fivemonkeys

It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted anything. I’ll be back so stay tuned… I’ll even dig into the deep recesses of my brain and write up a report on the Augusta 70.3 I did almost 2 months ago.

So I’ve managed to go more than a month without posting anything. I’m going with the excuse that I’ve been having too much fun training in the beautiful weather.  Which is true but I’ll ignore the fact that I’m in front of my laptop at least 8 hours a day for work.

Just over six weeks until my first half-ironman and I can’t wait! I just signed up for the Wendy’s Sprint on June 14th so I’m not starting my season off with the half. I’ve never done a half-ironman distance (haven’t even raced a half-marathon yet) so I don’t need the added stress of the first season race on top of that.

I’ve realized over the last month or so that I don’t have time to bike to work as much as I wish. I really enjoy riding to work but ironically, my training is getting in the way. Most days I have to travel way past work to train with the group making group training and biking to work incompatible. Of the two days left in the work week, I am usually sore one of them from previous workouts. That leaves me Tuesday to ride in. And today they are calling for thunderstorms all afternoon so this week is shot. I’ll keep doing it as I am able but I have to say it bums me out a bit.

I’ve also noticed that this site is pretty boring and needs some color. Like in the form of pictures. Unfortunately, the one thing I always forget to bring with me is a camera. I also always forget that my phone, which I always have with me, has a camera in it. Hopefully I can remember to snap a few shots next time I’m out training.

The weather was absolutely perfect last Friday so I jumped on my bike and rode to work for the first time ever, getting a head start on bike to work week.

There has been road construction near our home for the last couple years but they are finally finished and now I have a freshly paved, super-wide, 5 lane road for a nice portion of my 9 mile ride. And I can’t complain about the rest of the route; The route is flat and roads are well paved and generally plenty wide. And the traffic hasn’t seemed too bad yet.  Oh yea, and I have plenty of space to keep my bike beside my desk so I don’t have to worry all day about it being stolen.

I had a nice time. Enough that I rode in again today and am planning to most days so long as I don’t need my car for anything and the weather isn’t too bad.

My only dilemma is what to do with my bike come June or so when I convert my road bike into a tricked out tri ride. The fast-forward seat post and aero bars aren’t going to make for a comfy ride with a laptop strapped to my back.

With the warm weather (hopefully) just around the corner, I started thinking about riding my bike to work again. Some new road construction last year has made for what appears to be a fairly safe and easy 9 mile commute.

So which bike do I use? I currently have a 10 year old mountain bike with a bouncy front suspension that doesn’t lock out and my road bike which when fitted with my aero bars and fast-forward seat post doubles as my tri bike.

In my local Performance bike store the other day I saw a single -speed bike from SE Bikes on sales for $179. That sounds perfect. The simplicity and ease of a single-speed nicely contrasts my typical “geek out everything” approach.

So I hit the web to find out some info on this single-speed. After reading some reviews I feel that if I buy this bike, they’re going to add me to the “chump” list that gets mailed to the scammers in Nigeria; I didn’t find one good thing written about this bike. Well then, I’ll look at what else is out there. Can you say sticker shock!?

I understand and appreciate the precision detailing in bikes and I know that my $1400 road bike isn’t anywhere near the high-end but I want a single-speed cro-mo frame with NO bells or whistles.  $600 to start? Really? Ok, let’s break this down. My road bike was $1400 and has 20 speeds. $1400 / 20 = $70. I should be paying $70 for a commuter bike.  Conversely, if I follow their pricing, $600 per single-speed  x 20 means I should have spent $12,000 on my road bike.

Are there any good options somewhere in between?

Today I am joining fellow COTT members, spinning for 16.5 hours, to raise money and awareness for ALS.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a progressive degenerative disease that attacks the motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Motor neurons control the movement of voluntary muscles. Death of the motor neurons makes it impossible for the brain to control muscles or signal them to move. As the muscles atrophy, it results in weakness and loss of coordination.

ALS is unpreventable, untreatable and incurable. ALS attacks otherwise healthy adults randomly and spontaneously. Once diagnosed, people with ALS have an average life expectancy of 2 – 5 years.

Jon Blais, a multi-sport athlete, was diagnosed with ALS in May of 2005 when he was 33. Instead of sulking and feeling sorry for himself, Jon started the “War on ALS” to gain awareness for the disease. In October of 2005, Jon became the only person with ALS to complete an Ironman, finishing in 16:28:56.

Jon passed away in May of 2007 but his spirit will live on because of his hard work and dedication. Jon was truly a warrior and is an inspiration to all.

You can view Jon’s 2005 Ironman on YouTube

For more information on ALS, visit http://www.waronals.com

If this inspired you, please donate

crankygrrrrrl, my wife, (who usually is not very cranky at all) says I need to update my blog more. All I can say is that I will try.

I will be using this site primarily as a training log for the time being.

-Aaron