my new best friend

this new gadget makes me want to keep going and going and going!

sorry for the teaser post yesterday. some of you caught it and thought blogger was still being quirky as it has been lately. i was playing around with the different ways to post the garmin workouts on this blog and by accident, i hit publish, then deleted it because i didn't like the way it posted. i usually will just do a draft to test out the way things will look but wasn't paying attention and that's what happened. speaking of blogger issues, somehow the font for my blog roll and the description of my blog under the title became smaller all on its own. i'm not gonna mess with that right now though.

for fun and for practice, i am posting last night's awesome ride for your viewing pleasure. i know a lot of you have garmin's but for those who don't and who may be thinking about it, this is for you. i'll post a run tomorrow so you can see that too.

if you click on view details(very bottom, right-hand corner), you can see all kinds of cool data. so far i've really enjoyed using it. kinda keeps me on task especially while running.

and now for something i've been wanting to post for a while but kept forgetting. this is for all you cyclists out there but can easily be adapted to include triathletes too. it's a piece by new york city bike snob from the may 2010 issue of bicycling magazine. enjoy!

Don't be a Pro

Why you shouldn't talk, dress or pee like you're paid to ride

We pass through many stages in our evolution as cyclists. First, we simply ride our bikes, grinning with joy and blissfully unaware of the mistakes we are making. Then, like Adam and Eve, we become self-aware. Our bliss turns to shame and our smiles disappear. This means we're improving, and part of improving is learning what is "pro."

Obsession with being pro usually begins shortly after you've replaced your shorts with bibs, and it ends when you actually become a pro cyclist, which is typically never. Pro behaviors may include maintaining a studied air of mild discomfort at all times while on your bike, wearing embrocation instead of tights and successfully urinating while riding.

Sadly, though, too few people grasp that trying to be pro is just a subtler form of what some might call "being a dork." Take white cycling apparel, for example. Being paid to wear all white is pro; wearing it for free just means you're a rain shower away from showing the group ride your ass.

Having a power meter or a coach is similarly unpro. Whether it's the SRM on Fabian Cancellara's bike or the electric meter on your house, power needs to be measured only when money is changing hands. Otherwise, the label for a person who unnecessarily measures power with electronic equipment is a "geek." And hiring a coach when you're not a pro is like hiring an accountant even though you're exempt from paying income tax.

The truth is that much of what cyclists call "pro" is just obsession with the tools of a trade. It's like getting a bunch of professional dentist equipment, using it to brush your teeth and bragging about how you're "so dental." Really, "pro" just means "cool," and in both cases if you have to try to be it, you're not. There's nothing pro about urinating while riding if you have the luxury of getting off the bike. It's cooler to stop and smell the roses—or relieve yourself on them.

i've made several hundred copies of this article to hand out at the next group ride...just kidding! 

gotta roll now. i have a training calender to fill out that will dictate my life for the next 4 months and i have to say, i am so looking forward to every second of it.

TGIF is right around the corner ya'll. what's on your schedule this weekend?

much love and peace out!