Tuesday, August 21, 2007

counting down

So we're having a baby in 8 days. Wow.
After many months of training and getting our gear prepped we are ready.
Car seat, crib, diapers, wipes, bottles, tubulars glued on the stroller stroller, etc, etc....all done. We can't wait to meet him next Wednesday.

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He's in there and running out of room. When he stretches or moves around you can see the belly poke out. Cool.

Since I'll be a bit busy for a while I've been working hard to get ready in advance for whatever my season ends up being. Last night the workshop was filled with the scent of Mastik One as I got the first layer of glue on a couple of sets of wheels. More gluing tonight and I think I'll open a window this time.

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I've also been doing an early morning group ride that hits some prime Ellicott City hills with vigor. I can get more quality intervals with a small group than I can when riding alone. Plus, closing gaps and taking fast pulls should help out with some speed work that I don't necessarily get when I'm out on the mountain bike. Doing a fast ride at dawn is a harsh way to wake up, but it's always good to deposit some suffering in the memory bank before the season starts.

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Doing most of my riding in the early morning gives me more family time. This is an amazing time in terms of language development. Thor is pretty fired up that he can communicate effectively. Before he would get frustrated if he couldn't get his point across. Now he can put together some pretty interesting sentences and convey what is on his mind. Last night at Frisco Burrito he made sure the kitchen could hear his request (demand) for "CHIPS! GUAC! BLACK BEANS!" over and over. Frisco has good food and a killer beer list. Check out the list here.

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He's getting pretty handy to have around. Now I can sit back and drink a beer while he mows the lawn.

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On to the other countdown. We're only 33 days from Charm City 'Cross. This is our third year and I think we're getting the hang of putting on a high quality race. This year's event will be the best yet.

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Last year fatmarc was a worthy adverary. Now he's now a teammate...as is E-Town. We have some guys that are going to rock the B races and I don't know if anyone will be having more fun. I'm really excited about our team this year.

5 comments:

Chris Mayhew said...

Good luck dude! I didn't realize we were within a day of each other. Well, our wives, I should say.

Man, I will miss Charm City. That is quite the B team you guys have this year. Wow.

Chris said...

You too. I guess we could have timed things better, but that's not the way it really works. 8-)

I hope you still get some racing in. You crushed it last season, getting better every week.

John said...

Congrats indeed to both you and Mayhew on the kids.

Are you, Fatmarc, and Etown all on C3 or a different team?

Chris said...

C3

Plus, Zayne Braun in the Elites.

Back in black!

Chris Mayhew said...

Yeah, well, break your collarbone in July and forfeit $300 you put down on Mt. Washington. That'll give you plenty of motivation to race thru a 'cross season!

You guys clearly had more fitness than I did (witness every MAnBRA race) I was just more motivated.

Good luck to you. Man, that's a powerhouse team.