I'm a Vagabond.

Not much has been happening in my world lately besides school work, but I decided that some much needed vacation time was in order.

I literally packed a leather Duluth bag with one change of clothes and hopped on a plane in short notice to good old Colorado.
The point of the trip was to get away for a weekend from Iowa City and relax in the mountains.

I was thoroughly surprised to find that when I had called all of the friends I planned on seeing that weekend, they had arranged all of my stays and travels for me...it was meant to be.

Although a very quick weekend...it was great, and started with a 6 pack of Old Chub beer when I hopped into the car that picked me up from the airport.Although not the best beer in the world, and far too ridiculously dark to be put in a can...it does scream "Welcome to Colorado"

From there I was escorted to several different parties, and lived up the life of a bum.

While in Greeley, I stopped by my favorite bike shop, The Roubaix.It was great to see the shop guys and shoot the shit before I was quickly escorted off to Fort Collins. Once again...great hospitality.

From there, I shot down to Boulder for the night to hang out with some of my good friends I made my freshman year and they threw a party in my honor (or at least I'd like to think so).
With a courtesy ride back to the airport, my weekend was quickly wrapped up, but still chalked full of memories.

While on the flight back, I decided I will be back to visit in the spring. Hopefully the next time I go, it will incorporate some racing, or at least some riding in the state I love.

This next week is big news as well as I'm headed off to Miami to indulge in some fruity-alcoholic drinks on the beach with my German relatives.

I'll update on the aftermath of that mess when I return.

Take 'er easy.

Up-Grade

That's right.

Today, I got the memo, courtesy of United States Cycling Federation that I am now a Collegiate Category "A" racer.

For those of you who don't know...that's the highest level of collegiate cycling you can reach, and now makes me eligible for a chance at the national race.

In all reality, it means that I'm being challenged at a much greater level...and will probably get spanked in the A races.
At least it's nice knowing that I can reach this level!

Boo-Ya!

Well, I Finished.

I successfully finished my 26.2 mile endeavor in Des Moines this last Sunday.
The marathon proved to be one of the hardest things I've ever done. I can honestly say, I've never been so proud of one of my achievements, and my hard work. This followed by the joy of having my mother (A fellow multi-time marathoner) catch my delirious, severely exhausted and dehydrated self, gave an emotional experience I've never had before.
Not to gloat...but I did good.

With a finishing time of 3 hours and 40 minutes you can see my joy,
Jumping at the finish line, yes, jumping at the finish line.

About 22 miles into the run, I decided running for a set time wasn't the way to go about running your first marathon. Off clicked the competitive switch in me, and simultaneously switched On the fun switch in me (Which is more like a dimmer switch, because it's always on).
I danced with the disco man at mile 23, I did the robot with the DJ at mile 24, and got lay-ed (Despite your dirty thought, this is the act of having a Hawaiian lay get placed around your neck) 15 times at the Jimmy Buffet themed water stop at mile 25 to the tune of "Why don't we get drunk, and screwwwww."

I think this is the attitude all should have towards such an endurance feat, and one I will continue to have in the future.All in all; Veni, Vidi, Vici, Uti.
I came, I saw, I conquered, I enjoyed.

The marathon was a great time, and I can't thank enough all of the people I saw out on the course cheering for me, as well as the other runners. Also, I can't thank Ken Taylor at Limey's for paying for my entry fee and giving me this great experience.

I have a new found respect for people who do this strange running shenanigan, and even more respect for my mom now.
Thank you Phidippedies for running 25 miles at once, and then dying at the end to create this great event!

I'm Gonna Drop Some Knowledge On Ya.

In the recent occurence of the ridiculous amount of Mid-Term tests I've been taking at the fine University of Iowa lately and in the spirit of the Des Moines Marathon I'm running this weekend, I'm going to give you a quiz. Despite the humorous aspect of this quiz (I promise it won't kill you), I feel if I were a professor this is how I would frame my quizzes.

There seem to be many misconceptions about Marathon running, what it entails, and frankly, what the hell a Marathon even is. So here we go, as Peter Finley Dunne who once said "It don't make much difference what you study, so long as you don't like it", Let's do some learning!


Question 1:
(Click on the link for your answer)

The first man to run a marathon, died.
A.) True
B.) False

Question 2:

A marathon's distance is
A.) 20 miles
B.) 10 episodes of your favorite television show
C.) However long the race organizers want it to be, it varies
D.) 26.2 miles

Question 3:

Limey's Pub and Grub has the BEST Pizza in all of the Central Des Moines Area

A.) True
B.) False

Question 4:

You don't have to train for a marathon

A.) True
B.) False

Question 5:

You should attend the Des Moines Marathon this Sunday, October 18th and watch some everyday people do something extraordinary.

A.) True
B.) False



There you have it...Hope you passed.
Here are the answers in case the videos presented weren't hints enough.

Question 1:
The answer is true. The very first person to run a marathon, died on the spot. Although this isn't the most inspiring of stories to hear when you're embarking on a marathon...I'd like to think that Phidippides would have been praised and honored for his feat, as well as gotten all the best lookin' ladies in all of the Athenian land had he lived. Id-so-facto, I will get ladies when I finish this marathon.

Question 2:
The Answer is D. Although ridiculous that an extra 2.2 miles would be added on to a race JUST so the finish is where the Queen sits, it adds to the glamor of the race. As far as the significance of saying "26.2 miles" instead of just "26 miles", it holds a great deal. That last .2 of a mile will beat you up just as badly as the first 26 did, and every marathoner can vouch for that.

Question 3:
Obviously the answer is TRUE, duh.

Question 4:
The answer is false, you DO need to train for a marathon. I have been training since April. While training is a hotly debated issue with marathons, most agree that just running one without training is not healthy (Look at our Athenian friend Phidippides). See Episode 2 : Lucky Penny of the Television Show : How I Met Your Mother, for reference.

Question 5:
Obviously the answer is TRUE, duh.

My plate is overflowing...

Because of my lack of posting lately (Due to my extreme amount of "busy-ness")...I'm now going to flood this post with a ridiculous amount of pictures and funny captions.

Enjoy!

Jeff Spicoli characters are frowned down upon at this event. Beware.

Keep a close eye on your doping products, er, whiskey. Floyd Landis is in town, and jonsing for a fix off the front here...Obviously in a desperate search amongst the crowd for such products.

Tour de France Stage 13 Winner: Heinrich Haussler

Watch yo-self at the next Tuesday night group ride Jason McCartney. The challenge is on.



Brian and my father plotting to steal a team bus.

Dad: "You see here Brian, the 'Trick' is to drive this thing like a race car. That way everyone will think you're crazy, and won't try to keep up. We got a long time to go, and a short time to get there...so ease back, and let this RV rollllll!!!"
Brian: "Ahh...I see. Did you just quote Smokey and the Bandit?"

A.J. : "Yo Tom Zirbel! Can I get my picture with ya? I'm from Iowa too!"
Tom Zirbel: "...Only because you're from Iowa I guess..."


Now for some literature.

Obviously I had a fun time at the Tour of Missouri. In a sort of last minute effort, my father, good friend brian and I drove down to Missouri to watch the best cyclists in the world ride around Kansas City. It was a great experience, and exciting all the same. Also, It brought me to a great realization. If this whole "bicycling competively" thing doesn't work out for me...I should look for a spot as a driver for one of these teams' cars. It was very apparent by about the second lap that they were steeped in heavier competition than the riders themselves. I literally witnessed a car with 6 bikes strapped to the top come around a corner sideways, just to pass another team car. That's where the real fun lies...

Besides this short day-long adventure, I've been staying pretty busy at school.
I do make time, however, for events such as these:

Incase you can't comprehend what's going on in this photo; That is my grandfather taking a jello shot. I don't think anything more needs to be said. It's apparent we had an innocent ol' time in Iowa City, however, I've been recently informed that we're now grounded from eachother...At least we went out with a bang.

Also, I stumbled across this biking event here in Iowa City:
I think it's pretty apparent why I want to participate in this event...or at least own a T-shirt.

HA! I'm considering it...

Noted Information.

Beer is a better recovery drink than Water alone.

It's science.

You always knew it. You just couldn’t prove it.

^

Click there.

That's all she wrote...

Finally a wrap up to the entire biking season, which began in late February, has come.
I ended the season on a high note with the East Village Crit in downtown Dead Moines, IA.

The race went fairly well, and was an interesting course with a pretty large climb, and some excitement thrown in by myself.

20 minutes into the race, I decided that it was IMPERATIVE that someone get a decent picture of me in this race, in my home-town, in my new sunglasses and duds...so I rode off the front for a lap...and just to make sure this picture was taken, I continued for another 3 laps.

Success!

The picture was had, and I slowly dropped back into the group to end up with a final place of 7th.
Nice! (best Borat impression inserted here).

Overall, I can say it's been a great cycling season. I reached my main goal of upgrading to Category 3, and got 3 top ten finishes in all three of my Cat. 3 races this year. Beginner's luck most likely, but let's hope my lucky streak continues onto next year.


With cycling not absorbing most of my time, I can now focus on this marathon I'm planning on doing in October. Oh, and school too I guess.

Speaking of school, I've discovered two things recently within this last week;

1. Dropping a class is like dumping a girlfriend. Teachers take this seriously for some reason, despite the fact that there are over 250 kids in their class...every last bit helps I guess, right?

Teacher: "Don't like me do you?"
A.J. : "It's not you....or the class....it's me. Can we still be friends?"

2. Paying for a taxi-cab when going home from a late night out of "Studying (A.K.A. Exploring the local bars)" is foolish-ness.

Instead, find a ride with a friend.

Yes, that is TWO people (Myself on the seat, and my friend pedaling) riding ONE fixed gear bicycle...Guaranteed to result in laughs, falls, cuts, scrapes, perverted-comments-yelled-at-you-from-on-lookers, bruises, road rash, and more hysterical laughter.


That's all folks...Good Night, and Good Luck.