Craigslist Word of the Day

I'm a daily Craig's List follower. I love to see what kind of deals pop up each day, you never know what will come up for sale. Another hobby of mine( thanks Mom) is checking grammar. Craig's List is a cornucopia of spelling/grammar errors. Here is my latest find "tacmonitor" What? Really? Just take the easy way out and call it a computer. www.fayar.craigslist.org/bik/2282600488.html

Successful Weekend

Had a great weekend down in Hot Springs, I didn't win and in fact I wasn't even close. Going for the win wasn't the plan for this race. This was my first race in a really long time and I just wanted to get back to racing. Mission accomplished.
I got to pre-ride the bike course late on Saturday, a little later in the day than I would like but I couldn't have gone any earlier as the 6 hour race didn't finish until 4:30. So, I got out on the course at 5 and did a leisurely lap, 1.13 for the 10.5 miles. I've got to say that I absolutely love this course, nothing technical but it is tight through the trees at times. Not a lot of climbing just short ups and downs and lots of opportunity for speed. I will be back later in the year for a mountain bike race.
The time change coupled with partying till 1130 with my sister didn't help with the 630am wake up call. I actually felt better than I thought I would and as soon as I got to the race site I was feeling good and ready to race. It was a small field of 40-50 participants with most looking like they have done a multi-sport event before.

I lined up third row with about 10 people ahead of me. We had bout 400 yds of pavement before singletrack. When the gun fired a lead group formed and I didn't feel comfortable with their pace so I stayed back and ran at my pace. Over the 2 mile run I lost about 3 minutes on the leader. My bike leg was consistent, I passed a few riders and no one passed me.

Here is where my race got a little interesting. At the very end of my bike leg I notice someone getting closer to me. About 800 yds to the end of the bike the trail does a switchback and I was able to see who was closing in on me. It was a chick. Damnit. It is one thing to be chicked when she is way ahead of you, but to be caught is a whole different level. We entered and left transition together, basically we were running side by side into the singletrack. She let me go ahead and stuck close. We pass a guy right before the only lengthy hill of the course. I slowed a bit on the hill and she passed me with a half mile left in the race. I really couldn't keep her pace and she got me by 30 seconds. In my defense, she was the overall female winner. However, I was the first guy to get "chicked."

Me about 5 minutes post race.

I ended up with 2nd in my AG and 11th overall. Not to bad, next race there will be no adult beverage consumption for me. I had a great time and the whole experience really let a fire within me. I feel more amped to train and I can't wait till I can line up for another race

Post race fun at Oaklawn

Hot Springs Duathlon

Lc and I are heading down to Hot Springs today for the Du it in the Dirt duathlon. Race kicks off at 9am Sunday. Hoping to get in a quick lap of the course today as I have never ridden Cedar Glades. Race report on Monday.

Ode to Zoot Shoes

I am a self proclaimed running shoe fanatic, I simply love running shoes. However, this does not translate to other footwear. I could care less about dress shoes, I own only one pair of flip-flops, one pair each of dress shoes in brown and black. On the contrary, I am in possession of seven pair of running shoes. One for each day of the week, I guess.

Going through so many shoes gives me some right to voice my opinion, so here goes. My current favorite shoe is the Zoot Ultra 4.0. I gave this shoe a go after finding a pair on closeout online. There is no retailer carrying Zoot here in NWA and buying a then $130 shoe without trying them on seemed ludicrous. So finding a pair for $80 online I decided to risk it.

The shoes fit straight from the box. One thing I really love about these shoes is there is no break-in period. I wouldn't be worried to go out and run an hour in a brand new pair of these shoes. The first generation of the Ultra TT were not great off-road shoes, but the latest version is a bit more "beefed up" in the sole which has made for a great lightweight, off-road runner/racer. I'm hooked, great fitting and looking shoe that keeps my knees happy