TGIF - 2/10/12

I need to put an immediate disclaimer here that this post will likely be more rambling than usual - and I realize that's sayin' something!

There's been plenty going on over the past couple of weeks and I have had a few moments of "oh, I should mention that on my blog".  Then something bright and shiny will catch my eye and the moment is lost.  I can't complain about the weather right now because, lets face it, we've had an unusually mild winter so far and I don't want to jinx it.  Maybe I should get a new winter jacket and thermal bib tights every year to ensure that Mother Nature gives us mild weather in order to thwart my best efforts.  The warm-ish weather we've had probably ensures that EVERYONE will peak for Jeff Cup this year.  I could have used a little more -selective-weather as I get my racing legs back under me.  I have to make up in training what I lack in natural talent so if everyone is training at the same rate I am ... well, it could be an interesting journey back into the peloton. 

The boy and I briefly considered Wolfpack this weekend.  It doesn't take much to convince me to take a trip to NC (especially with the added benefit of visiting Ken and Laura!) but for one race on a "short" 2-day weekend (I again reference my constant lobbying for regular 3-day weekends), it just wasn't in the cards.

While my 3-day weekend lobbying has not panned out as of yet, I have finally convinced my place of employ to give us a little (LITTLE) in the way of flexible hours. I've been lobbying for this since October and I'd be lying if I didn't admit there were tears involved.  Hey, use what you've got, ya know?  Anyway, I explained the newly instituted system to the Fuentii while we were watching the Superbowl last Sunday and Mrs. Fuentes laughed out loud, saying ... "THAT'S what they call flexible?!?!" Sigh.  I'll take what I can get as the commute of 11 miles usually takes at least 45min for the 9-5 schedule.  I now have the privilege of shifting my commute by one hour, 3 days a week, which gets me home by about 430 with significantly less stress.  This also puts me on my bike by 5 and since the weather has been agreeable, I've made my way to HP more than a couple of times.  I even got to do my 20s down there earlier this week - while 20s are never "fun", they were closer to "fun" outside as opposed to our cramped roller set-up.

Much prettier than  my view of the window fan on the rollers

Speaking of a cramped roller set-up, I took my first "progress test" on the rollers a couple weekends ago.  Seeing power numbers during regular roller rides makes me happy - perceived effort is sometimes not quite what I think it is and the power meter keeps me honest.  Seeing those numbers on a power test didn't work out so well for me. I started out wayyy too hard - oh, I feel good, I can hold this for 20mins - about 5mins in, I realized the error of my ways and took it down a notch but the second I saw numbers dipping way down, I mentally threw anchor.  FAIL.  It's much easier just to start at the bottom of Dickey Ridge and go as hard as you can until the 20mins is over.  This explains why I can run a power-meter during races - I don't look at the numbers (what are you gonna do, slow down and miss the break because you're out of zone?). After pouting and generally being bitter about the whole thing, I did a different "ramp" type effort to extrapolate power.  Overall, I'm happy with the outcome and happy it's over.


On the more random side: Facebook.  Yes, I'm still a holdout but it's getting harder by the minute.  I was shopping online recently and there was a coupon to be had - but you had to be on Facebook to get it.  I know there are postings about rides in the area or other events that I'm missing.  For the record, I still don't support Facebook for all of the petty ways that some people use it - seriously, de-friending someone in retaliation - what is this, middle school? - but I have to admit that I've considered putting up a very anonymous page just to see what all the fuss is about.  I fear being labeled as a Neo-Luddite if I hold out too much longer.