so bad

I am really bad at writing this blog. I am not spending as much time on the computer as of late. I was a good week this week, except for more flat tires. I had one on the way to work on Tuesday, and again on Thursday afternoon. How frustrating. Luckily I was able to get rides both times. I wasn't carrying my repair stuff either, what a dummy. I went into the bike shop yesterday and got a Schwalbe Marathon tire, with the kevlar band in it, so hopefully flats will be a thing of the past. Tire is only about 50 bucks. What a great deal for the insurance. I will probably upgrade my front tire before the trip up north, and there should be no problems.

I got my Ortlieb panniers this week too. They are great, easy to take on and off. I may have to fine tune a little more, my fender supports are in the way a bit. I really like that they are totally waterproof, and they can stay open while they are still attached to the rack. It make loading so much easier. I purchased my front rack this week too, I will have to get that on the bike at some point and try it out. I can't wait to try out this new gear. I have gather so much stuff this past few months.

I looks like we will be doing an overnight ride to Sayward over the easter weekend leaving from Campbell River. It should be a good ride, its about 75k I think, the road is in good shape, there are shoulders all the way, and the route is not to hilly, from what I can remember. I like it up in that area, fingers crossed for good weather. Maybe the easter bunny will find us.

I bought a new pair of trail running shoes this weekend. I went for a 6k yesterday. I did get a blister on the ball of my foot. I hope some duct tape and some time will fix this problem. My other shoes gave me a blister to start, and they fit like a glove now. I am going to run my ass off in Victoria, the biking is going to get shelved for a few weeks until I am done school.

I am looking at full suspension mountain bikes again. I am pretty sure it will happen this year. I am trying to decide which way I want to go. I was originally thinking about an all mountain, but now I think I may go with a 5 inch travel trail bike. Much more affordable, and I think it will do the job. I guess time will tell, and I will have to weigh all the options and ride lots of bikes. It will be fun.

Have a good week, I won't have much to report for the next while, I will try to check in periodically.

Its been a while

Hi all. I have been really busy the past few weeks, and had nothing to report. I have been riding in everyday since last Monday. The weird late winter weather finally subsided, and now we are into some major spring showers. Rain, rain, rain. Every morning I have been riding in with full rain gear. Its been pouring. I can't complain though, at least I am safe and comfortable. It feels really good to be out and getting into a routine again,

I ordered a pair of Ortlieb panniers the other day. They are fully waterproof, and will make the commute better, no stuffing things into dry bags. I did manage to fit all my work clothes into a compression bag on Monday. It was amazing. A pair of Carhartt overalls, a long sleeve waffle shirt, a t-shirt, a pair of shorts and a pair of underwear. Compression sacks are amazing. Waterproof and you can push almost all the air out of whatever is packed in it. I highly recommend them to anyone for touring, commuting, or for hiking.

I suffered my first flat tire on my Devinchi yesterday. I had been really lucky, with almost 2000k on the bike now. These damn tough roads in Dodge. I was almost home, so I just had to walk a short distance to get there. I sure wish I will see the day when Cumberland has proper shoulders on the roads leading into and out of town. It really sucks, and the sides of the asphalt are full of potholes. It can be quite a challenge to get around, with cars and dump trucks passing by. I am sure it would convince more people to commute if it was safer.

Well thats it for today, have a good weekend.

Its going to happen this week

So it looks like its going to be a wet week, and I am okay with that. As I mentioned in a previous message, I have very good rain gear. It will be so good rolling down in the morning, rain in my face, getting warmed up for the day.

I had a fun weekend. I took the dog out to a training session that his instructor has once a month as a free follow up. What a time. He had good moments and bad, there were over 30 dogs and owners there, so lots of distraction. It turned into a dog-off-leash-free-for-all. What a sight, all those critters, big and small, running, playing, wrestling. I couldn't help but smile. The weather was beautiful. He got in for a swim in the creek. It must have been cold.

This morning, I was up early, and daughter let me go out for a run. I drove my loop here in town yesterday, and found out it is exactly 6k. Thats a nice distance for a quick work out, and if I have more time, I can run it twice. My goal for this spring is to be able to run 20k at once. I will be putting in lots of time at elk lake, when I go to school, thats for sure. Being able to run a half marathon will feel really cool. I think I may have gotten my sister motivated to run too. I am really glad, and if she takes her time and is diligent she will reach her goals, I know that. Good Luck.

Have a good week, hopefully I will have more to report in the coming days.

What a drag

Nothing new to report again. There has been snow on the ground every morning this week. It seems like it has been snowing off and on all week, look outside one minute and its sunny, the next its snowing. You have to love March. I do believe that next week will be better, and I am going to take my bike and my gear in tomorrow morning in the work truck, and ride home. Fingers crossed for next week.

I am starting to jones for my mountain bike too. I know the trails will be snowy and really wet. I have discovered a few new(to me) trails, and I can't wait to ride them some more. My GF bought a full suspension ride in January. We didn't get to ride in the woods together last year, I can't wait to get out with her. Its going to be fun. I really like riding with just me and the dog, it will be nice to have some company. Hopefully some of my friends and I can get into a habit of Monday night rides again soon. We went for a bunch of weeks straight last year, it was a lot of fun.

I have gotten in two runs this week, in between snow storms. I am starting to feel stronger, and fitter, after three months off because of an injury. So far I have felt great, no aches or pains, and I am running on pavement. I have  had periods of running in my life, from high school, until present. I think this time I am going to stick to it. I want to do more racing, mostly to force myself to compete with others, in a friendly way. I have a bad habit of staying away from people, and I think it would be good to break out of my shell. I can't wait to get to Victoria and running at Elk lake. Its an almost perfect place to run.

I hope I have some cycling to report soon.