SitRep

So I’ve been away for a long time. What have I been doing, you may be asking. Or perhaps at this point I was in absentia for long that you no longer care. Hopefully, the miracle of RSS will allow me to rise like a phoenix from the ashes of the interweb graveyard. To quote Miracle Max, I was only *mostly* dead, well at least as the blog was concerned. In the spirit of being completely honest, I was just feeling a little overwhelmed by my computer, which occasionally seems to glare at me like an ignored stepchild. It was like I’d spent my whole life introducing it as “this is my adopted computer, Mac.” For those of you who haven’t seen the Royal Tennenbaums, I’m sorry for you, since your cinematic life experience is currently incomplete and also because you will have no idea what that joke is in reference to.

On the topic of unresolved business, I’m still very much up in the air about a bike sponsor, and about sponsors in general. I’ve got several promising leads, but so far, it seems to be a tough road that I’m traveling. On the topic of things that really matter, I am much closer (I think) to finding a new coach. Hopefully a formal bit of closure on that later in the week. Since all these posts about new things that I don’t have is a bit disappointing, I will share you with something new that I do have – a new pair of shoes that I bought. They are very snazzy and match the color scheme of the blog, something not to be undervalued. Without further adieu, I present my Puma Complete Roadracers:

So now that I’ve artificially added substance to this post, I feel much better. I’ve also been testing out some other new gear, including some new suits from Kiwami. I also have one of John Cobb‘s new VFlow Plus saddles, but I haven’t ridden it yet. I also got myself a pair of the Blackburn Flea lights (front and rear) since sunset still approaches quickly when you are riding later in the day. So hopefully this will help keep people off of my tail. That’s pretty much the extent of my exciting forays into the world of gear, which is probably my most favorite thing in the world. Wait, that’s not true, I’m also testing out some SRAM Force kit to see how it stacks up against 2009 Rival. So far, it’s much less “mechanical,” which is not necessarily good or bad. Seems more like Shimano than Rival, which reminds me much more of the very authoritative and mechanical shifts of SRAM Red. Probably has to do with differences in the springs. Not sure yet. Front shifts are better, that’s the most noticeable.

I’ve got myself confirmed for a couple races – California (Oceanside) 70.3, Boise 70.3, and Ironman Canada. So those few are certain. Still up in the air about Wildflower; a lot will depend on what happens the weeks before in terms of traveling.

That’s really it. I suppose I ought to return to the ‘Twitch and then getting ready for the continuation of my big run focus. I promise to be better. Maybe I’ll go on a posting spree to keep my February average up.