Like Tosh.O?

Then you might like this totally useless video.  But first, watch this  (right over here yo)  for the inspiration.

I'd like to say that my family is more mature than this but if you've been reading this blog for a while, you know the truth.  The ugly, sordid, filthy truth.  Did you also notice that my other brother is wearing a lazer tag headset?  Yeah, we be wild and crazy.

Operation get the fat out is in full effect.  My waistline has been expanding at a rate similar to the national debt the last couple of months so it is high time to get it under control.  I think I said this a month ago but this time I mean it.  Really.  Things would be easier though if I wasn't turning into an old man.  Remember last months running race fiasco?  No?  Well I do.  And more importantly, my groin does.  After the typical 3-4 days of post race soreness, I noticed that my groin wasn't recovering like I expected it to.  Apparently, all of that slipping and sliding to maintain my footing did a number on my most favoritest of places.  Now, it's a month later and I'm still hobbling around like an old man.  Swinging my leg into the car has never been more painful.  Thankfully though, with some stretching and new exercises, I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.  Enough light that I've begun gingerly "running" again.  Why the parenthesis?  Well, you can only really consider what I do running if you also consider Atkins to be a diet...

Looky What I Gotz 

Marcy gave me a GoPro Hero2 for x-mas this year which I am super duper psyched about. What I'm not psyched about is figuring out how to edit the videos. Actually, I take that back. I look forward to figuring it out, I just wonder how long it will take. Rest assured, at some point I will figure it out so you don't have to watch movies like this: (at least I didn't post the video where I accidentally videoed myself making wee-wees...)

She Rides!

For the last couple of summers, we've been helping B learn to ride. She's shown only a moderate amount of interest so we've been careful not to push her too hard. Yesterday, since we all had the day off, we decided to try out the Brunswick bike path just for shits and giggles.  About 5 minutes in, we were both sure that it wasn't going to be the day since B was insisting that we hold onto her seat and handle bars.

Little did we know that once she stopped goofing around, she would do this:  (ps: try to ignore my goofy voice!)

Tis Almost the Season

I actually took the above pic a few weeks ago when we had 6" of snow in early November.  The conditions weren't great for snow riding (a little too mealy to get going on uphills) but I did do some mad huckin' from the ledges in the background.  (translation: I rode gingerly down picking my lines carefully and was still scared the whole way).  As we currently stand, we have a whopping inch of white fluffy stuff on the ground.  Not enough to make the snow bike necessary but enough that I think I might hang up the selma for the season and bust out the mukluk.  Assuming I ever find the time to ride again.  If all the stars align, I'm hoping I might be able to hit up a bathers ride on Thursday night and burn some pre-holiday calories.  Lord knows that I need it as my weight has slowly crept up somewhere in the 5-7 pound range from race season.

I'm pretty excited for snow bike season to be upon us.  New trails are opened up, once impassable routes become viable, longer distances can be had (on the snowmobile trails), appendages can be lost to frost bite and thrilling video like THIS can be had.  Looking back at that link I see that I had promised to track my mileage through the season last year.  Not sure when I lost track of that but I may attempt that for 2012 as well.  One of these days it might work...

Move Along

Not much to see here.  I've managed to squeeze in exactly (ok, not exactly) 3 rides in the last couple of weeks.  On top of all of my normal excuses, I came down with a head cold that didn't quite knock me out but it did make me enough of a hacking, runny nose, whiny bitch that both riding and running had to take a back seat.  For almost two whole weeks.  Egad.  Just want you want with the holiday season (and daily trays of treats in the office) approaching.  Fat pants here I come!

I did manage to get out and help build a bridge at the Schmid Preserve on Sunday though.  It's a group of hiking types doing the majority of the work in the preserve so I figured it was high time I lend a hand lest us mountain biker types become persona non grata.  Plus, some of the other bridges they have built have been mtb unfriendly (ie 2" gaps running the length of the bridge) so I figured if I lent a hand I MIGHT be able to change some things.  Plus, it's the right thing to do since the Schmid is my home stomping grounds...

tripled 16' 2x12's ready to be hoisted over the stream.

nearly finished bridge.  It'll be my duty to make the entry 

and exit navigable by bike

This new bridge means that I can start poking around again on the further reaches of the River Link trail now that I don't have to worry about getting my pampered feet wet.  Anybody up for some exploratory rides?

And to prove that showing up to help out does good things, Bob, the Preserve's board char (and dude in the helmet in pic above) told me that he had been thinking of making a mountain bike specific trail in the preserve but had never gotten around to doing it.  Well sir, you have found your person.  I can't wait to get in there with some flags!

Brynna Day

I've got shyte to write about today. I'm still a bit of a mess from the trail race over a week ago. I can finally walk without a limp but my hip flexors are still f'ed. Eventually all will be good. I did find a short article about the race that I was mentioned in.  Read it HERE. Apparently, I'm the least slow person from Lincoln county.  Kick ass.

So, anyway, I'll drop some Brynna photos on you today.  I haven't done this in a while so it seems appropriate.

Give the kid some window crayons and see how fast she'll

fill up every window in the dining room and living room.

rockin the multiple patterns and cowgirl boots

and her first rejection letter to a boy.

If you can't read 6 year old phonetic spelling, here is a translation:

"Dear Ryan, I can't marry you because I've known Tyler a long time."

Breaking hearts already.