Anchorman : The Legend of Ron Burgundy

 

Interviewing my boss, Wendy...
At the weekly staff meeting...
Coordinating with my 'Man on the Street', Mike...

 

OK, sorry for the lack of updates while track nationals was going on...

 

As a quicklook :

 

5:04.196

DNQ

3, DNQ

3:49.423

 

More descriptively :

 

Wednesday, 4 Oct

 

4 km Individual Pursuit

Got a decent warmup and rode a mostly steady effort.  I was really hoping to get below 5:00, but my best time in this event (Jan '06) is 5:04.054, so I can't complain too much.  The 6 weeks of training paid off, as I was able to regain my fitness and at least be as strong as I was in January.  Now, it's kind of bittersweet, cause I was posting better training times in June before the accident, but what can I say.  It'll all work itself out.  I was actually quite pleased to get that pursuit time - only 4 weeks earlier I had ridden a 5:19.7.  Nice.  The pursuit was basically a success, so anything after that was basically gravy.

 

15 km Scratch Race

Raced a qualifier heat - didn't qualify for the final.  Just raced too conservatively and didn't race with confidence.  Oh, well.

 

Thursday, 5 Oct

 

30 km Points Race

Raced a qualifier heat, scored 3 points - didn't qualify for the final.  Went with a move almost from the gun and scored some points - was working with pro roadie Kirk Albers (Jelly Belly) so that was pretty cool.  Sat in for most of the rest of the race.  Wanted to go with a move at about 30 laps left, but was boxed in and couldn't get out.  Pretty frustrating, as that move stayed out to sweep up most of the rest of the points.  Made a calculated move to try and sprint just as the aforementioned break was lapping the field, but the officials called the break as the group in contention for the points sprint, so my breakaway companion and I were totally shut out of the points.  That really sucked, as I would have then had enough points to advance to the final.  Oh, well, just a gray area kind of call on the part of the officials.  And I lost out.

 

Friday, 6 Oct

 

3 km Mass Start Test

Warmed up okay and posted a 3:49.423.  My best time (also back in Jan '06) is 3:48.029, so I was pretty close to that.  Just didn't really care at this point.  Just went out and rode as hard as I could to finish out the season.  And I've got to say, when it was done I was totally ready for the season to be over.

 

 

So, in celebration of the season being 'officially' over, I drank some beer and rode 101 miles on Saturady and then 102 miles on Sunday.  Monday was off, but the rest of the week is looking like more mileage.  Time to get ready ready for 2007.

Remember Sesame Street?

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?

Did you guess which thing was not like the others?
Did you guess which thing just doesn't belong?
If you guessed this one is not like the others,
Then you're absolutely...right!

 

Weapons of Mass Destruction

 

OK, so Sept 26 was the last night of racing at the San Diego Velodrome for the year, so we had a couple fun races interspersed amongst the 'serious' racing. Trike racing - fun or serious? Or both? We lined up for a drag race to the finish line... Unfortunately, I had a poor start...
And then it wasn't just a poor start, I pretty much couldn't get off the line.
But as everyone knows, there's no fooling around. I tractor pulled it all the way to the promised land. Word.
 

OK, so I just registered for Track Nationals.  Starts next Wednesday and runs through Saturday.  Now really, all I've been training for since the accident has been the Pursuit, which is first thing on Wednesday.  Scratch race is on Wednesday too, so of course I'll do that one since I'll be around.  Then I was thinking - maybe I'll just call it quits and go home after that?  Been thinking about that for a couple weeks now.  That would mean skipping the Points Race on Thurs and the Mass Start test on Friday.  Madison is on Saturday, but I'm not sure I'd have a partner for that one anyway.  Anyway, was contemplating not registering for all those races.

 

But then I just had to stop and say, WTF.  Who are you?  Cap'n what?  Are you going to be 'too tired' and 'unmotivated' after the pursuit on Wednesday that you're gonna have to go home and sulk about how your season was ruined or some BS like that?  Give me a break.  That's not me.  I'm doing the full schedule and if I can get a Madison partner, then I'll do that as well.  Time to ride like I've got a pair.

Maybe I'll just quit bike racing and take up trike racing.
There's more spectators.

 

well, i had my last 2 root canals done today.  that made 7 total.  wow.  next up will be an appointment with the ortho - not scheduled yet.

 

 

so i was reading cnn and saw an article on astronomers finding a supernova that was first spotted in 185 A.D.  made me think - hmm, what's the time frame on a supernova?  is that an instantaneous implosion/explosion, or is the whole process more gradual?  is it measured in seconds, minutes, months, years?  went to wikipedia and started reading about supernovae, but then got sidetracked to novae, then the milky way galaxy, then the andromeda galaxy, the local group, the canes venatici cloud, the virgo supercluster, the galactic core, barred spiral galaxies, and of course, the universe itself.

 

estimated 200 - 400 billion stars in the milky way galaxy.

estimated 1,000 billion stars in the andromeda galaxy.

 

and of course, there's like billions and billions of other galaxies out there containing billions and billions more stars and possible solar systems.

 

meanwhile, we get to worry about terrorism, fanatacism and untold other -isms instead of putting more effort into learning more about what's around us.  Whatever.

i'm reading the 'hagakure' off and on. it's a book on samarai zen thoughts. here's a thought:

There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment. A man's whole life is a succession of moment after moment. If one fully understands the present moment, there will be nothing else to do, and nothing else to pursue. Live being true to the single purpose of the moment.
Everyone lets the present moment slip by, then looks for it as though he thought it were somewhere else. No one seems to have noticed this fact. But grasping this firmly, one must pile experience upon experience. And once one has come to this understanding he will be a different person from that point on, though he may not always bear it in mind.
--- Yamamoto Tsunetomo

what a week.

 

tuesday.

training at the track in the morning.  racing at the track in the evening.  getting faster - just wish i had more time 'til nationals.  no worries - i'll just do what i do.

 

wednesday.

first thing in the morning i got 3 more root canals.  pretty painless with the novacaine, but oh man, that sucked when it wore off.  couldn't go into work that day...

 

thursday.

got a call from the police department in carlsbad, new mexico.  THEY FOUND MY SCOOTER!  absolutely ridiculous - apparently it even still had my cali plates on it.  i won't be getting it back, as i was paid off by the insurance company many months ago, but that's fine.  i just can't believe that it wasn't exported to tijuana, mex instead.

 

for the first time since my accident, ate 2 pieces of pizza tonight without having to use a knife and fork.  that was unbelievably awesome.  the freedom to eat food how i want, when i want.  power to the teeth.  they're finally starting to settle down.

OK, so mom sent me a note that krispee kreme is losing money left and right. no big surprise, since they shut down my local distribution center. actually, i rarely paid for the doughnuts anyhow - i always asked for a 'free hot one'. so they should be saving a lot of money from that...

anyway, was thinking it would be cool to open up a conveyor belt of krispee kremes in paris and really stick it to the frenchies. take that, froggee.

so there was more racing today, and i wasn't late or anything, so fun times were had.  madison and scratch race, both very tough.  i paired with a friend of mine, kevin schiller, in the madison (it's a tag team race where you fling each other in - just look up 'madison cycling' on wikipedia) and we got 3rd.  not too shabby.  in the scratch race, i got 5th.  the fields we pretty small, so that's not really anything stellar - just racing and getting some kinks worked out.  anyway, some of my speed is coming back - not so much a sprint - but that's not necessary for the pursuit anyway.  it was a quality weekend of racing - now it'll be some more solid training until nationals start on oct 4.  yeh.

oh, and i'm staying up in LA tonight, so it's all good for the morning lateness tomorrow.  yikes.

"It's no surprise to me I am my own worst enemy"

    - from the band Lit

 

Yeah, I heard that song driving up to the races today and it was exactly how the day started out.  I got up later than I needed to and got on the road later than I should have.  Got to the track at a late time and signed up for the Pursuit just before registration closed.  I thought I would be put last in the pursuit rotation, but instead I was put first and that truly sucked.  I got to ride a few laps on the track, but I didn't get a warmup and that truly sucked.  No one to blame but myself, but I can't even really be mad at me.  You see, Cap'n Late has a long record of tardiness.  I should have seen it coming and I should have gone up to LA the night before.  I considered that option yesterday, but then I just couldn't get my stuff together in time and so I didn't.  You see, I was late on the previous day as well.  I think I must have years and years of built-up lateness that I somehow just can't shake.  Maybe I need some sort of exhorcism.

 

So I'm just not that good at waking up in the morning.  I don't know - it's just not my thing.  I'm a night owl not an early bird.  Whatever.  For any race that I have to leave SD before 8 or 9 AM, I better just get a room the night before.  (As a side note, this is also why I have trouble making weekend group rides that start at like 8:15 AM.  Ugh.)

 

But what about the pursuit time?

 

26 Aug 06 - 5:19.70

15 Sep 06 - 5:12.01

 

Now, that's a decent improvement for 3 weeks - I'm getting back in shape a bit - but it's not really an apples to apples comparison.  Different equipment, different bike position.  Whatever.  I'll still take the improvement.  I could have gone faster if I had just gotten a good warmup in.  If I can get the time down closer to 5:00 by Nationals on Oct 4, then I'll be a lot happier.

 

Anyway, did a 30 km Points Race later in the day, and that went okay.  I was maybe a bit undergeared, and that made it kind of hard in the first 50 laps, but in the last 70 laps, I was able to cruise a lot more effectively.  Didn't go for sprint points - just tried to get in breakaways off the front to try and get a lap.  Didn't work.  And I missed the move that actually did get a lap - it was a counter to a move I had just been in.  Oh, well, the race was still positive though, in the sense that I got some good speedwork in and I actually felt comfortable mixing it up in the race, etc.

 

More racing tomorrow - Scratch and Madison.  Should be fun.

i went to bed last night thinking about the pursuit.

i woke up this morning thinking about the pursuit.

 

the pursuit is a 4 km individual time trial on the track, and it's my primary focus.  training seems to be coming along pretty well.  it's hard for me to believe that it's only been 24 days since i've been back on the bike, but that's the truth.  today was a super tough pursuit training session at the track in the morning and then a variety of racing on the track in the evening.  super long day.  super exhausted.  now it's 2 easy days, then a little warmup/leg-opener on friday.  this weekend is the state track championships up in LA.  pursuit and points on saturday.  scratch and madison on sunday.  like i said, the pursuit is my focus, so if i can pull off a decent time there first thing saturday morning, then i'll be super stoked.  the rest will be gravy.  but if i don't spark a great time, then it's not the end of the world either.  i'll have exactly 4 weeks of training in my legs come saturday morning.

 

right now i'm thinking about the pursuit.

when i wake up tomorrow morning, i'll still be thinking about the pursuit.

on september 11, 2001

 

i was living in Philadelphia, PA.  i had been there for a little over a month and was a bike messenger for Rapid Delivery.  i remember vividly that i was dropping off a document at the commonwealth court when i was told, "get ready to go to war, son.  we've been attacked!"  that was around 9:30, after both planes had hit the world trade center, but before they had fallen down.  i was shocked, but didn't really understand until i went into a bar just down the street.  cnn was on the tv's, of course.  and then the first tower fell.

 

i seriously considered jumping into the military right then, but i didn't.  i kept on considering it - thought it was my duty - thought i should do my part.  for honor, for valor, for pride in my country - for all of that.  and because i didn't know what else to do.  nothing else really seemed to matter.  i wanted to contribute to something larger than life in the same way that previous generations had in the past 'great wars'.

 

 

on september 11, 2002

 

i was at sea onboard the USS Higgins, DDG 76.  We were off the coast of california just cruising around in circles.  i was part of a SOVT (System Operational Verification Test) team testing an EHF communication system.  there was a memorial service in the morning, but i didn't even get up for it - i just slept in my bunk.

 

i guess i ended up joining the military after all - just as a navy civilian.

 

 

 

 

on september 11, 2006

 

i got my first 2 of 7 root canals...  :-p

just had my first dentist appt.

just a look see...

 

basically, i'm getting a whole new front end.

 

root canal - post - crown

teeth 7, 8, 9, 10, 24, 25, 26

 

crown

tooth 6

 

if i were into hip-hop just a little bit more, maybe i'd just get ice.  oh, well.

when i see the dentist on wednesday, i'm going to ask him if he can make me look like this...

(props to chris reid for his mad editing skillz)

 

well, folks, it's official - i've gone wireless.

waltzed into the doc's office yesterday morning in shackles at 0830 sharp and crawled out an hour later a free man. well, maybe didn't actually crawl out, but i've gotta say, getting the wires off hurt in a bad way. it all started with trying to numb the mouth. well, the gums are super sensitive and tender right now, so the needles weren't exactly my friends. that sucked in a major way, but that was only the prelude. the doc took a short break to get out his wire clippers and just then prince came over the muzak singing "this is what it sounds like... when doves cry..." how ironic.

clipping the attachments and removing the arch bars - not too fun, but bearable. but there were still the little wires that were wedged between my teeth.

doc : ok, this part is going to kind of feel like flossing with metal wires
me : uh. heh. heh.
doc : [rips out a wire]
me : ahhhhhhh!
doc : yeah, kind of barbaric isn't it? [rips out a wire]
me : ahhhhhhh!
doc : ok, just breathe deep and try to relax. [rips out a wire]
me : ahhhhhhh!

you get the picture.

flossing with metal wire is a decent description, but an even better one is to compare it to trying to start a lawn mower that has a pull cord. Rip! from right between each tooth.

so that was all over, i rinsed with some mouthwash, spat up some blood, got an x-ray, and that was that. the jaw was healed a-ok and the teeth would need to be further diagnosed by my dentist on wednesday. just on to the next phase, i guess. but the wires are off and that's cool. my gums are pretty beat up from being mashed by the wires for 8 weeks now, but they'll heal quickly enough.

the bottom line?

wires. no wires. bleeding gums. healthy gums. it all ends in one familiar picture.


i came. i saw. i conquered.
sarf it up. 

oh, word, people.  just 2 more days and the rest of the wires come out of my mouth.  then what?  only the shadow knows.  the actual dental work will start then, i guess.  but i'm totally ready for it.  just want to keep moving it along...  but wires out will be super sweet.  hopefully the teeth will start feeling a little more minty fresh without 23 and 24 gauge wire entwined all around everything.  awesometime.

 

work has been really hectic lately.  i'm heading probably the most important comms program for the navy that has exactly zero funding.  but it's really important.  but there's no money for it til FY08.  but they want the capability now...  it's kind of stressing cause i get wrapped up in solving problems, etc, but then i'm only working half-time, so i just have to try to leave it sometimes.  i don't know - it's kind of hard to explain.  i want to do the best job possible and get this capability out to the fleet, but there's just so many stumbling blocks in the way, etc.  and i can't just keep on staying at the office, cause then that means ditching training, or starting training late, which means eating late, which means getting to bed late, which then leads to subpar work/training the next day, you get the idea.  and when does laundry ever get done?

 

but in case you're wondering, training is going just fine.  raced at the track tuesday night - it was ok - nothing special - just trying to get my form back.  today was an easy 3 hour ride - just endurance.  tomorrow is weights in the morning and pursuit efforts in the afternoon.

it's all about the baselines.

 

so back on the 18th i got my jaw unwired (mostly).  went out for pizza and beer the next day with the boys.  now, i'm a fairly slow eater, but when your jaw simply doesn't want to cooperate, it makes things even worse.  took me forever to get through those 2 pieces.  they were quite tasty, nonetheless.

 

got pizza and beer again last night.  one week later, and the chewing is a-ok.  the jaw has been beaten back into submission and he now takes commands from my stomach.

 

stomach : i'm hungry!

jaw : aw, man....

stomach : what'd you say?

jaw : uh, nothing.  can i get you some pancakes or maybe a steak or maybe both?

stomach : YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT!!!

 

so before we got pizza and beer back on the 19th, i did a full day of racing at the track.  pretty ridiculous - i mean who goes from basically zero physical activity back to full-on racing?  that's like page 1 out of the how to wreck your body guidebook.  but it's also page 1 out of the kickstart your training program guidebook.  weird how those coincide.  so i did a 4 km pursuit - it was pretty slow - and a points race - it hurt real bad.  the amazing thing is that by some miracle i got 5th in the points race and went ahead and qualified for nationals.  utterly ridiculous.  sunday saw more racing, but it hurt triple hard that day.  ugh.  then came the work week, and all of a sudden i could actually talk at work for reals.  no more mumbling incoherently - at least not intentionally anymore?  raced on tuesday night at the track again and got dropped from the final race - suckage.  got some steady miles in on the rest of the week, and then went up to the adt velodrome in la on saturday.  total suckage in the form of racing.  did another fairly slow pursuit, but just wanted to set a baseline time up there for post-accident, and then got shelled in the points race.  finally got in some real pursuit training on the track here in sd on sunday, and things are looking better.  not sure if i'll be in any kind of great shape for nationals, but we'll see what happens.  5 more weeks of training, then it's nationals.  yowsa.

 

oh, and just 5 more days and the doc takes the rest of the wires out of my mouth.  hmmmmmmm.  just in time for labor day!

Jeremy Mucha - you've just got your jaw unwired. What are you going to do next - Disney Land? No - pizza and beer, please. The team took me out for a celebratory 'back in the saddle again' meal last Saturday, and it was sweet.
Word.

 

What'chu lookin' at!?!

 

oh man, i just yawned.  that was flippin sweet.

Freedom at last! Time to get some breakfast... I was so excited to dig in that I started eating before I even got the camera out...
Mission accomplished.

OK, so eating food was super cool. But do you know what was shocking? I took the first bite of pancakes and realized I could barely even open my mouth! Yeah, I could open it a little bit, but not the normal amount to simply put food in - I could only open it about the width of my thumb. That was weird, cause I had to cut things up really extra small. Next, my mouth had basically forgotten how to chew! Chewing was nearly impossible - it was more like cut things up really small, put them in the mouth, try to press them with my molars, then swallow. Yeah, weird. The teeth didn't feel right - it just felt like I was gumming my food or something. Really odd. So the pancakes and eggs were fine to not really chew too much, but the sausage was tough. But like the professional eater that I am, I managed to overcome the naysayers and clean the plate. booyah.

next up, thai. 

holy smack, people.  tomorrow's the big day.  jaw gets unwired.  there'll still be wires in the mouth - kind of like braces - but i'll be able to open up and start chowing down on solid food.

 

now, i've known this day was coming for awhile, but i've really done a good job of keeping my cool.  never got too excited.  just kept on spinning the blender.  oh, another ensure?  why, that would be simply delightful!  please, I know I ordered soup, but do you guys think you might be able to put it in a blender for me?  no?  oh, ok, i just thought i'd ask.

 

but then about 10 minutes ago, i was listening to some social distortion - i'm gonna live before i die - and man, i just got fired the hell up.  tomorrow i'm gonna eat before i die.  can you smell what the rock is cooking?  i sure can.  word.

 

now, prolly the most asked question is : what are you going to eat first?

 

for me, what i eat first is not really so important.  what's important to me is to simply eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and eat.  and i've got some ideas, folks, i've got some ideas.

 

 

friday

 

06:00 - wake-up

08:30 - doctor appt

09:30 - pancakes, eggs, sausage

10:00 - show up at work to display my new grill

12:00 - leave work - i mean, seriously folks, it's friday in san diego

13:00 - pad thai w/ chicken

16:00 - caribbean burrito

19:00 - fish tacos, rice & beans, chips & guac

 

 

saturday

 

06:00 - wake-up

06:30 - pancakes, eggs, saugage

08:00 - setup at the velodrome, start warming up for the track nationals qualifier match

10:20 - race a 4km pursuit

11:30 - race a 30km points race

13:00 - souvlaki platter (beef shish-kebobs) at the greek resto near the velodrome

16:00 - fettucini w/ chicken maranara + camembert/rochefort on water crackers + cabernet sauvignon

19:00 - pizza and beer

 

 

i think you get the idea...  the 3 hour food schedule is my favorite.

 

ok, so eating solid food is gonna be really nice.  i've been able to hold out for 6 weeks on liquids simply because i knew i'd be able to return to solids.  if i were never able to eat solids again?  wow, don't even want to think about that one.  so i always knew solids would come back - liquids were annoying, but i could be patient enough.

 

but what will actually be the best part of being able to open my mouth?  things you take for granted much more than solid food.

the ability to :

 

yawn

sneeze

cough

brush my teeth

 

mornings with your jaw wired shut suck.  you're trying to wake up, but you're tired.  you involuntarily yawn.  but you can't open your mouth.  more accurately, your teeth are wired together, such that the involuntary yawn simply tries to rip your teeth out of your mouth.  now, to some degree you can control yawns, but to some degree you simply can't.  sneezes are almost hopeless.  if you feel one coming on, then you better clench your teeth really tight to try to keep them still, or who knows what might happen.  no fun, that's for sure.

 

but all that will be over soon - so soon.

 

i also love the fact that our velodrome is holding qualifiers for the national track championships the very day after i get my wires clipped.  man, that's awesome.  as long as i get top 5 in the pursuit i'm good to go.  should i mention that i only got back on the bike last week, and really haven't done anything more than short easy endurance rides on the trainer?  nah...  i figure i'll go down to the track tomorrow afternoon for a little warmup and then just go for it on saturday.  i'm not so worried about setting any super times - just qualifying for nationals.  and if i don't qualify this weekend, then that's no big deal.  the other california velodromes have qualifiers coming up in the next couple of weeks.  it'll still be a good kickstart to the training...

 

 

IN SUMMARY

 

CAP'N HQ GLUTTONY OF UNIMAGINED PROPORTIONS WILL ENSUE ON 18 AUGUST 2006 AT 10:30 PDT.  KEEP SMALL CHILDREN AND ANIMALS INDOORS.  THE STREETS WILL RETURN TO CHAOS.

3 days til freedom

4 days until my tongue is released.

T-minus 5 days and counting til the grand opening of my jaw.

new lunchtime drink:

 

vodka-red bull-boost

AKA

boooooooooooooost!

 

that's:

 

1 bottle of vanilla boost

1 can of red bull

3-4 count of vodka

 

yum.

well, i finally got on the bike today for the first time since the wreck. i mean, it's been almost 5 weeks now, and my desire to get back to riding and training has ebbed and flowed and i've asked myself if i even wanted to ride anymore at all. just last week i was at work, and starting to feel like a real 'working' person and all and i just didn't know if it was worth the hassle of training training training anymore. why bother? too hard a life. do i even have that kind of talent anyway? there's so many people that are so much faster and they're so much younger. yeah, fairly negative thoughts, but just trying to take a step back and re-evaluate all of it. i didn't want for the injury to "beat" me, but if my time for cycling was through, then it was through. there are a lot more things i'd like to do in life, for goodness sake.

anyway, i hooked the bike up to the trainer and just rode for half an hour. things started a little slow, but then the legs started turning over and i realized that i just needed to keep on keepin on. it's not over yet. got to keep the big picture in mind, and in the big picture i've been progressing nicely year by year. sure, there've been bumps along the path, but could i have it any other way? simply, no. we all have our own paths and that's what makes us who we are. some are rougher than others, but that's just how it is. i'm no fan of crashing, much less breaking bones, but if that leads to even just the possibility of experiencing the opposite side of the pendulum - winning championships and such - then i'm willing to take the journey. that's my lot.

was thinking about new breakfast ideas a couple weeks ago - and then it hit me. what about coffee and donuts... in a blender, of course! could be truly sweet. went down to the local KK with my mom and was SHOCKED to find the following sign : no joke, i was in shock for days after that event. i almost had to get out of the car and ride shotgun - i couldn't even focus on driving anymore. i mean, it's clear - can't you see it?

that krispy kreme clearly shut down when they heard that i was on the disabled list. they had budgeted for the cap'n HQ donut escapades, but when they heard i had an inactive mandible, they knew they were doomed and couldn't hold out for my recovery. TRAGIC FOLKS, TRAGIC. 

ok, so there was a going away party for laurel tonight. a nice grill session including brat, salmon, tuna, ribs... wow, can you say paradise? anyway, i brought the cuisinart for some fun. bratwurst, anyone? how about some tomato/cucumber spicy type salad to go with that? and a tecate to wash it down? but of course!
but what about in a blender?
now, one would think that the beer would just go foam crazy in a blender, right? wrong! the food absorbs the shock and the tecate is then just a nice fluid to help make a smoothie! no foaming at all. and i've got to say, it tasted not too bad at all. pretty decent, really. basically tasted like a cold soup - just had a beer base, that's all... and i bet if i had heated it up in the microwave, it might have been truly appointed - only had dixie cups, though.

that's called a 'cerveza-brat surprize'
awesome.

 

Tried a little something different in the blender last night. Was helping a friend move an amoire out of their apartment - or well, maybe i was just watching as they moved and offereing murmurs of confidence. anyway, we finished and there was this 6-pack of slim jims. not the natural style jerky - just the tubes 'o beef (or assorted animal products). anyway, puled 2 from the pack and took em home. beef sticks, bbq sauce, spinach, and a bit of milk to make it a drink. hmm?
Yeah, it turned out... well, not as good. trust me, i've made worse, though. I put too much bbq sauce in there (forgot about the inate spiciness of the beef sticks) and the final product just had too much kick. Enough that it might as well have been like drinking bbq sauce straight. couldn't take more than a few sips before i had to pour it out. i think if i had just done the slim jims, the spinach and milk, then it just might have turned out a-ok. 

well, i had an appointment with the oral surgeon yesterday, and he said 2 more weeks.  and then 2 more weeks after that.  huh?  yeah, so in 2 weeks (aug 18) the doctor will cut the wires binding my top jaw to the bottom jaw, but will leave all the hardware in the mouth.  that's so just in case my bite shifts or something like that, then he can do whatever it is that he does.  if all is still good in 2 more weeks (sep 1) then all the metal wrapped around my teeth will finally come out.  awesome.  didn't expect the second 2 week period.  that really sucks.

 

so basically, 4 weeks down, 2 more to go.  weeks 7 and 8 will mostly be just like i'm wearing braces again.  joy.

so i'm in chicago for the weekend for a wedding.  flew out on southwest this morning.  checking in for the flight:

 

can i see your id?

sure [hand id over]

mucha?

yep.

wow, so you're a "whole lotta jeremy" ?

 

sweet.  wanted to reply back, "YOU  BETTER BELIEVE IT!" at full volume, but that would have really sounded like "you bebber beliebe it." in a muffled voice.  so i was just like:

 

heh-heh, yeah.

 

so lame.  it's hard to even smile with all the wires in the mouth.  oh, well.  just another 2 or 3 weeks.

A classic photo back from a racing trip in March. It was dinner time and tomorrow was a 100 mile road race. i was double hungry and needed the double calories. so what else? order double dinners. that was awesome. looking forward to the return of those days...

 

Here's what it looked like before the bench and grill moved in. Moved the plant to an empty dirt spot in a neighbor's section. Cool.

 

The Garden Project... Used to be just knee-high weeds under my front windows. Well, mom wanted to clean that up, so instead of just planting flowers, we got some pots and mulch.
But then I had the bright idea, "huh, that looks pretty cool - maybe we can put a bench out here to look at it all? and what if I get hungry? you know, i've always wanted a grill for steaks..." Yeah, had to hack down an overgrown hedge jungle for that one.
But then I had to put it all on lockdown - wouldn't want the grill to go the route of the scooter...

Caribbean Burrito - Slightly Modified...

 

well, superweek ended today - and so did my garden project.  when mom and i got back to san diego after my accident, she was kind of bored cause i was still sleeping a lot.  so, she decided to tackle the weeds outside my front windows.  as i regained my strength i helped her out.  anyway, what began as a simple "weeding and plant a couple flowers" operation evolved into a complete tearout of everything in front of my place (including some really nasty "shrubs") and replacement with big flower pots, a bench, solar lights, and a firepit/grill.  kind of silly, but what can i say - there's no way to do it, but to do it hardqore.  that's how we're livin.  i'll put some pics of it up tomorrow.  it was a nice project to take my mind off racing, for sure.  tomorrow i return to work...

well, i just dropped mom off at the airport, so that's that.  man, it sure was nice to have her around, though.  it would have been really difficult to make it out of wisconsin on my own - i certainly would have had to stay in the hospital a couple more days just to start feeling better.  i was so heavily medicated back then...  anyway, that's over and i went off the meds a couple days ago on wednesday.  so basically 1 week of heavy sedation and 1/2 a week of sedation when needed (mostly just on going to sleep and waking up).  but that's not counting the morphine that i was IV'ed to in the hospital for the first 2 days.  yikes!  but like i said - mom was there the entire time and really helped out - drove the van in WI - coordinated picking up my bike - helped me with meals until i was awake enough to make my own - etc.  anyway, that's my mom.  she's the best.

 

quick props to my buddy cap'n late AKA j. snizow AKA snowman AKA jonathan snow - he did his very first bike race today as a cat 5 racer (beginner category) and finished with the peloton.  no crashing for him and he finished his first race a-ok.  very sweet.

 

dining update!

 

i ordered my very favorite burrito in the world from ortega's - the caribbean burrito.  it's got mex rice, black beans, guac, cheese, and chicken.  it's simply delicious.  and then i put it in the blender - sans tortilla.  added 1 cup of water.

 

and it turned out perfectly!  sure, it wasn't the consistency of eating a burrito or anything, but the taste was still there with all the spices, the chicken - i could taste the guac - it was great.  small victories folks, small victories.  and then i whipped up a butterscotch surprise for desert.  totally killer.  mucha's not losing weight, folks.

fyi

 

the breakfast of champions = 1,420 calories.

 

how ya like me now?

(and that's just to keep me from *losing* weight)

 

early evening snack was tortilla soup a la blender.  nice and spicy - oh, so good.

 

that enboldened me, so i tried something special for dinner tonight.  got a lemongrass bbq chicken bowl from a street vendor - threw it in the blender.  added some milk - added some water - just trying to thin it out.  i eventually got it drinkable.  and it tasted completely rancid.  nuts.

 

take 2.  had a microwavable bowl of thai teriyaki noodles.  cooked it up real nice.  sprinkled on the sesame seeds for that chef au natural flair.  had my mom taste it - oh, that's nice!  then threw it in the blender.  added some water.  added some milk.  finally got it drinkable.  and finally made it horrible to taste as well.  had mom taste it again - oh, that's not so good anymore...  yeah, welcome to my world.

 

so that really set me back.

but like any good up pumper (or P. Diddy) - ain't nothing gonna hold me down - oh, no.

 

went back to the old standard of vanilla ice cream + vanilla boost plus + apple/mango juice.  that's a nice one.  skipped dinner and went straight to desert.

cuisinart is the bomb.

 

i had pop tarts for breakfast this morning.  straight out of the blender.  all from a suggestion by my mom.  we were shopping for groceries the other day:

 

mom:  pop tarts?

me:  uh...

mom:  why not try it in the blender...?

me:  uh...

mom:  ?

me:  ... ok!  i mean seriously, who puts pop tarts in the blender?  this guy!

 

the breakfast of champions:

 

2 chocolate chip pop tarts

2 chocolate boost plus bottles

2 cups 2% milk

2 tablespoons powdered fiber

 

cut it real smooth - blend it up nice, baby.

mmm, de-lish.

 

 

dinner?

 

i took a can of chicken noodle soup and blended it down.  yum.  tastes like chicken!  then a can of ham / roasted potatoes soup (plus a little milk to thin it out) ground round down.  dining extravagance.  bon apetit!

 

 

yes, i can hear you asking...  when will i try out a steak?  any day now...

Got a new blender last night - mom bought it for me - and it totally opened up an entirely new world of liquid dining pleasure.

well, finally safe and sound back in san diego.  got in last night, had some liquid dinner, cleaned up the garden and pretty much hit the sack.  saw an oral surgeon this morning and received the, "yep, looks like it's healing" prognosis.  that's cool, i guess.  i think i was wishing he'd take a look at the x-rays, and simply exclaim, "you must have some kind of mutant healing factor - you'll only need 1 more week of your jaw wired shut!"  yeah, no such luck.  instead, he said, "wow, you really cracked this thing good - 1, 2, 3 fractures in your chin."  what can i say - guess i had to break it pretty hardqore.  anyway, he took a couple stitches out, but that was it.  next appointment next friday morning to see how the healing process is progressing again.  ho-hum.  feels like naptime again.

well, checking out of the hotel in racine, wi today to head back down to san diego.  3 pm flight out of ord to san at 5 pm.  it'll be nice to get home and relax a bit more.  mom is coming with me to make sure all goes well - very nice - i simply wouldn't be able to handle all the bike stuff on my own.  we're hoping it won't be 'snakes on a plane'...  :-)

Complements of my buddy, Dishrag. Just call me Jawqore.

Superweek - Stage 2 - Menasha Crit

 

Well, folks, I crashed big during this crit.  Really big.  So big that I broke my jaw (took it hard on the chin).  A short ambulance ride to the Neena, WI hospital and I underwent surgery later in the evening.  The nurses were really nice and took good care of me over the next couple of days until my mom showed up to help me take care of stuff and get ready to return to San Diego to recover.  Now we're basically trying to get my bike back from the race organizers, get everything packed up, then fly out on Thursday.

 

So the crazy part about all of this - the rest of my body is basically fine - no problem.  Just the lower half of my face is messed up.  No knocked out teeth, per se, but it's gonna require a bit of oral surgery to be sure.  Need to fix all of that - no big deal - it could have been a lot worse.  At least it wasn't the upper half...  No head injury, thank goodness.

 

So my jaw is completely wired shut to help the bones heal (3 screws and a plate in my chin).  And what does that mean?  Liquid diet only.  Wow, no steaks for at least 5 weeks or so...  What a drag - but it'll taste really good when I get there.  For now it's just chocolate milk and Ensure - yum!

 

So, a special thanks to my family and my friends that called me in the hospital - even though I can't talk very well, it really did lift my spirits.  You guys are the best.

 

Cap'n Hardqore  AKA  Cap'n Jawqore

superweek - stage 1 - beverly crit

 

i crashed.  i haven't crashed during racing all season, but apparently that luck just ran out.  i race on tubular wheels - those are the kind with glue on tires.  well, i rolled my back tire off the rim on like lap 5 of the crit last night.  pretty ridiculous.  the pace was just starting to ease up and i was moving up through the field when blammo, i hit the deck in the corner at the top of the hill.  no one crashed with me - i guess that was lucky.  ripped up my shorts so that my bloody right cheek was hanging out, though.  no damage to the bike or even the back wheel - except that it needs a new tire, of course.  got up off the ground - the crowd cheered - and i ran down to the neutral pit to get a new back wheel.  got that switched out and got back into the race.  felt fine in the race, but then the wheel wasn't shifting right, so i went back to the pit where they adjusted the rear derailleur.  got back in the race again and things were fine, but then i clipped a pedal pretty hard at the turn at the bottom of the hill, and i just called it quits.  that just freaked me out, cause i was so not interested in crashing again.  i prolly could have finished just fine, but it was prolly better to just pull out and go ahead and get the wounds cleaned up.  i mean, seriously, there's 16 more days of this.  so now i've got to tend to wounds for the entire race series.  awesome.  i mean - seeriously - who crashes on day 1?  this guy.

 

the weird part about rolling that tire?  i've raced on that wheel/tire for most of the season now.  it's always been rock solid.  and *now* it decides to roll off?  whatever.

arrived in chi-town yesterday folks - the adventure has begun.  pretty uneventful - just flew in to ORD, got the rental, then put the bike together and went for a fairly easy 2-hour ride to stretch the legs out and get them ready for friday's race.  drove in to the city thursday night and stayed at a downtown hostel.  not the most convenient choice for a bike racer with a rental car, etc, but it all worked out fine and i got a decent night's sleep.  up bright and early at 8 am and went for a super easy 45-min ride around the lake michigan waterfront - that was nice.  and now it's just straight-up chill out time.  opening race at 5:45 pm in Beverly Hills/Morgan Park neighborhood of chicago.  awesome.

Tour de France starts today.  The past couple years of that really haven't been so exciting to me - mostly just watch Lance put the smack down, you know what I mean?  Anyway, with all the doping suspensions a couple days ago, I think I might actually watch more this year.  It's bound to be a tight race.  should be cool.

 

anyway, while that grand tour is going on, i'll be participating in a different kind of grand tour.  superweek - milwaukee, wi - july 7 - 23.  17 consecutive days of racing - that's 13 crits and 4 road races.  and the crits are 100 km, so even those are fairly long (about 2 hr, 20 min or so), as far as race length goes.  i'm booked for the whole event, and i'm really stoked about that.  it's gonna be one sweet trip, and i've been racing pretty well lately, so this could be a really good one...

 

that and i get to ditch work for 2 and a half weeks.  oh, word!

 

www.internationalcycling.com

Rollin' in San Diego...

okay, so tonight was the usual tuesday night track racing at san diego velodrome.  i wasn't sure if i'd be recovered enough from the cyclovets omnium yet, but whatever - we'll give it a shot.

 

motorpaced warmup race - 2nd.  now, this is really more like a really long keirin - the motor gradually picks up speed for 40 laps, though.  At lap 38, the motor pulls off, and whoever is left gets 2 to go.  i was there, but had to bridge a gap going into the bell lap and got passed on the line.  all good, though.  the legs seemed to be going just fine.  sweet.

 

miss-n-out - 5th.  i was kind of bummed about this one, as i can usually make the final 3.  the competition was hard, though, so that wasn't too bad, really.  but i started feeling tired and was wondering if i should just call it an early night.

 

15-lap tempo - nothing.  the pace was quick, and i mostly just sat in the field.  for me to collect points in this race, i need to roll off the front, but i never did, and i still felt pretty tired.  ouch.

 

60-lap points race.

 

at this point, i asked the race director if we could simply do a 60-lap madison instead (that way I'd only have to ride half the distance - remember, i'm tired, folks).  no dice - points race it was.

 

for the first half of the race, i didn't do too much.  i partipated in some early sprints when i had the position, but tried not to bury myself too much.  about halfway through, though, a small group of us rolled off the front and proceeded to lap the field.  wow.  the 2nd half of the race was my awakening, and i scored 1st or 2nd in pretty much most of those sprints.  awesome.

 

just goes to show that even though you may be tired in the shorter races, the longer ones can still work to your advantage.  and that road and track can actually complement each other very nicely, too.  word.

"Don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years..." - LL Cool J

 

Sorry for the lack of updates, folks.  Times have been hard for sure.  I've been training a lot, that's for sure too.  And work has been fairly demanding, just wanting me to work more and more hours - not quite fully understanding the beauty of the part time schedule.  But whatever.  I'm walking a fine line at work, and things are going okay, but i'm just trying to keep all parties happy, you know what i mean?  word.  especially since i'm taking just about the entire month of july off for racing - booyah!  but i'm getting ahead of myself.

 

anyway, mostly just heavy training from the end of may to the middle of june.

 

june 18 was the state road race championships - a 109 mile race with a bunch of climbing, but nothing mountainously hard.  i wasn't too excited about this race, but decided to go and help out my teammate chris dagz.  the race was actually going just fine - dagz flatted on lap 1 - we all dropped back - changed his wheel - towed him back up to the field - good work.  a bunch of climbing later and i got dropped around mile 60 or so on a pretty serious climb.  that sucked, but there were a couple other dropped guys, and we chased all the way to the feed zone climb.  we were just catching the peloton at the bottom of the climb, but then the peloton accelerated (and the climb started) and that was pretty much all she wrote.  i rolled around for the rest of the lap, but then pulled out.  i'm not so much one for quitting races, but i didn't have the food and drink necessary to do another lap, so it was better to just stop.  that was around mile 70 or so.  anyway, that kind of sucked, but frankly, i did better than i thought i was going to do going into the race.

 

you see, it was back in the fall of 2004 / winter of 2005 that a sports doctor told me, "you have the potential to be national champion in the pursuit [on the track], but you will never be a good road racer."  and i bought it.  shouldn't have, but i did.  believed it for over a year, but not any more.  why?

 

cyclovets omnium 2006 - that was just this past weekend - june 23-25.  i finshed 9th place overall - how ya like me now, doc?  (now, for what it's worth, that sports doctor might have meant i wouldn't be successful on a european road racer level, but i interpreted it as even on the local/regional level...)

 

friday - individual time trial - 10 miles.  5 miles out, turnaround, 5 miles back.  there's a minor hill (~200 feet) in the middle of the course, so you hit that twice.  I scored 5th place with a time of 22:18.  That was so chill, I can't even say.  Now, time trials are not my favorite - i prefer head-to-head racing - but to beat a lot of accomplished road racers was pretty awesome - it's a true test of fitness.

 

saturday - road race - 67 miles.  not a super long race, but the climbing was pretty ridiculous and this was out in the desert during the summer, so the environmental conditions were miserable.  i got 14th - beating lots of guys who can climb much better than me.  pretty surreal, to say the least.  I must have gotten dropped 4 or 5 times during this race, but with a lot of help from my teammates, i was able to finish well and collect omnium points for the overall result.  and really, i can't stress enough how important my team was during the RR.  From support in the feed zone to a draft on the road, it all made the result possible.

 

sunday - crit - 75 minutes - 1 km course with a bit of a hill in it - but not super hard or anything.  finished in 13th.  there was a 3 man break up the road for the finish, so the field sprint was for 4th.  i didn't have a "bad" sprint, so to speak, but it wasn't too super either.  i held my own - didn't get passed - but didn't pass anyone either.  it really boiled down to being in a slightly bad position for the finale.  i was on the outside coming into the final turn when i should have been on the inside.  oops.

 

so with all that said, i'm in complete shock that i finished in top 10 overall at this stage race.  sorry for the lack of blogging folks, but that's where all the energy went - into that top 10 result.  flippin' sweet.