Cold Weather

Well fall is upon us here in beautiful Southwest Florida. Last night a windy cold front went thru so at O-darkthiry it was COLD, 53* compaired to 71* yesterday morn. Since it was a swim morning at an outdoor heated pool I chose to run! Normally I wear a sleeveless coolmax shirt and shorts but today I chose a cotton long sleeve t-shirt and shorts (well it wasn't that cold). I had forgotten about the joys of running in a cotton shirt. At the 6 mile mark or so my shirt was soaked and weighted a ton. I quit at eight miles and took a hot hot shower! Hopefully it will warm up enough that I can swim at lunch time.

Something New

The humid weather returned this morning so rather than run on the dreadmill, which I'm sure you hate as much as I do, I decided to run to the pool and back. I leave the house at 0-dark thirty and at that hour of the morning I thought better of running thru the woods.... you know panthers, bobcats and yes snakes. So it was the long way to the pool 4 miles before sunrise.

When I got to the pool the sun was just coming up giving everything that golden glow, kinda erie. So after doing the snake-walk around the pool looking for snakes that went swimming overnight it was time to hit the laps. This summer we've take 4 water moccasins out of the pool gutters. They will not hurt you unless they bite so take them out with a net!

The pool temp has now dropped from 90* to a nice comfortable 82* almost cold. So today was 7 x 20 laps (correction it was 20 laps of a 30 yard pool. the way I could laps with my watch I get confused because I have to double the laps of the watch) with 3 minute rests. As I got going once again I got hot, hot hot.... 4,200 yards.

The 4 mile run back to the house was uneventful other than the sun was up and the temp was 78*... hot!

So there you have it my "new" training. Not really a brick it's a run-swim-run...RSR?

Long Over Due - Not eaten by Collie

I was not eaten by Collie or shot by an angry bike shop owner! My long over due up date, for those of you who have missed my updates! I'm living in Florida once again. Fortunately I didn't sell my house so I just moved back from Pa. The weather here is more conducive to training, at least that's what I tell myself. There are no hills here only flat, flat roads.

Health wise I'm doing much better. When I went to Philly I was hoping to find some answers regarding my brain tumor only to get the same answers and treatment that I was getting in Florida. It's a sad state of affairs in healthcare so don't get sick. I recently saw my brain surgeon after a series of test and yes I do have a brain... but the good news is the tumor (actually it appears to be a cluster of tumors about the size of a tennis ball) seems to be smaller. So that's good. I have also seen my oncologist, dermatologist, my primary doc and my regular (as appose to the brain) surgeon and they all agree there are no new signs of my cancer. So that's good. I have taken the past 4 months off work and plan to look for a job beginning in January, unless something comes along that I can't pass up. So I have more time for training, so that's good.

Training has been not as good as I would like it to be. I have focused on the swim this summer and I feel that I have gotten stronger. Lately my training each week has been 3 days of Swim (12,000 yds per/week), 5 days of run ( 40 miles) and 4 days of bike (150 miles). Now that the weather is getting cooler I hope to get a long ride in on the weekends and getting a little on run miles in. I have been going to Doc's Beach House for my weakly open water swims.

Mentally have been in a funk. I'm disappointed that I couldn't get a good or should I say better treatment plan in the Philly area.

Collie's Evil Cousin

Well boys and girls you all know about Coffee Drinker and Collie that reside on Tony's street and how I try to get Collie to spill Coffee Drinkers coffee? Well meet Collie's evil cousin, Border Collie. That's right a new challenge! Today as I was just finishing my 15 mile ride, I turned into my street when what should I see but three ladies walking in the road (no sidewalks). One of the ladies had a Border Collie on a long leash. When Border Collie looked a me I could tell it was on! He was in front of Border Collie Lady (BCL) but then as I approached he moved to behind her and then as I passed he wrapped his leash around BCL causing her to yell "Damn it"! Was me or what....

Today at the pool I tried did a ladder then spent alot of time doing my balance drills. I'm curious as to how you spend your pool time. How much time do you just lap swim? Drill? Do you use a pull bouy or kickboard? Fins anyone? Tomorrow I plan to work on bilateral breathing.

It is so hot now I have to run on the dreadmill at the fitness center...7 miles ugh!

Weakend Update

It seems I still have the knack for getting people pissed off. If you haven't read the last posts comments you see I had some response to my posts.

This past weak I've been concentrating on swim and bike although run is perhaps my weakest spot. I've been trying to swim every day including going to the beach for an open water swim. I had forgotten how much fun those "rollers" can be when you go to take a breath.

Tony and I did our Sunday ride to Coconut Point which included a brief 5 mile side trip to see the progress on the new mall. Hopefully next weakend we can do around Estero Island. As we were talking, riding side by side, going about 17 mph, two cyclists over took us. Of course we can't allow that and caught up with them, one had a Giant with a kickstand and the other a Trek. It was good to find some other Sunday riders. It will not happen again guys.

So here are this past weaks totals:

Swim 12,000 yards + 1 ow swim
Bike 150 miles
Run 24 miles

This morning I rode 30 miles and hope to get to the pool before the rain comes.... we have been having a lot of rain of late like many parts of the country.

Bike Shop Visit

OK boys and girls another lesson in how not to run a business. As you might remember I like to visit bikes shops look at the bikes and who knows I might buy something. You do remember my lunch time visit to a bike shop while living in PA?

I had noticed Roo needed new brakes. After 3 months of hills in PA Roo's brake pads we severely worn and in nee of replacement. Since I had to make several stops in and around Bontia Springs I thought I would stop at the Naples Cyclery then swing over to Doc's Beach House for a lunch time swim and a brief snack.

Upon arrival I noticed there were two employees in the shop. A high school age boy (hsab) and a bike mechanic. The hsab asked if he could help me and I said I need brake pads and gave him a sample one that I had taken off of Roo's front wheel. He quickly found a matching set and said that will be $24 I'll ring you up at the register. I guess he assumed that was all I wanted, needed or had to have... Feeling I was getting the bum's rush to get out of the shop I said to the mechanic who was working on a nice looking Felt Tri bike "Oh you sell Felts?" "Naaa" said the mechanic "just in for service". "Oh what do you sell?" me... "Giants" hsab interjects... (by the way they are Specialized dealers and have a nice selection on road bikes in the shop.) "Giant road bikes?" me. "Yea they're a little stiff for a road bike I don't really like them." hsab.

Well realizing the mechanic was a man of few words I thought I try another approach to get him to loosen up. "I'm looking for a group ride in the area do you sponsor any for your shop?" "Nope, to much traffic around here" hsab. Me "My buddy and I come by here every Sunday morning on our around Estero Island ride of 60 miles. There are no organized rides in this area?" (BTW there are a few roadies in the area that parktheir cars in parking lot behind the Naples Cyclery to ride Vanderbuild Beach Road then on the Gordon Drive and back) "Nope, but our shop down in Naples has some on Thursday evenings I think, that will be $25.44" I could tell they wanted me to get out of their shop so they could go back to.... telling jokes or playing cards or dealing drugs... "Well how about if I get a group together to go from here would you like to sponsor a group ride?" "Nope"

OK I know I should have driven the extra 5 miles to my LBS, Clint's and I shouldn't expect friendly customer service, nor should I expect a bike shop to want to sponsor rides for it's customers. So that's how to run a business today.

Lance

Coffee Drinker and Collie Update

OK now that I have your attention. I've been trying to get back into some kind of normal routine here in Florida. The medical opinion is in-operable means in-operable so no gama knife, surgery or radiation. My left eye might clear if I'm good, if not I'll be a one eyed triathlete (hey maybe I'll change my blog title to One-Eyed Oldman) So learn to deal with it and get use to dizzy. For those that asked no I haven't seen Tony since I returned. He has been in Buenos Aires for 3 weeks but we plan to ride Friday morning.

My Chilean neighbor, not having seen me in 3 months, greeted me by saying "You look like you've gain some weight in you tummy!". So, I've been riding in the mornings 25 miles M-W-F and 15 miles on T-Th then at lunch time I ride my bike to the pool and swimming 3,500 yards and in the evenings I run M-W-F 5 miles and T-Th 7 miles on a dreadmill , in the evening due to the thunderstorms (we get a storm everyday around 5 pm in the summer months). Saturday I think I'll go to the beach, Doc's Beach House, in the morning to do a long ow swim and then run hopefully 12 miles. Sunday will be around the island with Tony for 60 miles.

This morning on my mornings bike I saw them, yup Coffee Drinker and Collie. Not a kind word or glance was exchanged between us. No I think that dog really likes to get his master mad at me, I can see it in his eyes. Collie's leash was attached to a tree and Coffee Drinker was washing some metal bar stools. I could just tell Collie wanted to get free and spill the coffee...he tried to get one of the stools to fall over but Coffee Drinker was there to catch it. Hey did I do that? Kewl!

OK now back to looking for a job.... any one need an old broken down triathlete to work for them?

Home Again

Well boys and girls, Philly just didn't work for me! So as of last Friday I resigned my Philly job and arranged to move back to sunny hot Florida. My house didn't sell so I still have a home. I arrived here on Tuesday so I have been unpacking and getting my house back in order. I can't tell you how much I missed this tropical paradise and it was reflected in my training. This morning I did 25 miles on my bike and I swam at lunch time. So it's back to normal.

Update, Thots, & Personal

The Weakly Update

I know now that many of you just want to know what my stats were for the weak. So I’ll start there for a change.

Swim – 4,000 yards

Bike – 110 miles

Run – 28 miles

OK? I know it was not a good weak for me. I had to change my long run with my long bike due to rain. Does it always rain in PA? I feel like I’m about to rust. My long run has consisted of running the nature trail and paths around Haverford College. The nature trail is about 2.5 miles, so I did it 5 times and added a little to get my 14 miles. I’m old and slow so it was not a very fast paced run. Sunday it wasn’t raining but it was cloudy looking like rain and the roads were damp. However, I got my long ride in of 60 miles. It is quite boring here not having someone to ride with but then IM training is boring.

This morning was a run day. I just did a recovery run of 5 miles. My legs felt a little sore today so my rule is to listen to my body and take it easy…so watching my heart rate I tried to just keep it easy. Today is an easy swim at lunch as well.

A Thot

My apartment windows look out to Haverford School field (not the college but I think a private high school). I see all kinds of sports practiced on the field, soccer, baseball, some football and a few joggers. Yesterday I watch a father and son practice punting and place kicking a football. I was reminded of a story told to me by someone who grew up in the same neighborhood as Mike Schmidt of Phillies baseball fame. He related to me how every weekend and particularly on Sundays Mike and his father would practice hitting, fielding and baseball basics. Sundays from early in the morning to late afternoon they would practice. That’s what it takes to be great in a sport. Commitment to train.

As I watched the father and son practice, I thought about my sport, Triathlon. Why wasn’t I out there working on my sport? I have read, as you have, of the good to great triathletes training schedules. They usually are twice a day to sometimes 3 a day workouts. Long boring runs, rides, and swims. Now allowing for the fact that I work for a living and I’m getting “over-the-hill”, I questioned my commitment to train. Could I spend an entire Sunday training? Would I be willing to give up a Saturday do put in a long, long swim?

So I’d be interested in hearing from you. What is your commitment to train? Do you do anything above and beyond the basic base building? What is going to make you stand out in your next A race?

PERSONAL

As some of you know I moved here to the Philly area to get better healthcare. My brain surgeon has referred me to a neurosurgeon who specializes in gamma knife removal of brain tumors and the treatment of gilomas. The concern of course is leaving me with a frontal lobotomy and smiling a lot. But the hope is that I can get relief from my dizzy spells and headaches. Perhaps the tumor is still in operable and maybe that's why I can't sell my house in Florida because God wants to die in Florida rather than Philly. So, next week I see the new doc and start a new series of test. Along with all of that I see a new oncologist next week as well so no telling what he will "mix-up" for me. Since I haven't had the commitment to qualify for Ironman Kona I'm revising my banner to training for Ironman...you know lower your sights.

LO and BEHOLD!

I was walking by a local sports store on my way back to my office from a lunchtime swim. They were having a sidewalk sale. Not really needing a side walk I looked at the tables when LO and BEHOLD a pair of Speedo Vanquishers normally priced $12.99 for 50% off! Remembering de Bold's statements about dem I couldn't resist.


Also bought a Camelbak Hydrobak 50 oz for $14.00 normally $34.95 plus a Phillies hat for $2.00.

It's Finally Friday!

Today it was cloudy and overcast with the weatherman threatening to allow it to rain. How could he do that on my ride day? Alas I decided to run instead. Isn't it nice to have options in life?

I have found this "nature trail" that circumnavigates Haverford College. My guess is it's about 3 miles but the best part it is a quiet woodland in a city of noise. I find it very refreshing to "run thru the woods" even if it is in a city. Above is a pic of a meadow and a lake in the distance.

On my second loop I developed a slight hip pain. I keep telling myself that this is just a reminder of the pain to come when I do longer runs.

This weakend the plans are tonight I'm meeting my old friend Jailbird and his wife (he's 39 she's 29) for drinks at Flat Rock Saloon in Manayunk near the famous Manayunk Wall of the Philly Pro Cycling Race fame. He's the Jailbird because he was one of the first people arrested at the old Vet Stadium during an Eagles football game when Philly instituted court at the Vet. You know they have a Judge at the stadium and he sentences you right there. Well Jailbird was one of the first arrested and sent to jail overnight to sober up.

Saturday I'll work off the beer by doing a brick that consists of a 75 mile bike and a 10 mile run on Saturday. Sunday I hope to swim either at the Y or I'm looking for someplace to do some open water swimming, a lake, pond or something!

Here is a pic at the trails end....

Lance Armstrong Cleared in Doping Charge, AGAIN!

OLDMAN NEWS

The New York Times is reporting today that Lance Armstrong has been cleared of all charges of doping during the 1999 Tour de France. A Dutch investigator who headed the Dutch anti-doping agency for 10 years, Emile Vrijman, appointed by the International Cycling Union to investigate Armstrong said his report "exonerates Lance Armstrong completely".

Well didn't we already know that?

Here is the full NY Times article.

What do you read...

OK I have a love of reading and in the new media reading blogs. So I thought I would share just a couple of blogs I read. BTW - if you don't use a news reader, I use NewsGator Online, your spending to much time going from blog to blog. NewsGator only shows the blog when it is updated thereby saving you or your companies valuable time (assuming your reading this on company time and not at home) .

The first blog I look for is Ben Saunders. Ben is currently training in Greenland for a 120 day walk across Antartica. He and his friend Tony pull sleds with supplies while sking 10 hours a day. On a good day they cover 20 miles. Now that is endurance boys and girls. Every day Ben has a great picture.

Next, since I'm always looking for a good laugh and I like her weird humor, I look for Heather B. Armstrong aka dooce. Heather by her description is a recovering Mormon, a Stay at Home Mom (SAHM or Shit Ass Ho Motherf$#%&*). She started her blog in Febuary 2001 writing stories about her work place and was promptly fired or dooced. The first recorded blog firing.

Finally since your eyes are now glazing over, I look for Brad Feld of Feld Thoughts. Brad is a VC (Venture Capitalist in Bolder) and owner of one bad ass dreadmill. Brad has a goal of running a marathon in all 50 states by the time he is 50. He has completed 7 to date.

So drop me a line and tell me about your top three blogs.

TiVo it!

Last week I wrote about how the investment world is changing due to the new media and probably bored you to death. Last Wednesdays earnings report and follow-up conference call by TiVo (ticker TIVO) just is another demonstration of the new media changes. TiVo in fact has changed the way we watch TV. It is a product that if you don't use it now in some form you will in the near future.

Here's the high points of the conference call: earnings up 20% due to increased subscription, renewed partnership with DirectTV, TiVo won it's patent-infringement case against EchoStar and best of all, due to the EchoStar case, competing companies like Cisco must pay TiVo for every knock off copy of the TiVo box and Tivo software.... life is good if you're Tivo. Think like Microsoft, a good revenue stream into the future because of software and systems royalties. It gets even better because of this customer acquisition cost go way down and margins go up and profits should be somewhere in the middle.

So here's my point, keeping with my other post, CBS in ten year will be stagnate because they are not a part of the new media. While TiVo has developed a method of growth being the new media.

Did you TiVo CSI? Desperate housewives? How about American Idol?

Overheard

While walking back from the sandwich shop where I bought a Philadelphia hoagie, I was walking behind (about five feet, maybe 2 seconds) a little old lady. She stopped at the light of a busy intersection. Noticing she didn't press the button on the lightpole for the pedestrian light, I pressed the button.

Oldlady: Do you really think that helps?
Me: sure it does!
Oldlady: This is a long light I've been standing here for 5 minutes!
Me: OK
Time passes about 20 sec.
Me: OK our turn now.

Nike and iPod to Marry

OLDMAN NEWS WIRE

It was announced yesterday by Nike (nke) and Apple Computer (aapl) that they have teamed up to make AIR Zoom Moire shoes which connect to a runners iPod. It will show distance, time, pace and calories burned. This will be competing directly with Adidas AG bras and shoes having connections for the Polar Electro heart rate monitors (no jokes please) and Oakley having the Thump sunglasses with a built-in mp3 player.

The Apple/Nike wedding brings two (families) companies together that are making significant headway in the new media markets. Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, said he believes the Nike fitness device is in keeping with the iPod's heritage in entertainment saying "I would like it if iPods were indispensable throughout daily life."

The iPod kit will be in Apple and Nike stores in July with the shoes at Footlocker. iPod is expecting to release 10 million units by 2007. (10 mil boys and girls).

On another note you may now download Lance Armstrong's playlist from the Apple iTunes website along with other professional athletes.

I'm sure Bolder has already tested Air Zoom Moire and the iPod kit. Heck he has probably tested the Polar heart rate monitor and the Adidas bra!

Remember you heard it here first on Oldman News Service with all the news that might not be fit to print.

Flatman can run but not hide

One of my favorite bloggers, Flatman, had a mishap with his site ending in someone stealing his addy. So boys and girls time to update your favorites or your NewsGator feed. He is a link to his site.


http://fl4tm4n.blogspot.com/

Investment World is A Changing

Disclaimer: OK so this post is not about TRI's. I do have other interests!

On a daily basis I read my favorite TRI blogs like Loping LouBob , Nancy Toby, fellow melanoma patient Holly at TRI and Be Happy, and of course I can't forget Bolder In Bolder! I even try to comment on as many as I have time. To keep up with everybody I now subscribe to NewsGator Online so I get updated when you write a new post. I read some fun blogs like Dooce, Durteemartini, and Tales From the Tube. I also read mountain biking blogs like Fat Cyclists.

Lately I have been reading blogs that relate to my industry, investments. More particular VC's...Venture capitalist or Venture capital Firms. On my NewsGator feed is Brad Feld of Mobius Venture Capital, Inc; Venture Blog by David Hornick and Andrew Anker of August Capital; and Jeremy Levine of Bessemer Venture Partners. I have learned from my reading that the VC's are on the cutting edge of how the investment world is changing.

This is now the world of the new media and you are a part of it. Yes, you who I mentioned above that write blogs that I read and yes you who read blogs that I write are a part of the new media. Jim Cramer was humping his show or book but humping something appearing on the Imus in the Morning Show on MSNBC and streamed online at msnbc.com. Don Imus, only interested in himself, asked about a stock he has personal interest in, CBS (ticker: CBS). Since his show is owned by CBS and he has a large CBS holding as a part of his salary Imus wanted to know if he was going to make more money. Jim Cramer said, loosely translated, CBS is trading at $23 something and in 10 years it will be trading at $23 something. CBS is the old media and is not doing anything to be a part of the new media. That was a month ago. Today CBS is at $24 something.

So I found it interesting that in today's Wall Street Journal, yes I still read print media all though I don't buy the paper I get a sample copy, on page B3 of the Media & Marketing section there was an article about two VC firms, Bessemer Venture Partners and Insight Venture Partners buying a 50% interest in IAG Research. IAG is not a Wall Street research firm but a research firm that is a major player in media research. IAG's clients list includes GM and American Express. It seems the VC's are interested in the new media and commercials on new media i.e. blogs, online video, mobile devices and web ads.

So what? That's the change. The change from the old media to the new media. Now I'm not talking about over priced Google. No I'm talking about the new media companies we use on a daily basis. Gone are the days of the print media, circulation is down. Gone are the days of the evening nightly news, viewership is down. Gone are the days of commercial revenue from TV, with TiVo no one watches commercials except during the super bowl and then only because someone else is in the bathroom.

So what are we holding in our portfolios new or old? To make money for our investors are we doing them a disservice by holding positions in companies that like CBS will not really grow in the next 10 years? New or old seems to be an age old question. I kinda like the new prospects for greater returns.

Mt. St. Helens Giant Rock Growing!

Perhaps we can get our man on location, Brian, to do a video for us? It seems a fin is growing at the rate of 4.6 feet per day and is now 300 feet tall and 330 feet wide at the base. You might be able to see if via the Mt. St. Helens VolcanoCam if the mist, clouds, and stuff lift.

Also check out Brian's Trojan Implosion!

Elephant Dreadmill

Well I don't like dreadmills and neither does Maggie a 23 year-old African elephant who lives at the Anchorage Zoo. Her keepers built her this elephant dreadmill to help her get some training in for this summer's road races. Here is the full story in the National Geographic.

Today is a run day for me but no dreadmill. It was a cold cold morning run, 48* ugh. Well I guess it is better than the 70* and humid weather that Naples is having. I ran through the Haverford campus and I'm amazed at the beautiful buildings and grounds. I wound up doing 7 miles. I'm going to try to swim at lunch time. This will be my first official Oldman at the Y swim.

did they really say that?

Recently overheard while attending a street fair in a community with a lot of young families an elderly woman to her friend....

• "I can't see anything because of all of these damn baby carriages!"

While attending a birthday party, one of the guest was discussing his vacation to San Juan over the Easter weakend.....

• "it was not the traditional Easter that I'm use to with the Easter bunny and egg hunts. They made it into a some kind of religious holiday!"

Student cleaning out his apartment and throwing perfectly good "stuff" in the dumpster because he didn't want to haul to his parents....

• "I hate putting this good shit in here, the homeless will come and rummage thru it and steal it!"

Haverford Library Correction

Some one pointed out to me in the comments section of this mornings post that the library while looking like a church building was built in the gothic style but always used as a library.



Here's the college's description:

The Library. 1865 photograph.
The original Haverford School Library was in the southwestern corner of the first floor of Founders. Considered "the centre of the small college," it required more space and resulted in the erection of Alumni Hall, later Library, in 1864. This photograph is the earliest-known photograph of the completed building.


Sorry I got it wrong but it looked like a church to me having grown up in St. Mary's Church founded in 1706. Here is a pic of the "new St. Mary's" built in 1846 to 1848 in the gothic style.



St. Mary's was done by architect Richard Upjohn in the cruciform plan similar to his design for Trinity church in New York City and Grace Church in Newark, NJ. But it is really a copy of St. John's Shottesbrooke a 14th century English parish church...Upjohn used measured drawlings of St. John's to do St. Mary's.

So you can see why I would think it was a church having never seen Haverford College.

BTW - I was baptized, confirmed and married at St. Mary's and will be buried there along with my great grandparents, grandparents, parents and wife.


St.Mary's steeple contains eight bells cast by the same company that made Big Ben and the Liberty Bell, Whitechapel Bell Foundry. They were rung the first time in 1866 and my father as a high school boy rang the funeral bells (yes they are stuck by hammers to allow one person to ring the chimes and are rarely rung by swinging due to the steeple swaying during the ringing). To hear them stop by Burlington any Sunday they are played at every mass and each day at 6:00 pm for evening prayer.

Century

Saturday was the century ride. With the rain on Friday, I wasn't sure if the ride would be held. I left my apartment early, 6:30 ugh, to arrive early enough in case there was a problem with my late registration. Everything was in order, got my T-shirt and got ready to ride.

The ride itself was well marked and the cue sheets accurate. I was a little disconcerted when there was no actual start, everyone just did their own thing. Being from "out-of-state" though not really I grew up around here, I didn't know anyone and hope to hook up with a group. I was either to fast or to slow for the groups so I just did my own ride which really is better training for me.

The ride was through the rolling hills of central Jersey, past the lovely horse farms and tree nurseries. There was just an occasional pasting car but the organizers did a good job of sticking to the back country roads. It did rain for just a few minutes, just enough to get the road wet. At the first stop I had a pb&j sandwich and refilled my bottles. That kept me till the end of the ride since I ate my Cliff Bars while riding only stopping again to refill the bottles and go potty...always a good sign if you have to pee at 75 miles.

On one part of the ride I road past the old barm where my father as a teenage kept horses for his ice delievery wagon (1920's), I rode past the road named for my family, saw the site of my cousin's farm now a developement, and saw signs for my family's plantation now a museum.

At the finish they had lunch but I didn't feel much like eating another pb&j sandwich so I drove back to my apartment. On the way I drove past my boyhood home, my first home I bought when I was 20, then past the home I sold to go to Florida. My how things have changed and not all for the good.

Sunday was a run day for me so I did 14 miles around Ardmore. I went through the lovely Haverford College campus and saw some neat old buildings including a church which is now a library. (Pics coming soon).

Here's the totals for the weak:

Bike 175 miles
Run 28 miles - can't seem to get in the 30's
Swim - Nada - still haven't figured out the pool situation

Moving

Last night I heard police cars and noise like you would not believe. it was moving day for this piece of equipment which took up three lanes of the road. Can you count the wheels?

Hometown Century

I was looking at the Suburban Cyclist Unlimited website, they are a suburban Philly club, for a weekend group ride. As I looked over the list I saw a Century Ride in my hometown of Burlington NJ. My family history goes way back in Burlington to the 1600's when the ship Shield landed with English settlers. Notice the indian sitting on the banks of the Delaware River in the City Seal? That is my great, great, great, great grandfather.

Now you've gotta understand I haven't been home in 8 years so I thought this would be a fun ride to do. so I signed up today! Who's in with me?

It Must Be Me......

Well I've been in Philly, well Ardmore Pa, now going on two months. I thought it was time to get back into some serious training which would now including finding a gym. At home, in Naples, FL., my community has a fitness center with a pool. The membership is included in my community dues. It has everything I want, need or gotta have including 1. pool, 2. dreadmills, 3. elipical machines, 4. free weights, and yes 5. machines. So I want a gym that has similar equipment and a pool.




So keeping in mind what I had, or still have since I haven't sold my house and I'm commuting every two weeks, I went looking. My first stop was the local YMCA, the Mainline Y. While it is "old" looking it was clean and neat. It has a 1. pool, 2. dreadmills, 3. eliptical, 4. weights and 5. machines. They also have spin classes twice a day at 9:15 am and 6:30 pm! I get a nice tour of the facility and they give me a week for fee to "try it out". The cost for a temporary membership is $72 per month no joining fee no processing fee. The Y is a 2 minute walk from my office.







The second place I went was the Philadelphia Sports Club. PSC is a 4 minute walk from my office. It is slick, shiny, bright..... I was greeted at the desk and told I had to meet with a "membership consultant", a guy with baggy pants three or four sizes to big who didn't speak English but streeteeze. He took a look at old me and ask what I wanted here. So I told him I have a cancer and a brain tumor (I couldn't resist) and was looking for a place to workout. "well wes gots us a special today....." and he launches into a sales pitch. "OK....give me a tour" I asked. As we walkout of his office we walk past an office with four guys in suits and ties that look like the local Sopranos meeting. There are just a few people working out but quite a few staff. He shows me the dreadmills room, the eliptical room, the machine room that is for not "serious" people, the stretching area, the free weight room, the "real machines", and yes a spinning room that has spinning classes 3 times a week. I ask about the pool to which he replies "yea we got one but not here it's at Highpoint" I ask "Where's Highpoint I'm not from around here." He says "I don't know, I'm not from around here either...." Well I could have guessed that. Now back at his "office" he says if I joined today I could get the month-by-month plan $99.95 plus $39.99 joining fee plus 39.00 processing fee. Could I try it out? I ask. Well if you do that you will have to pay the $199 joining fee plus the $39 processing fee plus the $99.00 month fee but you will only have to pay 1/2 for the first month since it is past the 15th. Sweet huh? $280 the first month?

Ok so maybe it's me, so tell me. The "older" Y with a pool, spin classes every day for $72 the first month as oppose to no poll , spin classes 3 days a week and the local mobsters all for $280 for the first month. What a deal.

Ok so what do you think?


I want go back to Florida.

Best Bolder Blogs

I came across a recent article from the Daily Camera, the local Bolder, Co. newspaper. The are posting excerpts from local business blogs. However I noticed our own outstanding blogger Bolder was not listed. Perhaps you could drop an email or two to Matt Branaugh at branaughm@dailycamera.com to let him know that when it comes to the business of running, biking or cycling or life in general Bolder is da man!


As a public service announcement... PSA if you will. Unusual spring avalanche watch issued for Colorado peaks. Be careful Bold... Just doing my part to keep Colorado safe.

Morning Ride

Today was a ride day in the morning. I have been trying to find a route from my apartment to the Philly Art Museum, actually the Italian Fountain. It is there either, the back of the Museum (you know the steps Rocky ran up in the movie), or the Italian fountain, that a lot of group ride start. There was a ride last nite at 6 pm with an A group and a B group. I'm told the A group goes about 28 mph and has a few local pros that do it.... but I digress. So I'm trying to find a route that I can ride to the Museum. I had walked from my office to Human Zoom Bikes and met a nice bike wrench (not like the Biketopia meany) there who told me of a route so I tried it this morning. Well I got LOST with no map or cue cards.

Since I kinda knew the area somewhat I stated back at the 10 mile mark. As I turned a corner and went down a hill I saw two "roadies" on nice bikes, a guy and a girl. One had a Victory Brewing /Victory Beer jersey that was kewl. So I treated it like a break away, I had to catch them. Finally I got to them. The girl (college age) turned around and I think was shocked that this old guy was now on their wheel out of no where. I said "Hi, I'm not from around here can you tell me how to get back to Montgomery Ave?" "Straight ahead." That was the only words they said to me. I stayed with them for about 2 miles while we climbed a hill together at the top they turned right I went straight ahead.

Well tomorrow I hope to do a group ride with the Bicycle Club of Philadelphia. The have a whole range of rides....

Treadputer

I want one of these, all though I'm sure Bolder already has one and will write a report for us soon. This is actually Brad Feld's office treadputer... he is the Managing Director of Mobius Venture Capital in Bolder, Co. Note the three 19" NEC monitors.

LBS Attitude

OK I love to walk into a bike shop and look around at the "eye candy" and now that I've moved to the land of the frozen chosen I'm looking for a good local bike shop where I can have Roo serviced. Now mind you I'm a good and loyal customer. I'll buy my supplies, jerseys, and stuff for the LBS even if it is a little more than I can get elsewhere just to support my LBS. I'll tell my friends about the LBS and send people there to buy a bike. I'm also thinking about buying another bike but I digress..... I like to walk into bike shops look around and talk to the owner about his choice of bikes to sell perhaps the local riders and routes you know you've done it too!

So today I had lunch with a friend who rides a road bike. On the walk back to his office we passed a bike shop, so of course I had to go into the store. It was a store with quite a few mountain bikes because with all the mountain bike trails here that's what everyone rides. There were two or three road bikes on display. In the back of the store was, I guess the owner working with a bike on a stand working.

As we walked in the store the owner shout "What do you guys want?" Maybe we didn't fit his profile of cyclists or he got up on the wrong side of the rug this morning but I was kind of taken back by his approach to potential customers. My friend asked what kind of bike he sold and the reply was Jamis.... which my friend had never heard of so he asked what about Trek.... you know the Tour de France winners bike.... "That's to expensive for what you get...." and on he went. So then I asked about Litespeed....nice bike but to many dealers here already.... So then I said I have a Quintana Roo...which by his expression he had never heard of he said "good luck with it!"

My friend and I as we walked out commented on "how does that guy stay in business being so "friendly"?

So scratch one Biketopia in Havertown on Darby Road off my list of potential LBS for Oldman. Attitude my friends it's all about attitude!

PS Now I tried to post a note on his website to let him know I wrote about his store but.... I can't because I'm a gmail user and MSN will not let me. So if you can post a note on his website for me......

Happy Birthday Justin

Sunday was my grandson Justin's second birthday party. His birthday is today. Happy Birthday Justin. Here he is eating his birthday cake.

Training wise, I got a short ride in yesterday of 25 miles since I had to drive 2 hours to the party. I feel like I say the same thing every weak, I just don't seem to get enough training time in now that I have moved north. So my goal for this weak is to be consistent in my training.




Here are this weaks totals:

Bike: 100 miles
Swim: 4,000 yards
Run: 24 miles

So Use Your Sunscreen

Today's PSA is from WEBMD


Melanoma Skin Cancer Strikes Again
Study Shows 8% of Patients Get Melanoma Again within 2 Years of 1st Diagnosis
By Miranda HittiWebMD Medical News
Reviewed By Louise Chang, MDon Monday, April 17, 2006

April 17, 2006 -- Melanoma skin cancer may return more often than expected, experts report in the Archives of Dermatology. Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. It's much rarer than nonmelanoma skin cancers. The study included 354 melanoma patients living in New Hampshire. The findings include:

27 patients (8%) had recurrent melanoma within two years of their first diagnosis.
20 patients (6%) had recurrent melanoma within a year of their first diagnosis.

Atypical moles upped the odds of recurrent melanoma. Melanoma didn't always return in the same spot. Melanoma patients should be closely monitored, and past studies have shown lower melanoma recurrence rates, note Linda Titus-Ernstoff, PhD, and colleagues. Titus-Ernstoff works in Dartmouth Medical School's community and family medicine department and the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.

Interview and Skin Check

The researchers interviewed each patient by telephone for 40 minutes. In the interviews, participants disclosed their family history of melanoma, natural hair color at age 20, eye color, and sunburns starting when participants were 10 years old. Patients also got skin exams by doctors. For comparison, the researchers also studied 327 people with a one-time history of melanoma who did not have a history of another new melanoma. All participants were about 53 years old, on average, when they were first diagnosed. Almost all participants in both groups had at least one benign mole (96% of past melanoma patients and 94% of the comparison group); most had less than 15. Benign moles weren't associated with greater risk of melanoma recurrence -- but the same wasn't true of atypical moles.

Warning Sign

In the new study, atypical moles were linked to a higher rate of recurrent melanoma. Atypical moles have at least three of the following features: diameter larger than 5 millimeters, redness, varied colors, irregular or ill-defined borders, and a flat portion of the mole. The more atypical moles a past melanoma patient had, the greater the odds of having recurrent melanoma. Past melanoma patients with at least three atypical moles were more than four times as likely to have recurrent melanoma, compared with those with no atypical moles, the researchers write.
Atypical moles were also more common with recurrent melanoma than in the comparison group. Of the 27 patients with recurrent melanoma, 63% had at least one atypical mole. So did 37% of the comparison group.

New Location

Melanoma often recurred in new areas. Of the 27 patients with recurrent melanoma, nearly half had all their melanomas in roughly the same spot. For example, they may have had their first melanoma on the upper back and recurrent melanoma in the middle of the back. In four other patients, melanoma returned a bit farther away. They may have gotten their first melanoma on their back and later tumors on their front, or above and below the waist. Melanoma recurred in more distant locations in the other 10 patients. For instance, they may have had their first melanoma on their trunk (midsection) and recurrent melanoma on an arm. The bottom line: Melanoma can come back in new locations, so melanoma patients need close surveillance, the researchers write.

Sunburn Surprise

Excessive sun exposure has long been linked to skin cancer risk. For unknown reasons, the study showed a lower risk of melanoma recurrence in people with history of blistering sunburns
That finding should be interpreted "cautiously," the researchers write. They warn that "the association should not be construed as suggesting that sunburn protects patients with melanoma from developing additional tumors." The study doesn't track melanoma recurrence beyond two years after first diagnosis and wasn't big enough to detect subtle patterns in melanoma recurrence, note Titus-Ernstoff and colleagues.

Lance and NYC Marathon

The AP is reporting the following story:

Associated Press

ROME, Ga. -- Look out, New York. Lance is ready to run.
Lance Armstrong told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he plans to compete in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 5.
"We were looking at the Chicago Marathon, but a conflict arose with the date, and New York seems to fit our schedule better," Armstrong said in a telephone interview. "I've been training some, but I wouldn't call it serious. It's just something to fill a void in my life after I quit competing as a professional cyclist."
Armstrong, who is preparing for his first marathon, retired from cycling after winning an unprecedented seventh straight Tour de France last year.
Before committing to become a full-time cyclist, Armstrong competed in triathlons as a teenager. He indicated he has no plans to run marathons or enter triathlons professionally, at least not at this time.

OLDMAN - Does Lance run as a mere mortal or with the elite runners? Does he stand in the sea of runners or.... Can Kona be in the future?

Gatorade vs Powerade

Well boys and girls we have all had debates about hydration for the Ironman but here is a different view on Gatorade vs Powerade. Slate.com has the video proof of the differences between G and P as shown in an Amish drag race. Unfortunately due to legal reasons the ad was pulled.... but then you'll get the point. Click here.

Monday Update

This has been a difficult weak to train living now in the Philly area and traveling back to Florida on Thursday returning to Philly on Monday. So here is a quick recap of my training weak. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday were ride days. I've yet to "find" a route here in Pa but on Friday and Sunday I rode in Florida on the ole Steel Monster. It made me appreciate clipless peddles and aerobars. I rode Sunday with Tony for 50 miles but I found it hard to keep up with him and maintain a steady 22 mph pace. No way was I even close to 30 mph on the straight-a-way. My run days have been less that great, running Tuesday and Thursday in Philly and Saturday in Florida. I was able to get a long run in on Saturday of 14 miles. Swimming has been a little difficult. I'm trying a local pool within walking distance of my office but I can't get use to their odd schedule. So I have only swam 2 days.

Weakly totals

Bike 110 miles
Run 28 miles
Swim 5,000 yards

I flew back to Philly this morning so hopefully I'll get a ride in after work. I haven't sold my Florida home even though I've had a lot of people looking. That also means I haven't found a house here and I'm still living in my temporary apartment. So if you want to buy a house in Florida, let me know.

Good luck to everyone doing the Boston Marathon today...Especially Jeff!

HILLS!

One thing Florida doesn't have is hills, unless you go to the north, but in Southwest Florida there are no hills. It's flat! The only hills that I ever encountered were overpasses. The overpasses over golf courses or the 5 bridges on my ride around Estero Island. The last bridge on the around the island ride is 130 ft tall! But one thing that Philly does have is plenty of hills!

This mornings ride was getting my legs in hill shape. Since I'm not sure of my route I've been riding for time. I have 60 minutes to ride so I go out 30 minutes turn around and head back. This morning I took a new and improve route. This route was one where I thought I wouldn't have a soccer mom talking on her cell phone while beeping her horn at me to get out of the way because she is late for work after dropping the kids off at school and day care. So the first few miles are down hill then up hill then flat then up hill again. It seem more up hill than down on the way out. I didn't have 10 miles on the speedo so I road a couple of loops around a neighborhood to get to 10 and started back. (Actually I got a little lost). Did I mention that on the way out I saw 37 mph? That should have been a clue but hey I'm from Florida.

The ride back started down hill, 27 to 30 mph then a nice uphill followed by some more uphill then a brief down followed by a huge hill. I thought my heart was going to come out of my chest hill. At the top was a traffic light and thankfully it was RED! It was good to stop take a drink and get some air. Then on to a downhill followed by a flat the a GIANT HILL worse than the first! I was afraid I was going to have to stop when I saw the speedo at 8 mph. But with burning legs, thumping heart, grasping for air I made it to the top! I made it back to my apartment in my allotted time of 60 minutes but I did feel like I got a good workout. Tomorrow I'm going to run that course so I can get my running legs in hill shape!

I moved!

Well boys and girls I didn't fall of the face of the earth but I'm now in beautiful Ardmore, PA a suburb of Philadelphia. They actually had snow for me on Wednesday! While the house in Florida hasn't sold, the Firm is putting me up in a furnished apartment.

This morning was a 20 mile ride and it was cold! I need some kind of warm jersey to keep my upper body warm. It is a lot different training here than in Florida where all you have to worry about is sweating. I have found some good hills although I haven't found a regular riding route. This morning I had a lady in an suv talking on her cell phone while blowing her horn at me because I was going to slow.... 26 mph! There was no bike lane so I had no place to go but take the right side of the road.

I plan on getting a swim in at lunch time and then next week is I will focus on getting back into the groove of training with a minimum of two workouts a day.

Moving - House For Sale

Ok it is finally settled. After two and a half months of negation, my saying no three times and now a second visit there, I have accepted a new position in Filthydelphia. Yes I'm crazy to leave sunny Florida weather where I can train outside year round. I will not be able to have lunch time swims in the Gulf of Mexico nor will I have my weekly Saturday swims at the beach followed by a beer at Doc's Beach House. But I will have new friends to train with along the Schuylkill Bike Path. The job is a great opportunity for me and they offered me Partnership immediately along with a wonderful 2 year contract. I'll be doing much of what I currently do just getting paid a lot more money.

These past weakend has been showing my house to potential buyers. I've have 12 people come thru after sending out a broadcast email to my community telling them that my house was for sale. Yes, I'm selling it without a realtor. I currently have 2 people interested and should know by the end of the weak.

I was able to get my long run in on Saturday and Tony and I did around the Island on Sunday for 54 miles. So here's the weakly totals:

Bike -129 miles
Run - 29 miles
Swim - 6,000 yards

He's Alive!!!!!!

Just a quick note to say I'm alive! Yes I survived my visit to Philadelphia. But I never want to see a Security and Exchange Commission Examiner again! Ugh. Above is a picture from my room in beautiful Conshohocken Pa. The Firm I worked for has offered me an outstanding job. So part of my visit has been evaluating if I want to move to the Philly area.




Training wise last week we will count as a rest week. I left home at 5:00 am only to arrived Saturday in Philly and drive straight to the office (picture above) and worked on the preparation of the examination until late in the evening. So no workout. Sunday I ran 7 miles along a portion of the Schuykill River Bike Trail. It runs from Philly to Valley Forge, 24 miles. It was cold cold cold. 29* and you know how I feel about the cold weather! I did have roadies pass me along the way and I was constantly amazed by the about of people biking the path. The rest of the day was looking at houses. Why is it I can't find a simple 3 bedroom, den with a fireplace and a deck home? Everything they showed me in my price range was a huge "executive home" with 4 bedrooms den, office, etc. Some of the master bedrooms had there own sitting rooms. I don't need huge for just me.


It was all down hill after Sunday. I worked and worked .... I did have dinner with a good friend on Monday and my youngest son Josh on Wednesday night. He is now home for good from Iraq and is now looking for a job in the computer industry. But no training. Friday I flew home exhausted and got in late.

Saturday I was tempted to sleep in but I got up at 8 am and did a 25 mile ride. I went to sunset and dinner with Tony and his wife.

The Sunday was the every popular around Estero Island ride with Tony. We added a few more miles to get it to 60 miles. It was a brutal ride into the wind much of the way. I was ready to get off my bike at the end.

WEAKLY Totals

Bike 85 miles
Run 7 miles
Swim Nada miles

Friday's Random Thots

Here is just a few ramdom thots to bring you up to speed on whatz happening:

Tony left for England on Wed to visit his Father for a week.... so I rode along this morning and felt pretty good for the first 21 miles...then I had no one to put the hammer down for the last 4 miles.

I got my suitcase down for my trip to Philly tomorrow. Gota pack tonight. I don't own warm clothing I have more shorts that long pants and only one suit.

I'm working Satuday and Sunday in Philly then meet the Security and Exchange Commission Examiners on Monday morning bright and early.

Did I mention that it is 76* and sunny here and 34* windy and cloudy in Philly?

I do plan on buying a Kmart Special and giving it to a needy child when I leave. Are there needy children in Philly?

I've made arrangements to use a local Y for swimming.

I'm getting together with my old friends from Vanguard...the Morron and Hey8Ball for a few beers Saturday night.

The swim has been canceled at the Ironman New Zeland in Taupo.... so now what do they do? actuall the race is tomorrow but you can watch it today becuase theyare ahead of us.

It is suppose to snow in Philly on Tuesday......snow people!

I don't want to go to Philly.

Maserati

The mystery car is a Maserati. Roman Mica and Steve were both right however Roman noted that it is a Maserati Quattroport. I was surprised that people knew what it was by my poor picture. This time of year, Snow Bird Season, you see al kinds of odd expensive cars. I'll try to find a hard one for next time.

Car

I had to go to our accountants office this afternoon. This was parked in the parking lot..

what is it?

On the Road Again

My training is coming to a screeching halt! Well cycling at least. I'm leaving early Saturday morning for Freezing Philly Pa and not returning until Friday. So I can't ride for a week people, a week! I have been thinking about buying a K-Mart special for $89 and giving it away when I leave so I can get my rides in but I think Roo would get jealous. I'll be close to the Philly-Valley Forge bike path and some of the best riding in the area. So what do you think? There is a Y near the office where I'll be working so I can swim at lunch and I can run in the mornings but hey it's cold up there...ugh! Well I can go see the WALL from the famous US Pro Cycling Championship.

Big Numbers

What does it take to complete an Ironman? Remember that is 140 miles all total? So what do I have to do to complete that race? Some one said:

A goal without a plan is just a wish!

So I spoke with several people who have done an Ironman. One had a respectable time at Kona for a 50 year old of 9:35. So I asked about training and weekly totals from someone who finished under 10 hours and particularly the bike. How much time do you spend on the bike? The answer was no less than 40 miles a weekday ride. The usual 3 day a week ride was a minimum of 40 miles each and the long ride was 80 miles. A total of 200 miles! The run mileage is a even higher than I thought it would be. It is not unusual to have a 50 mile week with a long run of 18 miles. Swim was what I thought, 3 to 4 days a week with at least one open water swim of 2 miles.

How can I do that? So what does it take? Planning, time and discipline. Planning of your training and planning of your time. The hours spent training are some serious hours...15 to 20 hours. It takes discipline to get up on time, go to bed on time, get out to do your training on time and to eat right...disicpline.

So for those of you that ask me about my numbers, they are really small compared to those who have done what I want to do. That's why I call it WEAKLY totals. They are weak by comparison.

Weakend Report

This week has had an emphasis on the bike.... while tri's are not just about the bike it is a major portion of the race. After all you spend 6 hours or more in the saddle and 1 hour on the swim. So you have got to develop an iron butt. Since I did the Estero Island Challenege on Monday, Tony wanted to do that for our Sunday ride. More on that in a moment.

Friday was of course one of my regular ride days. Tony and I were able to get 25 miles in before having to go to work. Once at work I found I was incredibly hungery, eating everthing in sight. I swam at lunch only to return to the office to eat more food.

Friday night I went to the Club as usual and again ate and drank beer like a pig.

Saturday was my long run day. I got up at my regular for a 7:30 run but I just didn't have any energy. It was warm, about 72* and bright sun so I thought it was going to be a tough one. So I imagined it was Kona. You know after the bike your hot, tired and have no energy. The first 2 miles were uneventful. I picked up my water bottle at the 2 mile mark and just tried to maintain an even pace. Then my HR monitor stoped working so I ran on feel. The next 4 miles was just plain hot..... I refilled my water bottle and had to choose long course or short course. Welll don't give yourself a choice...I took the short course so my next water stop wouild be at the 10 mile mark..... I just dragged myself there. No energy no nothing, I was just empty. After refueling with water I headed home and finished for a total of 14 miles. O well better get it next time.

Saturday night J and I met Tony and his wife at the Country Club for the British Invansion Night. It was a great night of eatting fish and chips with triffle for desert and dancing the night away to the music of the 60'.... the Beatles etc.

Sunday the forecast called for rain showers. But when I got up to go for my ride it was partly sunny and looked like it was going to clear. After giving Roo a quick bath ( I gotta remember to do this after the ride and not before) I met Tony at his house. We decided to do the Estero Island route.

As we started out it looked as if it would clear but the winds started up. We slogged into the wind for the first 10 miles and I couldn't wait to make a left turn onto Bonita Beach Road hoping the wind would be less...but no it was more! Now going directly west toward the Gulf of Mexico the winds increased as we got closer to the water. At Doc's Beach house, where I swim in the gulf, we turned north on Hickory Blouevard. The wind was on our left side coming off the Gulf and having such sudden gusts it was hard to stay on the road. The wind actually whistled thru the spokes on my wheels. Then the heavens opened with a stinging downpour. At one point Tony was actually blown off the road into the grass. Fortunately there is no curb or sidewalk. From then on it was one of the hardest bike rides I've ever done. Wind, stinging rain and going over 7 bridges including one climb in Ft. Myers Beach that is over a huge bridge (beyond cat climb). Needless to say after 50 miles I was glad to be back home. It was a struggle just to stay upright on the bike. But then I thot of Kona and the winds there so it was good practice.

Totals for the Weak

Bike - 140 miles
Run - 28 miles
Swim 12,500 yards
weights 2xs
pilates nada

Circumnavigate Estero Island Challenge

Yesterday I circumnavigated Estero Island a total of 41 miles. This is something that I have been wanting to do for some time but due to the road construction on one leg of my trip it hasn't been safe. So more in moment.....

The weakend weather was wonderful. The morning lows were in the mid 60's and the day time highs 81*with a nice gentle breeze. So here is a quick recap of my weakend...

This weekend I.....
... got off work early Friday, 2 pm, and went to the pool for a swim....
...had drinks with friends at the Club
...ran 15 miles Saturday morning
...walked 9 holes of golf Saturday afternoon
...had dinner at the beach with J watched the sunset.
...did the airport ride with Tony total of 60 miles
...did the Estero Island ride by myself total of 40 miles
...washed the windows at the house inside and out plus vacuumed the window treatments.
....fix a wonderful dinner of Oldman's meatloaf with Oldman's homemade mac & cheese.... hey I was starved for carbs.

So I was off Monday for President's Day therefore I decided to do my much thought about Estero Island ride. As I said above, I haven't done it because of road construction on the beginning leg on highway 41. There is suppose to be a bike lane but it has been removed and the highway is a mess.


So after giving Roo a quick bath (pic left) I started out at 7:30 am. It was overcast with patches of fog. Here's a pic looking down my street but you can't see the fog.

The first 10 miles are on the bike lane of Rte 41 until the road construction lanes. I road the right lane when I had to then on to Bonita Beach Road which leads of course to the beach and past Doc's.... I stopped at Lover's Key State Park which is rate as on of the top 10 beaches in the US. It is a beautiful park with wonderful white sand beaches. Here's a pic of Roo at Lover's Key...



Just after I took this pic a truck passed my with a sheet of drywall on the roof. The drywall blew off and crashed into the road. Had I not stopped for the pic it might have hit me! I continued on over 6 bridges into the community of Ft. Myers Beach. It is your typical island beach town with a lot of the 3 wheeled motorcycle engine cars and tourists.

Finally I reached the beyond cat climb of Ft. Myers Beach Bridge. Once at the top I stopped to take some pics, the one above and this one.....



At the top of the bridge I at my cliff bar and then headed home.... I had thought about riding on to Sanibel Island but I'll leave that for the next holiday. The ride was a total of 41 miles with an ave pace of 17.5 mph. I did have a problem with muscle cramps at the 38 mile mark. So I've got to solve that problem. I was drinking regular gatorade rather than endurance formula so maybe that had something to do with it.

I came home to wash windows at my house and I fixed myself a wonderful dinner of meatloaf with homemade mac and cheese which I had with a nice bottle of chardonnay (alone Linda).

Continuing Saga of the Cold

Weakend Update

This weakend I...

Friday I had drinks and dinner with my neighbors at the Country Club
Go up late Saturday morning
Ran 15 miles
did my taxes...I owe, I owe, so it's of to work I got.....
went to Maxwells with J for dinner
did a long COLD ride with Tony on Sunday 53 miles...43*
made it to church on time
skipped the beach for swimming
went to the wait room
had beers at the River Clb
put the robot in the pool
sat in the hot tub and watched the robot

Weakly totals
Bike 128
Run 29
Swim 6,000
Waits x2
Pilates Nada

Monday it was cold again ....38* and today we had frost with a morning temp of 31*. I turned my heater on last night for the first time in 2 years. No lunch time swims so far this week even though the temp at lunch time was 62*.

Cold Spell Continues

I'm sure your tired of hearing me say it, however it was another cold morning. This week Southwest Florida has had some really cold mornings and some areas reported frost. I'm not used to riding/running in 38* weather! I don't have the right clothes nor do I want to buy them for just one week out of the year. So today was a ride day. I wore my warmest cotton longsleeve shirt, tights, a windbreaker and wool gloves and I was still cold for the first 10 miles. But I got it done and finished my 25 miles.

Tony is recovering from his back injury. He wore a back brace and disguised his appearance by wearing a terrorist ski cap under his helmet. I almost didn't know who he was..... a short skinny balding Englishman with a funny accent!

I have some running around to do at lunch for the Firm so no swimming today. This weekend looks promising so here are my plans. Maybe if I tell you in advance it will help me to keep them!

Tonight
Cocktails at the Country Club
Dinner with the Icelandic neighbors
Tomorrow
Long Slow Run 15 miles
Work on my taxes
Sit in the Hot Tub
Wait Room work out for upper body
Dinner at Maxwells on the Bay with J
Sunday
Long Ride with Tony 60 miles
Go to Church
Clean my pool
Sit in the Hot Tub
Long Swim at beach if warm 1.5 hour
Afternoon beer(s) at Doc's Beach House
Passout from exhaustion at 8:30 pm

COMING SOON

I just realized I'm off on Monday Feb 20th for Presidents Day. Anybody want to do a long ride around the Island to Sanibell and back?

Road Rage Gone Wrong

Ok here is road rage in Toronto gone wrong against a bike messenger, Lisa. See the whole photo shoot and read about it here. The basic story is the guy threw trash out of his car window. The messenger not liking liter picked it up and threw it back thru the car window. The guy now mad threw hot coffee at the messenger. The messenger then keyed the guys car. The guy stopped to stomp on the messengers bike which then started this fight. The photographer took these pics plus a pic of the license plate at which time the car's drive chase him with a baseball bat.

The Long Cold Lonely ride

OK it wasn't as cold as Jill faces Up inAlaska faces but for me 43* was cold given the fact that I don't really have cold weather riding gear. So cold is relative to where you live and since I'm use to 70* in the early morning it was cold.

Also Tony (pictured left on his old bike not his new Trek Madone) has missed three rides with a bad back. It seems he "put it out" loading his van with boxes. YEA sure. OK so I'll just continue on getting stronger while he gets uglier.

Today I did my regular loops through the community to get my 25 COLD COLD miles. Not to many people around today. I did see Smilie and the Thin Lady and her husband. No Coffee Drinker and Collie, no Bull Dog and Bull Dog Walker.

I'm not sure about today's swim because even now it is only 56* so we shall see at lunch time. Tonight I plan on going to the wait room on the way home to work on my negelcted upper body.

Lunch Time Swim

This morning was the regular Tuesday recovery run thru the woods and past the fitness center. Other than it was cool, about 55*, there is not much to say. Hardly any one around because it was "cold". Didn't see Coffee Drinker and Collie but I did see Bull Dog and his large Bull Dog. He walks the dog off the leash even though we have a leash rule in our community. When he sees me coming he grabs the dog. Yesterday when I passed on my bike he was a little late grabbing the dog.... it's just a matter of time before you will be reading about a runnner or cyclist who punted a large bull dog thru the goal posts. (Something the Sea Hawks field goal kicker couldn't do Sunday).

At lunch I met up with my former swim Coach, Carrie. Coach Carrie taught me to swim the Total Immersion way or fish like swimming. I have her come and check me out from time to time to see if I'm balanced, roll enough and have good overall form. She will suggest drills and such for me to work on so my swims are not jsut about doing laps. It is amazing how my stroke count has come down with her help and insight. So I have a whole set of drills to do for about the next month since I'm not rolling enough AGAIN when I breath on right side. Hey I'm a lefty most of the time except in baseball and eating and writing.

Unfortunately I was a little late, well a lot late, gettting back to work (1/2 hour late). So I'll have to leave 1/2 hour early to make it up.

Tonight is weight nite but it might have to wait since I'm tired already and hungry.

Strange Weakend

OK it was a strange, weird, weakend....

Saturday I got up early hearing it raining off and on during the night. A cold front came down from up North (thanks Shelly) which cause severe thunderstorms and a few tornados. At 7:00am , when I finally got ready to leave the house for my run, there was a pause in the action, so I thot I could squeeze between the rain drops and not get wet. But it was not to be boys and girls! At the 6 mile mark the sky looked almost as dark as night so I headed home. The last mile the thunder and lightening started then the heavens opened for a Florida car wash (that when it rains so hard it's like going thru a car wash and you can't see a thing). My watch said I ran the last mile in 7:19....I'm not so sure but I did push really hard to get home. So my 15 mile run got shortened to 7 miles. It rain the rest of the day which is unusual for this time of year. This is our dry season so it was good to get an all day soaker.

Sunday morning the cold front had pushed thru and now it was cold with a northeast wind blowing cold dry air. I did the first 2 miles of my bike with long pants but I stopped at the house to switch to bike shorts with a long sleeve jersey. When I got to the spot where I meet Tony there was no Tony. (I found out he slept in since it was too cold and he was tired.) The wind made it a tough go but I did get 50 miles in but several times it felt like I was gong to get blown off the bike.

Sunday afternoons I usually go to the beach or pool for some swim time but since the wind was blowing and it was cool and it was Super Bowl Sunday I chose to go to my neighbors to watch the Steelers beat the Sea Hawks. (GO STEELERS).

WEAKLY TOTALS

RUN - 21 miles
Bike - 125 miles
Swim - 9,000 yards
Weights - 2x's
Pilates - NADA

Finally Friday

It's casual day at the office today. Our regualr dress is business casual but today we can wear shorts.... so, yes Joe, I'm wearing shorts today.

Above is a picture of Olivia Orchid. She just started blooming so I thot I would post a pic of her first the blooms. When she is in full bloom she will have about 60 blooms. She sits on my coffee table on the lania.

Today was a ride morning. I did my usual 25 miles with Tony. Hopefully a swim at lunch time. I was thinking about going to the beach to swim but it is threatening rain and the air temp is 76* so it looks like I'll be going to the heated pool.

Happy Groundhog Day!

Let me be the first to wish all of my friends HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY! For you who missed Phil's awaking from his long winters slumber to make his forecast you can go here to watch the festivities. To be sure since Phil did see his shadow there will be SIX MORE WEEKS of winter! Which is ok with me since I'm not looking forward to the hot weather.

For my friends Loubob and Cliff here is a picture of the hibiscus in full bloom in front of my house.



Today was a tennis ball run day. There was a nice breeze from the east with the temp at 68* when I left the house. I did my usual thru the wood and tried to add an extra mile since I felt pretty good. But as I started on the 8th mile one of my neighbors stopped me to ask me a few questions so I was a little late and I could only add a half of a mile. O well. I'm planning on swimming at lunch time and hopefully get to the weight room tonight.

Tomorrow is the Day!!!!

That's right boys and girls! I know you are excited and can hardly sleep at night. Tomorrow is the big day! I'm sure all of you boys and girls are going to watch the festivities on the webcam.
Tomorrow live from Gobbler's Knob your waiting will be over. Will we have six more weeks of winter? So this is your reminder to set your alarm clocks boys and girls to 5:15 so you can see Punxsutawney Phil crawl out of his borrow at 5:30 and tell us how much long we have to put up with winter.



Remember to tell every one you heard it here on Tri-Oldman's blog.

How Fast is Fast?

So you think you're fast? Did you see the times for the P.F. Chang's Rock'n'Roll Arizona Marathon? Yup boys and girls a NEW WORLD RECORD by Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia for the half marathon, 58:55. That is a pace of right around 4 min 40 seconds per mile! That is pick 'em up and put'em down quick like. The winner of the marathon, Shimelis Mola also of Ethiopia did it in 2:13:08....also pretty fast!

So it makes my little run thru the woods seem like I'm going real slow, which I did today a slow 7 mile recovery run. I'm hoping to swim at lunch time.

Weakly Update

Here is a quick review of what went on this past week:

Monday - 25 mi bike normal loops
Tuesday - 7 mile run thru the woods
Wednesday - NADA - went to NYC
Thursday - NADA went to Philly and the on to home
Friday - 25 mi bike normal loops
Saturday 14 mile run, 45 mi swim at Doc's beach
Sunday - 60 mi bike Pelican Landing to RSW Airport and home

Totals:

Bike 110 mi
Run 21 mi
Swim 45 min
Pilates - NADA
Weights - NADA

I had to go to NYC and Philly this past week on business which messed up my training schedule. So I'll count this week as a rest week. Neat way of planning, anounce a rest week after the fact!


EAGLE update

Tony and I went to Pelican Landing so we could see the eagle's nest. Much to our surprise the eaglet was standing on the edge of the nest while mom or dad stood in a branch watching. Later in the day I took J to see the nest and brought alone my field glasses. At first I thought the eaglet had flown away since it appeared that the nest was empty. But waiting around a little we saw a wing stretch up. Then the next thing that happened was Mom flew in to the tree and sat on her branch above the nest. Baby showed no signs of appearing when Dad eagle flew in with food in his talons ( a large rat or small rabbit). Dad proceeded to eat the food then baby woke up an began to feed as well. What a sight! Then mom eagle joined in the nest to get a snack. Mother Father and Baby all sitting in the nest!

Weekend Eagle update

Ok this mornings crash has me all befuddled! But I did mean to tell everyone that my weekend training went well. I chose not to do the Naples Half Marathon in order to keep on track with my training schedule. If the winner of my age group (55-59) is any indication I had no chance of placing in my AG... Joe Bonness finished 5th in my AG at 1:34 so I had no hope!

Saturday I did 17 miles - two loops of my through the woods course (14 miles) plus up to the River Club and back to add 3 miles for a total of 17. It was a rather warm day 78* and sunny. Even though I used SPF 50 sun block I got burned on my neck. I did see Coffee Drinkers Daughter walking Collie but nothing to report. She even smiled at me! Collie looked at me with evil eyes though.

Sunday was our long ride. Tony and I did the Pelican Landing course so we could see the eagle's nest. We decided to take turns pulling switching every half mile. This work pretty good and we got to the eagle's nest very quickly...ave 19.5 mph. The eagle was sitting on the nest but as we watched he/she got up, stood on a branch then flew over us and out to the fields near by.

Tony and I proceeded on to the boat launch area and ate our breakfast, for me a Peanut Butter Crunch Cliff Bar and Tony a rapsberry PowerBar. We looked for dolphins but I guess it is not the right time for them to be in the bay. We did see a lot of pelicans.

On the way back we stopped again at the eagles nest and once again he/she was in the nest but this time obviously feeding the eaglets! What a neat sight to see. We are hoping to see the eaglets fly in a few weeks.

On the ride back home it was windy as the morning winds shifted to the northeast. It made for a tough pull all the way home but we got it done..... 40 miles.

Another Accident

During todays ride I had a collision with my cycling partner, Tony. I feel really stupid because I felt it coming on or I knew it was about to happen. It happened at an intersection that we go thru 4 times in our normal loop, twice we turn right and twice we turn left. Tony was talking about his new puppy and had lost track of where we were. I shouted LEFT LEFT but he was turning right and down I went, he stayed up. Fortunately I just scraped my arm and knee and I finished our ride.

Cycling TV

I found a streaming TV channel on the web dedicated to Cycling... Cycling TV...check it out I'm currently watching a time trail that includes Team Discovery Channel.

A Frigid Morning

I did not want to get out of bed this morning. It was cold and I haven't turned on my heater since .... well last year sometime, so it was cold in the house and it was 48* outside! Last week when I visited my LBS, I bought a pair of gloves to go under my bike gloves. Well they work for running also I found out this morning.

My run was the normal Tuesday Thursday loop through the woods. I did find with it being cold, well cold for me, that it was more difficult to get my muscles loose. At the two mile mark I had shin splints. I pushed thru th e pain for the next two miles when finally the pain subsided. What is that a sign for,new shoes? I'm hoping it was just the cold.

I'm going to try to swim today at lunch time it is supose to be 76* by noon. Then I'll hit the weights at the fitness center tonight.

Still Alive and Kicking

Just a quickie.... no Bolder not that.... A quickie update to let everyone know I'm OK. I have been very busy at work, this is our busy time reconciling accounts, sending out statements and bills so I have been swamped!

Quickie Highlights:

Friday - I road 25 miles in the morning, swam at lunch and went to the club for cocktails (yes the feathers do get caught in my teeth) then home for early bed.

Saturday - Tour de Cape century - I awoke to wind and rain but went to Cape Coral anyway for the Tour. By the time I got there it was no longer raining just windy. It was a brutal day riding into the wind etc... I thought about doing the 62 miler but hung in there for the 100 miles 5 hrs 32 min...of pure torture. (yes I had one stop for fuel and pottie). It was a well supported ride but alot of people didn't show due to the wind. What are you going to do in the wind at Kona not show up?

Sunday - rest day I did have J over for dinner - Carrot Ginger Soup, Oldman Bread, Spinach Quiche, Salad and Cream Brulee all of which I served with some Stagg's Leap chardonnay. Hey I can still cook.

Monday - of course MLK Day so I worked like a slave around my house washing windows and doing winter house cleanning. I did manage a 15 mile ride.

Tuesday - run day before work and it was a great run of 7 miles. I went to the weight room afterwork. Couldn't swim had to work thru lunch.

Today - rain and cold and rain but I rode anyway in the rain 20 miles, I just couldn't do the last 5 since I was wet and cold. I'm hoping that it is warm enough to swim at lunch time (open air pools in FL).