johnhirsch.org

Tomorrow is sunday. For some its the Super Sunday for the Super bowl. For some its the Cyclo Cross World Championships. For others its the last sunday before Strong Like Bull. What will make this day different than the others is that its going to be above freezing much of the day. So I wanna go for a ride. I am gonna ride as long as I can. Ideally 6-7 hours but I know that would require some real luck in terms of the weather, I suspect 5-6 would be more likely.

The pace wil be stupid slow, like 14 mph aveage. I wanna crawl for 6 hours. TRUE BASE WORK, I just wanna be able to show up ready for the 6-7 hour rides I plan on doing in spain.

Want in? let me know. hyctn [at[] aol [dot] com

I will have this song in my head:

Wait and Bleed By Slipknot [for Todd]
I’ve felt the hate rise up in me, Kneel down and clear the stone of leaves. I wander out where you can’t see. Inside my shell I wait and bleed–GOODBYE!!I wipe it off the tile, the light is brighter this time, Everything is 3-D blasphemy. My eyes are red and gold, the hair is standing straight up, This is not the way I pictured me. I can’t control my shakes! How the hell did I get here? Something about this, so very wrong I have to laugh out loud, I wish I didn’t like this; Is it a dream or a memory?

I’ve felt the hate rise up in me…GET OUTTA MY HEAD ‘CAUSE I DON’T NEED THIS! Why didn’t I see this? I’m a victim–Manchurian Candidate. I-HAVE-SINNED-BY-JUST, Makin’ my mind up and takin’ your breath away.I’ve felt the hate rise up in me…GOODBYE!!!!!!!

“My life was undone. But I am better than you… You don’t always know where you stand, until you know that you won’t run away.” Slipknot

 I lost 1.5 days bleeding and drinking my own blood and feeling sick to my tummy (btw puking blood is gross). So I bailed on work and training for a half day in favor of kicking around NYC. A naughty nurse who wanted to help see to my healing took me to my fav place: Kate’s Joint, southern style vegan food to bring me back to health. Seriously, nothing washes out that iron taste like bbq sauce and gravy and mac and cheese and yam fries and mash potatos and and and mmmmm. With Spain around the corner I am sure a little extra calories will be shed. Nothing makes me grumpy like missing training so this provided the perfect distraction and mood lift. Of course the exchanging of workouts for girl and food could be highly addictive, good thing I did 3 workouts today and am going straight home when I am done. (Here is a pic of the bathroom at Kate’s, I love nyc)

I have been told I am a bit intense. Sadly my teeth get the worst of that generally positive thing and I cracked a wisdom tooth recently. The dentist said we should just yank it. seems the tooth fairy sometimes takes without asking. The tooth fairy didn’t know my teeth, like me, are tough. 3 roots (not just one) and all fish hooked shape. The yanker (dentist) had to earn his freakin co pay for that freakin tooth. But in the end the tooth fairy got what it came for and I got to gargle my own blood. Turns out I would made a for shit vampire as all the blood I drank messed up my tummy and I later puked blood. The Annachrist who drinks blood multiple times daily (long story) said you get use to drinking blood but I don’t see it going that way for me.

Me and the Annachrist just celebrated Underworld Day. A high holiday for our tribe. The film is about a war between vampires and werewolves. the first one came out around the time of my first break up 6 years ago. At the time I couldn’t sleep unless I had it on playing in the back ground. So it seems fitting that the new one came out now. (Right now I can only sleep if I have on a history channel program about 2012 and the end of the world). Me and anna agreed she is more vampire, me werewolf. In the movies the werewolfs are sick xc runners so that’s awesome.

 All this pain and blood got me thinking. A close friend of mine tara who I have been talking a ton to lately is going through physical problems. We meet on podiums, she won everything she entered. Its amazing how much pain she can embrace voluntarily (I am also impressed with her wisdom, kindness, and other traits, but I do admire her ability to suffer for sure). But its more amazing how much she has gone through since getting hit by a car and the many problems that’s came from that. I got a tooth pulled, that is 1/100th of what she has gone through, if that. I celebrate my ability to grind myself into dirt. It seems impressive to me because its voluntary. But people when faced with pain that would dwarf mine ante up and fight serious things, they are amazing. I am wondering aloud, is pain just a means to get what you want? How bad do you want to win? To finish the race? Or in the case of the involuntary, how badly do you want to live? Buddha had a lot of things right “suffer comes to all.” That’s for that Buddha, of and thanks for Buddhist Delight. First vegetarian thing I found and it kept me alive from age 15-18.

(my dentist playing with my socket)

The best part of this web site has been the comments section. If you don’t check that out you are missing the best part of any post here. The king of the comments is fast guy Rob Straz. Well looks like he finally started writing. Not sure how I missed it until now, but he is over on Eric’s site www.hodska.com and his entries are at: http://www.hodska.com/straz1.html

So yeah, go there, he likes Slayer more then me and dislikes lame ass people more then me as well. Its a good time.

“Wise folks count their blessings, fools count their problems. But you are both of them to me.” -spearhead

20+ (11+8) + 10 + 15 +15 + 7 (w/ long ride) + 8 = 93 (150k) I am gonna let the numbers and spearhead do most of the talking in this post.

(one of many lovely views from a 150k running week)

I believe you earn your gear. That is to say, for me, I am cheap, and I never wanted to buy stuff unless I coulddn’t justify not having it. I qualfied for kona on a used ill fitting road bike with 32 spoke wheels. I turned pro on the same bike. When I got my first new tri bike it was because I could no longer do what I needed with the bike I had and with the wheels I had. I would break spokes at huge races for example and ride to t2 with spokes hitting forks. I couldn’t get a proper fit on that first bike of mine either, because while the bike was good, it wasn’t my size. 

When I realized I wanted to race seriously,  I knew I had to get a top bike. And I did, I got the Slice by cannondale (in the background). That bike is top shelf, and simply sublime.

 But when I got my first tri bike I didn’t feel I earned a nice road bike. After all,  I had only 1 cat. upgrade in road cycling then and felt my money was best spent elsewhere or just not spent, so I got a lower end road bike and just road and raced that; alot. Even as I entered Pro/1/2/3 races I kept that road bike and had the lowest costing bike in the peleton. Once at a race the Mavic wheel car that follows the field to exchange wheels if there is a flat (so much better then tri where you see world champs freaking out at the side of the road) ask at the start “does anyone have a 9 speed?” and I was the lone hand raised. I didn’t have a plan to get a new road bike this year. But while chatting with Matt at Cannondale he said he had a sweet carbon six13 with carbon cranks. ARE YOU KIDDING, was my only response. I have gotten a touch older and will all the miles I was riding I new I needed a little softer of a ride. And while I have been working hard to get leaner and lighter dropping 3-4 lbs off your bike is always good.

So I got on the phone with the peeps at Profile www.profile-design.com to see if we could pimp it out. They sent me some awesome Cobra stuff: that is thier all carbon bars and seat post and a sweet Tri Stryk saddle. I loved profile stuff and thats why last year I purchased (at full price) the Cobra tri bars for my tri bike (again, see tri bike in background) before I knew anyone at the company (the TT bars are a fav of bike fitter because they have more adjustable points allowing for a perfectt fit, it really makes them better then other TT bars).

So yeah, I am gonna be comfy in Spain with a lot of carbon under me. BTW this bike is around 16 lbs because of the Profile and Cannondale carbon and lets be honest this bike is down right sexy. 

“1000 miles away, there is nothing left to say. So much left that I don’t know.” -Rise Against
I have been using my work office address for all my sponsorship stuff because my main man the king of the mail room was a serious athlete and cyclist back in his day so he makes sure my stuff is well cared for. My officemate is also a former roadie and a buddy so he is cool or at least cool enough to not say anything, when you spend a decade kicking around the jungle as a freedom fighter you tend to not sweat the small stuff I guess. He also is a coffee junkie like no other, so he puts up with the boxes on the hope one is 53×11 coffee.
So check it, that’s a few boxes from Hammer! The camp is gonna be stocked with Hammer this year-yummy. Need that Heed and Hammer gels for my Fuel Belt on those group runs. Plus some give aways from xterra wetsuits. Also some 53×11 Coffee-yummy yummy; CHAIN BREAKER mofos [Phil and jojo get violent without it]. I am stoked because my New Rudy Project glasses and brain bucket will get here for the camp.Oh yeah and that’s ANOTHER new cannondale, with sweeeeet Profile Design all carbon Cobra bars, the Stryke saddle and carbon seat post.
Seriously, this is a law office?