Bike Ski Run and Me

Anika, Studying, and Computraining

2012-02-11T20:50:00.001-08:00

Another week is almost complete. Anika and I have been study buddies. She comes with me out to NWTC on Thursdays so I can study. We both work on our homework.

I was able to fit in some good runs and couple of bike rides in this week. One ride outside and one inside. I had a chance to meet some of the riders from Big Ring Flyers today. It was fun and the upcoming race season is looking good.

I committed to the Door County Half Ironman.

Tomorrow a ski and swim sessions hopefully and then more studying.

Attached are some pictures from the indoor training session and Anika smiling at NWTC.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Training, New Team, and Food

2012-02-06T16:33:00.001-08:00

A very good weekend. Biked 129 miles over two days with Quentin, Nate and Julie. Nate is in fine form. Putting in the base miles. Sunday seemed much harder than Saturday.

I rather be skiing in early February and training for the Birkie. I guess my training will consist of long bike rides and hard runs. I will at least come into the Birkie with some decent endurance.

I joined the Big Ring Flyers this year. This will be the first time since 1994 that I will not be wearing Team Nordik colors for races. I truly enjoyed my time with Team Nordik because they are like family to me. I am not using past tense because they all are great friends and looking forward for future rides with them. The Big Ring Flyers goals and schedule match my own. This will be a fun year to travel, learn and race with several team members. Oddly enough race season is right around the corner.

See the full gallery on Posterous

I love food. The best thing is making a nice healthy salad on a Monday that will last a couple of days. Nothing like fresh vegetables for hard training.

A picture of Anika reading Calvin and Hobbes at Karvana.

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A good week

2012-02-03T22:04:00.001-08:00

This week finished and passed my CPR class through NWTC.

I signed Anika up for Gymnastics and Swimming classes at the YMCA. She is very excited.

I am doing very good in my Psychology and Bio-Chemistry classes at NWTC. I have many more nights of studying ahead of me.

I am very thankful for my Family, Friends, and Neighbors.

I also signed up for the Door County Half Ironman.

This month I have the Birkie Ski Race. I am hoping for a very large snow storm soon. The kind of blizzard that the kids have 2 days off from school. That would be awesome.

A simple dinner

2012-02-03T21:56:00.001-08:00

A simple chicken thigh with saffron risotto and sugar snap peas. Very easy and tasty and healthy. Anika loved it too.

A warm January Day

2012-02-03T21:05:00.001-08:00

I am finally posting pictures of the neighborhood kids at Astor Park. A warm day in January 2012. a great day overall. As you can see no coats. Instead of snow piles they played in wood chips piles.

See the full gallery on Posterous

NWTC Classes

2012-01-31T20:01:00.001-08:00

The last two nights I was at NWTC for a class (BLS for Healthcare Providers) (AHA CPR class). This is a requirement for the Nursing Program. I passed the written and clinical tests and I am now certified for two years. Another class completed. Next is Bio Chem Quiz on Thursday. Thanks Jenny and Charles for watching Anika the last two nights. Also to Mark and Aeron for taking Anika to school on Thursday mornings. I live in a great neighborhood. Almost like Seasame Street.

Cross Racing, Cooking, Skiing, and Studying. A Full day Ahead.

2012-01-29T06:02:00.001-08:00

An exciting morning. World Cyclocross Championships are today. I made Belgian Waffles this morning. Watching the pre-race coverage and some commentary in English the rest I can guess at. What fun they are having with Beer, Great Food, and Cross. Awesome...

Here is the link: http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/videozone/MG_live/1.815188

After racing then time to cook some soups and then off to ski and train for the Birkie. Anika will be skiing today. She is doig really good on skis. Her confidence on hills is improved. A great day ahead. After a fun day sit down and hammer through my studies.

Snow

2012-01-23T17:43:00.001-08:00

It snowed and rained today. We need more snow.

2010-11-29T14:29:00.000-08:00

Cellcom and bikes of course and a quote

2010-05-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

The Cellcom is only a couple days away. I am looking forward to the run. I am shooting for a sub-4 hour marathon. I have been taking it easy all week. Its wierd, I am not a type of person to hold back, but I worked so hard for this event I don't want something really stupid to spoil the excitement. This year I am following the taper and coming into the Cellcom with fresh fast legs.

My mood has been alot better lately. This is due to many factors. It seems my life is headed into unknown waters. It is rather refreshing. Although the same water may churn up a bit so hang on everyone.

I like some of these running quotes that Runner's Worlds sends out. The one below Erin H. really liked.

Dwell on the positive, but have controlled, passionate anger.
Pat Tyson, running coach

Curt M. Just bought a new Specialized Mountain Bike. I saw pics. Sweet machine. Almost makes me want to buy another bike.

Paper Valley Duathalon and new bike.

2010-05-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

This year I turned 40 years old. I bought a Time Trial/Tri Bike to add my collection of bikes. Two days later I enter the Papervalley Duathalon in Neenah Wisconsin. I raced with Bill Withbroe and Michelle Barnes -Nichols. It was a 2 mile run 20 mile bike and 2 mile run. I finished 14 th in my age group and 78th overall/665. This is a good results for me considering I bought the bike 2 days before the race. I threw on my Ritchey Carbon Wheels and those things can fly. My first 2 miles was a 7.02 pace the bike 21.6 mph average and the final run 7.24 pace. These are good times. It took awhile for me to find my legs for the second two miles. A little wobbly.

Everyone had a great time and fun at the race. The picture is my daughter Anika wishing me good luck before the race.

The post training run coffee shop stop

2010-05-09T20:13:00.000-07:00

The Coffee Shop for the past several weeks has been a place to kick back after short, mid and long runs. It is a place to unwind and catch up with friends, that may have been too quick or too slow to talk with during the run. It is a place to chat with others going through the same pains, thoughts and emotions that follow runners who train for something important. Its a place to learn new tricks and evaluate from other runners what works for them. I learned this week that I will have to take into consideration my weak core and add Pilate's (I hope Erin H doesn't read this post).

Every week it seems more people have been enjoying the coffee shop. Jane a friend of Ivy's showed up and we talked about biking. In the near future maybe we will catch a ride and that may create a new riding friend and experiences for the future. Many of the runners are cyclists so after the Cellcom some of us will hook up and ride. The Coffee Shop is opening doors to new adventures outside of running. I may even consider a Tri from the positive encouragement from Ivy and my long time friend Bill W.

My good friend Frank who was visiting from Michigan came for coffee. We met later for a bike ride and he mentioned the atmosphere of the Coffee Shop. Even new comers feel the Vibe.

I will have to thank Marathon Mike, DJ, and Erin for inviting me to join them at the Coffee Shop. It has been a door to new friends and opportunities. I may not always hit the coffee shop but when I do its something to enjoy like a good Cup of Jo.

Starting this blogging thing again

2010-05-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since my last post. My life is in flux right now. Many thing happening all at once. Oddly it has open up some time for me to do things like write, run, bike and take time for myself. What the year will bring I am not sure yet. I am turning 40 so that should be interesting. Oddly I only thought about posting something after Teresa a running friend mentioned she started a blog.

I have many thoughts swirling around in my head. In the next several days, weeks, months, and years they may come out into this blog.

My First Duathalon

2010-05-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

I completed my first Duo. It was an interesting race of a 2 mile run 20 mile bike and 2 mile run. It was a last minute decision so my friend Bill and I ended up in wave 12. I even bought a time trial bike three days before the race. It was set up at the bike shop and away I went. The race went extremely well for me. The bike was my strong suit and finished high up in the standings for my first race. A little more practice on the bike and maybe I can do better at the next one. I may even consider a Tri.

Martin Luther King Day off as a Holiday

2010-01-18T17:03:00.000-08:00

Oddly enough, I have today off as a holiday. I decided to run and do some snow shoeing with friends. Erin and Tammy joined me for a wonderful run on some hard packed snow. It was awesome. It allowed me to catch up with Tammy about her life. Erin and Tammy are two people that are always up for a run no matter what the weather. I have been very fortunate to have both as running partners throughout the years. They each bring there own running style and qualities. At the same time they are very alike. Both are avid outdoors people, funny, love food, quick to smile, listen and understanding of what each other goes through in daily life. We all have families, work and outside challenges. During the run its good to hear some of their stories and tell mine it makes the run go by sometimes too quickly.

Later in the morning Jennifer was ready to go snow shoeing. What alot of fun. I have forgotten how much fun it is to tromp through the snow. I did run here and there and I may have to run a race soon for snow shoes. I may do well.

Later in the day, I went out to lunch with Beth at La Bravo. A very nice lunch. Nothing like a delicious lunch with the one I love. We went to the book store and Beth found a book I would like. She was right and I bought it. I ended the day with a nice beer and made dinner.

Christmas and a New Year

2010-01-02T19:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas was very nice this year. Very little traveling which is always good. Anika has new skiis that she really likes. She also has many new toys. Beth and I went clothes shopping. I have new dress coat that is warm and rather nice. Beth Anika and I went to the Tundra Lodge with Ma and Chuck and Rebecca and Matt. We all stayed in the same suite. Tight but it worked. Everyone had fun at the water park and we played spoons. A very intense game. No one was hurt though.

Beth and I had a pleasent night going out with friends and enjoying a nice meal at the Black and Tan.

Anika and I have gone skiing the last two days when the temps were in the single digits. A little hard but she was a trooper. She also has new skiis this year. Her other ones were just too small.

News Year day Joe G. and I went out biking. I was trying out the studded tires I just received and man they are sweet. I never slipped once on the ice. The gripped and cornered well. Joe took one digger on the ice but was A-ok. I did jump on the trainer on the 2nd just to get some decent spinning into the legs.

A couple of surprise results and big snow.

2009-12-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

Its been a very busy couple of weeks. We are entering into the Holidays. I was looking at the results for the Stump Farm Classic Trail Run and realized that I took third place for my age group and won a jar of Gourmet Pasta Sauce. I am thinking not bad for throwing up twice during the run. Do not drink the Gatorade.

Next surprise result was at the Noodleini. This was a 9.3 mile (15K) run. I went into the run with very few miles in the legs over the past several weeks. Work has been a bear. My goal was just to finish with a 8:15 pace or a sub 9 at the worst. I ended up with another PB for that course and that distance with a 7:44 pace. I was very happy and pleasently surprised. On top of the nice result was a second place trophy for my category. This is the first year I have ever placed in anything.

The other nice thing is the 14-16 inches of snow that fell in Green Bay. I went riding in it the night before and it was alot of fun. The next day shoveling was a tough but my neighbor Rob gave me hand with his snow blower. The snow was very nice for the Nellib and again I had a very good run, Billy Goat and I ran for the first 4 miles and then up Green St I pulled away and gave a hard effort. I had a 8:24 pace which on snow is very nice. Finish the season in good shape. I hope to kee it up into the next year.

Stump Farm Classic

2009-11-08T18:10:00.000-08:00

Bill and I just before the Stump Farm Classic. Bill beat me this year. I had a great start to the race until I drank some nasty power drink. It made me throw up twice during the run. Bill caught me at mile 7. The nicest thing was being able to run with Tammy for the first 4 miles. I just wonder how it would have turned out if I did not drink the power drink and stuck with water. Oh well I had fun and ran with some great friends (Tammy Wagner, Bill (Billy Goat) Withbroe, Cheryl Noel, Barb K., Nikki W, Jennifer). The nice thing the money goes the Ashwaubenon Ski Team for travel expenses etc.

2009-11-08T16:06:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2009. The pciture with Anika as a Pirate was during the Heritage Hill Halloween Party. A good time. Stories were told and candy handed out. Even apples on a string to catch. Anika's favorite part was the haunted maze. The other pictures were taken during Halloween Night. Our neighbors cam over and all the kids had fun collecting candy. We even had Doughnuts and cider at the Schwenk's house.

Lapham Peak Cross Race.

2009-10-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

Its been awhile since I blogged. I have been super super busy with work and life this summer. I had goals setup and was slowly conquering each goal. I am having a pretty good year with running and biking. I had one set back or maybe a reality check. Cross racing. I entered my first cross race in about eight or nine years. I did not come in last place but pretty close to it. In hindsight though I had worse cross races. In my first ever cross race I was dead last and was lapped not once but twice. The race at Lapham Peak I was in the mid pack for the first two laps but a mis step on one of the barriers really set me back. I rebounded only to implode on the next run up. I faired better than others though. I at least did not break any bones.

I am in San Diego, California visting my sister-in-law. This is giving me sometime to write and relax. I am going to try and maintain a blog presence. I do have some changes to make so stay tuned.

Green Bay Cellcom Marathon.

2009-05-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

This is the night before the marathon. This is my one A race of the season. I shooting for a good time. My original goal was a sub 9 but maybe even better if my training runs are any indicator of my fitness. After the marathon I may focus more on the bike and all around training. I need a better core to compete well.

I plan on being a bit more puntual on my blogging. I have been absent for awhile with work and training and family life. A hectic time period right now.

End of Week 3

2009-01-25T19:15:00.000-08:00

I biked and ran most of the week. The temperatures were very mild except for the weekend. The temps for the upcoming week are going to be a little chilly. I ran with the Cellcom group. Oddly enough a couple people called me letting me know I made the TV. Something about a frosty crazy man. Erin and I ran 7 miles at a 8:39 pace. Bill ran a 8:40 pace. If I can keep up with Bill this year, then going under 4 hours will be achieveable for the Cellcom Marathon. At this point, I have a total of 95 miles running and 120 miles biking. The biking is mostly commuting back and forth from work. Its a good workout about 40 minutes each way. The snow and ice help work on bike handling and the mountain bike with a bag add to the workout.

I love snow but........

2009-01-17T20:21:00.001-08:00

I just received my new bike parts for the road bike (thanks Pops for the gift card and JB Cyclery for the great deals). The bike looks great and now I really want some clean roads and give it a spin. I have been commuting by bike too work at least twice a week for the new year. At this point I have 60 miles running and 54 biking.

This year my main goal is the Cellcom Marathon and break 4 hours. I will use biking for cross training this year. The most enjoyable route this year has been the Meadowbrook Trails. The trails are awesome for training.

I set some goals for this year. Bike 4000 miles and Run 1000 miles. At this point I am a little off on the bike but on course for running. The summer and fall months are great times to catch up on biking. I have a goal weight of 185-200. At this point I am at 204. Looking good to break 200 for the first time since college (15 years ago).

2009-01-17T20:21:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of Bill Mike Chris and me. This was a snowshoe up Cascade Mountain. The wind at the top was cold. It felts like my face was going to freeze off. Once in the tree line it was fine. I would like to go back and ski. The hike up took 1 1/2 hours of climbing up. The way down was only 45 minutes. It was a great time. The next day was Chris's wedding, so a great way to start the festivities.

Christmas in Lake Placid

2008-12-29T20:23:00.000-08:00

Anika waiting for Santa. Anika was a happy camper when she awoke.

The Wedding

2008-12-29T20:20:00.000-08:00

A cupcake wedding cake.
Old friends: Phil Bill Chris and I.
Anika's new friend.
My beautiful wife.

Chris's Wedding

2008-12-29T20:15:00.000-08:00

Some snap shots from the wedding. A flamigo guitarist and my buds and the family all enjoying a great time.

Sledding Hill

2008-12-29T20:12:00.000-08:00

Our beautiful sledding hill. What a view. The structure in the background is the Olympic Ski Jump.

The North Pole and Santa's Workshop

2008-12-29T20:09:00.000-08:00

Real reindeer and Santa. Anika's dreams coming true

Lake Placid in the snow and skating

2008-12-29T20:07:00.000-08:00

Lake Placid in the snow. The top picture was our hotel. The second picture is the church we spent Christmas Eve. The third picture is Anika and I walking Lake Placid. The final picture is Anika and I skating around the last outside Olympic Oval used during the winter games. The blur is probably Beth skating circles around us.

A cold run

2008-12-29T20:01:00.000-08:00

I had to go for a long run. Unfortunately I chose a cold day.

Christmas Vacation in Lake Placid.

2008-12-24T14:33:00.001-08:00

The first word that comes to mind is WOW! It has been a busy and beautiful vacation. The travel to Lake Placid was very smooth. We were lucky enough to fly into Albany between snow storms. A word of advice go with Four wheel drive, in the winter, in the mountains. I saw so many cars spin out half way up some of the wicked roads, but the RAV4 was awesome.

My first morning was a run around Mirror Lake. It was a good run. The rest of the day we went to the little shops. The second evening was meeting up with friends and Chris's family at a Pizza joint and then skating around the Olympic Speed Oval. My first time skating in about 20 years. I was going to skip the skate and help Anika by walking. In the end I had skates on was precariously buzzing around the oval.

The third day was a hike up Cascade Mountain. There was a little over a foot of new snow to break through. Second note. Bring climbing poles because they really help. The group consisteted of Bill, Chris, Mike and Scott. It was a 4 mile round trip hike. The way up took 1 1/2 hours and the way down was 45 minutes. It was a tough climb up. It was alot of fun. Climbing up through the trees on a narrow trail. Once at the top the trees gave was to open rock and a wicked cold wind. It felt like I had instant wind burn. The wind gusts were incredible. Pictures to come soon.

Beth and I took Anika to Santa's Workshop in the North Pole. She saw real reindeer and Santa. It really made her day. She loved the elves houses and the talking evergreen tree (Tenebaum). The only real problem came with the wind. It howled through the valley. It was 3 degrees with 30 mph winds. Anika was the warmest and smartest dressed in a complete snow suit. She just wanted to keep going. Pictures to come soon.

The third day was a day for sledding. Much warmer 21 degrees sunny and little wind. We found a nice hill and sledded for about two hours. A great time. Thanks to Gretchen for loaning us the sleds. It was a great time. Later that day was the big event. Chris's wedding. The wedding was at the Cascade Ski Center.

Christmas Eve was relaxing. We went to church for a family Christmas Eve service. Unfortunately it rained so we had to drive down the hill for church. The service was nice with songs and a candle light at the end. After the service we headed back to the hotel for dinner. The dinner was a fixed price and was delicious. I had a nice mozzerela basil and tomatoe appetizer and the main dish was prime rib. Beth had a clam chowder and her main dish was a nice seafood plate.

Christmas Day was spent relaxing and opening some nice gifts. Chris Galaty gave me a bottle of Polish Vodka and small wooden hand-made birds.

The last day was travel. Relatively stress free until Detroit where we had to rush between flights. Flying in general was not too bad compared to the horror stories we heard from others.

Lake Placid Run

2008-12-21T05:18:00.000-08:00

This morning, I awoke and met Chris Galaty for a run. We had a great run around Mirror Lake and through the main area of Lake Placid. What a beautiful area. I will have to run longer the next few days but a good end to the week. I am having a nice cup of coffee in front of a fire and relaxing for the first time in many days.

A cold and sad day and an update

2008-12-15T20:20:00.000-08:00

I finally filled up my car with gas (sad day). The low gas tank light came on. It was October 15th since I last filled up. Since then I have commuted to work via bike (430 total miles during that time frame). Today it was -3 with 30 mph winds in the morning. I drove today, because I thought the roads would be iced over. They were bone dry. This was due to the wind and cold sucking up the moisture.

Status check on my goals:

Run: 700 miles. Currently 639.92
Bike: 3000 miles. Currently 3208.62
Ski: No goal. 74.66 miles
Total miles: 3923. I will have to try and nail off 4000 total miles.

Goals are good to have. I need 40 miles to nail off the 700 mile mark. It maybe tough due to a vacation coming up soon. This has push up my long runs and this is a good thing. I just have to stay focused and keep going.

The bike commute lately have been beautiful. A couple of the sunsets were just crimson and just were outstanding. I may not have noticed if I was stuck in a car. It has been a little harder lately to get up in the morning for a run and/or bike. The dark and cold can do that to the mind. Pictures to come soon.

Noodleini Race 2008

2008-11-30T11:13:00.000-08:00

What a great day for a run. I biked eight miles over to the run to stretch the legs. The best part of the run was seeing Roxanne Duda. Rox and I were running partners when she worked at AMS. She is a lot of fun. She showed up with her sister and those two can really run. Rox and I are a tad competitive (Those who know me realize I am not competitive :)). I thought I saw another running partner and started to chase her down. I opened a gap on Rox. Realized it was not Tammy and slowed down a tad. Overall I had a great race and a personal best. Running with my work running partners really helps. After the race was soup coffee and rice kripsie squares. I just missed out on a third place in my division by 30 seconds. Its good that I am still improving, I was a little concerned, that I slacked off too much this summer. I have some things to improve on (weight) and maybe by Febrauary I can have another PB at the spring 15K. 1:15:36 9.33 miles 8.06 min/mile
mile1: 8.16
mile2: 8.03
mile3: 7.48
mile4: 7.49
mile5: 8.02
mile6: 8.03
mile7: 8.23
mile8: 8.22
mile9: 8.12
mile.33: 8.00

Race Day - How to commute for a race.

2008-11-30T04:35:00.000-08:00

Trying to figure out how to bike across town, run a race, and bike back without freezing or having my stuff ripped off. I may have to drive. Writing and thinking about this is giving me some ideas. A cheap bag, cheap warm clothes and a long cable lock may do the trick today. Well off to the race. Noodelini in West Depere here I come.

2008-11-24T20:03:00.000-08:00

Anika is enjoying the first good snow fall of the season. Very nice. As long as she only eats white snow.

2008-11-24T20:00:00.000-08:00

The first good snow of the season. 2" of fun white stuff . A great ride into work.

Mile Stones

2008-11-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

I have been tracking my bike and run mileage. To this point I have the following:

Run: 508.89 miles
Bike: 3011.20 miles
Skiing: 74.66 miles
Total: 3594.75 miles

Bathroom Remodel

2008-11-16T18:59:00.000-08:00

The start of the bathroom project. A leak started the whole thing. We used a little ingenuity and the bathroom turned out very nice. A little stressful at times but overall a good finished piece. My dad and I placed in the sink. Beth did most of the painting.

First Snow of 2008

2008-11-16T18:33:00.000-08:00

Anika and I wenty out on the first snow. Sofie came over to join in the fun. I even laid ski tracks. Anika ate the first snow.

Rain Rain and more Rain and a friend returns

2008-11-14T12:36:00.000-08:00

End to another week. It has been 4 weeks since I had to fill up my car.

The commute this week was very wet. I rode three days in the rain. Today was a nice change with cool temperature and dry roads. Thirty-two miles of commuting this week.

The runs this week have been very fast. On average the pace was around 8:25 including a day on the Meadowbrook trails. Very fun. I am hoping to run 15 over the weekend and try to meet my yearly mileage goal. Its going to be tough.

Tammy Wagner joined the lunchtime work running clan today (Friday). It was great seeing and running with her again. It brought back great memories. She said she was slow but I did not see it. She seemed as fast as ever. It was a highly enjoyable run. I am very fortunate on having great running partners through the 14 years of working at AMS/UHN. The individuals may change through the years but the run(s) remain the same. The people/friends I run with have always been great characters.

Rain Rain make my day

2008-11-06T19:12:00.000-08:00

This morning it started out dry. I decided to ride the cross bike into work. Just a fun bike to ride. Nice morning around 53 degrees and a tailwind all the way into work.

The lunch time run turned into a hard fast run. Today it was Dan, Cheryl, Erin, Todd, and Al. It was decided to run the Long Pamperin route. This is a great route. The first part is mostly down hill into the park on a quiet road across a foot bridge onto the trails of the park that run along the creek. One of my favorite routes because most of the way is trails and quiet peaceful roads. The pace today was rather quick. Everyone was pushing it and very humerous at times when we egg each other on. Erin had us clocked at a 8:02 pace. I feel pretty good. At the end of the run it rained and it cooled us down and felt great.

Still raining. I have been offered a ride home by four different people. I decided to ride my bike home. It was actually a very nice ride back home. I derobed and took a nice warm shower. Cuddled with Anika a nice way to end a day.

2008-11-04T17:47:00.000-08:00

Anika bobbing for apples and trick and treating

Halloween and Today I voted.

2008-11-04T17:40:00.000-08:00

Anika as a Mummy for a Mummy race.

Anika's Soccer Game

2008-10-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

Anika played three games. I did not go to the first game, but the second and third were fun to watch. Anika has blocked 9 and just one score against her. I know I know she is four and should be for fun but the kids keep better score than the parents. I was even corrected once on the score.

Minnesota Flag

2008-10-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

I lost a bet last year. The Badgers did not cover the spread,granted the spread was 16 points. My poor bag messenger bag will soon be rid of the Minnesota flag burden. The picture with Anika was last year showing I was displaying the flag when I traveled to work.

A Sunday in Green Bay

2008-10-21T17:30:00.000-07:00

Rain Day , Took the Car and Frustrated

2008-10-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

Today I drove into work due to the rain. I also filled up my tank. I will use this as my gauge for my next fill up. I want to shoot for 8 weeks. It maybe hard due to we are going into fall and winter months. Should be interesting. 8 weeks is my record.

The last couple of days have been tough on my running. A project at work is hindering my group runs, but work is work. Today was another missed group run but I made the best of it and ran hard. No complaints.

Just to add to my frustration, I dropped my lunch onto the floor in the kitchenette. Just chalk this day up as a bad day. On the bright side my caloric intake will be lower.

Commute in the Rain

2008-10-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

I biked into work. I was hoping to leave work ASAP due to the weather changing very fast. Alas no use. I was caught in the rain. It was not a bad ride home. A little wet but could have been much worse. The rest of the week is going to be warmer. The fall colors are changing nicely and the runs at lunch have been very fast. Tomorrow a nice trail run is planned.

Anika's First Soccer Practice

2008-09-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

Laptop

2008-09-05T03:53:00.000-07:00

New laptop. I purhased a new laptop today from Buy.com. An HP. It has a built in video camera. This should be good for a few laughs. Maybe I can do a video conf call with my relatives in Scotland and friend in Poland.

Commute in the Rain

2008-09-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well. Tuesday it was 90 degrees. Today the was a high of 60 and rain. It made for a fun ride home on the fixie.

Today I comuunted to work 7.9 miles and back home 7.8 miles
During work I ran 5 miles on the treadmill.

Things I see while Commuting

2008-06-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

This morning, I was on my to work and saw two deer crossing Duck Creek. The creek currently is very high and I have never seen deer swim before. I have seen a moose swim during a canoe trip in the Boundry Waters but never deer. If I would have driven my car then I would never have seen this wonderful site. The other nice thing about this partcular bridge it was a busy road until they bypassed it and now it is a foot bridge.

Cooking and TV

2008-05-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

Today, We picked up the 46" HDTV. This TV is a monster but fits very well into living room. The living room is almost complete with new furniture and TV. A new lap and all is complete.

Anika has been helping me more and more on her own to help with cooking. This has been very fun and a great bonding experince. She is four years old but follows my instructions very closely (or as close as four year old can) and is learning.

A great weekend overall. I wish I could have biked more but it is my fault. I need to be more diligent on waking up in the morning.

I will have pics coming in the near future.

Lawn Mowing Going Green

2008-05-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

Beth (my wife) decided to cut the grass today, while I worked on the new garden. She used the manual push mower. No motor and it works great. No gas no money. This worked out very nicely. The only thing extra was raking up some of the longer grass clippings. The garden is coming along nicely. All I need now is some field stone to edge out the garden.

A commute into work and a lunch ride

2008-05-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

I was dragging a bit this fine morning. I wanted, to take the car, but it was clear out and the temps were reasonable. I ended up having a very nice ride into work.

I rode with Tammy today. We did the Pamperin through Indian Hills and Howard route. A nice hilly route. A bit difficult on the single speed but it turned out to be a very good ride. A lone rider blew by us on a Jamis Time Trial Bike. He lost a water bottle and stopped. We caught up to him and then chatted along the way. He did not appear to be very good climber considering I had one gear and managed to out climb him on a tough hill. When he saw, I only had a fixed gear he was impressed. A nice ego boost for me today. Maybe all this commuting by fixed gear is paying benefits.

Cooking

2008-04-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I cooked a turkey. Today, I used the carcass to create a broth for future use. 18 cups of water, 4 carrots, 2 onions, celery, salt, szcechwan pepper corns, various dry spices. Delicious. Strained and froze the broth for future use.

Hot Water

2008-04-28T13:14:00.001-07:00

Normally I am in hot water. On Saturday I had the fun time of buying and installing a hotwater heater. Not a fun day by any means. The hotwater is in and working.

Snow

2008-04-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

Well it is April 28th and it snowed. April showers bring May flowers so what does April snow brings. I hope this does not affect my garlic and asparagus that has come up in the past week.

Anika, my little girl, is a trooper. She wanted to bike to school. Into the snow we pedaled to school. It was a good time.

Commute

2008-04-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

Today Anika wanted to travel to the sitter's house via the Burley. She said, "She was tired from yesterday's biking on the tag-a-long". She is a trooper. Being 4 years old and riding/biking on the tag-a-long for 10 miles is pretty good. It is also nice to know that even if she is too tired to bike she would rather take the Burley over the car. The commute today was very fast and the Green Light GODS were blessing me today. I hope I can beat the rain home tonight.