Zoot Wednesday

After Goose and Noose had somewhat of a messed up day - we climbed on our trainers about 6 and rode Zoot Challenge. Good ride for both of us. I think we both felt much better when we were done. Had dinner and watched the UD Flyers win.

Looks like bad weather is suppose to set in Thur evening but clear by the weekend. YEAH!!! Hopefully I can get and walk Saturday afternoon while Jeff runs with Mark.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO EGG

Back in the Saddle Again

Well after 1 week of head and chest cold I think I am finally back to normal (that word just doesn't seem to really describe me!). I was able to walk 3 miles on Monday and not feel like I was dying. Goose lifted weight and got in the water Tue for some rehab on his knees and legs.

Called Goose at work to give him the "news" on getting paid. It has been almost 6 months that a guy I worked (past tense) has owed me lots of money. Lots of broken promises with no money paid. Talked to him today - must not have seen my number come up or he would not have answered! He "plans" on giving me a little this week and will provide a note saying he will have been paid in full by June 1. That really is not acceptable, but there really isn't much else I can do but accept those terms. Back to Goose - he couldn't come to the phone, guess a pipe had burst at work and he was having to fix it. Looks like a really good night to ride trainers - we should be able to work out our flustrations. Not sure what one we will do but, it will have to be an hour or less ---- UD Flyer will be on TV and gotta watch them.

Hopefully this Sunday (weather permitting) we will try Tough Love again. It is a very difficult DVD for me, but I think we both really enjoy the challenge.

Sunday Ride

Well, after much Internet discussion on inside ---- outside - Goose decided to ride outside. It would have been very difficult for me to ride - have had a head/chest cold all week and not feeling up to par.

After Mass this morning, Goose was complaining (OK grumbling) that it wasn't that warm out. I told him to buck it up and ride. He said at times he got chilly, but all in all it wasn't that bad. Guess he let out a few cries along the way. I think he is glad he did it - I know I am!!!

Guess they has been some talk about his shifters and I have to agree that it is a good idea. As Egg said - if you were in the right gear!

Guess fun was had by all that rode outside.

Catching Up

Well I guess I have a little catching up to do. Said I would do better this year - oh well!
Jeff had to work on Saturday and then helped a friend do some welding. I was invited by AJ to attend a Justin Roberts (Noggin Channel) Concert for my birthday. It was actually cute for kids. Was surprised that it was at the Tipp High School. Had to sit and listen to Overfield School speech on why your child will be retarded if they don't attend their school. That left a sour taste but the children's music made up for it.

Sunday Jeff and I decided to get back on the trainers. We make it a little over 2 hours. Jeff did really well, followed Coach Troy to a T - me I lasted a couple times of standing, then had to stand for 15 seconds, sit for 15 etc. All in all we were both really pleased with what we did. As Jeff says, it is only January and he needs to peak late summer.

Woke up Monday morning and "it" was there - sore throat, stuffy nose, pounding headache. I was actually pissed - I have been able to train almost everyday and felt really good about it.

Jeff has had a tough week with computers down at work, 1 man short. His training has still been good - Wed night he ran 6 miles on the trails and felt pretty good afterwards.

Today is Thursday and I haven't done anything all week - was afraid of an asthma attack. Jeff will run in the water and hopefully Friday will ride with our beloved Coach Troy.

Mental Wednesday

Seems like Wednesday was a mentally bad day for both of us - Goose asked if it was a full moon - felt like it should be! With neither one of us really wanting to ride our trainers, we decided to do Muscle Breakdown - a short 45 minute tape. After a delayed start getting on our bikes - we quickly got into a rhythm. I had only done this tape 1 time and now I remember why. All in all it was a good night on the trainers - we both felt better once we were done. I can actually say it was fun. Good salads for dinner and off for dream time.

Thursday brings a running night for Goose - Noose not sure - probably walking in circles at the Y.

Sunday - Best Intentions

Well Sunday started out the best intentions for a hard day. Noose walked 3 miles in the late morning and then we both headed to the bikes for some real Tough Love. Decided not to preview the DVD - wanted to be surprised. Goose had done this one before. He said just do what you can do - it is only January. Started off fairly convident that I would last an hour. I was surprised that you had to stand every other minute and there were 30 minute increments. All in all I think we did well. I made it 1 hr 45 minutes. Goose said we made it through the hardest part. I know we both could have done the next set (6 x 5 minutes) but it was getting late and I needed to cook. When Goose was cleaning up around his trainer, he noticed that his back brake was dragging - know he knows why it felt so difficult! All in all I was happy with what we accomplished - wished we could have gotten started earlier, might have done more.

This week, I will return to the aerobic building DVDs, walking, and exercise DVDs. Goose will return to the water, lift EASY AND LIGHT weights and ride the trainer with me.

Hope to try the Tough Love again next Sunday and make it all the way through this time. Time is getting short - Dobo's indoor 100 is coming in a few weeks and Brasstown really isn't that far off.

Egg said the Madcow Jersey is near completion - can't wait to get a good picture of everyone in them.

Beautiful Day on Saturday

Wasn't sure what kind of day it was really going to be -- and it turned out to be beautiful. Jeff ran trails this morning and had to work some this afternoon. I was able to get out and walk - nice to have the sun and no rain.

Tomorrow hope to ride 3 hours on the trainer - atleast that is the plan today.

Thursday Ride

Well with the good news, Jeff had planned to trail run with Joe W after work. As the day progressed, the weather turned down hill and he called and wanted to know what I was going to do. With all plans changed, we decided to ride to Aero Base Builder !!, which is about 1 1/2 hours. I had ridden it before, and it focused more on steady tempo for long periods of time. Wasn't sure Jeff would really like this but, as the DVD progressed and Coach Troy (don't ya just love him!) explained why he thought this was important. Surprisingly, Jeff like the DVD. Time went by much quicker with someone else to ride it with. It went extremely well with both of us riding together - good sign that this won't be a long winter on the bike.

Jeff gives me the encouragement that I need to keep going. And, I have to actually admit I really enjoy Spinervals. Yes, I know Egg and Dobo wait until the Indoor 100, I will learn to hate Coach Troy again.

Well, I am off to walk and Jeff is off to the YMCA to run in the water. Training is fun!

Good News - Bad News

Jeff had his Dr appointment on Thur afternoon to get results on the MRI on his shoulder. The bad news is --- yes he does have a tear in his rotator cuff - which would explain the pain when he tries to exercise using his shoulder. The good news is--- his Dr has had surgery on his own shoulder and it didn't last long. He said as long as he could tolerate the pain and it didn't really affect his everyday life, then he would suggest holding off on surgery -- You betcha skippy - this is training season to be followed by racing season!!!! I did get on line today to do research on this - looks like his TENS unit and OTC pain relief is the way to go. So it is time to TRAIN!

Wednesday

I guess you could say this was sorta a day off. We were meeting people Jeff knows from work for dinner - Andrew got home from work a little late and my day was very filled with AJ.

Got home late for me (Noose) and had very little time to do something for me. Found a DVD that would help get some junk out of my trunk and did it. Not exactly what I had planned, but it was 45 minutes worth.

Jeff and I met the couple at Applebees - we had salads and an excellent time talking. On the way home talked about our goals for the year - Jeff made a very suggestions for me and I really liked one of them. Now we just need to map out my goals.

Hopefully this week we will be able to map out Jeff's races for this next year. One thing is certain --Brasstown!!!

UD Flyers basketball team won tonight- life is good :)

Good night to all - once again past out bedtime (this seems to be a habit with us lately!)

January

Wow what a warm start to the year. Goose was able to get out a ride with the Cows. Thanks to them, he didn't turn around and head back to the truck. He finished and was filthy when he got home!

Goose set up his trainer with mine. First time riding together went OK - it will take time to get use to each other. We rode again Tues night together and it went much better. It help pass the time when there is somebody else in the room besides your dog and 3 cats!

I have gotten a few new DVDs of Spinervals and looking forward to riding to each one. Had lots of suggestions on what to get, and have been able to get most of them. When bike shops gets new shipment, I hope to get a couple of more.

Weather permitting (in other words - crappy day) will be at Dobo's for his indoor 100 at the end of January.

2007

Wow, what a year - 2007 had many ups and downs. On Jan 1st Jeff starting focusing on the new year. Had goals and wanted to make his dream come true. With aging up this year to the 55-59 age group – he knew it was now or never for the World Championships.

He trained hard on his trainer and took his trip to Asheville. Although the weather wasn’t the best – rain, snow, wind – they were able to get a couple of good rides in. Next trip was to Chattanooga for the 3 State/3 Mountain. Thanks to Egg and Dobo he was able to hang on – and thanks to an older man alongside a mountain – he got back on his bike and rode. His finish time was much better than expected.

Opened his triathlon season with Little Miami – while practicing the canoe, he pinched his elbow. Didn’t think much about it – went on the race and won. The next weekend was Milton Triathlon. Although he had a “good” race, something wasn't right Didn’t think much about it until a few days later. The elbow he pinched was swollen and turning red. After a few more days he went to the Dr. Treated with meds – got a little better but a soon a he quit the meds it returned. Found out he had a staph infection. After 2 months of treatment it finally went away.

It was now or never to qualify for World’s. Decided to try at Mansfield – long story make short he did. We traveled to Richmond VA for a very satisfying race – 6th in the World – Jeff was extremely pleased.

After we got home we received news that his Uncle Rich had an inoperable brain tumor. Less than 2 weeks later, Rich died on what would have been his 75th birthday. Rich had overcome so much adversity in his earlier days – was an extremely smart and caring person – loved to walk and write. It was very devastating to all of us.

Jeff ran and I walked the Turkey Trot to officially end his training season for the year. Jeff’s heart wasn’t really into the race – he hadn’t worked on speed this year – mostly endurance.

Christmas was wonderful. We got to spend it with family – especially my brother. We haven’t been together for 13 years – lot of family history (mainly his wife that died in July). Jeff got his compact crank (for Brasstown Bald) which has made everyone happy!

Received news that his Aunt Ellie (Rich’s widow) had been diagnosed to colon cancer and would be having her surgery on Jan 2. The news was not good – stage 3 – it had not progressed to her liver. Treatment? That is up to her. Very sad news.

Ended our New Year with very good friends. Egg was back playing with Funky G for the evening. Haven’t seen Egg smile like that in a long time. Everyone had “something” to let go of and embrace the New Year with hopes and dreams.

What will 2008 hold? Nobody knows. Just glad to be here and welcome the New Year in. We each have our goals and dreams. I think we have learned to roll with the punches.