holidaze

i have not been keeping up with my training so well the past few weeks, travel, work (in two states), and the drinking and carrying on that comes along with the holidays and my 32nd birthday have all left me feeling slow and fat.

but here i am back in austin. time to get moving. i want to lose 10 pounds in the next few months which means less cheese, beer, and late night snacking. More running, training rides, and tasty salad style action.

the 3m half marathon is less than a month away and i am still hoping to run my fastest time so far on the largely downhill course, which sounds easy, but, if you had my knees you would know downhill isn't really awesome.

road racing starts in february here and ends in december. i don't have the money or patience to endure a season that long so i will do some early season racing close to home to get ready for bigger events.

i need a new road frame and i'm thinking of trying to get my circle A (aka jays circle A) down here in time to be the racing machine for 2010. I ride a 55cm, anybody with any suggestions, let me know.

tonight is new years eve, abby is in california still, so i don't have any plans really. watch some fireworks, try to avoid eating pizza, and probably watch bad tv.

watch out 2010, i am coming for you...

texas update

the last three months have been a blur of job hunting, working, struggling, occasionally succeeding, and mostly just trying to get my feet planted firmly on the ground. austin is an amazing place. it is flooded with energy, people running, riding bicycles, playing music, partying at every hour of the day. it is a very distracting place to be if you are trying to get things done.

i am still looking for a new or second job, hopefully something with health benefits of some kind.

that said, i am starting to feel like i am getting closer to finding my way in austin. but focus is everything right now, so i trying to set some goals for this next year. and i don't want to get busy with life and let these goals go unrealized, that has happened to often to me, to us all i bet.

i will run the half marathon in late january and the austin full marathon on valentines day 2010. the goal is to finish, preferably in 3 1/2 hours and not covered in vomit.

road bike racing starts up in february and i will be working hard to get into form for a trip to new mexico to race the tour of the gila in april. my long term cycling goal has always been to upgrade to cat 2. with the weather and racing schedule here in austin i think this upcoming year will be a great opportunity to try and finally reach that goal. but it will be very hard.

i also plan to save as much money as possible as my biggest goal is to become my own boss, or at least make progress in this direction.

there are a lot of ideas in my head, opening a cafe or a really awesome food cart/truck (they are everywhere in austin, and some of them are great). the first step is getting a good work situation together to make enough money to get things happening.

and in other news, i will be in providence from december 21st till 28th to celebrate the holidays with my family and friends. mark it on your calenders. and remember, the race to see who will visit me and abby in austin first still has nobody on the top step of the podium. get moving.

kickoff!

I have been super busy for the last few weeks, moving to austin, finding work, getting lost, eating tacos, more tacos, and migas!

So far austin pretty much rules.  But due to poor packing on my part i have been stuck waiting for our moving truck, which arrives today, for my cycling season to get back on track.  However, our things arrive today, i will unpack helmets, kits, other bikes, and the madness will begin.  Cross race on tuesday and austin driveway criterium on thursday.  i feel fat and lazy, and can't wait for the motivational ass whipping i am surely in for.  bring it.

I also found out that the gracie jiu jitsu school is just around the corner from my house, so i plan to get to a class this week!

oh, and here is the truck full of my stuff, gotta run. 

big changes...

well i haven't updated in a long time.  partly because my last racing experience was a total bummer, and partly because i am in the midst of a very hectic time in my life.  i am moving to austin, texas on the first of september.  we will be road tripping and camping on the way there, and the logistics of moving everything half way across the country are pretty complicated.

still, abby and i are totally excited about the new things coming our way.  new house, living with friends, new school for abby and eventually for me too, outdoor living all year round, bike rides in jan, feb, and they even have cyclocross (of some kind).

leaving behind friends and family is hard, and i will visit as often as i can, especially if i find a good job, but i really believe its the right time in my life to take this kind of chance and try something new.  and the school abby has chosen seems perfect for her, so i am excited about her new challenges...

plus bike racing most of the year. camping in new places. running. swimming, meeting new people...all that!

the down side is that money is so tight i really had to put the breaks on the racing till i get to austin.  i will still have a few months of their weekly races to do, and then cross.  but my long term goals, really my two main athletic goals right now are to prepare for the Austin Marathon which is february 14th, and the 2010 tour of the gila in late may.  i raced gila a few years ago but altitude and mediocre fitness really beat me up, but the scenes and the courses are intense, i really want to take another stab at that race.  and i will only be a days drive away.

long term goals are good.  i have been running 3 times a week, and i am going to start getting back out on the bike this week.  i have been toying with the idea of doing the fall river race this weekend, but i kind of doubt i can make the time.  we will see.

i have been lucky to have a good sponsor while here in new england, actually all along.  i have raced for circle A cycles, providence velo, casters/majik coffee, nbx briefly (never did get one of those hot jerseys though) and finally millwork one.  each one of those teams brought me in contact with really cool and talented people, and i am thankful for that.

i am having a going away party on saturday the 22nd of august in east providence.  i will give you more details if you email.  please consider yourself invited.

Attleboro

after a brief hiatus from racing, due to a nasty cold followed by a very hectic week, i am back in action this weekend for the attleboro criterium.  i like this race course a bunch and have had some moderate success there over the years.  i almost always do the P123 race because it is fast and fun, but this year i am going to focus my efforts in the 30+ race and the cat 3 race.  hopefully i will have some teammates in those events, the weather is supposed to be nice!

it was a bummer to stay away from fitchburg again this year.  it was nice to see adam and ali in town, and i was really excited about gabe killing it, he just keeps getting faster.

off to walk the dog while the sun is shining.

don't mess with...rhode island?

While it is still not "official" it is looking like abigail and I will be moving to austin, texas in september.  i am really excited and a bit scared about this, scared only because i am a classic rhode islander who thinks kingston is very far away.  but its time to take the challenge and live in a new place, and austin is really awesome, sunny, hot, and bike friendly.

not to mention it has the most music venues per capita of any place on earth!

not bad. right.

their midweek races are run like weekend races with category's and prizes, and happen every week march until late october. 

rumor has it that they race cross down there too, but i am not at all convinced yet.

mostly the move is about abigail attending one of the best schools for acupuncture in the country which is called AOMA (academy of oriental medicine at austin).  she has applied and we should here about the decision soon, i think her chances are great, she rules.

i will establish residence, work, play, and maybe study at the university of texas when i can get the cheap resident prices.

to pull off this move i need to unload some belongings.

i am holding a booksale at 111 wood street, on the stoop, sunday morning July 5th starting at 9am.  I have tons of books.  fiction, philosophy, poetry (ick), literary journals, text books on anatomy, biology, how to run for public office (its a pamphlet i thought was funny coffee table material), photocopied chapters of edmund hussurl texts nobody should try to read, ever, classics of existentialism, postmodernism, and ismism. (that last one is fake)

really, lots of good books cheap, come get a deal!

also i will be selling my redline singlespeed mountain bike, i want to upgrade anyway, and how many bikes can i guy move with anyway...what do i look like, adam st. germain.

also, i will be selling my guitar amp (musicman 210 75 watt) and some cool effects pedals.

if any of this sounds good to you let me know.

ok so this is a lot of info for right now, but i am overwhelmed, lots to plan.

as for bike racing here in new england, money is suddenly a big deal, so fitchburg is out.

attleboro is in, masters race at new britain as well, and the rest is up in the air.

time to go make a booksale flyer.

Just back from Austin, where training criteriums make the local papers...