Nebraska and Colorado Springs

Thursday, July 28

Ran a bunch of errands this morning. Tried to get a replacement Thule bag, with no luck. I have decided to just strap a huge 35 gallon Rubbermaid container to my roof…we will see how this works out! At least it is water proof…but certainly not as well secured as the bag was…may have a good story about it flying off the roof at some point! Got my oil changed, etc. I am about to head out mountain biking with a guy I met at the XTERRA Midwest Championships…some sweet single track trails just outside of Colorado Springs. Been SO busy, sorry haven’t had time to post more pics…not sure when I will have the time to do it. I am off tomorrow, whitewater rafting the Royal Gorge of the Arkansas River, and then to Crested Butte to crash in a hostel and then pre-ride the race course for my Sunday race. Not sure when I will have access to internet again…may be a while!

Wednesday, July 27

Long day of driving for me. Luckily I had picked up a book CD at a Cracker Barrel. It was supposed to be a 9+ hour drive to Colorado Springs, so I decided that there would be NO stopping unless I was refilling. 4 hours in it was time to refuel, took advantage of this break to make myself some PB&J sandwiches on my rear bumper (which got me several strange looks at the gas station). Hit the road again, with the cruise control set at 80 mph the whole time (speed limit 75…gotta love it)! Before I knew it, I saw the beautiful Rockies emerging in the background. This was quite a beautiful site…and a beautiful day…wow! Since I was a little early, I had some free time…and was able to get a massage scheduled at a local massage school. It sure felt good b/c my legs were still tight from the Milwaukee race (and back from driving). Dropped by a little local coffee shop…where I had an interesting experience. This guy (with a soft, high pitched voice) sat down on the couch next to the one I was on...and tried to engage in conversation with me (which wasn't possible b/c I was focused on updating my blog). It seemed kinda weird, and I didn't know what to do...but then they left...but his friend came back in and said "My friend thinks you're cute." At this point, I have no idea what to do, and I am sure I have a pretty funny look on my face. He then says "Oh, you are straight?" I was like "YES" (I mean, isn't that the norm these days?!?!). Welcome to Colorado Springs! Met up with Martha and Adam, where they showed me to my own private little house/cabin…pretty sweet set-up they have here!

Tuesday, July 26

I woke up and decided it would be a nice day to go to work. I headed over to the Sports Center with Jason and taught a few hours of soccer to 10-12 years olds at camp…pretty fun! After camp I hit the gym at the complex, then went out for a bike ride (rode a few time trials around a 4 mile lake). Jason was still working, so I decided to lift again…different muscle groups. I have to take advantage of this gym b/c I don’t get one often on my trip! We were trying to decide what to do for the night when Becky’s friend Kelly called and convinced us to go up to Dave & Busters (it was new to Omaha, so they were all excited about it). Personally, I was still trying to convince everyone to head to a cornfield with some beer and party like Nebraskans do! No luck. Dave and Busters was fun. BUT, the real fun started when we were on the way home and started talking about Becky’s 1970 Trans Am. Got her to show it to me…the convinced her to start it up…next thing you know we were riding around Omaha like some real rednecks. Picture this: Black Trans Am with gold eagle on the hood, windows down (couldn’t convince her to take off the T-tops), country music blasting from the speakers, and corn fields flying by. I truly felt like I was in the Midwest…and it was great!

Monday, July 25

Grabbed a quick breakfast in Madison and headed west to Nebraska. Long day of driving…little late getting on the road b/c I was very tired from the race yesterday. I got into Omaha (I am now half way across the country…OH BABY!) around 6:30pm and met up with Jason at the Sports Center (soccer complex where he works). We kicked the soccer ball around for a while…as he evaluated a new soccer coach in the program. I miss soccer, fun sport! We then met up with his girlfriend Becky and went out to a cool brewery right down the street where his brother worked. They had great beer on tap, and good pizzas. Hung out with the crew all night…good times.

Thule Rooftop carrier gone bad

So, if anyone needs a rooftop carrier (soft one) at any point of there life...do NOT buy a Thule. Mine has not even lasted for 650 miles and has an 18" tear in it...need a replacement asap. Here it is:

http://www.thuleracks.com/thule/product.asp?dept_id=11&sku=846

This is probably the worst quality product I have used in a LONG time. I mean, the thing is designed to go on your roof and withstand wind/weather from a trip...what's up with that?!?!

Xterra Midwest Championships

Sunday, July 24

Caught a few minutes of the Tour de France to see Lance on his last day of domination (amazing Tour this year, which I have caught lots of on my trip). Ate my pre-race breakfast (toast, pb, applesauce), and shot over to the race site. I decided to go with my new, slicker tires for my bike, but it seems like the course is still going to be a little muddy...could be interesting. I grabbed a pretty good spot on the rack in the transition area, only to quickly learn that wetsuits were not going to be allowed (water temp reported over 72 degrees)...major bummer for me. The other bad news was that it was supposed to be the hottest day of the summer in Milwaukee, and it was already scorching at 11am. Ate a power bar, set up the rest of my gear in transition, and then took a GU energy gel shot before heading down for the swim start. Jumped in the water for light warm-up, this water sure feels cold enough for a wetsuit. The canon went off exactly at 11am, and we were off. The water was VERY choppy for the 1 mile (2 laps of .5 mile)...and I was getting hammered out there by not only all the other swimmers (shotgun start for the race), but choppy water smashing me in the face when I went up to breathe. If this wasn't bad enough, the water was FREEZING in some spots. You would go from 74 degree water into pockets of water that could not have been above 60 degrees. There was also a pretty strong current that was making it a tougher swim. On the second lap my feet actually went numb for a while. Struggled through the second lap, worst swim I have ever had...but others (including pros) said it was the toughest swim they had ever faced. I jumped out and started the 400 meter dash to the transition area.

Boy was I happy to be on my bike, time to start hammering to catch all the people who swim better than I do! I was feeling good on the bike, making lots of passes. Half way through the second lap I had the worst crash in a while. There was a low tree trunk over the single track trail, which I ducked, but for some reason forgot there was a second low tree trunk right behind it and DONK~! I hit it so hard with the crown of my head I actually flew 3 feet to the right and into a bush with my bike. I was totally disoriented and wondered if I had gotten a concussion (saw later I cracked my helmet). After 20 seconds of being down decided I didn't have any more time to think about it and needed to start riding. I finally got back up to my full speed and started feeling ok. I finished the bike strong, making a few more passes over the last flat, open section. Pretty sweet MB trail right in the heart of Milwaukee!!

Now things start to fall apart. The temp is soaring and humidity is scorching. I had already taken both of my enduralites/salt tabs, and felt like I needed more to prevent cramping with such high heat. After a 2 mile stretch over pavement and through the deep sand on the beach (ouch), I was not feeling great as the sun was just scorching me. Leg muscles were on the verge of cramping up, and I knew this wasn't good with over 4 miles to go. Got into some single track trails, and as I was stepping over a 2 foot log, my right hamstring knotted up in a tight ball...first time I have ever cramped, and this hurt like heck! A runner behind me saw it happen, and asked if I wanted 2 salt tabs...which I quickly downed and started walking...trying to loosen up the legs. I got up to a walk/run cadence...and drank gatorade and water at each of the 5 aid stations. I was in survival mode on this run...but so where many of my competitors! About 20-30 min after the salt tabs, my legs started to feel better...and I was able to pick up the cadence a bit. Finally hit the home stretch and kicked out the finish to ensure a guy closing fast didn't pass me.

Results: 10th place age group (in Championship-level races many of these racers are from different parts of the country, tough field)

Current Mid-Atlantic Region ranking in age group: 4th (59 racers have raced from the MA region)

I am shooting for another top five finish in a race to push me up in the regional points standings...3 more Xterra triathlons to go...but my body is starting to feel all this racing. On Aug 28 i will have raced in 7 tri's and mountain bike races in 8 weeks...this just doesn't allow my body the necessary time to recover. But ya know what? It sure as heck is FUN!! Speaking of fun, I am so happy every morning I wake up on this trip...this is sweet. I need to find an area of occupation that allows me more flexibility in life!!

So, I arrived in Madison WI today...a fairly short drive from Milwaukee (where I got in my car at 5:30pm and the temperature was 98 degrees! Now that is the definition of a SCORCHER!!!). I am staying with one of my moms friends (Jan) and was treated to an AWESOME home cooked meal!! YUMMY! Can't tell you how much you miss these when traveling ;) Then I jumped in a HUGE jacuzzi bath tub to rest the legs...which are finally starting to feel a little better!!

Pics

Finally got some pics posted, see the link on the right of the blog. I will try to get more up in a few days.

http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=jonesth&P=&AID=2550089&T=1

Milwaukee

Thoughts on Milwaukee: Miller, fireworks, happy people (probably b/c it is summer time)

Saturday, July 23,

I wake up at 8:15am, and realize I am still tired, no good, not a good night of sleep. Get moving in the morning and head to a few bike shops to grab all the gear I need (they don't all have the things I need). Also hit a Verizon store to update my cell phone plan (need more minutes)!! So buy a few new tires, and throw them on my bike. They should be faster, but conditions need to stay good for it. I register for the race, talk with a few racers I recognize, and ask advice on tire selection from a few of the pros. Decide it is time to test my new tires and head out on another pre-ride....and they feel great. Def faster over the hard-packed trails. BUT, I then break my chain on a power climb up a hill, lucky this didn't happen race day, I would be pissed! First chain I have broken...EVER! What is up with all these technical problems in the past week...I don't like it! I fix the chain, only to see a storm coming upon me. No good, it starts pouring as a huge storm moves through. Trail gets nasty quickly, the tires get a little squirmy, but are holding better than I expected. Not how I was hoping to spend my last pre-ride getting ready for the race...it gets nasty out. Finally finish up a lap on the bike, and start calling the bike shops to see if anyone is still open. I find a bike shop that can make the repair, and I end up having to replace a few other parts also...spent nearly $300 in the bike shops today...I guess doing my part to support the local economy ;) The good news? My bike is running smoother than it has in months! Maybe this is a good thing?!?!

I grab a quick pasta dinner, and then go to catch a professional road bike race the guy in the bike shop told me about. It is a road crit, which consists of 68 laps around a .8 mile loop right in the city. It is totally awesome!! These guys are FLYING around the lap...very cool!! And great for spectators as you see them each lap. The bike shop has a tent set up with free brats and beer...I am starting to really like Milwaukee!! The race had a really exciting finish over the last 5 laps, with different guys trying to break-away from the lead pack of 7 racers (who were about a half lap ahead of the peloton of ~100 riders). Good times. Got back to the townhouse to wind down and prep for the race the next day...and heard some fireworks going off. I went up to the roof-top deck and had a perfect view of a 15 min firework show...so COOL! I live for fireworks (and playing with fire) ;)

Bed time, big championship race tomorrow!

Friday, July 22

Packed up camp and drove up to Milwaukee. Oh yeah, and my car does not have the most desirable smells coming from it right now either...ugh! Hit some traffic along the way, but a pretty short drive. I first went over to the race site to check out the set-up. I then shot over to meet up with the guys I am staying with. They have a sweet townhouse, right in the city. They seem like pretty nice guys (and I am so thankful they are hosting me b/c there is no where else to stay in the city). I decide it is time for my first pre-ride on the race course. I quickly realize the trails are pretty hard-packed and I may need to try another tire (faster one with less tred) on my bike for the race. The bike shops are closed so that is first thing on my list of things to do Sat morning. The trails are pretty sweet, and I am just hoping we are allowed to use our wetsuit for the 1.5k swim in the lake. Water temp is currently 68 (we can use them if temp us under 74).

Grab a quick bite at Bucca di Beppo....great food! Starting to get my carb load for race day.

Get back to the townhouse (which has pool table and roof-top deck over looking the city)...which makes it great for entertaining...which is all good, but it is my most important night of sleep for my race. The guys all head out, I crash, but then they start loudly trickling in at 12:30am, 1:30am, 3:15am...woken up each time...I feel like I am at some frat house~!

Columbus and Chicago

Thoughts on Columbus: Ecclectic, neighborhood feeling, artsy, liberal

Thoughts on Chicago: Friendly people, lake, potholes and bad roads

Thursday, July 21

I finally got down to the bike path along Lake Shore Dr. in Chicago. I haven’t had a chance to get a new bike tire for my road bike, so decide to just ride my mountain bike on the bike path. I got in a good ride, then went and hung out on the beach with Kim, grabbed some food, and bumped around the volleyball. Kim and her team had a game, and the other team didn’t have all of their players, so I was able to jump in and play, which was fun. Chicago has a ton of volleyball nets on the beach, with league play every night. It was amazing to watch 100s of games going on at once. After the volleyball, it was off to the sponsoring pub for drinks and karaoke…good times with the volleyball team!

Wednesday, July 20

We spent the first half of the day trying to find my car that had been towed to the other side of the town. Major headache…and $150!! Geez! There goes my budget for Chicago!! At least it was in 1 piece, and my bikes/gear were secure.

Just as I was about to head out on a bike ride, it rained like crazy. I used the free time to catch up on some e-mails…then headed back out after the rain subsided. After only 30 min of riding, I flatted with a tire and tube puncture…dag! 2 flats in less than a week…after nearly 2 years of no flat tires…bummer! Kim came and picked me up and I scrapped the ride for the day (need to head to the bike store for a new tire). I headed downtown to meet up with my buddy Frank who was in town on business, and we grabbed pizza at Giordano’s (cheesiest pizza…EVER)! We then met up with his business partner and headed down to Rush street where we hung out at a cool little spot for the night.

Tuesday, July 19

Time to head over to Chicago…the windy city! The drive was great, I had a sense of pure freedom along the route (this was my first day of driving when I was supposed to be at work). It felt great…I was lovin life! BUT, then a work call came in…I knew I should have changed my phone number ;) Ah well, it provided me with about a half hour of entertainment on my drive, so no big deal. So, I thought this would be all the excitement for this drive…but the most ridiculous thing happened about an hour from Chicago. I was driving along on a 4 lane highway, hit a somewhat large pothole and in my mind think “that is not good.” I quickly look in my rear view mirror to make sure my bike didn’t some how get knocked off…and I see my front wheel bouncing down the highway (the front wheel was on a wheel holder rack on my roof). OH GOSH! NO GOOD! As I am pulling off onto the side of the road, I see one car dodge the wheel (phew!). The tire starts to head to the side of the road…but then it takes an unexpected turn back into traffic…where 2 more cars dodge it. At this point it is slowing down, and I am sure it is going to get hit (and hoping for no car damage)…when it makes another unexpected turn and starts heading back to the side of the road, where it lands in long grass after crossing 3 lanes of the highway with cars speeding by. I had visions of my having to scramble to find a new wheelset in time for the race this weekend…yikes!

Got to Evanston (just north of Chicago), luckily my bike was in one piece, and met up with Kim. We headed into the city to grab dinner and watch a free movie at Millinium Park. We met up with a few of Kim’s friends at the park, and then went over to grab a few drinks at an Irish pub in the Lincoln Park area. Good times (especially b/c we won a few free rounds by winning on the pool table)!

Got home that night, looked at my friend Kim and said “uh, where is my car?!!?”). I had parked in her spot at the apartment, but we saw 2 nasty little marks on the pavement…clearly an indication of a tow truck. DAG. Oh well, deal with it in the morning.

Monday, July 18

Spent a few hours this morning just exploring Columbus (the Short North area). Very cool area, tons of art shops, coffee shops, etc. I dropped into a coffee shop (Cup of Joe) to try to get my wireless card working…and was finally successful. Across the street are really cool loft condos being developed, starting at only $90-130k…and right on the main drag…pretty cool little project. I tried to get in to see the model home, but they were all booked. Took off after lunch on a 2 hour road ride along the river out into the suburbs of Columbus. Beautiful day, good times. I met up with Becca Brown (good high school friend) that afternoon and we spent nearly 2 hours walking around the city, eating ice cream, and just hanging out. We shot over to German Village to grab some dinner, and then went to watch The Wedding Crashers (funny). We were going to go out after the movie, but a nasty thunderstorm had moved into the area, and we became unmotivated for the trek out in the town. After coming home, we had a few drinks, and ventured out for my first trip ever to a White Castle!! This was the first of many great moments on this trip…ha ha!

First trip ever to White Castle

MD Race weekend

Sunday, July 17

Phew, a nice, sunny day (although quite hot and humid). Ate my normal pre-race breakfast, and drove down to the race site to set up the transition area. The XTERRA EMS Off-road triathlon kicked off promptly at 10am, and is always a tough swim for me. I survived through it, and was having a good bike section, only to get a flat tire ¾ of the way through the very technical and rocky bike course. This was my first flat in 1.5 years, and first ever in a race…and no CO2 cartridges…BUMMER! Lost ~5-6 min changing out my back tire, then worked like crazy to try to catch all the people who just passed me…dag! Caught a few of the guys who passed me, but knew I’d have to push hard in the run. Had a very quick T2 transition, and tried to get the tired bike legs going for the run…the first mile is always so tough. The run was about 1.5 miles on pavement and then 3.5+ miles on very technical single track and rock climbs…one of the best runs on the XTERRA circuit. I came out of the technical section and spotted a racer in my age group about 50 meters ahead. I started to pick up my pace with less than a mile to go…and caught him and passed him with about 400 meters to go…good strong finish. I placed 5th in my age group, which I was happy with considering the flat tire. Great times!

Broke down camp, showered, and jumped in my car for the drive to Columbus Ohio. I encountered serious rainstorms the whole drive, but it helped clean off my muddy bike from the race ;) I arrived in Columbus, OH and explored the city a bit. I am staying with my friend Becca Brown, who has an apartment 2 blocks from the main downtown area, which is pretty cool.

Challenges so far? I am having several technological breakdowns. My XM Radio was losing its signal throughout the drive (I am crossing my fingers it was b/c of the weather), my Palm pilot only turns on when it feels like it (even with charged batteries)…and I was lucky I had a print out of my directions or I’d probably be lost in the hills of Ohio now, and my wireless card for my laptop is not properly picking up signals…this could be a major problem if I can’t get it working.

Sat, July 16

Arrived at the campsite in western MD to meet up with Frank, Stacey, and Andy…only to have a huge thunderstorm rolling in. Quickly set up camp and then a huge storm hit us for the next few hours. With no end in sight, we finally decided to try to get the fire going in the rain…with the help of firestarter sticks. Fire got going on we heated up our lasagna…which was delicious! Great carb load for the race tomorrow.

I'm off

Just finished packing up my car...ended up with more room than I anticipated, which is very exciting! Both bikes are racked in the car, with a roof-top carrier holding a bunch of my camping gear on the roof...perfect!

Looks like it could be a wet triathlon in MD tomorrow with all of this rain...could be an interesting mountain biking section with the wet rocks n roots...should be FUN! Camping tonight with a few of my race buddies (Frank Frebrarro, Andy Bacon), we are crossing our fingers that it doesn't pour all night!

No bueno

This is the worst article I have ever read on cnn.com:

Gas prices surge to record
http://money.cnn.com/2005/07/10/news/economy/gas_prices/

UGH!

Send-off!!

Well,

I have less than 2 weeks to go, things are getting crazy! But, most importantly, a bunch of friends will be gathering at McFaddens (http://www.mcfaddensdc.com/homepage.php), one of our favorite watering holes, Sat night, July 9th. We will probably get there around 9pm...join us if you can!

Starting to get a little stressed out with finishing my project at work, logistics of the trip, and packing...especially with a VERY busy 2 weeks...yikes! I sure am getting excited :)