Thursday, December 31, 2009

The SPS Trifecta!

Well I may have bitten off more than I can chew, but I am going to give it a shot.
6 weeks to achieve the following:
100 push-ups http://www.hundredpushups.com/
200 squats http://www.twohundredsquats.com/
200 sit-ups http://www.twohundredsitups.com/

Starting tomorrow (January 1, 2010) I'll take the initial test for each of these and then I'll do the first work-out on Sunday. That is if I'm not too sore from the initial test!

There are ten of us signed up so far, you can see all of our progress here:

Trifecta Spreadsheet

I am going to work specifically on goal setting this year in all aspects of my life. Discipline has been something I have struggled with for a long time, so this blog was a goal for writing and the SPS Trifecta is my first exercise goal!

Wish me luck, even better JOIN ME!

P.s. as a bonus (when it begins):
25 pull-ups http://www.twentyfivepullups.com/

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Dog Grab Jacket

Duluth Trading Company - 
These folks have some nice stuff, often more expensive than I am willing to spend. But when I started shopping for a coat for my dog (yes, my dog - she has short hair and gets cold in the snow) I couldn't find any at the local retailers I liked in a price range I found reasonable.

Duluth Trading Company Dog Grab Jacket


Via: http://www.duluthtrading.com/services/image.aspx?path=/media/images/products/96085_HTG.jpg&width=312&height=312


This coat comes in 3 sizes and is currently only available in 2 colors (Hunter green and Navy blue.)  When we bought ours it was also available in Red (which is the color we bought.) The coat is made of "weather resistant Supplex nylon shell and toasty fleece lining."  In the snow it stays dry and warm and in the rain it sheds nearly any level of precipitation except a hearty down pour, and even then the fleece keeps the dog warm despite being damp.

We were looking for a coat to keep the dog warm and dry, but also visible. We live in a rural area where there is hunting on some adjacent properties. Our dog is light brown to tan in color and during deer hunting season we are often concerned about her being outside and wandering off. So we wanted a bright color for her to be able to wear to help differentiate her from a deer for the less "experienced" hunters. With this in mind the red seemed the best choice. I would have liked to have seen an orange or a "safety" yellow-green. But I suppose these are not "fashionable" enough. Oh well.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Team Garmin-Transitions Announces 2010 Roster Christian Vande Velde, Dan Martin and David Zabriskie Extend Contracts (press release)

Team Garmin-Transitions Announces 2010 Roster Christian Vande Velde, Dan Martin and David Zabriskie Extend Contracts (press release)

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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Favorite Gear of 2009

Well I have been inspired by a few of the other blogs I follow to post a "Favorite Gear" post. So here goes:

1. Marmot Scree Softshell pant.




Now I bought these at the LLBean outlet store in Fayetteville NY for way less than I am willing to admit. They have become my "go to" pant for just about any activity except cycling (but I did try them for that too.) Whether it's a xc ski in the woods, a walk with the dog, or cutting wood for the wood pile; these pants fit the bill.

2. S.O.G. paratool












My favorite multitool for quite a few years. Very cool in that you can change the head angle of the pliers.

3. G3 Targa X Mountain Telemark bindings

 










These have been on my skiis for a few years, I still love 'em!

4. My shades are by Rudy Project - Skeey ...no longer mfg. :'(



















I bought these a while back when we lived in Winter Park CO. I needed a set of shades that had a prescription insert and I wanted interchangeable lenses. I am also a little partial to the Euro trash look when skiing and cycling :)

5. Vasque Velocity trail running shoes













These are a classic. I can't run worth a damn but I sure do love these shoes!

6 Laken metal water bottle













My wife got everyone replacement water bottles last Christmas after the whole plastic water bottle scare hit the news. I have carried this to work every day for the last year, with little wear to show for it. Nice reasonably priced bottle, excellent durability in this gray/black marbled finish.

Thanks for reading. That's all for now. I may post more later as the mood strikes me or I realize I've missed something significant.

New boots

Well,I was a bad boy and bought my self a Christmas gift (yeah another one :p)

I got them in the mail the day before yesterday and have been wearing them continuously ever since:
sierratradingpost.com Keen - San Antonio Boots



They are super comfy, and while I often struggle with buying footwear on the net, I haven't found a Keen that I don't like in my size!  I have been looking for a boot to wear to work that doesn't look too much like a hiking boot, but also isn;t so dressy as to be useless in the central NY snowy winter. I found what I needed!

Thanks STP for the great deal to "boot!"

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

What to Buy a Cyclist for Christmas: Last-Minute Stocking Stuffer Edition

What to Buy a Cyclist for Christmas: Last-Minute Stocking Stuffer Edition

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Zaterdag filmdag: Free your heel...

Zaterdag filmdag: Free your heel...

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"New bike"


So I bought a bike last week. Not a financially savvy investment, but on based on personal health and sanity. You see, I love riding bicycles.

My wife might say I love collecting bicycles. With the one I bought last week (at left) I now have 4 road bikes....

That may sound like a lot. But the one at left, a 1996, is not only the newest addition, it is also the youngest!

Yeah, my newest bike is from 1996. It also has the worst components of the lot. A RSX/Sora mix... So why did I buy it? Well lets just say the other bikes I own are currently "inappropriate" (read unsafe or just plain broken) for me to ride. What are the other bikes I own you might ask? Other road bikes from newest to oldest:

1996 Cannondale R 500 Brakes, levers, derailleurs are Shimano RSX. Crankset is Shimano Sora
  • eBay purchase Auction Link
  • I also bought new wheels, used Ritchie DS Pro's, so that I can transfer the wheels from the cannondale to the Trek 560. Auction Link














1988 (maybe 89) Panasonic DX-6000 nearly complete Shimano 600/Ultegra group Size 56cm
  • This was a "gift" from my sister and brother-in-law for helping paint their house this fall in preparation for them selling it. 56cm is really too small for me. I was planning on getting it road ready for my wife to ride, but now I's found it has some value as a collectable and might be willing to sell it if the price were right.
  • Panasonic Bicycle Online Museum
1987 Trek 560 Pro - Aqua with white decals, nearly complete Shimano 105 Size 59cm
  • Original rear wheel has had numerous spoke issues due to a chain dropping off the big gog and damaging the outside spokes on the freewheel side of the hub. Spokes replaced, wont stay true. Replacing wheel with rear wheel from the Cannondale. 6 speed index switching to 7 speed friction when wheels are swapped out.
  • Vintage Trek website
1985 Trek 460 Race - Red with yellow graphics - Suntour components
  • This bike is mostly in pieces. I hope to rebuild this for my daughter, but as with all my budget issues and the cost of components, a complete more modern used bike may be more appropriate.
  • Vintage Trek website
More bikes later...

Day one

First day on the new blog....

Well just decided to start a new blog. Others that I started, began with good intentions only to fail for a multitude of reasons. The greatest of these has been accessibility. Accessability for me! Blogging at various locations (work particularly) has proved a challenge. So now my current job allows me access to blogger.com so I can take a break now and again to write something.

I have long thought I would like to write, but have always struggled. Writing for me has been a love hate relationship. I love to write when I have nothing driving me, no deadlines, no one telling me what to write about. One of my favorite classes in college was an English class where we wrote about reading assignments. Not writing to or for the teacher, just writing what our impressions were. the professor would give us a few questions to help us get started, but she would often say "write what ever comes to your mind, not to me or for me, but for your own enjoyment." Our only requirements were that they had to relate to the reading (only somewhat) and they needed to be of a particular length (some arbitrary minimum and maximum- she only wanted to read and grade so much!)

So I hope this blog is a reflection of what I am reading, watching, and doing with respect to the sports I enjoy reading, watching and doing!