James Pearl Thinks Blogging is Dead

wait, you did not detail your response to the witch->bigfoot comment. You let it ride?

i don't think there is a need to discuss race promo from your side. let the discussion play out. it is a management of constraints, lots of them.
it is ok for you to have next-level knowledge, and thinking, while we wallow around a bit. if 1/2 of a good idea comes out of it, then it was worth it.
like renaming the series to GETHI (get-hi, not ge-thi - this is Apu approved) no i don't have real words for the acronym, but it works so well...

i do think a date-scaled sign-up fee since $$ keeps coming up (and i don't actually believe it is a factor) then a +$5 and +$7.50
date should exist. people will follow their money. wait, i just told you not to do that here... my bad. <--is this the phrase you hate on the FB poll?

you don't use many ellipses. purdy sure i abuse them.

congrats on the -1, must be the lack of food pics.
 
Okay, actually needed to lean on the Internet for this one.

"Aw is an interjection used when someone thinks what they see is adorable, or when he or she is disappointed."
So a puppy can be awfully cute, or a meal can be awful. Or awesome.

Why we use ful instead of full as a suffix is a whole nother thing, but basically boils down to us being lazy.

On the clock thing, I'll do you one better.
This is a stock image of the IKEA alarm clock that we have in our bathroom.
IMG_0339.JPG

Given its placement, it is the thing you look at when you are getting ready-
For work, for a night out, whatever.
As you can see- no numbers, or other ready visual cues for orientation.
So when our cleaning lady (my wife) replaces it rotated, shit can go off the rails easily. For instance, we almost missed Tall Guy's opening night because I went into the bathroom and thought it was 5p and not 6p.
It's like daylight savings fuckery that can happen at random.

And yet I really enjoy this free radical in my life, so we keep it.
 
jmanic said:
Okay, actually needed to lean on the Internet for this one.

"Aw is an interjection used when someone thinks what they see is adorable, or when he or she is disappointed."
So a puppy can be awfully cute, or a meal can be awful. Or awesome.

Why we use ful instead of full as a suffix is a whole nother thing, but basically boils down to us being lazy.

On the clock thing, I'll do you one better.
This is a stock image of the IKEA alarm clock that we have in our bathroom.
View attachment 67483
Given its placement, it is the thing you look at when you are getting ready-
For work, for a night out, whatever.
As you can see- no numbers, or other ready visual cues for orientation.
So when our cleaning lady (my wife) replaces it rotated, shit can go off the rails easily. For instance, we almost missed Tall Guy's opening night because I went into the bathroom and thought it was 5p and not 6p.
It's like daylight savings fuckery that can happen at random.

And yet I really enjoy this free radical in my life, so we keep it.
Click to expand...

i can't wait to come over. i gotta pee.
 
Really liked the diversity and format of this post.

Almost shot coffee out my nose.
Norm said:
I avoid the scale like a mayo sale at Walmart.
Click to expand...

I do this kind of thing when my wife asks me to dust. This way she knows I actually did. I wonder if I could just move some things and not dust, hmmm? I guess the presence of dust would give it away.
Norm said:
The cleaning lady came yesterday and left the alarm clock like this.
Click to expand...
 
Just gonna pop in here and toss out a few words on Saturday night.

Friday Race Day

I was time limited yesterday so I jumped into a race on Zwift, which was actually super hard but super fun. I stayed with the lead group until the hill about 2/3 of the way on the lap. Then I popped off and sat in 10th of 35 for a while, until some people caught me and we ran together for a while, until we hit the same hill on lap 2, and I popped back to 13th. Then I rode solo for most of the 3rd lap and got caught by 2 guys at the end, literally .4 miles from the finish, 1 of which I was able to out sprint at the end for 14/35. Good workout, set a new Zwift FTP, enjoyed doing this. And it shows me that being honest with your weight on Zwift makes the hill the great separator. Keep shaving weight.

The Plan - Unofficial

Last night I told D that here is my plan:

* Goal is to get to 195 pounds by cross season. This seems reasonable and it is actually what I weighed when I last raced cross.
* Plan is to race cross this year.

But since I did not say this publicly, it means I can reneg if I want.

The Plan - Kind of Official

Then I told @seanrunnette today that I am going to race cross. He told me that I was not able to back out now. Ok, but Sean is tall. So I could say that the air is thin, and he misunderstood the text where I said "I am going to race cross this year" and so on.

And then we had this conversation about doing something stupid in exactly 2 weeks from now.

Mooch Pre-Ride

Thanks to @Dominique for covering the kidstuff today and letting me go pre-ride. I also dropped off load #1 of stuff, which will help us in the morning. Went to see @UtahJoe and grabbed the podiums (all 300 pounds of them) and the generator. Met up with 5 cat 3 people and took them on a tour of the cat 3 loop. When I was done, went back out for a cat 1/2 loop with @jShort and @BrianGT3 and Lou. Felt good to be out there, really good to be out there. While these guys were not drilling it I can now keep up with a conversational cat 1 crew and actually make conversation, as opposed to be huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf.

Finished up the ride and went to Staples (printer cartridge) and Costco (foods for y'all tomorrow) and home (dinner!).

Ok Then Fuck It

I am in. I hope to be back in some form of race shape by cross season but why not start with a dumb plan like this. Oh and I managed to convince D to join as well. I screwed up, but @jeffstick said he'll move me into the 45+.

2 weeks from today, we shall see what happens. Make sure I remember the salami:

Screen Shot 2018-04-21 at 9.50.10 PM.png
 
I remember the first time I ever promoted a race, Mike "maddawg" Davidson was my mentor, helping me get through the process of going from non-promoter to promoter. The year was 2011, our first race was on May 9th. Mike told me that after the race, you will fall into a depression. You will have poured everything into the race, to the point it would be a sort of focus in your life. And when it was over, you would lose that focus. And you would feel lost, and almost have no idea what to do. In the end, he was right. The Monday after that race was a little depressing.

That doesn't happen anymore.

As I sit here now, we have successfully promoted 37 races. I talked to a few people today and guessed that it was maybe the 25-30th. I am actually a little shocked that we're up to 37. 4 others have been cancelled. If I were to get depressed like that after every race, it would be downright impossible to agree to do it again time after time.

I think today was as smooth as we have ever operated. To a point, I have to admit that some of this was probably due to our Short Track races being cancelled. The team was out in full effect today, and we had plenty of people to cover all our needed tasks. @Dominique has the scoring nailed, with @rottin' & @Carson comfortable enough to the point that she was able to race today. Reg is now something I literally never have to think about, as @dnap, @SpartaBard, and Mrs Iggy have it totally nailed. This year was the next step in this process, as I gave up all scoring/announcing duties to @Mitch & @Santapez @JimN. Taking these 3 enormous items off my plate makes my day so much easier.

Of course we had lots of other help from the team - @MissJR is now the Sign Mistress. And I'm not going to run down the list of the team members who did things because this post would end up sounding like an Oscar speech that goes on too long. I hope that everyone on the team knows that I appreciate the F out of everything they give to make these races go off the way that they do. @UtahJoe just texted me that "we still got it" in terms of race day. I think he's right, I think we still have the ability to put on a quality event. And I think when the timer starts, we all know how to make the race day run like a well-oiled machine. When it stops, we clean up so we can all get out of there. Then we stand around and bullshit because we actually like to hang out with each other.

There's my advice if you're starting a team. Make sure everyone likes each other.

So Zac rocked it today:

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And D rocked it today:

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And Joy rocked it today:

31189970_10215352169493452_2316220384640237568_n.jpg


After the cat 2s rolled out I hopped on my bike and did a cat 1 then cat 3 lap, cleaned up, then helped dial down the day as the race finished up and everyone went on their way. I felt great out there on the bike. Being able to get some exercise in makes the day much more enjoyable. Good stuff.

Back home, unpack car, shower up, feed child, pack for Minnesota, write blog, go to bed and wake up at 6, shower, Uber to airport, and get on 9:15 flight.

Another one in the books. Hope to see you all up at Stewart.
 
Was our first race Stewart six pack? Although I thought we did that in 2012.
I'm drawing a blank
 
wow, 37 races??? 37...and im still marking courses....Fuck...Hey Mr. McDowell, when am I going to get to start washing lettuce?
 
The Traveller's Guide to Minnesota

I am not going to pretend these times are actually right, so they are estimates.

6:00am: Alarm rings. Wake up, shower, dress, kiss @Dominique goodbye, make espresso, pack, make espresso, wait 18 minutes for Uber. While I am waiting, I decide to pick up a new book. Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles.

6:45am: Uber shows up. Dude shakes my hand, which is a first. Speaks almost no English, blares Latin music for the whole ride. I think he tries to tell me he is going to Puerto Rico this summer to see his dad play in a concert but I can't seem to make sense of what he is saying. Drives like shit. I have to direct him at the airport where to go. I give him 3 of 5 stars.

8:15am: Done with TSA, done with breakfast, done with bathroom pre-flight pit stop. I like to stand before my flights because I know I'll be sitting for enough time after that. Does anyone else notice that every outlet in Terminal A is bogus? Not a single one seems to have any actual power. I comment to @UtahJoe that I will be taking a flight every other day for the next week.

10:00am: Connect to United wifi. I have been going wifi-free the last few flights but today I can't really afford it. They are literally testing the data as we take off. As I get into the air, I see there are problems with the data import. Thankfully that is not really my focus so I can lean on one other guy for that. The screaming baby 2 rows back makes this all so much better. Of course, I understand his angst in going to Minnesota.

I also call out the Amateur Hour guy in the other thread because I look into the user and see that he races for Jalapeño Cycling and it kinda pissed me off that he's riding for 2 people that have supported everything we have done and vice versa. So I'm gonna go ahead and scratch that itch and see where it goes. Hopefully not a festering wound. Also trade some emails with USAC Stuart about result issues which seem to be the same as they had with Ringwood the first day.

(lose an hour as we transition to Savage Time, aka CST)

11:00am: We land 30 minutes early. While I was flying here I traded some emails with one of the Minnesota people about lunch. The program director is Persian and I asked what she likes, and I got a recommendation for lunch - Cambodian & Thai fusion. This could be the winner on the day. I get out of the airport and try to find the App Pickup Area, and it says to follow the signs but there are no signs and we stumble around looking for this magical area. 3 of us were wandering around aimlessly looking for this unicorn.

Also of note: as we flew into the airport, every lake is still frozen solid. And this shit is piled everywhere:

IMG_6196.JPG


11:30am: I am in Uber. I check my email and see that they want me to go to Austin for 2-3 days on the week before I go to Austin for 4 days. This is a waste, I am pretty sure. But like someone I work with said...well, at least we may as well enjoy the trips to Austin and let them feed us. I really need to check out this Mellow Johnny's when I go. @JimN and @seanrunnette - talk to me about this place. I know some high-level details about it but can you rent a locker? Shower? Helmet? Shoes? Garter belt? Need more details.

12:15pm: I am in the "Command Center" eating my Pad Thai, which is passable but not great. So this building used to be a big-ass Sears Roebuck store. They have converted it into this hospital system as well as a food court, called the World Market. It is not a destination by any means but if you are out here, it is a total diamond in the rough. It has pretty much everything I will need to survive the day. I have some intention of possibly going downtown but if I can't make it, this will fill all my needs while I am here.

IMG_6197.JPG


3:30pm: The Day starts to wrap up, and people start to leave for the day. This is sort of what I was hoping for, to be out of here and at the hotel by 4:00. But then the project sponsor comes in, and 4 of us stay and talk some more. She tells us that she'll bring bagels in for breakfast tomorrow. As I mentioned earlier, she is Persian. I only reiterate this because I find it fascinatingly strange how excited she gets at the notion of eating Jimmy John's for lunch tomorrow.

4:45pm: We are done. I have fixed all the functional defects and they have tested and passed them all. I am clean for the 8:00am Tuesday morning official go-live. But we are still relying on the data guy to pull out some fixes tonight. After the day ends, I will spend some QT in my hotel room trying to help as much as I can with the data fixes but this is very precarious so what I can do is limited.

5:15pm: I am in the hotel room, on the 4th floor. I can see the building we were in all day from my window. The reviews of this place said it was a once-nice hotel that is past its prime. I would tend to agree with that but it is more than good enough for me. It's quiet, clean, and comfortable. Hard to beat all that. That's where I spent the day, as seen from my room:

IMG_6195.JPG


5:30pm: I am in the gym, wearing my new PowerCal HR strap. Ok here comes the big POC of the trip. The PowerCal is a HRM that estimates your power based on known HR/power curves. I read the review on DC Rainmaker and while not perfect, the numbers were pretty reasonable. Obviously this is for a steady-state workout, not a race or any sort of interval work. The stated aim of my trip was this: 2 total hours of gym time over the 3 days. I think that is reasonable.

IMG_6193.JPG


The first thing to note is that the early power readings in the ride are really all over. Once you get going and your HR stabilizes it actually sticks pretty well to what might be considered "expected". Randomly the power number would spike to 450 out of nowhere and then correct itself to a really low number like 31. It's like there was a false burst then the correlation curve corrected and drained the swamp of power. In all I was able to get 20 miles in just over an hour in Richmond, which is my least favorite Zwift world. The workout was hard, and this is by far the hardest workout that I have done in a gym in a long time.

Overall I would give is a grade of "pass". In terms of business trips, it passes with flying colors.

After I am done I go to the other side and jump in the pool in my bike clothes. F it.

IMG_6194.JPG


7:00pm: Showered and some quick work emails taken care of, I head over to the World Market for some dinner. First stop is the coffee shop for an espresso. It is passable. They have roasted beans there but I am not sure these are worthy to bring back to @seanrunnette and our planned Thursday morning podcast. The double shot lacks any body, is too thin. I walk around the market and settle on Lamb Tagine for dinner. It is excellent.

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Epic fail: the dessert place is closed by 7:30, which is not acceptable. Tomorrow I will get cupcakes for m-f'ing breakfast.

8:00pm: Back in the hotel room to wind out the night. Talk to D, blog a little, put on some TV, and get to work. Again. Before long, it becomes apparent that the TV is garbage so I turn the radio on and listen to 102.7 EQX. Solid stream tonight, makes the hotel room suck less. Then I record an instructional video for some of the brain surgeons we are training.

11:00pm: It is midnight back home. So I can now wish @Dominos a happy birthday. Happy birthday! Welcome to the club. It's going to be a great year!
 
Norm said:
I really need to check out this Mellow Johnny's when I go. @JimN and @seanrunnette - talk to me about this place. I know some high-level details about it but can you rent a locker? Shower?
Click to expand...

Showers are free. They have soap/shampoo dispensers and will even give you a towel. I think they had lockers, but it might be BYO lock. My bag wasn't gonna fit in a locker so I didn't really take notice of them. I just left all my shit in the rental bike area because the dude said it would be fine there. I rented a decent Trek full suspension bike and just brought my shoes. Pretty sure they put SPD pedals on so I didn't have to bring mine.

There were some awesome trails that I rode to from the shop. I just grabbed a few routes off strava, put them all on my garmin, and then tried to make a loop out of it. I wouldn't necessarily recommend following this, but here is my route:
https://www.strava.com/activities/1303691057

It was an excellent ride, but I"m sure I missed stuff, and I got lost a few times. The best stuff is the stuff that is furthest away. @Bizarro can maybe provide you a better route, or details on other trails in the area, but they would probably require more time and a car.
 
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Norm said:
wish @Dominos a happy birthday
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Thanks!

I think Minnesota and New Jersey should have the same motto : "Not as bad as you think"

There were a few years that it was a very real possibility @Delish and I would move to Minnesota, settle down. I think we would have liked it there - not even taking into consideration that my DNA test told me I'm half-Minnesotan.
 
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