blah.

i feel like poop. i knew something was up on saturday when i was feeling a bit "off". but since then i have just been on the couch or in bed. not a full blown flu or cold, but just enough to wipe me of any energy. ugh.

me & allie got the week off & so far its been very low key. i have tried to get out & do things... but i dont last very long before its back home to watch TV or movies. oh well. I think tonight we are going to try & put up & decorate our new christmas tree :) hopefully, allie will make some pumpkin bread.

oh yeah, my sore throat has been my excuse for eating soy ice cream every day since saturday. im getting fatter as i type this.

Ball Bouncin' Part 2

with alot of practice & a little bit of determination, i set a new world record for Ball Bouncin'. I was feeling confident today, so i decided to record it "just in case" something magical happend. well it did. 61 is the new number to beat.

Sometimes all that hard work pays off. there were soo many times that i wanted to say 'screw it, im going back to work'... but i didnt. i stuck with my new sport and im sure glad i did.

edit: for those of you who are new, or dont remember, this is where i was on my ball bouncing career, just 2 months ago.

plymouth / lowell

11182006(024)
Originally uploaded by argylesocks.

saturday me & allie headed down to plymouth, ma for another episode of cross racing... i was pretty stoked for this weekend, as i love both of these races, and after last week's 'almost' happy ending, i was feeling a little more confident.

anyways, im feeling good at the warmup & mentally was feeling agressive. i decided i was going to go for a good start - something i have intentionally not done since my crash. whistle blows & i hit the pavement in 2nd behind this fast mofo... after riding side by side with him, i lead going into the woods *(holy crap, im leading)... so we hit the barriers, and i almost tripped on them, my legs were so numb... few more grassy sections & then into the 2nd set. this is where some NEBC dude blows by me, hopping the barriers... thom goes with him, as did a few others... in fact i think this is where pierre & ryan passed me as well.... ok, no biggie, im still with the lead group of about 5...

we head into the woods & then back out to the pavement.... at this point, my lungs are burning & the asthma kicks in.... my legs are throbbing, and im slowing down fast.. get passed some more... then some more... i come back into the start/finish, having lost about 10 spots.. ugh...

i ride with greg for a lap, then my rear derailer is skipping like crazy - wont stay in gear, wont shift.... my legs are toast, i cant breath, my lungs are burning... im done. dnf after 2 laps. ugh.

well, i did what i wanted to do in getting a good start, but i obviously went too hard.... very dissapointing, as my parents & allie were there to watch me.

after we got home, i was pretty bummed/pissed so we went out for a drink. mmmm... pumkinhead ale.

i decided i need to redeam myself at lowell. i was more conservative at the start... probably too much so - but again, i still get sketched out sprinting next to lots of people...

anyways, i work my way up & was feeling ALOT better than the day before.. not faster, but just better. i rode well & cant complain about that. finished 18th out of 38 riders. not great... but acceptable, at this point.

next year will be different for sure. i cant wait.

too hot

so i guess the ghetto window insulation project has worked a little too well. It's freakin hot in my place now. the heat is set at 60 degrees and its now 72 in my living room. oh yeah, my living room also doubles as my training room, and also triples as my bike repair shop/storage center.

ugh.

i went to sign up for plymouth this morning, and reg is closed, now i gotta shell out an extra $5. stupid me.

Ghetto Windows

11132006(002)
Originally uploaded by argylesocks.

My living room has 6 windows. 6 really really bad windows. once it gets cold, its impossible to keep my place warm. my gas bill goes thru the roof. Last year, i did the whole plastic wrap thing... it helped, but not enough (seriously these windows are bad). I thought about replacing them...but at $200 a pop, well... you do the math.

So i got this genius idea. insulation foam board. :)
for $21 i did 5 windows. works like a charm... already my place is staying warmer. sure i cant see the outside anymore.. but i can deal with that.

by the way, my curtains are always shut, so you cant tell from the inside... and the outer part is grey, so it looks like a normal pull down shade.

unh / brockton

to this weekend were 2 smaller races that i had hoped to do well in..
Saturday was UNH & i was pretty stoked to be back at the school i graduated at 10 years ago (gulp). Allie was with me. My parents showed up, as did my friend Chris & his little boy Enzo. so i do 1 warmup lap & realize this is going to suck. aside from the 100 feet of dry gravel road, the remainder was a horrible muddy mess. thick, gross, impossible to ride- mess. I got a decent start & was in about 8th place with the leaders right in front of me... as we were all going only 4mph, they were literally right there :) anyways.. with about 2 to go, i faded to 10th. then my wheels stopped turning. i got off & took 2 large & complete handfuls of mud stuck between the wheels & the fork/frame. got back on. still no go. again, remove more goop. people go by. ugh. back on.. in 13th. i did everything i could to stay there... which i did.. not quite what i was hoping for.....

saturday was Brockton. I opted for this instead of Putney, as it was close & it seemed most of the team was headed thier for the same reasons. So i pull up & a 7yr old kid is directing traffic. I park on the side of the road & get directed to registration.. this ended up being about a 10min walk up the road.. i get thier & ask for the bathrooms. "we couldnt get them up here". im directed back to the other end of the park, across a main road. nice. after a long ride, i find 2 portapotties (one without TP). ugh.

i get back to my car, suite up, then check out the course. there is randomly placed "caution" flagging. not on both sides.. just randomly placed tape. ugh. sooo poorly done. the course started on pavement, then a tad bit of grass, then into this loooong stretch of singletrack with sooo many rocks sticking out, it was ridiculous. we then cross over a narrow (ie: 3' wide) bridge... on to some doubletrack with more rocks... then back on the road.

i was a little pissed. it was soo NOT a cross course. plus it was $25. this was a $10 race, maybe. ha.

anyways, we all get to the start line.. and then it starts to downpour.. just to add insult to injury. ugh. im riding well & after a few laps someone says im in 10th place. that cant be right. then me & ctodd go thru & they yell "5th & 6th". wow.
then we go thru at 4th & 5th. even better. then i go thru at 3rd place, alone. wow. this is going to end well. im careful in the singletrack & punching it on the doubltrack. im gaining on 2nd & still feeling good. i pass a lapped rider and then POP!! front tire flats. ugh. im soo far from the pits.... plus i didnt even bother to put my wheels in there. oh well. game over. greg took my place & finished 3rd & ctodd crashed hard, but fought back for a solid result.

Me & allie dried off, then headed to IBC to see jon lewis & pick up some supplies. that guy rocks. then off to Know-fat for lunch... then to trader joe's... then to the grocery store to get some soy ice cream :) yum!! back home, clean the bike, take a shower, watch tv & go to bed at 7pm. hahaha.

morning runs...

i think i stepped on a dead cat (possibly skunk) this morning on my run... however, it was too dark, cold, rainy, and windy to tell.