Carnage

Right Calf

It almost looks like I had another run in with another dog.  But for something like this to happen I'd likely need to be out running in shorts and winter seems to have returned to Wisconsin.  Furthermore, I'd actually need to be out running, but more on that in the weekly recap.

In reality, this is pedal damage from several direct blows to the calf.  Must. Keep. Feet. On. Pedals.  The left calf looks similar, but not quite as bad.

Left Knee

Floor burn basically, in this case, wall burn.  Winding down another night at Ray's in Milwaukee, getting a little lazy, knee grazes wall.  Ouch.

So why do it, why ride a mountain bike, why shed blood virtually every time out, why risk taking a header into a tree or rock?  These are but a few of the questions I'm asked from friends who just don't get it.

Beyond the pure enjoyment of it, the challenge, very often the beauty of the natural environment, not to mention the lack of vehicular traffic, the distracted drivers, etc.  Beyond all that, last night, for almost 4 hours, I completely forgot about the state budget and our jackass governor.  I completely forgot about work and all the bullshit politics I get to deal with on a daily basis.  I completely forgot about the horrendous noise my truck was making the other day.

For almost 4 hours, I was a kid on a bike, riding over logs and rocks for no other reason then they were there, and I could.  Or I could at least try.  So I did.  Most of that park still gets the best of me, and I don't care.  After almost two months of trying, I can almost "jump" the beginner jump line, and that makes me happy.

Some will claim that running, or swimming, or road riding, will take them to the same place, but I disagree.  During most portions of these activities, it's all you can do not to think about daily life.  Endless laps in the pools, miles of path or road in front of you.  Nothing to truly distract you like the regular switchbacks, hills, and obstacles of good singletrack.

So I'll shed a little blood, break some bike parts, or bikes, and in the end come out smiling.  Because for whatever time I was able to get out there, I could remember what it was like to be a kid.

Week 11

Oh how I wish.  In reality, this post is a summary of weeks 5 and 6 together (5+6=11, for you mathematically challenged out there).

The good, I reconnected with my bestest running buddy Anna and cranked out two decent saturday morning long runs (12 and 13 miles).  Despite her need to begin these long runs at ungodly hours of the morning, it's worth it to have the company. Misery loves company so they say.

Also good, winter took a bit of a reprieve, much snow melted, and layers of running clothes went unused.  Spring seemed all but here.  Of course we got belted with snow and ice again yesterday, and the bitter cold winds have returned with a vengeance.  Much suckage for this weeks runs predicted.

Not so good, I've been on a regular ice, stretch, repeat routine just to manage the shin splints.  Not getting any better.  This past Saturday's long run almost got called because it.  Couldn't decide if I would be further ahead with rest or pushing through the run.  Verdict is still out.

I also spent a lot of time down at the capitol last week protesting the recent "budget repair bill" proposed by our wonderful governor here in Wisconsin (sarcasm is sometimes hard to convey in print).  Wednesday I ran down there from my office, milled about for an hour or so, then ran back.  Thursday and Friday I drove down.  Friday was the more interesting of the days, as I got there in time to listen to several people talk on the subject.

I'm not going to get into the issue, as a public union employee, I am against it, and could probably write volumes, but I won't.  From my personal point of view, the people watching is the most interesting aspect of being down there.  I wish I could have made it down Saturday when the Tea Party rally took place along with the kill the bill rally.  Perhaps tomorrow I will return.

But back to running and such.  Put in 48.4 miles during the last two weeks.  Pace is still just slightly faster then dead.  It did improve slightly over previous weeks, although the upturn in the temperature may be somewhat responsible.  As I look out my window now things don't look good.  Ice is covering everything and the 14 flags I can see are whipping like mad.  Not weather I want to run in.  Thursday and Friday I'm heading to Green Bay for work, I may try to sneak in a Ray's ride on the way back Friday. 

Ten weeks left to La Crosse, no pressure.

Week 4

Let's review:

Monday

Legs are sore from yesterday's "long" run.  Rest day.

Tuesday
Storm of the century coming tonight, legs still somewhat sore.  Let's just rest again.

Wednesday

Shovel snow for hours and hours on end.  I think I was out there around 5 hours.  From the marathon training perspective, this was another rest day.  Right.

Thursday
Never been so sore in my life.  Lower back is screaming.  No chance in hell I'm running today.  Rest day.

Friday

Let's see, three runs per week, three days left in the week, zero runs so far this week, looks like I need to run today.  So after a shitty morning at work I suit up and head out for a lunch run, three miles in and it's time to turn around and go back or do a loop of the arboretum first.  Arboretum wins, let's just turn this into my long run for the week.

Karma, as it turns out, would come back and bite me for this little decision.  No wait, it wasn't karma, it was a little dog.

On my way back I'm coming down a long section of sidewalk with no driveways in sight.  There is an older woman walking towards me with three dogs, each on it's own 8' leash.  Jack Russel type mutts.  Remember the storm of the century.  The sidewalk is 4' wide, with 3' walls of snow on each side, I have nowhere to go.

She does absolutely nothing to bring her dogs in while we close the distance between us.  I end up coming to a complete stop when one of these little things attempts to take a chunk out of my leg.  Now it is winter in Wisconsin, I'm dressed for it, the dog didn't come anywhere close to skin, but now I'm pissed.

The woman offers nothing in the way of an apology, does nothing to pull her dogs away.  Deep breath, I say nothing, and start running again.  Why?  I think Ron White says it best:

At this point in my life I'm realizing there is just no hope for some, you can't fix stupid, and I'm tired of wasting my breath on them.  The rest of the run was largely uneventful, although the wheels did come off at 9 miles and I ended up kind of run/walking back to the office.

Saturday

Back in Stoughton, running with my own dog, because I really do love dogs, it's the owners I can't stand.  Uneventful 6 miles.

Sunday

Stoughton again, this time dogless, for the time being.  I find myself running up Lincoln on the sidewalk, northbound.  When two little Taco Bell type dogs come out of nowhere in a ladies front yard and assault me.  Bit again, but again I'm dressed for Wisconsin winter and I'm not hurt.  But the woman at the house, looking annoyed because I interrupted her phone call, nonchalantly calling her dogs, offering no apologies, really pisses me off.  Don't waste your breath, just keep running, you can't fix stupid.

Recap

So despite a pretty major midweek storm I got all my runs done, outside, in Wisconsin, in February.  Three consecutive days, three runs, just shy of 22 miles.  And Monday it once again hurts to walk.  Shins mainly.  Apparently Ron is right, you can't fix stupid.

Skiing

Last week while downloading my empty plate picture I came across the following two pictures I took while cross county skiing at Lake Kegonsa State Park.  It was the first time I skied the White Oak Nature Trail this winter.  I knew there was a reason I had been avoiding it.

Random tree shot.

Another.

Looking at them now, they don't seem all that remarkable.  Which likely means I was completely gassed (from my 15 minutes of skiing) and needed an excuse to stop.  If I'm remembering correctly I tried to tackle a similar tree at the bottom of a hill just earlier.  When I went down I was pretty sure I had broken a ski (it's happened before).  But all seemed intact when I pulled it out of the snow bank and I continued on. 

It was also on this day that I wore my Garmin, purely out of curiosity.  Unfortunately it confirmed my suspicions, I can in fact run faster than I can ski.  So if I ever decide to actually do the Birkie, I'll be better off carrying my skis and running rather than skiing it. Sad I am.  Skiing is hard.

It was two days later when I returned to the state park that I noticed my ski was in fact broken.  About a foot from the tip, more or less in tact, but just sort of, well, limp.  It is still skiable for the most part, but it sucks all the same.

BAT

This plate held what was the best sandwich I've had in a long time.

I'm not a food blogger, nor do I really aspire to be, but had I known, I would have taken a picture of it before I took the first bite.  About 1/2 way through I realized the error of my ways.  

The sandwich, a bacon, I know, do you really need to hear anymore.

You had me at bacon.  Sniff.

Anyway it was a bacon, arugula, and tomato (BAT) sandwich from Marigold Kitchen in Madison.  Marigold is one of my favorite breakfast haunts, but I rarely make it there for lunch.  BLT's are also one of my favorite sandwich combos.  Crunchy, tangy, juicy, deliciousness.  And even though I wasn't thinking BLT when I ordered, that is basically what this sandwich was, but taken to a whole new level.

That new level held the mayo and replaced it with cream cheese and a wonderful pepper jam. 

So combine nicely toasted rosemary bread as a base, add crunchy smokey bacon, cream cheese, whipped, so the menu says, juicy tomatoes, and this sweet, slightly spicy pepper jam.  Yum.  The arugula, while certainly making the sandwich a tad prettier, kind of got lost on me.

I started thinking about the sandwich and the pepper jam again on the way home.  It is definitely something I'd like to experiment with.  I know there are vendors at the Madison Farmers Market that sell a very similar jam.  Where it goes from there I don't know.  But I'd be willing to bet bacon will be involved in at least one iteration.

The Itch

After shoveling snow for endless hours yesterday I'm getting it, the itch to ride my bike again, outside, in pleasant weather.

Queen said it very well:

I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like

That pretty much sums it up, and at this point I wouldn't even care which bike or where.  As long as it isn't twelve degrees, snow covered, and windy.  The trainer is even seeming like a viable option, a temporary fix.  Although a return trip to Ray's seems more likely provided I can find time.

As long as we're on bikes, Bel is well on her way to completion.  The final parts are on the way.  The checklist is now short.

 - figure out tubeless tire installation/inflation
 - install/adjust brakes/rotors
 - install cassette/chain
 - connect shift cables
 - adjust shifting

I think that is it, the big stuff anyway.  If I had any inclination I could be riding it anytime soon I'd say this would be a one night, two beer type of job.  But looking outside, I'm sure it will be a 4 week, 12 beer type of effort.  Sigh.