Week's travel coming to a close

It's been an interesting week travel to McAllen Texas to visit a supplier facility across the border in Reynosa Mexico.

My plan was to fly down Monday and arrive at about 1130am, check into the hotel, then visit the plant in the afternoon. I'd spend Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday there and the morning of Friday after which I'd catch an afternoon back to Grand Rapids via Dallas (more on Dallas later). Things didn't go exactly as planned. What does?

Flight in Monday was uneventful from Grand Rapids to Dallas. The flight from Dallas to McAllen is about an hour and we were in the air nearly that long when the announcement came that McAllen was fogged in and the plane could not land. We ended up routing to Austin to re-fuel. Once there, they did find they could fly back to McAllen, which we did. A one hour flight became a longer than three hours and by the time I checked into the hotel, it was after 230pm. (My colleague Bob flew in Sunday via Houston and could not land. The plane returned to Houston where he was forced to sleep in the airport for a morning flight back to McAllen. Another colleague flew out Thursday and ended up stranded in Houston due to delays in flights and she missed her connection to Grand Rapids)!

The McAllen Airport is about the size of Muskegon or maybe Lansing - but far busier!

I tried to connect with co-workers to get across the border not realizing at the time how cumbersome a process this was here in Reynosa. My previous border experience was 2005 and 2006 at Del Rio Texas to Acuna Mexico and it wasn't difficult at all. Apparently Acuna/DelRio is far far less busy than Reynosa. The crossing here has two large bridges with a third under construction and they are often packed. My coworkers reporting waits in line of up to two hours!

So I settled for logging in on the computer and doing work from the hotel.

It rained every day here until Thursday afternoon. Tuesday, we got across into Reynosa and John, who was driving a small Jeep, dodged huge holes in the flooded streets because it was raining so hard. The weather broke Thursday afternoon and today it is blue sky for my flight out.

I opted to not go back into Reynosa this morning because I did not want a delay at the border to cause me to lose my flight home. So I again worked from the hotel.
Now I sit in the airport on wifi listening to Collective Soul on my Blackberry as I wait for the 315 flight to Dallas. Dallas Airport (DFW)- I like Dallas far better than Houston. When I book flights I go through Dallas rather than Houston for two key reasons: (a) it's laid out better and better organized, (b) better shops and stores in which to browse while waiting on a layover and (c) better food! Houston's "food court" is worse than eating in a mall- far worse and the fare that they do have is terrible! Dallas has far better restaurants, especially for me as a vegan/vegetarian, it has a Bennigan's which has a black bean burger.

I had tried to rent a bike here for my visit but the one link I found online that rents bikes in the area had not responded to my emails. I brought lights in case I had the opportunity to ride at night. But with the weather this week it would have been wasted anyway. On my next trip I will try to take advantage of the very deluxe fitness center that is available - the hotel has a affiliation with a private fitness center that is very very nice.

The good news is that the iliosis pain is about 90% gone. I've diligently done my stretches, foam roller and heating pad in the morning and night. Interestingly, I am most sore and stiff in the morning after sleeping.

We didn't go into downtown Reynosa during our visit- the plant is in an industrial park on the east outskirts of town. John said a week ago or so, they could hear gunfire and grenades from the downtown area due to a battle between police & army and drug cartel members. The Mexican army caught three guys with C4 explosives and a vehicle full of weapons about an hours drive into Mexico a few days ago as well.
Mexico has a tough task ahead with the drug cartels and US addictions (and policy) aren't helping them squelch the criminals. Maybe some legalization would depress narcotics prices and help make peddling drugs less lucrative?

time off the bike and back pain

I have worked to stretch and alleviate the pain I was under following last Sunday's final cyclocross race. A bit of recent research indicate the issue is iliopsoas- all the symptoms are described there. I had the same issue at the end of the 2008 season which I believe was caused by many hours of riding to improve my cycling. I found a good link (below) on the condition and the steps to alleviate it, many of which I was doing intuitively, but perhaps not completely accurately.

http://www.julstro.com/cyclists_1.html

http://www.julstro.com/cyclists_2.html

In any event- it has now been a week without riding and I need to get back in the saddle this week

Last Crossrace

The last Kisscross was held in Holland today at a stadium. The course planners set up a spiral in the center of the football field which was pretty cool. It rained really hard during the C race (1100am-1200pm) but stopped by noon when we B racers started. I had my best finish in a cross race this season, I think, finishing at 22nd out of nearly 40 B-Master cyclists. I was almost 21st but a competitor really pushed the last 100 yards on the road segment to the finish line and passed me just before the flags- Dang!

Needless to say, the event was a muddy mess. Also, my lower back was really hurting. It was okay on the bike but really hurt when I had to dismount to climb steps. Once finished, every time I coughed my back would spasm. I am on a heating pad right now trying to alleviate the pain.

Birthday party day...

Joni's been planning the party now for weeks and weeks. My 50th birthday celebration- though it's actually three weeks early. She was trying to avoid the holidays. So she rented a hall and organized food. I wasn't allowed to see the decoration so there's likely some embarrasing old stuff around LOL

Went to Luton this morning with Rick and a couple other mountainbikers. We build a log-over on the Black Loop. I was the first to ride it during construction since I had my bike shoes on. Not a difficult obstacle, but we tweaked it with another log to make it a bit easier after my initial try. We then rode a loop. 71 degrees today - WOW!

Now off the the party!

Busy week and return to training

Well, after a month away from steady riding I began my training rides again. There is a small amount of lingering congestion, but not too bad.

I went last week and rode a loop for about an hour to create a training loop. I then drove it in the car since my Garmin is JUNK (JUNK GARMIN JUNK - I'll never buy another) and found the loop to be 16 miles.

So I can do one or two loops of the same route depending on how I feel or what time it is. Yesterday I rode it counterclockwise, then reversed when I got to the end and rode clockwise. This really effectively makes it one long 30 mile ride rather than the same 15 twice. I am also keeping my lights charged as they will be needed even for one loop regardless of what time I get home.

Saturday I rode at Ft Custer. Joni and I did the Green Loop after which, while she rode the Yellow Loop I did the Red and then 2/3 of the Green again. Beautiful weather!

I've also been diligent about my stretches to keep away issues with leg tightness and ITBand issues. I've been back on the foam roller at least once per day as well.I've been working in some pushups and situps as well and plan to do a running loop of a mile to two miles a couple times a week most likely in the more inclement weather.

Joni is busy planning the big party- whoo hooo! Not that I really need it and my birthday is actually in December, but she chose mid-November to avoid the holiday conflicts in most people's scehdules.

So a busy week is in order. I will be on an MMBA board meeting call for a short time Tuesday, at a CPS meeting in Novi Wednesday, party on Saturday and Kisscross race in Grand Rapids on Sunday

Protein 101: Dispelling the Myth Surrounding Meatless Meals

People always ask me, when they find I am a vegan, "where do you get your protein?" - as if Americans are protein deficient (insert eye-roll). Anyway, here's a great article excerpt and link:

http://civileats.com/2009/10/27/protein-101-dispelling-the-myth-surrounding-meatless-meals/

..what about the claims that we need to eat animal proteins because they contain certain “necessary” amino acids that vegetable proteins don’t? Professor Nestle replied: ..all proteins are made of the same amino acids. ALL. No exceptions. The difference between animal and vegetable proteins is in the content of certain amino acids. If vegetable proteins are mixed, the differences get made up. Even if they are not mixed, all you have to do to get the right amount of the low amino acids is to eat more of that food. There is no ‘need’ for animal proteins at all.


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On a different note- a good article and video here on Genetically modified foods

http://civileats.com/2009/10/14/kitchen-table-talks-what-you-need-to-know-about-genetically-engineered-food/

proponents try to dull the concern by stating that man has "modified" his foods for millenia... but what they miss is this- it's quite different to breed maize, for example, with heartier forms or more tasty forms until one gets sweet corn. It's quite another to INSERT into the genome of sweet corn the genes from an INSECT, for example. On what evolutionary planet would an INSECT gene get into the DNA of a PLANT that we would eat?

Revising 2010 events

Reviewing my potential events for next season and the February 24Hrs of OLD PUEBLO in Tuscon Az- I don't think this will be a feasible race for me at that point in time. Flying is approx $1200 round trip not counting bike transport costs. Driving is 2000 and would take 30 hours and nearly $500 gas not counting time off and race fee etc... I will probably will scratch this from the schedule