Man in the Arena : Tags : active_toby

Summer time is Do Stuff time. It's always been that way, but for a guy with a full time job, I feel like I'm back in college again -- no time to just sit around.

After a mile swim last Saturday morning at La Jolla Shores, Airey, Emmy and I drove up to Cuyamaca State Park to catch Toby running his first-ever 100-mile race. It was nothing short of inspirational.

We caught Toby at a checkpoint 62+ miles into the race.

He jogged in looking strong, sat in his aid station throne and wolfed down some watermelon, Fig Newtons, root beer and a Snickers bar. Then he was off. His crew had the drill down pat. You can read his race report here (and see a pic of my weekend mustache!).

Sunday, Airey and I drove to Chula Vista for the 3rd Avenue Grand Prix. I signed up for the Category 5 race and under Airy-wan Kenobi's tutelage, gave my first-ever criterium a go! Crit racing is fast and furious. I made some rookie mistakes and eventually fell off the pack. However, I was able to stay close enough to the group -- me and another guy took turns drafting off one another -- to finish the whole race. It lasted about 30 minutes going around a .8-mile course that included a u-turn(!).

I had a ton of fun and learned a lot about cornering, pack riding, sprinting and racing in general. I definitely want to add a couple more crits to my race calendar.

Next up is the Battle at Midway on Saturday, June 15 in and around Midway, Utah. Emmy and I are flying to Salt Lake City tonight, then spending a couple of nights at Snowbird resort after the race.

We had a heckuva time packing our bikes last night. I managed to open a deep "do you think you need stitches?" kind of cut on my knuckle on my right hand, and we're still not sure we'll ship them. The expense that Jet Blue will charge us, not to mention the risk to the spokes, might make it worth renting bikes at the venue. Not a great idea, but we'll see. With water temps in the low 50's, I'll probably be glad to jump on a tricycle at that point.

Oh, and I still owe a wrap-up on Wildflower (one of the best races I've ever done).

0 Comments Permalink Tags: active_toby, triathlon, criterium, battle_at_midway

When I first started commuting by bike to work, I was wearing mesh shorts and t-shirts. It was five miles to the train station, then another mile and a half to work from the back end of the train ride. My butt could take it.

But as I rode more, I realized I needed shorts. So I went out and got some mountain bike shorts with a second short underneath with padding. Obviously, I was a little hesitant to look like all the other SoCal cyclists and their stretchy pants.

As the weather got cold, I fashioned some leg warmers out of a pair of old tights that Emmy's mom gave her to give to me because they didn't fit. (I'm very resourceful, I think I get that from Grandma.)

Me in old bike shorts:

Well, little did I know the wheels were in motion for my general improvement. Emmy decides I look silly and gets me some real bike shorts and leg warmers for Christmas. Boy is it easier riding with those.

Me with new bike shorts:

But the best part of the story? Better gear meant more riding. More riding (coupled with the training for the half-marathon) meant better bike fitness. And all that led to... (drum-roll please!)

Me beating Toby and Airey in the February TCSD Duathlon!!!* Hahahaha suckers!!! Better luck next time. Watch out if I get some arm warmers!

*OK, so they got lost on the bike route and traveled way out of their way, but still. My intelligence won the day.