Going Long and Hard.

UtahJoe said:
Is that your normal range of motion? Or were you just sore after the race? Is it improving at all?
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Yep, that's what I have to work with. My doctor thinks it may be as good as it's gonna get until all the scar tissue heals. I'd say I'm about 60% most motions, trying to get my arm over my head is maybe 40%😱

-Jim.
 
Monday

Headed up to KVSP with Joe Mundi. As many times as I've been to this park it always surprises me that I don't know an actual loop. We just kinda rode and found something and rode it, then backtracked to ride something we missed etc. The Garmin file is gonna look kinda crazy!!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/58410003

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Couldn't help but notice how my MTB skills have dropped since cross season. Sweet jesus. Some lines I feel like a complete moron. A couple of the small pop climbs caught me out and I had to walk a few, that usually doesn't happen!! Oh well, soon enough, it's on!!

FYI, the SoleFly is absolutely amazing!!

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Afterwards I hit up the whorehouse to pick up some stakes and tape to start setting up some of the course. The back woods section needed a ton of work so it took a lot longer than expected. I shoveled out deep pile of mud and mulch stuff that has been raked against a log for the past few months. Had to change one of the lines as well because the inside wasn't wide enough. Those that have ridden the course will be able to tell from the picture.

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You can see I also dug a water drainage thing under this log so this bottom section doesn't become a swimming pool😀

In guitar news. I've decided as much as I'd like to think I can continue on my own and get better, I seem to have hit a road block of sorts. Some of these bands I've been getting into are just doing things that my oldskool metallica and slayer ways don't quite understand. So I started to search around for someone to guide me. Originally I wanted to take lessons from Tosin, but his schedule won't allow for any real consistency. I found a local shredder guy that plays in a band like the ones I like. He just put out a new solo album and it rocks so I'm gonna sit down with him and see if he can help me. Here's one of his YouTube videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N60dAJ7l1Y

That is all ninjas,

-Jim.
 
jimvreeland said:
Yep, that's what I have to work with. My doctor thinks it may be as good as it's gonna get until all the scar tissue heals. I'd say I'm about 60% most motions, trying to get my arm over my head is maybe 40%😱

-Jim.
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That blows, I know the feeling. My right wrist has only about 50-60% of its former range of motion. Are you still doing therapy?

Didnt you once tell me that you have never been to Mahlon? Im going to make it a point to give you a tour there this winter.
 
Still doing my own therapy, no more official PT's. That would help I'm sure but my insurance doesn't cover it so, blah.

Never been to Mahlon. I don't get up that way too often, most of my rides leave straight from my crib so:popcorn:

-Jim.
 
jimvreeland said:
Still doing my own therapy, no more official PT's. That would help I'm sure but my insurance doesn't cover it so, blah.

Never been to Mahlon. I don't get up that way too often, most of my rides leave straight from my crib so:popcorn:

-Jim.
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well, leave your crib at like 6A so you can get to mahlon by 9ish. 😀
 
jimvreeland said:
Still doing my own therapy, no more official PT's. That would help I'm sure but my insurance doesn't cover it so, blah.

Never been to Mahlon. I don't get up that way too often, most of my rides leave straight from my crib so:popcorn:

-Jim.
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I just mentioned it since its closer to you than KSVP, and better IMO.

And happy birthday fool!
 
Tuesday

Hey, it's my birthday!! WOOHOO!! Now I'm old...er. I don't feel older but alas, I am. No ride today, recovery day scheduled. Quite day at work. Built bikes at the warehouse. The power went out for a bit, that was exciting!!

Roger messaged me to tell me he's sending the FinKraft crew down to rep the 35+ race. Sweet. I'm not skerred. I have home field advantage!! I did go back to the NJ Cup standings for some math though. Boo. Peep this.

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Assuming the Dans are done with the 35+ field, which I think they are? I took out everyone's 2 drops, which puts me in 4th overall. Dave bumps into 3rd with a 22 point lead. Ouch. If he beats me both days this weekend he'll take the overall win and I'll get 2nd. Unless one of us crashes or DNF's, then it's all up in the air. There's an extreme outside shot I could win the overall if I win and he DNF's or if I beat him by several places both days. Either way it's gonna be a battle!!

Came home to do birthday stuff. My wife was in the process of trying to set up a surprise for me when I walked in on her setting it all up. She should've locked the door!! Anyways, she bought me an Ibanez 8-string!! She hung it on the hook where I keep my other guitar and she was just gonna let me grab for my other guitar at some point and see it. Would've been a pretty crazy surprise!! She tried. She still wins for the best birthday gift EVER😀

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I played it for about an hour or so while my wife went out to get some grub. Took about 30 minutes to get used to spacing between the strings and reworking some scales to use the 2 low strings. The low string is an F+ so it's 1/2 step off in the first octave coming from a 6-string. 6-strings are E-A-D-G-B-E, if you kept the same fingerings the 8th string would need to be a G not an F+, that's where that 1/2 comes in. It's gonna be fun!!

In similar news, I scheduled time to sit down with Angel an see if he can fill in the blanks with my playing. I know a bunch of theory and scales and have a pretty good idea what's going but my phrasing just isn't where it could be and I need to learn more progressive stuff. Wouldn't be too bad to learn a few "Sam Ash" licks either:popcorn:

That is all. I'm going to have more ice cream cake!!

-Jim.
 
Wednesday

Had a recovery ride scheduled today. I skipped it because of the rain. Not even gonna toy with the idea of setting up the trainer in December, never happening. I sat and played with my 8-String instead, which I also did this morning, and then at work. Good thing it's just about the off-season😀

Getting a little used to it. Recorded something quick this morning just because.

http://www.facebook.com/jimvreeland#!/video/video.php?v=1730208696996&comments

Anything bike related? Maybe. Oh wait, here, cool new Shimano winter shoes. As much as I like my Barriers I think I may buy a pair of these, the toe-box is a little roomier.

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Oh and one of our customers sent me a link of this website that scanned all kinds of cool bike catalogs from the 80's and 90's. It's a bike nerds wet dream!! I found my first mountain bike. Ahh, those were the days.

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That's it for now, going to eat leftover cake😀

Oh, and in some other cycling related news, I forgot to mention that I entered the lottery for the LeadVille100. Who knows if I'll get picked, but it'll be a cool experience if I do.

-Jim.
 
Looks like we're gonna have some fun this weekend :getsome:

Chad Culbertson Guy's Racing
Adam Duncan Finkraft Cycling Team
Charles Erndl Watchung wheelman/High Gear cyclery
Phillip Esempio Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV
Myles Fennell 3D Racing Team/Tom's Atlantic Cyclery
Dan Larino Pete's Bike/Century Road Club of America
Jonathan Lombardo Finkraft Cycling Team
Todd Peterson Team Bulldog/Cycle Craft
Mark Pohndorf FinKraft Cycling Team
Douglas Von Bushberger CRCA/Kingpin Racing-HJD
Jim Vreeland Watchung Wheelmen


PS-Pre-reg closes tonight so if you haven't registered yet, DO IT!!

-Jim.
 
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