Tuesday, July 22, 2008

I'm not dead yet!

"You're not fooling anyone!"

Dang that whole "Bring out your dead" skit from Monty Python and the Holy Grail is funny. It is also surprisingly applicable to my life. ;)

Bob asked what the hell is going on with me (in a nice way) on my blog. I thought I'd post a quick response..

I'm working insane hours. I'm also spending lots of time on the road bike training for a ride in the Alps this summer. My car projects are somewhat on hold at this point.

Work: I'm having fun, but it is insanely demanding. I'm trying to maximize time with my wife and friends too. That leaves little time for other stuff.

Training: I've been off the MTB all year recovering from a fractured tailbone. That is really starting to heal and feel good. I got a bee in my bonnet about taking the bike to France again this year. I really wanted to ride in the alps with a bit more form than I've had in the past.

I've been putting in big miles and some good strength and climbing work over the year so far in preparation for this trip. I'm feeling great and showing signs of actually losing a little weight. It has been really hard for me to increase my beer consumption enough to compensate for the number of calories that I'm burning off. I've done my best.

The sad news is that because of a bunch of stuff that is out of my control, it isn't going to be easy or practical for me to take my bike with me on this trip. I'm cool with that. I'm going to switch to trail running while I'm there. That will be fun and different for me. I'll use my fitness on a bumch of road centuries later this summer. I thought about giving the SM100 a try, but the timing is just wrong for me.

Car Projects: I'm still collecting parts for the Bimmer. I need to really start yanking that beast apart and digging into the metal work. When I've had free time, I've either wanted to do stuff with my wife or go for a long-assed bike ride. My guess is that I'll hit these with more vigor this fall. I really miss getting my hands dirty on german car grease. :D

I guess that's the update. I'll catch up with y'all soon. Thanks for your comments and e-mails.

Pete