Newfangled Dad

Kelly's bike was her baby before we had babies. (Well, and Kieran the greyhound!) When I moved in, it lived upstairs in the extra room that is now Cole's bedroom. At one point, she bought a wall mount for it to hang in the dining room--now playroom--but we couldn't find the beams to install it correctly since we live in a nearly 100 year old building. To be fair, it's a nice bike. The rule was don't touch the bike. I could ride it in the trainer in the basement and adjust the seat down. But hands off everything else. Lately, I'd been doing more of the cycling in our household and it was looking more and more like I was hoping to do Ironman Wisconsin...with only a hybrid to my name. So she graciously offered her roadie to me for training and the race next year. It was an amazing gesture considering how much she is uncomfortable with someone tinkering with it. But it just made sense to do that kind of distance (112 miles) on a bike built for it. So after Pleas...

Cole was very upset last night that Daddy was taking Sister on a special trip that he didn't get attend. "I want to go to." So now I have to think up something special for the two of us. He had a great time playing outside with Mama, apparently, but he's a kid who does like to be included. Or, rather, he likes the family to do things together. Leda was in her swimsuit from a late-afternoon test fit still...she refused to let me take it off she loved it so much. It's actually a hand-me-down of Cole's so I forgive the teacher for calling her a him initially. It's black swim trunks with skulls and a white swim shirt. Anyway, we left plenty early and arrived what I considered "on time" at 15 minutes before class. But this time we're at an indoor pool at the high school and there is a class before ours. So if you're waiting at the class meeting spot in the hallway, you're there in the hot-sauna while a stream of kids and parents come out...

Now that I've reached a certain age and a certain lifestyle (read: mid-30's, parent, trying to stay active), it really has become small things that give me great pleasure. You sort of realize it the first time when you hit a birthday where you want nothing. I mean nothing. Because if you really wanted something you'd have gone and gotten it already. For yourself. Or what you really want is either too extravagant or too boring. Case in point--you have no idea how excited I was to go to the bike shop yesterday and buy the extremely exciting...wait for it...two tubes of Nuun, two packets of Skratch (more below), a hex wrench set, and a bottle of chain lube. I'd been thinking about this trip for the entire weekend. I've turned into that guy who is happy in life having the right wrench to finally remove that bolt from that thing. For me, it's a Profile Design behind-seat double water bottle holder that somebody clamped to the saddle with two different size hex bolt...

Last year at this time, we'd had an amazingly warm, dry spring. Ok, so my half marathon in June was 90 degrees by 8am and everybody had nearly slowed to a walk by the finish. But you could do outdoor activities without looking at the forecast. So what if the crops died and Lake Michigan is so dry that it's at record low levels, right? I remember the day of our local wine festival where we loaded the kids up in the stroller and wheeled them down our street from tent to tent sampling local vintages. It was gorgeous weather with a cheerful atmosphere. Fast forward to a year later and we've had one of the wettest springs ever with a week full of wave after wave of thunderstorms. Kelly and I are thankful that poor Kieran didn't have to suffer her severe weather panic and pacing on top of her illness. We made the right decision for her in more ways than one. I'm tentatively agreeing to go along with a couple of Wisconsin-resident triathletes who live near my upcoming ...

Kelly went for a swim for the first time in...ages...yesterday morning. So there's been a collection of swim caps from all her old triathlons sitting around the house. Our tradition is that I have the kids ready to go and we leave for the grocery immediately after she gets home from the gym Sunday mornings. Which meant my bike ride was pushed to the heat of the day. It reached 85 degrees here yesterday in Chicago and I definitely needed the second water bottle I put on my bike for this season. I did my usual/favorite ride via Salt Creek Trail and had a few sections where I pushed the pace into the low 20 mph range, but mostly I kept it moderately paced...the heat and humidity for one. And the abundance of casual weekend riders for another. Lots of riders, runners, skaters, dog walkers in each direction on the path. I think Kelly is right about why I will have a fun time doing triathlon...it's a great sport for people who like to analyze. Really, all endurance sports are. This...

Miss me? So much ground to cover since it's been over a week since I've blogged. I originally (before leaving on our trip) had intended to say a little something about the new Ironman Swim Start that ruffled so many feathers at the end of last week. I'm over it. Everybody seems to have had their say for and against. Plus, the two races I would consider doing (Wisconsin/Louisville) haven't had any changes...yet...and I have more immediate matters to handle with a triathlon to tackle next month. On that note, it was a weird week for training. I went five full days with no workouts. But then I went out with the cycle club again on Tuesday night and managed to keep up with the fast group for 22 miles...I was so proud until I fell over while trying to clip back in at a red light. Humbling. Then yesterday it was gorgeous weather some more and I took the kids out in the bike trailer for a slow, casual "recovery" ride. I'm taking today off entirely. Lots of stre...

This week marks about 6 weeks until my first triathlon. A little less when you consider packet pickup is the weekend before. On one hand, I'm feeling prepared. On the other, it's getting down to crunch time. I'm actually fairly confident with where my fitness is currently. Or, should I say, I'm not going to make huge gains over the next month and a half. At this point, it's more about staying healthy, avoiding injury, calming my nerves, being prepared. Going over the day in my head. Kelly wants to bring the kids...which is awesome. But that will also be a long, long day considering I will want to be AT the transition area (that's the "homebase" where you rack your bike and lay out your gear for you non-tri folks) at 4:30am when it opens. Which means leaving the house by 3:30am or so. The race starts at 6:30am and you figure the kids won't be that interested in staring out into a lake to try to find the little swimming people--let alone me specifi...

So much to write about; so many things happening these days! And the last few posts have been getting some good hits so you all must be hanging on every word I say, right? Cole is getting conversational finally and really engages in elaborate discussions with you now...frequently about trucks, truck color, where a truck may be, what a truck might be doing, when a truck may come back. Leda has been talking as well. Not just baby talk, but expressing her wishes with "up" to get in chairs. Asking for a bath...all the time. The kid would take 3 a day if we let her. She's started copying her brother and, (Look, your baby sister does it! Why can't you?!) The visit with my mom was wonderful and he was very sad to see her return home. We've been trying to ease the pain with promises of a trip to Kelly's mom in Minnesota for Mother's Day weekend. There will be sheep involved so "sheeps" are currently on the radar. Especially in light of Kelly bringi...

per·se·ver·ance     [ pur-s uh - veer - uh ns ]   noun 1. steady   persistence   in   a   course   of   action,   a   purpose,   a   state,   etc.,   especially   in   spite   of   difficulties, obstacles,   or   discouragement. Origin:   1300–50;   Middle   English   perseveraunce    <  Middle   French   perseverance    <  Latin   persevērantia. On Sunday, I would have blogged to you my tale of my first flat tire about 10 miles into my long ride. About how I had to wait for the weather to clear before riding then had a rear flat with no spare tube, patch kit, inflation method, tire levers, etc.. They were all sitting in the closet at home and not yet in my saddle bag because I hadn't put my race tires on the bike yet. About how I had to call Kelly and the kids to come pick me up at a park I...

Edit: just giving equal time... Runners World has got an article debunking lots of this (written in response to the WSJ below.  I'm intrigued. Really, whenever my interests collide, I love it. Learning the physics of a bicycle. The chemistry of coffee. How statistics modeling correctly predicted the outcome of the November election. So the health effects of endurance sports intrigues me. Usually, we get a steady stream of data showing that exercise is good for us. Very, very good for us. Don't let this post convince you not to exercise. But, on the other hand, I like the phrase of one of the links below...there are "upper limits." You CAN have too much of a good thing. A cup of coffee may be a great way to start your day, but it is possible to have a caffeine overdose--granted, it's nearly impossible. If running a mile is good for you, 26.2 must be great? Right? Well, this morning I dived down the rabbit hole when someone posted to a tri message board abou...

A big Thank You to all my readers for my 12,000th visitor over the weekend!  So today is Day 41 of The Lent Project where I give up social media for the season. If you're confused how we can be on Day 41 of a period that is supposed to have 40 days, you're not alone. Christianity is confused, too. So don't worry, you're in good company. Is it still Lent? Technically, yes. If we want to go by the Catholics, Thursday would be the last day of Lent...but, get this, Lenten observances go on until Saturday...even though the Church technically counts Friday and Saturday as part of the Easter holiday. Oh, and Sundays don't count. Which is why the actual days of Lent are greater than the observed days of Lent. Thank goodness I'm a Protestant...we write our own rules. Martin Luther for the win! Or rather "Jesus for the win." He didn't observe Lent. Or Easter. He was Jewish--he had Passover. So now we're in a theologically messy land. But, hey, th...

Happy Spring! Of course, it doesn't feel like it in Chicago...last year at this time it was 85 degrees in the middle of a heat wave. Current temperature is 24 and it may--I said MAY--get to freezing later this afternoon. I feel like I should have something important to write about because this marks my 300th post on the blog. Quickly approaching 12,000 pageviews, too! But I have absolutely nothing to say today, really. The children yesterday evening and this morning have been behaving like wild beasts tearing apart a kill. I have been a little ill for a few days and have skipped a couple workouts that I'm slightly disappointed about. But I still have almost 3 months until race day so missing one bike and one swim isn't going to hurt me too much. I did want to share this graphic from a new Los Angeles ad campaign advising drivers that cyclists are entitled to use the full lane under certain conditions and to be on the lookout. Much appreciated.  I'm a fan ...

Can you feel it? No, not spring...I wish. I mean, the end of my little experiment about avoiding social media for Lent. If only I'd counted correctly, I'd be in the last week. Er, technically, I am counting correctly and it's the Church that counts wrong. And it depends on who you talk to. Does Lent end on Palm Sunday? That's a common answer, but wrong. Really, Lent ends on the Thursday of the Last Supper...or, alternatively, the Saturday before Easter. So it depends how much fudging I want to do about my resolution. In any case, this is my last full week of Facebook and Twitter denial. I sure have missed all those cat pics! * * * Well, it's finally happened...my bike has gone in for work! It's been a long time coming. It was supposed to get some upgrades for my birthday at the end of last summer, but that got put off. But it was time for my spring tuneup so I'm also getting clipless pedals, an extra water bottle cage, and a bike computer to keep track ...

No, I'm not talking about the NHL lockout, NFL touchdown dances, or NBA antics. This is a rant about the technique-obsessed everyday exerciser. Forgive the Romper Room reference, but maybe I'm just more of a Do-Bee than Mr. Don't Bee. I can talk much more extensively about my background in running, but I'm finding that one of the first hurdles to triathlon training is the off-putting way that the sport is filled with drill, schedule, and good form dictators. Oh, it's present in the running community don't get me wrong. But one of the beautiful things--there are many negatives--about the spread and popularity of running has become the lack of attitude about back of the packers mixing with elites. There are still many who insist that the folks completing a 6.5 hour marathon aren't really "racing." But the snob factor is the minority. And a newbie will find far more training programs geared to completing than qualifying for Boston these days. Chal...

This is the summer I've become obsessed with bicycles. If you want to know what I've been quietly doing the past few months in my spare time, the answer is learn everything a person can about cycling. Which is funny because I'm not "that" type of guy. I'm not a gearhead, mechanical, or in any way in my past someone who is drawn to pretty, shiny things. But Kelly is tired of me asking if it's a compact crank on her Scott CR1 Team or what the gearing is...I'm not even sure she could have told you that was the make/model. Don't get me wrong, she loves her bike and I've been told not to change anything on it because it's just the way she wants it. I get it now...having advanced in knowledge significantly since the time I innocently wanted to take a water bottle cage. Part of it is that Chicago is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the US. Part of it is my Father's Day present--a sporty little flat-bar road hybrid--that I've ...