Roll'n, roll'n, roll'n . . . .

I've been sick since Sunday - just plain worn down and tuckered out. Having a full-time poop machine and fart knocker enter our lives has really thrown me for a loop. The long stay at the hospital, irregular sleeps, new stress, change of schedule and super duties (also including Super Dooties) have cracked me.

What I'm learning is that I have to better manage my time. So, just because I'm sick doesn't mean that I can't do anything. While mommy fed Elsa I kept them company by stretching and rolling out my legs.

My two new favourite tools for helping me feel better are a six foot piece of rope and my massage roller. Recently, while dealing with a sensitive hamstring issue, an A.R.T. therapist showed me some really excellent active stretching techniques for my legs. He also suggested using a foam roller after workouts and stretching to help flush out and lengthen the muscles. I've been doing both for a few weeks now and my legs do feel much better and more flexible. What I notice most about the roller is how well it helps with recovery after a ride.

My roller is bad ass black - muscles are more scared of a black roller cause it looks so evil and bad and naughty.

**After writing this up I realized that I could have done this as a naked review!

Stan's Booger

I was working on the bikes Sunday and decided to swap out my dry Fall tires for a wet'ish Spring single track tire on my Stan Arches. I carefully pulled off the tires that I was running in the Fall, half expecting that the sealant would be semi dried up - however, it was not at all. And the tires were still sealed and holding pretty much the same pressure I had been running in them last - impressive!

So I go about cleaning the tires out, I pour out the old sealant and I find this stuck on
the bottom of the inside of the tire . . . .

It looks like a tiny piece of coral from a reef . . . . or a big white booger.

Booger I say.

I'm not convinced . . . .

. . . . that I can put this away yet.

Despite the outside riding, warmer temperatures and melting snow we always get a big dump of snow in March. I did see my first robin sitting on my fence on Sunday though . . . . fingers crossed for an early Spring.

Poopies, sleepies, Leafies and wrenchies

With having a baby everything you say and do must for now and forever be all cutsie wootsie. So from here on out all my blog post titles will end in "ies".

Was supposed to head out on this ride today, however, lack of sleep and on-the-go'ness has caught up to me and I am starting to get sick from being run down. I opted to listen to the body and take today off to rest and do some baby duty.

Baby dooty indeed!

My rear tire went KAAAA-PLOOOOO-EEEEEE during Saturday's ride. This morning Elsa's bum did the same thing. Results are very different.

Best sleep ever - nappy while at the hospital. This should win me some "SNAG" and chick points (don't tell my wife).

Again, I never thought I'd be so tired. Babies are A LOT of work and I'm finding all my leisure time (blogging, reading blogs, working in the workshop, procrastinating, sending hate mail, plotting my eventual overthrow of the world, training for the Tour, learning new karate moves, and so on) disappearing. I shouldn't complain cause I've got a beauty of a baby and I'm still fitting the rides in and finding a few moments to blog-o-blog.

What's not to love?!

While Elsa dozed I slipped on these:

- which I believe was the reason why the Leafs beat Montreal last night, much to the chagrin of Lenny. Though out of the play-offs (sigh . . . . again . . . . sigh), it's fun to watch them spoil the Habs chances of moving on.


With riding outside so much lately I'm getting antsy to hit the trails. It'll be a couple weeks still I imagine before we're ready to roll on them. So, today I'm getting the Jabber ready for the season. The legs will be ready to spin the King 18T by then.

Kaaa-plooo-eeee curvy road ride

About 30 minutes into today's ride I flatted. Ran through a crack in the pavement the size of the Grand Canyon and KAA-PLOOO-EEEEEE! Tore right through the side wall. Didn't have a boot to patch it up, so I had to use a wee bit of electric tape (see below) that I had wrapped around my air cartridge.

Curvy Butt sitting on my wheel drafting. To draft off me is like sitting behind a barn door - I'm so big and fat.

Country side jaunt.

Curvy Butt . . . . and you ask me why I call him such a horrible name. See for yourself. Bodacious booty on him. Someone should really talk to him about his panty lines though. I would, but we just don't have that kind of relationship.

This is what my tire looked like after 100km. The electric tape held - looked like an awkward teenagers pimple by the end of it though. Lucky for me it didn't go KAA-PLOOO-EEEEE again.

**Late edit**

Curvy Butt just sent me this . . . . man, am I a keeper or what!?!

Climbing in my sleep

I've got lots of friends with kids. All the Dads warned me about sleep deprivation once I had my own. I've always smiled, felt bad for the suckas, and took their advice (or warning) with a grain of salt. Really, how bad could it be?! I don't sleep well as it is, so getting up through the night shouldn't be such a big deal.

Fugg me! I'm a chump. In the last two and a half days I've slept a grand total of 7 hours during the night. It's not that my new little itty bitty baby isn't sleeping during the night, cause she is - in-between feedings, diaper changes, burps and farts. And to go hand in hand with the expression, "sleeps like a baby", she does! Me on the other hand, takes me quite a while to get back to sleep, and follow the expression, "sleeps like a trucker hopped up on mountain due and pep pills." Also throw in regular visits by the nursing staff to check in on Chris (I'm sleeping at the hospital each night. . . . on a cot that not only folds in half vertically for storage purposes, but folds in half lengthwise while you sleep - it's really quite lovely and comfortable to be squished between to steel bed rails on a plastic coated foam mattress that has no support - really).

I've been able to get a way for a little escape the past few days while Chris' mom does the day shift. I got out for a great ride on Tuesday - high on the whole birthing process, I was flying. Wednesday I crashed and burned, sleeping instead of going for a ride. Today, I forced myself out the door to get some hill work in after a two hour nap.

Rode in a blurr today. Sunny, clear skies for the most part, but windy and much cooler than the past few days.

Notch Road.
High-ho, high-ho. It's off climbing I go.


Passed #15 trail - getting dirty, icy and run down. Still tonnes of snow left in the woods - will be weeks before the trails are ready.

Quick Pic

Elsa - big, beautiful, healthy baby

Thank you all for your well wishes and congratulatory (is that a word?) messages - very much appreciated. Mom and Ellie are doing great. The peanut is latching on to the boob like a pro and is eating and sleeping very well. Just home from the hospital for a quick nap, a ride, a shower then back with the family.

My little Big Ring

Elsa Jean arrived this morning at 2:05 am via C-section weighing in at a whopping 10lbs - a big, beautiful chubbsie wubbsie baby. She's perfect! Mom and baby are both happy, healthy and doing fine. Daddy is spent and going to sleep. More to come.

Kick'n it

Check it out . . . . pretty freaky . . . .

. . . . this baby wants out! What's he/she doing in there??
This little creature is very active in the evening. Chris caught him/her on the camera last night while laying on the couch.

**P.s. Still no baby! It's having too much fun on the trampoline, called Chris' bladder.

P.p.S.s. It's also Chris' BIRTHDAY today - Happy Birthday Chrissie! Love you!

Enduro'ish Race Series

I'm going to have to, yet again, re-evaluate my race plans for the season due to this new race series by Substance Projects:

Each Marathon and Half-Marathon will focus on “one big lap”. Get on your bike and experience an epic adventure through some of Southern Ontario’s best trails systems. All courses will keep you excited, motivated and inspired to ride at your personal best.

Our goal is to mix single track challenges (up and down) and double track/dirt roads to let you recover, pass and regroup for the next technical challenge.

Each Marathon will be approximately 70 km or have a goal time for first place of 3.5 to 4 hours.

Each Half Marathon will be approximately 30km and have a goal time of 2 hours for first place.

The first race of the series will be a little shorter with a goal time of 3 hours for the Marathon and 1 hour 30 minutes for the Half Marathon so that riders can recover from the climbing at Horseshoe Valley.

Doesn't mean less races, but MORE! Whoot! A couple Ontario Cups may get dropped and replaced by these. 70 km is more my kind of race. O-Cups are only about 1.5 hrs . . . . I'm just getting warmed up at 1.5 hrs into a race.

**Late edit: stilllllllllll no baby.

Getting Surgical

I had an appointment with Mary at Bike2Body last night to re-check my pedal stroke with a new computer program she's using that will accurately analyze and interpret the data she had done on my initial bike fit. It will more precisely measure the knee bend at the bottom of the pedal stroke.

I put new Crank Bros Quatro Ti pedals on the road bike at the end of the year (after it snowed - damn you snow!) and didn't bother to swap out my cleats and cleat platform. So with my appointment last night, I had to swap the old ones out.

I had to use my dremel on the shoe and cleat platform to make it fit. Not an issue and an easy fix. But in the words of Alonzo Harris . . .

Alonzo Harris: "You KNOW I'm surgical with this bitch."

And I am. Check out this sculpture of a cat I did a couple years ago. Didn't know I had that kind of talent, did you?!
Okay, it looks like a drunk grade three did it.

'member kids . . . when putting in screws into your shoes (ie. cleats) use some threadlock. Don't want your cleats coming out in the middle of a ride.

Ta da.

Goat

Recognize this guy?
Nope, it's not some 80's gay porn star checking his quaf in the mirror.
Look at them chops . . . . it ain't a Geoff Kabush impersonator either.

It's The Goat. He sent me this link to this photo. Maybe he's trying to say something to me . . . keep walking fella, I don't float that way. This time last year me and the Goat were back & forth on the interweb making ride plans for Big Ring Racing trip way down south to North Carolina for a few days of solid pre-season/early Spring riding. The trip isn't going to happen this year, for me anyway, for obvious reasons. No big deal . . . . . I guess . . . . . sigh.

*P.s. Still no baby.

Where the wild things ride

Poor old shoe cover - essential this time of year.

The first bit of wildlife I saw yesterdayay was when I showed up a Lenny's house and he answered the door. Leonard sat on my ass all day and made me do all of the work. I wasn't working for him though, nice easy low end endurance pace for me.

A big Beaver lodge.
Rode through the countryside and passed through some marshes out and around west Carleton.

A big osprey nest just across the road from the big beaver lodge.

Gobble gobble gee, gobble gobble goo. Let's eat turkey in a big brown shoe.

Some wild turkeys (bad, far away photo - they were big suckers!) - we counted about thirty - I was only able to get these.

Speaking of turkeys, our ride lead us past Scotia Bank Place, home of the Ottawa Senators (who in my opinion suck ass).

Right after taking this shot I bonked and bonked hard. I didn't eat enough in the morning and didn't eat anything all ride. Luckily Lenny lives fairly close to the arena. We rode for just over 2.5 hours and put down around 68km from what I can figure out. I still shouldn't have bonked though. Lesson learned. Two days of riding, not big miles, but a good little start (and early) to the year.


*P.s. Still no baby yet.

Two days of outside riding in a row - whoohaaa.

First Outside Ride of 2009

First off, nope - no baby news. Chris' belly grows bigger and bigger. Here baby, baby, baby.

Looks like she swallowed a beach ball.
Maybe tomorrow we'll be lucky.

March 7th, 2009 - First Outside Ride

I have to admit, I've been just a wee bit jealous of a few fellow bloggers as of late . . . and I'm not talking about the ones who live in exotic, hot places who can ride year round. I'm talking about some northern Yank blokes (clicky & clicky) who are able to actually get out and ride. These guys are not that far away geographically, but don't seem to be living in snow and cold that surrounds Ottawa. Even Matty is out riding on the road and he's living in a snow belt. Not only them, but Big Ring Racing's own Vegan Vagabond, is presently riding in the mountains and getting chased on the road by dogs down in South Carolina.

Luckily for me today offered a rare window of opportunity to get out and ride and shake off the cobwebs from spinning on the trainer in my basement for the past couple of months. I don't recall having a day this warm, this early in March in recent years.


Rest, schmest. With warm weather this early in March I'd have to be a fool (well, a bigger fool) not to ride. With the glorious return and excitement of outside riding comes the rejection of even possibly skiing again this season. Bah, me thinks me does not want to ski again this season.

I've had enough of skiing. I can't do it anymore. The desire to ski is gone. Might of had something to do with the crap conditions as of late and the even crappier grooming that Demsis has done this year - going to have to think twice next year about buying a seasons pass if they are in charge of grooming.

So early this morning, while thumbing my nose at winter, I waxed all the skis, packed up all my waxing tools, folded up the wax bench and cleaned up. After, like a kid getting ready for Santa to arrive laying out his Christmas sock, cookies and milk, I got all my bike stuff ready - tools, clothing, this and that . . .got it all set up real nice like. I'm ready to go. I just hope that I'm not premature . . . . which I am guessing that I probably am. Damn you winter!

I put a big heaping pile of prep wax on all my skis (if you don't do this your skis will oxidize over the summer and that is BAD) and put them away until next winter.

Glorious, glorious outdoor riding. Oh, how I have missed thee.
Half hour on the bike pedaling from home and out of the city puts me on country roads (cue John Denver). Beauty - no cars.

Every time I leave the house to do this route I expect it will be my last. Seems I get buzzed and have close calls whenever I ride in the city.
Fuggers.
However, today . . . no issues. Just wet, messy roads (the bike got a good wash down once at home).

I passed three roadies while out on the ride, two waved. Not bad . . . for Ottawa. Perhaps I was shunned by the one because I was wearing some non-descript & non-club-affliated cycling clothing. I don't get the roadie scene here in Ottawa. Most of them (and I do say "most", not all) have egos so big that they can't pull their heads out of their assess because they're too busy admiring how great they are.
What's wrong with a friendly wave? Are you moving that fast that you can't acknowledge a fellow rider. Fugg you. While riding in France this summer I got waves from everyone. A pro team (I'm assuming they were pro - all kitted up, pace car with team logos painted all over, a coach and a motorbike pacing them) passed and all waved and said hello. Maybe they recognized me from the Blog-0-sphere and said to themselves, "Sacre bleu! Zat must be zee one and zee only Big Ring. Oooo laaaa laaaaa!"
Maybe Ottawa roadies are too busy matching their tops and bottoms and shoe covers to spend time on the web surfing quality cycling blogs . . . such as mine.

Farm country.
It was warm enough to get away only wearing my Swobo hat - I bought it this year for my commutes to work throughout the winter. It's wickedly awesome to the max - merino wool is fantabulous. I took my balaclava though just in case I got chilled and it would come in handy if I felt like holding up a store on my way home. Nothing like a high speed chase on the bike for training purposes.


Just a touch over 60 km'ish, completed in just a wee bit over two hours.

Belly

Bet you were wondering if we (and when I say "we" I mean 'my wife') had our baby yesterday since I didn't post up anything yesterday. Nope. Not yet. Sorry.

The reason(s) for the Fat Bastard video above is two fold, just like his belly . . . . . hhahaha, sometimes I slay myself. First, he says "Baby" a lot - what can I say, I got baby on my brain. Second, he says "Get in my belly!", the exact opposite of what we want. Third, I like his Scottish accent, which has nothing to do with having this baby - unless it comes out wearing a kilt.

I hope my wife finds the humor in all of this and doesn't take it like I am comparing Fat Bastard to her . . . though she tells me daily she feels like a fat bastard. She looks great despite what she says or feels.

Stubborn and hammered

First bit of hump day (teeee heee heee, hump day) news: no baby yet. The little bugger is a lot more patient than I am. But then again, if I was all snuggly and warm and covered in goo having my food delievered to me, not having to work everyday I'd probably want to stay put too. So we'll be on our toes for the next week or so at any little pang that happens in the nether regions - and when 'I' say 'we' you know I really mean 'her'. Chris also got weighed yesterday, and without going into the numbers, let's just say that if she was the catch of the day, she'd be a trophy fish that take you a few hours to land . . . ."It was this big!!!!" (hands outstretched while saying it). The doctor said it was mostly all water (and an aprox. 8.5 lbs of baby!). When her water does break, you'll be able to surf the crest of the wave . . . . . Charlie don't surf!

Other news, I've been ordered off the bike for a wee bit. I've been seeing a massage/A.R.T. therapist for a few weeks about my troublesome left handstring and abductor muscle which has been bugging me since summer. I'm having issues with the muscle, but also the nerve in and around the area that's bugging me. Yesterday he turned my hammy to mush; I felt like he was using a meat tenderizer to work out the muscle.

The man with the hammer.

So a wee bit of down time, no big deal I guess. This was the last week of my base training anyway (not that I am following any sort of training regime, I know how much man of you out there love a structured training program . . . . isn't it funny that the people who say that they hate training, don't do it and 'just ride' are already fast!), and I have a rest week next week. I've been okay'ed to do some light spinning, but that's it on the bike. Hopefully this weekend is nice and the conditions are good to get out for some skate skiing.

Houston, we have lift off

I hope you can appreciate my spaced theme blog post - despite how lame my attempt seems.

Lift off indeed! Look what landed up on my doorstep this afternoon - Carbo Rocket.
Will it be my rocket fuel this season? Will it keep me from having warp speed cramping?
Keep tuned in for future satellite transmissions of taste test and review.
Over and out.

*Thanks Brad for sending it up!

John and Kate, Big Ring Hates

Does your wife or life partner (hey, I'm not judging you) watch 'John and Kate Plus Eight'? If you're a self respecting male with two testicles (even if you have one, like Lance), I guessing you don't watch. And if you are a 'closet watcher', I pity you fool. My wife is watching it as I type and loves it, hence me sitting in front of the computer while she watches the mundane and trivial reality show on raising kids. Perhaps it's my sub-conscious attempting to avoid the inevitable 'father hood' bullet at the last possible minute before the peanut arrives. OR, it's because the show sucks ass. I'm going with the latter.

Remember the prego poll last or so ago week regarding your prediction of the birth of the next generation of big ring? 42% of you said that Chris was going to be early, delivering a wee little girl. Today (March 3rd) is our due date. Well, it doesn't look good . . . unless in the next couple of hours (I'm typing this Monday evening around 10pm) things go pear shape, looks like it's not going to happen before the 3rd.

We're both very excited for the peanut to arrive. The past nine months have flown by and a lot has happened, whereas the last couple of weeks have slowly gone by with very little happening. Anticipation, anticipation. Boy? Girl? Doesn't matter at this point, as long as he/she is happy and healthy and good genetics to be a powerhouse cyclist that will dominate the sport.

Trilogy minus one hour

Trilogy means three works of art - usually in the form of visual or sound. I was looking to finish off the set. I came up short.

Got through a two hour trainer throw down ride after work today. T'was supposed to get three in, but I skipped out on the last hour . . . got hungry, too hungry and it was around supper time. What can I say, I'm only human.

That being said, I didn't get through all of the movie - will finish it off tomorrow. Shockstar commented on the blog with some good movie suggestions. I'm looking for something around three hours. Post up your suggestions.

M.I.A.

This is me on the trainer Sunday.

Really the blog post should read: Missing in Inaction.

My three hour-Lord of the Rings - training ride didn't happen yesterday. The Princess Diaries movie was on TV, so I watched that instead. Actually, what I really did all day yesterday was lay in bed and slept. I absolutely had no motivation or energy or focus to do anything Sunday . . . . maybe I'm still fighting this flue/cold thing.

I did do a two hour charity (Spread the Net) spin session Saturday with Kari at a gym though, so I got a little ride time in. Long ride is still planned, but will happen today after work, and yes, I will be watching the final Lord of the Rings movie.

Any suggestions for next weeks movie?

Achilles

My achilles heel . . . peanut butter. I have no defenses or strength to resist you. Your light brown creamy, nutty goodness makes my mouth water and my knees shake. Why do you tempt me with your sweetness? Can't you see that I am trying to lose weight. Why do you wake me up at three o'clock in the morning, calling my name to come eat you on some delicious bread?

Mmmmmm . . . . creamy, peanut buttery goodness.

Either crunchy or smooth, on bread or crackers, nothing tastes better. Your companions on the journey to the centre of my belly are jelly, jam, bacon (yes, bacon - you should really try it!), chocolate and my favourite and daily combo - banana. I will never tire of you. You are the perfect food.
I love you. My belly is fatter because of you.

One of these jars last a week in the house . . . . my wife might get a knife full once in a while.

Rides on the radar

I was over on the Tall Tree Cycles Ride Log and have found some a few new rides that I'm going to try and work into the ride/race schedule this season. Matt, winner of the illustrious Big Ring Racing Invitational Mock Grand Prix, posted up some interesting, long'ish dirt/gravel rides:

• Hell of the North - 80 km of rail trail, dirt roads, trails and some climbing nearby Toronto.
• Tour of the Battenkill - various distances from 100km t0 200km in Cambridge, New York.
• Hastings Higlands Hilly Hundred - techincal, hilly, wilderness ride in and around Bancroft, ON.

All three of these rides would be most excellent on this bike . . . . which I am waiting to arrive . . . and waiting. . . . and waiting.

NAHBS