Just a quick update on the 2014 season for the notebook...
Road
I'm calling the road season a success in my book. After having not done an honest crit since my accident at Elk Grove almost four years ago, I was able to hop back in comfortably and finish in the 10-15 range a handful of times (Great Dane 10th, Galena TT 10th, Lincoln Park 13th, Elgin 13th, Monsters 17th). I had a better than expected time and I think I'll stick to the same plan next year: Do the local crits, help teammates achieve their goals, try to do what you can to place well, and build form for track season. I'm closing up the road season after Galena to focus on Track and try to save what energy I'll have for Cross season.
Track
The track season started off really slowly, but has certainly taken off in the last few weeks. I seem to be consistently figuring out how to place 4th or 5th which isn't bad given the level of talent out there. My primary goal for the year was to win a State Championship and on a positive note, Nikos and I were able to take the W in the first Madison of the year hopefully setting up what could be a really nice run at the Madison State title in September. Also, I was able to trade pulls with former US Pro Crit Champion Rahsaan Bahati for a dozen laps or so in the 10 Mile Record race, which was pretty darn cool. I'm enjoying the season so far and just need to continue to figure out how to turn those 4th's and 5th's into W's, but that of course, is what everyone's trying to figure out. Some big races are coming up in the next few weeks including the 100 Lap Points race which I was able to place 5th in last year. Currently sitting in 4th in the P/1/2 ROY standings, definitely looking forward to challenge the rest of the season brings.
Cross
I love track and I really enjoy road, but its June and all I can think about is Cross. That's not good. I suppose I'll catagorize my March Barry-Roubaix AG win in this catagory. I have to figure out for if I want to go after a big result in the 62 mile next year...or...just enjoy doing a tune-up race and drinking a beer afterwards without feeling devastated...hmm...
Oh and Katie has been on fire so far. She won the Elgin 4's, is leading the ROY standings in the 4's at track, has completed a bunch of other races, and is having fun doing it and meeting everyone along the way. She had a little spill at Galena, but is recovering really well and she's hoping to get back out there soon!
Monday, June 23, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
A Nice Winter Run
Ran by the Bobby Cann site this morning, decided to stop and read the poem. It was beautiful.
...
As I woke up this morning, I could feel the sun beating down through the window and the welcoming sound of birds chirping which was a strange but nice gift in February. I could have been convinced that it was a Saturday morning in May but as I checked the weather I was reminded that it was currently 4 degrees with a -3 windchill.
Since it was a little later in the morning, I decided that since I didn't have enough time to spin, but wanted a good workout, I'd run into work, something I usually don't do. Generally, I'm used to people thinking I'm crazy for commuting by bike at all, let alone in the winter, so having people judge you and thinking you're crazy for running in these conditions just sort of rubs off anyways.
It felt great to get out there and run. I played my usual mind trick, convincing my mind into thinking it was just a chilly spring morning and eventually my body convinces itself as well as its warms up from the exercise. Usually in the winter I'm riding by too quickly and too focused to take much in, but it was nice to slowly run by all the rows of buildings that bring the city to life in summer. There were long patches of iced over snow where footprints had been frozen into place. The detail of which the sunlight sparked off them as if they were glass and the carefree nature of running through them in frozen temperatures on your way to a fairly lifeless job...it's at times these fleeting moments that make you feel like your alive.
The high comfort of routine and living a blended-in life suffocates so many people's life experience. To simply wake up, work, watch a sitcom, and go to sleep - rinse, lather, repeat - has to be a major regret in so many people's lives if they are truly aware of their existence. And there's no way I'm not guilty of this as well at times as the challenge of waking up to seize the day, but with a focus on a sustainable future, is at times a tough line to walk. But it's something to always work towards. Adventure is a life requirement.
As I ran by the Bobby Cann site that I often ride by, I finally got the chance to stop and take it in. He was struck on a route that I and thousands of other cyclists have taken home hundreds of times and I think as a Chicago commuter, there's something that we all share, some sort of bond that connects us all. We all see the ghost bikes around town and understand the risks probably moreso than a driver understands the risk they face each time they jump in a car or a pedestrian as they walk through the city. I didn't know Bobby, but I certainly remember the news breaking hitting home. I remember having a track race a day or two after it happened and dedicating the win I had that night to him to myself once I crossed the finish line. There's not a time that goes by that I don't cross that site on a bike and think about it.
I read the poem about him posted at the site, clearly from someone that loved him dearly. It was beautiful.
Anyone who's gone through a Chicago winter can understand how long it is, how down you can get, and how easy it is to let optimism give way to pessimism and lock yourself into a depressing routine. This was the perfect reminder. Cliche or not, life is short. To not take advantage of everything it has to offer is a crime on the greatest gift of all. I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes from the Greek poet Pindar, "Life is but a shadow's dream". Not just 'To be' but to experience...to have adventure, to truly take advantage of the infinitely impossible stroke of luck that brought us into existence, is what it means to live.
This was my reminder.
I can't wait for the upcoming season, I can't wait for the spring, I can't wait to live in the best place on Earth in the summer.
But until then, I'm going to have an adventure.
I'm glad I ran in this morning, thanks Bobby.
...
As I woke up this morning, I could feel the sun beating down through the window and the welcoming sound of birds chirping which was a strange but nice gift in February. I could have been convinced that it was a Saturday morning in May but as I checked the weather I was reminded that it was currently 4 degrees with a -3 windchill.
Since it was a little later in the morning, I decided that since I didn't have enough time to spin, but wanted a good workout, I'd run into work, something I usually don't do. Generally, I'm used to people thinking I'm crazy for commuting by bike at all, let alone in the winter, so having people judge you and thinking you're crazy for running in these conditions just sort of rubs off anyways.
It felt great to get out there and run. I played my usual mind trick, convincing my mind into thinking it was just a chilly spring morning and eventually my body convinces itself as well as its warms up from the exercise. Usually in the winter I'm riding by too quickly and too focused to take much in, but it was nice to slowly run by all the rows of buildings that bring the city to life in summer. There were long patches of iced over snow where footprints had been frozen into place. The detail of which the sunlight sparked off them as if they were glass and the carefree nature of running through them in frozen temperatures on your way to a fairly lifeless job...it's at times these fleeting moments that make you feel like your alive.
The high comfort of routine and living a blended-in life suffocates so many people's life experience. To simply wake up, work, watch a sitcom, and go to sleep - rinse, lather, repeat - has to be a major regret in so many people's lives if they are truly aware of their existence. And there's no way I'm not guilty of this as well at times as the challenge of waking up to seize the day, but with a focus on a sustainable future, is at times a tough line to walk. But it's something to always work towards. Adventure is a life requirement.
As I ran by the Bobby Cann site that I often ride by, I finally got the chance to stop and take it in. He was struck on a route that I and thousands of other cyclists have taken home hundreds of times and I think as a Chicago commuter, there's something that we all share, some sort of bond that connects us all. We all see the ghost bikes around town and understand the risks probably moreso than a driver understands the risk they face each time they jump in a car or a pedestrian as they walk through the city. I didn't know Bobby, but I certainly remember the news breaking hitting home. I remember having a track race a day or two after it happened and dedicating the win I had that night to him to myself once I crossed the finish line. There's not a time that goes by that I don't cross that site on a bike and think about it.
I read the poem about him posted at the site, clearly from someone that loved him dearly. It was beautiful.
Anyone who's gone through a Chicago winter can understand how long it is, how down you can get, and how easy it is to let optimism give way to pessimism and lock yourself into a depressing routine. This was the perfect reminder. Cliche or not, life is short. To not take advantage of everything it has to offer is a crime on the greatest gift of all. I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes from the Greek poet Pindar, "Life is but a shadow's dream". Not just 'To be' but to experience...to have adventure, to truly take advantage of the infinitely impossible stroke of luck that brought us into existence, is what it means to live.
This was my reminder.
I can't wait for the upcoming season, I can't wait for the spring, I can't wait to live in the best place on Earth in the summer.
But until then, I'm going to have an adventure.
I'm glad I ran in this morning, thanks Bobby.
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