Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
3 Nights In A Row!!!
KR is sleeping through the night!
Of course Gnash has decided to have diarrhea the past 3 night negating any extra sleep we may have gotten.
Whatchoo gon do?
Of course Gnash has decided to have diarrhea the past 3 night negating any extra sleep we may have gotten.
Whatchoo gon do?
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
12 weeks old
You're getting so big KR! Last night we played on the playmat for about 20 minutes. You seemed very excited when the penguin bowling pin showed up. You are very alert these days.
We have been watching the Baby Mozart DVD together. You really seem to enjoy it.
Your mom, Uncle Jay and I wish we could have thought of making these CDs.
Your mommy and daddy usually keep the Quacky Duck book, 'rattle'pillar, cloth bear, pacifier, and one of the Penguin Bowling Pins close by . These are your favorite toys. You also laugh at your mommy and daddy a lot. But thats OK - you make us laugh a little bit too.
We love you
*******************************
Mommy and Daddy are beginning to turn the backyard into a proper little girl playland.
It's too hot in Mississippi in the summer to plant anything but we have plenty more left to do in the pre-planting stage.
Here's a pic of just one corner where we were beginning to have some erosion in an existing rock wall.
We have been watching the Baby Mozart DVD together. You really seem to enjoy it.
Your mom, Uncle Jay and I wish we could have thought of making these CDs.
Your mommy and daddy usually keep the Quacky Duck book, 'rattle'pillar, cloth bear, pacifier, and one of the Penguin Bowling Pins close by . These are your favorite toys. You also laugh at your mommy and daddy a lot. But thats OK - you make us laugh a little bit too.
We love you
*******************************
Mommy and Daddy are beginning to turn the backyard into a proper little girl playland.
It's too hot in Mississippi in the summer to plant anything but we have plenty more left to do in the pre-planting stage.
Here's a pic of just one corner where we were beginning to have some erosion in an existing rock wall.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Training - you either love it or hate it
...and I guess if you hate it you aren't an endurance athlete. Or not a very adept one.
You get a lot of philosophies thrown around when trying to figure out how to ride as fast as you can through the woods 10-20 times a year for 2 or so hours at a time.
"Train smarter not harder" "You gotta train slow to get fast" "Maximize the time you allot to training" blah, blah, blah. Intermixed with all of that you have the individual limitations each person has genetically, i.e. some people are just better suited to endurance racing, some have more fast-twitch muscle fibres and can sprint better, lung volume, competitive edge, etc. You can't neglect the scientific aspects of training as well - increasing your VO2max, using watts as a measure of power output and to quantify improvement, training using heart rate zones, anaerobic threshold training... It can get overwhelming - probably why a lot of amateur racers use the old "I just ride a lot and therefore end up faster" philosophy.
One has to consider as well the athletic nature of mountain bike racing (or cycling in general for that matter)...meaning - the idea is to 'keep the rubber side down' and, as such, one must always be mindful of the ever present need to hone the handling or technical skills.
I love to train. I just do. Sometimes people will ask, 'Why do you put yourself through the agony?' Why? 'Cause I love the pain - it's why we do what we do. When you are 'in the tank', 'the hurt locker', and/or 'the pain cave' nothing else matters. It's you, the bike, your form, and the racer ahead of and/or behind you and whether or not they are willing to 'make their eyes bleed' as much as you are. While this probably sounds like garbage to most of y'all - it is my Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas morning served in one yummified serving!
Results are not the most important thing to me when I train. I just stay in the moment and enjoy the training for what it is. I do some pre-race mental prepping the day before a race - mainly to run through a checklist of everything I'll need the day of - forgetting something at home can spell disaster.
With all that said - my last race of any real significance was the Rockcrusher Classic III back in May. The RC III was the 4th race in the SCRCS series. The series (mercifully) takes the summer off and jumps off again Spetember 7th in Oxford, MS - The Clear Creek Classic. I currently sit in 2nd place overall in the Singlespeed division. With three races left and 2 of the 7 total races being 'drop' races I actually sit in a 'virtual' 3rd place. Holding onto 2nd is my focus but it will take some work (up to me) and luck (out of my hands).
Given 12 weeks to prepare an unexpected bit of luck fell right into my lap. I was asked to complete an online survey and, in return, was given a free 12-week coached build phase training program for intermediate to advanced cyclists. PERFECT! Now's the time to get down to some proper training without any guesswork on my part.
Placing trust in a coach has had mixed results for me in the past. I used a live coach who met with me and 2 other guys twice a week before the 2007 racing season began. We based all our training sessions on wattage, i.e. the amount of power a cyclist generates while 'working'. Very technical sessions with graphs, PC printouts, data that was beyond my ability to digest and 12 of the most painful weeks I've ever spent on a bike leading up to my first race of the season. Result: I got my doors blown off for about 3 months until I could recover from the agony of the brutal sessions. But hey, I gained 60 watts on my 30 min time trial by the end of the 12 weeks! (eye roll)
Before this season I did what I wanted which was ride my mountain bike on trails, a lot. My technical skills seemed vastly improved, and being that MTB riding is essentially like riding intervals, my fitness stayed intact. But the podium elduded me all spring. So close but no cigars (OK I did get a whole box of bubble gum cigars when KR was born). I was having a lot of fun, but being so close and not placing irked me. Was it genetics? My diet? What gives?
Back to the aforementioned free training plan. It is an online coach and I don't have any personal contact - it's a general plan designed to cover what should generally help an 'intermediate to advanced cyclist' in the 'build phase' of their training. Well, I had 13 weeks until my next important race and a 12 week plan. I'm repeating myself...
So far, it has been a very manageable plan. Taking the guesswork out of my training has given me more time to be an at-home dad in the evenings, cook healthier meals, etc. The main difference is that I am training with weights 2 times a week so I feel better overall and am less 'bike tired.' Who knows what the end result will be but having a goal in sight and having a plan to get there makes life so much easier sometimes.
Awjeah!
You get a lot of philosophies thrown around when trying to figure out how to ride as fast as you can through the woods 10-20 times a year for 2 or so hours at a time.
"Train smarter not harder" "You gotta train slow to get fast" "Maximize the time you allot to training" blah, blah, blah. Intermixed with all of that you have the individual limitations each person has genetically, i.e. some people are just better suited to endurance racing, some have more fast-twitch muscle fibres and can sprint better, lung volume, competitive edge, etc. You can't neglect the scientific aspects of training as well - increasing your VO2max, using watts as a measure of power output and to quantify improvement, training using heart rate zones, anaerobic threshold training... It can get overwhelming - probably why a lot of amateur racers use the old "I just ride a lot and therefore end up faster" philosophy.
One has to consider as well the athletic nature of mountain bike racing (or cycling in general for that matter)...meaning - the idea is to 'keep the rubber side down' and, as such, one must always be mindful of the ever present need to hone the handling or technical skills.
I love to train. I just do. Sometimes people will ask, 'Why do you put yourself through the agony?' Why? 'Cause I love the pain - it's why we do what we do. When you are 'in the tank', 'the hurt locker', and/or 'the pain cave' nothing else matters. It's you, the bike, your form, and the racer ahead of and/or behind you and whether or not they are willing to 'make their eyes bleed' as much as you are. While this probably sounds like garbage to most of y'all - it is my Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas morning served in one yummified serving!
Results are not the most important thing to me when I train. I just stay in the moment and enjoy the training for what it is. I do some pre-race mental prepping the day before a race - mainly to run through a checklist of everything I'll need the day of - forgetting something at home can spell disaster.
With all that said - my last race of any real significance was the Rockcrusher Classic III back in May. The RC III was the 4th race in the SCRCS series. The series (mercifully) takes the summer off and jumps off again Spetember 7th in Oxford, MS - The Clear Creek Classic. I currently sit in 2nd place overall in the Singlespeed division. With three races left and 2 of the 7 total races being 'drop' races I actually sit in a 'virtual' 3rd place. Holding onto 2nd is my focus but it will take some work (up to me) and luck (out of my hands).
Given 12 weeks to prepare an unexpected bit of luck fell right into my lap. I was asked to complete an online survey and, in return, was given a free 12-week coached build phase training program for intermediate to advanced cyclists. PERFECT! Now's the time to get down to some proper training without any guesswork on my part.
Placing trust in a coach has had mixed results for me in the past. I used a live coach who met with me and 2 other guys twice a week before the 2007 racing season began. We based all our training sessions on wattage, i.e. the amount of power a cyclist generates while 'working'. Very technical sessions with graphs, PC printouts, data that was beyond my ability to digest and 12 of the most painful weeks I've ever spent on a bike leading up to my first race of the season. Result: I got my doors blown off for about 3 months until I could recover from the agony of the brutal sessions. But hey, I gained 60 watts on my 30 min time trial by the end of the 12 weeks! (eye roll)
Before this season I did what I wanted which was ride my mountain bike on trails, a lot. My technical skills seemed vastly improved, and being that MTB riding is essentially like riding intervals, my fitness stayed intact. But the podium elduded me all spring. So close but no cigars (OK I did get a whole box of bubble gum cigars when KR was born). I was having a lot of fun, but being so close and not placing irked me. Was it genetics? My diet? What gives?
Back to the aforementioned free training plan. It is an online coach and I don't have any personal contact - it's a general plan designed to cover what should generally help an 'intermediate to advanced cyclist' in the 'build phase' of their training. Well, I had 13 weeks until my next important race and a 12 week plan. I'm repeating myself...
So far, it has been a very manageable plan. Taking the guesswork out of my training has given me more time to be an at-home dad in the evenings, cook healthier meals, etc. The main difference is that I am training with weights 2 times a week so I feel better overall and am less 'bike tired.' Who knows what the end result will be but having a goal in sight and having a plan to get there makes life so much easier sometimes.
Awjeah!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
She's Baaaaack!
"WOOF! CHECK OUT THE NEW PHOTOS!"
"Tony Danza's got nothing on me!"
"Yeah, I can read. Jealous?!"
"What up playas?!"
"Must...reach...remote...no more Tour de France..."
Maxin' & Relaxin' - KR Style
"Um, could your tongue be any longer?"
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
C'est la Vie
That's life...
Fluid - that's the word that best describes the past 10 weeks. Things have evolved so quickly. Calm and ordered are no longer appropriate...and I am A-OK with that.
KR continues to grow and express herself in amazing new ways. The eyes tell a lot, and her's speak volumes. Sometimes, that volume she's speaking is at level 10, but...for the most part...she continues to be a really good baby.
She is beginning to enjoy play time - her favorite toys are her 'crinkly' paged quacky duck book, her pink princess playmat, and her Bach, Beethoven, & Mozart mobile.
10 weeks old yesterday - outsiders say, 'enjoy this time because it is fleeting, etc.' but time seems to be in a slo-mo mode right now from my pov. Every day brings a new challenge or joy and we are just rolling with it all in stride.
Le Tour de France has started and KR and McWesson are heavily involved. Our favorite team is the Garmin-Chipotle squad. We are both very excited that, as of the completion of Stage 4, the 3 teams with the most open anti-doping policies are leading the team points contests (CSC, Columbia, and the aforementioned G-C). Knowing that the sport we love is cleaning itself up is quite satisfying.
It happens every year around this time...I start breaking the road bike out more and more. The heat coupled with the excitement of le Tour and this year's new edition making trips to the dirt a bit more complicated...the Orbea is receiving a lot of love right now.
The 4th was spent enjoying time with local family and friends - good fun was abundant and I did my very level best to keep my germaphobia in check as about 24 different hands found their way to KR. She did well though and my hang-ups should not automatically become hers, eh?
However, a long weekend would be complete without some time spent on proper MTB trails, no? As such, I made my way to the Noxubee Crest trail system that sits between Ackerman and Louisville, MS to met some buddies for what turned out to be an epic out and back on mostly new, to us, trails involving a massive frog-strangler of a storm that put the finishing touch on a great day. PERFECT!
I promise to get some new KR pics on here ASAP!
Fluid - that's the word that best describes the past 10 weeks. Things have evolved so quickly. Calm and ordered are no longer appropriate...and I am A-OK with that.
KR continues to grow and express herself in amazing new ways. The eyes tell a lot, and her's speak volumes. Sometimes, that volume she's speaking is at level 10, but...for the most part...she continues to be a really good baby.
She is beginning to enjoy play time - her favorite toys are her 'crinkly' paged quacky duck book, her pink princess playmat, and her Bach, Beethoven, & Mozart mobile.
10 weeks old yesterday - outsiders say, 'enjoy this time because it is fleeting, etc.' but time seems to be in a slo-mo mode right now from my pov. Every day brings a new challenge or joy and we are just rolling with it all in stride.
Le Tour de France has started and KR and McWesson are heavily involved. Our favorite team is the Garmin-Chipotle squad. We are both very excited that, as of the completion of Stage 4, the 3 teams with the most open anti-doping policies are leading the team points contests (CSC, Columbia, and the aforementioned G-C). Knowing that the sport we love is cleaning itself up is quite satisfying.
It happens every year around this time...I start breaking the road bike out more and more. The heat coupled with the excitement of le Tour and this year's new edition making trips to the dirt a bit more complicated...the Orbea is receiving a lot of love right now.
The 4th was spent enjoying time with local family and friends - good fun was abundant and I did my very level best to keep my germaphobia in check as about 24 different hands found their way to KR. She did well though and my hang-ups should not automatically become hers, eh?
However, a long weekend would be complete without some time spent on proper MTB trails, no? As such, I made my way to the Noxubee Crest trail system that sits between Ackerman and Louisville, MS to met some buddies for what turned out to be an epic out and back on mostly new, to us, trails involving a massive frog-strangler of a storm that put the finishing touch on a great day. PERFECT!
I promise to get some new KR pics on here ASAP!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Catching up...with Irony
Let's see - June 12th I blogged and made some type of comment like this: "Yeah suckas. Your boy is riding today. Mmm-Hmm. Jealous!" and was getting stitches to the face, multiple x-rays, and a CT scan of my head within 3 hours.
Wrecks happen - 99% of the time they are of the mild variety. So much so as to not even be considered wrecks. Call 'em dust ups or tumbles. Kinda sounds fun, no? Then you have your one percenters, helmet-splitters, and the like. Well, this was a major wad up. Always bad when you 1) never see it coming, 2) land on something unforgiving (like a bridge), 3) end up needing a new helmet, and 4) details are fuzzy at best.
Cut to the ER room, I've had my CT, Xrays, etc. and am pretty confident that nothing is broken but that I will need some stitches. Doc comes in and confirms...much to my dismay as the whole stitching process, more so when it involves my face, is just, um, horrifying to me...call me 'Baby Stomach' McWesson. Then, almost as an afterthought, the doc (his last name was Holiday believe it or not) says, 'Oh yeah, while your CT was normal for any acute injury, there is an area of interest that we recommend your having an outpatient MRI for.' Pause - sound of me passing gas from the fear taking hold. Er, Doc Holiday (tee-hee) I know just about enough to be really freaked right now. Any idea what it might be? 'I would call it a hill of beans.' I wonder if he heard my fart?! (More to come on that)
Nurse Gary then wheels in the tray containing the Laceration Kit...are you kidding me?!? A buddy of mine that had shown up suggested they use the less frightening Happy Time Sew-Up Kit. I agreed...but the die had been cast. Lidocaine is fun isn't it? We should invite him over more often...I must say Doc Heezy did a good job and other than still having a smile that only functions slightly better than someone recovering from bell's palsy, a wrist that is still a teeny bit sore, and 2 knees that now know the feeling of being sprained I am good to go.
Other than this whole 'area of interest right?
That first weekend was spent spleeping, eating soft foods, and wondering what I could have done to my brizzle.
Went to my primary physician that following Monday (Lolly and my 6th anniversary!) and we reviewed the CT scan together. Of note: an area in the right parietal region most likely representing an area of encephalomalacia or, less likely, a form of schizencephaly.
Damn - I'm schizo!
As a bonus - I asked about having a wart removed from my hand that had finally grown annoying enough to warrant doing something about. What's that you say? More lidocaine? And then you're going to scalpel it off? Then cryo-freeze the bejesus out of it? Sounds like a plan. Heck, I was just saying last week how me and Lido need to hang out more often.
Have mercy on me that procedure was like taking all the pain that was spread out evenly over my body from my wreck, placing it in a lightning bolt, and having Zeus throw it directly into my thumb!!! Can you say GRREEEEAAAAARGGHHHHHFARRRGGGEEENHEEEIIIIII!!!!? I didn't think I could either.
Lolly and I ended up droping Miss KR at the grandparent's and enjoying lovely dinner at one of our favorite places...although I looked like a medical experiment gone wrong.
My MRI was scheduled for Wednesday and was not unlike lying in a bathtub while someone jackhammered the walls and floor around you. You know? Relaxing. Then it stops. You slide out. Get jabbed unexpectedly with a contrast dye. Get reinserted. Repeat.
Dental cleaning on Thursday. What no cavities? Sure, no problem your flossing my teeth and stretching my Happy Fun Time Laceration to the reopening point. No worries. Hey, is that Lidocaine? Been a couple days homey!
Friday I receive a call that I do, in fact, have MRI confirmed right-sided schizencephaly. Awesome! That's what I had hoped for. Apparently mine is of the benign anomaly type.
The following Monday I had (why not, eh?) my Healthy You annual exam. Guess what? An elevated fasting glucose of 138 (anything higher than 125 is generally - subject to confirmatory testing - considered diabetic). Are you FREAKING kidding me?!? I exercise 6 days a week, eat healthy, am of an ideal weight and lipid profile, and have an essentially negative family history.
For his part, the doc did stress that he felt the results were falsely positive and asked that I return in one week.
As quickly as the depression settled in Lolly reminded me that she had her glucometer from her pregnancy induced diabetes. I tested myself all week, focused on lean proteins, complex carbs, snacking at the proper times, etc. and, as of yesterday, am not diabetic.
I can still dream big though.
Wrecks happen - 99% of the time they are of the mild variety. So much so as to not even be considered wrecks. Call 'em dust ups or tumbles. Kinda sounds fun, no? Then you have your one percenters, helmet-splitters, and the like. Well, this was a major wad up. Always bad when you 1) never see it coming, 2) land on something unforgiving (like a bridge), 3) end up needing a new helmet, and 4) details are fuzzy at best.
Cut to the ER room, I've had my CT, Xrays, etc. and am pretty confident that nothing is broken but that I will need some stitches. Doc comes in and confirms...much to my dismay as the whole stitching process, more so when it involves my face, is just, um, horrifying to me...call me 'Baby Stomach' McWesson. Then, almost as an afterthought, the doc (his last name was Holiday believe it or not) says, 'Oh yeah, while your CT was normal for any acute injury, there is an area of interest that we recommend your having an outpatient MRI for.' Pause - sound of me passing gas from the fear taking hold. Er, Doc Holiday (tee-hee) I know just about enough to be really freaked right now. Any idea what it might be? 'I would call it a hill of beans.' I wonder if he heard my fart?! (More to come on that)
Nurse Gary then wheels in the tray containing the Laceration Kit...are you kidding me?!? A buddy of mine that had shown up suggested they use the less frightening Happy Time Sew-Up Kit. I agreed...but the die had been cast. Lidocaine is fun isn't it? We should invite him over more often...I must say Doc Heezy did a good job and other than still having a smile that only functions slightly better than someone recovering from bell's palsy, a wrist that is still a teeny bit sore, and 2 knees that now know the feeling of being sprained I am good to go.
Other than this whole 'area of interest right?
That first weekend was spent spleeping, eating soft foods, and wondering what I could have done to my brizzle.
Went to my primary physician that following Monday (Lolly and my 6th anniversary!) and we reviewed the CT scan together. Of note: an area in the right parietal region most likely representing an area of encephalomalacia or, less likely, a form of schizencephaly.
Damn - I'm schizo!
As a bonus - I asked about having a wart removed from my hand that had finally grown annoying enough to warrant doing something about. What's that you say? More lidocaine? And then you're going to scalpel it off? Then cryo-freeze the bejesus out of it? Sounds like a plan. Heck, I was just saying last week how me and Lido need to hang out more often.
Have mercy on me that procedure was like taking all the pain that was spread out evenly over my body from my wreck, placing it in a lightning bolt, and having Zeus throw it directly into my thumb!!! Can you say GRREEEEAAAAARGGHHHHHFARRRGGGEEENHEEEIIIIII!!!!? I didn't think I could either.
Lolly and I ended up droping Miss KR at the grandparent's and enjoying lovely dinner at one of our favorite places...although I looked like a medical experiment gone wrong.
My MRI was scheduled for Wednesday and was not unlike lying in a bathtub while someone jackhammered the walls and floor around you. You know? Relaxing. Then it stops. You slide out. Get jabbed unexpectedly with a contrast dye. Get reinserted. Repeat.
Dental cleaning on Thursday. What no cavities? Sure, no problem your flossing my teeth and stretching my Happy Fun Time Laceration to the reopening point. No worries. Hey, is that Lidocaine? Been a couple days homey!
Friday I receive a call that I do, in fact, have MRI confirmed right-sided schizencephaly. Awesome! That's what I had hoped for. Apparently mine is of the benign anomaly type.
The following Monday I had (why not, eh?) my Healthy You annual exam. Guess what? An elevated fasting glucose of 138 (anything higher than 125 is generally - subject to confirmatory testing - considered diabetic). Are you FREAKING kidding me?!? I exercise 6 days a week, eat healthy, am of an ideal weight and lipid profile, and have an essentially negative family history.
For his part, the doc did stress that he felt the results were falsely positive and asked that I return in one week.
As quickly as the depression settled in Lolly reminded me that she had her glucometer from her pregnancy induced diabetes. I tested myself all week, focused on lean proteins, complex carbs, snacking at the proper times, etc. and, as of yesterday, am not diabetic.
I can still dream big though.
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