Rough

As long as I've been alive, I have never used a treadmill. Until today. I was in the gym doing some off-season cross-training when I noticed the treadmill device in the corner. I figured I would give it a try. 2 minutes later, I decided to stop. My legs were seizing up, and I was going at a 15 minute/mile pace. Plus there was a woman running on the other treadmill, and I really wasn't feeling like falling off the treadmill in front of her. I guess we could classify it as a learning experience.

DC Ranch Crit: Report

The weekend didn't go the way I expected it to go. Instead of going to race Mt. Graham, we chose to race the closely located DC Ranch crit in Scottsdale. It was a scorcher of about 103 degrees. Because of the Graham conflict and the heat, there were only 14 riders in the Cat 3s. However, they were some strong/tough riders.

We went slow, but it was very painful. Over the entire race, there were zero breakaways. No one could get any separation. I tried a couple times, but everyone was glued to my wheel. There were two primes, but they were on a downhill sprint, so I decided to save my matches.

Coming into the last lap, I had decided to follow Dan de Mos's wheel. He has been winning Cat 3 field sprints for years so I figured he was the man to beat. He fell out of contact on the last lap. I had to bridge up to the rest of the group. I caught the group, we went through the 180 degree turn, and everyone powered away from me in the sprint. I got 7th. Jon Green won, trailed by junior stud Taylor Skinner.

I had a fun race. I'm glad it ended in a fairly positive manner. I am excited to start the off-season and unwind from all the training, racing, and travel. I had the best season of my life!

Lex in Worlds

Hey everyone, just to let you know, Alexey Vermeulen (AKA Sparkplug) is racing the World Road Race Championship tomorrow. Wish him good luck!

Much Apprehension

I have been fairly excited about school lately. Not because of college or classes or homework, but because of the play. On November 17 and 18, we are performing a play that I wrote. I seriously can't believe that this is really happening. I'm absolutely stoked for it, but at the same time I'm quite nervous. Auditions are tomorrow, and I have to help figure out who makes the cut and who doesn't. Yeah...I have apprehension

Dare I believe?

Something inside me screams that the Lions have changed. I know that they're a better team- I never doubted that. But the question was always whether or not the Lions had shrugged off that loser's mentality. I believe they have raised their expectations. No longer are they intoxicating themselves with the glory of a single win. They have matured after a bit of experience. I think they are ready. I think.

AZ State Time Trial Championship: Report

I tried this race not exactly sure of what I would get. I won the 15-16s last year, but my time trialing has been disappointing all year long.

Things went pretty much perfect for me on Sunday. The weather was cool, and my equipment was awesome. My legs were great, and I rode as hard as I possibly could. Sadly, I didn't see everything to fruition. My back brake was rubbing, and it slowed me down. I wasn't excited to be passed by multiple people, but I knew I wasn't dogging it. I suffered in for a time of 30:43, 10 seconds slower than last year. Ironically, I put out 20 watts more than last year.

Michael took the win over Danny and Jake. They were really moving.

I felt bummed that I had a mechanical issue, but at the same time, I did it to myself. I'm still feeling silly, and a little peeved. However, I rode as hard as I could, which all that I asked for.

AZ State Time Trial Championships: Preview

I'm gonna hit up the ITT Champs in Picacho tomorrow. Godwilling, it will be a short 20 kilometers. The competition is uber tough. Danny E. and Mikey D are the ones everyone is nervous about, but you can't forget about the Tucson dudes. My goal is to suffer. I want to offer my legs to God tomorrow. I don't know how it's going to go. I might redeem my time trialing self, and I might not. But whatever happens, I pray that my heart is in the right place.

Marginal Satisfaction

First of all, let me know if you get tired of reading my Brumby group ride reports. The whole affair really sparks my competitive juices and inspires me to make a big deal out of a relatively small thing.

The Usery ride was very big today. I saw at least 25 people, many of them very fast. I decided to not give myself a break and, instead, drill it as much as possible. I did that. I wasn't able to get away, but I stirred the pot. Bryce Cook was the main animator. He was first up Usery. I got third. Bryce and another WebOp dude totally pranced away with me just before the top, but I was happy to have made it that far.

All in all, a good workout and a fun mingling with the "Big Dogs"...even though they schooled me on Usery again.

Thank You Nick

This is a post that not many of you will understand. It's about a punter who was released from the Detroit Lions today. His name is Nick Harris.

Harris played for the Lions for 8 years. His first season with us was 2003, which is when I started following the Lions. He never missed a game. All my life, I have been watching Nick Harris punt. His presence was assuring. Despite the long, seemingly-futile labor he did for the Lions, he stuck with them. Nick Harris never gave up, and as he would have wanted it, I will never give up on the Lions.

College Football

So yeah...college football started this week. To be honest, I'm not really feeling it. Michigan is playing Western Michigan, and my parents are alumnus of both colleges, so I'm a big fan of both teams. Watching them tear each other apart sickens me. I think I might be losing interest in College Football. It might be just this game, but I'm starting to question.