But I should have a pretty exciting year coming up, so I figured I should get this thing going again. So, let's get 2014 started with a recap of 2013 . . .
Highlights:
- Elephant Rock - This was supposed to be a big ride, with a large group from my office. Unfortunately, I broke my arm a few weeks before, and ended up just riding (one-handed) the 8-mile family ride with my wife and kids, meeting up with my co-workers at the end. Although I did it, my arm was killing me, and I probably shouldn't have ridden.
- Triple Bypass - This was my big ride for year. 112 miles or so, and a crap load of climbing. A really great ride.
- Wacky W - A couple years ago, I did the metric century. In 2013, I opted for the full century ride. unfortunately, it was really, really hot, and I had to stop about 10 miles from the finish. I was disappointed, but it was a nice ride anyway.
- Best on Hess Time Trial - my first racing event. I placed 9th out of 26 in my category.
- Crested Butte - While the kids were spending some time with the grandparents back in Ohio, my wife and I got in a short trip to Crested Butte. I managed to get in a few good mountain bike rides.
- Plenty of rides with the kiddos.
Lowlights:
- Crash #1 - The worst one. I was out for a lunchtime ride during work. I was a couple miles away from the office, and reached down for a water bottle. I was taking a drink with both hands off the bars when my wheel just whipped around, throwing me down. I stuck my arm out to brace myself, slamming it into the pavement. I broke the radial head on my right arm, and wasn't able to put weight on it for about a month, and not really able to ride on it for about a month. To keep up my training, I spent a lot of time riding the trainer with one arm. I was able to get back on the road shortly before the Triple Bypass.
- Crash #2 - Pretty minor. Just riding home from work in the rain. I took a turn onto a wooden bike path bridge, and my wheels just went out from under me. I hit the ground hard, but wasn't going very fast. Bruised my ass a bit, but otherwise not a big deal.
- Crash #3 - Another pretty bad one. I was riding with the Lifetime Fitness Cycle Club. Close to the end of the ride, I apparently got a flat tire, and didn't realize it. I made a quick right turn, my wheel slipped, and I went down hard. I got some pretty disgusting road rash on my right arm and leg.
- Crash #4 - This one wasn't bad at all. I hit a patch of ice on a commute to work. I crashed, but fortunately into some snow on the side of the path. Got right up and kept going.
- Good Sam Bike Jam cancellation - This was supposed to be my last big ride of the year. I was riding this as part of a sponsored team from my office. Exempla Good Samaritan Hospital is a big client of ours, and we appreciate the opportunity to support their Foundation by sending a team to this great event. But you might remember the heavy rains and massive flooding that hit the Denver/Boulder area in September 2013. This flooding caused massive destruction that we are still recovering from. Most of the roads are open again, but many consist of temporary repairs. Some are only passable with a single lane, and many are just packed gravel in spots. Large sections of roads were just completely washed away, particularly in the mountain canyons. These canyons provide a significant amount of the beautiful cycling rides throughout the area, and were a major part of the Good Sam Bike Jam. The event was supposed to occur just a few days after the flooding, but once the organizers did some course recon, they realized it was just not possible to hold the event. Most of the roads, and the towns they passed through, were completely destroyed. The Foundation was still supported by registration fees, and the food, staff and supplies that were in place for the ride were donated for the flood relief efforts. While I understand there was nothing they could do, it is still disappointing to miss such a great event. Looking forward to the 2014 ride!
Running:
In addition to my biking adventures, I also did some running. It was nice to break up bike training by going out for runs around the neighborhood once in a while. But the best part of running was doing running events with my daughter. We had a great time, and are looking forward to more events in 2014. Here are the running events we did together last year.
- Cottonwood Classic 5k - Our first event. Her school was participating, and she really wanted to do it, so we decided to run together.
- Taste of Louisville 5k - We had so much fun at our first one, we decided to do another.
- Firecrackers and Flapjacks 4-mile - A fun 4th of July run.
- Run the Rocks 5k - Very difficult 5k, but spectacular scenery.
- Update: And I forgot to mention running with my sister-in-law Amy for her first 5k! She's been doing the Couch-to-5k program, and she was scheduled to do her first complete 5k run at the same time I was visiting the family in Ohio this summer, so we ran that one together. Great job, Amy!
Some 2013 stats:
- Highest weight: 226 lbs, January 1
- Lowest weight: 172.4 lb, June 27-July 3
- Distance, bike: 5,452 miles
- Distance, run: 157.5 miles
- Distance, swim: 11.3 miles
But looking back over the whole year, I think it was extremely successful. Sure, there were some setbacks, primarily the broken arm, but I managed to continue to work hard, complete the Triple Bypass ride, and have a lot of fun at the same time. Stay tuned for an awesome 2014!
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