between White Rock and Cowtown -- changing goal

_Boston

2012 goal was to Qualifying for RAAM at The Texas Time Trial.

2010 spring I was forced to choose between work (BofA American Disability Act financial statement project) and long training rides. I kept my job.

My bike training volume never recovered from those 6 months. I felt like a loser every time I saw the overly shiny Ksyrium clinchers.

I considered other previously unanticipated issues:

> knee pain during long trainer rides

> TTTT moved to a less desirable location

> desire to get back to long skates

> long runs are interfering with bike training

> uncertainty of my paying job

My employer actually treats me well--as long as I perform. Changing career is unlikely because I never learn to say "I like your hair; your leadership is excellent, too."

I started to question the wisdom to invest next 2 seasons on a 1-day event given the limited resources. The odds looked unfavorable.

New goals:

1. (by May 2011) run 50 miles under 12 hours--roughly the same pace as Karnazes' 350-mile run.

2. (by February 2012) run a marathon under 3:21. This is not the easiest way to qualify for Boston--waiting 2 years would be easier. Based on last 3 years' progression, 3:21is doable under good race condition.

3. (by March 2014) complete a 100-mile run.

_Body I live with

Spent the holiday with family in Taiwan. Had a wonderful long bike ride with brother. ChihYang also set me up with local group for a long skate to New Bamboo (http://www.wretch.cc/blog/firefly2007/11079746).

Lower back operated within parameters but got pissed off after the long flight back to Texas. Spasm started after I started training for Cowtown. Last spasm was August 2009; I suppose this is an improvement over the semiannual spasms....

_Resuming movie geeking

I became an A/V snob in the mid 1990’s with acquisition of a large screen TV, LD player, and audio system. My annual 400-hour invested watching feature films shaped my social circle and daily schedule.

I reduced my movies time with preparation of Ironman and Montreal 24-hour skate. By this time I finished most classics. There are many great movies not in English and Chinese.

2010 Xmas. I acquired Roku and switched to Netflix. The streaming model enables reviewing first minutes of many movies before investing the full length. Netflix provides bookmarking so I could watch shows in segments. I start spend time watching movies again.

Netflix video quality is not the best. The audio sampling rate is horrible. The subscription allows 2 concurrent devices so my aunt gets to use my account for free. Considering the $8 monthly price tag, it’s an exceptional value.

_Running form

I caught a glimpse of good form at mile-15 of my first marathon. The relay runner glided on the ground while rest of us bounced up and down testing our spines.

I obsessed over running form since that day. What makes these skinny black dudes so much better than rest of us?

Related questions: why are there disproportion number of good runners capable of running with crappy or no shoes? Kenyans, Ethiopians, Tarahumara.

I vowed to improve my technique. I acquired many running shoes--I don't have another mean to learn shoes. I gave away 3 pairs of barely used shoes with $300+ MSRP. I wrote it off as medical expense. I'll put Vibrams into the rotation by mid March.

_PED

It's hard to be a cycling fan since that glorious Floyd Landis Tour de France stage.

I still don't understand the reasoning behind stripping Landis' Tour title when Zabel and Riis stayed in the record book. Why does Contador get 1-year ban when everyone else get 2? His defense suggests cyclists should become vegetarians or--minimally--lawyers.

15 years of Tour's non-positive winners--we're down to Carlos Sastre and Lance Armstrong.

Greg Lemond's reasoning: when power data shows the vast majority is doping, what does that say about the guy who win it 7 times? Marion Jones never had a positive test result either. Lance and Marion both have their shares of non-negative results. To that end, Rassmusen was really clean.

Regardless whether Lance gets indicted, there ain't no way this will turn out OK ....

This makes me worry for Joey Mantia, potentially the last great American Olympic long track skater for a long time to come. I feel I need to drive to Denton and give Jordan a hug.

White Rock Marathon 2010

After missing bike goal this year, I made White Rock the "A" event. I wanted to focus on long runs for next 4 years; this could be my last shot at PRing marathon. I arbitrarily set the goal at 3.5 hrs. Round numbers are easy to remember.

_Training

I've had good luck with Runner’s World Smart Coach. I followed the 16-week program. I was unable to finish 3 long runs at 8:40+ pace. Confidence wavered. “What are the chances of finishing the entire race at sub 8:00?”

For the first time I stopped biking for the December foot race. I practiced downhill. I acquired cadence sensor. I prayed for a cold and dry race.

_Expo

Luke's and Run-on had their usually pre-race deals; I stocked up on equipment and nutrition. I bought an overpriced fenny bag alleged to hold any cell phone produced after World War II.

The most important thing I got out of the Friday trip was how bad the traffic could be for the new race location Fair Park.

_A good start

I got the correct weather and a good parking spot.

The layering went as planned. I took off the long pants during national anthem. The sweatshirt came off 5 seconds before triggering the timer. T-shirt was tossed 2 miles in the race. Arm warmers made of old socks went into mile 18 trash bin.

I vowed not to repeat the 2009 mistake when I followed the official pace balloon:

Super slow first mile;

Running around people first 3 miles;

Surging up climbs;

Massive slow down toward the end;

GPS distance ended up 2% longer than certified distance.

I lined up between 3:20 and 3:30 balloons. I made a point of taking every tangent even at the cost of speed. I kept my HR up going downhill.

_13

I enviously thought of Shelley and Doug’s water break.

Everything operated within reasonable range when I reached half marathon. I moved 2 blister-free feet in 3-year-old neural Asics marketed toward fat men. Weak left ankle and pronated right ankle induced no pain this morning. I fantasized running barefoot. GPS and mile markers almost synced.

_Overly optimistic

Mile 18: felt good. I was on pace for 3:25 finish. I wanted to attack the hills. I wanted to fly by people going up hills. Vainty.

Boston qualifying time was 3:21. Cutting 4 min in 8 miles seemed unrealistic. I decided to hammer if I felt strong on first nipple. Theoretically I could finish last 5k in 21 min.

I wondered if they'd rename the hill "Kim Kardashian" after Dolly passes away.

_20 miles of hope + 6.2 miles of reality

Biff showed up to pace at the proverbial wall. I lost enough steam I barely kept up with the electronic pacer. Biff reminded me next 3 miles were hills. Avoiding bonk was the primary task.

I ignored heart rate. Legs were the weak link. Speed bled as we climbed out of the lake. I increased the cadence and shortened the strides--I ran like a skater at A2A hills.

I heard jingle bells. I wanted Lance’s acquittal for Xmas.

_Super power

A petit girl in front started to limp. I watched her form deteriorated prior to turning 180 degrees and ran backward.

I caught up with a barefoot marathoner. Runners around me informed he's the famed Barefoot Mark. "Hey, that guy has no shoes!" I wondered whether spectators would be more surprised if Mark were naked. I talked to him after race. His name was Eric and had no idea who Barefoot Mark was.

I had run with familiar faces for 3 hours by now. We kept passing each other; speed was a function of grade and body mass.

_Weight control 2010

I overshot the 139-lb goal this year and had to get new pants. The body handled the new weight without significant issue. Perhaps I lost muscle mass by not swimming. I was 3 lb overweight based on Alberto Contador’s BMI but was obese compared to Rasmussen.

_Dolly Parton Hills

Like Heart Break, strategically placed Dolly wasn't steep. I was 200 meters behind pace at first peak. Meltdown felt impending. I slowed further to reach the 2nd peak. Biff was supportive of the unmanly decision; he's bonked here before.

"Don't challenge the hills;"

"Trust your training."

Keeping up with the virtual partner felt like racing against Herb Gail. I changed the Garmin display to non-pacer mode. I pondered the risk of lose 2 kg.

_ McMillan got the last laugh

Plan A:

First 3 miles: Conserve energy and be willing to sacrifice 30 seconds per mile for better paths.

Average 7:51 GPS pace at mile 20.

8:00 pace climbing.

Fly down hills.

90% max HR after 2nd nipple.

Sub 7:00 final mile.

Plan B:

Stay with GPS' even pace for a 3:30 finish.

Biff's email that I tried not to follow:

"McMillan running recommends SLOWER pace 1st 5 miles; FASTER next 16; and SLOWER (fade) last 5 miles."

There was no hammering after Dolly. The final miles were surreal: my life had 1 clear objective. I kept losing the runners I tried to follow; I accepted reality. There was no bitterness, no regret, no pain, no what-if's. My body was pounded by the pavement 96 times a minutes; I had little control over my limbs. The feet moved toward the finish; I let them carry me. Time slowed down; each mile became more vivid.

_Friends

Casey finished so strong, he wondered if different pace could've got him a 100-minute finish for half.

Terence's knee didn't hurt enough to stop him. His first long race made him want to race Cow Town in 3 months.

Stephen had a smooth race 'til final mile. He finished a few minutes before his brother.

I was looking forward to break 3.5-hr at the same race with Andy this year. His Achilles’ tendon led him to skip 2010 marathons.

Mark decided 2011 would be his out-of-retirement race. Maybe.

_Post season

I parked at different lot than I thought. The hour walk looking for TSX was nice active recovery.

No training was scheduled 'til 2011. The most important remaining sports activity in 2010 was enjoying the post-marathon sushi buffet. I also saved a Dunkin Donut coupon for Tour de Donut training run.

#'s

Chip Time 3:28:17

10K Time 48:20

Half Time 1:41:47

20 Mile Time 2:37:04

Total Pace 7:57/M

breakfast starting 2.5 hrs before the gun:

1 banana

1 trail mix bar

1 energy bar

1 Gu Chomps

2 coffees

on course nutrition:

Gel every 4 miles.

sip of water at every station that wouldn’t slow me down too much

SportLeg 2.5 hours into race

Tour de Donut 11/7/2010: Glassy pavement, cool air, sugary pastry, reluctant bearings, car crash, 4000 calories, Ukrainian polka

I fantasized racing this event for 3 years. Decision to participate tipped for 2010: conversation with the founder, Kobayashi's arrest, Renee's last event before spine surgery, Timo's offering to drive.

_Gentle start
Donut-loving cyclists felt less intimidating than most bike races. The timing mats were uneven and narrow. A few of us skaters move to the very front to minimize the # of cyclists we needed to trust.



No lead vehicle. I drafted behind a marshal and led the entire field heading into the first turn. After a few turns at the mall, we had a light tail wind on smooth pavement. Life was beautiful. I sped toward glazed donuts. Chris, Casey, and Timo didn't catch up; they had breakfast.

_Glitches
The wheels didn't roll well. I was using non-race set up: replacements ceramic bearings for another set of ceramics I also didn't like. I skated noisily.

A truck made louder noise by rear ending a stopped vehicle in front of a parked police car. The 3 motorists looked surprised. Upon impact, I jumped to the other side of rumble strips for seemingly no good reason.

The rest stop came a little earlier than expected. I came to a complete stop and skated back to feed zone.

_Breakfast
First 3 donuts were delicious. They cost me about 2 minutes. Next 4 took longer. Timo and Casey came in with the Rolling Viking. Tore had cool outfit and matching thighs.

I consumed the 7 high-heart-rate-compatible donuts then found a steady cyclist. He pulled me all the way to rest stop #2.

_Bottleneck
I started eating while willing the HR to settle. During donut #10, a racer in watermelon helmet cheerfully pointed out that 2009 winner was rolling out after 23. Had I completed the remaining course at speed of light, the big dude would've still beaten me. I accepted defeat and slowly processed the planned dozen. Kobayashi could've inhale them in 2 minutes flat. My ingesting speed deteriorated by donut 15. Swallowing required conscious effort. #18 probably took 5 minutes to finish.



Casey waited and pull for the remaining miles. On chip n seal, I experienced doubt whether the 4000 calories would stay at the preferred end of esophagus. Casey had to let his draft go to avoid my reversal.

Thanks to Hoffmann and Coffman's instruction, the cheap n seal was shorter lived. The skaters route utilized I-10 service road. Chris MacKowski did not follow the instruction precisely and celebrated his first freeway skate. The interstate excursion cost him the honor of being the first skater to cross the line.



Too Full Too Hawk (photo by Wonder Girl)


My digestive system was unaccustomed to this level of processed flour and refined sugar. I did not desire lunch and was grateful for Timo's barf-free ride back to DFW.

#'s

donuts: 19
consumption rate per:
rest stop 1: 94 sec
rest stop 2: 150 sec

waiting for traffic light: 2 min

avg speed: 12 mph
avg moving speed: 17.6 mph

total time: 2:27:41
adjusted time: 0:52:41

nutrition info (http://www.shipleydonuts.ws/glazed_donut.html)
217 calories
54 grams (11 g fat, 25 g carb)

prelim result: http://www.tourdedoughnut.com/Photos_and_Results/2010TDDResults.htm




"I am very hungry, I wish there were hot dogs in jail."
-- Takeru Kobayashi
7/5/2010:
(http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/news/story?id=5355723)

A2A 52-mile 2010

I planned to skip 2010 A2A to focus on Texas Time Trial. The cycling training went down the toilet because of work. I did the minimum preparation to skate A2A. It’d be another nice skate with friends. I would go hard for 38 miles then stroll to Atlanta like 2009.

I checked the confirmed list and didn’t find the right group to skate with. I was unlikely to have the speed to hang with the chase group for 38 miles. I saw John Charbonneau and Monique on the 52-mile roster and decided to skate with them.

We rode the airport shuttle to Athens with last year’s winner Marcy. She was fit and confident. She had 2.5 jobs and trained on skates and bike. Some people are good with time management.

Casey and I had an early dinner at a very busy Mellow Mushroom on a UGA game night amongst young people passionate about their football team.

Phil rode the morning bus from Atlanta. A2A was a last minute decision. He announced he was going the full distance.

_Party Bus
As I step onto the bus to 52-mile start, skaters commented on my stumbling crossing the street.
“Your luggage was going faster than you.”
“Are you using it for the race? If not, can I borrow it?”
“It might be safer if you just ride on it.”

Nancy remembered everyone’s name and cracked jokes. Joe shared story of a girl racing under influence; he described her speed of approaching nakedness. We debated pros and cons of LSD vs. DNF.

Team Pines’ Vanessa seemed to have trouble concentrating in that atmosphere. She looked serious. She had 110mm wheels and 3 bananas.

_Injured Asphalt Beach/K2 skater
John Charbonneau and I shared many miles in past few A2A. He sat out NYC 100k the week prior because of a knee issue and was advised to skip A2A. He decided to skate the shorter and flatter course.

I was a little surprised when John set the pace at the race started. “Aren’t you supposed to go easy?”
I followed him. “Might as well draw out the competition before merging with the 87 mile-course.”

Vanessa and her teammate Dani bridged. They often pushed the pace climbing. 4 of us worked well together.

We passed Skatey Mark’s 87-miler pack. Mark wore a weird smile that resembled grimace. Another Montreal 24-hour medalist Luke jumped off his 87-mile pack to join us 52-milers.

_Wrong turn
All 5 of us missed a turn sign. John immediately sensed the error and brought us back on track. My off-course record remained 100% for this distance.

_Silver Hill (42.1 mph)
Team Pines skated strong turning into Silver Hill Road and chose not to skate down with us.
"They're so gonna kick my rear on the next climb...."

The 3-man train wasn’t as fast as hoped; the wind was blowing incorrectly. The long downhill gave us a big lead over the 2 Pines. Serves them right for having single-digit combined body fat.

I fully expected the quads to cramp up on the climb after Silver Hill for the 4th year; they miraculous stayed strong. “This is the best day!”

The anticipated Pine attack never materialized. I could see Vanessa and Dani in distance. I kept the pace civil hoping for more 87-milers to join the pack. Team Pines never bridged.

We picked up Naomi and Brian Oswald. We lost them before last set of little climbs.

_Decision
8 miles to go. No other 52-milers in sight. Barring mechanical and crash, John and I had the race in the bag. I ran through the tactics required to maximize my chance to win the sprint finish. Last few miles contained hairy elements including unpredictable traffic. I had vivid image of Chuck crashing inside of Piedmont Park in 2008. I also remember watching Bob Ryan went to first base with a tree in 2009.

“Do I really need to risk injury for a solo win during my running season?”
“How would I feel to share a win with a friend?”
“How would I feel to win an event without a trophy?”
These were no-brainers.
I knew what Coach Mike would do if it boiled down to just teammates in the lead pack.

_52-mile finish
John and I agreed to tie. The road was smoother and windier than expected. 3 of us skated cooperatively to the finish without incidence--almost. John crashed with 2 feet to go. He log rolled across the finish line. The hand-holding rule lacked specifics; we insisted it was a tie.


(photo by Lenny)

Luke got another sub-6-hour finish.


Luke and Naomi (photo by Lenny)


After Eddy and unwheeled volunteers peeled us off the pavement, John received a bag of ice; I got a Candy cookie--the perfect ending to a short and wonderful skate season.

Marcy was all smiles at the line I thought she won again.

Vanessa and Dani bonked shortly after Silver Hill. They regrouped and came in half hour later to claim 1st and 3rd places.


after winning 52-mile(photo by Lenny)

I had a chance to spend time with Renee under a tree under a blue sky. She had such good attitude about the upcoming spine surgery.


_38-mile race
Casey took a spill trying to pick up water bottle off road side. The road rash was minor, but he lost his pack and had to stay in no man's land ‘til Luke’s group picked him up.

Dan Butler, 2009 3rd place finisher, had a bad start. He skated solo for a long way but never bridged to lead groups.

Bob Clare and Candy stayed with the lead pack and took 38-mile titles.

_The main event
Eddy dominated the full-distance race.
Karin beat Jessica (2nd) and Marcy (3rd).


(photo by Lenny)

_Another decision
Phil’s day didn’t go as hoped.

He skated 71 miles and was mostly alone after mile 38. Traffic got hairy. He was a family man on a business trip. With sufficient gas in the tank to finish the race, he pulled the plug and had dinner with coworkers.

_End of season
Casey and I went to Mellow Mushroom again with Atlanta Greg, famed Naomi, and London skaters.

Eddy showed up in skin suit at the pizza joint, ordered to-go pizza, bought everyone hummus, and took off.

I asked 2nd time participant Richard about his favorite aspect of A2A.
"The People"

My hamstring cramped Sunday night. Funny considering hamstring wasn’t a primary muscle used. The blister wasn't a surprise; I didn't put in the mileage for the feet and Simmons to form reasonable hill-relationship for 2010.

Sunday morning. Casey and I took a midtown walking tour after a satisfying breakfast. We got kicked out of Georgia Tech football field before DNF on completing the Coke block and reaching CNN headquarter. Exercise wasn't a priority at that moment.


The 52-mile trophy came down to a coin toss. I won!


#'s
distance/speed (official): 52 miles/15.9 mph
max speed: 42.1 mph
total ascent: 4487 ft
total descent: 4625 ft
off course: 1 time
avg/max HR: 162/176 bpm
traffic stop: a few minutes
liquid: 1 liter water + 20 oz Cytomax
food: 580 calories: Gu Chomps, 4 Gu gels, 6 sport legs

Tandem jump. Sept 3, 2010

The seed was planted in summer 1991 in Syracuse.

We were bunch undergrads on a National Science Foundation grand. We tossed around spending ideas now we had a steady income for the first time. Physics and CS majors in their early 20’s had difficulties thinking beyond the stereotypicals: electronics, gambling, pornography, and violence. An English major smoking pot was listening to us geeks. “Why don’t you jump out of an airplane or something?”

I had a conflict and couldn’t participate but remembered my summer friends’ exuberance after the experience. Aerodynamics of parachute is a miracle regardless of your physics Achievement score.

Decades later, Gordon S forwarded me a Groupon. All I had to do were paying $140 and showing up.

The actual act is disproportionally shorter than foreplay.
? 1-hour drive during non traffic hours to Skydive Dallas.
? Read and sign 3 sets of paperwork declaring I really really really won’t sue if I die.
? 5 mins of video of a guy reading a Cliff Note version of those 3 sets of paper.
? 15 min of instructional video explaining how to correctly acting like a deadweight.
? Practice 2 moves: arch back, lift legs.
? Watch other people jump out of plane. Make small talks.
? Wait a long time.
? Watch more people jump out of plane. Make small talks.
? Put on suit.
? Put on harness overly tight.
? Unsuccessfully request a less hairy instructor with lower penis count.
? Walk funny to avoid rope burn.
? Wait a long time.
? Get on plane with bunch crazies who can’t wait to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.
? Plane takes off. Wait a long time before reaching altitude while Dave hairy guy makes the harness tighter.

The overhead dominated process reminded me of golf except packing the golf bag correctly was slightly less critical. Even though the pilot and I were the only ones not directly carrying a parachute, everyone used his seatbelt.

Dave obsessively checked our harnesses as if preventing a prisoner’s escape. He repeated the same instructions making sure I was conscious. Oprah would’ve praised his willingness to communicate in a relationship. I inquired about # of his clients defecated in their pants. To my relief and disappointment, it turned out such act took more muscle contractions than a petrified human was capable of utilize. “Quite a few threw up after landing…. Except one girl passed out in the air, and I had to bring her to the ground like a log.”

Divers knew exactly what to do. The door opened when reached the altitude. They maneuvered toward outside, hanged on to the plane like ninjas, then let go. Their faces seemed to light up. Looked like fun.

I wasn’t allowed the cool dangling in the air move.

Dave made me move cowardly with arms folded covering my non-exposing nipples. There was no jumping out of the plane. I was shoved out by my 180-lb hairy backpack. I noticed I was going the wrong way the moment the fall started. Somehow Dave determined I could use more excitement than the model student in the instructional video. It wasn’t difficult to locate the ground but was hard to find Gordon. Gordon’s camera found me. We linked hands. I tried to say something sophomoric into the camera; syllables got blown away by the wind. We did a few spins. I was a bit disoriented. The view was wonderful. I had no urge for new-underwear-requiring activities.



I felt sudden rope burns developing. No need to look up. The chute opened—not nearly as exciting as free fall. There was nothing to do but relax and enjoy. Communication by air vibration was viable at this speed. Dave pointed out Red River and Oklahoma using his hairy right index finger.

After the soft landing, Dave praised my ability to lift legs. He was also pleased that I didn’t’ leak. I hadn’t had bars set so low for over 3 decades.

Every blade of grass smiled and welcomed me back on this sunny windy day. It was a fun ride.

Hotter n Hell 100. 8/28/2010

a bit small for a 10000-rider start


_Shopping
The consumer expo seemed bigger. Some venders overflowed outside of MPEC. Many good deals didn’t show up ‘til Saturday morning.

Chatted with Fulk from Dynamic Bike Fit. He failed to convinced me his studio would be the best direction for my $.

I scored
$9 sun glasses to replace some cracked ones
Maxx amber sunglasses to replace the one given to Duane at Goatneck
Team USA jersey I didn’t need but wasn’t able to resist $10 tag and the free cap
Gloves I used for Saturday ride.
For motorcycle:
Fancy LG compression long sleeve + tights at 70% off
Perl Izumi sun sleeves

_Carbo load
Ate spaghetti with strangers on the ice rink. A 102-mile newbie sought advice. The veterinarian advised her to focus on hydration; he shared his sensible rest stop strategy. She turned to me as I was nodding, “is that what you’re doing, too?” “I ain’t stopping.” She looked horrified and wasn’t convinced by my explanation “it won’t be that hot.” The vet asked a few quantitative questions; I shared my water loss rate, heart rate, bottle number, and other info from the 2009 ride. In response, he talked about a coworker who was Michael Jordon of the semen extraction world. “He would fly all over the world and do all kinda exotic animals.” The attractive newbie stopped eating her pasta as the professional explained the details of preserving endangered animals.

I hope she got enough carb for the Saturday ride.

_Course
It’s the same 102-mile course I tend to bonk around mile 80. Some road surfaces were rough; slight climbs were involved. The original plan was to domestique for Tom Baker, who couldn’t make it because of family and work obligations. I decided to make it an annual fitness test. Even pace; stop less; have fun. I carried 5 water bottles--enough to last 5 hours in this weather. I used the heavier clinchers instead of aero tubulars. I also added the heavy profile seat bottle holder.

_Accommodation
I stayed at Ann’s for the 2nd year. Her house was close enough to the official start I didn’t have to worry about Saturday parking. Ann treated us like guests and gave us morning food. I looked forward to the fresh-ground coffee the whole week.

It was great chatting with her after a post-ride shower instead of worrying about late check out.

_Unofficial start
I started my computer by pedaling and forgot to reset at the start line.

I got to the start 30 min early. My nose started to run standing in the wind. Some riders took off. I went with them. 17 mph was a good warm up speed. I eventually settled amongst Team Bulge.

The road was blocked 10 miles into the ride for the 100k racers where mosquitoes waited for us. Cat 1, cat 2, cat 3, cat 4. The racers seemed pretty relaxed. The last pack was the “official paced group” where each rider paid a fee for pacing and liquid from 2 support motorcycles.

_Mechanical
Somehow my chain came off during mosquito feeding. By the time I started rolling, I was trapped in a slow moving pack that jammed every little climb. “Johnny Chen!” Rick Breckenridge shouted from the lead pack slicing through the slow goers. I hopped on his group for a few minutes, enough to bridge me back to the Bulges. I resisted the temptation to stay with Rick.

_Tail wind
Mile 22. We caught the official pace group. I evaluated options:
1. stay in a pack of 50+ strangers going at erratic speed that’d lead to certain bonking
2. sit in a steady group parasitically to finish under 5 hours while inhaling motorcycle fume
I picked the fun option. I ran out of gears during couple decent. Everyone had a big smile on their faces going 30+ mph.

Next 70 miles went as planned: I stayed on the bike except a 90-sec pit stop. Reality set in as wind changes direction. I felt weak around mile 80 and struggled to stay in draft. The legs gave out at mile 92. I limped to mile-98 beer stop. It was good to see Rick in the shack; he also went too fast.
“It never gets easier, you just go faster.” --Greg LeMond

A beer and sausage later, I was able to enjoy the short ride back to town.

Distance: 103.4 miles
Avg speed: 19.1 mph

3rd bike

_Cool car
Decided to utilize my real estate after failing to sell the house in 2009. I planned to increase the vehicle : garage space ratio. I shopped for 2005/2006 Lotus Elise and other cool wheels and was turned off by their potential maintenance cost.

_Tree hugging
I became noncommittally environmentally conscious after reading _Farewell, My Subaru_. I considered going green and looked into hybrids and electric cars. For environment benefits, it felt hypocritical to acquire a 2nd car given my existing 4-cylinder TSX gets 32-mpg highway.

_Electric bike
Researching electric car led to electric bicycles. Assuming 500 combined watts, I could theoretically pedal to work at Lance Armstrong speed.

Finding a suitable electric bike was a frustrating experience. The law required preprogrammed shutoff--I was actually slower on electric bike than on my road bike. Defeating the firmware was not guaranteed and probably voids the warranty; cyclists reported unexpected rolling resistance beyond 26 mph. I didn’t like the idea of doubling current bike weight. The price tag was similar to a small motorcycle.

_Electric motorcycle
I ditched the idea as soon as I saw the cost of replacement Li-ion batteries.

_Kawasaki
I’d wanted a Ninja since high school. Timing seemed right. I had covered parking at home and at work. I’d fantasized about convertible since my California days. I wanted to get one before losing all my hair.

_Bridging the gap
The hassle of becoming street legal wasn’t horrible.
Completed a motorcycle course during 7/17/2010 weekend. It was typical Texas summer weather in a typical Dallas parking lot. Wished I thought of this during spring. I wrote it off as Badwater training.

Took the written test in DMV a few days later.

_Shopping
Checked out used bikes in local shops and on ebay. The first plan was to get a small, cheap, and droppable used bike for a few months to learn exactly what I want. Dave Guadiz, who went through midlife crisis decades ahead of schedule, warned me against small engines. Tim Denning convinced me 500+ cc’s were safer on highway. I learned a few months of ownership were likely to cost $1000.

Found a black Ninja ZX-6R at Town East Ford dealer through ebay. Advertised to have < 500 miles and look brand new. I went to the dealer and saw it was obviously dropped. How dumb did car sales people think bikers were?

I learned about a rebate for 2009 Ninja 650R. After 10 min of haggling with the 3rd Kawasaki dealer I contacted, I paid bike and helmet’s MSRP. The dealer absorbed taxes, fees, and 3 yrs of maintenance. This is the first time I walked out of a motor vehicle dealer without feeling taken. The upside of a down economy. The 2009 motorcycle was cheaper than my 2005 Quintana Roo Lucero.

I was a little insulted with the motorcycle insurance rate. Statically I belong to the demographics of predictably boring.

_Ownership
The lime green toy works as advertised. 47 mpg. Easy to park. 0 to 60 mph in no time. Tons of fun. I even enjoyed the apparel shopping.

Maybe I’ll take it to do something cool—like jumping out of an airplane.