I guess it's kinda like riding a bike...

As most of you, I have been in "official" training mode in one form or another since January rolled around. Being on a team this year has brought me to the point of really trying to organize and document my weekly/monthly plans (like I did when I raced back in the 90's), but I've had a problem getting it all down on paper as I did so well my first time around. So (GASP) I've been riding and cross training as I mentally seen fit for this time of year without having it all mapped out ahead of time. This hasn't sat well with me, so I've decided to take advantage of being in a class for work and using the down time (lunch/breaks etc) to get it all ironed out and put down on paper. The thing that I appreciated after I began this process is what I was doing for these first 6 weeks of the year has closely mirrored what my training bible suggests. So I guess (to a point) training is like riding a bicycle, and you never really forget. I think it helped that origonally (read 1990s)I was so methodically organized in my planning. A lot of it in this part of the training year is second nature. SO some of the pressure is off. :) Not that I'm not going to follow thru and write it all out, because I enjoy going back to my old journals to see how things progressed each year.

Allez
Ray

song of the day...

It's quiet now and what it brings is everything
Comes calling back a brilliant night I'm still awake

I looked ahead I'm sure I saw you there
You don't need me To tell you now
That nothing can compare

You might have laughed if I told you
You might have hidden A frown
You might have succeeded in changing me
I might have been turned around

It's easier to leave than to be left behind
Leaving was never my proud
Leaving New York, never easy
I saw the light fading out

Now life is sweet And what it brings I tried to take
But loneliness It wears me out It lies in way

And all not lost Still in my eyes
The shadow of necklace Across your thigh
I might've lived my life in a dream, but I swear
This is real

Memory fuses and shatters like glass
Mercurial future, forget the past
It's you, it's what I feel.



You might have laughed if I told you (it's pulling me apart)
You might have hidden a frown (change)
You might have succeeded in changing me (it's pulling me apart)
I might have been turned around (change)



It's easier to leave than to be left behind (it's pulling me apart)
Leaving was never my proud (change)
Leaving New York, never easy (it's pulling me apart)
I saw the light fading out

You find it in your heart, it's pulling me apart
You find it in your heart, change...

I told you, forever
I love you, forever
I told you, I love you
I love you, forever
I told you, forever
You never, you never
You told me forever


You might have laughed if I told you
You might have hidden the frown
You might have succeeded in changing me
I might have been turned around

It's easier to leave than to be left behind (it's pulling me apart)
Leaving was never my proud (change)
Leaving New York never easy (it's pulling me apart)
I saw the life fading out (change)

Leaving New York, never easy (it's pulling me apart)
I saw the light fading out (change)
Leaving New York never easy (it's pulling me apart)
I saw the life fading out (change)

love the snow

I was out running with my gal a couple nights ago. Most of the roads and sidewalks were shoveled, but when we got to a stretch of snow covered sidewalks I remarked how much I enjoy a good long run thru snow covered trail or road. Theres something about the crunch of snow under your feet that make an ordinary run a pretty cool and sometime challenging experience. I've grown especially fond of the runs in the forest. The silence of a snow covered forest is really serene on a weekend winter morning. So we've been hit with a foot of it (snow) in one day, so right now I'm in shovel mode. lol, but maybe some cross country skiiing is in my future? If I'm not too sore from all this shovelin LOL
allez!
Ray

Mitchell is cool

As many of you readers know LOL, I had thought my car was going to be in the junkyard, and I would be RELUCTANTLY forced to have a new car payment . What happened is nothing short of a blessing. My neighbor Mike rebuilds hotrods, and he said he would look at it. Not only did he look at it, but comparison shopped for the best price on parts, and did the work. Last night I drove out of his garage with the Saturn running better than it probably has in YEARS. I'm amazed and grateful for his kindness. Yes I'm sure he enjoyed working on it (because it's one of his hobbies) but I can't think of any other person that would have done what he did for me. I'm grateful to have him as a friend. So 2 grand is much better than a car payment, I'm mobile again, and I don't have a new car payment which = money for cycling gear etc.
Thanks Mike, you ROCK!
Ray

how you doin?

I've been literally amazed at my recent string of reaquainting with highschool and more recently (and more exciting) grammar school friends thru Facebook. It's actually real cool, until I start doing the math as to how long it's been since those days. Age is relative right? Maybe it's an illusion? YEAH that's it.... I'd be lying if I didn't say I had mixed feelings about time, and how much has passed.
Time for some lyrics!
Better take care

Think I better go, better get a room
Better take care of me
Again and again
I think about this and I think about personal history

Better take care
I breathe so deep when the movie gets real
When the star turns round
Again and again
He looks me in the eye says he's got his mind on a countdown 3-2-1

Forever
I'm screaming that I'm gonna be living on till the end of time
Forever
The sky splits open to a dull red skull
My head hangs low 'cause it's all over now
And there's never gonna be enough money
And there's never gonna be enough drugs
And I'm never ever gonna get old

There's never gonna be enough bullets
There's never gonna be enough sex
And I'm never ever gonna get old
So I'm never ever gonna get high
And I'm never ever gonna get low
And I'm never ever gonna get old

Better take care
The moon flows on to the edges of the world because of you
Again and again
And I'm awake in an age of light living it because of you
Better take care
I'm looking at the future solid as a rock because of you
Again and again
Wanna be here and I wanna be there
Living just like you, living just like me
Forever
Putting on my gloves and bury my bones in the marshland
Forever
Think about my soul but I don't need a thing just the ring of the bell in the pure clean air

And I'm running down the street of life
And I'm never gonna let you die
And I'm never ever gonna get old
And I'm never ever gonna get
I'm never ever gonna get
I'm never ever gonna get old
And I'm never ever gonna get
And I'm never ever gonna get
Never ever gonna get old

spatial geometry

Do you know what I discovered today? That 3 to 4 hours outdoors on the snow hardened trails of Palos in cold temps is less than or equal to 1 hour in the pain cave. Thank God for weekend rides! I am one with the world at the moment :)
allez...
Ray

The pain CAVE baby...

I love that phrase and have to admit to ripping it off from somebody else...   I'm refering to the basement along with the rollers that might be as old as you LOL, Windtrainer, a treadmill, and even a completely refurbished (by me) Nordic Trac. So I've added posters to the wall... Let's see there's the one of Lemond holding his son after beating the most reverent FIGNON, by 8 seconds. Moment of silence please.............................................. It's there for the symbolism of a dad who loves his kids and is also a bike racer. NOT that I forgive Lemond for beating Fignon.
I've got the prerequisite Colnago  posters with Rominger breaking the Hour record with our most holy Ernesto track side, A nice Davis Phinney Serotta ad from 1991(autographed of course) by almost the whole Coors Light 'team, I've got My Team Specialized poster (no doubt complete with Ned Overend's sig). I even have the one and only Eddy Merckx (YES with his autograph) respectfully displayed in all it's glory and given to me by my long time cycling confidante Otto from Otto'sCyclery :)
There is a Chicago marathon poster with my Boston Marathon entry for running inspiration.To top it off a nice Mark Allen(and Dave Scott) autographed poster for inspiration in all things aerobic... There's a VCR I just rehooked up for the nice collection of races from when the greatest riders of all time rode in back in the 90's. Ballerini and Musseuw dominating Paris Roubaix, and a health dose of Indurain's DOMINATION. Lastly, theres the Steve Vai fan to cool us off, and provide the rock star look if needed. You know why I have all this?? Because its the frickin' Pain CAVE BABY!, and ya gottta have something to occupy your mind when riding, running or WHATEVER for hours at a time.
ALLEZ!
Ray