Weekend Update (without Seth Myers)

Busy weekend so lets get right to it:

Friday: Pulled Jake from school late and had his first physical therapy appointment. The crew at Bolivar Physical Therapy are great and we are looking forward to Jake's quick (hopefully) road to recovery. After work Ian was picked up to spend the night with a friend so Deb and I hopped on the tandem for a great ride around the back roads of Bolivar for a little over an hour. Now when I say we hopped on the tandem by no means does that say I towed us around; no way! That little girl of mine is the true essence of a stoker; she cranks it just as hard as I. Sometimes I'll ask her a question and I'll hear "wait... to the... top... of this... and... I'll answer...". Perfect weather and perfect girl; I loved it.

After our ride we changed up super quick and headed to SPR to pick up her new bedroom furniture. Jake had a busy week so he declined a meal out and opted for some down-time at the house - he needs that from time to time and I totally understand his need for decompression. We got to the store just as they were closing, but was able to grab what pieces they had available (still waiting on a stand up dresser). Afterwards we got a Chicago style pie at Old Chicago, which was pretty darn good. Got home around 10pm and then the work began. Jake, Deb, and I heaved all the pieces into the house and began setting it all up. A little after midnight we snugged into our new room (at least part of it is new). Deb did a great job picking out the right set for us. So for Friday I was 3 for 3 (let's review: perfect ride, perfect girl, and perfect furniture).

Saturday: Ian was dropped back off early, but we all got to sleep in until 8am (felt great!). I met up with Dale and Jake's XC coach (along with his wife and a friend) and we hit Sac River for a little mtb'ing. They are not avid cyclist (but all three were outstanding runners at SMS back in the day), but I was really impressed with their fitness and abilities. Dale and I took it pretty easy to make sure the group stayed together and it gave us a chance to catch up a little. Dale has been pretty busy traveling with work and I miss his company on rides and just talking cycling and life. It was a bit muddy (but isn't Sac always that way) and we ended up riding for a little over 2hrs. It was a great way to spin my legs in preparation for Sunday's mtb race. Got back home a little after noon.

Deb and I headed to Wally World for garden veggies, flowering bushes for shrub bed accents, and groceries. Stopped by my bro's casa to see my beautiful niece (with date and some other couples) before they headed off to prom. She probably has no idea about this, but I think Ashton is awesome. She is so cute, super smart, fun personality, and more than that she loves God and is gorgeous on the inside; she is her own confident person and I'm a fan. *Note - that is not Ashton and 'her date' in the pic; just her proud pappa

Got home and put in all of garden (with the help of Ian - the self-professing original jolly green giant) before the rains came in. We are going to have a great garden this year (I can taste those tomatoes now)! Got my gear together and lubed up the bike for Sunday's race.

Got some quick dinner in me and headed out to play a little poker with the crew. Nine showed up and as usual I was close (2nd for the 2nd time in a row), but no cigar (not that we are smoking, it's just a figure of speech, mom). Got home a little before 11pm and snugged into bed. Turns out Jake slept over at a friends house; I never know who is at or missing from my home on a weekend night.

Sunday: Got a great night's sleep and woke at 7:30. Got some breakfast and coffee in me and turned on Amstel Gold. I was banking on Cunego (and Lampre), but thought Kroon (that right Scott, I know I gave you Damino, but ask Dale, I referenced Karstin as a possible top three) might pull it off. I haven't heard the extend of F. Schleck and Matthew Loyd's injuries, but they did not look good on the side of the road after the big crash. I could only watch until 30k left when I had to head off to Neosho for round 3 of the Midwest Fat Tire Series. It rained all night and all morning and I was looking for a good excuse not to race, but I had great legs all week and didn't want to not reward them for all the training over the past fourteen days. So here I am driving alone (Ira had bike issues and Scott had a sniffle, ok so maybe it was more than that; it's hard to tell with these fragile Cat 1's) in the pouring rain to suffer for a couple hours in the mud. As I am pulling into Neosho the rain stops and turns out it did not return. Pretty cool to catch up with some of the SPR (in case you haven't caught on SPR = Springfield, MO) and STL mtb crew as it had been some time since I last saw some of them. The various field sizes were more than what I expected, but not real big. I saw several of the marathoners coming through before we started and they were covered head to toe in mud (not the clayish type, but good ol' fashioned get dirty and drain off of you type). We toed the line and I dropped into 2nd as we hit the single track. I stayed behind a guy (turned out to be 2nd place) for just a quick bit, checked behind to see we had a decent gap, and then at the first opportunity I surged past and put in a solid 5 minute effort (without looking back) before settling into a good tempo. Turns out my effort extended me to a sizable lead as I never saw my field again. I quickly started picking up the younger classes and by the end had caught a handful of the experts. I knew early I was on a good day and I wanted to make the most of it. The course was super fun with 95% single track and the other double track, not any climbing to speak of, and flowing/sweeping turns you could really ride the rails. It was all wet and only muddy for about 20% of the race, but that part was slop and completely coated everything. The bike ran great and I ended up winning my class (sport 40-49) and I think had the fastest time of all sport classes. I collected my 1st place cowbell (super loud - perfect) and some swag and headed home. Next race is Castlewood (STL) in two weeks. ***The S-Works shoes are INCREDIBLE!***

Got home and guess what, Ian was shooting hoops outside (if you haven't figured this out that is a staple in his day; he does it on his own and Deb and I have to pull him away most times). We grabbed some dinner, I caught the recorded end of Amstel Gold (average race - Ivanov was a sort of surprise), and then headed up to SBU. Deb worked cardio, Jake got a workout on a stationary bike (part of rehab), and Ian and I went to the volleyball court... NOT! Back to the hardwood for some games of PIG (shorter version of HORSE) and 1-on-1. Everyone finished, got back to the house, showered up, and that is where I am at right now (Ian snugged in bed after goodnight tucks, Jake icing his leg, Deb hitting a book, and I doing this). We are getting ready to watch a little Amazing Race and then it is to bed.

I know you are asking for it so here is this week's 'Ian on Film':




*Note* - That was a new net on the goal not too long ago; the kid simply wears those things out! ...and yes, Crocs are the official shoe of the IOBA (Ian Outdoor Basketball Association).

As I type this all in it appears we had a busy weekend, but it doesn't really feel that way now (or anytime during it). As repeated several times above everything was PERFECT - what a freaking blessed life I am part of (I know I shouldn't end a sentence with 'of', but it just seemed perfect).