5.24.2010
5.23.2010
Weekend Warriors
Occasionally you might hear Michelle or me complain about being busy every weekend. In fact we often overflow into the work week with house hunting, wedding planning, bike racing, and unfortunately work itself. Michelle absolutely loves relaxing and re-filling her batteries, but I'm the complete opposite and can't sit still for a minute. Even as I'm typing now the dog and the refrigerator are getting just as much attention. Attention would be the name of the game though this weekend as we had more than enough items that needed it.
The first item of business came early Saturday morning. Over the winter Michelle scored an amazing deal on a random craigslist find and upgraded her road bike for next to nothing. However, with poor weather and a focus on running she hasn't been able to ride it much. Well Saturday morning turned out to be warm and dry, and we set off for the Schuylkill River Trail. The trail was crowded, and I hate getting passed by triathletes, but an hour on the bike with my fiancee was worth it. After turning around to head back, I challenged Michelle to beat our time heading out. She beat the split by 5 minutes so I'll blame her for blur in this picture.
Next on the agenda was our first appointment with a venue. This is a big deal because we actually have to make decisions now and write things down. Of course we picked our favorite to see first and invited the parents along for the tour. I don't want to reveal too much of the venue though. Let's treat the next few photos as the theatrical trailer:
"I'm gonna be on the blog!"
Don't be too disappointed about not seeing much of the venue. I'm positive Michelle will be featuring more details as we go along. It pretty much blew us away though and was exactly what we've been looking for, but don't take my word for it.
Lunch was at Ironhill Brewery which is another local craft brewery/restaurant. I didn't take any pictures there mostly because I was busy slamming food in my face, but also because we were on a tight schedule with four houses to see in the afternoon. Michelle and I had seen one of the houses previously and arranged to see 2 others that are nearby for comparison. There wasn't much comparison though as these places were in considerable distress (blue carpet!).
The good news, however, is that all of our parents liked the first place, and it's incredibly affordable compared to other places we've seen recently. With a full day winding down, my parents hit the road, and we rushed back home to catch the hockey game. This picture isn't from Saturday's game but gives you a good idea of how it turned out.
Today was another full day, and Sammie made sure I was up early enough by jumping on my face and sandwiching himself next to Michelle. A couple weeks ago we came across a great DIY on Don't Burn the Garlic which explained how to make a Bucket Garden. We don't have a backyard at our apartment, but we do have a large balcony which gets plenty of sunshine.
After making a short list of the supplies we needed, I got Michelle moving and we headed out to Lowe's. The store was bustling even early in the morning as families (men sent out by their wives) picked up all kinds of garden essentials. It took us a little longer than planned to find all the items, but we eventually found everything and loaded it into the RAV4.
"Don't put the dirty side down!"
"But I have to get a pic for the blog!"
Since our trip to Lowe's took a little longer, I quickly got started on project #2 once we got home. I had coated these ribs in a pork rub earlier in the morning and just had to get the grill set up. Here it's set up for off-set cooking with water trays and hickory wood chips under the grate.
While I was sorting the grill out, Michelle and Sam got started drilling out some drainage holes for the buckets.
After the holes were drilled, she filled each bucket with about two inches of river rock to aid the water drainage. Only five minutes into the project the gardening gloves had become a good investment.
With the grill smoking and the buckets properly supervised, I started on another area that needed attention. CTC did some mean stuff to my legs, but it was even worse on the bike. On Friday I had the shifters adjusted, and today it was time to clean that drive-train. I picked up this de-greaser at BikeSport and it worked wonders.
The next part of the bucket involves a mixture of potting soil and manure. Remember those gardening gloves? She wasn't even going to get them until I suggested it.
For some reason the most confusing part of the whole project was the seeds. We weren't sure what would grow best in the buckets and our climate, so we just picked some of our favorite vegetables and hoped for the best.
I know he just wanted to be part of the project, but eating a bunch of fertilizer doesn't help anybody.
Despite off and on showers the grill kept going too. I wanted to pull the ribs and finish them in the oven, but Michelle encouraged me to quit being a wimp and cook the ribs like a man.
The showers eventually passed, and we finished all of our buckets. We should have full plants in about two months so stay tuned!
The ribs also finished cooking conveniently around dinner time. This was my first time doing ribs and I managed to get a nice smoke ring and finish them before mid-night. At six hours I mopped a layer of bbq sauce over them, and here they are ready to eat at seven hours.
It's been another busy weekend for sure, but I feel good thinking we got some things accomplished too. I was also happy to hear that people are enjoying the blog.
Thanks for reading!
The first item of business came early Saturday morning. Over the winter Michelle scored an amazing deal on a random craigslist find and upgraded her road bike for next to nothing. However, with poor weather and a focus on running she hasn't been able to ride it much. Well Saturday morning turned out to be warm and dry, and we set off for the Schuylkill River Trail. The trail was crowded, and I hate getting passed by triathletes, but an hour on the bike with my fiancee was worth it. After turning around to head back, I challenged Michelle to beat our time heading out. She beat the split by 5 minutes so I'll blame her for blur in this picture.
Next on the agenda was our first appointment with a venue. This is a big deal because we actually have to make decisions now and write things down. Of course we picked our favorite to see first and invited the parents along for the tour. I don't want to reveal too much of the venue though. Let's treat the next few photos as the theatrical trailer:
"I'm gonna be on the blog!"
Don't be too disappointed about not seeing much of the venue. I'm positive Michelle will be featuring more details as we go along. It pretty much blew us away though and was exactly what we've been looking for, but don't take my word for it.
Lunch was at Ironhill Brewery which is another local craft brewery/restaurant. I didn't take any pictures there mostly because I was busy slamming food in my face, but also because we were on a tight schedule with four houses to see in the afternoon. Michelle and I had seen one of the houses previously and arranged to see 2 others that are nearby for comparison. There wasn't much comparison though as these places were in considerable distress (blue carpet!).
The good news, however, is that all of our parents liked the first place, and it's incredibly affordable compared to other places we've seen recently. With a full day winding down, my parents hit the road, and we rushed back home to catch the hockey game. This picture isn't from Saturday's game but gives you a good idea of how it turned out.
Today was another full day, and Sammie made sure I was up early enough by jumping on my face and sandwiching himself next to Michelle. A couple weeks ago we came across a great DIY on Don't Burn the Garlic which explained how to make a Bucket Garden. We don't have a backyard at our apartment, but we do have a large balcony which gets plenty of sunshine.
After making a short list of the supplies we needed, I got Michelle moving and we headed out to Lowe's. The store was bustling even early in the morning as families (men sent out by their wives) picked up all kinds of garden essentials. It took us a little longer than planned to find all the items, but we eventually found everything and loaded it into the RAV4.
"Don't put the dirty side down!"
"But I have to get a pic for the blog!"
Since our trip to Lowe's took a little longer, I quickly got started on project #2 once we got home. I had coated these ribs in a pork rub earlier in the morning and just had to get the grill set up. Here it's set up for off-set cooking with water trays and hickory wood chips under the grate.
While I was sorting the grill out, Michelle and Sam got started drilling out some drainage holes for the buckets.
After the holes were drilled, she filled each bucket with about two inches of river rock to aid the water drainage. Only five minutes into the project the gardening gloves had become a good investment.
With the grill smoking and the buckets properly supervised, I started on another area that needed attention. CTC did some mean stuff to my legs, but it was even worse on the bike. On Friday I had the shifters adjusted, and today it was time to clean that drive-train. I picked up this de-greaser at BikeSport and it worked wonders.
The next part of the bucket involves a mixture of potting soil and manure. Remember those gardening gloves? She wasn't even going to get them until I suggested it.
For some reason the most confusing part of the whole project was the seeds. We weren't sure what would grow best in the buckets and our climate, so we just picked some of our favorite vegetables and hoped for the best.
I know he just wanted to be part of the project, but eating a bunch of fertilizer doesn't help anybody.
Despite off and on showers the grill kept going too. I wanted to pull the ribs and finish them in the oven, but Michelle encouraged me to quit being a wimp and cook the ribs like a man.
The showers eventually passed, and we finished all of our buckets. We should have full plants in about two months so stay tuned!
The ribs also finished cooking conveniently around dinner time. This was my first time doing ribs and I managed to get a nice smoke ring and finish them before mid-night. At six hours I mopped a layer of bbq sauce over them, and here they are ready to eat at seven hours.
It's been another busy weekend for sure, but I feel good thinking we got some things accomplished too. I was also happy to hear that people are enjoying the blog.
Thanks for reading!
5.21.2010
Honeydew List
Life always seems so busy and there's never enough time to get everything you plan accomplished, hence my 1 post (now 2) to Ben's 7. Then again, I do require a ridiculous amount of sleep.
I will excuse myself in advance as this post will be very scatterbrained. But hey, its a post.
Wedding planning is underway. No, we haven't picked a date yet or a season for that matter. For now, I am ecstatic when a sparkle (or five) from my left hand catches my eye and I melt back to April 3rd with thoughts of marrying my best friend.
We have our first venue appointment this Saturday at the Phoenixville Foundry. This place gave me the chills when I viewed the website. Our goal is to find a venue and set a date by the end of June. Ben thinks we can do it by the end of May.... My usual optimism isn't so optimistic. Ben is very if you like it then get it, whereas I am very thorough and weigh every option and over contemplate every detail. I am particularly frugal, especially when it comes to spending a large amount of money and weddings now-a-days are ridiculously expensive. I was talking to co-workers about what is a reasonable amount of money to spend on a wedding since the sky is really the limit for budgets. One co-worker said only do the things you really can't live without. My reply to that was the only thing I can't live without would be Ben, so the justice of peace would be in order. But, if you know me at all, a chance to design a day of my dreams and let our personalities shine is rather hard to pass up. We have a vision for a sophisticated simple day, which fits us perfectly. However, we thrive on design and we have an eye for detail straight down the the presentation of food.
I have come across many inspiring real wedding photos. It can easily become overwhelming, especially when you have a pile of planning aids like this:
Next on that list is to find a house. Yet another overwhelming process. We are scheduled to see 4 houses tomorrow. Luckily we will have the help, guidance, and expertise of each of our parents.
My dad; the home inspector: Checks the structure. Puts into perspective projects and the cost of them. Honest, but leaves the decision up to us.
My mom; the realist: Makes sure its not too far from her house. The closer the better.
Ben's dad; the comic relief: Furniture tester and giggle guru. Opinionated and helps tremendously.
Ben's mom; the interior designer: Checks the layout and ensures its feng shui. Can envision a space totally redesigned.
Final check box on the list, find a new job. I am not totally serious about this one, but would leave my options open. I continuously joke with Ben about how as soon as we get married I would make a wonderful stay at home mom! I have today off and its been great so far. We have this companion until Sunday when Heather and Ryan get back from Vegas. He's has gotten me up early, helped me clean, gotten me outside to enjoy the day, and is laying on my feet as I type. I may not want to give him back. I am sure we will have many more photos of him to post.
On the other hand, there are some things I would need to improve on before grabbing the title of housewife. One, get a greener thumb.
This weekend we are planning to make a bucket garden. This will be a challenge for all 10 of my fingers. I am hoping for the best.
Two, don't let your husband eat this. I often come home from work and don't feel like cooking let alone eating. This week that happened and Ben concocted this from the fridge: the nacho bowl.
Ingredients:
- brown rice
- taco seasoned ground beef and chicken
- potatoes
- hot sauce
- nacho taco cheese
and the utensil being Tostito scoops.
Until the next time....
5.19.2010
Kissing With Helmets
Bikes are quickly becoming the hottest wedding trend this year. Check out these lovebirds who will be spending their honeymoon riding across the country on matching bikes!
Kissing With Helmets
Kissing With Helmets
5.17.2010
Working for the weekend
The past two weekends have been pretty heavy, (weight has nothing to do with it) and both Michelle and I were overdue for some rest and/or relaxation. Michelle's dad has a place just outside of Rehobeth, Delaware, and it's the perfect impromptu getaway. We bolted out of work Friday like it was the last day of school and floored it all the way to the exit of the parking lot. Traffic is pretty much guaranteed on any Friday in the warmer months, and with Nascar in Delaware for the weekend it wasn't going to be any better. We made it though and only missed the first period of the Flyers game.
Before leaving work I strategically searched for places in Rehobeth that would be suitable to watch a game 7 playoff. I'm lucky one of my co-workers bar-tends down there as she quickly advised me that the first bar I called was strictly lesbian. We ended up finding a bar called Hammerheads and were relieved to find it not only open to boys and girls but also filled with Flyers fans.
Saturday morning came quickly and brought along plenty of sunshine. We quickly got dressed and headed over to the beach for some sand beneath the toes.
Michelle always says the sand here is better, but in my opinion there's no replacing the soft white sand of Ocean City, NJ. That is of course if there's any sand left in Ocean City.
We agreed ahead of time that the weekend would be completely up in the air with no plans or schedule. We were, however, sent to Delaware with one task.
Dogfish Head Brewery has grown tremendously over the past several years, and it also happens to be future brother-in-law Ryan's favorite brewery. The mission, should you choose to accept it: Refill Ryan's half-gallon growler with the finest ale in Delaware.
There are certainly enough beers to choose from, but with the limited release brews unavailable we chose my favorite, the 90 minute IPA.
Mission accomplished.
The beach area was also having a very large sidewalk sale where I snatched up this hat for summer. I'm not sure where the stupid grin came from though.
After lunch we headed back to the camper to get started on dinner. I had grand plans of smoking ribs for everyone, but we stayed at the beach too long and wouldn't have enough time to barbecue 'em proper. Plan B was to be apple wood smoked chicken. With Steve's (Michelle's dad) help I got the grill set up and the chicken smoking. I wish I would have documented it though because a few hours later it would become my best smoke since picking up the art from Georgia Todd.
In the meantime though, what's a weekend without some bicycling? Just make sure you kill all the spiders living in the bike before riding it.
After dinner Steve got the fire going, and it was time for some of nature's television.
I'll get this hoodie back some day. Maybe.
We're going to use this picture when I run for congress.
...and hide this one.
She didn't last long though as a day out in the sun always seems to drain you more than you would expect.
Steve and I enjoyed the fire for a bit longer, but by 10pm everyone was ready for bed.
Sunday morning was cooler and cloudier than expected. I didn't mind though as this gave me a chance to dive into a book I've been wanting to read for months.
"Shop Class as Soulcraft brings alive an experience that was once quite common, but now seems to be receding from society: making and fixing things. Those of us who sit in an office often feel a lack of connection to the material world and find it difficult to say exactly what we do all day. For anyone who felt hustled off to college, then to the cubicle, against their own inclinations and natural bents, Shop Class as Soulcraft seeks to restore the honor of the manual trades as a life worth choosing."
We hung out for a little while longer but ultimately decided to head home in order to catch the Flyers' opening game against Montreal. I took a bit of a gamble here as the Nascar race would be ending soon, and the thought of being stuck in that traffic circus was nightmarish. We made it past Dover Speedway just in time though as the grand stands were emptying and people were returning to their RVs. The sight of this crowd was pretty impressive to be honest. For over a mile approaching the racetrack there were endless fields of RVs camped for the weekend, each proudly displaying the flag of their racer. One of these days I'm going to drag Hocker out of his cave, put on my new cowboy hat, and experience a Nascar weekend up close and personal.
We made it home with the rest of the journey being fairly uneventful. With time to spare before the Flyers, Michelle suggested our favorite post-vacation restaurant. This may have been the most patriotic weekend I've ever had.
Before leaving work I strategically searched for places in Rehobeth that would be suitable to watch a game 7 playoff. I'm lucky one of my co-workers bar-tends down there as she quickly advised me that the first bar I called was strictly lesbian. We ended up finding a bar called Hammerheads and were relieved to find it not only open to boys and girls but also filled with Flyers fans.
Saturday morning came quickly and brought along plenty of sunshine. We quickly got dressed and headed over to the beach for some sand beneath the toes.
Michelle always says the sand here is better, but in my opinion there's no replacing the soft white sand of Ocean City, NJ. That is of course if there's any sand left in Ocean City.
We agreed ahead of time that the weekend would be completely up in the air with no plans or schedule. We were, however, sent to Delaware with one task.
Dogfish Head Brewery has grown tremendously over the past several years, and it also happens to be future brother-in-law Ryan's favorite brewery. The mission, should you choose to accept it: Refill Ryan's half-gallon growler with the finest ale in Delaware.
There are certainly enough beers to choose from, but with the limited release brews unavailable we chose my favorite, the 90 minute IPA.
Mission accomplished.
The beach area was also having a very large sidewalk sale where I snatched up this hat for summer. I'm not sure where the stupid grin came from though.
After lunch we headed back to the camper to get started on dinner. I had grand plans of smoking ribs for everyone, but we stayed at the beach too long and wouldn't have enough time to barbecue 'em proper. Plan B was to be apple wood smoked chicken. With Steve's (Michelle's dad) help I got the grill set up and the chicken smoking. I wish I would have documented it though because a few hours later it would become my best smoke since picking up the art from Georgia Todd.
In the meantime though, what's a weekend without some bicycling? Just make sure you kill all the spiders living in the bike before riding it.
After dinner Steve got the fire going, and it was time for some of nature's television.
I'll get this hoodie back some day. Maybe.
We're going to use this picture when I run for congress.
...and hide this one.
She didn't last long though as a day out in the sun always seems to drain you more than you would expect.
Steve and I enjoyed the fire for a bit longer, but by 10pm everyone was ready for bed.
Sunday morning was cooler and cloudier than expected. I didn't mind though as this gave me a chance to dive into a book I've been wanting to read for months.
"Shop Class as Soulcraft brings alive an experience that was once quite common, but now seems to be receding from society: making and fixing things. Those of us who sit in an office often feel a lack of connection to the material world and find it difficult to say exactly what we do all day. For anyone who felt hustled off to college, then to the cubicle, against their own inclinations and natural bents, Shop Class as Soulcraft seeks to restore the honor of the manual trades as a life worth choosing."
We hung out for a little while longer but ultimately decided to head home in order to catch the Flyers' opening game against Montreal. I took a bit of a gamble here as the Nascar race would be ending soon, and the thought of being stuck in that traffic circus was nightmarish. We made it past Dover Speedway just in time though as the grand stands were emptying and people were returning to their RVs. The sight of this crowd was pretty impressive to be honest. For over a mile approaching the racetrack there were endless fields of RVs camped for the weekend, each proudly displaying the flag of their racer. One of these days I'm going to drag Hocker out of his cave, put on my new cowboy hat, and experience a Nascar weekend up close and personal.
We made it home with the rest of the journey being fairly uneventful. With time to spare before the Flyers, Michelle suggested our favorite post-vacation restaurant. This may have been the most patriotic weekend I've ever had.
5.11.2010
Crush the Commonwealth
When Michelle and I came up with the idea for this blog we wanted to capture this segment of our lives while we planned and prepared for our wedding. I'm going to do my best to keep the non-wedding content to a minimum (at least on this site) over the coming months, but to be honest cycling is a pretty big part of my daily life and a very big part of why I want to marry Michelle.
On the surface I could tell you all about how supportive she is, and how she took up the sport just to spend more time with me. I could tell you about how she patiently waits to eat dinner a little bit later on nights that I train. I could even go on about how she canceled her weekend plans to drive halfway across the state to rescue Jamie and me (actually I will tell you about that one).
What I really want to share that most people don't know is that Michelle was my inspiration so many years ago to start living a healthier lifestyle. Michelle quickly became my best friend soon after we met, and even then I could tell how much she cared about my well being. I don't want to get into all the details of it, but it was her motivation and support that helped me turn everything around, and I can't thank her enough.
End mushy stuff, begin mashy stuff.
"Crush the Commonwealth - A 400 mile challenge to from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. Just you and your bike. No support, no spectators, no prizes."
I really don't know where the hell we got the urge for this and what Jamie was thinking when he suggested it half a year ago, but this past weekend my team and I competed in an annual race across Pennsylvania. Each year the race switches directions, and this year went from the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia to Point State Park in Pittsburgh. It was half of a joke for us over the winter. We'd tease each other about training for this nightmare and didn't really consider it seriously until last month. It was during the Fiesta party that we were finally able to sit down and commit to the race. We then promptly got up and took stupid pictures.
Fast forward to Thursday night, and I found myself running around like crazy trying to get everything ready for the 5am Friday start. I managed to finish up last minute equipment checks on the bike, packing a ridiculous amount of food, and assuring the fiancee I'd be ok all before 11pm and was quickly off to bed.
It's important here to note that she had good reason to be concerned. During my first 100 mile challenge last summer I didn't account for proper nutrition and lost a crippling 13lbs. It took months to recover the weight, and I wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. I now devote extra attention to what I eat and drink on the bike, and choose Hammer Perpetuem and GU Energy Gel to supply the bulk of my race calories.
Morning came way too fast, and before I knew it we were at Eric's apartment in Northern Liberties making our final preparations for the race.
The Liberty Bell was a short ride from Eric's, but even after starting the race there I still have never seen that actual bell. Unfortunately, I'm also a total wuss, and the first hour or so of the race is missing from my pictures because I was too cold to take my gloves off. It finally warmed up, and we had made it through the city, up the river trail, through Manayunk, down to Phoenixville, through rush hour, and out towards Lancaster.
You always know when you're riding through Lancaster as it seems like no matter when you get there they just put down fresh fertilizer. This was by far my favorite part of the race though since I really enjoy taking in the peaceful vibe of the PA Dutch countryside.
Farms, buggies, Amish, and horse poop came and went but soon we were in downtown Lancaster which is much different than I expected. It was here that we had our first mechanical problem, but by stroke of pure luck Eric managed to destroy his tire less than a block away from the coolest bike shop in Lancaster. This place was full of old cycling goodies and also the team that was previous in first place. They needed to replace an entire wheel so we quickly got Eric's new tire, bid them good luck, and took over the lead. (Dont worry, they passed us shortly after)
The morning was flying by, and I couldn't believe how good I was still feeling. A quick glance down confirmed it, and I was on track to beating my previous 100 mile time by nearly 3 hours!
The first 100 miles were done. I was happy, but then remembered we were only halfway done day 1. The best part about halfway done though was lunch. All day we had been planning on stopping at this small vegan burrito shop in York, PA. Burritos? Yeah I know, but the place was awesome and I fucking love burritos.
We spent a good deal of time enjoying our burritos too. I think a couple of other people must have passed us during lunch, but I didn't really care. We were clearly the hares in this tortoise race, and it was part of our strategy from the beginning. After lunch it was a slow rolling for a while, but once the food settled we were back on the grind.
This part of the day is pretty hazy (probably due to burrito coma) and I just remember riding through a bunch of really small towns and really long open roads. It wasn't long though before the mountains started to loom in the distance.
The BikeSport group I ride with on Tuesdays had warned me about these climbs, but I didn't think much of it then. I don't think much of them now either, but after riding 150 miles even the slightest grade was met with a fury of curse words.
We made it through the first section of hills without too much trouble and soon found ourselves in some one light town that I think the local called Arendsville. He was a riot and helped lift our spirits for the remaining climb into Chambersburg. When I asked another local though how far Chambersburg was his reply was "Over those mountains and a lot farther than you'd like".
We eventually made it to Chambersburg though. This was a special achievement for me too as for years my great friend and roommate, Hocker, had talked about this town like it was legend. It was a cute town, and I'd like to go back sometime to get the tour. Our original plan was to spend the night here and recharge, but with some good sunlight left and rain in the forecast for Saturday we made the executive decision to push on to Breezewood, another 50 miles that would see our speed, the temperature, our visibility, and our spirits drop severely.
Unfortunately, an early knee pain was now developing into much more serious pain for Jamie. The extra climbing we were seeing now was a bad mix for him, and it soon started to take it's toll on me too.
So back to that plan of ours. The whole idea behind this race is the absence of support. You really are on your own out there and have to plan accordingly. Our plan consisted of traveling as light and fast as possible while making use of modern amenities and facilities. This all changed once we decided to push on to Breezewood. As the sun set completely, riding became increasingly difficult. I always forget this, but out in the country it gets freaking dark. Like pitch black dark.
Navigating your fancy carbon race bike over gravel and potholes in the middle of nowhere sucks. As Michelle would later tell me, "Every time I talked to you you sounded great except for later in the night.." The fact of the matter is that I was hurting, and we were having trouble finding our way to the next point. It was getting late and cold, but we finally made it to the section of abandoned turnpike that would take us through two tunnels and under the remaining mountains.
This section was bitter sweet as I knew we were getting closer, but the road surface was nearly unridable. The state closed this section of road decades ago, and most of it has crumbled away into large holes and rocks.. not exactly what my skinny tires and butt were made for. It was also creepy as hell because here we were in the middle of nothing on a beat up stretch of road in pitch black and silence. The only sounds came occasionally from some rustling in the woods and the wind through the trees. It also didn't help that Jamie's wife Laura had warned us about zombie hobos living in the tunnels earlier.
That "easy" extra 50 miles took us a little over 4 hours and was probably the worst time I've ever spent on a bike, but we finally made it to Breezewood and capped off a 210 mile day with dinner at Sheetz. I should also mention that for the last 25 miles or so we were joined by Dan who we had met earlier in the day and caught up with us. He was a huge help in navigating, and Jamie and I both agreed he might be Eric's long lost brother.
Yes, Jamie ate a french fry sandwich.
No, he did not finish it.
Our oasis in the desert was the lovely Howard Johnson. It was only $54 for the night, and Dan joined us to make it a 4 way split. It might have been one of the crappiest hotels in town, but it was our overnight paradise and offered a hot shower, comfy bed (even with Eric hogging the sheets), and Sportscenter highlights of the Flyers overtime win to stay alive in the playoffs.
The next morning was rough. We awoke to a weather forecast predicting heavy winds, a drastic drop in temperature and the possibility of freezing rain/snow. Jamie was still in considerable pain and was even having trouble bending his leg. I had also tightened up overnight was feeling pretty shitty. I knew I had another 100 miles in me, but it was 200 miles to Pittsburgh and getting stuck out in the rain would have been bad news. Jamie and I reluctantly decided to withdraw from the race with Eric and Dan continuing on to Pittsburgh. We wished them good luck and called Michelle to come rescue us.
It would be another 3 hours before Michelle arrived, so we helped ourselves to breakfast! The dining area required us to cross parking lot and after the 25 yard walk we knew dropping out was the right decision.
Overall, I'm disappointed to not have made it all the way to Pittsburgh. On the other hand I'm pretty pleased to have ridden over 200 miles in a day, shattered my previous 100 mile time, and still be able to walk around and have lunch with my Mom on Mother's Day. It was a great weekend with the guys, and I look forward to our next challenge.
Data:
210 Miles ridden
14.75 hours on the bike
19 hours elapsed
1 flat tire
Avg speed before Chambersburg - 16 mph
Avg speed after Chambersburg - 11.3 mph
Max speed - 47.6 mph
5,725 calories ingested
zero weight lost!
On the surface I could tell you all about how supportive she is, and how she took up the sport just to spend more time with me. I could tell you about how she patiently waits to eat dinner a little bit later on nights that I train. I could even go on about how she canceled her weekend plans to drive halfway across the state to rescue Jamie and me (actually I will tell you about that one).
What I really want to share that most people don't know is that Michelle was my inspiration so many years ago to start living a healthier lifestyle. Michelle quickly became my best friend soon after we met, and even then I could tell how much she cared about my well being. I don't want to get into all the details of it, but it was her motivation and support that helped me turn everything around, and I can't thank her enough.
End mushy stuff, begin mashy stuff.
"Crush the Commonwealth - A 400 mile challenge to from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. Just you and your bike. No support, no spectators, no prizes."
I really don't know where the hell we got the urge for this and what Jamie was thinking when he suggested it half a year ago, but this past weekend my team and I competed in an annual race across Pennsylvania. Each year the race switches directions, and this year went from the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia to Point State Park in Pittsburgh. It was half of a joke for us over the winter. We'd tease each other about training for this nightmare and didn't really consider it seriously until last month. It was during the Fiesta party that we were finally able to sit down and commit to the race. We then promptly got up and took stupid pictures.
Fast forward to Thursday night, and I found myself running around like crazy trying to get everything ready for the 5am Friday start. I managed to finish up last minute equipment checks on the bike, packing a ridiculous amount of food, and assuring the fiancee I'd be ok all before 11pm and was quickly off to bed.
It's important here to note that she had good reason to be concerned. During my first 100 mile challenge last summer I didn't account for proper nutrition and lost a crippling 13lbs. It took months to recover the weight, and I wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. I now devote extra attention to what I eat and drink on the bike, and choose Hammer Perpetuem and GU Energy Gel to supply the bulk of my race calories.
Morning came way too fast, and before I knew it we were at Eric's apartment in Northern Liberties making our final preparations for the race.
The Liberty Bell was a short ride from Eric's, but even after starting the race there I still have never seen that actual bell. Unfortunately, I'm also a total wuss, and the first hour or so of the race is missing from my pictures because I was too cold to take my gloves off. It finally warmed up, and we had made it through the city, up the river trail, through Manayunk, down to Phoenixville, through rush hour, and out towards Lancaster.
You always know when you're riding through Lancaster as it seems like no matter when you get there they just put down fresh fertilizer. This was by far my favorite part of the race though since I really enjoy taking in the peaceful vibe of the PA Dutch countryside.
Farms, buggies, Amish, and horse poop came and went but soon we were in downtown Lancaster which is much different than I expected. It was here that we had our first mechanical problem, but by stroke of pure luck Eric managed to destroy his tire less than a block away from the coolest bike shop in Lancaster. This place was full of old cycling goodies and also the team that was previous in first place. They needed to replace an entire wheel so we quickly got Eric's new tire, bid them good luck, and took over the lead. (Dont worry, they passed us shortly after)
The morning was flying by, and I couldn't believe how good I was still feeling. A quick glance down confirmed it, and I was on track to beating my previous 100 mile time by nearly 3 hours!
The first 100 miles were done. I was happy, but then remembered we were only halfway done day 1. The best part about halfway done though was lunch. All day we had been planning on stopping at this small vegan burrito shop in York, PA. Burritos? Yeah I know, but the place was awesome and I fucking love burritos.
We spent a good deal of time enjoying our burritos too. I think a couple of other people must have passed us during lunch, but I didn't really care. We were clearly the hares in this tortoise race, and it was part of our strategy from the beginning. After lunch it was a slow rolling for a while, but once the food settled we were back on the grind.
This part of the day is pretty hazy (probably due to burrito coma) and I just remember riding through a bunch of really small towns and really long open roads. It wasn't long though before the mountains started to loom in the distance.
The BikeSport group I ride with on Tuesdays had warned me about these climbs, but I didn't think much of it then. I don't think much of them now either, but after riding 150 miles even the slightest grade was met with a fury of curse words.
We made it through the first section of hills without too much trouble and soon found ourselves in some one light town that I think the local called Arendsville. He was a riot and helped lift our spirits for the remaining climb into Chambersburg. When I asked another local though how far Chambersburg was his reply was "Over those mountains and a lot farther than you'd like".
We eventually made it to Chambersburg though. This was a special achievement for me too as for years my great friend and roommate, Hocker, had talked about this town like it was legend. It was a cute town, and I'd like to go back sometime to get the tour. Our original plan was to spend the night here and recharge, but with some good sunlight left and rain in the forecast for Saturday we made the executive decision to push on to Breezewood, another 50 miles that would see our speed, the temperature, our visibility, and our spirits drop severely.
Unfortunately, an early knee pain was now developing into much more serious pain for Jamie. The extra climbing we were seeing now was a bad mix for him, and it soon started to take it's toll on me too.
So back to that plan of ours. The whole idea behind this race is the absence of support. You really are on your own out there and have to plan accordingly. Our plan consisted of traveling as light and fast as possible while making use of modern amenities and facilities. This all changed once we decided to push on to Breezewood. As the sun set completely, riding became increasingly difficult. I always forget this, but out in the country it gets freaking dark. Like pitch black dark.
Navigating your fancy carbon race bike over gravel and potholes in the middle of nowhere sucks. As Michelle would later tell me, "Every time I talked to you you sounded great except for later in the night.." The fact of the matter is that I was hurting, and we were having trouble finding our way to the next point. It was getting late and cold, but we finally made it to the section of abandoned turnpike that would take us through two tunnels and under the remaining mountains.
This section was bitter sweet as I knew we were getting closer, but the road surface was nearly unridable. The state closed this section of road decades ago, and most of it has crumbled away into large holes and rocks.. not exactly what my skinny tires and butt were made for. It was also creepy as hell because here we were in the middle of nothing on a beat up stretch of road in pitch black and silence. The only sounds came occasionally from some rustling in the woods and the wind through the trees. It also didn't help that Jamie's wife Laura had warned us about zombie hobos living in the tunnels earlier.
That "easy" extra 50 miles took us a little over 4 hours and was probably the worst time I've ever spent on a bike, but we finally made it to Breezewood and capped off a 210 mile day with dinner at Sheetz. I should also mention that for the last 25 miles or so we were joined by Dan who we had met earlier in the day and caught up with us. He was a huge help in navigating, and Jamie and I both agreed he might be Eric's long lost brother.
Yes, Jamie ate a french fry sandwich.
No, he did not finish it.
Our oasis in the desert was the lovely Howard Johnson. It was only $54 for the night, and Dan joined us to make it a 4 way split. It might have been one of the crappiest hotels in town, but it was our overnight paradise and offered a hot shower, comfy bed (even with Eric hogging the sheets), and Sportscenter highlights of the Flyers overtime win to stay alive in the playoffs.
The next morning was rough. We awoke to a weather forecast predicting heavy winds, a drastic drop in temperature and the possibility of freezing rain/snow. Jamie was still in considerable pain and was even having trouble bending his leg. I had also tightened up overnight was feeling pretty shitty. I knew I had another 100 miles in me, but it was 200 miles to Pittsburgh and getting stuck out in the rain would have been bad news. Jamie and I reluctantly decided to withdraw from the race with Eric and Dan continuing on to Pittsburgh. We wished them good luck and called Michelle to come rescue us.
It would be another 3 hours before Michelle arrived, so we helped ourselves to breakfast! The dining area required us to cross parking lot and after the 25 yard walk we knew dropping out was the right decision.
Overall, I'm disappointed to not have made it all the way to Pittsburgh. On the other hand I'm pretty pleased to have ridden over 200 miles in a day, shattered my previous 100 mile time, and still be able to walk around and have lunch with my Mom on Mother's Day. It was a great weekend with the guys, and I look forward to our next challenge.
Data:
210 Miles ridden
14.75 hours on the bike
19 hours elapsed
1 flat tire
Avg speed before Chambersburg - 16 mph
Avg speed after Chambersburg - 11.3 mph
Max speed - 47.6 mph
5,725 calories ingested
zero weight lost!
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