cruise

I just finished what was my favorite cross ride so far for Fall 08. It was the final practice for today, a 60 to 75 minute high cadence spin, with flushing the primary focus. I went into the ride thinking, "This will be easy, so just maintain rhythm."

Head across the bridge and over to Beacon Hill, the rocky bit by Superior street. Jalapeno seems to have been tamed! She rolled over the rocks, finding the smooth line all on her own with little driver input required. Lean a little this way, pull a little that way, duck, dodge, keep on rolling.

I rode home along the beach, right along the beach where the kite surfers go. Sweet salty air. So calm and smooth. A perfect afternoon and a perfect way to flush out a solid treadmill run.

Good swim this morning, first shot back at a little speed since late August. 15 x 100 on 1:40 cruising into the wall at around 13/14. Form the focus. Focus the form. At this time of year . . . keep the form at all costs, even the at cost of speed.

Mix Master Mike Neill is now on the way to Kona. I was a pleasure to join in for a few wicked awesome sessions in the past few weeks dude. You're on the way to a sweet day.

Big ride tomorrow. I've been stoked for this one since last Wednesday.

Enjoy the evening,

Rest well.

the wash . . .

I woke up this morning feeling almost 100%. The Anti-Viral seems to have done it's job boosting what needs to be boosted, and frying what needs to be fried. So after taking Saturday fairly light, it was back to the routine with trainingl for today.

Start with a run at Thetis Lake where two cool things happened. First, I saw what perfect running looks like. Then, I saw a perfect sunrise over Heartland.

The relationship between sun and water is amazing to observe. Depending on the time of day, and how each is feeling, they come together to create an awesome sight. This morning their combination was almost blinding at times, and begging to be smelt, heard, seen, felt, and touched.

80 minutes on the trails. Thanks for a sweet run.

Quick transition to the Oak Bay clothes, and off to work. I received two phone calls on the way in. First, my first appointment canceled. It's all good, that gives me time to find a mid - morning snack. Second, my second appointment canceled. Ok cool, now I have time to head home and clean the much needed to be cleaned bathroom.

Cleaning a bike or cleaning the bathroom, I often find myself contorted in all sorts of ways trying to reach all the nooks and crannies. Sink is easy. Floor, no problem. Toilet is like the bike, easy with the right tools, Far end of the shower . . . I can reach it without going in. Splash!

Phone manages to escape from my pocket and land in the toilet. Yep. There it is. Phone in the toilet.

Ok. A little bit of research at the cellphone dealership. Check out craigslist, usedvictoria . . . all the usuals.

Hmmm . . . what to do.

I could trade in my aeromiles for future shop gift cards, and use those for a new phone. And if I originally pay for it with the visa, then there's a few more miles in the bank. Perfect. Plan settled.

I started to laugh on the way home thinking, "Those aeromiles are literally going down the toilet." funny hahaha

It's all good 'cause eventually it all comes out in the wash.

Great day.

I just had a look at this weeks schedule and am already stoked. This will be a sweet week.

Rest well.

Eyelids dropping. . .

So I will make this brief.

Today I spent a good chunk of time trying to find besan flour. Turns out besan flour is one of the Hindi name for ground chana dal, a chickpea type thing. It can also be called gram flour (American), or as I found it labelled, chana flour (Indian). There ya go.

It's loaded with protein, has lots of carbohydrates, and is jacked with iron. Turns out it is also a popular facial exfoliant. There ya go again.

Eyes almost shut.

Rest well.

I like pie.

Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Rest well.

"Meat Fat Makes It."

There are processes other than biochemistry which go along with food preparation, and I believe these greatly affect the nourishing qualities.

What was the state of the food when it was harvested?
How about the state of those doing the harvesting?
What was the state of whomever prepared the food? and of course,
What is our own state while we consume the food?

The list goes on and on. What is it in this food that will nourish and support our bodies, both physical and other?

The Fall season is one of my favourite times of year to enjoy good food. Right now it's so easy to see how fruits and vegetables come straight from the ground. Squash soup, cauliflower pie, carrot, apple, and ginger concoctions . . . . all great Fall foods. Look! We can see them in the fields.

There it is! There's the field where this soup came from. There's the sun which helped make the squash. Perhaps, that cloud helped it grow. Maybe that tree provided some shade. And the soil . . . the soil is a work in progress from thousands of years, thousands of clouds, thousands of sunlight hours, thousands of other plants, animals, and seeds, living and growing, season upon season.

Good swim this morning and a sweet underground cyclocross race at what will remain an undisclosed location. Shout out to Kelly and Drew for setting up a sweet Wednesday evening.

I had a pretty good run at it for most of the event. On the first lap in a face plant followed by a mechanical left Jalapeno chattering for the remainder. It's all good . . . just keep riding, keep playing, keep going, keep having fun.

One of my favourite parts of a cross race is the fatigue. Neil talks about maintaining form with fatigue in the water. Well, the same goes with cross. As we fatigue, our technical skills begin to break down. The difference between cross and swimming . . . there's no time to care about form breaking down in cyclocross. Just ride. Faster.

Two quotes from today:

"Meat fat makes it." - JB Referring to drizzling the meat fat ontop of tonights Shephards Pie.

"Here's proof we're all kids. We're out here on a Wednesday night about to rip around this playground on our bikes as fast as we can for about 30 minutes." - KG referring to cyclocross this evening.

Sweet day.

Rest well.

V

Yesterday was windy. I felt happy. Swim set was faster. Bike was 3:00 Metchosin style.

This morning was cold. My legs felt great. Main set was 3 x 30 min on the wheel.

Swim was warm. My arms felt great. It was all about the duck drill.

Run/Walk preparation officially began CoolAid s^2 style.

Dr. Guan fixed my legs even more.

Mt. Baker looked awesome.

Effortlessly dove deep.

All my Gratitude.

Rest well.

R

There is a place where we just simply are, and in this place everything just simply is.

Paradoxically, when considered, evaluated, or measured, this place just simply ceases to be. Well, the place still is, however we are no longer present within it.

Sometimes it is really easy to know exactly where we are, and why we are. We just know.

The effort of breathing, the effort of heart pumping disappears. It just simply is.

We can observe this all around us, in each aspect. There were plenty examples this weekend.
At one point cycling behind Motor Pace Mike, the effort was let go. Consider that, evaluate that, measure that . . . and the effort returns. Observe that, allow that, and the effort vanishes.

A great week is on it's way.

Rest well.

Play

is the name of the game today. In fact, Play will be the name of the game for the next month or two. This seems to be the underlying message from a few reliable sources.

This morning we made it to Commonwealth with just enough time to join the group for a game of water polo. Thanks for the game!

Swimming post play reminded me of a conversation shared with MOW. What would it feel like to be a whale and jump out of the sea into air? Experiencing weight for perhaps the first time, if for only a moment must be incredible. It's a moment shared with that whale where we both experience the same external environment. Amazing insight MOW, and perhaps a comparison to our natural experience.

Dive deep down, Dive deep within,
Water becomes, closest kin.
Feel the water, all around.
See less sight, yet hear more sound.

Soar so high, to touch the blue,
Breath becomes, peacefully true.
Feel the air, without within,
A time to be, what may have been.

Back home to fuel with French Toast and before long, it's time to go outside and play some more.

What would I do for fun if I were me, age 7? Well, I would probably go ride my bike. The rest of the day was all about playing on the bike. Beacon Hill, Clover Point, 10 Mile Point, Mystic Vale, UVic Trails, Cattle Point, back to Beacon Hill, random parks here, and a field or two there . . . These were always awesome places to play on the bike. Only difference was today I played all over town in one awesome afternoon.

Home for food, and out to play some more. Thanks for the climbing session.

Big ride tomorrow. I think I'll sleep in the bike shorts.

Rest well.

Feeling great.

This week has been totally completely and absolutely awesome.

Every moment from one liner conversations in passing, to a laugh here, a smile there, all surrounded by awesome people has been etched in the inner memory as diamond light.

Monday was a big time OBRec day. It flew by and I came back home to a super good potato & kidney bean soup. Perfect nourishment. Thanks!

Tuesday started with the usual morning routine: 2 breaths here, a glass of water there, right side left, and left side right to coordinate the beats. A slow cup of Peruvian style coffee set me up for our first swim practice back as a group.

3K and a bit of play to kick off the day. It's great to be back swimming in the Commonwealth Pool. I love the feeling of starting fresh.

Breathing patterns . . . perfect. This year started with 3,5,7 as the normal (for a restricted breathing set).

Visit to the Guan Master and a few kinks are contorted and sorted. Jalapeno and I are a solid team, but I'm grateful we each have our own master mechanics.

Run time. 60minutes base pace and recon a few potential cross ride sites. 30 minutes in I stumbled across what will soon become sweet cross bike handling challenges along the George Waterway.

Rest time & visit time. Sometimes the day just keeps growing better and better. I really enjoyed the visit and am looking forward to the next one. Thank you!

Waterfront ride with the Jazz Master and a stop by OBB^2. Stop by Oak Bay Butcher for a little dinner selection and Oak Bay Bikes for a little wheel perfection. Sweet ride. Thanks for the help from OBB^2!

Dinner time. One of my favourite times. This time a spicy Ratatouille creation, Cheesy Polenta, Tabbouleh, and Thai Pork Sausage. The day's atmosphere, along with great food provided more perfect nourishment. Thanks!

Today started with the morning routine and a somewhat larger cup of coffee before heading out to Metchosin for a sweet ride. J, M, & R, and I hit a derivation of the Latoria Loop for a 4 x 20 minute main set. The translation:

Mike is fit and fast! Hanging on to Mike's wheel for the first 5 minutes of interval #1 I thought, "This is sweet; it's like motor pacing off another bike!" By the 4th interval I was craving a little more than water and before long, last nights leftovers became the focus of my attention.

Ride home, delicious cookie time, recovery swim, and it's finally leftover time. Leftovers always taste so good.

Nap time, Run Walk time, new shoe time, bike store yak time, and dinner time.

Tonight's experiment was a carrot soup with pureed almonds. If I could remember how it was made, I would definitely do it again.

And now, it's recovery time.

Rest well.

Perch

Pictures from the morning perch.
On this particular morning, the air was incredibly salty.

Baker lights the sky on fire.

Birds fly together above their own morning perch.

Another morning sitting spot.

Enjoy your day.

Rest well.

Tail

Cyclocross race numero uno, Diver Lake Park, Nanaimo.

Race conditions always add an element or two to any session. Racing forces you to test the limits, and raise the bar. The first race allows us to test both our selves and our equipment.

Jalapeno is fitted with Tubeless tires. I tried to pull them off through some fast corners in practice, and under these conditions they stayed on.

With today's race conditions I was able to pull the front one off within two laps. Flat and out. . . More tire testing to be done.

Flat at 3:30pm in Nanaimo. Ok, I can be home and riding a new tube by 5:30 with 2.5 hours of sunlight remaining. Trek home, swap in a tube, and off to Beacon Hill.

Awesomeness. With only 15 minutes of cross racing I noticed a huge difference in my riding. Raise the standard and there is only up.

As recovery from climbing I decided to practice a few wheelies. After all, it's all good bike handling skills, plus this is fun stuff!

About 90 minutes in Jalapeno started to become cranky and eventually she bucked me off, sending me hurling through the air. I looked back and she laughed as if to say, "That's enough, it's time to go home."

You know that tailbone landing, nauseating, breath holding feeling? The message was loud and clear.

I understood and made my way back home to ice.

Cross is here! One of my most favourite times of year!

Rest well.

fishing

Do you ever find yourself somehow returning?

Yesterday morning I found myself running along admirals inlet, across the bridge, through the school, along the park, coasting by. There I was, just running.

I was less than 10 years old, maybe even 6 the last time I remember being there.

We used to make the trek down to Victoria from the interior for the Family Christmas visit. I think we stayed in a hotel nearby, close to GG's house.

I can remember walking along the bridge, amazed that people were catching fish. Sweet, that's how I would like to find my dinner!

Now here, running. Cool.

The rest of the day was an OBRec kind of day. Thanks for all the sweet stories, and valuable pieces of wisdome.

This morning I hopped on Jalapeno for the first real ride. So sweet! Rolling through Beacon Hill, Mystic Vale, and Mt. Tolmie I found myself hanging on for dear life.

"This is unbelieveable! This is so cool! Waaaahooo!" Definitely awesome.

Fun day. Now I must sleep.

Rest well.

Ox Blood.

Jalapeno had her final adjustments finished up today!

During my break at Oak Bay Rec I had a chance to feel the ride so we could record the measurements, and make the fit just how I like cross bike fit to be.

Rotate the narrow bars ever so slightly. Slide the seat and pump the tires. Select the pedals, and of course coordinate the tape. Ox blood it is. Sounds dangerous.

Just enough time to swap on the road pedals and rip down to Windsor Park as an intermission to the waterfront loop ride. Tear the corners as hard as possible! Try to rip off those tubeless tires! They stayed on even with fresh paste. Perfect.

Big shout out to Scotty at Oak Bay Bikes for all the help with this ride. Thanks dude man.

Thoughts to the Finn'ster who's definitely hurt'n with a bit of a bug. This will make your immune system stronger big guy.

Rest well.

Easy Peasy

Monday was a great consideration type of day.

It was a perfect day for asking myself new questions, tough questions.

They were the sort of questions the mind can consider and contemplate.

Perhaps that's it.

Answers come from elsewhere.

Ok. Know the questions. Present the questions. Contemplate. Coffee.

Thanks for coffee and conversation.

Allow answers to arrive on their time line.

You'll know when the real ones knock.

Well, there ya go. That's it. Rest on it.

Wake up Tuesday in the head.

Force yourself to allow. Rephrase . . . allow yourself to allow.

Contemplate. More Coffee.

Thanks for Tuesday's coffee and conversation.

Rest easy. Ride easy. Swim easy. Stretch easy. Sit easy.

Easy peasy.

Rest well.

Brain Freeze Bonk

Jalapeno engine prep. Day 2.

Start with a waterfront loop through downtown, and around to Caddy Bay. Roll back around and across the bridge, then head up the island, this time the inland side.

It was the extended waterfront loop . . . Vic to Nanaimo, and back.

Big time bonk in Mill Bay on the way back, lead to big time brain freeze.

Sweet day. Sweet ride.

With the solo time comes time to think. Then a conversation over dinner and now, once again, it seems as though there are a million more questions. Well, one more big question with at least 782 considerations.

In short time, it's decision time.

One of the reasons why I love the long days. Thanks for another good one.

Rest well.

Big Ring Renfrew

While Jalapeno has her mechanics take care of the finishing touches, I decided it was time to prepare the engine.

Cyclocross seems to place emphasis on power and acceleration, especially during the climbs. With one chain ring on the front, the ability to generate power with a moderate number of teeth becomes especially vital.

Day one of Jalapeno engine prep was about power, and of course endurance. Today's ride went from base camp here in Vic West out to Port Renfrew, and back with an added power twist. Start to finish, the entire ride was in the Big Ring. 53 Power building teeth!

Jalapeno will be sporting 42 fangs on her front ring with a wide 11-28 spread at the back. I figure the cyclocross climbs are much steeper and slipperier; therefore, 53 was the way to go today for power.

Riding the Renfrew route a la big ring definitely makes the legs work in a different sort of way. Although I must admit, I did use that Physics 8 knowledge to take a few shallower tangents up one climb past Sombrio, and again climbing out of the Port.

What a sweet day. What a sweet ride.

On the way out of town I stopped by Chula in Jordan River for a little nourishment. I asked for one of their energy bar type things. The super cool barrista lady said, "That's not just any Energy Bar, it's full of Love which will carry you up and out of Jordan River."

First I thought, "Perfect! That's the best, strongest kind of energy. This is sweet!" Next I thought, "Dude, I love the West Coast!"

***

First Breath we take,
Our start of Time,
Pure Light, a Gift,
Of Supreme Devine.


***

I was totally energized by this last picture taken while standing above Jordan River.


Thanks for another great day.

Rest well.

September Sun

Two beautiful days.

Tuesday evening, Tuesday sleep, Wednesday morning . . . It just keeps becoming better and better to a point where I am absolutely awestruck at the amazingness of it all.

Great dinner with the Millers on Wednesday evening. Sydney, once again prepared the perfect dinner. The most fulfilling nourishment was, of course, from reminiscing laughter. Awesome memories which I am grateful to be able to share with your whole family. Thanks.

This morning was one of my favourite roof top mornings to date, perhaps because the sun rose twice, once above the hills, and again above the clouds. Perfect way to start the day.

Next, Killian and I went to Oak Bay for the leftover apple and a run. Work, home for lunch, nap, Roof Top, back to OB for rehab x 2, and the night shift.

So many awesome people. Thanks for being part of the day.

Rest well.

-

Think, think, think. What could it be? Perhaps the answer will just come to me.

Open the pages to a new book and there it is, staring at me right in the face. 3 Paragraphs, Word for word, the answer to a question for which I was unable to find words to even ask. Wow, there it is. Let that one sink in deep.

It takes time. After it has really sunk in, concentrate. Concentrate on what it is, what it means. Now, hold onto that somewhere other than within the mind. Feel it deep within. If you're ready, try and bring it here. Attach a word, maybe two, without attaching thought.

At some point during the past few rides I've found myself looping around U Vic as either a shortcut home, or just to add a little extra. Riding through campus reminded me of the early Fall days back in Guelph.

Those were sweet times. The Fall University Campus always had such a sweet vibe. Everyone has had some time to rest and reflect. Now we're all back here with a few new texts, perhaps a lab manual or two, the master binder, a bag of randomly collected writing utensils, and 2000 pages of looseleaf paper.

We all have plans on how to make this year better than last. We have new and improved ways to fit in all the studying, take notes, and sleep undisturbed on the 5th floor of the Library in that big black chair next to the sunny window.

Gordo has a new strength routine for us, and they finished construction of that new lecture hall. We have the water talk, the supplement talk, the goals talk, the OU's talk. Roller skiing will be the focus from September to the end of November. This year we're doing double polling intervals up the hill behind the AC, 5x per week. That's what the Norwegians are doing.

Oh, and the farmers market. The sweet, sweet farmers market. We must go visit the apple dude. I'll split a bushel of #2's with ya. Ok, sweet.

Those currently on the academic path, all the best for this Fall semester.

Rest well.

New

As we progress from one moment to the next, everything changes. Everything from our perception of subjective experience, and therefore one of the realities in which we exist, to the group perception as a whole of it's own conscious existence.

The group changes, we change. It is a form of Evolation, by both our Self, and the group.

The past 2 weeks have been a sweet chance to switch up the adventure, a chance to experience new adventures through the new light of our ever creating, ever evolving Self. It's a chance to slow down just enough to notice, notice and allow. The slower speed changes from noticeable to normal, and we allow the 3rd and final aspect of Evolation.

As it comes, we see through new perspective, through new light, what is our own present moment.

The adventure is still adventure, perhaps of different texture, but adventure all the same. This adventure may remain in the minds back pocket for a rainy day. That adventure will always be remembered. Most definitely some sweet adventures in the past 2 weeks, and still a few in prep phase before the official start up.

Rainy Fall adventures are on their way and Cyclocross is almost here. I can hardly wait. In the present time, I'm off to dream time, and tomorrow's adventure will be a great time.

Rest well.