FG, especially how he ran out of the ring after his 3rd and final knockdown in the 1st round, but I sure hope he can bounce back from this somehow some way. Either way, UFC rocks!

Coolness

2009-08-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I ran into The Bergers at the XTERRA First Coast and they told me that I was on the flyer and t-shirt for the 8 Hours of Labor in Gainesville next month. How cool is that? The 8 Hours of Labor last year may have been my last race (ever?) and even though it was the final straw that sent me to the Mayo Clinic, it is an awesome race at an awesome course! I would love to be able to do this race again with Char and redeem myself for my unexplained shutdown that took place 30 minutes into an 8 hour relay race. Either way, I appreciate the gesture of being put on the cover. Gone Riding has to be one of the top race promoters in the country and I have thoroughly enjoyed being at their venues over the past 5 years. Thanks!

Oh, I bet sbc doesn't know whose Spark that is with the 139 bolted on the front...

So tomorrow Char and I are playing golf with the Smithley's. This should be something! I haven't actually "played" golf since one time in high school and I have no idea when Char played last. I do know that I have new clubs, have been to the driving range a few times this year and Char has touched clubs twice since I met her. I do not know what Brett & Raina have as far as golf games (other than they practiced today) but I do know that there will be 4 mega competitive folks on the course tomorrow. Stay tuned...

Happy Birthday Char!

2009-08-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

I know I'm getting this up a day early, but I'm not so sure that she checks my blog anyhow. But in case she does, I hope she has an awesome birthday and I hope she loves whatever it is that I may or may not do tomorrow... ;)

Oh, and since she likes to try and sneak recording me when I bust out some crazy dance moves- I'll let the little fella above handle my goofy dance...hehehe...

Happy Birthday Char!

Love you!!!

Quik Hitterz

2009-08-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

An extended thought to yesterday's post- possibly the 2nd biggest scam to insurance is college text books. These people have to be raking in the loot! I'm glad they finally offer an option to rent books for the semester but this nonsense of expensive books that you either get stuck with or sell back for pennies on the dollar is outta control! I guess there are websites out there for selling used text books but I am too lazy to figure out that option... I'd rather bitch.

Oh- big scam #3 is OEM's selling OEM parts. "We can charge whatever we want because we are the only ones that have it!" I see this one at work all the time...

While I have a few weeks of downtime between semesters I have gotten back into the James Patterson Alex Cross detective series. After reading a few books into the series earlier this year I got hooked. Right now I am about half way through the 14 book series and this week I started reading Mary Mary. If any of you like a solid bad-a$$ detective solving some gruesome murders, check out one of these books. If you haven't heard of James Patterson, he does have one book that went to the movies- Kiss the Girls (with Ashley Judd!) Thats about as far in depth as I'll go talking about the series but you can always Google for more detailed info...

Oh man- this weekend I pulled a complete bonehead move and busted my arm...at home...in my house...sober. I won't get into the details of how I smashed my forearm into the 2nd floor stair-rail-gate-thing deal but I think I may have cracked my radius or ulna, whichever one I hit. Man, it hurt so bad when I did it- I wasn't sure if I was going to faint or vomit but I danced around like a loon in crazy pain for several minutes! From there, after some rugged caveman reasoning, I decided to go mtn biking to test the damage. Surprisingly it did not hurt that bad (maybe because my whole arm went semi-numb) but I did learn that the faster I went on the bike and the harder I pushed, the less my arm hurt. So that was Sunday. Monday and Tuesday has yet to see the pain and swelling subside. Maybe Wednesday will provide a clearer decision on going to get this sucker checked out. My gut feeling is that it may be cracked but besides it being swollen and looking awful, it hasn't kept from doing much...besides bitching... Man, I hate going to the doctor...

What else? Oh- Char's birthday is Thursday. I may have a thing or 2 up my sleeve...

in...Shadysurance

2009-08-03T16:41:00.000-07:00

Man, I'm usually not one to rant on here but BCBS has got me full-on hot! Ok, so I had a ton of tests done on my heart at Mayo- like last year. Every test that I had done was first ok'd by Mayo with my insurance before it was performed. Wait a second- let's first think about hospitals and doctors and the word "investgative." Now when you go to the doctor with a problem, don't they have to run "investigative" tests to figure out what in the hell is wrong with you? That is what I always thought. If the doctors knew exactly what was wrong with you as soon as you told them your symptoms then I'm sure they wouldn't need the millions of dollars worth of "investigative" equipment. Right?

Ok, so getting back on track here- BCBS denied a claim for an MRI on my heart and dismissed it as "investigative." This was after the Mayo had called to get it approved. At the time, BCBS said that that kind of test did not need approval. But a few weeks after the test the rules changed, it now needed approval but the BCBS rep assured me that the test would still be covered. That was BEFORE my written appeal just came back- DENIED! WTH? Not only did BCBS and their physician reviewer deem that test as "investigative," but they also went back and decided that another claim that they had PAID to Mayo should have been denied and now they want to go back and request a refund. Man, I always thought I had great insurance because they had always covered so much (even though the ridiculous deductible and co-pays go up annually)- but this is retarded. Not to mention that the MRI was the final test that confirmed the HCM diagnosis.

So now I have to formulate a game plan but I know it will start with a 2nd appeal. I always hear so much about insurance issues that people have, especially people with my heart disease once they start getting hardware bolted into their chest. Ironically, I just read yesterday about the top reasons for bankruptcy and the #1 cause was medical bills. Not that I have any crazy bills (yet) but I can see how nightmares can come from punk-a$$ insurance companies.

Well, now that that's over with- enjoy a slick shot of my roll dog plowing through her share of my Bluegrass Brewing Company American Pale Ale.

Cheers!

Should I?

2009-08-02T10:22:00.001-07:00

I just ran across my blog in my favorites list and when I opened it, I thought about posting regularly again. Maybe I will this time. I'm not sure why I think I'll have any more time than I usually do- especially considering that I'm toying with a full-time school schedule at UNF for the fall semester along with my full-time job. Wait, full time? Well, the time is about to expire on my $25K+ in GI Bill money and I need to pick up the pace. I've really been moving slow the last few years with school, most in part due to my training and racing schedule. But now that there is no more racing (for now), why not go to school full time? I've had the luxury of not needing to be in any kind of hurry with school but with the new revelation that there will be interference between my job and the defibrillator, I need to get hot on something. Another thing, the GI Bill is paying over $1300 a month to go full time- that is just plain hard to pass up. But I'm just not sure if I can handle a full class load- I only took 2 classes over the summer and while they were not very hard, they just ate so much time. Hell, I just need to suck it up.

Anyhow, I thought that my blog would be boring without talking a lot about the trials and tribulations of training, racing, traveling and tying it all into my life with Char and Avery. Ok, so the training and racing is gone on my part but Char and Avery (sometimes) still train and race and that is a huge part of my life. Plus, I still manage to stay very fit and that is kind of interesting. But I still have a cool job, I still have a heart disease and I have some possible big things coming in the near future. I also still ride my bikes quite a bit so maybe- just maybe, I'll take you guys Biking with Big Blue once again...

Long time

2009-05-24T17:20:00.001-07:00

Hell, I've been thinking about coming back over here and doing something- like writing a thing or 2 every now and then. Maybe I will at some point. But I got caught up in Facebook and posting pictures and whatnot over there. That novelty seems to be wearing off too. But it's easier on FB- instead of my lazy butt actually writing something, I can type a quick update, make comments here and there and upload pictures whenever. I'm all about easy.

Ok, so now I'm back in school at UNF and still doing the usual with Char and Avery. I workout a lot more, had the testing done at my work for the defib/EMI and still have not had surgery. The EMI testing showed too many bad places at work that could cause problems and not allow me to do my job fully. Crap- back to the drawing board. I have forwarded the tests to Mayo and we are going to set up an appointment to figure out a game plan. Decisions, decisions...

What else has been going on? Well, I guess if you are on Facebook then you know. If not, then you probably forgot about this blog months ago. I will say this- I have the bug to compete again...in something. I have managed to get half way fit with my heart working like a champ. I just have to figure all of this life stuff out while keeping my head above water...

Later...

A few Feb Pics

2009-02-22T08:17:00.000-08:00

It got cold here one day...

Violin class picture day...

The boys celebrating TJ's birthday at Fionn's...

Char & Mays strolling about the 'hood...

Avery, Halia & Kai at the zoo...

A real Jacksonville jaguar...

Still kickin'

2009-02-20T06:37:00.000-08:00

Man, I've really dropped the ball on bloggin'. Maybe when I posts pictures on facebook I'll post them over here as well. It seems facebook has consumed most of my internet time now so if any of you guys are not on there yet, chop-chop!! Either way, we have some new pics from here and there so I'll get some up over here this weekend.

Anyhow, nothing new really going on. I'm still in limbo on the defib implant- still waiting for the screening to take place at work. Right now its hung up with who is going to pay for the screening, which is kinda expensive. As soon as that gets hashed out, I will schedule the surgery and hopefully get my life back to "somewhat" normal. It sucks not working out and I feel like crap because of it. I gained a little weight but that seems to have chilled out since I got my appetite calibrated to my activity level. I'm just super-eager to get back to jogging, lifting and cycling again so I can be lean and mean (and tan!) for the summer!

Swamp Necks?

2009-02-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

Ok, since I haven't posted jack lately, the least I can do is put up a pic of my princess blastin' targets with our new air rifle. I was amazed at her aim- I mean, this was her first time shooting anything and I barely beat her in a target contest...and I was really trying!

Rolling in the dirt

2009-01-25T07:38:00.000-08:00

This week I did a little wrenchin' on the bikes- Char got some new wheels (warranty replacements) and I got some new rubber. I traded in my Hutchinson Piranha's (tubeless light) for some Bontrager TLR XDX's. I think the Hutchinson's lasted longer than any tires I've ever had on the mtb- I put them on last January. I will use Hutchinson again, like maybe the Tubeless Light Python. Anyhow, I hope I have better luck with the Bontrager's than I have in the past. I also replaced my carbon Bontrager stem and seatpost with the good Thomson stuff. So far so good!

Char's trusty steed...

My great white rig...

This week started out being very cold (cold for us!)- a few days it dropped below 30 at night and only got to 50 during the day. But things got back to normal this weekend so Avery and I hit the trails...

Showing Avery how to get over logs...

Avery leading out...

Avery bombing down Mount Sand...

Somebody being persuaded to do one more lap...

The lake...

The ocean...

Ending our ride...

I got back in touch with Mayo Friday and asked them to go with Medtronic for the ICD since Boston Scientific had not contacted me in 3 months. I was beyond tired of waiting. After I talked to Mayo, my doctor called me soon after, then Medtronic called me about 10 minutes after that. Wow! To make a long story short, I am now working with one of their engineers on possible points of electromagnetic interference at work and it looks like the main area of concern will be the large DC motors that we have all over our plant. Monday I will work on finding a way to get the EMI measured (Medtronic doesn't actually do it) so that we know if the device will be affected or not. Standby...

Quick thought

2009-01-20T10:11:00.001-08:00

This looks weird...

54

2009-01-14T07:18:00.001-08:00

Get this guy in your Player of the Year discussions! Jodie Meeks dropped 54 on Tennesse last night and broke Dan Issel's UK single game scoring record. This guy was unconscious!! I think UK will make a little more noise this year with Meeks and Patrick Patterson (Rhythm & Bruise?) playing at the level they have been so far this year. They just need a few other guys to step it up a notch, especially some of the freshmen. Man, its great to have a little excitement back in UK basketball! GBB!!

So Mayo contacted me and said that Boston Scientific is using a 3rd party to screen my workplace and should be getting in touch with me soon. As soon as the screening is done I plan to schedule the ICD surgery. I am eager to get it all over with so I can move on and feel "safe" when I exercise and sleep. I have read that most heart issues, namely sudden death, happen while sleeping vice while exercising. Either way, exercise spooks me now doing it "unprotected."

Last thought- the HCMA has been incredible during this whole ordeal. They are so unbelievably knowledgeable of this disease and all the HCMer's on their forum provide so much info, feedback and support. HCMA- solid.

The final last thought- promotions at work are cool. 8+ years of hard work and dedication are paying off...

Gator Girls

2009-01-10T15:09:00.000-08:00

Man, I've gotten pretty bad at posting since I stopped training. Seems kinda weird though- I have more time yet I post less. Maybe it's because of Facebook... Anyhow, nothing new with my heart deal. It seems to still be working. Hehe.. I am still waiting on either Boston Scientific or Medtronic to come screen my work to make sure there will be no interference issues. I call Mayo every week or so and they seem as baffled as I am on the holdup. I've been waiting 2 months now. Bleh. Oh- there are 2 guys at my work with implants from the Mayo. One has a pacer and the other has a defib and they seem to be ok and had good feedback on Mayo's process.

One other thing, well make that 2 things- I got in contact with Yale University regarding a study involving competing athletes who have ICD's. IF it works out that I can compete again, in either mtb racing or maybe running, I will participate in their study. It will be great to be able to contribute to the fight against heart disease and the unknowns of competing with my disease. I also was contacted by Training Peaks to have a blog profile on their site. It will be a little different considering that I am not actively training or racing, but it will be about the racing and training that I was doing, using their program, my heart diagnosis and where I plan to go from here. I'll put up the link when this all happens...

Man, it sucks that college football season is over but it ended with a solid showing by the SEC! The SEC was a combined 6-2 in bowl games with the big one being the BCS title game being won by the Gators over Oklahoma from the over-hyped Big 12. I was pleasantly surprised that UK knocked off East Carolina in the Liberty Bowl for their 3rd bowl win in a row! ECU beat West Virginia and (soft) ACC champ Virginia Tech this year and without out UK freshman phenom QB Randall Cobb, I thought this game could've been an ugly loss. NOT! Go Big Blue!! Oh, has UofL's bowl game come on yet? Ha! I had take that one for revenge from Sosa's game winner in the annual UK/UofL basketball showdown. Will it ever be The Dream Game again???

Ok, so me and ALL my ladies got together to watch the BCS National Championship. I had to work late that night so they got all the good Gator shirts and I was left with, well, take a look...

The blondes got a real kick out of this! Oh well, tough one for ol' Blue. But do Gator Girls have guns like this?? LOL!!

Ok- parting shot for all the family members far and away- here's Avery sporting some always fly digs from Char...

New Year's Savannah

2009-01-02T08:40:00.000-08:00

Savannah was a blast! However, the next day...not so much...

Twitter?

2008-12-30T15:39:00.000-08:00

Damn, just when I started to settle into Facebook, somebody shows me Twitter...

After working through the weekend (4 straight 10+ hour days)- I'm taking a half day tomorrow and heading to Savannah with Char for New Year's. We're meeting some friends up there and should have a blast...

Anyhow, this is how things looked the last time we went to Savannah for New Years...

December Shots

2008-12-28T18:42:00.001-08:00

The Book

2008-12-26T19:32:00.000-08:00

Quick note- to the few people who check out this blog and ARE NOT on Facebook, I highly recommend heading over there and setting up an account. I tend to be a little better at keeping up with it than this lately. Also, between Char and myself, we tend to get a good amount of pictures up. Its just a cool way to keep up with folks and to find old friends and long lost family...

Even though its been 80 degrees the last few days, here's a few shots of us Ice Skating at Winter Wonderland in St Augustine a few weeks ago...

Anyhow, we had an awesome Christmas and should be getting up some pics soon over on Facebook. Hope everyone else is having a Happy Holidays!!

Blue's Brews

2008-12-13T11:45:00.000-08:00

Last night me & sbc headed up to Total Wine to grab some brews for an evening of chilling with the Raddster and was pleasantly surprised to see that they now carry Terrapin Beer out of Athens, GA. We had tried the Rye Ale this past summer at the Athens Twilight bike race and it was some good stuff. After seeing it at Mellow Mushroom last week, we can finally buy this stuff down here. Anyhow, I totally recommend anything from Terrapin and also suggest trying some of the seasonal stuff, like Sierra Nevada's always pimp offerings.

Oh, we got our new Velobrew kits this week and they are pretty slick...

What's cool about the kits are the wine and brewery sponsors, hence the name Velobrew. I checked out Bold City Brewery online and they look to have some good beers. We plan to go take a "tour" in the near furture...

Ridin & Runnin

2008-12-09T17:36:00.001-08:00

This past Saturday I watched a ton of football. It started with Navy waxing Army and their sweet camo uniforms (sorry Char!), Florida knocking off Alabama to claim the SEC title and a spot in the National Championship and then Oklahoma puttin the hurtin on Missouri to win the Big 12 and setup up an epic showdown with Florida for all the marbles. So after all that sittin & eatin, Sunday we needed to get out and get a little exercise...

Sunday Char an I headed out to Hanna Park to ride the mtn bikes after sleeping in like some sleep champs. The trails were in excellent condition so after hitting the south loop and E trail, we took a ride through the Z trail after hearing about its condition and recent trail maintenance. For all you Jax riders, you gotta check out the Z trail next time you hit Hanna. Its in fine shape right now. We plan to head back Saturday to bust out some laps!

Riding along a beautiful green crick on the "E." You will probably need some kind of shots if you ever fell in that "water..."

Hot chick in spandex...in the woods...nice.

Mad skillz...

From there we picked up Avery, had a little lunch then headed downtown to San Marco for a Holiday 5K amongst carolers and luminary-lined streets. It was a cool event but way too crowded. Good times though, especially for Avery and her awesome 5K time! Rock on Pumpkin!!

Don't hate on the UofL digs...I was trying to wear some holiday colors...

We also met up and ran with our fine friends Sean & Steph...

Yo sbc, you can jack that pic for your blog....;) BTW, you guys looks like pros!

Last shot of the crew before the start. Notice "Santa's Little Helper" joined us for the run. Not only has Avery become a solid little runner, but Mays has also become quite the run companion.

Biking with Blue

2008-11-30T17:22:00.000-08:00

Saturday I went for a nice, relaxing spin down at the beach with my prize on our road bikes. Later that night we joined some friends downtown for the boat parade and fireworks on the river. Today it has rained all day so we took it easy in the house relaxing and watching football and a movie. Weekends never seem to be long enough...

Turkey Day

2008-11-28T15:32:00.000-08:00

Thursday started bright and early with us running in the Outback Distance Classic 6K. Char was going to run the half marathon but since we both have been sick the past few weeks, she opted to run the 6K with Avery, Halia and myself. We met up with Brett & Raina at the race so Halia could run with us while they ran the half (Brett pushed his 2 sons in a double stroller...rugged). Anyhow, the run turned out to be a huge success for the girls, with Avery running steady the entire time and finished in a hair over 43 minutes. Her running is seriously improving. Halia also did exceptionally well for not running much lately by running the first 3 miles non-stop and then finishing in just over 44 minutes. We were all very proud of them, especially when we saw how many older people they beat in the 19 and under class! Way to kick a$$ girlz!!

From there we headed home to get started on some cookin. Our friends Josh & Bobbi were coming over for the day, armed with all kinds of good food. Avery spent the day with her mom but would come back later to show off her mad drumming skills. Anyhow, we had a stellar time- eating, drinking, laughing, watching football and then breaking out Rock Band! We gotta hit Santa up for a Wii and Rock Band this Xmas. That game is a blast!!

BIG Ol' Blue

2008-11-25T19:23:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I was in the gym tonight with Avery and I was thinking about lifting and muscle tone and where I used to be and where I am now. Weightlifting used to be my cycling. I was hell bent on being an amateur all-natural bodybuilder, kind of like how I had recently set my sights on being a semi-pro cross country racer. It took me years of pure hard work in the Navy to put on the mass and then years of trial and error to learn my body, different stimulus and how to gain and how to cut. Eventually I almost got there. I was about 6 months out from a Jacksonville competition and was a cool 215 pounds and 5% body fat at 5 foot 9. My weight had topped out at about 220 and I was cutting down to about 205-210. I was reaching new heights in strength, such as a 365 lb max bench press and a 505 lb squat. Life was good. Then one day on the bench my shoulder popped and I went though pain and hell until surgery became the only option besides walking away from heavy lifting. I couldn't bear another shot in my shoulder and I couldn't afford all the time off from the surgery. Luckily the decision was easy as I found the trails at Hanna Park and riding mtn bikes became my lifting. I found a new discipline that required the same effort, the same trial and error in gains and the same concept of structured training to take a passion to a high level. I was getting there- getting fast on the bike and building big endurance. Then one day on the bike I passed out and I proceeded to go through test after test on my heart. So here I am again in a position where surgery is an only option to go on safely. But this time it is different- the surgery is needed to go on, period. Not just to continue sports, but to provide an insurance policy if my heart decides to stop.

Did it take endurance sports to find what bodybuilding possibly had done to my heart? Or is this disease truly hereditary? Why did I not have any issues in all of the sports I've played my whole life? I guess what I had planned to get into was wondering how in depth I'll ever get to participate in athetic stuff again. I was also thinking about the parallel stories of my days as a bodybuilder and my days as a cyclist. So when I was in the gym today resting between sets, I was looking in the mirror at a guy who loved being a solid 220, then loved being a super-lean 170 and who now isn't so thrilled with his current situation. It feels good to lift, to jog, to ride the bike. But I know I will not stay satisfied with that- not considering the levels that I have been to. I feel the urge to go heavy, I feel like running faster and I feel like getting out of the saddle and hammering. But I just need to stay patient, get the defib in and see where I can go from there. But being fit is my DNA so I gotta keep moving, even if it is a little slower for a while. One thing that I have learned for sure is that when you slow down you start to notice a lot of things that you had missed out on... Enjoy life. Enjoy balance. Pursue fitness.

Anyhow, I have this picture of when I was hulk-huge, which I'll have to scan and post later, but here is the difference between 210...

...and 170...

Long Lost Blue

2008-11-24T20:34:00.001-08:00

Ok, I plan to get back in here and do some postin' some day. I guess I got a little hung up in being under the weather and Facebook. Facebook can really consume a lot of your time. Anyhow, I've also been busy with work, going to the gym, light jogging and riding, housework stuff... blah, blah, blah...life stuff. I've also managed to try a few new brews, like North Coast Brewing Company's Pale Ale and Avery Brewing Company's White Rascal. Both turned out to be pretty good, especially the Pale Ale. I've also tried a few others recently but those 2 stood out...maybe because I had them today...

I'll get back in here this weekend a catch up on some other stuff, like the status of my defibrillator surgery and Thanksgiving festivities. Until then, bottoms up!

the blue weekend

2008-11-07T10:48:00.000-08:00

Working out feels so good. I decided to get off my hump this week and start going to the YMCA for some lifting and jogging. I hit the Y 2 days up here in Charlotte after I went Monday in J-Ville. I plan to make this my routine when I get back- 3 days a week in the gym. The other days I will fill with riding- either on the trails, on the road or on the trainer. I won't be pushing it much- just spinning, burning calories and trying to keep some form so that I never totally lose it in case I can ever really get back. I'll also do a little running with Avery, as well as some tennis and mtn biking with her. This weekend I am going to Hanna Park to ride the trails on Saturday and Sunday I plan to get in a little road spin. Sitting around and feeling sorry for myself for 2 months was long enough- I'm ready to do what I do. Oh, we are planning to get a ping-pong table and dart board for the garage so we will have some indoor activities (drinking games!) for the winter. I'm also on the lookout for some golf clubs so I can start a new hobby. This whole heart deal has forced me to add some variety rather than riding every day, which seems to be a good thing...

There are some solid football games on Saturday, like #2 Alabama at #16 LSU, #9 Oklahoma St at #2 Texas Tech, #3 Penn St/Iowa, #21 Cal/#7 USC, #13 Georgia/Kentucky, #5 Florida/Vanderbilt and Louisville/Pittsburgh. I'm hoping that UK will be healthy enough to surprise Georgia. Hey, it could happen. I'd like to see Bama go into LSU and get the win so that the SEC remains strong and has a shot at putting a team in the title game, even though Saban gets on my nerves. I really don't care who wins the OK St/TT game but I do know it will be a good one. Hell, it would be cool to see TT run the table. I'd also like to see Penn St lose at Iowa to spare us all another Big 10 team getting thumped in the National Championship.

My man Roy Jones Jr is fighting Joe Calzaghe Saturday night. RJJ has always been one of my favorite fighters and I became a Calzaghe fan after he beat big mouth Bernard Hopkins. Both dudes are similar in a lot of ways: JC is 36, RJJ is 39, both are badasses and both have been criticized for picking & choosing their fights and terms over the years. The Welshman is 45-0, which is pretty amazing while Jone Jr is 52-4 after getting on track after 3 losses in a row a few years ago. Its hard to say who will win this fight or who I will be pulling for, but my gut is to go with Roy Jones since I've liked him since he was ripped off in the '88 Olympics. Should be an awesome fight either way...

Ok, Sunday the Jags travel to Detroit to take on the 0-8 Lions. We plan to go watch this one at Brett & Raina's and may possibly stick around for the Colts-Steelers game afterwards. Anyhow, if the Jags lose Sunday I'm going to have to throw in the towel this season. There's no way I can stomach losing back-to-back to 0-8 teams, especially by a team that came into the season talking Super Bowl. But hell, its just the half way point of the season and there's still a good chance for them to turn the season around and make the playoffs. And its not like they haven't been in every game- they've lost their 5 games by a combined 24 points. But still, they should have soundly beaten most of those teams. Either way, I would love to see them firing on all cylinders this weekend. GO JAGS!

Wild Blue

2008-11-05T20:13:00.001-08:00

This past weekend I watched a ton of football. I normally watch a lot of football, but rarely do I watch multiple games in the same day- nor do I normally watch ALL of a game. Saturday we rolled down to Brett & Raina's for some kickass food and the Florida-Georgia game. I won't go into it, but Florida smoked Georgia. I mean, they really dusted them off. We stuck around to watch the Texas-Texas Tech game and boy was it a treat! Texas Tech ended up knocking off the Longhorns in what will be one of the best games of the year. Right now the BCS is a total mess (as usual) and who knows how it will workout. As long as Bama beats LSU this weekend, I think it may be Florida - Penn St in the big game. Of course, I could be way off...

Sunday we kicked it around the house and watched the Jags game against 0-8 Cincinnati. Nevermind, I'm skipping Sunday. The Jags lost and I'm annoyed.

This week I'm back in Charlotte for more job training. After playing some tennis Sunday night with Char and Avery, I decided this week I am starting some kind of workout. It has been 8 weeks since I stopped training and Monday morning when I got on the scale, I saw a number I hadn't seen since the decline of my bodybuilding days. I need to get my ass back in shape after this 2 month love affair with good beer and good food. So Monday we went to the Y and damn, that place is packed! Anyhow, I got in some light lifting and a light jog with Char. It felt good but it is nerve-racking because I am so in-tune with my heart- I notice every little skipped beat and whatnot. I guess you just never know when one of those crazy beats can turn into something worse. But to hell with it, I just have to be smart and understand the limitations and risks. With that being said, I hit the Y here in Charlotte tonight for some more lifting and jogging. Man, it feels good to be in the gym like the old days. Granted it is quite a bit different now that I weigh about 50 pounds less and can only lift a small percentage of what I used to do. But it sure does feel good. Plus, when I went to Moes afterwards, I didn't feel guilty about eating food that tastes good!

Tonight I hit the beer barn behind my hotel and decided to try something new- Wild Blue. As most of you know, I am partial to anything with the word 'blue' in it. I have never had any blueberry lager, but this stuff is pretty good. And at 8%, it gets you warmed up pretty quick.

Good Beer in Charlotte

2008-10-30T15:24:00.001-07:00

So I'm back in Charlotte for more job training. The good thing about my job is that the company is doing extremely well right now. In fact, they are doing the best they have ever done and the owner just sent out a company wide letter talking about it. Ok, enough of that. This trip isn't as fun as my last trip up here because I did not bring the bikes. The last time I was here I hit some really nice trails and I was looking forward to all of these trips for that reason. This time I am spening more time relaxing and sampling some seasonal beers. In other words, I am adding some love to my soon to be former 32" waist! ;) Right now I am enjoying Flying Dog's Dogtoberfest while the past few days I had Blue Moon's Full Moon and Sam Adams Octoberfest. All good stuff. Today I picked up a treat for me & sbc to drink at tomorrow night's Halloween shindig. This stuff is pretty potent so we better take it easy...

Tomorrow I will zip home (5+ hour drive) after class and get ready to go to a Halloween party at the beach with Char. We got somewhat matching costumes so I will be sure to post some pictures later. I look forward to having some fun with my prize!

Yesterday after class I checked out REI and I must have walked around that store 10 times like a solid tard. That place friggin rocks! Man, why can't they put a REI in the 904?

This weekend is the now un-PC World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville. For those who don't know, it means Florida-Georgia. This game will be huge! We plan to hook up with some friends for a little cookout action and watch the game. I can't wait for this game- #3 vs #8. Tebow vs Stafford. Richt vs Meyer. Dawgs vs Gators. Georgia Necks vs Swamp Necks...

Sunday I have a date with my ubertalented daughter for some dirt bike action. Nothing like hittin the trails with my little angel...

Big Blue Misery

2008-10-28T06:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm not sure what to make of this but it is 45 degrees out and gas is $2.29...

This past weekend was pretty cool. Saturday we headed down to Gainesville for the UK/Florida game. Our plan was to drop Avery, Mayfield and the bikes off at Al's house, head to the game, come back for a cookout and then head to Tampa Sunday morning for a mtn bike race. We got going a little late as usual, but as we got to our seats in the Swamp, Florida had just blocked their 2nd UK punt and went up 14-0. What?? I was already ready to leave because I knew the bones were about to be rolled. UK was in a serious deficit of players due to injuries and they are already thin as it is. Our offense has been bad all year but after losing 2 of our best players in recent weeks to injury, I knew points would be hard to come by. However, our defense has been very good this year, leading the SEC in points scored, but I did not know that we were hurting in all layers of the defense- up front, linebackers and secondary. Florida was coming off of a bye week after beating the tar out of LSU and was getting primed for Georgia next week, so the Big Blue Nation had to take a serious black eye.

Losing 63-5 reminded me of the bad years in the 90's, when Curry had nothing for Spurrier. But UK had closed the gap on Florida in recent years and after going into Tuscaloosa and only losing 17-14 to #2 Alabama a few weeks ago, I thought we would at least make a game of it. I will say one thing- when starting wide receiver and true freshman Randall Cobb took over at QB, our offense got rolling. This Cat is going to be a serious baller in the years to come....lefty, elusive runner, decent arm...kinda reminds me of that famous #7 from Virginia Tech a few years ago... Anyhow, I actually had a nice time with Char sitting amongst 90 thousand Gator faithful, even though seeing my beloved Cats get embarrassed was a tad painful. One thing is for sure, the Florida/Georgia game this weekend here in Jacksonville should be one for the ages and should also produce a BCS title contender...

Gator Country...an understatement...

Tebow the Super Heisman Hero about to score...again...

He's a Cat, she's a Gator...

Sunday morning became a tough decision for us because Char seriously needed to go visit her dad down the road in Davenport. His health has been deteriorating and she had not seen him in several months, so we made the 2 hour trip down south from Gainesville to see him. Skipping the race in favor of this was a very wise decision because the importance of some things far outweigh everything...

Even though she didn't get to race, Avery still had a great weekend because she always has such a blast at Al's- playing non-stop with Char's nephews Blake and Donovan. We also always have such a good time there and this weekend was no different- Saturday's cookout, drinking beer with Al, watching football, shooting pool, Sunday's big breakfast...we already can't wait for our next trip down!

Last thought- the Jaguars losing at home to the Browns? The Browns? If they do not get things turned around, like now, playoffs will be a long lost pipe dream...

Bummed out...

2008-10-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've been pretty bummed lately. After Avery's appointment last Thursday, I had the consultation with the cardiac surgeon. It was a good, yet tough appointment that covered quite a bit. I totally like this doctor and am comfortable with him doing the procedure, but I am scared as hell about the whole thing for several reasons. There are some scary risks involved with the surgery, such as how they test the defibrillator after it is implanted. There are also some restrictions that are going to suck for a month or so after the surgery. Then of course there are the long term restrictions. BUT, before I have the device implanted, the manufacturer of the device must come evaluate my work for potential interference. This has got me all wacked out. I am not sure how to present this to my company and IF there are any issues at my work as far as restrictions based on interference, how are they going to handle it? So...to say the least, I have been a little stressed lately. I'm not sure yet when I'll be having the surgery but I am guessing it will be pretty soon. Oh, I asked for one more opinion on the diagnosis from one of the top HCM specialists in the world at Mayo Rochester and he agreed with the other 4 opinions- get it done.

This past Saturday Char and I went to the Orlando Magic/Miami Heat exhibition game here in Jacksonville with our friends Josh & Bobbi. We met up for drinks and dinner at Mossfire Grill and then headed to another bar by the arena before going into the game. The Orlando Magic have their preseason training camp here at UNF, so that is why the game was here. Anyhow, we had a good time at the game as we enjpyed our favorit adult beverages and pulled for the Magic. As for the game itself, all I gotta say is that Dwane Wade and Josh Howard are some serious superstars. I think the Magic will get back to the playoffs again this year and Miami cannot be any worse than they were last year. The game was a good one, with the Magic pulling it out.

This week has been an adjustment week at work since I got a new manager Monday. So far so good. Also, we are headed to Tampa for racing this weekend but we will be stopping in Gainesville Saturday for the UK/Florida game. Man, UK is hurtin right now so all I can hope is that they keep it close...

Still here

2008-10-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

The urge to write anything just hasn't hit me lately...

Best news yet!

2008-10-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

This morning Avery had an appointment with a University of Florida pediatric cardiologist and the test results show that she has a normal, healthy heart! No signs of inheriting my junk! Beforehand I was way more nervous than I ever was during any of my tests and I am sooooo relieved after hearing the good news. We celebrated by grabbing Char for lunch at McCallsiter's and topped it off with some pumpkin pie cheesecake! Now I'm about to go to Mayo for my ICD consultation. I don't look forward to this nonsense at all...

Oh, I had to guess one of my birthday gifts today and my only clue was the work 'dribble.' Somehow I managed to nail it prettty fast- tickets to the Orlando Magic/Miami Heat game this Saturday night! Man, that's going to be a blast! The NBA is pretty damn cool!

Oh yeah, I turned 33 today! Hmmm....no real thoughts on that I guess. 33 is just my lucky number beside my lucky number...and stuff....

tOrN

2008-10-14T05:25:00.000-07:00

Oh boy, am I a mess. My doctor told me yesterday that they need to impant a defibrillator, and want to do it soon. I actually have an appointment Thursday for a cosultation with the specialist. The last MRI further proved that I do have HCM and that not only are my septum and apex thick, they are also scarred. So with a history of an unexplained episode of fainting and the actual diagnosis of this condition, my doctor (who consulted with other cardioligists at Mayo Jacksonville and HCM specialists at Mayo Rochester) feels that this is how they must proceed. I don't know what to think. There are some things in life that I will need to adjust with the ICD, which can be read about here. Considering that I work in a large industrial facility, I am not sure what problems that will cause. I think they should be able to come to my work and make sure there will not be any interference from the transformers, motors, electronic systems, welders, etc.

A lot of people are saying that I should get a 2nd opinion, but this is actually my 3rd opinion. And isn't the Mayo Clinic the place you go for 2nd opinions? I guess the next best place to go would be the Cleveland Clinic. But if I think that Mayo is doing the right thing, shouldn't I just go with them? Ugh- I am torn. Its crazy how these things can hit anybody, but its hard for me to grasp that an ultra-fit, 33 year old endurance athlete needs some junk bolted in his chest to keep the ticker tickin. Anyhow, no time to feel sorry for myself- I need to just keep rolling with it and keep my chin on the positive side of life...

Ok, so now some upbeat stuffs.... This past weekend's race in Tallahasee was a pretty dern good time! Avery did a most excellent job during her mtn bike race, which was a great course that included a BMX track. She inched a bit closer to the 1st and 2nd place girls, finishing 3rd! So proud.... Char fought off some serious exhaustion from racing and travel over the past 3 weeks and smoked a kick-a$$ 2nd place! Stellar work ladies! This kind of stuff is what keeps me going...

picture me rollin...

2008-10-11T18:34:00.000-07:00

Me & my co-pilot were headed to Tallahasee to cheer Char and Avery on at the 3rd mtb race of the fall series. Anyhow, as I type this I am in the hotel with my ladies watching the Florida/LSU game. This weekend was a tough decision because Char and I had tickets to the game. It was tough, but we chose to head down 10 west for some dirt action. Tom Brown Park in Tally is one of the best parks in the state so we should have a great weekend. To make up for it, we may go to the UK/Florida game in 2 weeks on our way down to Tampa for some more racing...

I've been somewhat dissapointed with my football teams lately. UK played #2 Alabama close last week, losing 17-14 in Tuscaloosa. I was totally impressed with how close it was, but it was still a loss. Their offense is still pretty weak, but they seriously need to come around if they want to make some noise in the SEC and get to a decent bowl game. This weekend they played nemesis Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks at home. Again, a close one but they could not seal the deal- losing 24-17 to the ol' hated ball coach. Ahhh, the life of a UK football fan...

I also watched last weekend's Jaguar game in the casino and again, it turned out to be a big let down. The Jags have owned the Steelers lately but they could not stop Big Ben and lost a tight one at home, 26-21. The Jags have always been known for their D but it has been a solid disappointment so far this year. Tomorrow they travel to Denver for a tough battle at Mile High. At 2-3, the fellas in teal need to get this show headed in the right direction...

Ok, so this past Thursday was my last test at Mayo before my big follow up this Monday. I have been going through testing the last 4 weeks at Mayo and I am super anxious (and nervous!) to see what the docs are going to say. Thursday's test was annoying for 2 reasons- 1. I had to do that damn MRI on my heart again because the first one did not come out they way they wanted and 2. it was the day after we got back from Tahoe. To be honest, I have no idea what they are going to say that I can do, not do, how bad my condition actually is or what my future treatment may be. All I can do at this point is hope for the best. I also haven't worked out in the past 4 weeks either. I've only put on a few pounds but I feel like crap. It was rough getting this diagnosis while I was at the highest level of fitness that I have been in in my entire life but again, I just gotta roll with it...

On a lighter note- mullets are fascinating. This one we spotted at breakfast in Reno last week was the best I've seen a while...daaayyuuumm!

Tahoe Review 4: Reno driving range

2008-10-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

After hiking Tuesday just south of South Lake, we headed to some stables to do some horse back riding but we got there right as they closed. So from there we rolled back into Incline Village to go to a driving range, but again we struck out with the joint closing as soon as we got there. We then decided to head back to Reno, where we found a driving range that was open til midnight. We had a blast here smashing close to 200 balls into this lake full of targets...

I don't know which was more fun, whacking the balls or watching these videos...

Tahoe Review 3: Fun time!

2008-10-10T06:56:00.001-07:00

Lakeside....

Random picture of some old guy standing on a boulder airing it out...

Getting amped for the Jaguar-Steeler game and then some gambling...

Starting out on our hike to a water fall...

The goal of our hike...

Goofing off along the way...

At our destination, the base of the waterfall...

View from the base of the waterfall...

Headed back down...

Driving back to South Lake...

Tahoe Review 2: Race Day

2008-10-10T06:09:00.000-07:00

After checking out the course Saturday and meeting up with Sean & Steph, we headed down to our hotel at the South Lake and got some dinner. Sunday morning was race day!

Leaving the hotel at o-dark-thirty Sunday morn...

XTERRA film crew filming Char setting up transition...

The fly support crew on the other side of the camera...

Char & Sean talking race strategy/cold water survival...

The start of the race- helicopter film crew included...

Long run from the lake to the transition area....

Starting the bike leg...

View of the race venue from the 11th floor of the Hyatt... (Steph & I took a coffee break!)

Sean finishing the bike...

Char excited to run after finishing the long bike portion...

After the 1.5K swim, the 30K bike and the 10K run- done at last...

Tahoe Review 1: Arrival

2008-10-10T05:37:00.000-07:00

I had planned to keep this updated while in Tahoe/Reno but I never got to it. Anyhow, we had a great time and took a bunch of pictures! Here's a recap of the first 2 days...

Waiting for our plane in Jax last Friday...

Staying at the Atlantis in Reno the 1st night...

Packed and ready to drive into the mountains Saturday morning...

Driving from Reno to the base of the mountains of Tahoe....

Snow? Snow at the top of the mountains...

Checking out the XTERRA race venue at Incline Village in Lake Tahoe...

The "waves" in the cold lake at the race...

Checking into our plush digs (Harvey's) in South Lake Tahoe...

Jock Junior

2008-10-02T03:24:00.000-07:00

So when Miss Avery isn't running or riding her bike, she's at tennis lessons. She spent time in karate and also played t-ball, and even though she did exceptionally well in both, tennis just seems to be a good fit. It can be difficult to find which activities kids will like, but I think if you expose them to a variety of things they will stick with the ones they enjoy. So far she loves the bike and mtn bike racing and in a year or so I will introduce her to a road bike, which I think she will like even more than the knobbies. I'm not sure how much she really likes running but she never shies away from it. It probably also helps that Char runs a lot for triathlon training and that her mom has been a Girls on the Run coach the last 3 years. I have taken a temporary timeout from running with her until I find out how much activity is safe for my ticker. I was thinking I could ride my beach cruiser with her while she runs but I don't think that looks right. She has expressed interest in basketball, which is awesome because not only do I love basketball, but I started playing when I was about her age and I played all the way into high school and a LOT in the Navy. I'm not sure if she'll get into soccer- she hasn't said much about it and I never played it but I'm sure she'll at least try it at some point. Either way, its been fulfilling for me to do more with her in just the short amount of time that I have been sidelined from my "normal" training life. Its amazing how much you can miss when you get so focuses on one thing...

Last night the girls had the girls begging for some grub...

I know most people think baseball is boring, but when the playoffs start- it gets exciting! Kinda like the NBA... Anyhow, it sucks that the Cubs dropped the first game to the Dodgers last night and lost home field. Zambrano needs to pitch a stellar game Thursday and their sluggers need to do some work. From there they need to at least win one in LA to have a chance to move on. Man, I've gotta see the Cubs win the Series in my lifetime and this year has looked like it would be their best chance in...forever!

holy mosquito!

2008-10-01T05:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Avery and I loaded up the mountain bikes and headed to Hanna Park for a little trail action. After getting 3rd in her last race, she wants to practice as much as possible so she can catch the 2nd and 1st place girl. The same girls have scored the top 2 spots in both races so far. Anyhow, instead of bustin out laps on our short loop, Avery wanted to ride the whole 5 mile loop, which was cool with me because I hadn't seen it in a while. Avery rode exceptionally well but anytime we slowed down or stopped for her to push her bike up a hill, the mosquitos swarmed us!! It was nuts! This gave us a serious sense of urgency to get through the trail as fast as possible and in doing so, she completed the lap in 49 minutes. Man, she has come a long way! Now we have a new time to work on beating everytime we ride, just like her short lap times. Once we got to the parking lot we jumped off our bikes and got everything loaded at warp speed to get away from all of the little blood suckers! Man, next time I gotta remember that I ALWAYS keep OFF in my bike bag and that I should actually use it...

After we got home, I started packing Char's bike for the trip to Tahoe. We are flying out this Friday and are staying until late next Wednesday. We started buying some gear last week at Dick's, Sports Authority and Black Creek because there is no way we had enough stuff to be clothed properly... Anyhow, we are going to have a blast! We are staying in Reno some of the days and in Tahoe the others. I do not know all of the details (do I ever?) but I do know we will be in casinos and that can be bad, especially once the adult beverages kick in! I love me some casinos! We plan to do all kinds of outdoor stuff as well so I am super excited! I am also pumped to check out the XTERRA on Sunday and watch Char and sbc suffer...er, I mean kick some you know what!

Does that dude look scary or what? This Saturday the new, mainstream MMA organization Elite XC will have some pretty good fights. The main event will feature underground streetfighting youtube sensation Kimbo Slice (pictured above) taking on the old, knockout prone, former fighting legend Ken Shamrock. Man, Shamrock seriously needs to hang it up. He is old and has been knocked out in the first round in his last 3 or 4 fights. Kimbo should knock him out in the first minute. There are also some other solid bada$$es on the card, including heavyweight stud Andei Arlovski and American Gladiator star Gina Carrano, who is not only pleasant to look at but is an awesome fighter. Hopefully we'll be able to catch this show chilling in the hotel the night before the race.

One last thought- the handsome fella above is Dougan. He is being fostered at BARC and we have given some thought to adopting him. Dougan has a heart disease not too different from mine so he especially touched us when we read his story. We plan to meet him when we get back from Tahoe and will consider giving Mayfield a new brother. Stay tuned...

Football and bike racing

2008-09-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a pretty good one. Saturday started with a serious fish tank cleaning evolution while College Gameday was on in the background. We watched most of the Florida game, in which I predicted the upset. Man, with all that talent, UF needs to tighten up! Avery came over after her first Girls on the Run practice this season and then we all headed to Fort Clinch in Fernandina to pre-ride the course for Sunday's race. But before I get into any race talk, I gotta comment on Saturday's games. Man, the SEC got all shook up! Florida got upset by Ole Miss, Georgia got blasted by Bama and UK whooped powerhouse Western Kentucky! Alabama is looking like a solid contender right now. I watched them man-handle Georgia Saturday night and I gotta say, they do look impressive. I hope UK can pull the shocker this weekend when they roll into Tuscaloosa. Wishful thinking but the Cats did knock of national champion LSU last year... Anyhow, the Bama/LSU game later this year will be HUGE, like BCS title game HUGE. Now, I am SEC biased, but the PAC-10, Big-10 and ACC are pretty damn soft this year. But whatever....Go Big Blue!

Ok, Sunday was the 2nd round of the fall series about an hour north of us in Fernandina. Avery's race was at 8:30 and it started with a half-mile roll out down a road to the trail head. From there was a 2-1/2 mile ride through the trails, which is by far the most difficult kid's course I have seen thus far- especially with the up and down terrain. The cool part about her race was that the trails were very close to the road so I could ride along the road and cheer for her, which is what I was also able to do during Char's race. Avery had an awesome race and took 3rd place in the girl's 6-11 year old class! How exciting! She is anxious to get back in the trails for some more training and looks forward to the next race in 2 weeks in Tallahassee. After Avery's race was the yellow wave race, which is all the pro, expert and sport riders. I spent part of the time with the gang under the tent in the feed zone and most of the time rolling around on my bike cheering along the course. Char had a good race and took 2nd to a very strong newcomer, Radd won again and TJ pulled off a solid top 10 in our extremely tough 30+ expert class. I again had a great time kicking it with er'body- Sean, Steph, Cathy, Leslie, Ryder, Kelly, Jacob and of course my 2 special ladies...

After the race, we bolted home to catch the Jags game against division nemesis Houston. Man, this game was exciting as Houston couldn't stop QB David Garrard and our defense still cannot stop the pass. I know the Jags have a ton of injuries, but we have got to get better pressure on the QB and better coverage in the secondary. The game was tight the entire way and it came down to our stud kicker Josh Scobee drilling a 37 yarder in OT to win it. This dude is solid- he hit a 51 yarder last week in Indy to knock off the Colts. A few thoughts on the Jags- Garrard played to his potential, WR Matt Jones is becoming very dependable, 1st round slection TE Mercedes Lewis needs to start catching the ball, free agent pickup WR Jerry Porter finally played his first game as a Jag and the first 2 losses of the season to undefeated Buffalo and undefeated Tennessee do not look so bad anymore. This Sunday night's game against the Steelers should be an awesome game! I hope we get to catch it while we're kicking it out in Tahoe. Oh, last night we were out walking Mays as Jag punter Adam Podlesh (lives across the street) got home from the game. I told him awesome game and he still seemed pretty stoked about the win. Being in the NFL must be cool...

Sporty Girl Training!

2008-09-26T03:05:00.000-07:00

My princess and I loaded up after school/work yesterday for some laps at Hanna Park to get ready for the 2nd race of the fall series this weekend in Fernandina.

Before we got started on Avery's workout...

We had a really good time. After Avery finished the workout part of the ride, she wanted to keep rolling. We rode around the park, went around the lake, zipped though the playground, rode Misery and then checked out the huge waves down at the beach. It made me realize how much more we should have been doing stuff like this. No doubt we will do this weekly from now on...

Here's a clip of some smooth riding...

Man, was USC getting upset by Oregon State last night awesome or what? I really thought that there was a good chance USC would lose considering they lost up there 2 years ago. I fell asleep by halftime becasue the game started at 9 but what I did see, that freshman running back for O-State is one quick little stud! I was also amazed at how much bigger the USC players were- but it didn't seem to matter. This loss should keep USC out of the title game but since it happened so early in the season, late season losses by real contenders could work out in their favor. But, this game made the weak Pac-10 look even weaker. Dude, the SEC rulez!

Testing complete

2008-09-25T06:21:00.001-07:00

This is how I felt yesterday after I got through that damn MRI at Mayo. Well, considering I was on a sedative, I was a little more low-key but I sure was happy. I was so relieved to have gotten though the test; from the fat IV, to the long breath-holds, to being able to relax in the "tube" for a full hour, to feeling the contrast being injected to walking out of Mayo yesterday with my prize by my side and a smile on my face! It was crazy how much anxiety I had just getting though this last test...

From here I have a follow up in 2-1/2 weeks. Thats too fay away- I want some news now. I asked yesterday if I could get in sooner or talk to the doctor prior to going to Tahoe next week but I was told he wants to see me in person. Ugh. I asked what I can or cannot do in Tahoe, as far as hiking or kayaking or whatever, and he said no strenuous activity. So I'll take that as I still can't exceed my "brisk walk" status. Hiking is nothing more than a brisk walk, right? We're still going to have a blast in Tahoe. Besides, it doesn't require much effort to get my gamble on in the casino! Anyhow, I pray that I am not going to have this dumb limitation forever. I mean, going from training 6 days a week to living a sedentary lifestyle is not cool. I would love more than anything to be able to race the mountain bike at the expert level again or to contest a field sprint in a road race at 35+ mph while my heart rate nears the 190's...

So Lance is back. He announced yesterday that he will be joining Astana and also announced his race schedule. Hell, you can read it here. I am eager to see how having basically 3 leaders on one team is going to work. I mean, Contador is an absolute stud, Levi can suck any stud's wheel and Lance may have been the GOAT but he's 37 now (and retired for 2 years) s0 there's no telling what kind of form he will have. Aside from this news, I was digging all the mtn bike races Lance had been knocking out. But no matter how it turns out, it will be an exciting time for cycling next year!

Rugged Slogan

2008-09-23T11:13:00.001-07:00

My mind is either empty today or I have been too lazy to latch onto any real thoughts. So I'll post this solid UK football slogan I found because I think that toughness does matter...

Mellow Weekend

2008-09-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

With no training going on for me this weekend, I got to watch some awesome football games. After working Saturday while Char and Avery took Mays to a B.A.R.C. event, I got home and watched Florida man-handle Tennesse. After that I watched part of the LSU/Auburn game and the Georgia/Arizona State before Char and I headed to the bowling alley to bust up some pins! Man, bowling is so damn fun! Char used to bust on me for having my own ball and shoes so one Christmas I got her a ball, shoes and a bag! Next thing we need to do is find a league...

Sunday everybody headed to Hanna for a ride in the trails. Char had a long, hard workout and Avery had some actual training as well to get ready for her race next weekend. Avery and I rode a 1 mile loop for a few laps, each time she worked on going faster than the last lap. She rocked it! After that she was ready for a cool down so we rolled down the road for a bit and then finished with a mellow ride through Misery. After we got done, Avery checked out my new ride in the parking lot...

From there we headed home, cleaned up and watched the Jags/Colts game. Man, what a good game! The Jags dominated the clock with their grinding ground game, while the secondary struggled keeping Peyton in check. The game came down to the final seconds with the Jags hitting a long field goal to get the much needed win. With all the excitement, we all headed outside to toss around the football (actually our Nerf aero football) while Mayfield was the monkey in the middle...fun times!

Another good thing about fall and football season is all of the seasonal beers that are out. Lately, I've been enjoying Blue Moon's Harvest Moon but this weekend I got some Leinenkugel Oktoberfest and some Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. Dogfish Head makes some seriously good beer, and the Punkin Ale is some good stuff! Leini is also a good brewery and my favorite from them is their Sunset Wheat, but the Oktoberfest did not disappoint. Anyhow, football has gotta be the best way to enjoy all of the autumn brews! Oh, has anybody ever read reviews by professional beer tasters? Man, they have their own vernacular and give some crazy details of sensory stimulation. My reviews are like, awesome, good, ok, so-so, sucks, tasty, etc...

Here's what to look for next time you visit your local brew buying joint...

Last thought, who do I know in Chicago? I've been so curious about that when I look at the analytics...

Eye Candy

2008-09-20T05:02:00.001-07:00

I picked up my bike yesterday- finally! It looks pretty damn cool and I'm eager to ride it. I'll probably ride it tomorrow with Avery. She still needs to get her training in for her races and I'm sure that riding with her is within reason. If I am limited to "brisk walks" right now, then riding the trails with an 8 year old should be safe. Anyhow, I weighed the bike when I got home and it is a whole pound heavier than the old Procaliber that it replaced. What is that? All that changed was the frame, rear shock and front derailleur. The new frame is that much heavier? Oh well, my bike's weight should be the least of my worries...for now... But either way, new bike psyche rules!

Impossible is Nothing

2008-09-19T04:51:00.001-07:00

Finally, the weather feels like fall! After Wednesday's storm, the temps have dropped and when autumn officially starts Monday- it will actually feel like it. Fall is by far my favorite time of the year...

Man, I love this picture of Muhammed Ali. I just put this poster in my garage because not only is he one of my heroes, but he is also a fellow Louisville native. Also, the Addidas ad campaign is a good one for me. You know, something to always keep in your back pocket- "Impossible is Nothing."

Avery had quite a few pictures taken by the event photographer at the last race. You can check them out here. You can see that she had the same number as this fly fellow, who finally showed his blog some love...

Quick sports fix-

Baseball season is winding down and with 11 games left, the Cubs have a 9 game lead over the Brewers and should wrap up the division soon. October should be fun this year!

There are some awesome college games on this weekend- (4) Florida at Tennessee, (6) LSU at (10) Auburn, (3) Georgia at Arizona St and (18) Wake Forest at (24) Florida St. Can Wake make it 3 in a row? I hope so! Undefeated UK (3-0) is off this weekend and UofL stomped Kansas St Wednesday night.

Sunday the Jags travel to Indy to take on Peyton and the Colts. They seriosuly need this one...

Good Days & Bad Days

2008-09-18T05:14:00.000-07:00

Man, this crap can be rough. A lot of the time I am just going with the flow, caught up in every day life and then sometimes I start to think about this nonsense and it tends to consume me. How it can effect you is almost like good days and bad days on the bike- some days you have it and some days you just don't. With that being said, yesterday sucked. After doing a stress test Monday (and keeping my HR in the 180's for minutes!) and then wearing a Holter monitor for 24 hours, I had an MRI scheduled for yesterday. I was very anxious to get this test done because it is the last test that I will need for the docs to confirm the full extent of my condition, apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. I am also eager to find out exactly what I can and cannot do because yesterday marked my 8th day in a row of no exercise. I also found out that my mountain bike is in and I know that when I pick it up, bring it home only to NOT be able to ride it, it's gonna suck.

I was pretty nervous about the MRI because I am slightly belonephobic (scared of needles) and mildly claustrophobic. I knew I would be getting an IV for them to inject the dye for the MRI and even though I had stopped fainting years ago from needles (mainly blood draws), I was still nervous as heck. Well, I didn't faint when the nurse stuck the 18 gage whopper in my vein but I came close- they had to lay my sorry behind down. Ugh, not a good start. Then as I sat in the waiting room they pulled a lady from the MR and rush her to the OR- her face was purple! Anxiety was now up a few notches. When I got in the MR room the tech asked me about being claustrophobic and I told him that I had done an MRI before and even though they had to pull me out of it initially, I got through it. I also told him why I was claustrophobic but I thought that the Navy had cured it. Then he said the MRI would last an hour (a WHOLE hour unable to move!), they would inject a dye (and I would feel it) and I'd have to hold my breath for every scan, one time lasting a full minute. I felt flushed, especially after they strapped me down to the table and I could not move. Once they got me in the scanner, I immediately asked to be pulled out- got my bearings and said I was ready after quite a bit of encouragement. I got back in, had music on, got a few scans for positioning and then a friggin panic attack hit me and I had to get out! What the hell? How can I not over come this? The tech said I had the option to reschedule, be sedated and use a larger bore scanner. I thought about it and eventually agreed even though I could not comprehend why I could not make myself do this. Hell, I even felt faint as the nurse pulled the IV out!

It seemed like everything I felt was amplified by 10 yesterday. I think as I was waiting for the MRI and I saw all of the old people and all of the sick people, it all finallly caught up to me yesterday- I have a heart disease. Anyhow, I was beat- I felt like a kid again in need of a good cry. But man, I can't let this crap get the best of me. I will concede yesterday though, because I could not overcome those fears even though I have in the past. I felt like crap the rest of the day but I know I need to put an end to the slight decline of my spirit... Hell, I can't be a pud daddy to Avery- she thinks I spell my middle name T-U-F-F...

The first test

2008-09-15T13:50:00.001-07:00

Going to the first race (Gainesville- one of my favorite courses) since getting my diagnosis wasn't so bad. To be honest, I was anxious to go for the weekend but wasn't really sure how I was going to feel or how I was going to deal with it. Yeah at times I wished I was riding or wandered how I'd be doing during the race and yeah I let it get to me a time or two, but for the most part my mind was pretty occupied. Char did an awesome job keeping me upbeat and fending off my dumb comments. I enjoyed myself (as usual) hanging out at at Al's (Char's brother) house with his family on Saturday. Char, Avery and myself always have such a great time there and always appreciate the killer hospitality.

As for Sunday- I was super excited during Avery's race, in which she rocked a 4th place. And during the actual cross country race- I actually thought it was cool seeing it as a spectator and still felt like part of the team helping Steph feed bottles and dump cold water on Char and the fellas while they suffered in the unforgiving heat. I gained a true appreciation for the awesome folks in the pits. But overall, it was a cool weekend. Mayfield was great, lunch with the gang at Tijuana Flats after the race was a good time and the trip to the pool with Char and Avery when we got home capped off the weekend.

I also appreciated all the well-wishes I received from all of the cool cats in the Florida XC race scene- it meant a lot. Chit-chatting with everyone at the venue is a constant reminder of how awesome the FL MTB community is. It makes going to races as a retired expert mid-packer a pleasant experience- along with the unconditional love I get from my 2 special racing ladies.... Oh, which reminds me- race results are here.

I'll let pictures finish the post...

Happy folks...

2008-09-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

All smiles at the wedding...

Relief

2008-09-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

So a heart disease can also be something that ends anxiety. Sounds kinda odd but I did feel a bit of relief as I listened to the doctor on Wednesday. I was relieved knowing that I do indeed have a heart problem and what exactly that problem is. I was relieved that now I understand exactly why I have a murmur, why the mitral valve isn't totally closing and causing this murmur, why my EKG is abnormal, why I have arryhythmias/palpitations and so on. But I was also relieved that I didn't have to stress over riding, that I didn't have to stress over training 6 days a week just to be competitive in the expert class, stress over planning my rides, ride locations, clothing, drinks, tubes, CO2's, weather conditions, bike parts, etc, etc... No more feeling guilty when I miss a ride, or not feeling like getting on the trainer when it's storming, or stressing over why I felt bad on a ride or why I didn't win the sprint on Tuesday night. I felt free of blowing off so many things in my life so I could get on my bike and get away, jam the MP3's, cranks the pedals and feel the wind blow though my helmet as cars whizz by. I felt relieved that my mind would not be consumed with everything that goes with my cycling lifestyle and the lifestyle of a guy who has the never-ending desire to compete and to race and to keep coming back for more. I was free of the guilt that always consumes me when spend less time with Avery because I "have to" ride. I felt devastation as I listened to Mayo's diagnosis but that same devastation was accompanied by a little relief. Relief can be seen as something positive, right?

Thursday morning I woke up and the first thought that came into my head was that I didn't have to ride that day, that the revelation that occurred at Mayo the day before was not a dream. My next thought was, "Damn, I still gotta go to work and keep going nonetheless." Later I walked into my garage to grab my shoes, looked over at my bikes hanging on the wall and all of my race numbers making a border around the top of the walls and I felt the sting hit me that I already missed riding- that my passion died before I was ready to let it go. I am still optimistic that this is not permanent. I can't help but to hold on to the slightest hope that I will be back on the bike some day and sitting on the line at a race, thinking about nothing else in the world besides pedaling my ass off...

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

2008-09-10T16:08:00.000-07:00

The Mayo Clinic confirmed the diagnosis today. For those who do not know, this heart diseae causes the heart walls to be abnormally thick. It is also the disease that causes sudden death, especially in young athletes. I knew going in today that there was a chance that my doctor would tell me this, but I was totally optimistic that he would say everything is fine. The thought has been in my mind for quite some time now that I was on borrowed time in regards to the strides I was making in cycling. Today my doctor agreed that I've been lucky.

So what does this mean? No more training, racing, running, lifting, playing ball...basically everything athletic that I have done since I was old enough to throw a ball. From here I have a whole new series of tests to have done to decide on my direction. The end result could be an implanted defibrillator. I am confident that the doctors at Mayo and the experts at the Mayo in Rochester will get this all managed. Either way, considering that there is no cure for this disease, I have plenty of time to figure out what to do with myself. More important, I need to get my princess checked right away because this disease is hereditary. My hopes above and beyond everything is that she didn't get this nonsense.

I think its going to take a few days for this to set in and for me to accept my fate. I have no choice but to slow down quite a bit and enjoy life. There are tons of things that I now have time to do and learn. I also don't have a reason to be so selfish with my time anymore...

Blue Rambling

2008-09-09T07:59:00.001-07:00

Man, we had an awesome time Satuday night at the wedding. Great setup, great people, great time! I'll get some pictures posted soon...

Ok, so yesterday I spent the entire day at the Mayo Clinic, seeing the doc and getting the full gamut of heart tests done. Everything went well and I should know some results after my follow up appointment on Wednesday. I am pretty nervous but am anxious to find out the next path for me to follow. I am handling things as if I will be ok and able to race this weekend...

Speaking of racing, I sure would love to have a bike to race on this weekend. Trek says my bike is somewhere in paint and should be here soon. I thought it was painted last week. Either way, I told them I want it here, like now...

Real quick- this weekend was also awesome for football!! The NFL kicked off this past weekend and college provided all of the usual excitement. UK and UofL romped over some junior colleges, Urban took the dirty route over the U, Spurrier got a taste of his own medicine, OSU looks ripe to get slaughtered by USC nest week and East Carolina is this year's surprise so far. In the pro league, our beloved Jags looked horrible as their D still couldn't stop Tennesee's ground game, Garrard played like he just got paid (shoddy) and the O line is in serious trouble with all the injuries. Man, it could be a longer year than anticipated. But there was all kinds of other excitement across the league and plenty of good story lines (Brady out for the year?) developing. Man, football friggin rulez!

One last thought, I heard Lance may be coming back for the 2009 Tour. Stay tuned...

almost out of focus...

2008-09-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

Where to start? Hmm...football season is in full swing...my bike frame is still not back from warranty yet...the fall series starts next week...hurricanes are all over the place...the 8 hour race that went terribly wrong...my upcoming visit to the Mayo Clinic's cardiology department...my bestest buddy getting married tomorrow....all of life's events keeping my ADD riddled mind in a virtual tailspin....aahhh!!

Ok, since I have plenty of time to talk about football (and about UK puttin a spankin on UofL last weekend)- I'll get into the sorta serious mess. 4 years ago it was discovered that my heart was abnormal. While getting several opinions, there was no clear diagnosis on what had caused my heart walls to get so thick nor was there ever a definite "green-light" given to participate in competitive athletics. Back then I took a year off from everything, got on medication and my heart managed to get better. As of now I am on light medication, I fight a few symptoms here and there and I have been pursuing mountain bike racing with a full head of steam. One doctor advised against it, one thought it was ok and one didn't know. Who do you think I listened to?

This year I hired a coach and followed a structured training regimen for the first time ever. My goal was to achieve the greatest success possible this fall in the Florida Series expert class. Everything seems to be building quite well so far. Well, so far so good...kinda...

I went into the 8 Hour Race this past Sunday feeling good, in a good place training-wise and also in a good position as far as rest, hydration and diet. I felt pretty good that Char and I would be able to win the co-ed team class. But when I finished my first lap Sunday, I didn't feel quite right. During my 2nd lap, cramps set in (already?) and then everything fell apart for me- I shut down. I crawled though that lap and the next two fighting no energy or power at all, severe leg and body cramps, headaches, nausea, blurred vision, disorientation, a strong desire to go sleep and also fought off several episodes of passing out. This scared me, bad. I have felt pretty bad a few times when I have raced/ridden in the heat, but it usually takes over 4 hours of non-stop riding to get close to any of these symptoms- more like 5 to 6 hours. But I have never experienced anything this bad. This was well beyond bonking.

What went wrong? Dunno. Chemical imbalance? Severe dehydration? Heart issues? Heart medication reaction? Diabetes? Char and myself have been all over the internet researching possible causes. Either way, I need to get myself figured out, and who better to do it than the Mayo Clinic. I have been itching to go here for years but have hesitated due to money/insurance reasons- but now they are covered. I am hoping to get an answer on my heart condition and an answer to racing mountain bikes at the expert level. Can I? Can my heart handle it? Do I have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (my original diagnosis) or not? Or is my heart even the problem? Maybe an answer will be had Monday or maybe it will take a little longer. I also have arranged for my primary care to be handled at the Mayo Clinic so if my issues are not heart related, another avenue can be taken to determine my apparent imbalance- in the same building. But for now, racing is on the back burner until I know for sure, without a shadow of a doubt, that it is safe for me to continue.

In the meantime, I will continue to spin so that I do not lose the fitness that I have worked so hard on building. I will stay busy with Avery and her homework, tennis, biking, running, etc. I will help Char in every way possible with her race season and the trip to Tahoe for the XTERRA National Championship. I still plan to be at all the races this fall and I even still have it in my head that I will race next week in Gainesville. I have been stressed but I have decided not to let it beat me down like it did last time. Hell, its fall and its football season! What's more exciting than that? Also, my boy sbc is gettin married tomorrow! Party time starting tonight! There is just too much good stuff going on around me to let one hiccup spoil the party!

Oh, with me barely moving on the bike Sunday while spinning around the cuckoo's nest- we managed to get 2nd!

preoccupied

2008-09-03T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hmm...a lot going on, a lot on my mind. I'll get back in here....eventually...

08262008 and stuff

2008-08-26T10:35:00.001-07:00

Let's see...the storm passed, it finally stopped raining and after about 12 inches or so of rain and 5 days on the trainer I finally got out on the road for a 3 hour ride with some nasty zone 4 intervals. The ride felt great at first, then I hit a brief down pour and once the intervals were over and it was hot, muggy, & windy- I was over it. This ride was the last hard effort before the 8 Hour race next Sunday. Anyhow, Sunday ended with Avery and I playing in the pool while Char sold houses. One works, one plays...it worked Saturday that way too...

Monday was another day of madness at work. We got started on the post Fay work/repairs Saturday and we are still reeling from the damage from the storm. I can't believe how much damage was done- mostly from power surges and outtages- not flooding. Either way, its cool fixing stuff...

My bike came in Monday but Trek forgot to send the rear shock for some reason...so I have to wait a little longer...like til Thursday or Friday. I was so excited to ride the dern thing but my first ride on it may be Saturday at San Felasco as I pre-ride the course for the 8 Hour race. I'm hoping to get it Thursday so I can get a good shake-down ride in at Hanna...we'll see...

Chance of Rain

2008-08-22T09:00:00.001-07:00

Actually make that about 10 inches of rain and counting. Some places not far from here have gotten 30 inches of rain. Ouch. Non-stop rain, 40-50+ mph winds and mostly everything closed makes for fun times. Not. At least the Olympics are on 3 different channels... Not only has it rained for 4 straight days, I've been riding the trainer for 4 straight days. I anticipate the thrill of riding outside again one day...

Football is right around the corner!! While Char and I are bustin out laps at the 8 Hours of San Felasco, Kentucky will be playing in-state rival Louisville next Sunday. This game should set the tone for the season for both teams. Since both schools will have quite a different look this year, namely new QB's, I can't wait to see what they are all about. While I normally root for the Cards throughout the year, I always hope for UK to put a solid whoopin on 'em. I'm also eagerto see if UK's defense has gotten any better at all...

Anyhow, GO BIG BLUE!!

Annoying Stuff

2008-08-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

So Tropical Storm Fay has decided to hang out and share her wind and rain with us. Annoying. Uhhh, go away or something...

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt decided to show no class after smoking the men's 100 and 200 at the Olyimpics. Annoying. The look-at-me antics and not acknowledging the other athletes may be just a sign of immaturity but I am glad the IOC blasted him. Grow up dude. Show some respect. I will say though, he is one fast mofo. In fact, he is the fastest ever...

Oh, the new Procaliber frame is on its way! I gotta give some love to the Trek Store for handling my claim so fast and to Trek/Gary Fisher for coming through with the frame replacement/upgrade. I'm psyched that I'll be going into the fall series with a new ride. Hope it helps...

Daddy's Princess

2008-08-19T05:29:00.001-07:00

Somebody's first day of 3rd grade was yesterday...

Why can't there be a pause button on this whole growing up thing???

Storm's Coming...

2008-08-18T10:27:00.000-07:00

Man, this doesn't looks fun...

This may screw my riding up for a few days... Bummer....

Oh, do I know somebody in Chicago? I looked at my analytics recently...

Riding in Charlotte

2008-08-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

Before I left for Charlotte, I had checked this site out to find the best places to ride in the area. After riding on the not-so-great roads near the hotel on my road bike the first day there, I headed 5 miles down the road to Anne Springs Close Greenway to hit some trails after class on the 2nd day. It had been raining all day so I knew it would be muddy, like red clay muddy. It took me a long time to find the place and even when I found it, it took me a while to find the trail. Once I found the trail, however, it was on! The trails were a little muddy in places but had good climbs, downhills, technical sections, rock gardens, suspended bridges, and tunnels. I had a map and lost my bearings a few times but I will probably go back and hit this trail again. I ended my ride when I started to run out of sun. Oh, since I had an easy ride planned, I took the camera...

On Thursday, the weather was awesome (and not as hot as FL!) and I was eager to get out of class and head to the US National Whitewater Center. I had read all about the trails so I knew this place was going to rock! When I got there, the place was packed! Not necessarily with mtber's, but with rafters, rock climbers, people walking dogs and people there for the bands, festivities, beer & food. This place was awesome, had a killer atmosphere and the trails were incredible! Since I had a serious ride, I didn't take the camera into the trails. These trails had it all, especially climbing. I rode and rode and eventually had to stop when it got dark. I can't wait to get back to this place and ride again. I would like to plan a trip so Char can ride this place too, especially before Tahoe. I will no doubt hit this place again in a few weeks when I head back to Charlotte.

Here's a summary of my ride at USNWC...

Back from Charlotte

2008-08-16T10:13:00.001-07:00

Man, I found some awesome places to ride while I was in Charlotte for product training at Parker SSD. I'm eager to head back next month. I'll post some pictures and trail reviews later but I gotta say that I've been totally mesmerized for the past hour with all of the gadgets that you can add to your blog. I added a few for the heck of it and I'm sure I'll play with that stuff more later...

Oh, here's something cool I found the other day...Big Blue's Attack at the Jacksonville Cycling Classic

Another thing- my frame is cracked on my mtn bike. I've had several issues with my Gary Fisher Race Day Procaliber since I got it- all related to the rear suspension. I'm hoping to get the new HiFi Procaliber as a warranty replacement. Stay tuned...

Race Pictures II

2008-08-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

Scott delivering the plan before Sunday's crit....

My solo breakaway...

Post race team chit-chat...

Hottie in a VeloBrew kit...

1 lap to go for Char...

Race Pictures I

2008-08-14T05:50:00.000-07:00

I'm having wireless issues at the hotel but not at the SSD training facility here in Charlotte. So I'm a few days behind, but here's some shots from Avery's triathlon...

Anticipating the start...

Transition from swim to bike...

SMOKING the bike...

Finishing strong on the run...

Post race celebration with friends...

Man, I'm so proud of my little pumpkin pie!

Racing Weekend!

2008-08-11T07:47:00.000-07:00

We had a mad busy weekend with road racing and triathlons! I'll give a short recap now but I'll add pictures tomorrow once I get settled into Charlotte. I'm headed to Charlotte, NC tomorrow for 4 days of work related education. And yes, I am taking both bikes and the trainer so I can stay on schedule. Looks like there are some cool trails close to where my stragetically selected hotel is located...

Anyhow, Saturday was the Jacksonville Cycling Classic road race out in Nocatee, which is a cool new "town" being built out in Ponte Vedra. Char had the early race (7:30 am) and was rather tough because they grouped the masters 55+ and all of the women cat 1234 together. Char kicked a$$ and got 4th in cat 4. My race was the last of the day, at 3:00 in total sunshine and 92 degrees. The 40 mile road race was rather boring. We had 6 Velobrew teammates in the race and once one of our guys went in a late 2 man breakaway, we deployed team tactics by keeping the peloton under control and chasing down all chase attempts and bringing them back to the pack. Our guy stayed off the front and finished 2nd, while we geared up for a field sprint. Sean, Rad and I were in good positions but as we ramped it up, a guy went down between the 3 of us. He bumped Rad as he went down and his bike went totally under mine, damaging my front wheel and puncturing my tire- at 35 mph! I somehow didn't crash but I limped across the line with a front flat. Sean sat up too considering the wreck was right in front of him while Rad managed to escape unscathed and finished 4th. Man, wrecks in the sprint are scary as he!!...

Sunday morning was the kid's triathlon at the Ponte Vedra YMCA. I was so surprised at how many kids turned out, it was awesome! The race was set up in 3 waves; ages 5-7, 8-10 and 11-12. It was very well coordinated and there were plenty of volunteers from the Y to keep the chaos under control. Avery was anxious to get going after getting her transitons all setup. I was excited AND crazy nervous. She motored through all 3 legs of the race (especially the bike portion!) and finished the 50 yard swim, 4 mile bike and 1/2 mile run in 24 minutes. I was so proud of her and at the same time it was incredibly emotional seeing your little girl compete- doing so well and taking it so serious. I think she may have some good genes for this kind of thing... Anyhow, after the race she was all about eating some doughnuts and "getting it over with." Solid work kiddo!!

From here we hustled back over to Nocatee for the crits. For those of you who don't know, a crit is a road bike race on a very short course (like a circuit) where you go for X amount of minutes or X amount of laps. My crit started with about 35 guys and started out rather slow. There were a few short lived attacks in the first few laps but after an attack was pulled back in that had 2 of my teammates in it with a little over 2 laps to go, I launched a solo attack that caught the group by surprise, which subsequently started a 20 minute zone 5 interval for me! I quickly gained a 30 second advantage and I knew if I got out far enough it would give my teammates enough time to respond to any chases. I stayed off the front for about half of the 3 mile lap until a guy bridged up to me, then we stayed off the front for close to another half lap until a chase group caught us and motored by. I saw Rad in this group and knew that if I didn't dig deep and jump on, my race would be over and I'd finish in the pack. I managed to push hard and jump on. I think there were about 10 or 12 riders in this group and we built a very big gap over the peloton. I saw that we had some teammates sitting on the front of the main group so I knew our advantage was safe as long as we kept the tempo up. As we closed in to the finish line and the speed ramped up, a guy in front of Rad and I blew up but instead of holding his line, he drifted over into our paths. We had to weave around him and ended up crossing the line 7th and 8th at 38 mph. We were rather disappointed to not podium after such a strong finish but that is the bad part about road racing. Things have to really work out perfect at the end in order to win.

After getting cleaned up, I chilled at the Velobrew tent with Avery and watched the Pro 1,2 race as Char warmed up. The women all raced together again (cat 1234) but the field was very small, like less than 10 girls. The group immediately broke up as the 1,2 girls pulled away. In the end Char got 3rd and was excited about the results but a little disappointed about the competition, the number of girls racing, the way road racing works and how the field was set up. Either way, we had a busy weekend and were pleased with our results but after being in the heat all day we were eager to get home, get cleaned up and eat some real food. After hitting one of our favorite restaurants, Tijuana Flats, we settled in for the evening and watched the Olympics. Man, the summer games are so damn cool.... Go USA!!

Another thing that was cool about this weekend was I learned that when a Velobrew guy finishes on the podium during a road race, he splits his winnings with his teammates. That was especially cool Saturday because we had 2 guys in the top 5 and between the 6 of us in the race, it was one of the best displays of team tactics a lot of people have seen in amateur racing. Most people do not know that cycling is a team sport a lot of the time. Anyhow, Velobrew is an awesome race club that was well represented this weekend in every race category and also provides such an awesome atmosphere for camaraderie. Ride on Brewers!!

Y Kids Tri

2008-08-08T04:51:00.000-07:00

Avery is so excited to do her first triathlon this weekend at the Ponte Vedra YMCA. She's been to quite a few triathlons over the last few years and she's been itching to do one herself. Her time has finally come! Sunday's kid's tri includes a 50 yard swim, a 4 mile bike and a 1/2 mile run. She got an early start in life on the bike- she was off training wheels at age 3 and won her first bike race at a ge 4. After riding wither her at "practice" last night, I know that she will do well. Hell, I may be more excited than she is!

Last night, our resident tri expert Char went over transitions with Avery. After a few practice runs, she did a mock triathlon...

Ok Avery, it's time to rock on wit yo bad self!!

Birthday Shout!

2008-08-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Char! I should have put this up yesterday but for some reason I'm always a day late and a dollar short... Either way, Love Ya Babe!

So the whole Brett Favre drama ended with him being traded to the Jets. Hmm. He retired. Then unretired. The Pack didn't want him. He showed up. They sent him to the Jets. Wonder what kind of backlash the Packers management will get from their fans. I also wonder what noodle-arm Chad Pennington thinks now that he is officially 2nd string in NY...

Football practice has started and we're already hearing about how great the SEC is. It's common in the south for the SEC to be called the best conference in college football, well, because it is. Georgia, Florida and LSU are ranked in the top 6 in the preseason polls with Georgia being #1. Right now I am rather annoyed with UK's outlook this year. I'm always excited about football season and I'm always equally excited about UK football. But there is some dumb stuff going on in Big Blue Country. The team looked like it will be better on defense because they returned a lot of guys who got plenty of PT last year. They lost all of their skilled guys on offense to the NFL (that sounded weird) but they still had some solid speed returning. Then one of their starting DB's becomes ineligible, then a starting offensive lineman and THEN the guy who was supposed to take over for Andre Woodson at QB, versatile Curtis Pulley gets kciked off the team for being an idiot. I mean, he redshirted last year to be the starter this year! I don't want to go into his stupidity but I think that Mike Hartline, who is now #1, will turn out to be a good QB. I hope they can get it together and keep the string alive for bowl appearances... 2 in a row and counting baby!!! Oh- and no losses to Vandy...

Are we drifting towards this?

I gotta comment on this heat. Last night I went out for a recovery spin on the road bike and it felt like somebody was blowing a hair dryer in my face. It was almost 8 o'clock and still 90 degrees. Right now it's 94 and feels like 103. This is just another reason why the fall is the best time of the year...

Road Ridin

2008-08-06T07:02:00.000-07:00

Man, last night's Open Road ride was a blast! It was great to get back out there with the fellas and do some solid work with the roadies. We have not done as many group rides together this year so we needed to get the feel for the group and each other before Saturday's road race. I felt exceptionally strong considering I had been sore as he!! the last few days from Sunday's race. I spent almost the entire 40 mile ride at threshold and when I hit 36 mph in the final sprint, my HR peaked at 193. Ahhh- it felt great! We all did some major work taking pulls, covering gaps and chasing a few breakaways. Anyhow, good ride last night Rad, Sean and Tony! We should have an awesome race Saturday!

Trail 2 Trail race

2008-08-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

Brutal. That is the first word that comes to mind when I think about the Trail to Trail race this past weekend at Loyce Harpe Park in Lakeland, FL. The trails at LHP are probably some of the most technical trails that I have ridden. They are full of ridges that branch out into a lake and are very rooty, have very steep hills and descents, have very tight turns and is also right next to the water in a lot of places where it would be very easy to fall in the water or fall off the trail. There was also a lot of nasty, smelly mud in the areas between the ridges. When I pre-rode the course on Saturday and my HR stayed in zone 3/4+, I knew the race was going to be very hard and I knew I was going to suffer. Not only are the trails very difficult, but the heat and humidity were off the charts! Oh, during my pre-ride I had to stop twice because of the local wild life. Once because something big jumped in the water next to me, scared the $h!t out of me and caused me to run into a tree and the second time a small alligator was in the trail. I gave him the right of way...

For those of you who do not know, the Trail to Trail race starts out on the mtn bike trails, then transitions to the road for a road race and then transitions back to the trails to finish the race. The first part was an 8 mile loop in the woods, which was a crucial part of the race in order to get a good position (or get in a strong group) for the road. It is kinda odd jumping off of the mtn bike and then saddling up the road bike for the 30 mile course, which was really tough due to the direct sun that we never got a break from. From here, once you get back into the park, you hop back on the mtn bike (awkward!) for that same, tough-as-hell mtn bike course.

The race start was a rolling mass start...

I got an ok start to the race but had to pass quite a few dudes to try to catch the leaders, which never happened. I got out of the woods a lot faster than I anticipated, hopped onto my road bike and took a bottle of ice water from Char and drank a little and dumped the rest on my head. It was mad hot, like already 90 degrees! Once out on the road, I didn't see anybody in front or behind me so I decided to just stay at a steady pace and hope that a group would catch me. After a few miles, a group of 5 guys (4 of them in the same kit)- led by a guy on a TT bike and an aero helmet, rolled past and I jumped on. Once we got rolling and started a rotation, we picked up 2 more guys and then lost one. There was a water station at some point on the road that was handing out bottles and it is here when I really started hurting. My HR had been steady in the 170's/180's up to this point and when I dropped a bottle, waited for a guy to run across the street to hand me another, the group had opened a gap. I drank some of the water, dumped the rest on my head and back, then worked too hard trying to catch back on. Once I got back on, the group started having issues, like one guy yelling about crap, one guy accelerating every time he took a pull and some guys not taking pulls. I was hurting so I sat out of a rotation or 2 but oh well. This led to the group breaking in half after Endurancefactor teammate Mark Gerard and I said, "Screw this." We let those guys go (the 4 guys in the same kit) while the 4 of us motored on. Then the cramps hit and hit hard. My quads were locking up solid but I managed to hold onto the group back to the transition.

Back in the transition I was overheated, cramping and a little disoriented. I stopped a second to get my bearings, dumped cold water on myself and then reluctantly jumped on my mtn bike for the last 8 miles of hell back in the woods. I decided when I got on my bike just to do whatever I had to do in order to finish. I was hurting bad so I started giving myself mini goals, like counting down the technical sections of the trail. My quads were still cramping but soon my right hamstring cramped, then my left calf but I had to keep spinning or else I'd be in serious trouble. I was staying as hydrated as possible and I took a total of about 6 bottles and 6 gels but it was no match for the heat, effort and the time given to both.

I completed the 46 combined miles in 3 hours even, good for 13th place overall (I think) in the open men's solo field. I was aiming for top 10 but the competition seems to get tougher and tougher each year so given the conditons and where I am in training, I think I did ok. I was also happy that I had no bike problems considering how much I had been flatting lately on my road bike and the shifting problems I had on the mtn bike during the pre-ride. It was also cool hanging and chatting with all of the other fly racers, including all the studs sporting black & yellow!

Since Char was not racing, we decided to test Mayfield's travel legs. Man, she was great! She was good in the car, chilled at the tent during our ride Saturday and during the race Sunday and was good at the hotel. It looks like we won't have much trouble taking her to more races in the future. Here she is snoozing at my side on the way down while I flash my gang signs...

Normally after races we have a nice sit-down meal at a restaurant but we did not account for having Mays with us, so we settled on something that I had not eaten in a long, long time. Char found it necessary to document my post-race nutrition for Drew- but hell, I earned it...

Ok, now some bike dork stuff...I had seen guys put their Polar charts on their blogs in the past and I thought it was kinda cool. Hell, I thought it was cool just figuring out how to do it. The red line is my HR while the blue is speed. The rest of the data is self explanatory...

From here I need to recover as much as possible for the Jacksonville Cycling Classic this weekend. Saturday is the road race while Sunday is the criterium and as of right now, I am extremely sore. I am super excited about racing with my buds (and Velobrew teammates) Sean, Tony and Rad in the same class. We look forward to kicking some a$$!!

BIG Trades

2008-08-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

So the MLB trade deadline came and went yesterday and there were some blockbuster trades that took place. I gotta admit that I was surprised that the Sox actually dealt Manny, sending him to the Dodgers. After all the years of grumbling by ManRam, he finally got his wish and got traded. Or did he really want to be traded? He had it so damn good in Beantown. The BoSox rebounded quite well by landing Jason Bay from the Pirates. They will lose huge offensive production but will get better defensively and on the base paths with Bay, as well as a better dude in the clubhouse. I really like Manny and his big numbers at the plate (he looks kinda cool too), but his antics got kind of annoying. NOBODY is bigger than the team. He will still be one of my favorite players, even sporting Dodger blue.

The Cubbies landed pitching ace Righ Harden from the A's after division rival Milwaukee got super-stud pitcher C.C. Sabathia from Cleveland. Chicago is looking good (still) and will hopefully hold it together and claim the division. Again, hopefully...

Other notable trades was perennial All-Star Ivan (Pudge) Rodriguez going to the payroll machine Yankees. Maybe they will have enough fire-power to beat out the Rays and Sox for the division- but hopefully not. Ken Griffey Jr. ended his disappointing tenure in Cincinnati and went to the White Sox. Mark Texeira left the disappointing Braves and went to the Angels from LA from Anaheim in California...or whatever they're called this year... The Angels are a kick-ass squad. Anyhow, the trades should spice up the divisional races and add some excitement come the postseason...

Supplements

2008-07-31T07:14:00.000-07:00

This a tricky topic for athletes. Unless you are an athlete sponsored by a supplement company, it can be difficult to stick with a specific product or find one that works best or even works at all. I often wonder if most of the products just help you with psychological warfare. I mean, does drink mix A help you on the bike more than drink mix B? Or does recovery drink X work better than recovery drink Y? I know that when I was a bodybuilder, I tried all kinds of supplements. Eventually I'd settle on a protein mix or fat burner and spend tons of money on them. After years of experimenting (with LEGAL products), I hit my stride and made some awesome gains although I was never sure which products did the trick. All I knew was which one mixed the easiest or tasted the best or cost the least. But now I am a lot wiser with my money and a lot more skeptical of supplement company's claims. When I started cycling, I used to buy the fancy-town drink mixes all of the time but eventually I questioned if it was worth it. I now mostly use Gatorade and eat protein bars for recovery or normal food. I still use HEED here and there, or Emergen-C and I also take Endurolytes when I think I may need them. But will I be that much better if I use Powerbar or Hammer mixes all the time? I know that I will always eat the assortment of Clif bars...I am an addict!

The reason I am thinking about this, or the reasons, is that I now have a hook-up on supplements through Smoothie King so I plan to get back to specific 'during' and 'after' mixes. Also, while Drew was staying with us this past week, I noticed that he was using Dedicated Athlete products, so we engaged in conversation over this topic. I am super curious about their EP-NO product as well as their energy and recovery drinks and their "athlete" multivitamin. Does the EP-NO truly boost red blood cell levels? Will I notice an improvement in performance? I think it is worth trying. The testimonials on the website are encouraging as are the scientific studies, which I have read in regards to what supplements have what effect on your body and when is the best time to take them and so on. This info is always all over the place in the fitness world. I also posted a thread on the mtbflorida forum asking about DA's products, like who uses them and do they work. I am curious to see the responses.

So if and when I start taking different products or find ones that work, I'll be sure to post something. Until then, I'll keep logging the miles...

Monday Morning Quarterback

2008-07-28T06:24:00.001-07:00

So the Tour is over and Carlos Sastre held on in the TT for the win. Cadel got 2nd and Vandevelde got 5th. With the way Sastre and Evans finished, I won the little bet amongst the boys. Some brew should be headed my way...maybe...one day... Anyhow, I was totally impressed with Vandevelde and expect him to podium next year. Garmin-Chipotle needs to add another strong climber to help him in the mountains though. It always kinda sucks when things like March Madness, the NFL Playoffs and the Tour end....

Saturday I saddled up for another solo century on the road bike. I felt pretty good for the first 3-1/2 hours but started feeling kinda rough around hour 4 and then hit killer cramps as I got close to 5 hours. I'm pretty sure I went into this ride not fully hydrated and not fully recovered. Another lesson learned. I managed to ride through the cramps and finished a bit slower than last week, at 5 hours and 30 minutes. I'm still not sure why I enjoy these rides and why look forward to them when they come up...

Sunday was the First Coast XTERRA at Hanna Park. The race was a half mile swim in the ocean, a 13 mile mountain bike ride on the trails and then a 5K trail run. We had lots of friends doing the race this year so it was pretty exciting for me as a spectator. Char did very well, holding 2nd though the swim and bike but a wrong turn in the woods during the run lost her a spot, so she finished 3rd overall and first in age group. She busted her a$$ and made me very proud none the less. She also secured her spot in Nationals at Lake Tahoe so the worry over us booking the flight and hotel is now over. The guys race was super competitive for the top 3 overall. After chasing down the top swimmer on the bike in the woods, local XTERRA phenom sbc knocked out some ultra fast bike laps and held off pro mtber (my coach) Drew. Sean had a good lead over 2nd and 3rd going into the run but unfortunately the out-of-town-swim-stud ran like a gazelle, as did Drew. Drew took the overall win in his first XTERRA and sbc took 3rd. Damn awesome race fellas!

Next weekend I have the Trail 2 Trail race in Lakeland FL held by Red Trail Racing. This race is really cool because it is a hybrid mtn bike race/road race. The race starts in the trail on the mtn bike, transitions into a road race on the road bike and then goes back into the trails. I am super excited and super motivated to do this race and to do well. I did it a few years back as a sport rider with no road race experience and managed a top 10. I plan to top that this year....

Old Folks

2008-07-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

Its funny how I tend to really get moving on the trainer when I'm watching the Tour and the final sprint comes...

So...who dis?

I was catching up on the sports news this morning and I saw that the Detroit Shock of the WNBA signed 50 year old hall of famer Nancy Lieberman to a short contract. And she even got some clock last night. Man, this lady played ball for the US Olympic team in '76 (I was 1) and was the youngest player to ever medal at age 18. Not only did she play in a women's pro league (WBL), she also played pro men's ball (USBL) and also played for the Washington Generals. You know the Generals, right? The team that always took a whoopin' from the Globetrotters back in the day. Anyhow, I seriously hope I'm still cool at 50...

Alps

2008-07-23T05:47:00.000-07:00

The Tour hits the Alps again today for the 3rd and final day in the brutal mountains. The Alps are sure to shake up the field and bring the true contenders to the top of the standings. Team CSC has dominated these climbs by usually having 3 -4 riders in the yellow jersey peloton and has carried Frank Schleck to the overall lead. All of the favorites have pretty much been sticking together in the mountains but during yesterday's stage there were a few guys who fell back a little. Christian Vandevelde lost some time yesterday due to a minor crash and now sits in 6th place, 03' 15" back. Today's stage is brutal- there are 3 HC (uncategorized) climbs, with the finish at the top of the infamous L'Alpe-d'Huez. I can see the climbing studs from CSC (Sastre, the Schleck brothers, Voigt maybe...) shaking up the favorites with some attacks today. If Cadel Evans can minimize the damage today he will stay in good shape for the overall title because there is still a time trial in stage 20. Cadel can seriously get his TT on! Alejandro Valverde needs a 2006 Floyd Landis type breakaway today to get back into contention. The same can be said for Vendevelde and Russian Denis Menchov.

The scene from yesterday's stage 16. The stage began down in the valley...DAMN!

One exciting thing about yesterday's stage was the incredible ride by the youngest rider in the Tour, 21 year old South African John Lee Augustyn from defunct Team Barloworld, who was first to the highest point ever in the Tour (Col de la Bonnette-Restefond elev- 9192 ft) and then proceeded to ride off the side of the mountian on the descent and lost his bike. The dude could've won the stage!

The profile of today's stage 17...

Slight chance of hot...

2008-07-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

Finally got on the mtn bike today for a 2 hour spin at Hanna Park. I need to start getting more time on the dirt. I also need to get my front fork and rear shock rebuilt- they are a total mess. Bike maintenance can be annoying sometimes. Anyhow, I felt really good when I got started in the trails even though I thought I'd be hurtin from my solo century yesterday. BUT, after I really picked it up on my 2nd lap and rolled with my heart rate in zone 5 for half the lap, my 3rd lap turned into pure suffering. I was overheating bad. I finished that lap, stopped in the parking lot to grab a bottle, drank an extra water bottle and then poured some cold water over my head and back. Ahhh- felt better immedialtely. From there I did 2 easy laps with Char and called it a day. Man, it was like a damn rain forest- damn hot and mad humid! At least the road bike offers a constant breeze...