Mayor Bob on Snow

I went Deer hunting over the weekend, unfortunately I did not get any. While eating dinner Saturday night the local Mayor shared some of his wisdom with us.

"Sex is a lot like snow. You never know when you are going to get it, how much you'll get, and how long it will last."

Mayor Bob then added..

"And I have been praying for a blizzard since July!"

Turkey Trot

I have not posted anything about he races since I am so pissed at the weather pussies in Cleveland. So it was cold, snowy and windy, what better weather can you ask for.

The assholes at www.hermescleveland.com canceled the race.

Did a easy five mile run on Saturday.

Sunday

I was planning on doing a short run last night. Coach called me during the day to see if I wanted to ride, I did not have the time then. What he did do was plant the seed in my brain to ride, since it was going to be the last nice day until June. Sunny and 50 degrees hard to pass up a ride when the weather is so nice (at least for November).

I rode the snowville loop that I rode in the summer before work. I did not feel like I was going that fast in the beginning of the ride. Half way up snowville how I felt was another story, I felt slow as molasses. Once at the top of snowville there was still six miles left to ride. After I got home a saw what time it was I was shocked to see how fast I rode. I had no intentions of riding fast, just getting home before dark. Even though I have not been on the bike in a month my time was close to the fastest I have ridden the loop about 1:05.


I may have time to get a short run done on Tuesday evening. Thursday is the Turkey Trot, looking forward to the beer after the race more than the race itself.

Trail run

Not sure of the distance that we ran on Saturday morning, best guess is between 6-7 miles. Did part of the same loop as last week with a few modifications on the route. Total time was 1:04.


Did some work on the www.trailhead4x4.com website last night. I may try to get a short run in this afternoon.

Tuesday Run

Wow, 68 degrees in November 16 what more could you ask for weather wise. Run wise, I could hoped for stronger lungs and legs.

Did the 5 mile Brecksville run with my coach, felt OK. I will try to get a run in on Thursday.

Trail Run

Did a 6 mile trail run on the Buckeye Trail on Saturday.

Raked leaves for 4 hours in the afternoon, I figured that would be a good upper body workout.

Morning Run

Ran 4 miles in about 30 minutes.

Wrote myself in as a Candidate for city council today in the election.

Ride/ Run tonight

Not sure what I am going to do tonight. It will either be a ride or a run about an hour long.

Tuesday Run

Did a run with my coach last night. for more details on the run read his comments for 11/1 on his blog.

http://roguemechanic.typepad.com/ten/


It will be near 70 on thurday, rare for cleveland in november, I will try to get a nite ride in after work.

I am back

I will start to post again. I have just been lame and lazy.


Have been doing some trail running lately. Did a 1 hour run on Thursday and 56 minutes on Saturday.


Cheers

Fish Story

I would consider myself far from being a die-hard fisherman. Although, over the years I have done my fair share of fishing. Usually the day starts out promising, planning to spend a relaxing day on the lake hoping to land the big one. More often than not by lunch time I’ve had more bug bites than fish bites. Even with the lack of activity from the fish everyone usually keeps rather busy, it seems someone gets snagged up on a log or in the weeds about every five minutes. Rarely do I get completely “skunked” (no fish at all), normally its one or two keepers along with several that get thrown back in the lake. However, as the old saying goes “A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.”

Luckily, every dog has his day, and my day came in July 1995. I was on another great fishing trip to Canada with my father and friend Marcus. The three of us traveled about 250 miles North of Sault Saint Marie to catch a train to take us deeper into the Canadian wilderness. Most of our time was spent fishing for Northern Pike (Esox Lucieus); the rest of the time Marcus and I were donating our money to my father at the poker table.
The amount of fish we were able to catch that week was rather astounding. Throwing back 24” Northern Pike that week was a common experience since all three of us were able to catch so many, it was more a of a “catching” trip than a fishing trip. During the third day of the trip while fishing a hot weed bed, I got my redemption for 26 years of bad fishing. While trolling the edge of the weed bed it seemed that I was snagged on a log. To my astonishment it was no log but a rather large Northern Pike. After about ten minutes of fighting I was able to land the fish in the boat. The fish measured 36” which was the largest one I have ever caught, I could not have been happier. I was wrong, no more than 15 minutes after landing that whopper in almost the same spot another big Northern Pike could not refuse my lure. This time the fish that I caught was even larger, a 39” monster.

In the ten years since that luck day the biggest Northern Pike that I have been able to land was 34”. This July I will once again troll the cool waters of Northern Canada hoping to land another monster. Most likely I will never be able to beat that great day of fishing again, but one can only hope.

Snow Chance of Riding Today

There is snow chance I will ride today. After three weeks of beautiful spring weather old man winter is coming back to visit Ohio. The Cleveland weather God is calling for 6-12" of snow. Which is fine with me since I have to watch the kids all weekend and my shoulder is still a little sore.

After my crash two weeks ago I realized how old my Giro helmet is. I bought the Exodus in 1997, I definitely think its time to get a new helmet. The Giro that I have now has held up through many crashes and has no cracks. I have been eyeing up the Giro E2, not a fan of the looks of the Zen.

I was going to do Bike New York next week, however I am unable to travel next week. I think I may just ride at West Branch or Vulture Knob.

What do you call a cyclist who doesn't wear a helmet? An organ donor.
--David Perry

Slacker

I have been quite the slacker as of late. I did do a trail run on Tuesday after work, not long. Ran about 2 miles then felt a little pain in my left shoulder. Still sore from the crash on the SJ first ride. I may try to run again on Thursday. I was thinking about trying to ride on Saturday, but now its going to snow.

First Ride

Had plenty of fun on the Spokejunkies first ride last Saturday. The only downfall (no pun intended) was my crash about 7.25 miles into the 16 mile ride. Started going downhill hooked my right arm on a tree branch flipped over and went down rather hard. The worst part of the crash was that no one witnessed it. My left shoulder was still hurting on Sunday night. I thought I might have had a torn rotator cuff, went and got a evaluation on Monday, its not torn.

I may try to get a run in this evening after work. Thursday may get a short road ride in.

Impressive Sight

I saw 785,000 cases of beer in one giant cooler. Thats 1,766,250 gallons of beer.

First ride in 2 days.

FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST!

Get this the man wanted me to work another week. Ha! The Man never did me any favors, why should I do him one.



"To the bastards talking down to me, I aint your whipping boy.."

Third Eye Blind

Today's Ride

Same as Wednesday except add 1 more kid (50 pounds) and 1 minute.

Towpath Ride

After a few months of riding the trainer, even the Towpath seems interesting. Got a good workout in this morning. Rode from station road bridge to Peninsula and back in 1:02 towing one of the boys in the trailer.


Called the Rogue Mechanic www,roguemechanic.com this afternoon getting the road bike ready to ride.

Tuesday Ride

Did a short ride this morning of about an hour. I woke up at 6:30 to ride but it was still a little foggy outside. I was not in the mood to get run over by some fool who did not get any sleep, and who was to lazy to clean their windows.

I do not think I will have any time to ride outside before the weekend. I may have to do a trainer ride on Wednesday or Friday.

Going Postal

Went out on my road bike today for the first time since October. 10 minutes on the road is a better work out than an hour on the trainer. Not to bad for the first time out. About 40 degrees, rode snowville in under 15 minutes. Did not check the mileage of the ride, but rode for little over an hour.

Two weeks until the Spoke Junkies (www.spokejunkies.com) first ride.

Rogue Mechanic 

Stickin' it To The Man

I had the great pleasure of telling the man to "stick it" yesterday. That is the only good thing about working for the man, when you get fed up with his antics just walk away. Thinking about going Postal this afternoon.

Happy Easter 

Weekend Rides

Saturday rode on my mountain bike to new place of employment. It took me 25 minutes to get there. Rode a different route home, so I ended up with an hour ride total. Not bad outside about 35 degrees with a little wind..

Had a road ride planned on Sunday with Dirt Diggler, unfortunately it was about 35 again but with a steady rain. I spent another Sunday riding the trainer watching NASCAR. The first and last lap were the only interesting ones, 497 miles of boring racin. Took a good 30 minute NASCAR nap on the couch though.

I do not have much time to ride outside this week. I see a few more trainer rides on Wednesday and Friday.

Trainer rides

Tuesday 1 hour 150-160 HR over 180 a few times.

Wednesday-Thursday out of commission due to food poisoning.

Friday 30 Minutes

Thinking about going postal this weekend. The end of the snow is near.

Due to change in employment I may have to rethink my thoughts on mass produced beer.

ride

had made great post about the trainer ride i did today and old punk rock. somehow it did not get posted. shit happens

Tuesday trainer ride

Today's ride was a better workout than Mondays. Today I did 1 hour with my HR around 150-160. When listening to old-skool punk like suicidal Tendicies, Bad Brains, Social Distortion, etc the HR will creep over 180 without much effort.

Will try do another 30 minutes on Wednesday.

"Punk is not dead. Punk will only die when corporations can exploit and mass produce it."
Jello Biafra

Monday trainer rider

Did 30 minutes on the trainer today. I wasted my weekend away doing nothing. Hopefully I can use my time better this week.

Driving in the snow

If for some reason you have an SUV and still drive 15 mph in the snow YOU ARE AN IDIOT! Just in case you have not noticed it snow every year in Ohio between October & April.

Tuesday Run

Did a 4 mile run on Tuesday, about 30 minutes. The temp was not to bad, however; the wind was a blowin' strong.

Until mountain biking came along, the bike scene was ruled by a small elite cadre of people who seemed allergic to enthusiasm. ~Jacquie Phelan

Ramblin Rants

The following is several days’ worth of rambling rants.


Saturday I did what may be the slowest 6 mile trail run ever; it took 1:15 to run six miles. Granted there was plenty of snow on the ground, in various states from untouched to very trampled and uneven. I measured 14” of snow in BVH and am sure there was a similar amount on the Buckeye trail. My previous slowest 10K run was 50 minutes. It was the 1985 Bank One run in Ashland, OH. I went through 5 miles in under 35 minutes then just cramped up and finished off the race with a blazin 15 minute mile.

Sunday went to the new car show and looked at several cars/ trucks I will never be able to afford. When you work for the man you should be lucky if you can afford to drive an 85’ Yugo.

Monday did 35 minutes on the trainer. I just did not have much interest in riding longer than that. I wonder how I was able to do the 24 hours of going nowhere, when now 30 minutes on the trainer is a long time.


"People don't understand how riding for 24 hours straight can be a rush, but it is."

John Stamstad

Trainer Ride

Short on time today rode on the trainer for 45 minutes.

More snow on the way over the weekend, I may try to get a ride in on Sunday. Most likely it will be on the trainer.


Only a fool would try to deprive working men and working women of their right to join the union of their choice. Dwight D. Eisenhower:

Cross Training

I have added some cross training to my irregular training schedule. I figured that shoveling a foot of snow makes for a good cardiovascular and upper body workout.

I will attempt to ride for an hour on the trainer on Friday. Planning on doing a trail run on Saturday morning.

For those who did not catch this piece of news Bob Taft was rated as the worst Governor in the Country. Read the story http://www.cleveland.com/search/index.ssf?/base/ispol/1109766705276920.xml?ispol I can’t do much worse than that.

Cheers!

MORE GEARS AND BEERS!

I am officially announcing my candidacy for Governor for the State of Ohio in 2006. My campaign slogan will be “MORE GEARS AND BEERS FOR ALL”

Concerning my platform I can give you the usual politician line of crap: Health care for everyone, better funding for our schools, lower taxes, and affordable drugs for seniors. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. While all that is important and I will address my plans later, I will outline the major points of my campaign.

1) Speed Limit: Who is not in a hurry? When elected Governor I will raise the speed limit on the Ohio Turnpike to 75 MPH, and 70 MPH on all other interstate highways.
2) Casino Gambling: I will make bringing the Casino’s to Ohio a top priority. The State of Ohio can gain plenty of tax money and lower unemployment with Casino Gambling.
3) Environment & Urban Sprawl: Very simple if you live more than 25 miles from your main place of employment you will be taxed ten cents per mile for each work day. For example if you live 30 miles for work you will be taxed for the five additional miles over the 25 mile limit .10X 10 miles (5 miles each way) X 5 days or $5.00 per week. Multiply that times 52 weeks and you pay $260. All the taxes raised on this program will go into fixing roads and bridges in the state.
4) More Gears: I plan to open all state park & hunting lands to mountain biking.
5) More Beers: All micro-breweries located in the state of Ohio will receive a tax break. For saving everyone from mass-produced swill.
6) Health Care: How about getting a job that offers health care?
7) Funding for Schools: Scholl districts will receive back what they pay taxes. The Brecksville-Broadview Heights School District receives about 35% of taxes paid (real estate & income) back from the state; East Cleveland receives back 300%. When the City of Cleveland offers a 10 year tax abetment to move into the city, meanwhile it demands the long time residents pay more for the schools.
8) Lower Taxes: I will be honest upfront I will not lower taxes.
9) Affordable Drugs for Seniors: Don’t get sick and you will not need drugs.


I will be providing more information on my campaign in the near future. For additional information email me Chris@mrbigring.com

Sunday Ride

Rode the trainer this afternoon for an hour. Watched the NASCAR race while I rode.

Paris, France 

Paris, Kentucky 

Moving Sucks

I spent the day on Saturday helping the out-laws move into their new digs. Selling the Amrap homestead after 40 years.


A run may be in order for this evening, not sure if I want to waste an hour on the trainer. I figure I can run 4 miles in 30 minutes, better use of my time than on the trainer.

Not when the interview with the Rogue Mechanic will be finished. I still have a few things for him to clarify.

Busted!

I was trying to be sneaky and get a trainer ride in when I received a phone call from Coach. I figured the only way I can keep up with the King of the Sandbaggers (you know who you are) is to sneak a ride in. Dances with Dirt www.trailmarathon.com is less than 2 months away, I need to do something to finish the race.

"I am not afraid to bust out the walk!" - Mr. Big Ring

Tuesday ride

Going outside to ride today. Out of the interest of time I will only do the 10 mile loop.


"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride". ~John F. Kennedy

Sunday

Watched the Daytona 500, and rode the trainer for an hour in the evening.

Saturday Ride

The roads were dry enough to get outside to ride this on Saturday. I went for a ride on my mountain bike for 15 miles. I must give some props to my new winter gloves. Potenza Inferno winter gloves, while not being Dante’s vision of the Inferno, they were rather warm. The temperature was 25 degrees with a 10 mph wind. Not the coldest riding conditions, but still a good test for winter gloves. After riding for a little over an hour my hands stayed toasty warm. The gloves a not big and bulky like most winter gloves. The outside is a fabric similar to Pearl Izumi AmFib. The only complaint I have would be the cuff since it is not real tight and some cold air can get in. I guess the Italians can make a decent cycling glove after all.

I am going to ride the trainer this evening since I do not have time to ride before it gets dark. The Daytona 500 is on now so I will post more comments later.

Why did I take up racing? I was too lazy to work and too chicken to steal--Kyle Petty

This weekend

The website for Trailhead 4X4 & offroad www.trailhead4x4.com is up and running. There is not much content on the site just yet. I plan on doing some work over the weekend.

I have not yet begun to work on the interview with the Rogue Mechanic yet. That also must fit into the schedule for the weekend.

Other weekend plans include a ride on Saturday. Hopefully the weather will clear up and I can get a ride done outside. I really do not want to ride the trainer. If I am forced to ride the trainer I guess that 1 hour will be the ride time. Watching The Daytona 500 is high on my list of priorities for Sunday. Lets see what the #24 Dupont Chevrolet can do this year.


If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.
Donald H. Rumsfeld, US Secretary of DefenseUS Secretary of Defense (1932 - )

Thursday

Did the interview with the Rogue Mechanic this morning, called him onthe phone as he was driving to Atlanta. I will try to get the interview compilled and posted by Saturday.

I think I am going to begin a new money making venture. I am going to sell used packing peanuts on ebay. I came accross the idea after throwing out two garbage cans of the stuff at work last week. I figured why throw this stuff out when people are willing to pay for it on ebay. I have begun to save old peanuts at work, I'll see how well this goes.

Chris

Big Interview

I am scheduled to interview the Rogue Mechanic on Thursday for the Bolg. This should be very interesting.

I rode 10 miles on Tuesday.

Sunday Run

Ran 4 miles on Sunday evening.

Having a cigar 

Saturday Ramblin' Rants

Somewhat of a busy day today. Woke up at 6am to go running at 7, did a trail run for an hour. After the run stopped at Starbucks for a Venti of House. Did some stuff with the boyz in the afternoon. Had a fire in the backyard while I stacked some of the wood pile. Watched the Bud shoot-out this evening, looking forward to the start of the NASCAR season next week. Not sure what to think of the new pit hats for the #24 Dupont Chevrolet, rather ugly. Still deciding of ugly cool or just ugly. What started to help Eric from Trail Head 4X4 & Offroad on his website. Had a Victory Brewing Old horizontal in the process. Ran out of time for the website. www.trailhead4x4.com will work on it on Sunday.

Chris

FUCK THE MAN!

Working for the man sucks! The only way to get anywhere is not to work for the man. He will only find a new way to screw you over each week.

First Ride

First I need to send out props to the Rogue Mechanic www.roguemechanic.com for his superior mechanical skills. Without his high level of skill and professionalism, I never would have got my bike built up and ready to ride.

I was with out a bike for 4 months after I cracked my frame (yes I was just riding along). The incompetent fools at Eddy’s took from the middle of September to the beginning of January to warranty my frame. After the lengthy delays in getting my frame one call the Rogue Mechanic was all it took to get my frame built. Before I had three beers (Great Lakes Elliot Ness http://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/DiningPub/OnTap.cfm) he was done.

There finally was some decent weather, and I had a little time today. I went out for 10 fairly flat miles at a leisurely pace. Not that I would have been able to hammer after four months off. I did run three time in that time period. I think now I will begin to train with some real effort. I may even go as far as getting on the trainer. After that tough ride I will enjoy my Arrogant Bastard Ale tonight. http://www.arrogantbastard.com/

Presently my goal for this year is to race the Wild 100 in WV http://www.ertc.com/wild100.cfm . Follow Mr. Big Ring in his training adventures.

Cheers!
Mr. Big Ring

Sunday

Blog This!

2 cups of coffee and shoveled the driveway.