rumblings from the chasm

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40 miles-ish

9:46 pm, June 9, 2008 by jason in Cycling, Our Crazy Life, Rumblings

For some time Sydney and I have been complaining about our lack of fitness.  I have for a long time realized that my only opportunity to get fit is while Maia  is in bed.  Unfortunately I haven’t had the motivation, time, weather or some other lame excuse to do so.  I started changing that this weekend.

Saturday I rode with Maia up to Concordia and back with her giggling and trying to talk to me the entire way - it was a pretty fun ride even though I was pulling all 50+ lbs of Maia and the trailer.  I learned that it is a lot more fun to ride w/ her when I don’t have Sydney reminding me how slow I am really going.  A smoking tail wind doesn’t hurt either.

Tonight I rode down to Bradford beach and back on my road bike.  Oh how I missed that bike…  I haven’t ridden it in at least a year, probably closer to two…  It highlighted all of my bad form, but damn -  it’s fast.  I rode this evening after Maia went to bed leaving around 8:15 and getting home around 9:15.  (yes Mom I had a light on my bike)

I used to ride at night for fun with some friends when I lived in Shorewood on full moon nights.  We’d ride from 2 or 3 in the morning during the middle of the week while most people were responsibly sleeping so they could get up and go to work in the morning.  This worked out for us as there was never traffic to deal with.  I loved to race down Water Street without any worry of traffic or drunks getting in the way.  The memory of how that felt seems to be the closest to being a kid I have come in years.

I’m hoping the weather holds so I can ride again tomorrow night.  The quiet roads, the calm winds, the cool breeze - why did I ever ride at any other time of day?  More importantly, why did I just now get the motivation to do this?

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Why do I live in WI?

12:00 pm, March 20, 2008 by jason in Cycling, Thinking Green

Winter Storm Watch

DODGE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA- MILWAUKEE-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…BEAVER DAM… JEFFERSON…LAKE MILLS… WAUKESHA… BROOKFIELD…MILWAUKEE…ELKHORN… LAKE GENEVA… RACINE…KENOSHA 951 AM CDT THU MAR 20 2008…WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING…

A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING.

A WINTER STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE FROM 4 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW ACCUMULATION DURING THE DAY FRIDAY. THE HEAVIEST ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE NEAR THE ILLINOIS BORDER.

A WINTER STORM WATCH IS ISSUED WHEN HEAVY SNOW…AND/OR SLEET… AND/OR FREEZING RAIN MAY COMBINE WITH STRONG WINDS TO CAUSE MAJOR IMPACTS TO SOCIETY. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS FOR UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

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Shifting Focus

10:50 pm, December 14, 2007 by jason in Cycling, Politics, Rumblings, Track & Field

About ten years ago it was track and field, just recently it was cycling and now, baseball. It seems that the breadth
of performance enhancing drugs will soon affect any sport. While the broad usage of steroids recently detailed in the Mitchell Report is not surprising to me, the lack of recommended steps to clean-up the sport are.

For those of you who are not familiar with the general outcome of this report, let me provide a brief overview:

• Senator George Mitchell investigated and released a report detailing the usage of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs on 13 December 2007
• This report stated that, ” Major League Baseball has ‘a serious drug culture’ in which steroid use is ‘widespread’” - quoted from NPR.org
• The report listed fifty MLB players and evidence showing that they had purchased a performance enhancing drug during their career.
• The report suggested that no action be taken against these fifty players and that the current testing has made a positive impact on the culture of steroid abuse over the last three years.

The last bullet is the one that surprises me the most. I believe no punishment is recommended because the steroid use is so wide spread that it would require punishing the ‘heroes’ of the sport. In my mind, the root cause of this issue is the hero status. Our culture (in my opinion more than any other) elevates sports athletes to the likes of gods - untouchables. Only a god would deserve compensation competitive with the GDP of many poor developing countries. The desire for people to achieve and maintain this status only increases the issue and the urge to achieve this level depsite the cost.

While I think punishment for all players included in this report (retired or not) should carried out, and more strict monitoring should be implemented, is it the answer. As long as our society elevates champions to the likes of gods and the human ego continues to thrive on this elevation cheaters will exist. They exist in school, business and sport - the difference, and the reason for all of this focus, is because our children haven’t memorzied the stats of corrupt CEOs and don’t TIVO their board meetings.

Read more:

The Mitchell Report

NPR.org - Report Exposes Extent of Steroid Use in Baseball

ESPN.com - Mitchell Report - Baseball Slow to React to Steroids

Yahoo Sports - AP Interview: Mitchell says naming names was right decision

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