A New School Year

Last Thursday marked the beginning of the 2010 fall semester here at NMSU. I was actually pretty excited to start classes again. I always picture riding my bike around campus with my backpack during a cloudy, crisp, cool day as the leaves change from green to yellow to red. The new students are walking casually to class holding books and binders and wearing sweatshirts looking for their building. I feel important and I suppose smart to be apart of such times. However, the weather is still hot, there are WAY to many students to take notice about what they are wearing (God forbid they are wearing sweatshirts), and the leaves are not turning red but rather brown and crispy. But I am not complaining, in fact I love New Mexico, it is just different from anything I have ever experienced.

I am also only registered for two classroom classes but my schedule is fuller than my tummy after Thanksgiving. I am a teaching assistant for two classes and still have my graduate project to worry about and work on. And oh yeah! I almost forgot. I am still attempting to train for triathlons. The beginning of the new semester is always a crazy time but hopefully things will work themselves out.

I have been riding my bike quite a lot lately. I mentioned earlier in a post that I was feeling pretty good on the bike but I seem to be getting stronger and stronger. I have not raced for a while so I am not exactly sure where I stand but I know I am feeling quite good at the very least. I hooked up Bella, my Cervelo, to the trainer the other day to finally record my position. It is something I have been meaning to do for... well forever basically. I have never actually done a positioning shoot. I'm still not sure what to look for other than aerodynamic-ness but it is a good place to start. I'm still not sure if I want to do the Yucca Triathlon in 2 weeks but I will definitely be doing the Elephantman triathlon on September 26th.

Room Mates

Well I can't sleep for whatever reason and I am starting to get annoyed with every little thing. I don't know why I am not sleeping since I had one great big day jam packed full of events. I began my day bright and early at 6:00 am and headed out into the field to dig up chile plants and take soil samples. Not for my project but for another one. Next I had two meetings because I learned I am going to TA for two classes this fall semester at NMSU. Oh boy! I guess my slacking days are over.

After a late lunch and a brief siesta, I figured I should go for a bike ride or a run. I chose to bike and actually felt pretty good the longer I rode thus I ended up riding all the way out to Ft. Seldon (or is it Selden?). Anyway, I rode through a thunderstorm and some heavy rain on the way back. Thunderstorms are always welcome this time of year because highs in the upper 90's to lower 100's can get tiresome.

Upon returning to home I was still felling pretty good and remembered I hadn't done a brick workout since basically forever so I threw on my running shoes and did a nice 40 min. run. Lately I am actually feeling very strong on the bike, perhaps the strongest I've ever felt. I wonder if that new 175 mm crank I just installed has anything to do with it or that I am coming of a rest period.

So as one can see I really did do a lot today. But why can't I sleep? I have my alarm set for 6:00am again tomorrow because I promised I would do an easy run with Brianne. Ugg... the longer I am awake, the harder it is going to be to get up tomorrow. And tomorrow is also the first day of class. But probably by now you are asking yourself what does the title "Room Mates" have anything to do about not sleeping. Well because I was on edge about not sleeping, I was getting frustrated about every little thing. For example:

I know it is not late for some of my room mates but it is for me. Why must they play their music when my door is closed and I am trying to sleep? It is okay during the day, sure, but after 10:00 is kind of rude. And the same goes for the guitar. I am just going to vent here okay. Also, everyone keeps talking about it but no one does a damn thing about it. It was made a big point to do your dishes by the end of the day if they are dirty and laying in the sink. So right now I bet you can guess what our sink looks like. And how many of those dishes do you think are mine? I don't think I need to explain myself further. I am crabby, wanting to sleep, exhausted, and wide awake at the same time. I hope tomorrow is better.

The Gila

This weekend Brianne and I decided to go to the Gila National Forest in southeast New Mexico. I'd never been and Brianne supposedly has been but didn't remember much. We brought our bikes and running shoes and the plan was to do a neat new ride, a run, and then return home to Las Cruces on Sunday.

My big biking idea was to park in the small town of Kingston (elevation: 6,200 feet) and ride to the top of Emory Pass (elevation: 8,226 feet). It was only 7.9 miles but it took me nearly 45 minutes to slog up the 5.3% grade to the top.I can't believe the average was really that low! Actually there was a mile mid way up that was basically flat so maybe it would be closer to 6%. Anyway, my legs didn't seem to have that spark they normally do, but hey! I need to remember I was biking well above the effects of altitude. Descending back down was fun but I definitely need to work on those descending skills. I feel like I'm on ice going around corners. I'm never too sure how far to lean into the curves and trust that my tires will stay grounded.

After the ride we made our way deeper into the Gila to see the Gila cliff dwellings. They were pretty neat but I don't think I need to see them again. We set up a camp at the edge of the Gila River and went for a swim/rinse. We ate a a hearty dinner of cold oatmeal and jam upon returning to the campsite and slept out under the stars.

In the morning we tried to go for a trail run up Little Creek just up the road from out camp site. However, the trail run quickly became more of a jungle trek since it had obviously been quite some time since anyone had used it or put some effort into maintaining it. There were tree roots to trip over, wild rose bushes to scrape across, raging rivers to navigate (ok, so it was called "Little Creek for a reason), stinging nettles to get into, and misquotes to swat at. Yes, I hadn't run like that since high school cross-country and I almost forgot how much fun it was to have muddy shoes again.

The Gila was great. I plan to go back sometime and for sure one of the times I return I hope to be doing the Tour of the Gila. That is right everyone, I am going to plan on doing the Tour of the Gila this spring.

Sponsorships

It has been four weeks now, exactly, since I broke my rib during the El Paso Road Race. On Friday I managed to mess my seat-post-clamp-bolt-thing up again on my Cervelo so I took it in to the Outdoor Adventure Bike Shop to see if they could figure it out. Apparently I must have really screwed it up this time because it has been three days and still nothing from the boys at Outdoor Adventure. I ordered a whole new seat-post-clamp-bolt-thing to hopefully avoid this reoccurring problem in the future.

Now that I am starting to get all revved up again about cycling I am without a bike. There is also the option of going to the pool but after last time I think I will give my ribbie another week or two before I kill it in the pool. It's a shame because the Elephantman Olympic triathlon is coming up and I want to give a solid performance. So at the moment running is all I can do, which I really don't mind.

For the second half of my season I have been looking at which races I would like to do. For sure I will do the Elephantman, Longhorn 70.3, and Polar Bear. I would like to do another one or two, but with school starting it will be tough.

The other day I bough a new 175 mm crank for Bella (the Cervelo speed machine). Yeah, it is sweet. It set me back a couple Benjamins but with 175 mm hollow carbon fiber cranks and a 52/38 chain ring, I think it was worth it. Well I haven't technically rode it yet but I think it is safe to assume. That heavy 172.5 mm 50/38 chin ring and crank I was using before was just a little to mild mannered for what I'm after. I'll try and post some pictures when it comes in.

So with all this money being tossed around by me lately I have realized... I don't have enough to even enter the races I want to anymore. Not to mention I got my medical bills from the accident (AAAAGGHHHH!!!). This brings me to my main topic (sorry for that ridiculously long introduction). I think it is about time to start looking for some sponsors for a little help. I am not really sure how to go about doing the "Sponsorship Hunt" but I have started by writing some well though out professional letters to several of my favorite companies. It is a shame I don't know anyone in my area that has some direct connections but I think the letter idea is a good place to start. Inching ever closer to that big P-Card, it makes sense to start acting (even if I really don't) like a professional.

Rough Swimming

It has been nearly 4 weeks since I broke my rib. I have gone on a couple of bike rides and runs this last week and have been feeling better and better. Today however, I was feeling so good and so motivated I went to the pool to swim a few laps.

I walked into the lobby of the swimming pool and that warm chemical smell of chlorine washed all over me. Man I missed that smell. In the locker room I put on my suit, cap and goggles. Then I marched out to the pool deck and claimed a lane. I hopped in the pool and the water felt so incredibly good after being in that hot New Mexican air all day. Man I missed that feeling. Then I pushed off the wall in streamline and... SWEET MOTHER OF PEARL! Man I didn't miss that sharp stabbing pain. I guess 4 weeks is still too soon to start swimming.

Since I was already in the pool I practiced my kicking, bubble rings and a little light breast stroke. After a half an hour I hopped out feeling as though I just wasted my time. Oh well, swimming is over rated anyway, especially in triathlons.

California: Part 2

After the amazing Redwoods photo-journey (which can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamblalock/sets/72157624666898550/), I drove back to Santa Rosa to pick up my mom and Brianne from the airport. It was great seeing my mom finally and yeah, I guess I was even glad to see Brianne, though I saw her three days before. Brianne flew into the San Francisco airport at the last minute which was a little ways away but it gave my mom and I the excuse to see San Fransisco and drive across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Brianne was doing the the Vineman half ironman aqua-bike and I was doing the full Vineman ironman, Except... I don't know if you remember this but, three weeks ago I fell off my bike and was seriously beat up beyond anything ever holy. Now because I was not racing I got to watch the race and cheer Brianne on. Brianne had never raced a 1.2 mile swim and a 56 mile bike ride so she was a little intimidated but she did terrific. She even won her age group and was probably the top 3 out of the water and top 10 over all female. Good job Brianne!

After Brianne's race my mom flew back to Spokane and Brianne and I had a day to do whatever. Since I didn't really get a chance to see the ocean while visiting the Redwoods and Brianne is a big fan of water in general, we decided to go to the coast for the day.

We drove over to and then up Highway 1, right along the coast, stopping at a couple of neat beaches and hiking trails. All along the coast there was a thin high fog which made the geography feel as though you were walking through another country (mostly Scotland comes to mind). It was pretty fantastic and I couldn't remember the last time I had so much fun with Brianne.


Pointing at the waves braking on the rocks.


One of my favorite things to do is pretend I am Mickey Mouse in Fantasia building giant waves and altering the course of the universe.

California: Part 1

After arriving in Santa Rosa airport I grabbed my rental car and shot north. My goal was Eureka and ultimately Redwood National Park. In the morning I headed up to the Lady Bird Johnson Grove. Absolutely amazing is all I can really say! In fact words do almost nothing to describe the Redwood's shear size and beauty. The Lady Bird Johnson Grove sits atop a ridge so the redwoods were not nearly as big and lofty as their lowland friends but that didn't matter because the real treat at this grove was the fog. I've seen pictures of redwood trees in fog but to see it in person was pretty ethereal.

The next grove I visited was the tall trees grove. Instead of situated high on a mountain, the tall tree grove was at the very bottom of the valley along Redwood Creek. These trees were, yes, tall. Protected from the wind and given a consistent water source most of the mature trees were well over 300 feet. Some were listed as being 320 to 350 feet but which ones remains a mystery, although I have my speculations.

The last (but not in the bit least) grove I visited was the Prairie Creek Drainage Grove(s). These trees were much closer to the coast than any of the others. Being so close to the ocean meant that the trees were bathed in constant fog and moisture and the results were BIG trees.

I asked a park ranger where I might be able to find the Illuvatar tree, the Lost Monarch tree, or the Del Norte Titan tree. These mysterious "lost" redwoods rival the size of the Giant Sequoias (in fact there are only a dozen or so Giant Sequoias that top these great Redwoods.) The park ranger laughed and said, "I don't know, but if you ever find the Illuvatar, let me know where it is." So if a park ranger doesn't know where these legendary lost trees are, then there must be only a handful of people who know where they are. Anybody who is a big tree fan knows these trees by name and knows that they are something special. However, practically no one has ever seen them. They are lost spirits in the fog.