what tha?!?!?! Aching knees???

11:32 am...already been up for 8 hours, 3 cups of coffee and a 10 k classic xc ski later.....Feeling refreshed :)

Went to local trails, Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area, at gate opening of 7:30 am after watching our Juniors put the Americans in check. Had prepped the skiis for "new snow" and temps of -11 to -15. Gauge on car before stepping in was neg 11....

I was the only one in the parking lot and was pretty pumped to have first tracks...well I quickly realized that first tracks DOWNHILLING is a little different than ungroomed and fresh poweder XC skiing...super slow but magnificent. Had it in my head that I had to do the whole perimeter of trail. Done...shovelled driveway with my oldest and am starting to fade....I think a nap is in order :)

update

My head is definitely in a different dimension from previous posts..My new obsession is closely coming to reality. In process of picking up a 2007 Husqvarna TE 450. Essentially an enduro bred race bike (motorcyle) that is also street legit. Just a matter of time before this baby is in me garage.....I definitely smell a couple of enduro races for 2013. Anticipate some go pro footage of this new experience.

Fitness wise...been punching into the gym and have been out on the xc skiis once since we got dumped on the last couple of days. Skiis are all prepped for a early/mid morning ski at little cat. 10 k of easy smooth kickin should get the soul calibrated. Bikes have been quite content to be mounted on garage wall.

January 12th is the potential day for pickup of the new member of the family...I can already smell the exhaust.....yummmmmmmmy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RmmhdVF6bY

Hare Scrambles in Future

It's been a while since I've posted last. Work has had me logging some serious dashboard time. 50k on a work vehicle that I received brand spankin' back in April...THIS YEAR kinda tells the story.

Been out a couple times on the mountain bike...the farm...CB and even rail trail with Fil last weekend as his innaugural return back to the living after sustaining that traumatic injury in Whistler.

Been running and punching into the gym. Feeling pretty freakin good lately and quite calm in the mind zone as well....I think the reading (15 books since last year....a record) and the idea of adopting a new passion, Enduro motorcycles, has me in a good head space. NO desire to race my mountain bike next year or ride super hard for that matter.....should I be concerned...don't think so...Thinking whatever "loose screws" were in my head to drive me to want to race 8 and 24 hour solo events are now....tightened back up.

I just can't get this outta my head...I'm dreaming nightly of the sensation...I literally can feel the clutch and braking in these dreams....meant to be...3 month countdown...bike of choice...2004 or 2005 Yamaha WR 450.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXaFczYK-lU

Silly...this time of year it's early a.m. or night ride.... by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Silly...this time of year it's early a.m. or night ride.... by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Enduro bikes on the brain...................

Endomondo Cycling Workout

Endomondo Cycling Workout: was out cycling 13.19 km in 1h:01m:09s using Endomondo.

Pretty mellow ride.  Trail was super slick.  Tried out an LX derailleur to replace my mangled one...it was rapid rise so...taking a little getting used to...will most likely swap back to the regular XT or may treat myself to a rediculously expensive and not needed XTR...I think xmas gift via jenson gift certificates for this one ;)

Off to Bond......James Bond...

Derailleur grabbin' ghosty by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Derailleur grabbin' ghosty by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

It started and really...ended as a beautify fall riding experience.  The one unfortunate event is I am now shopping for a new rear derailleur...Shimano RD M772 actually and a derailleur hanger as the ones that were once part of my literally BOMB proof Giant Trance is torqued and twisted beyond repair.  Luckily it happend close to the end.  Had a 5 km walk/bike skateboard ride back home.  All is good, however, trails are SO pristine right now that down time from the mountain bike is really NOT what I'm looking for lately.

Spent, probably 3 hours straight today, watching enduro vids......really looking forward to pulling trigger on this dirt bike thang.  Spring will be an exciting time of year. Pretty much confirmed on the following rigs:

2005 Honda CRF 250F; Yamaha WR 250F or KTM EX 250W....still toying with the idea of the 400 or 450 after test riding the WR 400

Sunday quick run

Busy weekend with Kids joint B-day partay. This led to Sunday's activities being far from healthy...end result...SUnday run to ward off the demons. 5 k ripper...felt good. Looks like the gym will be calling as the weather is turning.

A perfect day

Dropped kids off at daycare and kept on driving over to the Folk's place...swapped the van with the 1979 Porsche 911 SC and cruised back home, parked errr in the garage, and bared down on some work related necessities. Once this was handled...it was time to soak up the sunshine....brought the red beauty back to it's home...the looooong way that included lots of downshifting into 2nd and accelerating through these apexes. Blow's my mind how well this overengineered rig handles from 1979. It may have something to do with the fact that it spent most of the summer in the hands of a Porsche mechanic...getting it all dialed in. COnsider it DIALED.



Had to get probably the last warm ride of the season in...body wasn't used to this uncharacteristic heat....sweat me b*$$s off. Solid ride. Felt good. A little hockey tonight and an early one tomorrow for work...

Kids B-day party this wknd...all about them this wknd

Early a.m. tour of the local expanding trails

So...the inevitable has happened...as the mountain bikers are raking, blowing, grooming trails on private land that has been accepting hikers, dog walkers, and mountain biking...one of these groups have become "threatened". A note was posted recently about the issue that an idividual has recently identified as a concern of his/hers....should be interesting..

Nonetheless...a quick ride was had today as Shawn had another flat attributed to a tire that had a slice in it from previous ride...he will be replacing his tire now ;)

A righteous brother of mine had sent me a disc of some GOPRO vids while in Whistler...soooo many, decided to post one here for anyone to enjoy :))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyicD42CkLs&feature=plcp


WHAT A TRIP...

Westbrook open house and some CB novelty

A good fall day to ride with the always fast and "expect a wipe out or two" Shawn Weima. Met up with him to explore the Westbrook golf course trails. Good to see more trail surfacing...definitely a cross bike kinda system so far.

Quickly sold a HR monitor before continuing on with the CB loop. Some new stuff there has really turned this network into proper trail system. Post ride beer...should do THAT more often..and quick shower and head to folks for dinner...speaking of which...I recall some leftovers..

another 15 km RUN!?!?!?! What's gotten into me?!?

Smellin' the metaphysical "roses" at tha Farm by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Smellin' the metaphysical "roses" at tha Farm by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Get ready for it.......

We had a pretty major restructuring at work last week.  Demands are getting heavier with some rather significant presentations in the near.  My escape to Whistler has resulted in larger travel commitments to meet the needs of customers (pre-trip and currently) translation....need to reboot the head.  Escaped for a quick ride at the farm.  Temp of 7 degrees with some wind did not curtail my desire to dive into the sunlight for a fall ride with trails confirming the nearing hibernation of mother nature...leaves were now heavily on the trail leading to some initial hesitation to hammer out a quick one.  This is where it got quite interesting...

My head was literally throbbing from a low grade headache that I have been experiencing for the past 2 days...every root was aggravating it but I pressed on..just at a much more mellow pace.  About 30 minutes into this much more mellow pace, I experienced something new...something I haven't felt in quite a while....There is a term for it...yeah yeah..we call it being in the "zone" or sport psych would call this "optimal arousal"...but this was different than that..with the headache disappearing..I felt no urge to ride harder or find better lines...I just felt joy...pure JOY!  No pressure, no concerns about what gear i was pressing..no stressors about this wknds presentation....Just wrapped up in the beauty of the moment.  I warned you at the beginning...get ready for it...

So i decided to capture some pics to help narrate the ride..let's see how they turned out..this one above was nearing the end of the ride and really doesn't capture the moment that occurred right up to it.  Just before crossing this water bridge the leaves went from a variety of orangy reds to a pocket of VIBRANT red.  shoulda coulda captured it..but didn't.  So...here gets the heavy..

Whistler was a trip and a half...experienced a level of fun on a meter that now has a set point "re-adjusted" for bare minimum.  Riding these local trails on my xc bike is now more of a peaceful exercise in mindfullness..I learned today that riding without emphasis on faster..harder is waaaaaay more enjoyable.  This also proves to be pretty beneficial on post ride back symptoms...sitting here typing without discomfort or that wave of fatigue that renders me kinda useless for a while.  Nothing wrong with hitting it hard once in a while..don't get me wrong but i really think it's time for me to pursue the likes of this in the near:

http://www.ktm.com/ca-en/enduro/350excfusa/highlights.html#.UHhRvq7NmHY 

I keep trying to subside this desire but.....all I can think of is opening up the garage, suiting up, and riding to cottage on the cataraqui trail...better yet...exploring Limerick Forest, Ganaraska, Calabogie....need to find a way to make this happen...come on snow....help quiet my mind!!

No Carpal Tunnel here.....

Since returning from one of the most EPIC trips of my life, Whistler, I have literally been on my bike ONCE and run outside TWICE and as of yesterday...punched back into the gym ONCE. It has become quite apparent that due to a pretty jammed work schedule to accomodate folks demands after a week away at play...there was really minimal time to get OUT to play. Also doesn't help the situation that my regular buddy of exercise inspiration is recovering from his injuries compliments of a table top gone wrong while in whistler.

So...it appears my wife...yup...my wife is my new catalyst, effectively motivating me to get my ass back in gear. Also...I have noticed a pretty significant ache in my right shoulder and may be coming to the conclusion that this AC separation from last year is going to remind me when I become too sedentary. I did indicate I was going to stop this blogging but as I sit here on a Sunday early a.m. sipping the newest coffee blend for Tassimo, I realized...this "journalling" helps me get my ass back into the equation.

Since my last entry...15 k run may have had an impact that proved negative to my immune system...perhaps it was my little nephews that decided to share their cold...who knows, however, I have been battling the usual chest cold that seems to rear it's ugly head every once in a while. From the DOMS associated with last monday's run (lasted a solid 3 days) and this cold...this cat really got reaquainted with why I do not watch television the past week. So, when Saturday morning came and my wife indicated she was going to the gym....enough was enough...back to our previous saturday ritual it was. We loaded up the kiddies and treked over to Goodlife.

Plan was straight forward. Punch in for 40 min cardio...keep it super mellow to keep chest and congestion from spiraling outta control. Felt good to be back inside...weird...cross trainer and run on treadmill done. Now over to the freeweights. Picked up the 25 pounders and performed some super slow eccentric reps unilaterally with a good burn occurring at 13 out of the 15 reps per side...good sign..just stuck with one set as it has been a hell of a long time since I punched in here. Moved on to some "skull crushers" with a 60 lb curl bar...felt gooood. Kept eyeing the squat rack but this was heavily tied up by two freaks of nature squatting waaaaaay more than any human being really needs to...always interested to know what profession these dudes are in when I see like 6 plates a side on the bar?!?!?!? This was where it became very real...I picked up 30 lb dumbells and positioned myself for some controlled bench press.....eeeeesh...did not feel good.....with each rep...each very shallow and controlled rep...a grimace....stopped at 10 and took a mental note of this looking forward to a month from now when I am progressing back to bigger pain free reps ;)

With shoulder ache now present and being very cogniscant of this fact I nudged in to the pulley's..2.5 pound reps of horizontal abduction was...tender with the right...focused on quality of movement..moved onto external rotation at neutral and flex/abdution...yup...still tender and then it happened...started some reps internal rotation with same light weight in flex/abduction and shoulder REALLY FELT GOOD. Mobility improved significantly into external rotation with each super slow eccentric. I think I found the cause for discomfort...back to basics I presume...capsular patter tightness...don't need to spend bucks having a therapist facilitate this...found the exercise to make errrr happen. Got cocky and added a bit of weight and started to perform some PNF patterns...back to the same discomfort...but....felt good to punch in regardless.

Behaved at friends of ours last night and refrained from overindulging in food and drink for a full blown thanksgiving dinner. Congestion is back and I am going to do everything I can to eat and drink well for remainder of this weekend to ensure recovery of all things evil occurs. A big week coming up.....gym, I am hoping will be one method to keep my mind and body communicating in a positive way.

Endomondo Running Workout

Endomondo Running Workout: was out running 14.25 km in 1h:33m:43s using Endomondo.

Actually...more like 15K!!!!  Battery on BB ran out at the 14.25 mark..Toes are a tad tender and quads are acknowledging this distance ;)

Post Whizzzzzzzler ride by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Post Whizzzzzzzler ride by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

There...rekindled with my mountain bike....however....I have KTM on my brain....This fever seems to be building.....should I say it???  I think I should....MARK MY WORDS....ONE DAY...THIS BLOG WILL BE REPORTING A BEAUTY RIDE IN THE GANNY, LIMERICK FOREST AND CALABOGIE ON SOME MAKE AND MODEL OF A KTM...there..I put it out into the Universe :)

Nice warm run sans orthotics

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/93073606

Consensus...orthotics not needed for running :)

Whistler XC day to recover from DH'in by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Whistler XC day to recover from DH'in by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Figah'd I should put some narrative down considering I have had nightly dreams of this trip ever since my return...

Epic and I mean..EPIC trip out to the west coast with some good boys: Mark Pompilio, Tommy Hanrahan, Fil Gilic, Geoff Mroz, Jay Z, Dave Elphik and the man known as Wayne..We rented a sweet house just slightly up the mountain. This made for a well deserved beer after every downhill session when one had to walk up the 200 yard hill.

Arrived Friday mid morning. Downhillin' 4 days, XC 1 day (see above stats), hiked one day and chilled another day. My long term memory is fueling my desires nightly as I keep reliving the experience in my dreams. Other than a couple mishaps, Fil's being the biggest with the badge of surgery and hardware..truly a TRIP of a LIFETIME!! Can't do it justice to narrate every detail..sipping slowly from the memories..

Now....think this blog may fade into history as well.....desire to "race" has officially subsided....desire to "trip" has taken precedent....the thought of waking up, throwing a leg over a KTM EXC 350 and riding to trails seems really attractive lately.....season is moving towards gym time as weather is getting kinda nasty..we'll see...

A nice link to check out some air on upper A-line big hit:))))) SO FUN


http://www.bikeparkphotos.com/Trail-Side-Photos/2012/0909ALineTophit/25283507_pXwzgS#!i=2077490198&k=VmCgqX5&lb=1&s=XL

Endomondo Running Workout

Endomondo Running Workout: was out running 6.07 km in 35m:11s using Endomondo.

Weather is windy and muggy...on an administrative day for work and needed something to Burn the energy from the active mind.  A run was juuuuust the ticket.  Appears some fitness is surfacing here...I'm going to give kudos to the occasional Yoga session for this running improvement...perhaps it also had something to do with fact that I've been riding with some FAST dudes on the local trails and on the rare visit to Durham.  Nonetheless....refreshed and ready for some research, correspondence and a report writing kinda day ;)  8 more sleeps..then the sound of melting brakepads......BOOYAH!

Farm Group ride by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Farm Group ride by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

A great paced rip with Rob S, Chris F, Francois B, and Fil as part of a regular wednesday group ride. As usual, Rob linked up the terrain in a unique fashion which always poses a challenge for me to then acknowledge what truly is the PERFECT loop out there...Nothing eventful...some good tempo and most likely last real mt. ride pre-Whizzzzzzlah. Will spin the legs with some easy, and I mean EASY road riding over the next week. Pics will be a followin' from this trip fo shore...there are also some GoPRO's that will have some great coverage of our exploits..CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Ambassador ride with some locals by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Ambassador ride with some locals by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Decided to some of the new loop to some members of the trails that haven't had an opp to hook up with a group ride to explore.  Nice way to easily spin the legs after yesterday's BLOOD BATH!!!!!!

Durham a.k.a..hang the Faaaaack ON by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Durham a.k.a..hang the Faaaaack ON by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Tired...comments tommorow

Tomorrow is here...got home at 1 in the morning from an absolute hammer fest (stats don't lie with avg HR at 84% for over 2 hrs!!!!!) at Durham forest yesterday with a motley crue consisting of Tommy H, Dave E, Jay to the Izzo, Mark P, and Chris B. I arrived right at the cut off of 6 pm for the gathering...quickly got my sheeeeit together and it was like a shotgun sounded the start....pace was quick from the get go..we lost one guy, Mike P, as the pace was too much. Now...this is when I have to ask myself...do I really enjoy this kind of riding......I do like the fast decents, no question...LOVE 'em...the climbs are nice with just under a kilometer of elevation gained, but the hammer till ya can't hammer anymore??? It must be good for ya, but do have to admit hanging on the wheel of one of these members was probably when I really started to enjoy the ride most.

Whistler countdown begins. Lots of planning is starting to happen now with emails whizzing left right and centre...I on the other hand...am just going to chill and enjoy the family, get some quality bonding time with my sis and nephews...let's get this wknd started!!!

Amuse-Bouche sub hour loop ;) by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Amuse-Bouche sub hour loop ;) by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Found a way to link in a quick 1 hr loop (should be sub hour) at the Farm.  Like they say....an hour a day keeps the doctah away :)

The whole enchilada...almost by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

The whole enchilada...almost by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

9 am group ride with Tommy H, Fil, Chris F and Ambassador Rob S.  We essentially rolled at a great pace throughout.  Fil faded near the end due to a reported case of food poisoning from Friday.  Wife and Kids are back and house is back to it's usual disaster and I'm pretty tired from the morning ride.  Countdown begins to Whistler. T-minus 19 days.. Off for a walkabout around dowtown with the Fam..

CB EFT with Tommy H, Fil and Shaun..partially by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

CB EFT with Tommy H, Fil and Shaun..partially by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

All the stars aligned and after some frantic text and calls from Fil, Tommy and I rode out to find Shaun and Fil in the trails.  CB is in PRISTINE shape right now..dry dry dry and fast fast fast..We rode every trail that works well together and with some intensity.  I think Tommy appreciated the technical component of this network and look forward to a beauty ride at the farm tomorrow.

Had some shifting issues present themselves during the last 1/4 of ride...10 sec on the stand fine tuned that issue.  Decided to take advantage of the offer to drive a pristine 1979 Porsche 911 SC to Gananoque (the Pop's) to pick up a few tubes as the elusive innertube monster got me again and yet again, I opted for the no tube or pump option..for now on...carry a tube, C02 and pump.  Something strange comes over me everytime I drive this car...It's like constant butterflies in the stomache...Pure Joy, me thinks :)

Have the house to myself for another 3 hours as wife and kids are en route from NB.  Looking forward to getting the little stinks messing up the place again...weird how this is..Think I'll pour a frosty one and continue reading a new book, The Human Zoo...yet another great referral from Mr. Gilic.

And I'll Huff and I'll Huff and I'll BLOWWWW yer house down

Woke up to a windy fury and the heavens unleashing some moisture this morning. Scheduled early a.m. run was noted to be *ahem* cancelled due to a partner being a bit of a turkey last night at the pub. Made the right call last night, coming directly home from a 13 hour day and chillin'. So, options quickly led to punching in to gym for a good ole school spin class.

got there 30 min prior to warm-up pre-class. Always feel a little strange in these environments as I am not much of a social animal and always battle with the dissonance of "why am I doing this inside when I have 2 perfectly good and ready bikes to ride outside"...riiiight...rain...and wind..ok..this is a good idea.

Solid session of inhaling and exhaling at various rates. Was nice to feel the quads burn slightly...really looking forward to riding this weekend with Tommy, Fil and Crew as a result ;) The ole Polar came with...let's see if it behaved:

1 hr 21 min
870 cal...i love this stat...40% from fat...like it knows!!?!?!?
Max HR - 176 or 94%
avg HR - 137 or 73%
Zones - light: 39 min; Moderate: 13; Heavy 28 min

So as I sit here about to get prepped for rest of day I have to ask myself...why not 100% max...I know the answer...in order for me to get to this "stat" or level....it is generally followed by a very forceful exhale and an extremely loud YeeeeEEEEEOOOOH!!! This......is probably going to be frowned upon in a spin class, however.....bringing a fellow cycling buddy.....this may happen out of habit :)

So plan...Ride Saturday in Collins Bay...Ride Sunday at the Farm, which reminds me I need to post this ride on FB for the fast crew. Tommy H coming to play and wife and kids coming home...this is going to be a great wknd..

6 plus km away from "The perfect loop" by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

6 plus km away from "The perfect loop" by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Had an idea that this might be a bit of a rippah so attempted to get a quick 45 min nap in before "the event"...juuuuuust as I was drifting off into that peaceful pre-ride restful sleep....Ding Dong...DING DONG....yup, so much for that nap as My pops decided to pop in, cat burglar like, through the back door to drop off an old playpen.  Oh well...laying down for a tour was helpful.

Met up with a fairly large group for the regular wednesday ride.  I was there like 30 min early...as usual...a bit of socializing and we were off.  Pace was super mello for first 10 k...saw Fil's not so courteous passing of riders after about 3 k in....not sure what the night was going to bring and then it happened.  Rob Sangers Pulls in to the ridge loop with some gusto...I did my best to hang but heard Francois Beaupre on my rear so let him take up the chase...resulted in some great tempo slip dip n diving through the woods.

One fairly scary and sketchy moment though...a pretty quick double track downhill with a bit of a kicker of a jump at the bottom resulted in a pretty spectacular over the bars wipe out from a guy called Sheldon.  Rob hammered it first and I was really looking to hold his wheel but this Sheldon guy followed suite in front of me....I did recall him saying something about doing some mt bike racing earlier in ride, so when I saw him look back...I let it fly and considered passsing him...but...being the courteous guy I am...hung on his wheel..He was coming into this kicker at the end really hot so I was going to follow suit and launch it right behind him, but he had second thoughts and locked up the rear, front going sideways and then catapulted about 6 feet in the air over the bars...too soon for me to let off so I land just short enough to hit the binders and unclip off bike as he was getting his bearings on the ground...NOTHING SHORT OF A SPECTACULAR wipeout..luckily just some blood and gore and no broken bones...bars bent.

Followed Rob, Francois and this youngster on a SS on back loop...resulting in a PR for this loop.  Great ride...on a high...picked up some marinated beef kabobs and juuust finishing these up as i type my last couple of words.

Plan...give Tommy a tour of the local trail this wknd...should be killah

Nearing the "perfect loop".. by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Nearing the "perfect loop".. by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Conditions were...beckoning...slight irk in flow when informed that Fil had his mt bike in shop and his attempts to rent one for today came to a screeching halt.  Left Shaun and I to rip errrrr up.  LOVE the fact that Kingston now has some full fledged major legitimate trail systems.  Just over 22 k of fairly steady single track.  Glorious conditions and an observation being made....legs do not suffer....think it's time to hammer out some more intervals in this loop...thank-you Strava for making this happen next ride as I am only 1 sec away from an Evan Gunthrie for front loop...consider this beaten next session ;)

recovery with a couple creemore on Shaun's deck and some solitude and proper fueling beginning with leftover lamb and beef kabob leftovers from last night....time for some rabbit food me thinks.  Travel is really...just stilly...over next 4 weeks....night riding is looking more and more like a viable option..good news is we have some bites for companionship on these exploits..yipeeeeeee

Reflection on 2012

Hmmm strange that I'm choosing to write and not have a ride to work around. Time to take a gut check on why I like to throw a leg over a bike so consistently and feel kinda like a junky when I don't get my "fix". I watched the movie, "Running with Demons"...as I was watching it...I realized...hmmm that's not me....not drinking enough to be a concern...not venturing out into other know territories as well ;) I did have to pause the vid to get a run in juuuuust as mutha nature decided to unleash it's summer rain fury...beaty 6 k run done and continued on to watch the end of this. My consensus of this movie.....too much!

So...the answer used to be "are you running TO or are you running AWAY". I think this may have been planted during a reading of Good to Great or some other reading phase I've recently been in. Answer today.....no longer running man, just in the now ;) What I'm doing here is trying to pin down the fact, as to WHY I'm NOT gunning for a race and trying to "train" for each opportunity..I blame that damn change in occupation and the purchase of a KOBO. Not to say I wasn't happy in my previous role with Movewell, this was what I could consider the PERFECT role...It was just best to choose another direction for many reasons. In Reading between the lines....not so frustrated and have gained some interesting perspective on mindfullness and awareness.

So just when I think the competitive desire was done for season..I chose to get together on the local MTB Kingston ride. The zest to compete was resurged when I tried to "hang" with Rob Sangers...man..this guy has an overdrive that essentially made him a blur then absent during the second part of this ride...this has established that yup...looking forward to CRUSHING my last years time at Pauls...I think I was 4 hours and seconds....this being said...if I don't get under 4 hrs...I will sell my mountain bike.

So...plan...bring road bike to cottage with the good Dr F-bomb and hammer out a 100 k on sunday morning...oh yeah..gonna check out Shaun Weima's band, Ianspotting sat night in Smiths falls. Man...I'm feeling like a chick bloggin in a journal in this....oh yeah, I forgot to indicate...alone as wife and kids are en route to NB..this explains it allllllllll ;)

Sangers Guided tour of new trail at the Farm by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Sangers Guided tour of new trail at the Farm by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Kingston can now officially state that they have some trail to be reckoned with.  Punched in tonight with the wednesday group ride in an effort to meet some of the regulars and get a guided tour of the new trail.  All went according to plan.  Love the stuff north of Unity..hoping to make this a regular addition.  Including all trail we are just over 30 k of great flow with some technical sections that will test any rider..I don't care WHO you are ;)

This will now be a regular visit....good evening..sipping a beer and polishing off some pizza

Endomondo Running Workout

Endomondo Running Workout: was out running 6.25 km in 38m:55s using Endomondo.

Started watching a movie called, "Running with Demons".....not really sure what to think...had to pause it and get a run in so I guess it did provide some kind of motivation.  The thought of an ultra marathon really doesn't grab me by the kahuna's..I don't swim and my running is really limited to 10 k or less soooooo this would be a kind of a big committment to start flipping switches to this kind of thinking.

Decided to forgo tunes for the usual Lemoines point route as the natural sounds of mutha nature were far more entertaining.  Some juicy thick dark clouds brought in the most glorious warm rain.  Haven't really looked at stats but may have to start adding some extra loop to bring this up a few km...

Plan...chill tonight while girls go out to a neighbourhood party...not feeling this kind of socializing tonight..restful sleep and a road ride with where, when, and whom still yet to be determined..

Visit to TI, test ride (not on data) and back by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Visit to TI, test ride (not on data) and back by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Met up with Fil to get a little rip in.  Plan was to attack some of the local segments but this plan deviated...not sure when...perhaps it was when we were passed by rather quick kid on a tri-bike who was pre-riding the long course for the wknd Tri.  Now we all know we couldn't let this happen...even if it meant keeping 90 percent plus avg heart rate just to hang on his wheel..at the turnaround..and after staring at the meticulously clean Kestrel bike of his for the 20 plus k that I was drafting..we realized this was the same superstar that we bumped into last year.  He was out on a 160 k, "an easy ride", as he told us...'cause he was racing a criterium race the next day.

Considering we were already in Gananoque at this point..fig'd we should probably visit TI cycle and gaze as some new potential rides for next year...resulted in a test ride of a full Carbon Scott....felt like I was cheating, is the best way to describe the quick 10 k rip.

It was hot hot HOT...pretty much pacelined the entire way back...data doesn't capture it as I forgot to turn OFF the garmin while in shop..thought it did this automatically?!?!?  Weird...also didn't capture my %incline the whole way..hopefully this was just a one shot deal.

Cottage for rest of week....entertaining some good people...feeling the need to sit in front of the TV now, crack a cold one and catch up on some Olympics.  Ride tomorrow...where, when and with whom...yet to be confirmed.

Slippery CB quickie by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Slippery CB quickie by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

What was that stuff on the trails today...made things slippery?!?!?!?  Weird?  Oh yeah....I remember what that stuff is...RAIN!!!  Trail was super slick where dirt wasn't and rock was....oh well...great way to start the day..none the less...an hour plus of huffing and puffing can't be all bad.

Cambden East rippah with Fil by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Cambden East rippah with Fil by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Let me just say...finding a great training partner is PIVOTAL to improving this fitness game. En route from a remote area North of Peterborough with an ETA of 6 pm, didn't even rattle Fil as we quickly gathered ourselves and headed out for our above noted loop. This loop is FULLL of great gradual climbs, beauty rollers and some fast flats. I am now FULLY convinced that POWERADE is my drink of choice because I lept and rock'n'rolled every climb without fail. Legs felt freakin rock solid.

We rolled in about 30 min longer than what was probably safe with the light escaping us. GREAT ride! Caught an amazing sunset while making our way back into Kingston....man...love it when roads and winds are calm, moisture fills the air and temperature begins to drop...Let fall creep in to this world...I'm ready ;)

Door to Door-Home to Cottage with RIDICULOUS head winds by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Door to Door-Home to Cottage with RIDICULOUS head winds by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Plan was to ride to cottage Saturday morning...now the "morning" would have been the ideal time to go...before the notorious Kingston winds decided to surface and try to push my forehead to the ground the ENTIRE RIDE!!  Enough whining....a tough ride but a great workout nonetheless..

OK...my personal announcement...not going to race/ride Substance Projects local race on August 5th...my head is so NOT into racing this year...this doesn't have me concerned...I just think I need to look into different events.  Also...with my wife and kids...this is a pristine opportunity to relax and have friends up at cottage....this just makes waaay more sense.  I'm going to hold myself fast to keeping a date with Paul's dirty for the simple fact that I have a time that I need to beat from last year..yup..this will be kept.  It may help that I'll be riding whistler a couple weeks prior...hear they may have a few mountains up that way ;)

Plan today...drive drive drive for work and meet up with Fil for an evening road ride...maybe I can convince him to come out to my neck of the woods...we need to set up some strava segments on our Cambden East route

Something strange happening with Garmin data...looks like I broke the speed barrier with my max speed and also appears to have occurred with my max cadence....but...something tells me going over 9000 k/hr maaaaaaaaay not have happened...or...did it? Quantuum physics my friends...quantuum physics....

Endomondo Running Workout

Endomondo Running Workout: was out running 6.37 km in 40m:30s using Endomondo.

ShaZAM!!! Man...remember the days when one would put on the walkman, pop in a tape or CD and just run without analysis....this is sooooooo much better :))) Oh yes...important for my ego to state that first 5 min of this time was a brisk warm-up walk...

Running...didn't feel so...Stupid

Rather than trying to make the press for getting a ride in before work more of a chore than it really needed to be...I opted for a quick and dirty compression kind of activity. Took the 2-minute drive to Lemoines point and pointed myself in a clockwise fashion around gravel and verbotten bike trail marked pathways to get a 6 k run in. Forgot this happened until...now...when I felt the lateral hip musculature feeling a taaad tight. Done and done..endomondo...que stats:

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/75570421

6.2 k
42 min inclusive of a 5 in walk pre
avg spd 6:54 min/km
slowest km 8 min 58s...this would be inclusive of warmup :)
fastest km 5 min 56 sec

Plan tomorrow is weather dependant...may just make a visit to Goodlife...oil change and administrative tasks beckon

Ride with a Wounded Weima by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Ride with a Wounded Weima by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Early start to a ride at the farm following some trail building compliments of guidance from IMBA.  Met "AJ" and "Rachel" from IMBA briefly prior to departure an hour before formal group ride start due to time constraints from Shaun W and my schedule.

We started out quickly and after the first section knew something wasn't quite right...Shaun was losing steam...very odd.  A few more km and this was definitely confirmed.....pace dropped to more of a tour guide kinda ride.  Bugs were absolutely redonculous!!  May choose to stay clear until these die off....will be a great system of trail in fall fo shore ;) 

Road ride with Fil post work in PEC tomorrow..should be good!

Mutha Nature Voodoo...had to be

Was hoping to squeek in a mt ride at the local trails with Shaun and F-bomb today...well it kind of happened...but not really. It all went awry when plan went from ride out from my house to load up and drive 5 k to trail....silly...just silly...for me anyways.

Pace was pretty full on with the sound of the front tire ripping into the flesh of mother nature on every turn...perhaps it was the comment about air pressure pre-ride that jinxed it...I'm starting to experiment with air in anything that contains it....forks, shocks and now tires...trying to run lower and lower to improve grip and cornering. Well...it was working....for a while anyways.

Head was in check and flow was floamy flowy!! Double rock bridge became my nemesis....slow leak...DAMMIT..the one day I DON'T BRING A TUBE. Shaun comes to rescue and luckily non bugs to make the experience unpleasant. Nice to use my pump to see how it works anyways..and that's when it got weird.

Fil starts pissing off Mutha nature...specifically about how man should genetically alter the state of the planet to eliminate all bugs and keep weather on a super sweet note allll the time. I think shaun agreed and then we heard a hiss....his rear tire lost air..no extra tube as I just used his...fair enough..a little strange but not unusual..then it got weird..

We were creeping out with shaun riding his bike with Fil at the rear checking his phone when it was ringing...he stopped and we heard a lound HISSsssssss...His rear tire pops...ok....a little too weird now.

Message learned...don't piss off Mutha nature...no stats posted...'cause with flat...just ridiculous.

Ride with Fil Deer Ridge loop Deer Ridge segment crushin' by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Ride with Fil Deer Ridge loop Deer Ridge segment crushin' by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Plan was a ride but I tried to sabbotage it with a patio session....to no avail...apparently Fil has had a few weeks off of the bike and getting squirrely so....Off we went with out silly perception of taking it "easy" out and plan on hitting the Deer Ridge segment back.  Well....we quickly started pace lining all the way out and by the time Deer Ridge came around....we CRUSHED IT...3 sec away from 2nd PLACE of 41..next time.  Great hammer with avg spd of 31 plus..not bad for not feeling it!!

Need a shower and food...kids screaming....argh....such a whiney 6 yr old....only speaks in wine and decibels...hopefully outgrows this...

McDonalds Corners exploration of Lanark Highlands by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

McDonalds Corners exploration of Lanark Highlands by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Great to connect with Mr. Bowen on these Cottage weekend rides.  The route was in his hands and did he ever plan a BEAUTY....took an hour to drive to and an hour to return...however ride time exceeded travel time so...;)

Mikey was looking anxious as he was unloading his bike..didn't know if this was due to the fact that he was looking to rip my legs off or what?  Our plan was a 100 k plus route, however after a fairly lengthy climb of a section of road that was gravel, we opted to choose the asphalt path at the crossroad between the 75 or 100 k junction.  Legs felt, how do i put this....., freakin awesome!!!!!!!  Really!!!  Every climb was nontaxing and recovery was decent given the fact that this was a pretty good route of vertical.

Fuel of choice....powerade and a boost......thinking this is my new and improved fuel..DON'T BELIEVE the HYPE!!!  Used to be a believer of HEED...PERPETUUM blah blah blah...but after last ride..will have to test this approach again to confirm.  Quite happy that this turned out to be a pleasant one considering I had...what had to be....maybe....3 hrs of sleep due to fact cottage was HOT HOT HOT.  This kid don't function well in heat at slumber time.

Next event is coming up quicker than I thought....Substance Projects Marathon...figah the 60 k is where it's at.  Plan for this week...supposed to be stinkin hot...bugs are just plain stupid at farm...some consistent out and backs to CB and perhaps a rendezvous with Tommy on his return from Ireland to see if he lost any of his fitness while sippin suds...speakin of which.. a great beer, Barking Squirrel lager  BIG fan so far...hmmm, maybe I should try another juuuust to be sure ;)

quick rip by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

quick rip by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

No time but had to be done...

Running is Stupid.......

With all of the travel this week it was getting too dicey to squeek in a ride yesterday so I was left with two options.....gym membership or run. Considering it is sunny and 30 degrees EVERY DAY...I voted for the second option.

Plugged into the endomondo app and did my 5 k loop. Felt awkward but was huffing and puffing nonetheless. Reversed all of that forward conditioning with a night out with some old boys...stretch excursion from Burlington to TFC game...beaucoup free Carlsberg product in Carlsberg box/corner during game and then alllllll night (compliments of sir Lancalot)and what must have been an unwritten competition to drink as much as we could tolerate....a rough day.....but headache free....interesting....maybe I've outgrown this nusance

Plan...super mellow spin tomorrow and 100 plus k ride with Monsieur Bowen at cottage on Saturday..he's plotted out a sweet rock n rolling ride and looking forward to this. Also...looking forward to some slalom and wakeboarding...booyah..life is good

Greenwood exploring N of Ajax by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Greenwood exploring N of Ajax by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

I have learned a little bit more about my Garmin on this little tour.  The first thing I learned is that having propmpts on off road trail is in a word...overrated...got sick and tired of the incessant beeping telling me every single change in direction...will leave these prompts to road routes.

Found some really amazing and flowing single track here....turned navigation off and followed the map that I had downloaded either from Tom or one of the internet sites.  Would love to have spent more time out there, however...this was a quick rip on a work day that serves to prep the mind and body for the monotonous driving that the 401 will bring on a sunny summer day ;)  Next time...I'll plan more of an end of day timing and get someone else out to pick up the tempo.

In a word...felt super strong and looking forward to a rather large road ride that will be done North of 7 at the cottage this weekend with Mr. Bowen.  Taking 5 pounds of pressure out of the fork made a world of difference and releasing air from tires definitely instilled confidence in grip from the RR's.

No riding for the next 3 days....running the roads with no time for fun....looking fwd to wknd

Zion to Kingston by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Zion to Kingston by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

What a great weekend.  Loaded up wife, kiddies and road bike to travel to friends in Belleville for a little pool party.  Always an event at the Martin household.  Weather was hot hot hot and the living was easy!!  Great meal and juuuuuust the right amount of beer to ensure I was able to complete the road ride home.

Took some willpower not to start cracking a few cold ones in the summer sun earlier but, success...107 k of wide shoulders and what felt like downhill the whole way through Belleville, Bloomfield and Picton en route to Kingston a.k.a home base.

Usual sensations and boredom of spinning cranks after 3 plus hours....but managed to get errr done.  This was a pretty solid ride and once again...further testament to the fact that my trusty ole Fondriest is not hampering me in the least...good stats ;)  Could this be fitness I'm sensing?????

Plan...mellow monday, ride Tuesday, a little fun and reunion with some old boys over a TFC game on wednesday...looking forward to weekend already ;)

Used my Granny in the GANNY - Freakin HOT HOT HOT by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Used my Granny in the GANNY - Freakin HOT HOT HOT by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

So if it wasn't enough to chase Tommy earlier in the week throughout Durham...I had a new found nemesis in Ganaraska...HEAT AND ENERGY SUCKING SAND!!!!!

Brought bike with and on way home popped into Ganaraska for a quick rip.  Plan was to flow the 30 k IMBA trail, however..........once I reached the "point of no return" I decided to follow the 15 k route for a couple of reasons...no sleep last night....temperatures of 36 degrees WITHOUT humidex....only water in my camelback and a miniscule amt of perpetuum in my waterbottle AND this was the first time I have ventured solo out in these woods since last years Dirty Enduro.

The climbs were soooo beauty and the decents so amazing.  My choice to continually add air to my suspension has finally gone from positive to negative and forgetting my shock pump had to stick out the rocky ride throughout..lesson learned...when it feels dialed in....it IS..don't mess with it.

Looking at stats...could see that I was pretty conservative and for good reason....no one else out on trails and bloody hot.  Home now and catching up on some finalities before I call it a weekend.  Plan....was going to bring road bike and ride back from Belleville after a pool party at friends Saturday...just shy of 90 k....think this is a good idea...will bring road bike and assess head and situation ;)

Tommy hammer Hanaran ride in Durham by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Tommy hammer Hanaran ride in Durham by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Busy weekend and busy start to the work week. Nonetheless, found a beauty loop at the cottage that I wish I had explore in past....this was done on the mountain bike but will definitely bring the roadie to get a few loops of this potentially quick route.

Brought the bike with to a mtg in Toronto...met up with Tommy following...now...my plan was to bring the Garmin and just explore as I was a little stiff and sore from a weekend of activity including the cottage loop, wakeboarding,slalom skiing, as well as some swimming...a quick return text from Tommy quickly changed this plan...now it was just trying to hang on for 2.5 hours.

Mistake number 1....only brought 1 water bottle for a 2.5 hour ride?!?!? Mistake number 2..didn't bring any calories with.....mistake number 3...thinking I could hang on tommy's wheel every climb....HAHA..a killer workout for me and most likely an easy recovery ride for Tommy. Kudos for that monster for coming in 3rd place in the SS category over the weekend at Substance Projects marathon race at Mansfield.

Plan today...drink more than my 2 a day quota for caffeine based products and venture out to Ottawa for work...no riding for this cat today...me calling it a recovery day!!!!

Cottage loop Counter clockwise by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Cottage loop Counter clockwise by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Cottage loop clockwise by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Cottage loop clockwise by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Good Ole Faithful Hwy 2 loop by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Good Ole Faithful Hwy 2 loop by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Quick rip with segments on my mind....resulting in 2nd's and a 3rd in all of the major climbs...setting sights on the leaders...BOOYAH!

Oil change and a flushing of toxins

Amazing how punching into the gym can feel so satisfying when it seems like forever since walking through those doors. Took advantage of a quiet day, got an oil change to the "office" and punched in to tha Good Life. Put the blinders on a.k.a took the glasses off and hammered through a 30 minute interval run, 30-minute interval crossramp....you know..lat pull downs...some biceps, shoulders, triceps and the decision to get the hell outta there. Gyms are NOT places to hang in the summer...kept this energy reserve to mow and catch up on yardwork.

Wind is stupid over the past couple of days....need to start thinking about next event..



Really mellow season this year...next year will have to make a decision regarding committments. Thinking the OCUP is going to be on the agenda as I got a taste of some all out laps at the Summer Solstice. Enough of this rambling...time to shower, pop a top and get the BBQ fired up before the girls get home and rip this place apart

Summer Solstice Recap 2012

This is an event I have done in 6-10 mixed, tag, and Solo in past. Did not get to play in this event last year due to the much needed recovery time that was essential for the shoulder dislocation.

Group of 8 solid guys: Tommy Hanrahan, John Connors, Mike Bowen, Randal Dyzak, Chris Martin, Shawn Weima, and Taylar Hall.

We went into this with more of a "have fun" sip on some beers in between laps as there was loads of time to recover in between laps, however.......you get a bunch of competitive guys together and next thing you know.....we all are cogniscant of our lap times and our placing ;)

Had the luxury of spending the Thursday night up at Honey Harbour for a work related retreat...a.k.a. ended up consuming quite a few drinks with some sales crew which wasn't the best way to prep for this year's event..already behind 8 ball for Friday camp set up and pre-ride. Shawn Weima and Taylar Hall joined me with a super mellow evening ride (dusk) of the course Friday....man it was going to be FAST!! I seem to recall this total distance was a couple more km than years past....but it sure didn't seem long with each lap. Kudos to the Chico crew who laid out this course this year...climbs were perfect in interval and also duration ;)

I could go on about every detail of this event, but will choose to just say....a great gathering of souls and an event that brings the good out of all. We placed 11th out of 97 showing in the 6-10 corporate group and am extremely happy with this placing. The beer consumption was also teetering on high in between laps so performance was also appropriate for this factor as well ;) Could we have placed better...yeah...we should have really had 10th....but after it's all said and done....who cares about placing...GOOD TIMES!

Lap 3 Summer Solstice by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Lap 3 Summer Solstice by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Lap 2 Night ride Summer Solstice by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Lap 2 Night ride Summer Solstice by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Summer Solstice pre-ride and First lap by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Summer Solstice pre-ride and First lap by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

It appears I forgot to turn off my Garmin after pre-riding the first night.....hence the strange data

Arrived shortly after 4 pm on the Friday to get settled and set up. Pre-rode course with Shaun and Taylar ensuring we rolled very, and I mean, VERY easy. The lap was subsequently an hour 13 minutes. This course was fast and FUN!!! Kept it mellow....argh....can't do this narrative right now...pretty smoked from the drive back today...later when I have more time ;)

11th place out of 97 groups in our category is pretty decent I'd say ;) My lap times were 56, 1 hr 2 min(night) and 1 hr flat for a total of 3 laps..do I prefer this to solo??? Hmmmmm...yes and no...to be continued...

Perhaps the Perfect CB loop by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Perhaps the Perfect CB loop by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

The good Doctah arrived back from one of his many vacations to reconnect with a ride.  Easy decision as today was an adminstrative day...catch up day from the 6K of driving over the past 2 weeks resulting in some well earned/needed finalizing of plans/scheduling.

It happened...mind and body are now communicating better....let me rephrase this....no longer is the mind trying to connect to my body as I am riding in a Conscious state.....negative on the mind static.....positive on the increased level of awareness...All's good in the hood ;)  Maybe a road ride wednesday to keep the legs fed but other than that.....rest and recovery for a beautiful experience at SOLSTICE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GqSkU7daTI&feature=youtu.be

Picton tour by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Untitled by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

A quick mtg with Chris Martin and Shaun Weima for a Weima guided tour around Mcauley Mt.  A good time was had..good ripper with some dipping and diving to avoid to overgrown trail.  Bringing mt. bike to cottage to tote around any kid who wants to go for a tote in my sister's macked Chariot cougar....next week.....staying away from big rides or sketchy tours.

First Night Ride of Season :))) by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

First Night Ride of Season :))) by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Having like minded individuals to ensure these rides happen is truly a blessing.  Randal Dyzak made an appearance tonight....this dudes nuts...first mt bike of the year and it happens to be a night ride in some semi slick conditions of this newly cut trail with lots of routes, off camber cliff ridges and rocks...no harm done and pretty fast to boot.

Still on a rider's high...need sleep it's late...big day of dashboard time...compliments to Molly for some books on "tape"

6000k in 2 wks!!!!!

Not quite the km that has been achieved on the bike but work travel has been pretty crazy lately making it tough to get a ride in AND spend time with the family i.e. take kids to daycare/pick them up from daycare and have dinner as a family and see them to bed...Fairing well though thanks to an understanding partner in crime..Today was slated to be a crazy 6 hrs of travel and was informed that I was dropping off kids in the morning.....know better than to challenge this with my only defense being.."I was hoping to get a ride in"...knowing this would not be well received AND mother nature not cooperating, the gym membership was being used.

Quality workout and ingesting some serious raw food intake today has me anticipating next session on bike to be a gooder, if that's even a word...if it isn't...it should be.

Travel tomorrow is on a silly scale so, no riding for me...Thursday...same situation....Friday...will make this happen sometime. Bringing mt bike to cottage with plan of being a riskshaw as sis is bringing her chariot bike stroller....great way to keep kids happy and daddy/uncle training at the same time..should be good.

Oh yeah...I see Strava playah's are upping the anty on some of the road bike climbs....Will have to destroy the most recent entries on the Deer Ridge rollers which have now been more appropriately labelled "Real Deer Ridge Rollers"...shouldn't be hard to do ;)

Perfect training loop by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Perfect training loop by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

A morning garage sale followed by a "celebration day" was abruptly changed when wife asked........"are you coming"...like I had a choice....took advantage of this choice by stating...nope....Geared up and decided to ride out to farm and loop the trails there and return.  Wasn't sure re fuel as I seemed to remember it was a 50 k loop...decided to pack some oreos and a muffin from leftovers from Golf friday, fill up a couple bottles with Perpetuum and off we go!

Legs and lungs were feeling waaaaaaay to good...sure enough a tail wind....Legs were feeling good in trails....waaaaay to good.  A lot of out of the saddle riding smoothed out the ruts from these trails.  Looks like Strava has some pretty good entries with Kyle Sangers (World Cup DH'r) and Evan McNeeley (World Under 23 XC)....appears my ability to get 1st place on these segments will be.......a challenge.....just shy of 10 sec from Kyle........DAMN you STRAVA....this is such a great training tool.  Riding the trails today kept me hammering in the back loops all the while trying to close in on Evan.....not sure this old guy will manage to improve my time enough to contend against these whipper snappers but......we'll see.

A good ride and have decided to make this a perfect "training loop"...now to recruit some recruits to ride it with me ;)

Almost forgot...Kudos to Mark Dwyer of TI cycle for planting the seed in my head to move my cleats more rearward in my placement. Had some concerns re: "tired feet" after 2-3 hour rides and had a discussion with him in his shop the other day.......go see this guy for any fitting related challenge you may have.....trust me......you won't be disappointed ;) This new placement was like adding a cold air induction on a V-tech engine......can't quite put my finger on WHY the climbs felt so dang good but think this may have made an impact.will do same with road shoes and giver tomorrow with some hill repeats..some time in the day....wifey gets priority for her workout time ;)

Glenburnie Farm loop by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Glenburnie Farm loop by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Just a beautiful day.  Picked up trail pass for local trails and a buddy...ventured off to the "farm" to assess the new trail that I have been hearing some buzz about.  Bumped into a local up and comer Evan McNeely on trails...this kid is pretty fast given I was hitting some of these sections as hard as I could and according to STRAVA report, he was cleaning my clock by 5 min or more....youth, skill, and fitness prevails once again ;)  Looking forward to hitting these segments hard now that there is a future Olympian who has posted their times ;)

A nice interruption to an administrative day ;)  AHHHhhhhh

A nice tour of Durham Forest compliments of Monsieur Hanrahan

Untitled by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

I love it when things, "work out". Managed to meet a client in Colbourne, provide training at Rouge Valley, and perform a sling assessment in Whitby all in one day...it was time to reward this good behaviour with a ride in Durham forest. My initial plan was to load up a gpx file and see where it took me and then it happened...Tommy H indicates he was free to meet me for a ride.

I first met Tom in like.....2003 i think...A buddy and I linked up with this guy and the righteous Mark Pompillio for a harmless little weekend mountain bike trip in Collingwood. This was the day before I analyzed me HR data and total vertical after each ride. We climbed craigleith (sp?!) as a beginning to the adventure and meandered along the Bruce trail for hours that included some pretty hairy sections..truly exploring. This ride also included us riding TO 3 stages resulting in all of us out of water and begging guys returning from their rides for their left overs...great riding was had..why the intro...at this time Tom was riding an old Canondale Super V as his Gary Fisher was in the shop..his fitness at this time was...well...limited by a few variables ;)..every year this guy has been getting smoother and faster with yesterday truly resulting in an "unveiling".

He arrived with his Misfit rigid SS. No other way to explain it....he's officially LEAN AND MEAN!!! This resulted in a rip roaring ride of some of the most flowy trail I have ever rode...I love Durham Forest!

SIde effect...don't get home from one of these link ups till 10 pm.....makes for a long day but well worth it. Travel day once again...bike staying home..plan is to pick up my "pass" for the local trails at the Farm in Glenburnie tomorrow and see what the buzz is about with the new trails that have been built.

Punchin' IN

Great weekend with Kids at Grandparents enabling Jac and I to visit Toronto, cuddle up to the new nephews, and catch a Blue Jays Game. Also, able to get a workout in on the Sunday which kicked me in the keester....man...I forgot how much the body get's beat up in the gym vs throwing a leg over a bike and riding. All good...hour of cardio, some squats (already feeling the legs) and some arms and biceps to keep it all rounded out.

Plan....try and ride as much as I can the next couple of weeks up till the week of the 24 where I will mello out...keep telling myself this is just a team entry.....all these years doing solo events...I really want to HAMMER out laps this time ;)

Untitled by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Untitled by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

A little exploring of Macauley conservation area..pretty mellow tight and twisty with a great loop to be done again now that I am aware of how it all goes down!

Northumberland by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Northumberland by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Bike in van with hopes of meeting up with a buddy on ride home from work today took a turn.  Resulted in a mid day ride....love it when this happens and think it bodes well for customer service as I was told, "you are a very nice young man....you have a very pleasant demeanor about you", after assisting a client with a home lift install.  Smiles ear to ear...

Was looking forward to reconnecting with this loop of trail.  It really is the perfect loop for a great workout.  Unfortunately...this loop is now outta commission due to some harvesting of wood...tactful way of saying logging...Booooo to the loggers....they better clean up after themselves..I had to dismount twice and climb a couple hundred feet over cut piles of lumber....made sure I degreased the legs especially throrough after this due to the ivy there.

Plan..continue to explore trails Westward.  Meeting a buddy to try out Picton's network post work on Wednesday..McCauley mountain has received the stamp of approval from Mr Weiman..so this is a must to check out!

Hwy 15 Park n ride start..Usual Deer ridge loop with a twist by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Hwy 15 Park n ride start..Usual Deer ridge loop with a twist by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Window of opportunity presented itself and I jumped.  Beautiful rip with the occasional pullover to address emails and a phone call for work.  Too long since last ride...good to get one in.  Big travel days for the next two which will make it difficult to choose the healthy way of living, but will get creative..

Plan....24 hour now a month away and team of 8 in the 6-10 category all confirmed and good to go...just keep on living clean :)

North of 7 Perth rollers by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

North of 7 Perth rollers by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Great ride with Mr. Michael Bowen.  A different ride as Mike's style is mellow high cadence climbs vs the hammerfest with Fil...enjoyed it.  Some paving in process so should be an even better loop next time.  Will do it properly NEXT time by riding 6 vs 7 out East to Maberly.

Lesson learned on the Sunday following this ride...don't try to wakeboard like you had a full summer under your belt your first time out for the season...pretty good header attempting to jump wake...all I recall is what seemed like an eternity in the air and reassuring myself.."it's just water...hold your breath" as I went head and right shoulder first into the other side of wake...big exhale and a few moments to gather myself...funny how it always IS funny when no harm done. Neck and right upper quadrant telling me otherwise since monday....stiffness subsiding...medicating with some good vino. Ride on Tuesday.

Post Work out and back to CB by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Post Work out and back to CB by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

A little prep work for the heart and head to ready for a Saturday road ride with a 24 hr team member.  His plan.....90 k tempo ride on the road bike....my plan...enjoy it ;)

Nice to head out and ride the trail without stopping...well had to once due to a super slow mow endo on a rock ridge....it really felt like about 3 seconds of hang time...pretty good dismount I may add ;)  Tired...hungry...and looking forward to a long wknd

Oh yes...important note...put the Kenda Nevegal back on the rear....great move...hooked up on EVERYTHING and climbed EVERYTHING without dabs tonight...it really is in the tires..Front Rocket Ron is biting hard in corners...great combo. May put the RR back on for 24 if dry though..

Cambden East/Wilton Loop with a Fil Mctwist by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Cambden East/Wilton Loop with a Fil Mctwist by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

A bit of a ripper with Fil yesterday as indicated in above stats compliments of the trusty Garmin 705. Winds were, for the most part and to Kingston standards, calm. Fil in usual form, challenged me on anything with an incline of greater than 1 percent grade and will admit took the majority of them....at the beginning..

Overall ride was a confidence booster regarding comfort in the saddle for 3 hours. Plan is to somehow squeeze in another ride this week...perhaps tomorrow...and then get a 90 k ride in with one of the 24 team members for this year's Solstice, Mike Bowen. HIs training plan is a tempo 90....so essentially a repeat performance of yesterday's ride with Fil...should be good...will ensure I boost nutrition for this ride with good old "BOOST".

Long wknd....Sat and Monday rides....next week is also beaucoup travel for work so...the night lights may need to get trickle charged ;)

Lemoines, Collins Bay AND Parrot Bay tour by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Lemoines, Collins Bay AND Parrot Bay tour by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

On way home from work today, in true spontaneous fashion, I get a text from Shaun...."ride today"...we had planned on a road but gladly chose a mountain after he scope the trails. Super tired right now..garmin stats tell it all.

Deer Ridge with a Mcadoo twist by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Deer Ridge with a Mcadoo twist by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Confirmed that a ride was still a go with F-bomb in the early a.m.  Knew he would be of the mindset that he would try to rip my legs off.  It's been a while since I've ridden the Deer ridge loop and was looking forward to the rollers that presented themself.  In true Fil fashion, I arrive earlier than the 5 oclock start and see a flat tire being repaired.....also some mumbling about stopping in at Gears and Grinds to get some fuel....I've factored this kind of thing in with Fil :)

Ride started out high tempo as we had a bit of a tailwind....chilly tail wind.  Fil attacked every hill right into the first 20 k....knew I was in for a potential hammerfest...luckily...he trailed off once we hit the end of Deer Ridge loop, which enabled me to just settle in and enjoy the climbs with an appropriate amount of effort instead of 100 % max efforts...much needed but.....you know...

Overall....this dog had the day ;)  Oh yeah....really pumped with Strava as I just found out I am King of the Hill on one of these climbs....also realize that Fort Henry Hill is also a segment on strava and came in 4th...will have to rectify that NEXT time out ;)

The Good Life :)

Yeah Yeah..punched in to the gym a.k.a Good Life. Busy but essential to get er done. Not posting stats as now that I have the Garmin, Garmin Connect and Strava...the polar data looks just....lame.

Hour of cardio..some patio workout sets of biceps, triceps, shoulders, and abs. Looking forward to a post work ride with the F-bomb

Solo out and back from Garage to CB trails by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Solo out and back from Garage to CB trails by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Sun was shining and wife got her workout on, leading to the only legitimate option known to man.....the decision was road or mountain...considering the nether-regions were still pretty chaffed from the road ride earlier in the week, decided a mountain bike was the ride of choice.

Clipped in and meandered through the myriad of neverending hikers and dog walkers along Lemoines point and Collins Bay.  The deeper I got, the quieter it became :)  A little wet in sections but a pretty decent work out nonetheless.  Getting a little anxious and undecided about events....weird how I am so noncommital this year.....no need to get on the couch to analyze this one...things are just good....Life is Good :) 

First Legitimate Road ride of season by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

First Legitimate Road ride of season by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

What can I say....a great opp to get out for a road ride...bike felt good....saddle felt ok given the point in the season...and I'm really thinking this wheelset is a rolllllah!!  Slight miscalculation in bringing only 1 bottle...lesson learned.  Decent stats for beginning of year....

New trail with tour guide Tommy H ;)

Untitled by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

All day, I was sizing up the weather...kicking myself for NOT bringing rain gear. Waiting for Fil and tom in the pouring rain in parking lot in the comfort of the van. Funny how the mind can play games. Boys arrived and we were definitely not 100% happy with weather....this quickly dissolved as Tommy took us for a beauty tour of the above network of trail which is literally..5 min north of the 401...a regular stop when I have afternoon gigs in the region fo shore. Bike feeling nothing but pure sweetness and legs feeling really strong. Rain rain...go away...chest cold at bay so will do all in power to keep it that way for tomorrow...a day of rest.

Acting as tour guide for neighbour by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Acting as tour guide for neighbour by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Recovering from a chest cold and lack of sleep due to congestion blah blah blah for past 4 days...weather was waaaay too good NOT to ride.  A quick BBQ chat with neighbour last night resulted in a commitment to show him the local trails this morning at 11...by 10:15...I couldn't stand it and rang his doorbell to see if he "come out and play".

Nothing like throwing a leg over the bike from garage, less than 5 k to trail, meander throughout some great technical terrain and crack a beer while sitting in some camp chairs on the driveway basking the sun.  Plan...bring the mt. bike with me for work...punch in to Durham forest before the commute back home.  Yes...I consider this a perk of travelling for work ;)

MEH!!!

Sitting here looking outside at what will be a sunny day with current temp of minus 3. Has rained most of the week...translation...trails will be wet. Temps are supposed to creep up to 8 degrees, but with the consistent Kingston winds...will feel colder than this. Day 3 of a borderline chest cold..

I think I may just behave...gym gear has been in the van for three days now...unused....this may just be the best weekend to play "catch up" on all those things that have been left low on priority list and put the wife and kiddies on the uppermost priority...A family hike and visit with the Tysonator is in the cards...

Expect some Garmin data monday..riding Cobourg rain or shine Monday

Refuse to enter 40 into Cardio equipment ;)

Yesterday was my last day where I could legitimately input 39 into the cardio equipment for my age...firstly because my "age adjusted max" is higher than the calculated 40 yr old and secondly.....because I can ;)

Decided as this was going to be my last day as a 30 something....it makes good sense to get a 30 something workout in. Weather still crap, otherwise, this would have resulted in a nice looooong ride so...alternative....gerbil in a cage a.k.a gym. The usual meandering with purpose...30 min here...30 min there on crossramp and treadmill with interval settings. Meander over to freeweights and some bench with dumbells, and focus on shoulder and end with planks.....

I have decided to consider this the season of "shark swimming with fishes" or observe the competition in solo 24 ABOVE 40 this season by doing this in 6-10 group a.k.a FUN vs suffering and perhaps do a Try an O-cup to also feel out the competition. Hmmmmm....now that I'm officially 40...I should have a midlife crisis and look into full carbon rigs that also double as wall art for the next season....yeah...that sounds about right ;)

SNOW.......

Back inside the gym I go, I go.........

Procrastination or just realism that weather is CRAP right now

Just finished a couple cups o joe after watching the Bahrain F1 in it's entirety...really...already a successful day in my opinion in the relaxation dept. Playoff hockey with potentially Pens and Flyers at noon....really can't see myself getting out for a ride as a result. Weather is 4 degrees, windy, and spitting intermittent drops of moisture...so why the uneasiness?

First "race" of the season isn't until June 23 and 24th with Solstice. 6 team members are paid up and committed with 1 more member indicating they will be joining..will hopefully be meeting up with the one and only JC tomorrow to confirm this...then will cap as 7 guys pulling 40 min laps won't leave much night time and laps to play with...it is just for "fun", I keep telling myself anyways ;) Will have to admit that I will be keeping an eye on solo riders in the above 40 category for a return to this event in 2013....hopefully on a new rig...TBD..

SO....typing....watching kiddies chilling to a movie..MAMA MIA with wifey..oldest is going to a friends for p.m.....in negotiations with wife at moment for a ride...whatever...bringing mt.bike with to meet up with some boys in Ganaraska on way back from work in Oshawa tomorrow..great way to break up the return 2 plus hr drive...LET'S GO PENS!!!!

Virgin ride with new Garmin :) by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Easy Peasy....I'm officially in geeked out love with this device!



Virgin ride with new Garmin :) by ripnriding at Garmin Connect - Details

Virgin Garmin ride

First ride with the Garmin and up at 4 am to review the data :)

Was on my way home on Friday from a day that included just shy of 6 hrs drive time required for work, when I get a bbm from a regular riding buddy....it was simple and to the point...."Ride?". It was like he could read my mind as I was going through all of those internal scenarios in my head about whether I should skip out for a quick road or mountain before the wife and kiddies get home. Had narrowed it down to a mountain for a couple of reasons....the may flies are getting thick this time of year and there is no fun in putting the head down and breathing while placing a hand in front of the nose and mouth at times to prevent these little nusances from clogging up nose and turning into a rather unpleasant "snack". Also...didn't have dbl sided tape to attach the cadence sensor on my crank blah blah blah...was going to be easier to click the Garmin 705 onto the mt bike and just soak up the 20 plus degree temp.

Quick confirmation on time and mode led to the usual pre-ride discussions.....This guy is a speedster...Pulmonary edema and rock star lifestyle not withstanding....this guy is still fast..did I mention he is one of the team members for the 24 ;) This is a good thing. I love it when we both agree that, "yeah...this is gonna be a slow one"..for him...due to a late night...and me...want to geek out to Garmin features while riding and ease the new wheelset into it's maiden voyage....started out this way...for about 10 minutes in anyways.

I was anticipating the usual ride of EFT which generally consists of about an hour and change...but an "option was presented". "Hey....how are you for time today" was the question...translation...lets add some extra trail/km to the usual mix and pretty glad that we did, other than the fact I would have benefited from more than 1 water bottle and perhaps a bit more nutrition for the extra 20 k.

A rip'n and a tearin' was performed with a link up of the trail available at Parrot's Bay. A good ride was had...now...how to link up the Garmin data to this....

Stupid Crossramp

Met wife at gym today..I got there a little early and the gym was notably...busy...like too busy to make sense busy. Apparently there is an open house week a.k.a everyone coming out from the woodwork to use the gym. Just punched in to a solid hour on the Crossramp...decent cardio nonetheless...cracking a bud...'cause I can ;)

1 hr 3 min
616 cal 40% fat
max 156 or 83% and avg 130 or 70%
Light - 25 min; Moderate 18 min; Hard 18 min

Will punch in tomorrow morning for weights....hopefully the swarm doesn't do the same...

Ahhh...apparently forgot to submit "publish"...above is MONDAY's workout and the previous entry is actually Tuesday's

PUNCH'd In

A mid day break presented itself as an opp to get a quick workout in. Have to jump on these opportunities when they present themselves...Cardio was disrupted due to duty calling and motivation was quickly sapped resulting in a couple sets of lat pulldowns, bicep curls, some compulsory RC ex's and prone and lateral planks. Rides are looking...challenging to fit in this week with work travel requirements...will have to get a bit more creative here...

I'm done with putting Polar stats down from this point on....will grovel a bit to get my b-day present early....next post most likely will be a ride (fingers crossed) thursday aft (weather permitting) or on Sunday. I think I'll avoid the gym like the plague until the "open house" is over....

Running outta adjectives to describe...

Today's ride....sun shining, feeling of warmth, layers coming off, sweet techy/flowy/featured trail was a blast to rip through with three cool cats who also have "9-5" names: Fil, Tom and Shaun. 1 hour 44 min inclusive of "catch your friggin' breath" breaks of relatively few km but lots o fun! Will try and get some video of this trail to capture some of the beauty. Wifey still won't let me have my Garmin 'till legitimate B-day so......Polar...do your magic:

9:17 am start, 1 hr 44 min total time (ride time prolly like 1:30)
1174 Calories....55% fat
Max 179 or 96% and 143 avg or 76%
HR zones: Light-52 min; Moderate 27 min; Hard 21 min...I kind of like this stat.....will have to check ratio of Hard to light intermittently throughout the season...

So recap...time in gym......GOOOOOOD for platform/power for climbing steep short technical stuff. Cleaning everything in site. Time to travel and check out some other trails. Work week is in a word.....silly...for the next week. No room for exploring. Crack out the road bike..weather dependant. gym twice a week...classes like core etc

Plan....somehow book work session to accomodate group ride in Durham forest on Thursdays at least 1 x mos.

Back to Routine....

YAMAN!!! Finally, waking up and reminding myself that all is good with regular workouts...no more constant stressors going in head re: how....when....before/after am I going to make this happen today...

Indoor workout yesterday morning pre-work incuded the usual cardio and a pretty decent Leg day. Squats rack was free and I jumped all over it to get some quality reps...focus on super slow eccentrics and explosive concentrics with weight that wouldn't really impress an onlooker. Started with a plate aside and really took my time down to 90 degrees and then explode up....would appear odd if someone were watching ;) All this time in the gym IS having an impact on riding so far...should be a good season. After squats...some prone hammy curls to fatigue...should feel this later today and some swiss ball abdominals to finish...In and OUt man...that's how it's done.

Plan..workout with Jac tomorrow a.m before kids swimming and then road ride Sunday, most likely...So ready for warm winds that I will even embrace warm rains...Opening cottage next weekend...that's right...pretty soon, entries will include some great pics/vids of a full 180 on the wakeboard..this is the summer goal :) Still thinking about practicing on the trampoline for this one...Off to Whitby for work and a visit with my little nephew, soon to be nephews x 3!!!!!!!!!!!! Starting to sink in!!! Wow!

May need to exceed daily caffeine quota..

Hoping this early a.m entry gets my ass to the gym.....It is going to happen....looking favourable...gym bag packed with shaving kit...GREEN LIGHT GO!!

Made it and OH SO HAPPY that I flicked the switches. A decent workout consisting of the regular 30 min intervals on the cross ramp 10/4 and 10/12 (makes sense to all those cross ramp junkies...keeping an rpm of 130-145) and then some more jog/run intervals on the treadmill between 0 and 3 degree incline and 5.6 and 7 mph speed.

Tunes were pumpin in my ears and decided to move on over to the free weights for some standing shoulder press, bicep curls, tricep skull crushers and some rc cuff stuff. So goood. Weather looking like shit so some more indoor time bound to happen Thursday and Saturday. OUtdoor ride, perhaps a good ole road ride Sunday.

Saw some pretty sweet rolling ashphalt on drive out to Westlake for work today....may have to do some exlporing...btw...garmin eta tomorrow or next day...Yipeeeeee

Head in check.....CHECK!!!

Almost a year ago I ended up losing the battle with a mound of dirt that was positioned right after a down tree on a steep down. Right AC joint decided to fail to stay attached and I had to walk my bike out of the trails to meet up with my prospective riding companions for the day...Shaun and Tom. Immediate rehab begun day after at Kingston Athletic Therapy and the obsession to get back into full action had begun. Unfortunately....the mind, and to a certain extent the body, never did get back to proper reboot. Sketchy sections along ridgelines, greater than 3 foot drops, and any kind of log that had chainring catching potential on a downhill were usually met with some apprehension and then a quick release of a pedal....frustrating battles in the head for the remainder of the year. Recap and turn to positivity was the 3rd place result in the Hot August Night 24 hr event....confirmed there was some endurance in that shoulder. Season ended and was unsure about future of riding with the same intensity in years past.

A rather lengthy intro there.....but for a reason.....today marked the 3rd proper mountain bike session of the season. I'm droppin' like it's hot, chuckling at rim hungry cracks on steep ridgelines and cleaning anything remotely technical......Head......CHECK! Back in action. Body checked a tree while pinning it on the exit of trails while chasing Tom on the exit of CB network...confirmed that all is gooooood.

I think I got everything outta my system today and will now enjoy some lengthy road rides and some more exploring of trails around Ganaraska and Durham once I get my Garmin to help me out with the wayfinding. Kids getting restless...better bring them to the park:

2 hour 1 min
1234 Cal 35% fat
Max 178 or 95%
avg 143 or 76%
Moderate 20 min; Hard 48 min; Light 37 min

Plan....good ole fashioned workout at the gym tomorrow

22 k o FUN!

Met up with Fil, Shaun and some new cats at the local CB place o happiness! Always amazed at how Mr. Weima can party till 5 am and then show up and rip my legs off on one of these rides...imagine if he was properly recovered and lived the life of a monk vs a rock star....scary man...

Lots of stop and go but who cares. What generally is an hour loop translated into almost 3.5 including the ride out and back. Lots of banter and recovery inbetween sprints. A good change of pace....literally. Watch with "data" still on the bike...

3 hr 23 min
1839 cal 45% fat
Max 184 or 98% and avg 71% or 133 bpm

1 hr 9 min Light; 39 min Moderate; 57 min HARD BABY!

Plan...put another coat of paint on my youngest's walls and workout in a.m. with wifey. Road ride tentative with one of the "Quick Release" members for sunday..weather is in a word..BEAUTY!

If I were a muppet....I think I'd be ANIMAL!!!

I recall the most recent "family movie" that the wife, kids and I had last sunday in the basement. The movie was the muppets....man I used to LOVE that show as a youngstah!! Reason for this intro is to reflect on the character, Animal....so....he was in this anger management class before the muppets came to visit him to get the whole crew together for one last show to raise money to get the old studio back (hahahahahah...love it). Jack Black was his..."handler" or suppport guy and told the muppets he wasn't allowed to drum as this was his "trigger"....well...yesterday...I found my "trigger"...it was riding a blend of fast, technical, and flowy DRY mountain bike trails. Just as animal found his happiness at the end of the muppets banging the shit out of his drums....I found happiness ricchocheting of rocks and rim eating cracks with Shaun and Fil!!

So, it's back to normalcy again and the urge to be on the bike every sunny day and.....this long wknd the foreceast is calling for nothing BUT SUN!!!!!!!! Riding today with a rather large group at 10 :)))))) Saturday...family day with hopes of getting to gym with Jac (kids at jump room) and...Sunday will be a road or mountain ride ;)

Just a few more days of these POLAR stats.....Looking forward to Garmin and this Strava app:

1 hr 30 min
1201 cal 30% fat
max 99% or 185....specificity time :)))
avg 83% or 155
Hard 1 hr 3 min; Light 11 min; Moderate 15 min

Stats show a pretty intense session....it was....reason number 1....trying to keep up with Mr. Weima...reason number 2...had Fil with a GOPRO behind me most of the time ;)

Ahhhh Freshly Calibrated

Finally redirected the deviancy of slackness. Luckily kept my gym bag in the van and decided to meet my wife on my way home from work today. Solid hour plus of cardio. All that was needed. First official Mt. bike of the season tomorrow, road ride Friday and Sunda...perhaps a little workout in on Saturday...that was a deep dark place the last two weeks...the slackness seems to be good for the motivation though...felt gooooood today.

1 hr 18 min
766 Cal 54% fat
max 168 or 90% with avg 136 or 73%
26 min in Light; 24 min in Moderate; 21 minute Hard...nice little balance of intervals

Really looking forward to hooking up that Garmin...fingers crossed it gets here before wknd...may not...but that's alright...anticipation is always welcomed!

Week 2 of Fitness reversal

Perhaps it has something to do with 2 kids to get prepped for school daycare in the morning and a wife who hits the snooze button at 5 am EVERY MORNING. This makes an early morning workout....damn near impossible unless I want to have my wife have a nervous breakdown. Perhaps the travel that is required to make appts between Scarborough and Ottawa also result in the ability to get an early morning workout...impossible. So, this leaves the evenings....well...lately, road travel results in my return back to Kingston for 5 or 6 pm...so an evening workout is in the cards but will have to make a commitment that revolves around kids swimming and wife's HR meetings. When did it get so hard to make this happen.....ahhhhh, it just came to me...I had an EXCUSE in the past. The EXCUSE was the necessity to get the hours of time in to prep for 8 and the almighty 24 hour SOLO races. This is the denominator that has resulted in a weak link in the training chain..what to do..planned races this year are group 24 and a couple fun ones with Paul's a given and the Kingston Marathon mt bike race incorporated in here as well. In a word...mello..

Well, I sit here typing this while the kiddies are finishing their meal and is almost 8 pm...behind the 8 ball as they had swimming tonight...so let's take Tuesday's out of the equation. I'm going to plan to meet a local group for wednesday evening night rides at the Farm....this will begin to get some consistency..Will also plan on an early a.m road ride once a week..will have to pick this day of week and make it happen. Can't forget the gym....say goodbye to Saturday workouts with wife as this is Easter wknd coming up and we will be in Belleville..hope to get an afternoon ride in, fingers crossed. Ideally....once a week should be spent in of doors with quality core work. This Sunday is also Easter with the Folks...will plan on riding with Fil this day as well....weather is up in the air lately...we'll see.

All in all....week two of return from Jamaica...discouraged with lack of activity....sipping a G&T doesn't help matters but it is....oh so tasty....it will all right side up itself in a few days. Oh yes, I know what will help and it is coming in the mail shortly....a Garmin 705 with maps, cadence and HR monitor...this should get me geeking with technology and exploring with a new found curiosity with some of the local landscape.

Dodgeball soreness...WTF?!?!?

It was like watching a bunch of senior citizens withdrawing from their pain medication Saturday night and Sunday morning after me and 6 others finished playing in a Dodgeball tourney. 4 x 30 minutes of whipping balls as hard as you could at teams that WERE IN A REGULAR DODGEBALL LEAGUE!!!! We were rogues...misfits but having fun. We were well hydrated via the cooler in between games....did not improve our game. The competition was strangely heated....these guys take this game firmly!?? Came in 7th out of 8 teams...fun times :)

Nothing remotely strenous or forward fitness related resulted this weekend. Should have been a great day to get a ride or early a.m. workout in...didn't happen. Spare time resulted in getting christmas lights off of house, cleaning exterior windows, setting up girls trampoline (looking forward to seeing their excitement tonight), and just punching in for a solid administrative work day. Hopefully a couple motivational switches will get tripped back on....need some warmer weather for this to happen I'm afraid. Will shoot for the gym a couple times this week and perhaps bring a bike with me this wknd for a visit with friends in Belleville. Perhaps a night ride....will wait until I pay my trail dues before venturing out on this membership only set of trails...if only this could happen sooner than the scheduled 12th....