Scoth_Mist

Better to get a groundscore you like, too many idiots wandering the parking lot at the grocery to notice, I got a 12 pack of coca-cola classic, they left it in the cart, sort of like finding a $5 bill, look around too see if anyone is looking for it...if not walk on. Listen to the music, hear it all laid down in wonderful harmony, order where there was none. Outside the lines coloring the bits that weren't a foam party. Better than the football that's on.

After Dark

It gets dark before 5, I was skiing by 5.30, nothing too out of the way but it was dark, DARK. The trail, my headlamp and number one didn't seem to mind it so much, we traveled up plenty warm and happy. I missed the kick wax but it didn't matter. I kept hearing what wasn't there, little kid lost in the woods freaked out, after dark kind of thing. On the other side of the night I hit up the groomed trails before dawn, two different skis, one night. Skating windloaded (groomed)trails that hadn't seen a groomer in a while, work. Do work when you can, the more the better right now, focus.

Quiet

It's really quiet up here, I get out, do my work and return without so much as a peep. The one sound that echoes in the woods is the ski against the snow. Also, it's really quiet when I wake up at midnight to listen to the pod and catch up on the sounds in my head, it's not allowing the sleep to come, the efficiency snowballs and the ebay list grows as the pile shrinks. I think my next try will be the proper adopted favorite beer, maybe it will put me out for more than a few hours, like 6+. Digging deep and getting the rest is tough this week, maybe I need to take inventory almost every day, I feel like a 12 stepper, whatever that is. Longer dark efforts made possible by the full moon, beetle kill and clean snow. It smells different, it sounds so quiet. The taste is there, I now need the quiet time to fill the rest of the darkness. My little headlamp only exposes the rest to me, unneeded it stays off. The dog is happiest on the daylight trips, he's afraid of the dark too, quietly lurking in the woods he's ready to go anyway.

XmAs

The break has been over for a few days already and the training has begun. An hour a day is about all I can manage. Too much else going on, little chunks of goodness will add up. So much snow that sliding through the woods is the right choice. No bikes for a while, other tools work better. More is better, '08 is on.

Sissy

Three Vanilla Porter hometown beers is too much for this off season racer, I tried, rotgut no buzz to eclipse the ague. Too much food and rich beer makes me want to throw up, the buzz wasn't even that pleasant. Tonight is different, menu variations on the different free beers, gotta love the severance package when it involves beer. More to come the break is getting old, fast. I'm stiff and sore from doing nothing not from doing work. I'm done, it's on, '08 is here. I am a sissy.

Phonix

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Log

The shit food keeps on coming around, I'm enjoying it, I had a burger last night, second one this year, monastic life is leaving for now. Beer is enjoyable but, not as many as I would like to have. I want to be able to put a few away, not just the one or two I have been drinking. Monday or Tuesday starts '08, the tools are almost together and in the slots. 2007 was great, awesome help from Gary Fisher Bikes and with the best shop in the world helping me out with road stuff and supplies I couldn't really ask for more. '08 looks even better, life is more organized for the time being. The push will be more quality. Make it count. I can only hope to improve for 2008.

Pieces

I am still trying to figure out what is broken, yesterday didn't help, I ate shit all day, I mean all day I was snacking on crappy food. Sure, it tasted great but it didn't help me feel any better or give me what I needed to recover. Now four or five days out I still feel like waffles. I can only hope that by the weekend it's gone and I can start to put together the pieces.Today it's more of the same, little bit better but maybe I need a menu of non-shit foods to cycle all of the hate. I can't get it all, I know that much for sure. More bike work tonight to finish the end of season wrenching.

sauerkraut

Great ski today, up and out at 6.30 around the trails, I had it all together, from the comfort of home, it was the same temp as Sunday for the start of the SSCX race, thoroughly unspectacular on my part. It's so quiet right now, the temps have everyone in a hibernation that only comes around the solstice, listen, it's not too far off. The cleaning is done, ready to make the changes for '08. News is close, holidays closer, enjoy the break if you can, you've earned it, I think I have at least. I missed double digits by one this year. My legs are still tangled, 24 hours in the car between Friday a.m. and Monday p.m. ripped 'em apart.

Over

One last weekend until the cycle starts again in about 10 days, probably less. After I recover from the driving and then get my shit together for winter training I'll be ready to hit it. 2 weeks max of break. then build to one big effort that lasts about 8 months. The scabs will have faded into scars and the miserable suffering will only be remembered as cathartic. Yeah, I'll be back next time, why miss the best thing you can do to get ready for winter? I got off light, videos are everywhere of Treefarm's head-on collision, he was fine, he got lucky. Chris Auer got a bad one too, I was happy to didn't run him over, that one was right in front of me, I ran past.

Early Season

This doesn't look like early season snow or conditions. It was perfect. Sometimes I can ski, for real, something about whipping around turns at 30km/h on narrow little edgeless planks with free heels is liberating. I enjoy the nordic effort and always want more this time of year. After this weekend they'll be tours galore, skis to work before the sun comes up and all of the other silly things winter brings for a so-called athlete. Posts from the road, I hope, hotel computers and borrowed time. not the worst way to travel. Bikes, pod, toothbrush and some warm clothes, what more could I want...

Shhhhhhh

The end is Sunday, it feels like the bubble right before it bursts surface tension keeps the pressure even until the pressure pushes through. Harder than easier better to get close than just to pack it in and bail. Two skis are almost as important as two wheels right now. Getting the higher end is less, not more. Wheels yesterday, skis today, listen...the volume is fading almost silent sports, becoming that as of Monday. Xmas begins the new year. Maybe even hit up George's BHCX blowout to start where others might be finishing. Rest is in the head, not the legs.

Produce Aisle

Trying to stay fresh like produce, instead feeling rotten like so much old meat. I hear the finish line, still a bit too far away to see it but I can hear the line, the results of the season will only disappoint on the one side not the other. Having the legs open in time for the line to come next sunday can only be the right spot in time. The little sacrifices are building up to value the victories in pocket and cherish the ones to come. Hiding out in the snow, using two xc skis instead of two wheels. Good and great, sliding quietly through the woods, listening to the silence.

Alright

Nothing too severe today, the rollers yesterday were sort of, pleasant...Odd. Today back on the roads but in a different way, get the legs square and the body re-opened after a rough stint. The work was passing and I had it together, until the staple/wire/whatever worked it's way through my tire and into my tube. Working on my running in soft snow, with the bike, rescue came and I finished the work. The week is getting brighter, not darker, we'll see what happens next...

Slow

As I limp into the final week of the season I have little to do, maybe ride a bit freshen up the legs after the temp goes above 25 degrees, other than that, get through and hope I don't get hit by a car. Trying to be fresh right now is the toughest part, too much rest and I feel, ahh, restless, hmmmm. Too much riding and my body feels cooked, whatever, cross is always fun. No more wins this year, probably, that makes 9 on the season. About 1 in 3, not bad at all. On to '08 in my head already. Xmas day starts the new season. Head start and goals in the head. Suffering in the snow is fun, at least the path is safe, tracked out by snowshoers skiers and foot traffic the smoothness is transformed into a slog. Perfect. The cx bike is barely able to roll through, lots grinding the taint in to the saddle trying to push the rear wheel into snow to the firmer ground underneath. Listen, the quiet is here.

Run

I ran last night, it was either that or a stint on the rollers. That, and to retard the changing of my bones into the density of poultry. I love the simplicity of running, shoes, headlamp (it was dark) and hat. I really like simplicity. The dog was happy too, it wasn't far, not much of a run, as far as runs go. It was a little trip through the woods in the dark, aside from my heavy breathing it was totally quiet. That's the other thing about running; it's quiet and peaceful as long as you are fit enough to not sound like an asthmatic trying breathe through a straw. Dinner last night had sausage, and then my hospital breakfast sandwich (not from mcdonalds) had sausage too, if bratwurst is sausage that's two meals in a row from our friend the pig. Is that too many nitrates or sulfates or whatever it is that's in the preserving process. Is there calcium in sausage? Because if I can get the bone thing fixed maybe the whole cycling thing won't kill me, or leave me fragile due to the cycling induced osteoporosis.