The 3000 mile goal!... Again this year

With the start of another year I have set a goal to ride 3000 miles this year. I this may seem like a lot of miles but when you really break it down it is a little under 60 miles a week. So if I stay on top of it it should be very attainable. 

So what makes is this worth posting on a blog? Well, it was my goal last year. How did I fare? Not good, not good at all. So that is why I am back at it again this year. While not off to the 180 miles that I need to be at for being 3 weeks into January but as long as I keep riding I know that I  these miles will fly by!

Tour de Tucson 2010

So I know that this post is late but it my blog. So my Dad and I rode in the El Tour de Tucson 40 mile event (I know the 109 mile is where it's at but I had to start somewhere) back in November. It was the first "race" for both of us and really did not not what to expect. Months ago when we decided to ride together we talked about having matching jerseys. For my Dad and I this is a pretty normal thought. After a few days on Internet searching I found "The Perfect" jersey, and we became Team Spam. Team Spam turned out to be a big hit throughout the race, both of us received a lot of comments on them, and no I am not from Minnesota.

I did not train for it other than doing the regular ridding (60 - 80 miles a week) and I did not ride or drive the route before the race. So my time was slower than I had hoped 2:36. Now what I did not realize when I check after the race to see what my time, was that I came in 96th (now it is adjusted to 99th) which is not something that I ever thought that I would or could get in my first race. My Dad finished in 3:48 and we are all very proud of him. Amazingly I think that he is getting in road biking bug too. After the race it was great to see my family and enjoy in the accomplishment with them.

I again realized how much that I enjoy riding. So let the planning for the next event begin...

The things you see when you look...

It is interesting when I first began to ride I noticed a lot of different things that I had not see driving around in a car. As I have ridden I don't know if I notice a lot of things any more, but recently I saw to things  that made me smile. The fist was a man walking a pony down the sidewalk. I almost missed this one but I looked up and there they were in the middle of town. I almost stopped to take a picture but kept riding. The other was I ran into on of my childhood friends Dad's. This time I stopped. I had not seen him in a while but thanks to technology I am a fan of his blog. We must have chatted for about a half an hour. It was nice to catch up and talk bikes for a while.

It is these types of situations that make your day, the things you see and that people that you talk to. I didn't realize how fast I was moving and not, as the cliche goes, stopping to smell the roses. But I am working on it.

Halloween a night of Jinga

We were invited to a Halloween party by some friends of ours, my costume was the Pope (a lot of people said that I resembled John Paul II), and our friends Alex and Josh went as Rachel and Coach Ken Tanaka, both from Glee.

When we arrived at the party there Luigi and Prince were playing a game of Giant Jinga. While I don't think that a regular game of Jinga would have captivated an entire Halloween party this game did. They were playing with a homemade Jinga set made form cut 2x4's.

The game was set up on top of a side table that was set on top of a coffee table. As the game progressed the spectators began to move away, in fear of flying 2x4's at the games finale. The game went on for a while just as my attention was beginning to waver Luigi, like a ninja, removed a piece in one lighting quick movement and the party goers went crazy with excitement. The game ended about 10 minutes later but not after at least two more remarkable ninja moves and the total height of the Jinga off the floor was at least 6 feet.

It was one of the more interesting party games that I have ever seen. Even thought it was a two player game it had the whole party interacting. After Jinga we had a great time at the party chatting away. Yes, this old man was out late but he had a great time with good friends.

800 Miles

Yesterday I rolled past 800 miles on my bike. I was a really nice accomplishment and I can't wait for 1000! I have seen a lot of places and things riding especially around in my own neighborhood, that I don't think that I would have noticed driving in a car. It is nice to know that your neighborhood has so much in it and that it can still provide new experiences. It is also time to learn how to preform some basic bike maintenance, which will be nice to learn. I have enjoyed the things that I am able to do now, like changing a flat, and am looking forward to learning more.

The one thing that I have found recently is that it is going to be cold soon and riding a bike is going to be even colder so, I think this means its time to go to the bike shop and buy some winter gear!

Is that Thunder I hear?

So I was at Whole Foods finishing up dinner when Karen called and while we were talking, at one point when the automatic doors were open I heard Thunder. I told Karen that I hope I could make it home before it started raining since I walked there and still needed to get some groceries. We ended our conversation so I could get on my way and Karen wished me luck. So I quickly went around the store grabbed my apples and what not and made my way to the register. As I was chatting with the Cashier and the Bagger I asked if it had started to rain? They said that it was not. I stated that I had heard Thunder earlier and wanted to get home as quick as I could. They both said that I was really nice out and did not look like rain and then one of them said, "Could you have heard the Thunder sound effect that plays when the vegetables are being watered?" All I could say was "WOW."

These types of situations just makes you think... "WOW"

Never a bad time to ride...

I have been riding my bike now for 5 months and have ridden over 650 miles and last month alone I had 209 miles. I did have 3 flats in a week but that just means that I have to get new tires which is just another trip to the LBS. I did a little research and I went with a set of Armadillos by Specialized . I think, and hope, that they will help solve my problem. Looking to get another 200 miles this month. It's never a bad time to ride.