DanBailey.net

• I think I found a WP template that I am going to modify to create the template for this site. Pretty cool.
• Offseason project #1: pursuit bike. No question about this.
• Offseason project #2: single-speed mountain bike? Many questions about this — need? 26″ or 29″? Mix of the two? Huh.
• I still owe a write-up on the Critical Mass stupidity.
• Also, I choke down way too many pills every day. Last count? Eighteen. A dozen and a half pills. All in the name of better health and more optimum performance. (Yes, everything’s legal and above-board.)

My first run of the off-season last night and I discovered a bug in the Nike+iPod software. At the end of about 2.75 miles of slogging, the iPod showed 4.44 miles completed. Once I uploaded, the data on the Nike+ site matched the treadmill’s data.

The upside to this is that my max heart rate was higher than the sports lab said I’d be able to do, and I felt fine. The downside to it all, is that I’m still a woefully inefficient runner.

Click for a larger view…

Max Heart Rate: 178
Avg. Heart Rate: 152

I’m still not fast, but I really enjoyed myself and felt awesome.

• I still owe an update on Critical Mass. I know. It’s forthcoming. Along with some photos, and probably a small rant about the police state America’s becoming.
• The GPS flaked during Crit Mass, of course, so I won’t be posting the route. In addition, I decided to bail out on the ride early, because it was stupid.
• This is one of those ads that really surprised me. Miller’s not my usual beer, but this put a smile on my face:

First and foremost, someone needs to make a much more intuitive GPS device than my Garmin Forerunner 205. Perhaps I’m spoiled by the innate simplicity of things like my iPod, but the UI on this thing is driving me bugshit. It’s like trying to fly the space shuttle, complete with lo-res displays and early 80’s game watch beeping. Ah, well — I’ll figure it out.

You’ll notice I’ve added a routes page. I’ll be riding Criminal Critical Mass tonight (sans costume), and will post the route and pictures here, with my thoughts on the whole matter either tonight or tomorrow.

So the off-season looms about 3-4 weeks away. Some of you will point out that, “Bailey! It’s November! In Minnesota! Are you nuts?”

The short answer is: yes.

The long answer is that it’s still cyclocross season, and state championships for that are on November 17th. I’ll be racing every weekend until then.

So the off-season plan? Well, I’m going to keep riding outdoors through the end of December, I suspect. This winter is going to see me in the gym a lot — weights, running, and spinning. I’m probably going to sign up for a Bikram yoga class somewhere away from the gym, and I really should learn to swim in a non-comical manner, as well.

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The primary point of this blog will be to follow my cycling life — racing, the attempt to open my own shop, and the product I want to bring to market sometime in the near future. You’ll also get the occasional update on my other hobbies — writing and font design.