A long day ahead...

While Rett is busy having a 'bachelorhood triathlon of debauchery tomorrow, and Kahuna is busy tapering with one last brick, I'll be heading out on my noble steed to once again challenge Gold Camp Road. Depending, we might even climb Cheyenne Blvd... unoffically known as Carmichael Hill because Chris Carmichael lives at the top of it and likes to use it as a fitness test. Rumor has it that he watches people climb it and if they climb magnificently he can pull strings for them. I guess a town has to have its stories.

At the very least we'll probably ride through downtown past Carmichale Training Systems offices. I know where they are only because they put up a big "Congratulations Lance!" sign last year after Le Tour.

If all goes well, we'll do somewhere between 60 and 100 miles tomorrow starting from the apartment on the north side of town and heading south performing a big loop of the city. Inevitably our eyes and dreams will be bigger than our stomachs and legs, but a guy has to dream big in order to acheive the mediocre sometimes.

Hugh asked me tonight why I got into triathlon and I don't think I gave him a very good answer. I talked to him about how I had gotten into doing centuries and double centuries and Ironman Wisconsin came up as an opportunity to do another century. Technically that's true, but the real story would be that I hadn't ever been very good at anything else and I got into distance stuff because even if I couldn't go fast, I could go far. It was a way to stand out from the crowd in some small way... to achieve something bigger than yourself. Hugh, if you read this... that's the right answer.

I'm off to bed, but I'm sure there'll be lots more blogging before the weekend is out.

David Eugene Edwards

I'm not entirely sure how to describe this show, but while he looks a bit like a possessed Bowie, the sound is like evil-swamp hillbilly ambient music. the jury's out.

A Picture Share!

Dave the bass player of Young Monarch wearing silly glasses at church the other might while posing for my cell-phonebook.

A Picture Share!

the soon to be famous Young Monarch... well maybe not... but they're rocking... Plus covering Over The Rhine. which only adds to the pretentious and meticulous singer-songwriter RAWK.

In all honesty though, they did really well for a first show (or any show). It reminded me of a cross between Over The Rhine (of which you MUST go purchase Ohio and Good Dog Bad Dog:The Home Recordings) and Sixpence None The Richer's jangly guitars on This Beautiful Mess (not the melancholy sadness of the eponymous release). I'm looking forward to what they evolve into over the coming months.

A Picture Share!

Just met Hugh who mentioned he's read the blog! Also, here's a scoop... there's a slim chance Hugh could be Convinced for IMFL06

Updated

My cellphone only lets me type 128 characters so I quickly ran out of posting space. It was nice to finally meet Hugh. A couple of years ago I actually ran into him at a booksigning in Minneapolis but I had only started listening to his show and didn't want to bother him. Since then it never seems to work out to go to one of his many local appearances. (I think Hugh spends more time in Colorado and Minneapolis than any of his other affiliates. I do have to say though that his broadcasting each year from the Minnesota state fair is both therapeutic and strange for me.

You see, every station in Minneapolis broadcasts from the state fair and so one quickly grows accustomed to the corny events and things that the stations put on the couple of weeks before Labor Day. Moving to Colorado, it's surreal to hear that 'local broadcasting' from the fair 1000 miles away from home. It's nice, but you just feel a bit disoriented at first listen.)

During a break I went up to say hello to Hugh. When I introduced myself I mentioned my name and that I was a blogger and Hugh asked what the name of my blog was. When I mentioned Confessions of a Flabby Ironman he said "Oh! You're the Minnesotan!". It's nice to meet a stranger outside of our little alliance that's read my little blog. Anyway, we talked about the blog and triathlon for a couple minutes and I gave him a copy of a book my boss wrote called Frontline Christians In A Bottom Line World. When I read Hugh's book In, But Not Of I was reminded quite a bit of Linda's book.

Christian ambition isn't limited to the missions world. Being a missionary is an extraordinary calling, but it doesn't mean any less to be called to accounting or graphic design. We're also not called as Christians to hole up inside our self-created 'Christian Ghetto' but to continue the Great Commision and the original instructions of Adam and Eve to subdue the Earth and take dominion over it. Anyway, both books speak to similar thing In, But Not Of is the first step, and Frontline gives the reason why.

In passing, I mentioned the Tri-Geek Alliance Ironman Florida challenge and Hugh didn't totally brush it off. He mentioned that he didn't know how he'd handle the transitions and the bike cleats but that it was a possibility. How cool would it be to have Hugh on board the alliance?

Anyway, Ang and I are off to a Habitat Humanity benefit in Denver that a friend is playing at. I'm interested in his band, but I'm also interested in David Eugene Edwards of 16 Horsepower and Woven Hand who's playing as well. I'll report back as usual.

Hugh Hewitt is in town doing a remote broadcast and book signing of BLOG relatively near the apartment so I shall leave work in a few minutes to go try to make the Triathlete Alliance a visible presence. Tune in and maybe you'll even hear me on air.

I'll have my cell phone so maybe there will be live moblogging from the appearance.

Ah the joys of wind.

Some examples...

Example 1

Riding down to church Tuesday night I clocked 16miles in just under 58minutes. This time included about 10 minutes of traffic lights. 48 minutes times 16 miles equals right around 20 miles an hour. Not a bad rate for the course.

Example 2

Climbing to the office this morning I battled a headwind a good chunk of the way. I also took a route that climbed up before coasting down. Coasting down is great when you can do it, but when the wind kicks in and coasting down becomes pedaling down what's the point? 9.6 miles in 54 minutes with only two very short lights. Quelle Horreur!

The ride with climbing should take 40 minutes give or take a couple. So, with this mornings noxious wind I added an extra 14 minutes to the ride. Depressing, but I suppose it could be worse.

Hallelujah! One of the straps has been found buried in some camping supplies. Of course, it's now almost 11pm so no running since I have to go to the dentists early tomorrow, but it works (as my heart now reads 92 bpm from this 'frantic' typing. Or not.) Ooh. I just saw 83. I wonder what effect altitude has on heart rate after a year and a half?

I give up. I shall now commence cleaning of the apartment until such time as I don't care about the heart rate monitor anymore uponce which I will miraculously DISCOVER said heart rate monitor but be too tired and up too late to do anything about it. blah

I think I've now found EVERYTHING in the apartment that was semi-missing.... EXCEPT for my heart rate monitor band. I shall keep looking

This assumes of course that I could actually find my heart rate monitor band. WHERE IS IT! ERGH

If I only had a heart... rate monitor

After one of the hurricanes came crashing through West Palm Beach last September, some of the production team, already having tickets to go produce a now cancelled conference there the week after flew down to Florida and did hurricane cleanup at the company owners Florida compound (OK, so it's not big enough to be a compound, but it IS in a gated community). While pulling pieces of their lanais (a big screened room covering the pool and hot tub) out of the pool, I noticed my heart rate monitor watch flicker and blank out. I thought the hyper-chlorination of the water had burned it out somehow and left it for the next few months thinking it dead.

I never got around to replacing it (mostly because the flabby ironman, working for a startup, isn't making much money while Mrs. Flabby Ironman finishes up the hours she needs to practice massage therapy in Colorado Springs) but for some reason it popped into my head that I should check the battery. Sometimes it takes a while for me to get around to things, but this morning I brought the watch to work figuring that I'd take it apart and use the voltmeter we have to check the battery. The battery was as dead as it could ever be and I had high hope that the solution would only be $4 instead of $100. Hustling across the bridge to Radio Shack confirmed the diagnosis and a new ticker was put into the watch reviving my heart tracking for $3.84.

You have no idea how happy I was to know that the piece of equipment I was most concerned about having to replace was as good as new with a new battery. I fell in love with my heart rate monitor when I got it. Even more than my cycle computer, it's my main training and race tool. Watching the numbers, I know exactly what I can and can't push based on how my heart has reacted in the past. It's a pretty wonderful human tachometer. Plus, I trust it's calorie counter much more than I trust the calorie counter on my Mtn Bike's computer (though I'm still happy that the $4 cycle computer I bought on clearance at WalMart is working as well as it is).

More posts in a few minutes. I'm thinking of going and running on the treadmill for a bit... speaking of which, I need to write about my first real run of the season the other day.

yes as a matter of fact, I AM a designer...

it came up over at Trigeekdreams that Rett and I are graphic designers... yes, it's true. On top of being an overweight iron distance triathlete, I'm a creative director for a company called Red Penguin here in Colorado Springs. We've been an in-house firm for a few years and are switching things around to doing outside work. You can see our site (and my motion design reel) over at the Red Penguin website. Let me know what you think... and if you want, let me know and I'll send you one of my cool die-cut and foiled Red Penguin business cards. As usual, if you want to send e-mail, you can reach me at flabbyironman@gmail.com

Kudos to Profile Design!

About a week ago I sent a customer service request on the Profile Design webpage and never heard back. I had forgotten about the submission because I'd been busy with other things, but while picking up some stuff at WalMart today I got a phone call from them. The Customer Service Representative wanted to let me know that since they had upgraded the brackets for the pads and thus were going to send me brand new brackets for my aerobars along with some spare pins and springs (I was riding outside of town on a bumpy road and the pin vibrated out of my right bracket sending the pad, pin and spring flying. I retrieved the pin and pad but couldn't for the life of me find the spring). I just thought it was really cool that Profile is stepping up to the plate like this. I can assure you that they're going to get more of my business

The 40lb Project

I think Ang and I have found the common goal for the summer. We're both not super heavy, but heavier than we should be and it probably amounts to about forty pounds a piece. If I can get down to 190 and she can get down to (deleted. heh.) We'll be in a much better position. Now, the real project is how to do it. Suggestions on balanced lifestyle changes which is mostly what it'll boil down to for me, and exercise programs (biking hopefully!) and nutritional changes for Ang are fully welcomed.

I've already mostly cut out the fast food. It's maybe once a week tops. two times on a hyper-busy week. Pop consumption has gone up just a little bit lately, but we're almost out and we had only bought it for company, so within a day or so it (at least for me) will be back to basically zero... just diet kool aid and when I'm out on a ride, a bottle of gatorade.

Angela: ...and milk. We haven't been drinking much milk lately, and I'd like to make an effort to drink more.

Hi, I'm Brian's wife. I might pop in and add my comments every once in a while.

Anyway, back to my health comments. I've been making lunches and bringing them to work instead of eating in the food court. My luch usually consists of a sandwich (made with wheat bread), apple sauce, baby carrots, and some sort of little dessert (like a few jelly beans or gummy bears.) Starting soon there's a Monday dinner ride every week that Brian and I are going on. It's only 5-15 miles to bike to a restaurant and eat dinner with other club members, but it's a start. If I get into it and the saddle sore stops bothering me so much, I might join Brian on some more rides. Also, once the weather warms up and our apartment complex opens the big pool again, I'll start doing some laps. (Maybe even let Brian teach me the proper technique.)

One important thing for me, being of the laid-back youngest child mentality, is a schedule. I need structure. I need a plan, otherwise I won't stick to it. Say, Mondays I go on the bike club ride; Wednesdays I swim; and Fridays I do the pilates DVD I have. I don't know that I'll ever be an "ironwoman" but I'd love to at least be not so flabby. Now, back to your regularily scheduled blogger. :)

Thanks sweetie. Probably my biggest downfall is salty stuff. Whether it's the midday mini-bag of microwave popcorn at work, or the potato chips that were 'for lunches' but have disappeared into my gullet at too many other parts of the day. I have a snacking habit that I need to curtail.

Anyway, that's our plan. Now we need to figure out how we're going to accomplish it. But having a goal is the first step.

Springtime in the rockies!

They say that March in Colorado Springs is the snowiest month and that it's a bit depressing when the snow blows in after a 70 degree day. That may in fact be true, but I think that even worse than the March snow is the freak April and May snow. The meteorologists have been forecasting a blizzard for today the past few days, but I and probably most other people were hoping that they were wrong as they often are. Oh that I wish that that were true.

Now, keep in mind, it will be back in the 60s and 70s by Tuesday... but sites like this out on our porch are depressing...



and while I'd like to go for a bike ride, here's the state of Angela's car and my quite useful Seras Bones bike rack...



and as I headed back from taking the car picture, the depressingly bleak look up the complex driveway...



Angela's coffee shop closed today and her reaction might be one that I need to go and do as well...



but instead I think I'll finish cleaning the apartment and make some hot chocolate... followed by a bit of DVD consumption later. Maybe I can even squeeze in a return of the Oddcoupling.

More later.