Thursday, April 29, 2010
Quick Update
I dropped 36.5 miles yesterday on the new grips and new Sidi shoes. Both we incredible!!!! My hands had little to no numbing like they did with the old grips and the shoes were like having my feet stuffed into two clouds! Obviously I'm feeling a little better now and I swear I was taking it easy yesterday, just got a little excited with the new gear! :)
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
New Grips for My Bike!!!!
Well, after getting drastic with the cold medicine I've finally been able to feel a tad better. I had to dive into the Sudafed that they keep behind the counter and have to write your name down for you to get. So far it's worked like a charm.
In other news, my new Sunline Big S grips arrived yesterday!!! They are really nice! My old/stock grips were thin and beat up and made my hands go numb after about 20 miles or so of riding. I'm investing in new grips and gloves to help with the hand issue. I also do the stretch and shake of the hands if they do go numb.
Installation of MTB grips these days is a breeze due to the lock-on mechanism most serious grips feature. I popped the old grips off and then slid the new ones on, however, the new grips have an integrated lock-into-grip on the inside of the bike and then another lock at the end of the bar. So I had to shift my brakes and shifters in a little to account for the extra space which was actually perfect. I was planning on cutting my bars down a tad and now I'm able to narrow my position just enough that I'll be even more comfortable for the endurance rides.
Below is the story you just read in pictures:
The package:
Old grips:
Inside lock:
Outside lock:
Naked bars!
Finished Installation:
In other news, my new Sunline Big S grips arrived yesterday!!! They are really nice! My old/stock grips were thin and beat up and made my hands go numb after about 20 miles or so of riding. I'm investing in new grips and gloves to help with the hand issue. I also do the stretch and shake of the hands if they do go numb.
Installation of MTB grips these days is a breeze due to the lock-on mechanism most serious grips feature. I popped the old grips off and then slid the new ones on, however, the new grips have an integrated lock-into-grip on the inside of the bike and then another lock at the end of the bar. So I had to shift my brakes and shifters in a little to account for the extra space which was actually perfect. I was planning on cutting my bars down a tad and now I'm able to narrow my position just enough that I'll be even more comfortable for the endurance rides.
Below is the story you just read in pictures:
The package:
Old grips:
Inside lock:
Outside lock:
Naked bars!
Finished Installation:
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Bloggin About Death
I found this article front and center on cnn.com this afternoon.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/27/blog.terminal.illness/index.html?hpt=C1
It went on to talk about how people are using technology to share their journey to the end of their lives after receiving a terminal diagnosis. I'm 100% for it. It truthfully gives me a face of any given disease instead of just being a word in a book. Diseases are not black and white, straight forward like the line in a medical book. Diseases have names and faces, the people with those diseases have dreams and goals. I think sharing those goals with people is a great way for those dreams to live on with the family and friends.
Just my thought for the day.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/27/blog.terminal.illness/index.html?hpt=C1
It went on to talk about how people are using technology to share their journey to the end of their lives after receiving a terminal diagnosis. I'm 100% for it. It truthfully gives me a face of any given disease instead of just being a word in a book. Diseases are not black and white, straight forward like the line in a medical book. Diseases have names and faces, the people with those diseases have dreams and goals. I think sharing those goals with people is a great way for those dreams to live on with the family and friends.
Just my thought for the day.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Feeling like crap.
I received the gift of a nice Spring cold from my girlfriend. I feel bad because she was pretty upset about getting me sick knowing how hard I've been working towards the Mohican 100. I had some short but higher intensity workouts this weekend to rest. Over coming these set backs will make crossing the finish line that much sweeter! :)
I'm still planning on hitting up the Grassman race this weekend. A brand spanking new course and part of the OMBC series. The weather is supposed to break on Tuesday and hopefully my cold will as well to get out and rock out a few days this week on the MTB.
New pieces and parts that will be reviewed in upcoming posts:
1. Sidi Dragon 2 shoes, I finally found Speedplay Frog replacement cleats for!
2. Sunline Big S lock-on grips - Black
3. Sigma Sport BC 2209 MHR - Cycle computer, HR monitor, Cadence, altitude and much more!
4. Marathon MTB tires - TBD
That's all for now, I'm going to bed!
I'm still planning on hitting up the Grassman race this weekend. A brand spanking new course and part of the OMBC series. The weather is supposed to break on Tuesday and hopefully my cold will as well to get out and rock out a few days this week on the MTB.
New pieces and parts that will be reviewed in upcoming posts:
1. Sidi Dragon 2 shoes, I finally found Speedplay Frog replacement cleats for!
2. Sunline Big S lock-on grips - Black
3. Sigma Sport BC 2209 MHR - Cycle computer, HR monitor, Cadence, altitude and much more!
4. Marathon MTB tires - TBD
That's all for now, I'm going to bed!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
What have I been up to???
Well...riding...a lot! I've trimmed down my schedule to focus more on the events I really want to do well in with the first big event being the Mohican 100. I had a ton of races on my schedule and I was all over the board with my training trying to fit the smaller events in. Like next weekend I'm racing at a new venue in the OMBC series but to me that race is for a few reasons other than winning.
1. I don't want the Mohican 100 to be my first race of the season, it will make me nervous.
2. Working on giving Harold (my MTB) a bit of a face lift and that will be a good venue to try some pieces and continue to get dialed in.
3. It will give me a good feel of my overall fitness for the 100 with 4 solid weeks to do something about any problems between now and then.
On the diabetes side, everything has been going great except my boluses from my insulin pump. With my activity being up my metabolism is up so the amount of insulin I take to cover the carbs I eat has been fluctuating a bit. In short I tend to go hypoglycemic after meals so I've had to dial down my insulin to carb ratio a bit.
Also, I stocked up on the foods I love to train with!!! Gatorade G2, low carb for the diabetes in me yet gives me the electrolytes I need! PowerBar Power Gels, just the right amount of boost for the evening rides and taste great! Strawberry Banana is my favorite! Finally, PowerBar TripleThreat bars, a great snack for longer rides and post-ride as well! The bars taste ridiculously good as well! Here's my stock for about two-weeks! Okay, well, the G2 is more like a months worth! :) It was on sale, what can I say!
1. I don't want the Mohican 100 to be my first race of the season, it will make me nervous.
2. Working on giving Harold (my MTB) a bit of a face lift and that will be a good venue to try some pieces and continue to get dialed in.
3. It will give me a good feel of my overall fitness for the 100 with 4 solid weeks to do something about any problems between now and then.
On the diabetes side, everything has been going great except my boluses from my insulin pump. With my activity being up my metabolism is up so the amount of insulin I take to cover the carbs I eat has been fluctuating a bit. In short I tend to go hypoglycemic after meals so I've had to dial down my insulin to carb ratio a bit.
Also, I stocked up on the foods I love to train with!!! Gatorade G2, low carb for the diabetes in me yet gives me the electrolytes I need! PowerBar Power Gels, just the right amount of boost for the evening rides and taste great! Strawberry Banana is my favorite! Finally, PowerBar TripleThreat bars, a great snack for longer rides and post-ride as well! The bars taste ridiculously good as well! Here's my stock for about two-weeks! Okay, well, the G2 is more like a months worth! :) It was on sale, what can I say!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Been too long, since I left you...
without a dope beat to step to. Sorry, need to get back to my blogging! BRB!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
100 Miles on a MTB in 9 hours
Here is some information on the race course that I will be tackling on June 5. I'm a little nervous but my training has been progressing along pretty well.
Mohican 100 NUE Race Map
Criss cross four counties, climb more than 11,000 feet and go toe to toe with the pros on this legendary ultra-endurance 100 mile loop in Northeastern Ohio. For more information, go to Mohican.net.
Source: GPX file
Distance: 95.7 mi (Change units)
Elevation: Total Gain: 8481 ft
Total Loss: 8458 ft
Net Change: 24 ft
Difficulty: 10 / 10
Mohican 100 NUE Race Map
Criss cross four counties, climb more than 11,000 feet and go toe to toe with the pros on this legendary ultra-endurance 100 mile loop in Northeastern Ohio. For more information, go to Mohican.net.
Source: GPX file
Distance: 95.7 mi (Change units)
Elevation: Total Gain: 8481 ft
Total Loss: 8458 ft
Net Change: 24 ft
Difficulty: 10 / 10
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
New Shoes, Thank You Sidi!!!!
The shoes from Sidi have finally arrived! I'm the proud owner of a pair of Sidi Dragon 2 shoes. Now if only I had enough sense to get my Speedplay cleats while I was waiting on the shoes. Doh!!! Here are some pics of the new guys, I'll take some more pics as I set up the cleats and give them the first spin. For starters, they fit great and are incredibly comfortable. Here are some other features:
1. Adjustable heel cup - no more sliding around back there when torquing up a hill!
2. Toe Guard - wouldn't want to ruin the beautiful Italian leather...oh...or break my toe! :)
3. Ratchet closure strap with single click loosening - meaning when you over-tighten your shoe and you hit the release on the strap, normally you pop a few clicks out. This set-up allows you to loosen one click at a time to stay dialed in.
4. Rebuilable sole - that's right! 100% rebuildable for years of use.
5. Free! Oh did I mention that these were won in a writing contest??? I did not have to pay the MSRP $450 for these fine Italian shoes! :)
1. Adjustable heel cup - no more sliding around back there when torquing up a hill!
2. Toe Guard - wouldn't want to ruin the beautiful Italian leather...oh...or break my toe! :)
3. Ratchet closure strap with single click loosening - meaning when you over-tighten your shoe and you hit the release on the strap, normally you pop a few clicks out. This set-up allows you to loosen one click at a time to stay dialed in.
4. Rebuilable sole - that's right! 100% rebuildable for years of use.
5. Free! Oh did I mention that these were won in a writing contest??? I did not have to pay the MSRP $450 for these fine Italian shoes! :)
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