Happy New Year

This year will be a lot of fun.

Monday
Lifted some weights at work.
-----
Rode w/Holly to 90% of "Return of the King" (2:30)
   Her on the trainer and me on the rollers
   Finished with 5 minutes before the ball dropped

Tuesday
New Year's Day
-----
Holly's scavenger hunt.
-----
Anniversary date w/Holly
   Skiing in Elm Creek (1.5 hrs)
   Dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant

Wednesday
Our 9th Wedding Anniversary
Easy spin watching "Caddyshack"

Thursday
7 miles at work w/ Todd and John
-----
ski at night w/ Neil, Jay, Bob, Dave, Tom
   team lap racing and TT course

Friday
45 minute "spin" on eliptical machine
1 hr spin on rollers at home (movie w/ Holly)

Saturday
30k at Elk River - whew...

Sunday
1.5 hrs trailblazing on classic skis w/Boo

Christmas Week

Monday
2 outer loops at Elm Creek in the new snow
Saw Dave Hoglund and his buddy Dan

Tuesday
Christmas Day
-----
Skied w/ Neil
  Beautiful with new falling snow
  1 outer loop and then
  the DIYTT course
-----
sledding
-----
Family Christmas Dinner (nothing but starches)
  rosemary mashed potatoes
  stuffing
  rolls
-----
shoveling

Wednesday
1:20 of musical machines
  20:00 stairs w/weights
  20:00 eliptical w/weights
  20:00 stairs w/weights
  20:00 treadmill
    3 miles: 7:00/6:30/6:00
    1/4 mile at 5:30

Thursday
Elm Creek Relays and an hour or so after
All of the TSH Forever team were there!
Skied with Jay and had a nice chat with Dave
I now realize how huge tecnique is in XC skiing

Friday
1 hr on the trainer at home
Travel to Sioux Center

Saturday
Basketball and volleyball at Dordt
5 mile run

Sunday
1/2 hr on new rollers
also rode Holly's mom's cruiser on them for 5 minutes :)

Driving to Work

I could get used to this driving to work thing.

Monday
30 min at work (20 minute "climb" - high resistance/low rpm)
Christmas Lunch with Wade and Rob
1 hr ski (9-10pm)

Tuesday
7 at lunch with Joe

Wednesday
30 minute run
1.5 hours on trainer (easy w/ phone coversations)

Thursday
1.5 hours skiing

Friday
1 hr on trainer (easy, watching movie w/ Lilly)
Lilly to hospital. Respitory infection, high fever, cough.

Saturday
Lilly out of hospital! Still has fever, cough...

Sunday
SNOW!
Tried to skate in the new snow. No go.
1 hr skiing the streets of Anoka with Boo
1.5 hrs on trainer (easy, movie w/ Holly)

"TVC" Christmas Party This Weekend

"Why would I read your blog? It's just, 'I commuted.'" - Chris Clark  :)

Monday
1:20 on spin bike at work (4x10 minute "climbs")

Tuesday
7 miles at lunch with Joe. Good to see him again.

Wednesday
1 hr on trainer at home (easy - TV)

Thursday
1 hr ski (2 outer loops @ Elm Creek)
1 hr spinning at shop (by myself)
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale at Maverick's

Friday
13 at lunch with Joe and Patrick - cold, tiring and FUN

Saturday
Elk River skiing with Neil
  20k of sawtooth terrain and cold snow
-----
Christmas Party at our house
  It was cool to show the TVC jersey - everyone was talking
  Very good to see everyone! We are really fortunate.

Sunday
Sleeping.

Skiing!

How great is is to have Elm Creek that close to home?

Monday
1:20 on spin bike at work
   pretty easy
   w/(3x10-minute "climbs" - increase tension every min)

Tuesday
More Snow!
------
Ran 7 in the snow at lunch w/ Eric, John*, Nelson and Scott
  * - MDT designated fast guy
------
"hill repeats" on the sledding hill :)
   even brought out the snowboard
   Me: "I'm gonna help you down the hill so you don't wreck."
   Hailey (neighbor girl): "If I wreck, that'd be SWEET!"
------
2 hours of shoveling after Lilly went to bed

Wednesday
1 hr on the trainer (easy - CX video)

Thursday
8 miles at lunch (3 w/Wade, 5 on my own)
spin at the shop (fairly easy with 2 good 5 minute efforts)

Friday
1 hour "john circuit training" at fitness center
   15 stairs / 15 elliptical / 15 stairs / 15 treadmill
   stairs & elliptical w/5lb weights, run: 1@7:00 / 1@6:00
   hr 160-170 and legs felt great
Ate at Q-Fanatic with Holly's family - good stuff

Saturday
2hrs skiing w/Neil at Elm Creek (two laps of outer loop)
Loon Party at Don's Ranch

Sunday
Skied for an hour in the evening - saw Tom Cowan

1st Week of Driving to Work

Now it's cold.

Monday
Ran 7 at lunch w/ Wade, Todd, John, Eric.
Picked up our new skis.
Rode 1/2 hr on the rollers (w/ Holly on trainer).

Tuesday
1.5 hrs on spin bike at work (easy)

Wednesday
Nothing. Well, yoga after Dad & Lilly class.

Thursday
30 min run at lunch (cold), 20 min stairmaster w/5 lb weights
1.5 hrs on rollers at Trailhead
Andy stories afterwards at Moonrock

Friday
30 minutes on eliptical w/5 lb weights at lunch
4 hour TSH "indoor century" - Great Fun!
- rollers + beer = good idea?
- broke the band on my rollers and brought
   it in for a soft landing

Saturday
SNOW!
Breakfast with Santa in Anoka
Ran 1 hr in the snow with Boo in Elm Creek
  (both of us had a blast)
MDT Childrens' Christmas Party

Sunday
2+ hrs shoveling snow
2 hrs pulling Lilly and friends up the sledding hill
1.5 hrs skiing
I am shot

A short week

Commuted to Thanksgiving!

Monday
Commute.

Tuesday
Commute.
Roller coaster ride on Rice Lake trails in complete darkness.
Loop in Elm Creek.
Stop and talk to spinners at the shop.
Back to Neil's to get "regular" clothes.
Close down Moon Rock.

Wednesday
Commute with trip to/from car dealer in Brooklyn Park.

Thursday
A white Thanksgiving. A little snow and 22 degrees.
An hour outside on my old mountain bike.
A tiny bit on the rollers.

Friday
Prarie Roubaix III
Rode out to Fletcher and my legs felt really tired.
I felt better after the first lap and I was happy with how hard I could ride.
A great time!
Not as cold as I thought I'd be. Approaching 30 degrees by the end.
Caught a ride down to Holly's work from Chad Macy. Thanks!
Coffee and "Morrie" at Caribou waiting for Holly so we could head down to her family in Iowa.

Saturday
In Sioux Center.
Ran 6 miles (Sandy Hollow and back).
Basketball and Volleyball at Dort with Holly's family.

Sunday
Rode an hour in Sioux Center. Almost 50 degrees.
Bike trail and past the new golf course.
Made it into town for the last 5 minutes of the TSH meeting at Caribou.

My Cyclocross Season

It has been FUN

Results:
Lake Rebecca - 3rd A2, 19th overall
Boom Island - 4th A2, 17th overall
Powderhorn - 5th A2, 20th overall
Grumpy's - 3rd A2, 15th overall
Milacca - 6th A2, 19th overall
State - 4th Cat3, 6th overall (B2 race)

Last week of the cyclocross season

Holly said there's snow in Elm Creek.

Monday
Commute.

Tuesday
Commute. 60 degrees!
Trailer Lilly to Target.

Wednesday
Commute. Left early to pickup Lilly (sick). Rode HARD into STRONG headwind. Legs feel really week this late in the season.
Trailer to Dad & Lilly class.

Thursday
Commute. Spend 1/2 day at home with Lilly.
1st week of Tiny Tot Dance.
Spin with Neil, Carol and Serotta Orbea Steve.
Watched RAAM 2007 DVD and saw Neil for 2 seconds. :)

Friday
Commute.

Saturday
State Cyclocross Championships - 4th Cat3, 6th overall (B2 race)
Legs actually felt good enough to really burn my lungs. Rode the whole race with Jim Bell just like at Millaca.
Moon Rock with Holly's family.
Rode down to Neil's for tonics and videos.

Sunday
Mountain biked in Elm Creek with Holly!
She rode my mountain bike (it was a tad big) and I rode the cyclocross bike.
She had enough fun to want to try a bike her size.
Went to Pioneer Midwest and bought our Christmas gifts (XC skis)

Getting Cold

(Originally posted on TSH Blog)

I'm gonna commute till Thanksgiving if it kills me...

Monday
Commute. WINDY.

Tuesday
Commute. Trailer Lilly to vote. It passed!

Wednesday
Commute. Trailer to "dad and Lilly" class.

Thursday
Commute. Spin. Beer. All were fun!

Friday
Commute.

Saturday
My parents are in town. Ran 8 in Elm Creek. Shopping and Moon Rock for dinner.

Sunday
Rum River CX - hard and fast, like a road race on grass, lots of drafting.
gapped from the start (person in front of me missed pedal)
19th in the A race, 6th A2

November Already

(Originally posted on TSH Blog)

With any luck, I've still got a few weeks of commuting.

Monday
Commute.
Trailer Lilly to Target.

Tuesday
Commute.
Trailer to daycare "Spook Fest".

Wednesday
Commute. WINDY.
Trick-or-treat.

Thursday
Worked from home.
Ran 8 at lunch in Elm Creek. (felt great)
Trailer to daycare pickup.
RAAM training conference call.

Friday
Commute. Coming home is WINDY and I'm really pushing to get to Lilly's dr appt. So much for taking it easy today.

Saturday
Neil's free CX race with Andy, Mike B and Bernie. FUN! Had some beer and Belinda made us cornbread afterwards. More FUN! Won a 5-pack of Moose Drool and a half bottle of rum for my 1st place finish. :)
Went to "Gopher Game" with Neil. Actually most of the time was at Town Hall.

Sunday
Grumpy's NSC VeloCross. Cool course with a big mud ditch.
15th overall in the A race (3rd A2).
Bjorn lapped everyone in the A race except for maybe the top 5. WOW.
Ran relay races (complete with hurdles) around the living room with Lilly and Holly.

Anoka's Halloween Week

(Orignally posted on TSH Blog)

This week's "training":

Monday
Commute.
Bike to TSH meeting at Caribou.

Tuesday
Commute. WINDY.
Trailer to Rocket Park with Lilly and Neil.

Wednesday
Commute.
Trailer to Target and then Dad & Lilly Class (ECFE).
Cracked open a Moose Dool. Underside of the cap said, "More Cowbell." Awww yeah.

Thursday
Commute.
Lilly and I stopped by the shop to pick up some stuff and saw Neil, Jorge and Dan spinning.

Friday
Fixed deck with Jerry and Rusty.

Saturday
Ran Anoka Gray Ghost 5k - 13th (17:19).

10th - Eric Kalmes 17:08
11th - Andrew Carlson 17:11
12th - Tom Prentke 17:18
13th - John Rotach 17:19
14th - Nick Milewski 17:20
15th - Hyun Yoon 17:20

Funny: Eric, Tom, me and Joe (Hyun) are all MDT guys that have run together from time to time.
Did a lap in the park with Aimee.
Cards and fun with Holly's family until 1:00 in the morning.

Sunday
Rode to TSH picture at Elm Creek ski chalet. Rode a little with Jay after the photo.

Powderhorn

(Originally posted on TSH Blog)

Had fun at Powderhorn Sunday despite doing this 10+ times:

Powderhorn Runup

Great to have family and friends cheering! Ended up 19th overall in the A race and 4th in the A2s (cat3).

Inaugural Entry

(Originally posted on TSH Blog)

Yep, that's right. My first blog entry.

Summary of this past week:

Saturday
Ran 10k in Autumn Woods Classic (Elm Creek Park)
Finished 5th overall with a 37:30 (6:03 pace)

Sunday
Boom Island CX - A2 (A race, cat3)
Finished ~17th overall, 3rd in A2 race

Monday - Wednesday
Commuted. In the rain. Ugh...
Can't get "Wonderboy" out of my head.
Carved pumpkins.

Thursday
Drove into work for the 2nd time since March.
Ran 7 at lunch with Todd, Wade, and Eric.
Spin class with Neil, JayT, Andy, Jorge, Dan
Beer drinking with Neil, JayT,
Andy (who rode to/from in 50 degrees & rain)

Friday
Commuted. Rain and 40mph wind in the morning. 40mph wind in the afternoon.
Went to Carver Park for "Critter Haunt".
Ate at Old Chicago and had a 25oz Moose Dool. (favorite)

Saturday
Did 60 or so from TH.
Hit Caribou and Panera for cappucino, bagels and laughs.
Home in time for Holly to head out with girls.
Anoka Light Up the Night parade.

1st Entry

This is my first entry to this blog. I've started a log of my riding for the TSH stuff and have fallen in love with the idea of looking back at this in the future to see things such as:

• When did I start/end my commuting season?
• When did we start skiing?
• What biking/running/tri races did I do and when and why?