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Archive for September 7th, 2009

I would like to say I spent the weekend covering hundreds of miles on my bike by spending hours in the saddle. Sadly, this was not the case. I did spent several hours in the saddle, but it was affixed to my trainer not in the carefree outdoors as I had envisioned in my mind. I did ride 20+ miles a day and pedaled like a loon, but I was in front of my computer. What stopped me you ask? Crockpots.

Yes, crockpots. In a strange turn of events Donna and I decided to do some Fall cleaning by re-arranging our living room, moving my computer setup known as “The Command Center” to another room (out of our bedroom much to Donna’s excitement) and starting a slew of cooking which involved multiple crockpots. And in these crockpots I crafted two very exciting meals that I’m sure will become world famous. Who can resist the mighty power of roast beef? And with that slight chill in the air it’s the perfect time to make some. And in crockpot number two I put together a festive pork dish with spicy Dijon mustard and tangy BBQ sauce.

I let that simmer for 8 hours and it was something pretty damn special.

Sunday’s ride was put on hold as I eyed the crockpots once again. A cooking epiphany had come to me during the night. A vision of spices and sauces I wanted to combine. So, down to the freezers I went to retrieve more roasts. I went with a slight change in spices for my pot roast and added a touch more onion. For my pork roast I went with spicy Dijon mustard, red pepper flakes and curry. Oh it was a delicious blend that tickled the nose.

I should have gone out after refilling the pots, but moving the Command Center had generated so much dust and chaos that it needed to be addressed. I will refrain from describing the carpet and the army of dust bunnies which had taken up residence where my desk used to stand, but suffice it to say the carpet was not a uniform color.

After spewing dust all over the house and sending everyone into asthmatic fits, the massive cleanup was complete. Then, and only then, did I feel comfortable in riding my bike, on the trainer. Another 22 miles.

You should labor on Labor Day, right? I should have labored outside and ridden 60 miles since it was so nice. And that was my plan. I even laid out my new Aussie shirt so I would be a sight to behold as I went sailing by.

Nope.

I slept later than I expected and reveled in the idea of not having to go to work for the third day in a row. After a hearty omelet breakfast and scouring the freezers for more beef and pork to roast (Donna was the voice of reason and said four pounds of each was plenty and made me put it back) I tidied up some of the messes I had made and then hopped on the bike. A quick 22 miles and I was ready to hit the BBQ with bratwurst, hotdogs, chicken and steak. And yes, I had some of all of it! That’s why we ride! So we can be gluttonous when the occasion calls for it!

So all totaled I went nearly 75 miles for the long weekend. A far cry from what I wanted to do, but at least I did some. I did check on my heart rate and found it sits around 170-180 while I’m pedaling. Not sure if that’s good, but it sounds like a cool number!