No bike, no pool, what to do?

             The rumors are true, I have sold my Felt. I have really been wanting to sell the Felt mostly because of the sizing issue and the 650c wheels. If I was sold the 52cm frame, I'd had kept the bike. I loved the felt, and had a ton of great times on it. But the fact was that it was also becoming a pain with the wheels. I had been contemplating trying to find a new bike, or to just try and be content with what I had. After all, Antonio had me set up very nicely on the Felt and I was comfortable. The 3 bikes I was considering was another Felt (preferably the 2012 DA3 because they look wicked sweet and are super fast), a Trek Speed Concept (7 series, really liked the 2011 7.5) or the Quintana Roo CD0.1   I had talked with Antonio about the bikes and sizing, and he said that pretty much any of those bikes as a size 52 would work for me. I even went and got on a 52 for the Speed Concept, and it fit nicely even with just the basic quick fit.

            I had decided that I would only really look at getting another bike if I found a great deal, and was able to sell mine. Well I found a rocking deal on a frame, and wouldn't you know it, my bike sold on eBay. I got some wheels and a crank from my Buddy Dave here at work, but looking for a decent set of aerobars have been the recent bain of my existence. I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a set of aerobars though. I gotta get something figured out. The frame is now on it's way to my greedy little hands, and I need to build it up. Once I have it all built up, I'll announce what I got and show it off. I'm definitely antsy about getting the frame and getting it built up. Of course, the bike will be delivered the same day that Shawna and I leave for Seattle for this years Firefighter Stair Climb Challenge (more on that later).

            As far as training goes, yeah I have no pool. The rec center has closed the pool down for "4-6 weeks" to work on the ventilation system in the pool area. They have given me the option of buying a pass to the YMCA for $32 for the month, but the Y is way out of my way. Idaho Athletic has quoted me a price of $50 for the month, which I might do once we get back from Seattle. The other option is to hit up the Tritown masters swim class at BSU. That's a mon and thrs night swim. I'm sure it would be great, and I'll learn a ton, but the evening part is just sucking the possibility of it. I enjoyed being able to swim in the morning so it doesn't take time away from the family. For now, I've gotten back on my swim halo and am just doing that. But, I am also trying to work on my breathing while on the halo to also better help mimic being in the water. Long, slow exhales followed by a short, deep inhale.

             Biking has been nonexistent, for obvious reasons, except for when I'm at work. While at work, I get to ride the studio bike. Which really, really sucks by the way. It makes me really appreciate my bike and the comfort that I had on it. I've grinded out a couple of sessions on the studio bike, and it just isn't fun, and it makes me sore down below.

               Since my bike is out of commission, I've picked up my running. The weather is starting to turn nice again, and getting out on the road for a run is so, so very nice. I've been working on my form, and it's still a conscious decision. I'm definitely a mid foot striker, but not a full POSE runner. The POSE method is more efficient, and I will continue to work on that.

             The rest of my training has been lifting and Crossfitting, and getting ready for the stair climb. I've actually done a few days of stairs training for the event. I've gone to the US bank building down town for a day of weighted stairs. It's the tallest building in town, and have done several sessions on the stair machine here at work and during fundraisers. I'm confident that I can break the 20 min mark this time around, if by nothing else having done it once before and knowing I won't have the air issue I had last year. I've already weighed my turnouts, and picked the lightest stuff I have. Just by changing my boots and picking the lightest turn outs, I am saving 3#'s.

              The kids are doing good. Monkey is enjoying school, and has a track break coming up (he's in year round school). He has also informed me the other week that he plays "a mean game of Tether ball" after I picked him up from school. He's also taking the bus home on the days that I work which is a huge help for Shawna.

             Bubbee has shown me that life decisions for an almost 4 year old can easily be solved by the simple reasoning of Iny, Minney, Miney, Mo.

              Peanut is starting to get into the terrible 2's I think. Everytime we tell her no about something it's almost guaranteed to be a fight. But she does love to wear jeans, and insists on them every day, which is really cute. She also has this funny stance that she does whenever she says Spiderman. We're not sure where/how/why she picked up the stance, but it's funny. She is also loving to dance anytime there's music on the TV.

          Cupcake does what she does best, be cute and smile. She is starting to roll over on her own more and more, so we need to be more careful about where we leave her.

    Lately, I've been on a Rise Against music kick, so here's a video of one of the songs that seems to be on perpetual repeat in my head and on my phone. It's called Satellite