I picked up my bike from Gregg's Aurora bike shop yesterday evening. Its now all tuned up and clean with new rear break pads and new "vanity plates" (the top head of the Ultegra break/shift levers) that were mutilated in the crash. The tune up was free, which was nice, because I bought my bike there a few months ago. I was also able to get a free full bike fit done to adjust everything on the bike for an optimal ride position. It felt much better at the end of the fit, so we will see how it feels on a long 85 miles that we will do this weekend. Also, pictures are available from the Flying wheels ride. They are very small, but I am going to get the cd (kinda pricy tho) and get hi res images to print myself. Here they are:
Flying Wheels Pics
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
An object lesson on the correct use of a helmet.
Well, it was bound to happen sometime. We were on our normal Saturday morning ride on the 25th, about 20 miles in and up near Marysville when it happened. The culprit? Railroad tracks. The problem was, they were not perpendicular to the road, they were at less then a 45deg angle. We have gone over them before, without issues...but not this ride. We were at a steady 18/19 mph pace flying down the road and I thought I attacked them at the correct angle. Apparently I was wrong. I felt my rear wheel slip on the first track of the second set of tracks and there was nothing else I could do. I went down pretty hard, kissed the asphalt and rolled a few times. My left side took the brunt of the impact. I hit my shoulder, my arm and hand, my side, my leg and of course my head. Above all I remember the impact of my head/helmet on the pavement.
It was an interesting feeling because it felt like it was mostly in slow motion. The funny part of the fall was that as I rolled I saw Micah, who was right behind me before the fall, go flying by and over me. He was able to avoid me for the most part and only run over my foot, which didn't hurt at all. Amazingly he was able to un-clip and launch himself off and over his bike and stayed upright. I don't know how he does it, but he is amazingly agile.
We stayed there for about 20 minutes while I shook it off and then continued our ride for a total of 42 miles. Nothing broken and my bike was ok. My helmet is cracked tho and the worst pain I had was in the left of my palm and my little finger. Apparently I jammed my hand into one of the tracks as I went down, from what Micah said. After the fact, he said it was an odd feeling to watch me go down because he felt like it all happened in slow motion and that it took him a long time to reach me even though he was right on my tail at the time. When we talked on Sunday he said that he thinks it is almost worse to watch someone else go down then to go down yourself. Hopefully I won't have to watch one of them go down anytime soon.
I feel like I have been beaten up and I was pretty stiff the next day. But I am recovering pretty well and I am ready to get back on my bike so that I can keep in shape for the STP. I will pick up my bike tonight from the shop because it went in for a tune-up and check over that was already planned so that it will be in good shape for the STP. Hopefully there carbon fiber is fine and there is no major damage. I will be getting a pro bike fit tonight as well. I am looking forward to that. I will keep you posted as things develop and I will post the photos from Flying Wheels as soon as they are available.
A side note: For all of you out there skeptical of wearing a helmet....just do it. I would have had a serious concussion and probably a skull fracture if it wasn't for my trusty helmet. $80 is a small price to pay for avoiding a major hospital visit.
It was an interesting feeling because it felt like it was mostly in slow motion. The funny part of the fall was that as I rolled I saw Micah, who was right behind me before the fall, go flying by and over me. He was able to avoid me for the most part and only run over my foot, which didn't hurt at all. Amazingly he was able to un-clip and launch himself off and over his bike and stayed upright. I don't know how he does it, but he is amazingly agile.
We stayed there for about 20 minutes while I shook it off and then continued our ride for a total of 42 miles. Nothing broken and my bike was ok. My helmet is cracked tho and the worst pain I had was in the left of my palm and my little finger. Apparently I jammed my hand into one of the tracks as I went down, from what Micah said. After the fact, he said it was an odd feeling to watch me go down because he felt like it all happened in slow motion and that it took him a long time to reach me even though he was right on my tail at the time. When we talked on Sunday he said that he thinks it is almost worse to watch someone else go down then to go down yourself. Hopefully I won't have to watch one of them go down anytime soon.
I feel like I have been beaten up and I was pretty stiff the next day. But I am recovering pretty well and I am ready to get back on my bike so that I can keep in shape for the STP. I will pick up my bike tonight from the shop because it went in for a tune-up and check over that was already planned so that it will be in good shape for the STP. Hopefully there carbon fiber is fine and there is no major damage. I will be getting a pro bike fit tonight as well. I am looking forward to that. I will keep you posted as things develop and I will post the photos from Flying Wheels as soon as they are available.
A side note: For all of you out there skeptical of wearing a helmet....just do it. I would have had a serious concussion and probably a skull fracture if it wasn't for my trusty helmet. $80 is a small price to pay for avoiding a major hospital visit.
Flying Wheels: Accomplished!
We did it in 5.7 hours of ride time...6.5 hrs total with stops. We averaged 17.8 mph. And we still had energy left at the end. I was pretty impressed with our little pack. There were four of us that rode together for the entire ride, so we were able to work on our drafting abilities. All in all, we had a blast. There were some times during the ride that we felt beat, but we were able to recover. What we found interesting, looking back on the ride, was that we all "bonked" and then recovered at different times during the ride. This turned out to be a good thing because when one of us was hit, the others were able to carry him until he recovered. The one thing I have to remember is to eat enough at regular intervals and not when I am starting to feel the affects. It wasn't an easy ride, don't get me wrong. 10 miles into it, we started going up hill... and it was a decent set of hills. The other kicker was that after 80+ miles of ridding (the last 50 of which had been nice easy rolling hills and flatland), we hit the Issaquah/Fall city road and proceeded to climb for the next 3 miles up onto the Issaquah plateau...that wasn't the most fun of climbs...but we made it and it was mostly down hill from there after the last stop.
It was a great ride and increased our confidence of our ability to ride the STP in one day. Yes, it will take us 13-14 hours which is a long time to be in the saddle, but the hills that were in the Flying Wheels ride, will not be nearly as bad in the STP (or so I am told). Its less then two weeks now. Its coming up quick!
It was a great ride and increased our confidence of our ability to ride the STP in one day. Yes, it will take us 13-14 hours which is a long time to be in the saddle, but the hills that were in the Flying Wheels ride, will not be nearly as bad in the STP (or so I am told). Its less then two weeks now. Its coming up quick!
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
No turning back
Guess What?
I have registered for the Flying Wheels Summer Century in Redmond that takes place this Saturday, the 18th. 100 miles on a bike with 1500+ other ppl. :) Should be interesting. I will be ridding it with two of my good friends, Micah and Dominic. I am feeling pretty confident about it tho. Why you ask? Well, last Saturday the three of us went on an 82 mile ride which took 6.25 hours. We left from Snohomish and road down to the Burke-Gilman Trail in Woodinville, then to Redmond and off to Issaquah, next we attacked the I-90 corridor and landed ourselves in downtown Seattle and headed back up to Snohomish through Bothell. It was a long, but very fun ride. The only downside was that the last two hours of it were in poring rain and the temperature dropped to below 50 deg. We had a blast though and we are looking forward to this Saturday. This will be my first official bike ride with numbers and staff and lots and lots of ppl.
But it doesn't end there. I have also signed up for the STP (Seattle to Portland) ride that takes place on July 9th and 10th, well just the 9th for us. We are going to do it in one day. Probably 14+ hours starting at 4:45 am. 200 miles.....yup...its going to be a long day. But I am committed and ready for it. :)
Have a great day.
I have registered for the Flying Wheels Summer Century in Redmond that takes place this Saturday, the 18th. 100 miles on a bike with 1500+ other ppl. :) Should be interesting. I will be ridding it with two of my good friends, Micah and Dominic. I am feeling pretty confident about it tho. Why you ask? Well, last Saturday the three of us went on an 82 mile ride which took 6.25 hours. We left from Snohomish and road down to the Burke-Gilman Trail in Woodinville, then to Redmond and off to Issaquah, next we attacked the I-90 corridor and landed ourselves in downtown Seattle and headed back up to Snohomish through Bothell. It was a long, but very fun ride. The only downside was that the last two hours of it were in poring rain and the temperature dropped to below 50 deg. We had a blast though and we are looking forward to this Saturday. This will be my first official bike ride with numbers and staff and lots and lots of ppl.
But it doesn't end there. I have also signed up for the STP (Seattle to Portland) ride that takes place on July 9th and 10th, well just the 9th for us. We are going to do it in one day. Probably 14+ hours starting at 4:45 am. 200 miles.....yup...its going to be a long day. But I am committed and ready for it. :)
Have a great day.
And the adventure begins
Well, I have officially started at Boeing. It has been interesting so far...lots of new things to wrap my head around. But it looks like it will be fun. I spent some time in one of the labs today working with a few guys on fun hardware stuff. The one thing that I am not so sure about yet is the commute. It has been long, so we'll see if I will get used to it or if we will look into moving further south. We'll see. I am excited to get rolling more into the job, it should be fun. I do miss my previous job because of the short commute and the fact that I was working in a field that I am much more current and experienced in. But its a challenge...so that should be a good thing. I'll keep ya'll posted. (all two of you)...:)
Monday, June 06, 2005
Friday, June 03, 2005
Cool new tunes
I stumbled across a new band today. This group, FlyLeaf is a rock band out of Texas that has just appeared on the music scene. Great music, if you like alternative rock. There are only 4 tracks on their debut EP, but songs are rich and dynamic. Check 'em out....
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Wow
Wow...three posts in two days. Err, I guess this would make four. Hmmm, probably won't last long. :)
I should just get up...
I have this habit of being tired in the morning and just wanting to hit the snooze button for an hour (or more). Part of it probably is related to the fact that I don't HAVE to be up at a certain time...it just means that if I get up earlier and go into work, then I get to come home earlier. I am a night owl and I really fight this early morning stuff, but it works better with Larissa's schedule and i'm going to have to do it soon enough if I want to commute with her to Boeing every morning. I guess I just need to get over it and get up when the alarm goes off, right? Easier said then done. Sometimes I just feel so tired, I just want to keep sleeping....even though I wake up every 10 minutes when I hit the snooze button...that can't really be good sleep, I know...but it feels so much better.
The last few weeks or so I have been waking up briefly at 5:45. Not every day, mind you, but several per week and its almost always 5:45...not sure why. I think I heard somewhere once that you should get up when you wake up like that and not go back to sleep because it will make you more tired and make it even harder to get up later. I suppose I should start trying that.....maybe it actually works....who knows.
I woke up again today at 5:45 and although I didn't get up right then...I did get up at about 6. I even rode my bike to work today and got in by 7. Not to shabby. I am even pretty alert and awake. Maybe I should try this more often....
The last few weeks or so I have been waking up briefly at 5:45. Not every day, mind you, but several per week and its almost always 5:45...not sure why. I think I heard somewhere once that you should get up when you wake up like that and not go back to sleep because it will make you more tired and make it even harder to get up later. I suppose I should start trying that.....maybe it actually works....who knows.
I woke up again today at 5:45 and although I didn't get up right then...I did get up at about 6. I even rode my bike to work today and got in by 7. Not to shabby. I am even pretty alert and awake. Maybe I should try this more often....
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Weekend Adventures
We have been up to a few things lately. Two weeks ago on Friday, we both ditched out early from work, grabbed the beagles, and met up with our friends Kyle and Katrina, their son Ian and dog Rain and then proceed to the Snoqualmie-Baker National Forest for a short afternoon day hike. It wasn't that far but we hiked up to a lake and back in light rain and a few thunder claps. It was a fun quick trip. I have a few pictures that I will post soon hopefully.
This last weekend we took Friday off, got all of our back packing gear together and headed up to Lake Wenachee with the dogs to the base of the Phelps Creek Trail/Spider Meadows trail (trail 1511). Larissa and I and the dogs hit the trail at about 1pm and made it to Spider Meadows at about 6 or 7pm. This trail is about 6 miles long (to the point that we camped, it can be a lot longer) and has about 2,000 ft of elevation gain. It was a blast. There ended up being a fair amount of patchy snow on the trail, even though the area got up into the low 90's the two days we were there. If we had known that the many rivers we crossed were as high as they were and that the snow was that prevalent, we would have worn our gators or taken sandals for the rivers, but hey it was kind of nice to have wet feet in 90 degree weather. The trail for the most part wove in and out of the forest along Phelps Creek, so the heat wasn't that bad unless you were in the sun. We spent the night In Spider Meadows and hiked back out the next morning. Next time we are going to go for more then one night, as you take almost the same amount of gear, just more food. We all had a blast and the beagles slept for almost the next 3 days. :)
I promise I will post pictures soon, I got a new lens for my camera for that trip, so I was able to take my digital SLR and a good do-everything lens, which made taking an slr easier.
This last weekend we took Friday off, got all of our back packing gear together and headed up to Lake Wenachee with the dogs to the base of the Phelps Creek Trail/Spider Meadows trail (trail 1511). Larissa and I and the dogs hit the trail at about 1pm and made it to Spider Meadows at about 6 or 7pm. This trail is about 6 miles long (to the point that we camped, it can be a lot longer) and has about 2,000 ft of elevation gain. It was a blast. There ended up being a fair amount of patchy snow on the trail, even though the area got up into the low 90's the two days we were there. If we had known that the many rivers we crossed were as high as they were and that the snow was that prevalent, we would have worn our gators or taken sandals for the rivers, but hey it was kind of nice to have wet feet in 90 degree weather. The trail for the most part wove in and out of the forest along Phelps Creek, so the heat wasn't that bad unless you were in the sun. We spent the night In Spider Meadows and hiked back out the next morning. Next time we are going to go for more then one night, as you take almost the same amount of gear, just more food. We all had a blast and the beagles slept for almost the next 3 days. :)
I promise I will post pictures soon, I got a new lens for my camera for that trip, so I was able to take my digital SLR and a good do-everything lens, which made taking an slr easier.
Finally, a start date
It has taken a while, but I finally have a start date. June 10th will be my first day at Boeing. I would have started on May 27th, but my boss here at my contract job asked me to stay on longer because we are having a code release to production on June 3rd and they need me to be around to help fix production bugs. He also asked if I wanted to come on full time, which was a really nice thing to hear. I decided to stick with the Boeing job though, because I really want to get back into the networking and systems side of IT. I am looking forward to it, but also unsure of how I will be able to handle the commute. The job is down in Kent, WA and we live up on the north end in Bothell. My wife has done the commute for a while now, but I am not that fond of traffic. We will see how it goes and if we need to move further sound as the next few months progress. We will be able to commute together tho, which will be nice.
I am also a little nervous because I am jumping back into to a field that I have not spent a lot of time in during the past several years. I have been a web developer now for 5+ years with networking and systems work as a side item both for work and as a hobby and I have gotten a little rusty. I have really enjoyed the contract job that I have been at recently because I feel I have a great grasp on the technologies and the ppl I work with are really impressed with my knowledge and capabilities. With the Boeing job I will be jumping back a few steps and be the learner in a sense....which will be interesting. I have been used to helping other ppl get going and understand things about the project we are working on here currently and it will be an odd switch to be on the other side of that for a while with this new job. I am sure I will do fine, I am just nervous.
I am also a little nervous because I am jumping back into to a field that I have not spent a lot of time in during the past several years. I have been a web developer now for 5+ years with networking and systems work as a side item both for work and as a hobby and I have gotten a little rusty. I have really enjoyed the contract job that I have been at recently because I feel I have a great grasp on the technologies and the ppl I work with are really impressed with my knowledge and capabilities. With the Boeing job I will be jumping back a few steps and be the learner in a sense....which will be interesting. I have been used to helping other ppl get going and understand things about the project we are working on here currently and it will be an odd switch to be on the other side of that for a while with this new job. I am sure I will do fine, I am just nervous.
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