Jmans Dirt Lovers Paradise

Nothing huge...

2009-03-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

No training notes today but I did see a couple of pics on-line from my sister-in-law that I dig (maybe she won't think this thing is boring if I post her pictures. lol) Thanks go out to Taffy for taking the pics. It's me and my most excellent children! Oh and the little girl sitting between my girls is my beautiful niece Isabella. The twins love her like she's their sister.

It's been awhile but I'm still kickin'!!!

2009-03-15T19:23:00.001-07:00

Yep it's been a couple of weeks since I last posted and while I perhaps have not been pursuing the 'training' quite as vigorously as I would like to be I haven't completely forgotten it. Life has definitely gotten in the way lately but I did manage to get out and hit up DVL and completed my first timed lap of the year. I scheduled myself for several to see if I can do any better. I'm hoping that between my first attempt and my last I'll be able to shave a few minutes off it. This month I've got to try and get 36 miles in one ride on the mtn bike for my b-day ride. I'm thinking 5 laps at Southridge but it's going to be hard work and much of my time is going to be taken up with the emergency move of stuff to storage.

I have been a bit lax in the riding and it showed very acutely this past weekend. I got together with my Bro-in-law and we hit up Red Rock Canyon in Vegas on our road bike. We rode the scenic drive through the park. It's a nice 15 mile loop with one killer 7% 2 mile long grade and it kicked my butt. Between being off the bike for nearly 17 days, poor sleep the night before (I can't sleep in a hotel to save my life), bad nutrition, a 2000 foot higher elevation and....well I can come up with more but they're all excuses. In the end I was forced to walk the road bike up a long section of the climb. It was horrible and embarrassing with like 50 riders or more passing me! I have to hand it to my bro-in-law as he did not rub my face in it and did not show the frustration I'm sure he was feeling as he was forced to wait for me to catch up. He's an animal on the bike and rides his ten year old Trek like it's a 09 Madone custom built for him. He rides like 600 miles a month and has a really smooth form. From my perspective it was a great ride that humbled me and made me hungry for more. It was a ride with a good guy amongst great scenery. I had a blast.

I've been lamenting over the fact that I have few trails close by since we moved to the apartment but after my humiliation yesterday I wanted to get back in the saddle quick. So today I suited up and hit the FSR. I explored the local dirt trails that I know about and I think I've figured out a decent route that loops around on itself a couple of times with an OAB climb that's pretty gnarly in sections. It's probably close to 9 miles and I could easily stretch that out to 18 if I HAB over a steep climb to the Farm. I'm pretty stoked to have found it as it'll give me a nice fall back for the mtn bike!

On the positive side I got in 105 miles on the bike last month and 23 miles of running. It's a great start. Taking the first week and a half of March off it'll be hard to hit those numbers in the next 15 days but we'll see what I can do!

Another week down...

2009-02-22T18:53:00.001-08:00

Sundays seem to get here faster than ever now-a-days. The older I get the faster these weeks go by. ;-) So this week was fairly successful for me, I started back to work and while that was mildly painless it sucked falling back into the rat race after such a great time off. I was able to get into the groove fairly quickly and it seems like I should be able to balance all the things I have goin' fairly well. I'm pretty stoked by that.

So last monday with it pouring down rain...and I mean pouring, I got in a quick short 2.5 mile run. I wish I had some pictures cuz I was super soaked by the time I got back to the house. I was so wet I had to go into the garage to change out of my running gear. It rocked!

On Thursday I got in a 25 mile road ride. I have been trying to slowly increase my distance and I felt pretty good on this ride. I pushed a faster cadence and pushed myself really hard the last 3 miles or so. I was riding into a head wind most of the way back into Wildomar which sucked my mph down a bit but I felt like I really pushed hard. It was a good ride! I think I'm ready for the DVL ride this week to see if I can do the 22 miles in 2 hours on the FSR. I'm thinking yes but we'll see.
Oh and the fourth picture down shows the construction work they're doing on the sink hole that showed up on the 215 this week and caused some major drama on the roads of Murrieta/Widomar. It's not the greatest picture since its my cell phone but I thought it cool to see it.

Today (Sunday) I was tired from my first full weekend of getting up at the crack of dawn and I really just wanted to come home and flop on the couch. Instead I bee-lined it to the room and laced up to hit the pavement. I could've copped out and done another short run but I really wanted to get in a good long run (for me anyways) so I pushed myself to do what I'm calling the Santa Rosa Loop (cause it goes around the Santa Rosa Apt not the presrve!). It's 5 miles and either climbs up Nutmeg or or Clinton Keith depending on which way to go. I felt strong and ended up doing the run in 50 minutes which is 5 minutes faster than a week and a half ago. I'm stoked beyond words right now! That's a ten minute mile. I pushed hard the last two miles and really hard the last mile or so to get the run done in the 50 minutes. It was good!

So all in all it was a successfull week and I'm looking forward to another good one next week. With no real rain in the forcast some overcast days and mild temps it's going to be a great week to get out and enjoy the out doors. Have a great one everyone we deserve it!

It's over....

2009-02-15T20:13:00.000-08:00

Well this is it; the last night of my vacation. Tomorrow it's back to the grind, I've tried my best to get my wife to not make me go back but it hasn't worked. I've tried it all, cleaned house, done ALL of the laundry (and I hate laundry) but to no avail she won't let me quit! lol. So tomorrow at 1:30pm it's back to the daily politics that is my job. The job is great but the drama surrounding it is really not any fun and I'm not looking forward to getting bogged down in it. Still I must look on the bright side; we have a new place, a new sense of purpose, a new semester, and a slight change in my outlook on life. Perhaps, if I'm lucky, I will be able to sluff off the political drama and just Be. I like to think it'll work.

That is enough of that. It's to depressing and I try to keep this blog a bit more upbeat and positive. I do feel like for the most part the vacation was a success. As mentioned above we got the move 90% completed. I got in 4 runs and 3 rides during the vacation so I feel like I did pretty decent. The flu really kicked our butts and I probably could've gotten 1 more ride in if I didn't come down with it but I'm really not complaining.

I didn't race at all, I have my excuses (and I think they're decent ones) but in the end it just didn't happen. A little bummed about that but I'm not going to beat myself up for it. I have a few key goal rides coming up and I'm looking forward to nailing those. My last two rides though have been great. The 25 miler was awesome and I got in a 17 miler on Saturday morning. It'll be nice when it dries out a bit and I get on the FSR.

I'm feeling pretty strong on the runs right now and I got in a nice 5 miler. The longest since I returned to running. I'm definitely going to be on the road more than when we lived in the Farm so I've started setting a bit of money aside for some road shoes. I'd like to get in a 10 miler before the end of March, we'll see. I have had a bit of knee pain so I don't want to get to crazy with that.

Speaking of knee pain I think in the next week or two I'll be developing a short resistance training regime to do twice a week to try and strengthen both the muscles around the knee and my core so that both the biking and the running will be a bit easier. I don't like any sort of knee discomfort and will do everything I can to prevent it. This is leading me to re-examine the food I'm taking in as well. I don't like some of it and I need some healthier snacks to get me through the day. I'm going to look into buying a blender so that I can blend of some smoothies. They seem like a nice change from Clif Bars and Triscuits & Cheese.

So all in all I went into the vacation stressed and unhappy. I feel like I'm leaving the vacation refreshed and in a new place in life. I think I like it. I've got a nice routine down....now I'll just have to see how things pan out with work added to the mix! It should be fun!

Thanks for reading and as always keep the rubber side down.

Countdown to work....

2009-02-12T18:23:00.000-08:00

First off I'd like to thank Allsion for leaving a nice note after my last post. I was pretty bummed I bailed on Fontana but in the end I knew it was the right thing. I just have to keep plugging away. I have some good goals and I think I may be able to add a few more. I think 2009 will be a good year both on and off the bike!

So I have three days until its time to return to work and for the most part things have gone pretty much how we planned. We moved, I unpacked, set-up the new house, ran a couple of times and got in at least one ride (I'd like to get another this weekend). Other than the flu trampling through the household I have to say the vacation was a success.

Now I just have to dig deep and find the motivation to go back. I honestly don't want to for a number of reason but mostly because I have just been having a blast being domestic, watching the kids and getting in my exercising. Having weekends free have been a blast and if I had weekends free I could race to my hearts content and go on group rides! I know the grass is always greener but man it's like a dream to me. Sleeping in relaxing a bit. Wow I've tasted 'normal' life for the first time in 3 years and it was good!

So I realized the fantasy isn't going to come true so I re looked at goals and set some new ones. I've decided that I'm going to go out and attempt to race this weekend assuming it doesn't just open up and dump. I've gotten wet lube for the chain and will apply it tomorrow. I don't have any expectations (I've only ridden Vail once and that was nearly 2 years ago) I just want to get out and ride with others and see how hard I can push myself.

I did get a really nice road ride in this week. It was cold and I got decked out in my long sleeve Fox jacket and hit the pavement. The jacket is probably way hotter than I needed but it did keep the wind off of me and kept my body temp up so while I was bit sweatier than normal when I got home it was nice to not be shivering while on the bike. I wore the leg warmers which I still think are amazing considering they're just spandex. They work like a charm every time. I ended up pedalling roughly 25 miles according to Google and did it in about 1 hour 40 minutes. Not speedy but it wasn't a bad pace. The first part of the ride was hilly as I stuck to the North of the 15 up in the homes. Lots of steep ups followed by steep downs. I spun over to Railroad Canyon road and down around Lake Elsinore. I ended up on the other side of the Lake and followed Grand Ave all the way back to Clinton Keith. I felt pretty good for most of the ride. The backside was a bit sore as I've only been doing about 60 minutes in the saddle and had an extended down time due to the move. Today I'm a bit sore but not to bad! Here are some pics...

Check out the spokes on the first picture. I'm really hoping that's just an optical illusion and not the state of my spokes (they feel pretty normal right now). As you'll see I rode with an iPod for only the second time in several years. I have a small shuffle and it was nice to have a little music to keep the mind off the pain. It was a bit weird to not 'hear' the bike working but it was a nice distraction. Unfortunately the battery died half way through. I think I'll be using it again.

In other news I got a really pretty decent run in last Sunday. It's a nice loop that goes around the area I live. To be precise it climbs part of Nutmeg which is far steeper when you run it than when you drive it! I'm horrible with figuring grades and have no fancy Garmin to tell me that altitude change but I'm guessing a 10% grade over a mile or so. (Anyone know the grade of Nutmeg in Murrieta?) I ran through the rain and a run I thought was 4 miles in 55 minutes turned out to be 5 miles when I clocked it in my car. Im not fast by any stretch of the imagination but I'm pretty stoked none-the-less!

Well I'll be watching the weather reports closely for the next day or so. I really hope Saturday stays at least semi-clear. I do feel some butterfly's as there aren't any people I know racing at the Racers and Chasers. I have a feeling that its going to be easy to come up with an excuse not to go! lol.

One goal missed....

2009-02-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

Well as I sit here I'm feeling a bit depressed. I had told myself that I was going to race the Southridge winter series again this year but by mid-November I realized that this wasn't going to happen. Between financial tightness and a more restrictive work schedule this year I re-imagined my goal and was resigned to race just one, maybe two, of the races. As the race #3 passes me by today and really no real chance of making races #4 or 5 I realized that it sucks to let yourself miss a goal. It's like breaking a promise to yourself and it feels like a kick in the gut! I of course have my excuses for missing today's race and they are (in no particular order; 1.) Rain, 2.) Recovering from the flu,3.)Spending a rare weekend off w/family, and finally 4.)Unpacking from the move! They are legitimate excuses but I really wanted to race. Waking up to semi-sunny skies didn't help. To be honest though I ran yesterday for 40 minutes and for about 4 hours after felt a little...off. Not sick per se but, honestly, not great.

So now I am determined to make the Racers & Chasers XC race out at Vail next weekend. I just saw that WeatherChannels long range forecast calls for rain but I think I'm gonna race regardless. It's not quite the original goal but it'll be a new experience for sure. With that race over I'll concentrate on getting the DVL ride in so I can get an idea of where I stand on speed/strength/stamina. I'd really like to do the 22 mile fairly level trail in two hours. I did it two years ago on the Bullit (built up for AM riding) in just over two hours in the dead of summer.
The yellow Bullit!

Most of the parts on this frame are on the Chameleon now.

From there my goal is to do 36 miles on the Mtn Bike in March. I'm also seriously thinking of doing the June 12 hour event at Vail. We'll see.

So packing is almost done. The upside of the rainy weather and not racing is that I've been able to really dig in and get stuff unpacked and set up. The video game consoles are all plugged in and the DVD's are all out. The only really important item, besides my collectibles, at the old house is the road bike. Monday I should be getting that!

Boxes...Boxes...everywhere I look I see boxes!!!!!!

Hahaha it's not quite as bad as the pics make it look but it's close. Most of the boxes are narrowed down to one room and the rest of the house is pretty clear. We found out that we probably didn't need to move for about 3 to 4 more months. We could've saved a butt load of money but man since moving to the new place I feel like a huge weight has been taken off my shoulders. I'll take this feeling freedom and contentment over the extra money we could've saved any day of the week!

A quick comment...

2009-02-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

In the process of our move we switched cable providers and thus our email adresses have changed. Unfourtanatly, I have no idea how to access the old account remotely. I had a few emails to respond to (Justin's was the main one) but right now I can't. As soon as I figure out to get to everything I'll take care of it! Thanks.

And the flu rips through the family...

2009-02-02T15:45:00.000-08:00

Man what a couple of rough days! So last week was a horrible week from a workout P.O.V.! I got out on the bike on Monday and I got a run in on Sunday morning. In between all of that I packed and moved the family! We are now living in a nice 3 bedroom apartment about 10 miles of where we were living. Losing the house is a drag but I have to say that this new place is...well...new! The mobile we left was 23 years old and showing it (one of the reasons we were forced to leave it), this new place is only 8 months old and has the feel of a real house. It's only about 300 sqft smaller and we're saving a bundle of money a month. This is going to sound bad but since making the decision to move about 4 weeks ago we've not argued over money so I guess that's something. It is an amazing thing to go from barely keeping your head above water to hving that water lap at your waist. Our credit rating is going to suck but the immediate financial situation is really awesome.
So on top of moving we had the Flu come ripping through the family. First one daughter, than my son and then my wife. I started feeling it on Thursday before we were scheduled to move and I just got the mindset that I refused to get sick....and it worked...for a time! My stomach hurt like the dickens on the day of the move (saturday) but by the end of the day I felt pretty good. Sunday morning I woke up in the new place feeling great. I was stoked...I had dodged the flu. To celebrate and start this new chapter in our lives off right I dressed in my running gear and went out to see what was in the area to run on.
I'd run near the new place once or twice (the gym is down the street) so I had an idea of where to go. I hit a decent pace and was feeling pretty good. I didn't spot any real good mtn bike stuff so I was a little bummed but with the Santa Rosa Plateau just up the street about 10 miles I'll just be loadin' the bike in the truck a lot more. So I finished my run (3ish miles in around 45 minutes) and felt really good. That is, I felt good for an hour or so, then my stomach started doing flips. total sour stomach indigestion feeling. I felt weak and the stomach discomfort last all day...right up until aroun 10pm and then I spent the night in the restroom! Whew it's been a rough 20 hours or so.
I have two weeks left of vacation and I'm hoping by the end of the week I'll be able to get a ride in. I don't know how long to lay off the riding/running but I'm figuring a good two to three days after my symptoms subside. I'm feeling a bit better but not even close to 100% more like 40%. (which is better than last night when I didn't think morning was going to get here!)
Well enough of my sad story. I'm going to go surf blogs to get a taste of riding at least. ;-) Take care and keep the rubber side down.

hmmmm...part 2!!!

2009-01-28T21:24:00.000-08:00

I just finished an email on training that has me really thinking hard about where I want to take my mtn biking. On the one hand I would really like to be the in-shape race guy who rides 5 days of the week and can just hammer the crap out of anyone who dares ride with me (I said can not would! lol). On the other hand I'm not sure if I have the energy to do this on a regular basis. I think I'm using my kids as an excuse to keep from really getting into the training thing. This might be legit and it might not be. I feel that I must really persue this line of thinking over the next few days.
Another idea that the email brought mind is, if I train...what am I training for? I really can't race the way the average person does because getting the time off is not always a possibility. I work weekends and weekends are when the races are. Last year I made four races at Southridge and I'm finding out from this year that that may have been a fluke. Right now I'm looking at racing the next Southridge race and then not race again until November. So are my own personal goals enough to keep me going? Are goals like riding 36 miles on my birthday enough to keep me pushing. Can little goals replace the milestones and deadlines of a race? This is an interesting question to me and one I've been pondering since I read the email.

These were two pretty cool moments (finishing my first race ever and making the podium...even if it was next to the podium on the last race of the year) last year and I'm wondering if completing my first 100 miler (on road bike or mtn bike) will feel quite the same?

hmmm

2009-01-26T12:40:00.000-08:00

Well here I was sitting all Quasimodo like over the laptop writing emails and reading blogs about riding. I had told myself I was going to ride this morning and yet there I was coming up with excuse after excuse. (It's cold outside, I'm tired, my work day is going to suck, my week is going to bite!) Then a light bulb went off and I got changed. I threw on the Lycra (I haven't worn Lycra on mtn bike in two years) and the leg warmers a long sleeve jersey and hit the dirt on the FSR. It was a good ride and I tried to push myself a bit up the hills. I stayed in the middle ring a few minutes longer and nearly cleared two short steep rocky ascents I usually have to HAB. It was a 70 minute ride and I probably did 8 miles. Not much compared to some of the folks I read about but right now it was good for me and started the week off right. No pics though cuz I had a short amount of time. Now I'm scarfing down a couple of PB&J sandwich's and am heading out the door for work. I'm happy that I pushed myself and now I can go to my first day back of the Spring semester knowing I didn't slack off. Life is good...well it will be until I get to work! LOL til my next post...keep the rubber side down folks!

News of the Day....

2009-01-22T12:57:00.000-08:00

So it's thursday or sunday if you work Friday thru Tuesday like me. I didn't get a chance to get out yesterday 'cause a daughter was down sick...again! So this morning I forced myself to do something. I dropped everyone off came home, changed and went for a run. Today I didn't care how long I ran I just ran. I ended up doing 4 miles in about 50minutes. I did the road thang for a bit and then hit the dirt. It felt good and I kept a steady but comfortable pace. It was probably a 5 for most of the way. Lot's of climbing though and I'm sure I'll feel it tomorrow. Took a few shots and here they are, the last one is the approaching storm that I dodged by about 2 minutes. I don't mind running in the rain but it was nice to stay dry.

In other news on this gloriously overcast day is that I'm returning to a love I left about a year after I got this job of mine. That love is Aikido. After speaking to my Sensei about some issues I am returning to the dojo. I have mixed feelings about this as it takes me out of the house on my Sunday. I get back at around 8pm and I have an early morning every Friday. Yet, despite that I know I miss it something fierce. When I stopped going due to time constraints and cash flow I felt as if something was missing. I had invested a lot of my time and energy into my training in the last 6 years and to just stop was tough. The information I accumulated and the books I had loved sort of just sat there mocking me. So now nearly a year later I'm looking to return to the training because I feel my life is lacking a certain balance and spirutality that my Aikido training can provide. I'm scare and apprehensive but excited at the same time. We'll see how it goes. Here's a few pics of me and of the dojo with some of my training partners. It's actually quite a blast and a lot harder than the critics of Aikido could ever know.

A light week...

2009-01-18T17:35:00.000-08:00

It wasn't a bad week but it was a bit...off. I didn't work my normal schedule at work and instead got caught in jury duty on Monday, a day shift on Tuesday and just a busy day that started out at court (for work) on Wednesday. Thursday was a quiet stay at home day that should've been a ride day but with a sick daughter it was time to put rides/runs and exercise worries out to pasture and take care of her. Friday was apartment signing time and that took all evening. So what did I end up doing for the week? Glad that you asked! lol

I got a run in on Monday afternoon and it felt decent. I stuck around the 30 minute mark and pushed myself a bit harder than I have on the previous few runs. I got up to a good 7 (on a scale of 1 to 10 w/10 being all out) and felt good enough to slow down, recover, and then push again without walking. After Monday there was nothing to speak of until....

Saturday, I raced home from work, changed and tok off on the FSR. I pushed myself several times and took full advantage of the settings on the rear shock. I pushed down hill along Scott Rd. I went South on Haun and then up and around the water tower to the Nursery. I remember a time when the dirt road to the nursery was nearly impossible but yesterday I pushed it and made it up. It wasn't fast but it was steady and it felt good. From there I did my normal run down into the small valley and then back out to the farm. I rode well, felt strong and had a really good time! All in all I was out for 95 minutes w/about 15 miles. Not a swift pace but a good solid pace for me. Next week I'm hoping for two rides and a run. We'll see if life/family will let me!

Just a few pics of the ride. I was trying for some different shots but its not easy to hold a camera phone, balance and ride over a rutted road with one hand! LOL. I really need to get better shots/camera so I can get better scenic shots. Until next time keep the rubber side down!

It's just one of those days....

2009-01-15T10:17:00.000-08:00

So I woke up this morning all gung-ho to get things done. Yesterday ended up being a write-off of a day and today I was gonna get up take the kids to school/sitters and hit the road bike for a quick run around Elsinore. I figured about 20 miles today and some good times. I was planning on following that up with a nice healthy lunch and some packing!

Instead I got up to a sick daughter followed by too much time on the computer followed by....well its still early but I figure I'm gonna end up on the Wii for at least an hour! With the ride snatched away I seem to be lacking the motivation to do much of anything.

I know I need some cheese with my whine but hey that is what blogs are for...right! ;-) Alrighty it's off to try and salvage this morning and see if I can't get a couple of boxes packed up. Here's a pic...just because!

Week in review...

2009-01-11T19:59:00.000-08:00

Overall it wasn't a bad week to be honest. I got in a run, some rides and a bit of daddy daughter time. A downer/upper popped up at the end of the week with the decision for the family to leave the house we've been in for five years and move into an apartment. I also just got an interesting offer from an old friend that I don't think I'll be able to pass up.

I've got some pictures too.

I started the week out with a run that was nice. It was about 40 minutes and it was good to start the week off with exercise, especially when that was my goal.

Wednesday was spent with the girls since we were all out of work/school. We spent the day having goofy fun and visited the Lake Skinner playgrounds which they love. That is where I took a picture of them at.

Thursday I got in a 50 minute bike ride on the road. It was amazing how out of shape I am in when it comes to the road bike. I did what I consider to be the Farm Crit which consists of a 3.5 mile loop through the Farm. I did three laps in 50 minutes. I was going to push for a fourth but I had a date with my wife at noon and it was 11:50. To be honest though my legs were shot and I probably would've bonked half way through.

Finally on Sunday, unable to take watching the Chargers get beat by the Steelers, I took the Heckler out for a spin through the dirt roads around the house. It was a decent ride but I sucked wind a bit due to my poor shape and a head/chest cold I've been fighting off.

So the weekly tally was 2.5 miles running and 21 miles riding. Not great by the standards of a guy in shape but pretty good for a guy who had a three month lay off and who has been fighting off a cold for the past week and a half! I do apologize for the quality of the pics, they were take on my Katana cell phone. But I do love having pics on my blog!

Ugghhh

2009-01-06T10:58:00.000-08:00

Man I feel like crude. I have this head cold that is really kicking my butt. I felt okay yesterday and got a nice jog in before work but as the day wore on I just kept feeling worse. Now I'm sitting here facing another 8 hours of work in the cold and not wanting to go in at all.

You know I sit here and I read the blogs of folks like Luke, Allison, and Kerkove and I boil with envy at their form, physique and ability to ride for hours on end while I sit here and feel as if I'm pushing myself with an hour in the saddle! I know that pushing much more than that right now could lead to injury but it can be frusterating...especially when you know you've done way more time on the bike in the past. Stupid school for getting me off my riding! lol Running for 35 minutes is a start but man I can hardly wait to get my times up into somthing somewhat close to 'epic'!

I'm supposed to ride tomorrow but I think with the kids off I'm going to spend the day with them which then leads me to the hard truth, I need a trainer! I could get a good hour spin in and spend the time with the girls instead of an either/or situation. hmmm

It's a new year...

2009-01-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

So it's a Friday and I'm off...not only am I off but the whoe family is off!!! Crazy. So I slept in this morning and then ot up and hit the bike for the first ride of 09! It was a decent ride on the normal trails. Having been off the bike since about November I wanted to take it super easy just as I've been doing with the running. Nice and easy to regain the lost base fitness. So I kept it to about an hour...70 minutes to be precise.

I felt a bit off for the first mile or so but then settled in. I can't believe that I out of the whole 1000 acres or so of land I ride through I picked the one spot of dog poo to dismount on!!! Lucky me, so after cleaning it off the best I could I was back on the bike. The skills came back slowly and by the end of the ride I felt pretty good. I hit up VA hill but only rode the lower quarter and the upper quarter. The real steep middle section was a no go but gave me a good idea of where I stand in the over all fitness.

I tried to take a couple of pics with the camera so I'll upload those and see how they look. Hope everyone had a pleasant and safe new years!

Not bad. I'll have to keep doing this as I like Blogs w/pics!

The need to train...

2008-12-28T16:13:00.000-08:00

So I've got it all set in my head, I've posted about and announced by 4 year goal to the world and now I'm stuck! I'm stuck by one thing and one thing only...my fitness level! I ran on Monday this week and Friday. Both runs pretty much killed my legs and both were only 30 minutes. I wanted to ride today so badly it hurt but I put it off. I told myself I was going to run twice this week and that's it. I don't want to injure myself and so I'm easing back into it...the problem? Well, my mind can still remember what I was doing at the beginning of the summer with 40 mile bike rides and 1 and a half runs. No way I can pull that off right now though.

So I made myself sit in the house and giggle with pleasure at the shlacking the Cowboys just took! I was supposed to ride tomorrow but I forgot about some obligations so it'll be either a 30 minute run in the evening or pushing the ride until Tuesday. So it'll hopefully be two rides and one run next week. And the opposite the week after that.

On to other issues. I'm wondering what people ride the most for endurance races/rides. I have two bikes that might be suitable. This one and

this one;

My problem is that neither of them are realy a pure XC machine but rather on the light side of AM and the Chameleon (the white bike) is really more in line w/4x racing right now. My other problem is that I think both bikes are to small. I think I need a large. So do I try to find a large frame and swap parts from the FSR or upgrade parts on the Chameleon and make it a true XC stud? I need to do some more research to see which will work out best.

Here's to good balanced training and the fun of researching bikes!!! :-)

End of year report...

2008-12-26T16:25:00.000-08:00

So as the year wore on I let things like a serious bout of depression, school, nearly losing my job, family and just life get in the way of my dirt nerdom! I am a bit annoyed at how out of shape I've gotten. Through the past 3 month (school semester) I have gained 15 pounds and have nearly completely stopped working out. I have been seriously stressed out and so I set up my next semester to allow me some exercise time. I've also decided to set a few long term goals to keep myself somewhat motivated. I'd like to complete the following before I turn 40 (in 4 years);

1.) Complete a Triathlon
2.) Complete a 12 hour race - Solo
3.) Complete a 24 hours race
4.) Run a marathon

I've been bouncing around the various mtn bike disciplines and while I love jumping, 4x I really enjoy just riding long distance. I think I'm a closet endurance guy stuck in a Clydesdale's body!!!! lol. So as the year winds to a close I'm getting back on the wagon.
A few things I'll be avoiding this time around. 1.) Bodybuilder workouts, 2.)Bodybuilding diets, 3.)a years worth of workouts in 3 months.
This year I burned out and so I am going to try and avoid that this year by spreading things out and trying to mix it up a bit. The year however wasn't all bad, after studying my work out journal and a bit of math, here are a few stats for you!

1.) I rode 542 mile this year (the most ever for me.)
2.) I rode once every 8 days on average.
3.) I ran 114 miles this year
4.) I ran once every 12 days (another PR for me)
5.) That gives me a grand total of 656 miles all together (most assuredly a PR)

So from here on out I can only build on that. Right now I'm working on just getting out. My body is sore and out of shape so I don't want to get all gung-ho right away. So right this week I ran twice for 30 minutes each. Not much but I'll slowly add to that. Next week it'll be two easy rides and one run! I'll probably keep alternating like this for the next few months and throw in some body weight resistance training. The final ingredient will be a swim but we'll get to that when we get to it!

I guess that's about it as I wrap up my year. It's not been a horrible one but I've had better for sure. I'm hoping 09 turns things around a bit. I did learn I need my exercise/training so I'm going to do everything I can to keep that going. I'll also be getting a small camera so I can add some photo's to this! lol I wanna be just like all the other blogs!!!! :-)

Thanks you and Happy New Year to all!

It's been awhile...

2008-12-19T20:57:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, it's been a while. To be honest my 'outdoor' life has sufered just as much as the rest of my life lately and I feel far more the couch lover than the Dirt Lover lately. For the past few months I've been wrapped up in school, finance issues, and work issues but I think I'm slowly coming out of that. I have a better grasp on my school schedule and a feeling that I can balance all things as I finish my first semester back w/at least an A in one class and possibly a B in the other.

Next semester I set it up so I am still with two classes but a bit more time available in and around school so that I can exercise/work-out/train (whatever you wanna call it). I am super interested in doing a Triathalon before I turn 40 and with 36 staring at me in the face I don't think I have a whole heck of a lot of time to procrastinate. As for racing in general, I desperately wanna do a couple of Southridge races again but I'm not sure work is going to be as flexible with it this year. A diffrent player is involved so we'll see.

Still up 15 pounds from 4 months ago it's time to get out and train again. I want to ride, to run and to do body weight resistance here at the house. This year it looks like I'll get in just shy of 52 rides for the year but that's because I was so into it at the beginning of the year. I'm looking for overall consistancy this year. No more 6 month gradiose efforts followed by 6 months of iffy 30 pedaling efforts. I need this, as I can handle so much more shit in everyday life when I feel healthy and have an outlet for my anger/stress!

A layoff no more...

2008-10-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

Well after two months off the bike I rode last week and then again yesterday. It was great to get back on the bike. Last week I rode the infamous Fully Loop in Fullerton with Ricky and Danny from STR. It was nice they wee able to ride with me because that trail is pretty convoluted. I rode the Heckler and she rode just as good as I remember. To be honest I don't really know why I wasted the money on the Specialized. I bet the Heckler would've gotten me the same times if not better last year at Southridge.

Then yesterday, feeling very down and out at work, I got home and went for a ride on the normal trails behind the Farm. It wasn't to rough but I did have to walk a few of the tougher looser hills. (Not so unusual out here where all of the trails are made by dirt bikes) I rode the Heckler again and it was awesome. I ended up needing to tighten a bolt on the big chain ring which has made me check all of the bolts I can to make sure things are good. I was actually impressed with my spyness since I spent an hour hiking the shoreline at work. So that's two hours of a workout in one day! Not bad at all.

I was going to ride again today but I was really feeling it a bit. I spent about a half-hour hiking the shoreline today at work and going uphill I could feel my legs tiring quicker than they should've. So I held off today. I'll have to ride next week.

Hey there...

2008-10-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

If anyone is intrested I just started a less sports/exercise blog to explore the other...intrests of my life! Check it out at www.sanctuary-theotherside.blogspot.com

Random Idleness...

2008-09-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

Life has been throwing me enough curveballs of late to have my world spinning a bit out of control. From the typical financial problems affecting everyone else to the threat of a lost job I just have to sit back and be glad that I have a family that supports me. I'm trying to look at things from a positive stand-point and know in the end the family will have a roof over its head one way or another. I choose to look at my current difficulties from a positive stand point! Whatever fate throws at me it'll make me stronger and open new doors for me that might otherwise not have been opened.

It's been a while...

2008-06-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

Wow it's been a while since I posted here. Things are good....really good. I cleared my colonoscopy and do not have the FAP that my brother has. No FAP means no polyps which means no cancer. I was pretty freaked there for a while and really am viewing things differently. It's good to be home, good to have a loving wife at my side and great to have a family around me. It's awesome.

My summer plans were to spend as much time with the girls as I could and so far I've achieved that. With the economics the way they are we're not doing as many trips as I had hoped but we're still having fun so that's what counts.

I'm still riding, still running, and still working out. Things are in a good balance right now which is really nice.

I just ran into a really cool female rider that I wanted to mention. Her names Liz Hatch and she seems like a really cool person from her blog, and the articles I've read. It's neat to see someone my girls can look up. She's pretty, rides hard, she doesn't mind getting dirty and doesn't let up. The exact kind of women I want my girls to be when they get older. I doubt she'll ever read this but thanks, thanks for giving them a role model. Check her out at www.lizhatch.missingsaddle.com

Happy May Day....

2008-05-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

Well it's May and we're almost half way through 2008, before you know it Christmas is going to be here. It's a beautiful day today that's for sure and I got out on the Heckler and spun around Santa Rosa Plateau today. Nice breeze and actually a tad bit cold for the first half hour. I got in about 90 minutes of riding and cross pathes with a few other bikers. It must've been Horse day out there because there were more horse riders than I've ever seen. Everyone was nice and I walked the bike around them a few times and all in all everyone was quite nice. It was an easy exercise day and quite relaxing really. I was supposed to take the day off completly but I just woke up and had to ride!

So I mentioned my Brother in my last blog and I'm happy to say he is out of the hospital and staying in a nice place provided by his employer for another week. It looks like he'll be home sometime next week! That is very cool news. Unfourtantly there is a downsize, it's my turn! Yep I get to go in and get a colonoscopy and there is a 70% chance that I may have the same problem that he has. I got my consult yeterday and while the doctor was optimistic that I'd be fine...no one really knows until they go in and check. I'm a little freaked by it but I'm surviving. I have 5 weeks until the procedure and while I know the procedure isn't that big of deal there are a combo of things that have me edgy. That means I have five weeks to enjoy the outdoors, continue to work on my conditioning (if they go in and have to remove my colon I believe my conditioning may be the thing that gets me back on my feet faster!) and enjoy the family. To be honest the job has taken a distant third for right now. I'm working and doing what I need to but my mind is not really in it right now. I'm sure once I know things are good and I'm clear I'll be able to get back into it!

Well its nearly another week down. I hope everyone has a great weekend and if you have tendency to pray, a shout out to the Man up stairs would be appriciated! Thanks and keep the rubber side down!

It's Just One of Those Days...

2008-04-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

Actually its not been a bad day or anything like that just feelin' a bit tired this morning and lacking the energy to actually do what needs to be done around here. I did get a ride in for the first time in like 4 weeks or so and that felt a bit refreshing. I continue to lose weight and I'm down to 200 now and I've dropped about an inch and a half off the waist line! It takes a lot of work though; My average week looks something like this.
Monday: Chest/Back and 40 minutes on Exercise Bike (followed by 8 hours at work)
Tuesday: Ride/Run/Climbing at Threshold Gym
Wednesday: Shoulders/Arms/Abs 40 minutes on bike
Thursday: 8 hours at work followed by run/ride
Friday: 8 hours at work then Legs/Abs 30 minutes on bike
Weekends I work but usually take the days off from exercise.

It's pretty crazy and for a week or two I was waay over trained but I backed off a bit and have brought it back up slowly and watching my nutrition a bit better seems to have leveled things out a bit.

I'd like to take a minute to send a shout out to my brother who is up in Washington right now under the knife having his colon removed. I know he's in for some rough weeks and months ahead but I want you to know bro that things will work out and you'll be right as rain before you know it!

That's it for me. Sorry about the lack of pics and flash but things have been fairly low key in my world. Just hanging out, training (not sure for what yet) and hanging with the family.

Take it easy world and as always keep the rubber side down!

First Daddy/Daughter Day Hike...

2008-04-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

So I came up with the brilliant idea of taking my 7 year old twin girls for a quick jaunt in the Santa Rosa Plateau. I had figured with all of the rain we had earlier this year that the Vernal Pools would be full. So I packed up a couple of snacks, a couple of water bottles and the camera before picing them up after school and off we went. It was a beautiful day with a few scattered clouds and some light sun. The temp was in the low 70's and the girls had a blast. They wanted to jog a bunch and were probably a bit loud but all in all it was fun. We did just under 2 miles and the girls are already asking for a longer hike. This is all in prep for our first daddy/daughter overnighter in June! Here are some pics of the girls at the trail head and some of the scenery we got to see.

A Happy April to all....

2008-04-02T12:10:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted in a while so I thought I'd drop a quick post to wish everyone a happy April. Spring is here, Baseball is underway and the weather has been great. What more can one ask for!? My girls turn 7 today and I'm really blown away that 7 years have already flown by. It's amazing, truly amazing.

In DirtNerd news I've been getting out and doing a bit of trail running which has been a nice change of pace from the bike. (104 rides in a year is going to be harder to achieve than I thought!!) I took a whole week off of the bike to just get a break and change gears a bit. I ran three days last week for about an hour at a time which at my very slow 11 minute mile means about 5 miles or so. The gym work continues and I've dropped a couple of pounds and feel like my waist is a bit smaller. My Measure day is coming up soon so we'll see how things work out. With all of this running, working out, climbing and riding I think I may be a bit over trained so I may need to back off a bit. I'm doing 4 to 5 days a week right now and I've been a bit tired and a little moody (may just be issues at work but who knows) so I'm going to shoot for more like 3 to 4 days instead to give myself one more day of recovery. We'll see.

That's about it for me lately, just working (ick), exercising and playing with the kids can't get much better than that! Take care all and keep the rubber side down.

Just a quick Happy.....

2008-03-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

Just a quick happy whatever it is you're doing today. I was just involved in a quick discussion where not everyone celebrates Easter and it got me to thinking a bit so I decided to post a quick Happy Easter/Ostara/Spring/Sunday/23rd day of the 3rd month of the year 2008! I hope that you are where you wanna be doing the thang you wanna be doing and having a blast with whomever you've decided to share the moment with. Take care one and all and remember to keep the rubber side down!

A New Rides first real ride...

2008-03-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

So I took the Bottlerocket out for its first real pounding. I met up with the crew from STR at the Fontana 4x course and started rocking. The bike felt great and so did I. Thanks to Willy for adjusting the rear mech, I spent like an hour trying to dial it in and he did it in nearly 2 minutes! Man I've gotta start working on the whole mechanic thang. As always it takes a few runs to get the confidence up but towards the end I was starting to really feel flowey and in tune with the bike. I really think this may be the bike I race on in next years 4x. I know its heavy at like 40lbs but it didn't feel that heavy when I was riding it. It felt just as flickable as the hardtail and fit under me really well. You can totally compare these pics with the first few pics back in decemberish and see how much more confidence I have just in the lean on the berms if nothing else. Well that's it for now folks, as always keep the rubber side down!

I love the pictures and all the photog credits go to Sharky of STR. The guy with the real good lean on the Bottlrocket in green accents is Todd aka Destroyer and his ride was the inspiration for mine. Great rider and an even greater guy. Thanks Todd.

Find me a rock!!!!

2008-03-17T19:13:00.001-07:00

Well I think I've discovered new outdoor funness!!!! (yes funness...I don't care if it's not a word) I've been wanting to get to a rock climbing gym ever since one of my bro-in-laws started getting back into climbing. I finally managed the courage to go to one and look stupid for a little while. Last Tuesday I hit up Solid Rock climbing gym in San Marcos and wow what a blast! It was really fun and SUPER hard. I climbed for a little over an hour and my upper body was absolute toast. I was sore for the rest of the week and its given me something new to work towards with the weights in the gym. Very fun stuff and with a new gym opening up in Riverside and possibly one opening up in Temecula in the next year I'm thinking this is gonna grow on me. I'm already trying to decide when I could go next and am thinking the week after the kids spring break might be the week. It's not super expensive but it does cost about $12 on the average so it won't be a three times a week thang anytime soon but to supplement some of the riding, running and weight training I'm doing it'd be fun. And maybe if I get the guts up I might be able to hit Joshua Tree with my bro-in-law!

A new ride...

2008-03-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

Well here it is...my 5th bike!!! I guess I'm probably done for the year with 5 bikes in less than 12 months. Now it's down & diry time..just go ride for the summer and take my pick of which bike!!! Man my wife really spoils me. hehehe enjoy the bike porn!!! A big shout out to DropNZone, Allen there was great, he communicated well through e-mail and was upfront with everything. Great guy with what appears to be a great shop. It's all the way up in Washington but I'd totally do business with them again.

My First Podium

2008-03-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

I did it!!! Yep that's right I got to stand on the podium...well at least right next to it that is. I'm super stoked to report that I got 4th place at the last Southridge Winter Series race and 4th overall for the series. That really fullfilled my goal for this first series of racing and totally set me up for doing it all over again next season. I did my normal last place in 4x but that is all right, lots of improvement means lots of fun and training. I'll be trying to get over to the local BMX tracks a bunch more this summer to try and dial in what little technique I can. I'd just like to give big props to all the peeps over at STR for my little cheering section when I got called up to the podium and the encouragement in the 4x. Now on to the pictures! Thanks and picture credits go to Ricky, Sharky and DavidB from over at STR, they're great folks and its awesome that I'm able to have a photgraphic diary of my first racing season!

5 hours in the saddle....

2008-02-26T16:39:00.000-08:00

Well today started out as kind of a ho hum day. I had planned to ride, wanted to ride and had been dreaming about it all weekend but when the day arrived....no energy. I just wanted to sort of sit around. I got the kids to school and the boy to the baby sitters and then I came home....and sat! It was quiet and a bit dark and I just wanted to lie around the house. I ended up on the lap top on STR and slowly got motivated. I had started to get the Allez ready to ride earlier in the morning but it just wasn't turning me on so, but when I walked past the FSR it grabbed me. I felt motivated and excited so I grabbed it checked tire pressure and spun out of the house. I ended up riding for a total of about 5 hours and covering between 40 and 50 miles give or take. I really wasn't caring.

I rode to skinner and did that in 1 hour and 20 minutes (that's about a 17 mile ride) and the plan was to head back but I was feelin' it and after a Cliff Shot continued on to Temecula. I ended up stopping at Chipotles for a quick Chicken Fajita Bowl and then at B&N to stock up on Mtn Bike mags. I rode in and around the mall area after that and ended up over by Bicycle Warehouse with a mean need to use the Restroom so I stopped in there and they were pretty cool. I chatted with them for a few minutes and then it was back out on the bike.

I just rode like I did when I first started this sport and didn't have the money for four bikes. I just rode what I had and took it anywhere and everywhere. I rode up hills and down, I rode this road and that road. I ended up by the first house we rented with Shawn and then ended up over by our first apartment exploring the trails (or lack of them) in Murrieta. All the trails I used to ride are gone, bulldozed for homes, or closed by the Open Spaces Distrcit of Riverside. Its such a waste. Why have open spaces if you won't allow users. (But that's negative thinking and I don't wanna do that on here) I ended up finding a pretty cool DH section in the hills to the North of Clinton Keith. It'll be a gnarly hike a bike from the Farm side but it'd be a good 2 or 3 minutes run down to the streets of Murrieta. It might be worth it on the Heckler or the Slopestyle rig I'm shopping for.

All in all I left the house at 930 am and came arrived back at the house at 315pm. I figure with the stops I wasted about 30 to 40 minutes so that's about 5 hours of riding today. Pretty killer.

In other Jman news the gym is going well. I've been there three times and am falling back on my old routines until I can find newer and better ones. It's working and I've been sore most days which just means its working. It actually feels pretty good to be lifting again and the smallness of the gym is nice. The times I'm using it the place is fairly empty which is cool.

Alrighty that's it for now, I'll see everyone on the trails!

Just call me Mr. Gym Rat....

2008-02-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

Well not really but I did join a gym today. My best friends wife has been going to Fitness 19 and she loves it so when one opened up about 10 minutes away I figured I would give it a try. It's only $14 a month and I figure since I dropped Aikido I should be able to swing this. I've also wanted to get back into some weight lifting to strengthen the whole body and be able to keep riding/running longer. This will beat my little garage gym all day long and I'll be able to get some better hamstring exercises in. They have a cardio section but I doubt I'll use it too much. Overall it seems like a nice small gym and the times I'll be going should keep it easy to use the equipment. We'll see how it goes.

On the riding front I had aimed to do two laps around DVL but I woke up and it was just plain crappy out so I sorta fell into a lil mini slump. I ended up doing the gym thing and then for giggles went over to Bicycle Warehouse, I ended up chatting with the Mechanic there, (a guy named Mike who was pretty up on bikes and seemed like a cool guy), it was a blast actually, if I can't ride than talking about it is usually the next best thing! Anyways this got me pumped and after lunch at Peoni's with Kelly I ended up hitting Sylvan Meadows by way of Slaughter House Canyon. It was a decent ride, I still felt a bit sluggish but I got nice and wet and muddy from the half-a-dozen stream crossings. All in all not a bad day. Sorry no pics though, gotta get me a smaller camera.

Southridge #3 and SART....

2008-02-17T18:01:00.000-08:00

Well we'll start this here Blog entry with a quick recap of the Southridge Series Race #3. It was a good race overall and I felt both strong and confident after the fun ride on the 5th. I realized as I lined up and look over the other riders in the group that the top four places were already spoken for so I knew a podium place was doubtful. With this in mind I quickly reordered my ultimate goals with the first being to ride the whole race (no hike-a-bike) and the second being to simply try and better my previous time.

I downed a gel (probably a bit early again so at the race in march I'll be waiting until the pros start before I down the gel) and felt that cool rush of adrenaline as I waited for Donny to start us. With the horn I was off. There was a quick crash at the first left turn and I must've passed at least one member of my class, then another guy dropped out and I knew I wouldn't be last! Kewl. So I just ponied up and gutted out the first climbs. Before I knew it I had passed them and hadn't walked (score one for Jman!). I felt strong and ready to rumble. I made it to the rear hell climb and made it about 75% up when I lost traction and had to walk the last 50 yards or so. (score one for the course) I rode the rest of the course and passed one more member of my class as he tried to dismount but couldn't unclip and over he went. (score one for Jman). He was never able to recover and I finished in 7th place out of 11. Not bad but the best part was that I was able to knock 5 minutes off of my first race. Now that ROCKED!!!!

The 4x course was fun but I put alot of effort into the XC race and I could feel it in the legs. It was not a pretty warm day and even though I had had about 2 hours to rest I felt a bit heavy legged. I did buy a new 50mm stem and that did make an enormous difference. I felt way more confident.

Donny came up with a new race format that gave us at least two runs on the course which was way better than one. I warmed up (too much to be honest) and finally lined up. When the gate dropped on the first race I was pretty quick out of the gate but one of the riders just flew ahead of me. He cleared all of the doubles and had myself and the other guy beat by the middle of the course. The other guy, his name was Gil, and I went neck and neck for the middle section but his BMX skills really came into the game on the lower course and he took second place.

We rushed back up to the top and lined up for the second heat. When the gate went down I instantly knew I was in trouble, my legs were just dead, I tried my best and saw a lower line to try and pass Gill. I tried to swoop under him but my rear tire slid a bit and I grabed som brake which killed my momentum. At the point I was shot and I literally jsut cruised into the finish. I was done for the day. Still it was a blast and I have really uped my riding ability BIG time on the course and overall as well. I'm looking forward to the race in March. Here are som pics of my races on the 4x course.

The doubles at the start of the 1st race, we're neck and neck here

Here I am pedaling out of the big berm and lining up for the doubles.
Neck and neck, I'm trying to shooty for the lower line here and failing BAD!

So in other riding news I pulled out the road bike on Wednesday the 13th and hit up the Santa Ana River Trail (SART). I'd heard about this ride recently on STR and on a trip to Disneyland the day before decided to just do it. So I started out at Green River Rd. and rode all the way to the beach! It was a great ride except for a 10mph head wind the last 5ish miles to the beach. Whew that was tough. The return ride was sweet though, the head wind turned to a tail wind and that combined with two shots of gel propelled me in the big ring all the way home. The final tally was 60 miles in 3 hours and about 45 minutes. It was just over 15mph for the ride. My knees were a bit sore but overall I felt great. I wasn't really sore on Thursday which was good news and by Saturday I was feeling well enough to hit the local trails for a quick 4.5 mile run with Kiara (my Australian Sheppard mix). Life is good and I'm feelin' awesome about my fitness right now. Thanks for readin' and keep the rubber side down!

Nice little ride...

2008-02-05T20:49:00.000-08:00

So I posted my first ride on STR and had a few takers. I wanted to go out and ride the Fontana race course just for fun without the pressure of a race day so I met up with DavidB and Speckled Trout (Quinn) and we hit the trail. It was a beautiful day out today with lots of sun, mountains covered in snow and the dirt was in great shape. It was a bit windy but nothing so bad that it was miserable.

We ended up doing our first lap and I felt good, David had the idea to do another lap but with our stomachs growling we decided to stop at Subway for a bit o' lunch and then hit the second lap. I was a bit surprised that I actually felt better on the second lap. I climbed al the hills without walking and THAT felt great. Now that I know I can do it I'm hoping to let it all hang out on Saturday at Race #3. I rode the Heckler and it sure is a nice ride. It felt like it rode better than the FSR but I know it's not quite as fast. I'll ride the FSR on Saturday regardless as it felt pretty good on a ride I did last Thursday. In all we rode about 15 miles in about 2 hours or so. Not lightening fast but that was not really the point of this one.

It was a fun ride with some good people. All of that equals a great day out on the trails.

DavidB

Quinn still smiling as we start the 2nd lap.
The road up...this particular climb ends at that water tower. One of the tougher climbs of the course.
Just a self portrait just to show that I was there....not the prettiest of pictures!!
I was using an older HP camera with like 2.31 mp so the pictures aren't the best BUT I can fit it in the camelback so I can get a few pics 'cause we all know that a Ride Report is nothing without pictures.

'Till next time keep the rubber side down.

4x Training...and pics....

2008-01-30T19:53:00.000-08:00

So I got up to the 4x track at Fontana and really made a huge leap in my abilities but mostly in my confidence. The skills are there and with more confidence the skills are coming to the surface. It's a really awesome feeling to flow the jumps nice and smoothly and to even carry some speed. I got crossed-up a couple of times but never went down so I felt good. I'd like to hit it one more time before the 9th but now my focus is going to be doing some hills on the FSR. As Allison has said, only more hills will make me better. It'll hurt but I hope it'll help even with such a short time between now and the next race. Besides secretly I really wanna go on one of those death rides with Justin and Allison and actualy be able to hang!!!

So here are some pics that were posted by Sharky and DavidB from over at STR as well as a couple of pictures from Eric Foltz photography.

This is DavidB, sitting and Maxwell from STR before the SuperD run. (Pic by Sharky)

This pic is of me on the upper section of the 4x course. (Sharky got this one)
This is the XC race, and if you ask me I almost look like I know what I'm doing. (Eric Foltz Photography)
A second shot of the XC race. (Eric Foltx Photography)
This is a shot from my first XC race that I really liked and order a print so I can frame it and put it up on the wall next to my race number. (Eric Foltz photography)
I just wanted to add that Eric Foltz Photography was a great little company to deal with. His race photo's are great and are decently priced. I think it took all of three days to get the print to me and the web pics were sent the next day. Very nice.

Another race is in the books...

2008-01-26T18:03:00.000-08:00

I completed my second race and it was fun. I didn't do as well as I would've liked but I think that I got into my own head on this one. Also, I don't think I trained enough leading up to the race with a 7 day break in between rides. I came in last in my class but did improve on my time by 50 seconds so that was sweet. I had it in my head that I wouldn't be able to clean certain hills and sure enough I didn't. I needed a more positive outlook and I think a bit more riding would've helped. So my goal over this next two week break is to ride more, and on top of that more HILLS.

In more uplifting news, I raced my first 4x race and while I came in 5th or 6th out of 6 and I only got to run one run it was a blast and I think I'm a bit hooked. I'll need to upgrade the Chameleon a bit and most assuredly I need to buy a bit more protective equipment but I think I've been bitten by the 4x bug.

The folks over at STR got some great pictures of the day and I'll be uploading images as soon as they post them. So all in all not quite the results I was hoping for today but I do love the atmosphere and camaraderie which made for another great day!

2008-01-18T17:32:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I raced and I had an awesome time, here are som pics of the race courtesy of Sharky on STR. It rocks to see the even in pictures.

Here I am hanging out at the finish line (I'm smiling because I'm done!)

Here I am at the Finish line in what would eventually become 8th place out of 12 with a time of 1:00:27. (It was just over an 8 mile course)

Here I am clearing a rock section on the Super D course:

And the top of the above rock section:

That's it for now. It was a pretty awesome day and I'm pretty sure I'll get to ride at race #2 on the 26th. I'm hoping for a bit fresher legs and not getting lost this time will hopefully help me get a slightly better time. 55 minutes anyone? Here's hoping!

What's a Brick??

2008-01-16T19:15:00.000-08:00

Wel I'm gld you asked, a Brick is Triatholonese for a run/bike sesssion one after the other. Why do I know this???? Well one of my long term goals (very long term right now) is to complete a Tri. I think it would be fun and would really push me. So today I tried it out. I started with a 17 mile ride that hit some of the bigger hills in the area. I rode down Clinton Kieth (from Santa Rosa) over to Nutmeg and then up Nutmeg to Clinton Kieth I just reversed course after this. The rides up the two hills were good ones with Clinton Kieth being the most difficult. I did my best to keep the speed up but the Allez is really not set-up for climbing like it could be. I suppose though that this is alright since it means I really have to push the big gear. I did this ride in 1 hour and 10 minutes which wasn't bad with the climbing involved.

After the ride I changed into a new shirt and ran the Adobe trail in the reserve. This is a 4.4 mile loop that is fairly flat. I just purchased new trail running shoes and would you believe I forgot to change into them!!!! Yep I ended up running in my old Nikes that I use for everything. They actually held up pretty well and I suffered no knee issues although I did nearly role my ankle at one point. I do thing I may need to invest in a little hip sack to hold my cell phone and or keys or perhaps a snack as I plan on pushing my running a bit more after the Southridge Winter Series. All in all I felt pretty good and finished the run in 40 minutes which brings down my mile time to about 9 minutes. I am really stoked about that. Another two minutes and I'll be happy....that means more intervals!!!!!! Now the only thing left to complete a Tri (besides losing about 20 more pounds!!!!!! To get to 185pounds...as if) is to work on my swimming. Whew I wonder when that might happen! For now I'll concentrate on running and my riding...more riding....

I had two BBQ Chicken Sandwiches at Carl's Jr. with Kelly and then came home, surfed STR (how odd) and then was inspired by 2Wheelee to take the Chameleon out. I kept the seat lowered went down a little dirt road and threw together a couple of jumps and what amounted to a wall ride. It was pretty fun and got my hear rate up and exercised some muscles I'm not used to using. I'm really thinking of running the 4x race on the 26th instead of the Super D.

I think that about sums up my one day off this week. Roughly three hours of exercise for the day and besides the Carls' Jr. not a bad eating day. I'm stoked and pleasantly tired. With the boss coming back into work tomorrow I'll need all the rest, relaxation and happy memories of running/riding I can get tomorrow!

'till I write again, keep the rubber side down!

My first race is in the bag...

2008-01-13T15:44:00.000-08:00

So I completed the Southridge XC race #1 as well as the Super D. I had a blast, it was absolutely the best time and opened up a whole new world of mtn biking to me. I'm so happy that I've though ahead and set aside a few more Saturday's to race. I am already thinking about the race on the 26th and looking for ways to do better. Just want to say thanks to all of the STR gang that was there. It was a great time. I placed 7th out of 12 riders in the Beginner 35-44 class w/a time of 1:00:27 and 7th out of 13 on the Super D race with a time just over 13 minutes. My goal had been to finish the XC race in at least an hour or less and I'd say I did just that, especially since I lost about 3 or 4 minutes on a wrong turn. So next race I'm hoping to cut at least 2 minutes off of my time. The other issue that slowed me down a bit was the 50 miler two days earlier. I thought my legs were doing okay but it was pretty evident to me early on that they were a bit weaker than I originally thought, nothing huge but I might've been able to shave another minute off with fresher legs. So on the 26th my goal is to complete the race in like 57 minutes. We'll see how I do. For now though I am basking in the glory of being an XC racer even if only a beginner!

MY FIRST 50 MILER....

2008-01-09T14:18:00.000-08:00

So today was a ride day and with my first race only three days away I wanted to get a decent ride in. I started out at the corner of Scott and Antelope in Murrieta and just rode. Well next thing I know I'm up in Perris and still feeling pretty good. At Nuevo I had been riding for about an hour but my legs felt great so I pushed forward. A little voice in the back of my head was saying, 'Hey you could ride to the 60 freeway!' You know I really need to stop listening to that guy.....but I did listen and before long there was the 60 freeway. 1 hr and 45 min. to get to the 60 and then I basically retraced my steps throwing in a few more twists and turns so that it didn't get boring. I will admit that I was hurting pretty good coming down Newport to Antelope and had to really talk myself into pushing on. It was a great ride though and I while I was HUNGRY at the end of the ride I resisted the urge to eat at the Del Taco I had parked next to. So other than being hungry and having a pair of sore knees I feel pretty great. What did I eat, you ask, well I ate a couple Tuna Sandwhichs and some Mac and Cheese. Not bad really. BTW, weight at the start of the ride 206.5, weight at the end of the ride 202.5....Sweet!

New ride...

2008-01-08T16:09:00.001-08:00

Yep I completed my collection of bikes today with a new XC ride. I now have an AM/lite FR bike in the Heckler, a 4x AM/Lite FR HT with the Chameleon, a decent roadie with the Allez Elite and now a good XC bike with the Specialized FSR XC Pro. All done up in Specialized red and white.

After much searching, questions and research I dumped the 29er idea as well as the possibility of getting a gravity rig and just went with what I know and probably ride the most of and that's XC. I pretty stoked about it and will probably race it this Saturday and Southridge.

In other news I got run #2 in yesterday, only 38 runs left in 08!!! It was a great short run in which I went all out and got my mile time down to like 11 minutes. Not the best I know but I think it's pretty good for a 205 pound guy who does not run full time and until about 3 years ago hated running.

So after getting the bike I now need to upgrade to clipless pedals and some decent riding shoes. I also need and I mean I really NEED a new pair of running shoes because the NB's I'm running in now have been used for 3 years solid. We'll see what the tax man can do about those problems.

Run # 1

2008-01-04T19:46:00.001-08:00

Wow with all the STORM talk on the radio here in SoCal I never would've thought I would get the chance to run....BUT...the storm hasn't really shown up....yet, so I got out and ran for about 55 minuts. It wasn't a bad run and I felt pretty good although my quads were hurting pretty good. I ran through Lake Skinner on the main road's nice soft shoulder. The dirt couldn't have been better to run in. Nothing huge except the climb from Whittier to the main gate was a good one and I felt great that I didn't walk the whole time.

So I figure if I'm shooting for 104 rides in 2008 I'll shoot for 40 runs as well. that should keep me on my toes for the year and will hopefully keep me from slacking to much.

Ride # 1

2008-01-03T20:06:00.000-08:00

Yep that's right, ride # 1 of the new year. It was a pretty sweet little ride through some trails that I didn't know existed within like 10 minutes of my place. I just wanted to go and ride and not worry about where, how long, or how many miles. Just go ride like I used to do when this area was new to me. Just get out there and pedal and see where this or that trail took me. It wasn't the SCST or the Fully Loop or Sylvan Meadows...it was just Some Trail in Those Hills Behind my House! If I wanted to right I went right and boy did I find some seriously tough trails. I did nearly a 20 minute hike-a-bike through some nasty rutted trails that had seen far too many 'throttle twisters' but that's alright it was a lung burner. The hardest part was to probably break the cycle of pushing the bike at every steep uphill. But as the song says 'what goes up must come down' and so I did and boy was it fun. Steep and technical so that it took more body English and bike finesse to get over, around and through the rocks, grabbing brush and sharp little S-turns. All in all it was an awesome time.

So why label it ride #1???? Well I had the goal of getting 52 rides in last year but really only started counting about July or so. Well this year I'd like to get 104 rides in. Mileage doesn't really count (although this evening in the shower I figured around 500 miles last year give or take a hundred) so just shootin' for the # of rides. So #1 down and only 103 to go.

On another Dirt Nerd front I think I will be entering my first XC race a week from this Saturday. It'll be race #1 of the Southridge Winter Series and while I don't expect to podium or do overly well it'll be my first race in nearly 12 years of riding. I'm stoked to be honest! All I have to do now is get the time off of work. I'll post the results and I think this might help me set some longer term goals for after the summer. (and yes the race will count as a ride towards my 103!) ;-)

Keep on spinnin' boys and girls.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-01-01T15:06:00.000-08:00

Well this is it, the first day of '08! I think this year may be a good one in terms of playing in the dirt. I've really gotten into doing my thang out in the dirt. I've made some friends at STR and gotten hooked up with some great rides recently. I'm really close to taking the plunge and buying the tent trailer I've been wanting for like 2 years and I might very well splurge and purchase a kayak...another item I've been wanting for more years than I can imagine. On top of that I hope to be doing some upgrade to the bike over the next several months. I see great things for 08 indeed.

I'm not one for new years resolutions so I won't take the time to really make any. However I do want to get in a week long road trip this year. I tried to do the Grand Canyon but that has not worked out so I'm looking at Moab now. I'm also shooting for at least 5 nights of camping this year. I know it doesn't seem like much but since I only have one night last year this is could be a big thing. I don't even care if its car camping or backpacking but it'd be cool if it was a mix of the two! I guess the only other thing I'd like to try this year is to participate in November 08's 12 hours of Temecula. I also will continue to run and plan on getting at least two good runs (5 miles for me right now) a month in for the entire year.

On the riding front, I got in a great ride Friday evening with some guys from STR over at Santa Rosa - Sylvan Meadows. It was pretty fun and I felt really strong on the bike. We rode for just over an hour and I did some trails backwards from my usual route. The backwards route turned out to be almost as much fun if not more than the route I normally take which was cool. I helped another guy out who was having a harder time than myself and I practiced some of my 'berm' riding which really kept the flow up through the little up & down hilly section. Good area, good people, good bike = AWESOME RIDE!

No pictures from this ride but I'll try to get some pictures posted in my next post. Hope everyone has a great and safe New Year. Keep the rubber side down.

Its been a while hasn't it!!!???

2007-12-26T14:13:00.001-08:00

First off I just wanted to wish everyone a belated Christmas. I hope that Santa was good to everyone. It was a rough week for the family with the flu ripping through us like a hot knife thru butter. We've all spent about a day or two on the disabled list. Not fun.

On the dirt front three weeks ago I got to ride the San Clemente Single track with some guys from STR which was killer. Met some nice guys and found some really sweet singletrack that I will most assuredly go back to. Then last Monday I met up with some more great guys from STR over at Southridge. I got to ride my first 4x course which rocked. I watched them make some cool jumps and ride a bit of the DH section there. It wasn't a lot of riding per se but all afternoon on or around the bike which was fun. I probably should've brought the Chameleon and not the Heckler but it was still fun. I even got a new skid lid and some sweet 661 knee pads.

Less dirt but still riding I went out this morning (I probably shouldn't have since I was down with the stomach flu on Monday and not feeling nearly 100% yesterday...just couldn't help myself!) I drove over the Albertsons at the corner of Murrieta Road and Newport and rode from there to Diamond Valley Lake (DVL). It was a rough beginning to a ride. I felt off and was riding into a slight head wind. My legs felt like Spaghetti but I pushed on anyway. It felt food to think up a ride and make the destination. I rested for a minute or two at DVL and then started back. For some reason I really got a second wind and just felt a lot better. I hammered pretty good and forced my pace for a decent stretch. It was really awesome. The ride out to DVL lasted about 58 minutes and the ride back to the car lasted about 45 minutes. Pretty cool.

So I'm feeling the itch again to ride and love how some of the winter gear I bought recently really helped this morning. The temp was in the low 40's and while I was cold it was tolerable. I think now that I'm going to be able to get out a bit more on both the road and the mtn bike. It's been tough with my new schedule at work (all openings) and the cooler temps.

Last but not least it looks like I might end up getting a bit of cash to purchase another bike but I am undecided as to which one to get....not brand per se but style. Do I get a XC bike or a longer travel freeride/DH bike. Part of me wants to get an XC bike and rebuild the Bullit....hmm decisions, decisions. It'll be fun to decide and see if I can find a really good deal somewhere!

The picture here is of me on the rock wall that Destroyer and Ricky built at Southridge. Its one of the first shots of me actually riding a mtn bike. I have a couple others that I'll try and post later.

Rain...Rain...go away...

2007-12-09T18:44:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a while since I've posted so I thought I'd put a little plug in here. Its been a rough week for exercising in general and biking in particular. With babysitters being sick, a change in my work schedule and doctors appointments theres been no time for me and my pedals. I've been feeling it too with the legs being a little jittery and just a bit down in the dumps from the lack of action.

So today after I got home and checked my fantasy football team (I won the week) and to check on the stats of the Chargers (GO CHARGERS!!!) I decided I just needed to get out for a spin...BIG time. So I donned a bit of kit and took the Chameleon out for the sole purpose of finding something to pound off of. I remembered a couple of small jumps near my house so I went there first. It was nothing huge but still fun with a cool berm to rail around and enough confidence in my riding to do a quick cross up off of one of the small jumps. I even crashed which is always cool and good reason to get more gear!!!!!!

It wasn't a long ride, it wasn't a training ride but it was a FUN ride and that is exactly what I needed tonight. Here are some pics of the Chameleon as well as a post ride pic. Thanks for reading and keep the rubber side down.

The De Luz Loops...

2007-11-29T14:36:00.001-08:00

Well I knew I wanted to get in a good road ride this week and last night I started prepping for what has become my longest road ride to date. I had the bright idea of riding up Rancho California Road into De Luz and so this morning I started out at Back Alley Bikes in Wildomar off of Clinton Keith and made my down to Rancho California. It was a good beginning ride and the hill up and out of Temecula was crazy steep and FUN! It was hard work but after riding the whole thing with no stopping and no walking it was very gratifying. The ride continued on and I saw some new sites and in general had a great time. I turned down Comancho (I think) and road over to Los Gatos. Now there is a scary steep street. The guys at Redhawk Cyclery told me this afternoon that Los Gatos is like 27% grade so needless to say I did walk that section. The rest of the ride was a blast as it was mostly downhill and again FUN!

On another note I tried some gel packets today (Strawberry/Banana) and was impressed with both their taste as well as the results of taking them. I felt great the whole ride and really didn't bonk the whole ride. I also tried the Chocolate Chip Clif Bar and was also impressed with that. So all in all it was a great morning off riding followed by a nice hour long visit to the bike shop where I got some nagging questions answered (Like it's gonna cost me a pretty penny to get a true XC rig and that the 12 hour event at Vail is doable with some good support).

So it was a good weekend (my weekend at least) of riding and I only really need to do a little 2 mile run on Saturday to feel like I had a good week of exercising. Hope every one has a great real weekend. Keep the rubber side down y'all.

I tried....I really did...

2007-11-28T14:45:00.000-08:00

I went for a good hard run on Monday morning that included, for the first time, two 60 second hill sprints. They were tough but fun, however I was really feeling the amount of running/riding I had been doing the previous week and knew my body needed a couple of days off. So I told myself that on Tuesday and Wednesday I'd take it easy by staying away from excercise...btw i also did some gym work on Monday after the run (45 minutes worth).

Well I did okay Tuesday but today I just couldn't take it. I was pacing around the house which inevitably led to getting on the internet which in turn landed me here at my blog which then led to all of the mtn bike blogs I've saved. So there I sat waiting for a lunch date with my wife to arrive. That was fun as always but then I was faced with two hours of more waiting (for the girls to get out of school) soooooo I couldn't take it anymore and hopped on the Heckler.

What was suppose to be a nice easy 45 minutes of so of spinning turned into 90 minutes of riding some unknown and not always there trails that was 50% bushwacking. Thank goodness for the toughness of the Heckler. It was a pretty cool ride, with a few hike-a-bike sections since there really wasn't a trail. I had been debating on whether or not to ride the Chameleon but I'm glad I stuck with the Heckler for this one.

All of this leads me to wonder though how people like Mary at Siren bikes and her friends can ride for 8 hours! My max is probably 2 hours although I've never pushed myself past that since most of the time I either don't have the time or don't know how to link that much dirt in this area. I think it'd be epic and totally awesome to be able to do that and am wondering how to start even thinking about that. Neither of my bikes though could be considered 8 hour ready though. The Heckler perhaps but I was looking at the pictures from Mary's last blog and a couple of them are riding FULLY rigid bikes!!!!! Makes me feel like a total wuss. lol

So now I'm wondering what it'd take to get a bike that could be ridden like that. A true XC bike that I could use to eventually ride for 8 hours or....better yet...ride in a 12 hour or 24 hour event either as a team or solo. I'm really thinking that next year i could probably get the weekend off to ride in the last 12 hours of Temecula series. That would be pretty awesome and give me a goal to start working towards. My Grand Canyon trip would be my first epic little adventure in April followed by training for the 12 hours of Temecula. hmmmm That's a pretty good idea.

Well I have children to pick up so I'm off. I need to get a lighter camera than my digital Rebel so I can some shots of my rides and really spruce up my blog a bit with pictures. Take care all and keep the rubber side down!

Who needs an energy drink....

2007-11-24T16:44:00.000-08:00

When you can get out and ride who really needs to worry about some new sports fad? I mean I got home from work this afternoon at nearly 3:15, I was beat but the kids and the wife were all out watching "Enchanted" so the house was quiet. I stood in the middle of the living room frozen, the couch calling my name, the TV was practically flickering on as I stood there but from somewhere deep in the house came another voice! I walked into my office to put away my gear and there was my Chameleon, how could I refuse!? So I ignored the couches sweet siren call and suited up for a ride. I knew that it'd be a shorter ride and I wasn't trying to train (for what I'm not sure) and I wasn't trying to see how long I could stay out.

I just wanted to RIDE!

So I threw a leg over my HT and off I went. I felt like a kid again hitting every curb I could summon the energy to jump off. I can only imagine what my neighbors were thinking (of course they're probably used to it by now! lol). I hit dirt and off I went. It's a bit of a small frame for good XC riding but i lowered the Tora 302 fork as low as it would go and dug deep here and there to clear a few uphills I probably couldn't have ridden on the Heckler. When I got near the end I extended the Tora again and flew home jumping everything I could, heck I even impressed a couple of 12 year olds on BMX bikes. I laughed as I bunnied a football lying in the street.

So now here I sit with a grin from ear to ear and happily sitting in sweaty riding gear full of energy and ready to get the evening chores done. The kids should be home soon and all will be right with the world. Yep who needs an energy drink when you can ride! Take care all and keep the rubber side down!

Turkey Day Run...

2007-11-22T11:01:00.000-08:00

Well I couldn't quite afford the time to get out for a good long Turkey Day ride with anyone so I comprimised and went spent about 50 minutes on the dirt trails around the homestead. I also squeezed in a 40 minute workout in the ol' home gym. It felt good to get out and the morning has been absolutely beautiful. Running is not nearly as fun as riding but it's not a bad substitute and it does a good job of keeping the knees from getting to sore from riding constantly.

Also just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone is having a great day and that everyone returned from their rides/runs healthy.

Piece of Wisdom for the Day:
Life is better lived than conseptualized. - Bruce Lee

Two Rides in Two Days...

2007-11-20T12:09:00.000-08:00

So with Thanksgiving coming up and only two days off i figured my time for riding would be a bit cut back so I decided to give two decent rides in two days shot. Yesterday I took the road bike out. I packed up for work, dropped the kids off at the sitters and hit the road. I rode for about 10 minutes shy of two hours at about a 15 mile an hour pace. I started out at the Barnes and Noble in Temecula, went down Winchester to Nicholas to Medusa and then left on a street I don't know the name of which got me all the way around to DePortolla. I took Deportolla instead of the 79 because there only stop signs (I feel less guilty about running stop signs) and not stop lights. I did eventually swing down to the 79 and then onto Old Town. I took Jefferson all the way down to Murrietta Hot Springs up over Hot Springs to Margarita and then back to Barnes and Noble. It was a good ride that really got me in a good mood for my 8 hours at the park. I can't believe how good it feels to ride and am really stoked that I found road riding. It really is more fun than I originally thought and has boosted my overall fitness ten fold.

So my second ride was this morning and was a 65 minute mountain bike ride on my Heckler. I've been sort of jonesing for a new XC ride but I am totally in love with that Heckler. It just rocks, it'll ride over just about anything. I am taking some advice from a couple of the British Mountain Bike mags and making some small tweaks just to see what happens. I played with one of the controls on the Fox front fork and I think for my next ride I'm going to move the saddle forward about 1/4" or so. I felt like I was riding on the nose of the saddle. Anyways, this ride was a variation of what most of the locals call the Nursery Ride in Murrieta. I don't really do the traditional version 'cause I'm riding it from the Farm in Wildomar. There's a couple of really good climbs on this side of the ride and a couple of pretty fun gentle downhill runs. I've done this ride a bit faster in the past but considering I rode for nearly two hours yesterday I think I did pretty good.

So besides being a bit saddle sore I'm feeling pretty good. I close again tonight at the park and I'm sure I'll hit a wall at about 9:00 it is Friday for me so I just have to push on till 10 and get the heck out for a nice weekend of family.

In other news (still mtn bike news though) I'm really stoked about finding some great on-line communities and the possibility of hooking up with some other riders from the area. There may be a ride on Dec. 5th but I'm not sure if my fitness and skill level will let me ride with them and another guy wants to ride over at Vail to show me around which would be great. Unfortunately, he wanted to ride this week but my 'weekend' is full with a trip to the parents place and a promised day of family togetherness on Thursday (I'm not complaining though since we are NEVER home together for an entire day!)

Alright well this has been going on for long enough. I've gotta get dressed for work. Take care all. I'll post some pictures of my rides as soon as I have a bit o' time. Keep on Keepin' On.

Cool Stuff....

2007-11-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

You know I'm not sure which I love more, the outdoors or the gear that gets me there! I mean honestly I don't think I can stop cruising the internet for gear be it running gear, backpacking gear, hiking gear or bike gear. Right now I'm obssessing over bikes! Here's a perfectly good bike that I rode all over the place. It's ugly I know and I didn't pick the color (bought it used for an excellent deal) I beat the heck out of it for about a year and now it's lying in the laundry room devoid of parts (they're all on my Santa Cruz Chameleon which kicks butt itself...pics to follow). So this Bullit was two bikes ago (Just to prove to my wife what a gear whore I am I bought 2...yep 2 brand new bikes at the same time!). So now I have a hardtail for beating up, a dual suspension all mountain beauty (by the name Heckler) and now I'm looking for a possible pure XC ride for those road dires on dirt type rides. (Have I mentioned I also own a Specialized Road Bike? I'd have bought a Santa Cruze but they don't make their road bike anymore). So what is one to do with this disease? I mean it can be pretty bad...I did just spend like $800 on backpacking gear! Whew, I know I'm not the only one who has this affliction but man I work for the local government...one of these days I'm going tohave to find a cure for this...wait I know a trip to the local bike shop.....or maybe....REI could do the trick! ;-) Ride On folks!

History is a B**ch

2007-11-17T15:09:00.001-08:00

It's inceredible sometimes how our life can come around a bit us in the butt. My whole past, all of the little problems I had through school are slowly coming back to get me in the form of my two daughters. It's like bad karma or something. Here I am nearly 35 and at times not sure how to take care of myself and I'm trying to figure out how to raise my daughters self-esteem and deal with other unpleasant things. It's a bit over whelming that's for damn sure.

For those who care here is a picture of my three beautiful children. While it can be a bit rough raising these three can also be really rewarding at the same time. It's no wonder my sister-in-law doesn't want to raise kids!!

My quote of the day:

Shame and repentance are like upsetting a pot of water...If one will rectify his mistakes, their traces will soon disapear.

- "Hagakure", Yamamoto Tsunetomo

Another Day in paradise...

2007-11-13T10:39:00.000-08:00

Well it's Friday for me today and I can hardly wait to get it over with. Tomorrow I'm taking the family on a little trip to Disneyland and it should be a blast. The weather couldn't be more perfect for it and hopefuly we'll miss the Thanksgiving crowds. It's always a blast to hang with my girls. For those who don't know they're twins and 6 years old. I have found that at this age the world is so new to them and someplace like Disneyland is just magical. I remember before they were born I was pretty much done with the whole place but since I started taking them, its like experiencing it all over for the first time each time we've gone. It should be a blast.

My little nugget of wisdom;
"If we live our ives continually motivated by anger and hatred, even our physical health deteriorates."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Here's a picture

2007-11-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

I'm gonna give this a shot. This is at the end of my first backpacking trip in 10 years and my first solo trip EVER! It was an awesome one nighter to Little Round Valley on San Jacinto Mt.

Brand New

2007-11-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

My first blog, not bad for a 34 year old guy from SoCal. You'd have thought I would've started one before this. Actually, I'd like to thank a lady from backpacker.com who has a great blog and has inspired me to start one as well. I've never met her except through her blog yet she seems pretty cool and has on more than one occasion goten me off of my butt and outside for a run. Thank you Dirt Diva.

Well for now I guess that's about it. I'm off to play with the kids and get ready for work.