New look, new goals.

Ok so I updated and upgraded the old blog last light.

I’m still working on getting a sidebar over on the left for my trophy case, but I’ll steal someone’s code on that later.

Now that the marathon is behind me 2006 can officially begin.  The natural question to ask is, “what next?”  That’s easy.  I’m in no mood to slow down.

Other than having a baby with my beautiful wife (she was the one I brought to the pasta party) I’ve got 3 trophies I’d like to add to my case:

 

1. Triathlon.  I’ve got my eye on a couple already, but everything will be controlled by the passing of the moon and sun.  The window for swimming opens only after Memorial Day and will close in early August right before baby TBA comes around.  So, I have a very short time to get up to speed swimming since I probably won’t be traveling to any Triathlons after baby TBA and mommy begin taking all my free time.  The first likely candidate is June 11, 2 days before I turn 31 but only 2 weeks after the pool opens.  Can you say “Hello weight room!”?  So far the next best opportunity comes at the end of July.  I’m hoping more opportunities to Tri and succeed will present themselves soon.
2. That’s 2 as in “Two-thousand miles on my bike”.  3 Texas MS150s (the triple chain-ring challenge, as I like to call it) will help that along by eating up ¼ of those miles, but there will still be the matter of riding, riding, riding.  Why 2000 miles?  Because I want to finish the MS150s in a cumulative 30 hours in the saddle.  That takes a lot of training considering only 1 of the rides is less than 155 miles long.  Estimated distance for the MS150s (they’ve changed at least 1 route this year) is 520 miles, so that means an AVERAGE of 17.5mph.  That’s fast… faster than I’ve ever gone over any significant distance.  I generally average around 16mph for any distance beyond 20 miles or so—and that was before hanging up the ride in favor of running shoes last summer.  Plus the last MS150 is 6 weeks after baby TBA is allegedly due.  It’s either going to be the hardest ride of them all or the fastest so that I can get home quick—if I even go at all.  There’s a very real possibility that I’ll opt to stay home and forgo the coveted “Triple Chain-Ring Trophy” that I’ll create for myself.  After all, being a dad is a helluva lot cooler than saying “I rode all 3 MS150s in a year—again”.  Then again, if I go I get to be both.
3. This is 3 as in “3.1 miles in less than 25 minutes”.  That’s right; I’m setting a running goal.  Quit your snickering.  So far my fastest single mile in my recorded running history is 8:16 and my fastest average for 3 miles is 9-something.  Besides, in the off chance that I decide to come out of retirement next January something like this will keep me tuned up to begin adding miles again in October—after my biking season will come to a close.

 

Through this all I should even drop a pound or two, which would be a nice bonus.

Coming soon—Team Breda MS150 details.