Each year, STAR Physical Therapy throws all the employees a big Christmas party in Franklin. We dine and watch a presentation, play games, take pictures and then dance. Well, some people dance. You won't see me out there. If I'm cutting a rug, it will be because we are replacing our carpet.
Our serious picture
And the stupid one...
The presentation is usually full of pictures of babies born to employees this year, military family members and newlyweds. There's always funny videos as well, usually created by the individual clinics. STAR has nearly 70 clinics, so you have a wide range of people working for the company. Some are very creative. We usually get some great videos submitted. My clinic decided to participate this year for the first time ever.
My coworker Tavis and I love making fun of trends. For a while, planking and owling were big. We started taking pictures of us doing it on the equipment at work. It started out as a joke, but after a while we had a lot of pictures. We decided to just put them into a slideshow and make a video. We got it done just one day before the deadline for video submission.
Me and my goofy group of friends
We were so excited at the party, waiting for our little moment to shine. Then the video was over. Turns out they decided not to put any clinic videos in the presentation this year. It was nearly a riot from our clinic. We were upset. Finally, we put something together and then they don't even use it!
It may not have made it onto the big screen at the STAR Physical Therapy Christmas Party, but thanks to YouTube, you can see it on your laptop screen. Yes, we do not have anything better to do with our lunch hour than this...and yes we are retarded.
Thanks Tavis, Pat, Britt, Shannon and Blake for helping out! The best part is that our boss still doesn't know that any of this ever happened!
Our Christmas was great. Amber came in from Utah to visit for two weeks prior to Christmas. We all went to see the Rockettes in Nashville. Shannon and Amber got to spend some sisterly time together. It was just great for everyone. Since we stayed here in Tennessee with my family for Thanksgiving, we decided to head north to spend the Christmas weekend in Indiana visiting the Toney clan.
Before we left, Amber and I decided to have a little fun. She was wrapping presents when I got home from work. My goal of the day was to wrap the bedroom window. Well, seal it to be exact. Genius me dropped it back in the summer and cracked it badly. It's still holding together, but it has been a little drafty with the cold weather. I bought one of the plastic window sealing kits that looked like it would be decent enough to do the job. It turned out to be freaking great! The plastic seals super smooth when you hit it with a hair dryer. The plastic was so tight and crisp that I couldn't tell it was even on the window. Shannon was at work and our little brains got to working. Smoke filled the room as we devised a plan for a prank. I am always trying to do something to bug Shannon. I'm her husband. It's my job to be annoying, right?!
A few minutes later, Amber and I were cutting a huge piece of plastic and fitting it to the bathroom door. As Shannon reported she was on her way home, we sealed the door. It looked wrinkly at first, but the hair dryer works miracles. When I finished, it couldn't have looked better. Like the window, you really couldn't tell it was covering the doorway. It didn't even show much glare.
Amber preps the plastic
Smoothing out the wrinkles with the hair dryer
Like it's not even there...
I also thought it would be good to seal up the cereal cabinet for some fun the next morning.
The two-sided tape is enough to make you want the kit
With plastic in place
The plan worked perfect. She walked into the bathroom door. We laughed. She got mad. We laughed harder. Then she attacked us. We fought off her punches through the laughter. It was a great family moment!
The cereal trick was not as good. She was more awake than I expected and saw the reflection of the light in the plastic just before she put her hand up. Dang it!
The drive up to Elkhart went well. We made it in record time. Traffic and weather were both great. It was so funny listening to everyone talk about the weather. I've seen maybe two white Christmas's in my life. Here in Tennessee, we always talk about having a white Christmas. The people in Elkhart were all talking about a green Christmas. Apparently, it has been several years since the last time it didn't snow on Christmas Day. I just thought it was funny how different we look at it. Snow would've been fun, but I was glad that the weather was sunny and the roads were clear.
We ate a lot of junk food, especially when we went to visit Uncle Mark and Aunt Lori in Michigan. There were bad things laying everywhere!
I could feel myself gaining weight just from breathing the air in that house. Don't think that I held back though. I way over-indulged just like everybody else. I've been taking a break from all athletics lately, letting myself eat what I want and skip riding. For a while I didn't miss riding at all. Then, it hit me while we were in Indiana. I had the urge to be out on my bike logging in four or five hours a day. I knew then that I was mentally recovered from a long race season and it was time to get back to it!
Training began again this past Tuesday. Of course it was a freezing cold day. I got in a few hours of mountain biking on my newly redesigned trail. I stayed warm with a fast ride, finishing at dark just as the sleet started coming down. Shannon and I have starting running again too. I am hoping to go race the XTERRA National Championships in Utah next year, so running will become a regular thing for me again.
Keith and I went riding yesterday, logging in a little over three hours on the road after work. It was a fun ride. We didn't ride fast, but it was still a tough ride thanks to the wind. There were times we were barely breaking 12 mph on a flat road. It kind of felt weird to be on my road bike. I haven't ridden the Sette in over two months. I've been riding the singlespeed cross bike for most of my rides. Even that kind of riding has been few and far between. Prior to Tuesday, I had thrown my leg over a bike a total of three times since the Murfreesboro cross race in mid-November. Two of those rides were in cross races at Lock 4. The other ride was a quick hour on the mountain bike at my parents' house.
It feels good to be back to training. I actually love being out pedaling on the road or trail all day. I love riding my bike and I love all the other aspects that come with it like, watching what I eat and sometimes even stretching is fun. It does kind of irritate me that I seem to be off the invite list for the group rides around town. I hear about all the great rides after they happened...usually through Facebook posts. Oh well, I will be out there regardless of whether somebody joins me or not.
I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and I wish you a happy New Year as well. Thanks again for reading and for support. I know a lot of you that read the blog talk to me regularly and cheer me on at races. It is all greatly appreciated!
After two weeks of very minimal riding, I was expecting yet another crappy cross performance. I've been spending my time working on the mountain bike trail. The mystery of the slipping seatpost that plagued me the last two races was solved. Turns out I had a broken seat clamp. I couldn't get a new one in time for the race, so I was going to be restricted to using the All City singlespeed for both races. I wasn't too worried about it. I usually ride the singlespeed better and the course was supposed to be a little more open than the last race at Lock 4. I was actually kind of excited about cranking one gear all day.
I woke up feeling stuffy and with a sore throat. It was quickly forgotten though. I was just happy to be going to race somewhere. I actually felt good riding the mountain bike Saturday night so I wanted to see how the legs would do against Tennessee's best. There was a thick fog on the drive to Lock 4, but once I arrived, the fog was minimal on the peninsula. I had to bust ice off my bike before I could get on as the fog was apparently a freezing fog.
My warm-up went well, but I knew instantly that I was in trouble. This course was actually harder on a singlespeed than the last course. There were more short climbs with sharp turns right before them. I could barely even turn my gear around most of the course. I tried to get a bigger cog for this race, but couldn't get one in time. It's a pain in the butt to get a freewheel cog that fits an All City fixed hub. To top things off, we got a lot of rain this week, making for a soft course that was slick on top. I knew I was at a disadvantage with the gear, but my legs felt awesome and I thought I could overcome. I had good enough legs to hit 190 heart rate two times during my warm-up. That doesn't happen often with me.
TN State Championship CX course at Lock 4
The Singlespeed race was the second race of the day. We started at 9:45. The grass was still wet from the frost and fog, making the corners slick. I had a terrible start, dropping off the pavement in 8th out of 12 riders. Once I was back in traffic, it was near impossible to carry enough speed through the corners to make a pass on the straighaways. There were just too many people in the way. We stayed packed up tight the first lap of the 30-minutes race. I managed to pick off one rider, then dropped a spot later in the lap to Thad, who also had a crappy start.
SS Start
Over the barriers on lap 1
I tried to hang with Thad, but the pavement was really the only spot I could get the big gear turning. The rest of the course I was absolutely killing myself just to keep rolling. The course deteriorated each lap, making the corners and straightaways slower. It was a disaster for me. I was hoping to be battling for the win, but instead I finished way back in 8th, nearly 4 minutes off the winner in a race that was only 4 laps long. I gave it my best though, hitting 192 heart rate, which is just a beat shy of my highest seen this entire year. It was frustrating because I knew I had good legs today, but I didn't stand a chance with my bike. And I knew now that I was surely doomed for the afternoon Pro/1/2 race.
Lugging the green steel monster up the run-up
I hung out all day, just having fun and being a spectator. The Pro/1/2 race was not until 2:00pm There were some really great races to watch. The Masters always bring good battles. The Women usually have a good race, and then the CX 3s are fast and full of crashes. It's an exciting day all the way around.
Ed Jaramillo during the Masters race
Tim Hall
I had two people offer me bikes for use in the Pro race. Dan Hensley offered up his Jamis. I felt bad taking him up on the offer because he was racing right before me and another guy was using the bike in the CX 4 race right after mine. Then Kenny Sipes offered me his pit bike. It was a big bike, but fit me better than Dan's bike would have. It was a carbon Scott with SRAM on it. I made a few quick changes to the set-up and got in two laps before my race. It was very low in the front which made downhill braking feel awkward, but overall it was way faster than any bike I've ever ridden. The challenging part for me was going to be the shifters. I've never ridden double tap so it was sure to be interesting!
Masters 35+ winner Jeremy Nagoshiner
crash
We had 11 riders on the line for the Pro/1/2. I had a much better start up the hill on the pavement. I dropped into the grass in the 5th position. I held that spot for a half lap, but still let a small gap open in front of me. The front four had a few bikes lengths on me when we hit the first big power stretch. I dropped three spots right away and wasn't even able to get onto a wheel as they came by. It was looking like another crappy Pro race, but my legs were there this time and I fought hard to keep those three close. I pushed hard and rejoined them as we completed lap 1.
I was now on the tail end of a group of four chasing a lead group of four. The pace dropped right away as we started the second lap. I was now very comfortable in this group. Craig Evans busted the group apart and I was able to move up into 7th and then bridge to Tim Hall on the road section. We began lap 3 together. I followed him comfortably for a lap, then made the pass. But I would blow a turn and let him back by. Most of the course had dried out and was fast, but a few slick areas remained.
I bridge back to him on the road section. I went around him again the next lap, and yet again blew a corner, letting him slip back by. This time the gap wasn't as big and I was on him as we started the road section. I knew I was strong on the pavement so I hammered it hard, trying to get him off my wheel for good. My heart rate was pegged as we crossed the barriers the next lap. Tim was still there with me. I remember looking down to see we were just 20 minutes into the 60-minute race. I knew I could not survive 40 more minutes at this pace. I began to back down. That was better for me, but it also allowed Tim to recover. He followed me for a lap and then cranked up the pace. I had to start digging deeper to follow him up the short climbs. The legs were really starting to burn now.
Climbing a short, steep hill on Kenny's bike
At the 30-minute mark, I could feel the legs really fade out on me. I slowed significantly, losing Tim's wheel and eventually dropping another spot back into 8th. I had been doing good with my shifting, but as I fatigued I began to shift the wrong way and further kill any momentum I had coming off the corners. The last three laps were really bad. My quads and hamstrings were cramping. I gave it all I had, but dropped all the back to 11th by the end. That last lap was brutal. It was all I could do to climb the last hill. I know I definitely left it all on the course today. Andy Reardon lapped me on his way to the win. It was cool to finally see Andy win a State Championship. He deserves it for sure. He's been working very hard at cross the past few years and has been riding well this whole season. Congrats dude.
So my season has drawn to a close. This was my final event of 2011. I am excited for next year, though I will have to admit that I am not riding as well right now as I had hoped to be. But I feel rested and am getting the hang of my new pedaling style. With all the quad cramping today, I had wondered if I had used my glutes or not. The glutes were definitely worked hard. They let me know by aching enough to wake me up several times during the night. I'm still working on my hip strength, trying to get my deficits corrected before next season begins. I want to say thankyou to everyone that came out to Lock 4. It was great hearing all the cheers. I was shocked at all the support I got during the race. Everybody seemed to be very into the races and shouting tons of encouragement. And thanks Kenny Sipes for letting me borrow your bike. It was great and kept me in the battle for way longer than I expected. Thanks also go out to those who snapped the pics seen above, and of course a BIG thankyou to Brian and Melissa Gant for putting on the races. You guys are the bomb. You keep putting the races on and we will keep coming to race them. Got some video posted below so you can get a taste of what it was like on race day. Thanks for reading!
Lock 4 Park in Gallatin, TN hosted the third and final race of the 2011 Cross the Way Cyclocross Series. Last year's event on the Lock 4 peninsula proved to be a tough course that caused big seperations during the races. The pressure was on me to hold onto my Singlespeed series lead and maybe try to move up into a podium position in the Pro/1/2 series. I still only have one gear for my singlespeed bike. The big 46x16 would be sure to pose quite a challenge on this course, meaning the series could go down to the wire.
Shannon and I arrived at Lock 4 with plenty of time to get in a good warm-up. We were a little worried about getting there in time since we were coming from church, but it wasn't a problem at all. A quick lap of the course showed a twisty one on the peninsula. There were several short climbs in the grass and one long, gradual climb on the pavement that constituted the start and finish straightaways. The ground was mostly dry, but a few soft spots existed. There was one notable soft stretch up one of the harder climbs and also a slick, off-camber corner near the end of the lap. Neither were wet enough to be considered muddy.
The wind was whipping the course tape as the CX 3 and Masters race got underway. It was good to watch those guys and see what tactics were working and which were not. And to also see where people were falling. You can learn a lot from watching the other races.
CX 3 leaders
Bad Thad
I was ready for the Pro/1/2 race on my new bike setup. I modified my position quite a bit after the Murfreesboro race. I dropped my stem height and hood height, giving me a a lower position, which gets the small-framed Redline to feel more like my All City singlespeed. The seatpost height was raised after I noticed the post had slipped during the Murfreesboro race. I practiced the position before race day and felt comfortable with it.
The start was quick. I was first off the line, but then got swarmed. I just couldn't seem to get going up the first hill. I dropped off the pavement in 5th place. Andy Reardon got the hole shot and strung it out up the first grassy stretch. I was already having difficulty hanging on. The leaders were much more powerful than me the opening lap. The front four got away from me about a minute into the race. I was giving it my all, but they were pulling away, mostly on the flat sections and coming off the corners. I seemed to be holding my own on the climbs.
Troy Tucker and Jeremy Chambers
Andy Reardon
My legs started to come around toward the end of lap 2. I wasn't gaining on the front four, but I wasn't losing much either. I was really focusing on my form again at this race, both on the bike and with running over the barriers. I think I am still having to ride and run a little slower to do it correctly, but to me it's worth it if I can have it corrected by the start of next season. I hopped on the bike following the barriers on lap 3 and found myself sitting on a seat that was sideways. Great, my seatpost was loose again! I stopped and knocked it back straight, losing a spot in the process.
Over the next two laps, the post gradually kept dropping. It really jacked up my position and made my lower back start to hurt. I tried to tough it out, but it kept getting worse and almost got to the point of spasming. I kept trying to stretch my back, but it only helped for a few seconds. With three laps to go, I stopped in the pits to change bikes. I really didn't want to turn that big gear any more than I had to before the Singlespeed race, but I couldn't have my back spasming either. I was way back in 6th with no hopes of catching anyone. Everybody behind me had dropped out of the race. So I just backed off and practiced cornering on the singlespeed. The position of the singlespeed was a life saver. My back stopped hurting within a lap.
Andy rode away to the win. He and Troy Tucker lapped me before the finish. Jeremy Chambers led the Pro/1/2 series coming into Lock 4. He had been running 2nd in the race until a tire issue caused him to fall back to 4th. Andy's win was enough to put him on equal points with Jeremy. Andy's two wins in the series got him the tie breaker so he took the overall title.
I was happy to be done with this race. The only positive that came out of this was that I now knew exactly how the singlespeed felt on this course..and how hard the climbs were going to be! I had to walk one of them during the Pro race because I couldn't turn the big gear. My competition for the Singlespeed series was Mike Edens, and I knew he would have an easier gear so the pressure would be on for sure.
We lined up for the Singlespeed race with a good-sized class. There were just 10 points seperating Mike and I in the overall. With 5 points between each positon, I had to finish within one spot of Mike. Two spots would mean a tie and he would win the tie breaker by beating me at the final race and by winning the Murfreesboro race. I really didn't think I could win with my bike, so I had to be sure that I kept track of Mike and stayed with him to the end. My goal was to get a good start and then hang on. I've gotten behind early in both of the races thus far and it's been a hole I couldn't dig myself out of.
I got a good jump on the uphill start. It was strain but I got the big gear going. I got blocked into 3rd for a second, but then a gap appeared and I was able to squeeze through at the top of the climb. Mike shot by on the right and it was a drag race between he and I to the first turn. I wanted to lead so bad and set the tempo early. He backed off first as we hit the grassy turn. I had the lead heading toward the barriers for the first time! The plan was going good so far. My adrenaline was raging as it was sure going to be a great race for the series title.
I kept the pace high and quickly cut it down to three of us up front. It was me, Mike and Travis Book. Travis finished 3rd in the Pro/1/2 race earlier. Travis was patient behind me even though he had a much better gear for the climbs. He sat back and watched me struggle the first lap. He passed me in the last section and I let him go. Tactically, it was good for me to let him go because if he won, he couldn't finish between Mike and I. As bad as I wanted to win the race, I knew I had to race smart if I wanted to get the series title.
I took it easy up the road, letting Travis get a good gap. To my surprise, Mike was willing to sit on me. He seemed more concerned with me than getting Travis between us. Mike came past me just before the barriers on lap 2. I was quick to hop on his wheel. I knew I'd need to hang on his wheel if he was to cross the gap to Travis. But we didn't close the gap at all that lap. Several times I wanted to go around him, but I was afraid of pulling him up to Travis and getting myself into a mess. I was also having to watch my back as Thad was lurking a few seconds back in 4th. He had the potential to be a spoiler as well.
Me leading Travis Book on the first lap of the Singlespeed race
Travis Book leads the Singlespeed race at the end of lap 1
Thad chasing hard in 4th
Dan Hensley had a good ride today
Nate Newton
When we started lap 3 and I saw that Travis was still pulling away, I felt it was safe to go around Mike. I upped the pace, trying to open a little gap on Mike and get away from Thad at the same time. I ran a group of logs while Mike rode them. Turns out running was faster and I got the gap I had been looking for. Once I pulled off, it was time to go after Travis and try to win this race! I gave it all I had, but couldn't run him down. The legs were getting tired and the snap I needed to catch him just wasn't there. I took 2nd place, but won the overall. My goal for the series was the Pro/1/2 class, but I will gladly take the Singlespeed title. It feels kind of like a consolation prize for all the crap I had to deal with in the Pro/1/2 races.
Book
It turned out to be a good day despite the early race troubles. I was happy to have demonstrated some better form running over the barriers. My glutes are definitely being used more in my pedaling. I was sore after the race and on Monday! That's a good sign that my glute training is working. I just can't get over how good I felt in the Singlespeed race compared to the Pro race. It was like night and day.
The day was also a good chance to brush up on my Lock 4 peninsula knowledge. That'll come in handy Dec. 18 at the Tennessee State Championship Cyclocross. Thanks to Shannon for the great pics and the video posted below!
