Looking Forward

So... riding has slowed down a little bit now. Fall's been good so far, but I know before I even realize it, there'll be snow on the ground and I'll be stuck in the gym or on a trainer. It's been a good season. Mountain biking was a ton of fun, and so were the races that I've competed in. Oh, on that note, I did fairly well in my duathlon. I finished the whole thing in 1:06:47; 2 mi run, 10.4 mi bike, 5k run. I placed something like 8th overall and 2nd in my age group, 20-24. I was a little upset by that, since I was the only one from the team that didn't medal. Even though I got better times than them. Damn my age and possession of a certain appendage, hahaha!

The guy who beat me was an old alumnus from the team and a very cool guy, but I certainly have a competitive streak in me. For my first duathlon, however, I'm still very pleased, and the overall experience was way fun. Sadly, the season is sort of winding down. I probably won't race again until the season starts up again in the spring, but I will have a lot of fun training in the meantime! I've got only fun things to look forward to in the future, which brings me to the meat of this post. I've been looking into some cool projects and rides for when the weather turns appropriate again. Most of them are either runs or long rides/races. Some of them are job possibilities.

I guess we'll start with the run. I've been cooling my heels a bit and keeping myself in general shape by doing a couple 5k and 10k races. They're fun, they don't require a whole lot of training. Really, they don't require any at the moment. And of course, they feed you and typically give you a tshirt when you register. And I am nothing if not about food and clothes. Still, I've had my eye on a few longer races in the spring. One of them is the Shamrock Sportsfest Half Marathon. A year back, I posted a bit about my training for their 10k race with my friend Jamie. This year, I plan on upgrading. Shamrock was awesome last year, and I suspect that free beer and music will be even sweeter after running seven more miles than last year. I've got a few friends who're going to run with me, and the more the merrier. If you're interested in coming along, check out their link: http://www.shamrockmarathon.com/site3.aspx

I'm also planning on doing some longer tours/rides in the near future and also near the start of summer. Yesterday I registered for the Chris Webber Memorial Ride, which takes place from Dec. 28th to Jan. 2nd on the coast of Florida. It's run by Bike and Build and is entering its second year of existence. I'm told that spots are extremely difficult to come by, and given out based on a lottery system. Hopefully I'll be able to get in, because I can't think of very many things I'd rather do during the cold cold winter than bike around sunny florida! If not, I'll have saved myself three hundred and fifty dollars for the registration fee, plus whatever I'd be paying for gas to get down there.

But what I'm really, really excited for is DEATH RIDE 2009!!!! I just started researching it today, after reading an article about the ride in a pilfered outdoor rec. magazine from our school of integrated science and technologies (ISAT). I'm so glad that I stole it, because this ride looks sweet. Set in the aptly named "California Alps", this race takes you up and down five passes over 129 miles and over 15,000 feet of climbing. I wonder why they call it Death Ride? Definitely check out their website: http://www.deathride.com/index.html It looks like the stickers and jersies alone are enough reason to do this ride.

On the employment end of the spectrum, I've decided to explore working for a number of outdoor adventure and recreation programs over the summer, as well as look into getting hired by a touring company. All of them are lofty goals, to be sure, but everyone also says "do what you love". And I know what I love. So far I've looked at Outward Bound, and will be talking with the brother of a friend who worked for their school in Moab, Utah. I've also explored a few cycling companies centered around the eastern seaboard and in the northwest. It's all very exciting!

So that's it for the housekeeping. Hope all is well in everyone's worlds, and of course that you're all spending some time on your bikes! Peace out, hombres!