I took a series of photos of the robins nest outside one of the bedroom windows. It was interesting watching the lives of the baby birds and their parents.
You can find all of the pictures on my Facebook page. The public link is here so everyone can see the pictures.
2/09/2011
I broke my body again. Monday night I must have had bad form again at Crossfit. The next day my legs were locked up. Very tight and sore in the quads. It was hard to walk down the stairs. I was finally able to get on the bike for a short ride. Getting out of the saddle to stand or climb was out of the question.
2/10/2011
I tried some electro-stim on my legs. It seemed to help a little bit.
2/11/2011
But the real relief came from the acupuncture and message session with the witch doctor. He helped open up the legs, joints, nerves, etc. Definitely worth the money. 
2/8/2011
I saw this icicle hanging outside the home office window. I love how it curled around the gutter.
2/7/2011
This is the inside cover of the book "Call the Suit". Written and autographed by Sheila Taormina. Remember that name. You will hear it again soon.
2/6/2011
Super Bowl Sunday deserves more than one picture.
I was getting things ready for our friendly get together. I took the beer and cooler outside to fill up with all the free cold stuff in my yard. Yes...snow makes for an excellent cooling agent. Unfortunately the paper handle on a six-pack broke loose and there were some casualties. Lost three bottles on the garage floor.
Aimee had some great food on tap. The biscuit pizza bake looked yummy even before it was baked.
She made some of her awesome scones and chocolate covered strawberries.
This was the line-up of beer available in the cooler.
We had a great time with everyone. The commercials were funny, half time show barely tolerable...oh yeah...there was also a football game.
2/5/2011
I brought some breakfast up to Aimee this morning. Snickers (left) and Ruby (right) waited patiently for their portion. Unfortunately Aimee was too hungry to share. I didn't share either.
You can tell we are STARVING them to death.....NOT.
2/4/2011
I was in PA working for a customer. The hotel rooms at Hyatt Place are very nice. The TVs have some very nice hookups. I've never used them but it's still a nice setup.
2/3/2011
Last nights Crossfit WOD ripped the crap out of my hands. Knees to elbows on the pull-up rig. Two blisters on one hand and one blister on the other. Owwww.
2/2/2011
The snow accumulated pretty good at the beginning of the month. And it was cold also.
2/1/2011
I finally hooked up the DVD player to the new TV I bought back in September. The problem was I needed some cables. The S-Video cable sitting there.....no S-video on the new TV. Had to buy the component cables instead. Kind of a hassle.
1/31/2011
This candle was a center piece at the restaurant we had a family dinner at. 
1/30/2011
It was time to the second annual Cleveland Tri Club Swim Challenge and Clinic. We had the Cleveland State University pool for 3.5 hours to swim whatever distance you wanted to. The major options were
100 x100's
75 x 100's
50 x 100's
25 x 100's
There were also two swim clinics available. Last year I committed to the 50 x 100 (5000 yards) and felt good enough to finish with 8000.
This year I was joining quite a few others in a group being called the Big Dogs because we were going for the complete 10,000 yards (100 x 100s).
My strategy was to swim in groups of 500 and take a small break....no more than one minute between 500's. I was very happy with my swimming as I kept a pace between 7:35 and 7:45. I finished in under 3 hours which was a little goal I had set for myself.
Muscle Milk has been attending the CTC events this year and they donated a case of their product for each person who completed the 10k yards. I split a case of chocolate and vanilla with a friend. It was a much appreciated gift.
Game On.
1/28/2011
I had to change out the batteries on the Invisible Fence collars for Ruby and Snickers. We need to make sure they stay close to home and safe.
1/29/2011
Tacos for dinner. But Aimee and I have been opting for a healthier version.
We used bib lettuce leaves for shells.
Bison meet instead of beef. Could also use ground chicken or turkey.
Taco Seasoning is put together with our own spices...check the ingredients of Old El Paso taco seasoning.
Homemade guacamole.
Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
The shredded cheese is probably the worst part of it all.
Recipe ideas are courtesy of the Paleo Girls.
And you get a bonus picture showing the taco platter we made.
1/27/2011
I admit my blogging has been spotty at best. But when I have someone to pimp out and I can't even find time to promote his business....that's just not right. I've known Mike for quite a while and I was totally stoked when he started Great Race Nutrition. When I was looking for nutrition products I had to go to several places for what I wanted. I couldn't get what I wanted from one place.
GRN is that site. All of the major, and some obscure, manufacturers are sold through GRN. He has also helped me evaluate several products to see if they would work for me. Mike also has great knowledge about the products to help people determine their nutrition needs. He not only sells the product but he it as well. Mike completed his first 140.6 at the FullRev last September, but his athletic career
One of my favorite options available from Great Race Nutrition is "Flavor Choice". Mix and match your favorite flavors or electrolyte tablets, energy bars or gels.
I have a link on my side bar to the GRN website. Check them out and tell them I sent you over. 
1/26/2011
I was getting a massage from my go to guy and through certain trigger points I could feel the release of built up energy or heat. The nervous system gets overloaded with all of the training I put my body through. The energy paths through the body get jammed up and need some help to get released.
As he was helping release the energy I could feel the heat leaving my body through my feet and hands. It made me think about a song from one of my favorite musicians..Darude. The song "Burning" fit the bill perfectly with what I was feeling.
I have a fire burning in my soul.
Big Daddy Diesel also came to mind because he is a person who has a fire that is burning with a huge intensity, especially since someone told him he can't do something. I am reminded of the quote from Chinese Imperial Admiral Yamamoto after the attack on Pearl Harbor, "We have awakened a sleeping giant and have instilled in him a terrible resolve". Oh yeah, that sleeping giant is BDD.
So this picture is for everyone with a fire burning in their souls. And I have also included the song "Burning" from Darude.
Game On.
1/25/11
I was having a rough time on some projects today for work. Some "issues" surfaced and I need to do some research in order to determine the best course of action to take as resolution.
It was stressing me out a little.
I took this picture of Snickers and found some similarities between the two of us.....besides being old.
We put treats in the dog toys to keep Snickers and Ruby entertained and mentally sharp. I watched him working on this toy with stern determination to get the treat out. Nothing was going to stop him from getting the reward inside. Sometimes you just have to attack the task at hand repeatedly using a variety of methods until you get the job done.
Snickers and I have the same drive to get the job done....whatever it takes.
I resolved my work issues. I like a challenge.
Game On.
1/23/11
Is that spelled right? Lemony..lemonie...lemoniey. Whatever.
That is lemon zest right there. Aimee was making a batch of scones. Mind you that these are not your typical hockey puck scones. These are way better. I'd give you the recipe but then Aimee would kill me.......help me.
1/24/11
Sitting on the office desk was one of my favorite mugs, can ya tell why. I had some hot chocolate in the morning.
1/22/11
It has been very cold around Northern Ohio. Let's face it...it's been cold everywhere. But that didn't stop the Snow Queen (Aimee) and I from getting together with our friends for a morning run. The temperature was -4F when we started and the snow was ankle deep on the trails.
After the run I took this picture of Aimee's eyelashes proving that she is the Snow Queen.
We ran with our friends Dale, Tina, Deb and TriGuyJT. You can read JT's blog post at Iditarod for Humans.
1/20/11
As I was getting ready to spend some time on the bike trainer I looked and down decided to take a picture of my leg in my Pearl Izumi shorts.
1/21/11
During my annual eye exam I was waiting at the counter and found these cute sunglasses for kids. Yes I did try them on and they did fit.
I guess it's bound to happen. When you want to be competitive and have set certain goals for yourself it's....just....bound to....happen.
Hopefully it's nothing serious. Maybe the muscles are just sore, tired or strained. The goal is to avoid a full blown injury like a tear, serious inflammation, stress fracture, sickness, blood. Oh please don't let there be blood.
Sometimes we just feel broken. I watched several friends become broken this past year. Jason is currently dealing with foot issues. Patty is recovering from hers. And I can't keep track of who is sick.
I feel broken today....because of yesterday.
Tuesday is typically a double workout day. Crossfit in the morning and run speed work in the evening.
Kate put us through a skill set and regular WOD.
The skill involved 5x3 Hang Power Clean to max. Description and video.
I was on my last set of three at max. I managed to pull two but not the third. I had terrible form on the second and quite possibly strained my right trapezius and index finger. Index finger? Don't ask me how but it hurts today.
The WOD consisted of:
21-15-9
Back Squat
Kettlebell Swing (55 lbs)
I took it easy on the squats and went with a lower weight than prior. Partly due to the number of repetitions and second the run workout I would have in the evening. Today my inner quads are sore.
I felt great after I was all done at Crossfit. I wouldn't feel the effects until later in the evening and morning.
My evening run workout was done on the treadmill due to some rainy crappy weather.
I preferred the treadmill since I had some goal times/pace to hit. I needed to complete 4 x 400m. I haven't told you about my current training goals so lets just say the pace was fast. Each interval needed to be complete around 1:20. I'll let you do the math to figure out overall pace and speed.
I knew it was going to be hard but I had to suck it up. This is the training plan I signed up for and Aimee had done the same workout in the morning.
Intervals 1 and 2 were good. I could feel a twinge in my right glute/quad so I kept things under control during the hard push. Interval 3 was a struggle but I kept it together. Interval 4.....definitely the hardest effort. I had to really focus on what I was doing to make sure several things didn't happen.....loose my legs and fall....get spit off the back of the treadmill......puke. Actually I didn't feel like puking until I completed the last interval and was sucking in as much air as possible next to the treadmill.
I'm not sure how much the evening workout contributed to my soreness this morning but I feel a little like the picture below.......broken.
Fortunately I will mend faster than the window. It's been like that for over a year.....two winters for sure. I'll fix it in the spring...right after race season.
Game On
1/18/11
I've heard that there can sometimes be special meanings in numbers.
You can click on the picture for the hidden meaning.
...makes the world go 'round. Aimee and I are putting some playlists together for some spinning sessions. Oh yeah we will be using songs from all of these CDs.
1/17/11
1/14/11
This was the most important piece of paper in my possession on Friday. This was my ticket home after being in Alabama for the week. 
1/15/11
Saturday I wanted to get in a bike workout but had to adjust my rear derailleur. That little screw above the "H" was adjusted about half a turn. The bike shifts great now.
1/16/11
Aimee and I spent the evening cooking dinner together. This risotto was accompanied by some artichoke hearts and walnuts. The salmon with red wine mushroom sauce was pretty damn good also.
1/12/11
While eating breakfast I noticed the following on my fork. It turns out the plate was also environmentally friendly.
1/13/10
Sometimes it's all about knowing what buttons to push. The small white button starts the power on the computers systems I install. I have to use a pen to push the button....and these systems start at $30,000.
This button starts the Nissan Maxima I have been driving this week. I'm really getting used to the keyless system. The car cost about the same as the above computer system, at least this time.
I have fallen behind already and here I am playing catch-up. But you will soon realize why the delay. Oh yeah...delays. That's been my world the past couple of days.
1/08/11
So going back to Saturday.....it was time to finally take down the Christmas decorations. While Aimee was busy with running some errands I put away the trees (two of them), bagged up some larger items, packed the knick knacks that I knew where they should go. I couldn't figure out where a small batch needed to go so I waited for Aimee to get home. That's Santa in the background.
1/09/11
Sunday morning Aimee and I lead a spin session at Coca Crossfit. Before we started I took this picture of the pull-up rig in the gym. Rogue Fitness sponsors Kate as an athlete and their equipment is very nice.
1/10/11
Monday. Where do I even start. Monday actually started on Sunday. I was flying to Birmingham, AL for work. As we approached Birmingham the pilot was told to divert to Huntsville due to the weather. We wound up stuck in Huntsville for the night. This winter storm was bringing Alabama to a stand-still just like many other southern states. Huntsville totaled 9 inches of snow that night. That is their average snowfall for one winter.
I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with US Airways, not my favorite people right now, and the company travel agency, Egencia......now these people were very helpful and took care of me.
1/11/11
Tuesday afternoon, today, I finally arrived where I should have been on Sunday night. Gadsden, AL is a city in northeastern Alabama. My one hour drive took about 1.5 due to the icy conditions on the road. I managed to get 3 good hours of work done before calling it a night. I was going to stop by the local YMCA to check on their schedule only to find them closed. So I put together a workout I could do in my hotel room. In honor of 1/11/11 I did
1 WOD (Workout Of the Day) consisting of:
