Ride for the Mission was a success!  It was a huge relief to see so many riders show up on June 19 to support the Streetlight Mission and enjoy a great day on bikes.  Over $20,000 was raised, more than 7,000 miles were ridden, and much great food and music were enjoyed.  The very first Ride for the Mission was a great event, and I am confident that it will be even better next year.

It’s a relief that it’s over, though.  The last 6 months have been a blur of extracurricular work, which has been gratifying but exhausting.  I’m thrilled that Ride for the Mission went well, but since then I’m really enjoying the break.  I has been nice to once again focus on training.  My running has been going well, and somehow I’m staying injury free.  I’m riding to work and back as often as I can, which adds up to an extra 90-120 miles of training per week.

Meanwhile, life has been a blur of work and travel.  I went to Austin for a week to attend the Asics Gold Conference with the other top 100 Asics dealers from around the country.  That was a great experience.  After hanging out with the most successful people in the running business, andI feel assured that we’re doing many things right.  And I see so many ways we can improve Sneaker Factory and make it something better.  The week was filled with creative energy and cool interactions, and I left there psyched about the directions Asics is taking, and feeling positive about the momentum we have at Sneaker Factory.

One of the highlights of the Asics show - and a highlight of my year so far - was meeting and running with elite marathoner and Olympian Deena Kastor.  After she spent the first evening of the conference hanging out with us at dinner, she invited everyone to join her for a 6 a.m. run.  Over 70 people crawled out of bed to run before dawn, but after the first mile I found myself side by side with Deena, cruising comfortably at a 6:45 pace.  We ran together for about half and hour, chatting about training, life, wine, living at altitude, our favorite races, travel, etc.  It was an extremely cool experience, and I was thrilled to spend some time with such an amazing athlete who is also just and incredibly cool person.

Otto and Manny met me at my house, and we headed out to preview the majority of the Ride For The Mission century route.  With the ride looming in three weeks’ time, I wanted to get the full experience and do some trouble shooting.  As the ride director, I’m constantly making adjustments and trying to find the safest and smoothest and most scenic roads.  Fortunately, there are no problems with the ride . . . except that it’s just too damned long! (Just kidding!)
My body wasn’t ready for such a long ride, but I’m happy we did it.  It was a gorgeous day, the route was beautiful, and the company was awesome.  Manny is always in amazing shape, and Otto has trimmed down to a super-lean 185 lbs, the lightest he’s been since Marine boot camp.  We cruised through the first half easily, enjoying the long climb over Sourland Mountain and the beautiful stretch along the ridge of the mountain.  Stunning views all around, quiet traffic-free roads, and nice weather made it an amazing day.

After lunch in Stockton we continued on, heading back east into the wind.  My legs were fading, and the heat was rising.  We passed mile 70 and I ventured into “overdistance” territory, going further than I have any time this year so far.  My energy came in waves, and I alternated between hanging on desperately to Otto’s wheel, and then periodically taking my own long pulls.  Working together, the three of us kept a terrific pace into the wind.  I held up pretty well until about mile 85, when the cramps set in.  Tremors deep in my quads kept threatening to worsen, and I had to drop a gear and try to spin them away.  Manny and Otto protected me from the wind until I managed to push through them, and fortunately we were on the homestretch by then.  We rolled in to North Plainfield with 95 miles and a decent average speed.  Great endurance day!

The verdict:  Ride For The Mission is going to be awesome.  If you’re thinking of doing a century this year, this is the one.  It’s a great cause, a wonderful route, and Streetlight Mission is making the investment to do it right and grow it into a premier event.  We have some wonderful sponsors whose contributions will help make it an amazing event.  (Rita’s Italian Ices and Starbucks, plus the kitchen at Evangel Church will be putting out some terrific food).  If you sign up before the end of today (Thursday 5/27) you’ll get a really nice technical training tee with our custom design - which alone is worth the entry fee.
It’s a full moon night, so Jenn and I are heading down to Lambertville for the one night each lunar cycle that Full Moon Cafe is open for dinner.  One of our favorite places:  good healthy food, great service, nice atmosphere.  Enjoy the full moon, the nice cool evening, and rest up for Memorial Day Weekend cycling adventures.

Jenn and I kicked off our multi-sport season on Sunday morning with our favorite race, the Long Branch Duathlon at Pier Village.  It’s a great sprint-distance run-bike-run event put on by the Sandy Hookers Triathlon Club.  Jenn had a good race, holding 19 mph on the bike over 10 miles, and running sub-8:00 miles, making an improvement over last year’s performance.  I had a surprisingly decent day, collecting 3rd in my age group for the second year in a row. (The new Transition tri bike was fantastic - I passed lots of people in the short 10-mile bike leg.)  Best of all, I managed to push pretty hard without injuring my left knee, which has been problematic for the last few months.

Injuries are a nuisance, to say the least.  What I do all day at The Sneaker Factory is help people choose the right footwear to help them prevent injuries.  So it was kind of silly that I was still struggling with my own injuries after over a year of pain and limited training.  It’s not easy to turn an analytical eye on yourself, but I had to look back through my history of running shoes to find out what worked and what didn’t.  The last pair I had run in successfully were a pair of Pearl Izumi Synchro Pace 3s that a sales rep had given me to test out a few years ago.  I like them a lot, but I didn’t know much about them or even what type of runner they were targeted for.  Back then, I was using lightweight neutral shoes designed for a very biomechanical sound runner with high arches.  For years, neutral cushioned shoes had worked well.  But in January of 2009 I started having pain in my left knee that kept me from running consistently through the winter.  And then in the fall when Jenn and I started training for the Philadelphia Marathon and the LBI 18-Miler, I started having extreme pain deep in my left hip.  That injury kept me from running or cycling most of last fall, and has bothered me continuously this spring.

Thankfully, I’m surrounded by people at The Sneaker Factory who are extremely good at diagnosing running injuries and have seen all sorts of injuries over the years.  Danielle and Kristina (and Sara McElroy from Superfeet) helped me figure out that what I had been told was a leg length discrepancy by several people, including a famous custom bike fitter and frame builder and the top orthopedic surgeon in the country, was actually a functional discrepancy caused by my left foot over-pronating dramatically, while my right foot remained completely neutral.

Once we diagnosed that issue, the solution came only after testing dozens of shoes to find the right amount of stability and cushioning that would accommodate both of my feet.  Three pairs seem to work well:  The Asics Gel Kayano, the Nike Structure Triax, and the Saucony Omni.  All of them bulkier and more stable than anything I had used before, but now a necessity.  Slow shoes are better than a crippled body, and I’m happy to say that for the first time in what seems like an eternity I’m looking forward to racing this year.

Between rainstorms this afternoon, I slipped out for a spin.  I needed a break from spring cleaning.  Forty five degrees and drizzling - beautiful.  I”m still on the cycle-cross bike for now, while I wait for my cracked carbon frame to be repaired.  Which is just as well, considering the rough roads and wet, slippery conditions.  But even with frozen hands and mist-covered glasses, it was nice to turn the cranks over for a while.

Out on the road I ran into Mikey T heading home from work at Jay’s Cycle.  It was great to see him.  He’s been working Fridays and Sundays at the store for a month or so.  He’s buzzing with that energy that comes from getting people excited about cycling.  I get a similar satisfaction helping people with running shoes.  It’s a great thing.  If you don’t have it, you shouldn’t be in this type of business.

Making the switch to the running business has been fairly painless.  It didn’t take long to learn the products, and the sales process is the same.  I am enjoying it immensely.  Being able to help runners equip themselves with the best shoes for their needs is rewarding; I am helping them achieve their goals and enjoy their sport.  It’s a great feeling.

So the last couple of months have been busy.  The job switch was pretty smooth, but we hit the busiest season a bit early and it has been relentless ever since.  Jenn and I managed to get away to Antigua for a few days after Easter, enjoying some sailing and some relaxation in a stunningly beautiful place.  We also did the Asbury Park Run-a-palooza Half Marathon last weekend, placing better than expected in spite of a so-so time on a wickedly windy day.  But most of my free time has been spent working on the Ride for the Mission, the ride I’m developing with my friend Sarino to benefit the Streetlight Mission in Elizabeth.  On Thursday, Sarino and I rode about 70 miles of the route.  We were really excited about it, and I think anyone who does the ride will be amazed at how beautiful the route is.  Most people don’t know that places this gorgeous exist in New Jersey.  Please check out the website, and consider joining us on June 19.  It’s a great cause to support - Streetlight Mission does so much to help the neediest people in New Jersey.

Check out the website! It’s going to be a fantastic event, and I hope you can join us.

It was a frosty afternoon, just below freezing with no wind, so I decided to take Winston out for a mountain bike ride.  I’ve been working on a sweet little loop in the woods at the end of our cul-de-sac, and it’s mostly finished.  Three weeks ago the whole area flooded, so much of my loop was covered with debris.  Slowly I’ve been uncovering the hardpack below, moving deadfall, and trying to navigate between the giant mud bogs that were created when the Green Brook jumped its banks.  The ground has been frozen, so I’ve been able to ride once or twice each week, covering the same loop so many times that the trail is getting pretty well defined.  It’s great to be able to shoot out the door for a quick hour in the morning before work and never be more than a mile from home.  The whole loop is about 1.5 miles, with a nice mix of singletrack, some small drops, a little bit of rock, and a few dirt jumps.
Border Collies are amazing dogs, lightning fast for a short burst, but they also have the endurance to run for miles.  When Winston goes with me on these rides, he’s a whirling dervish of energy - I’m not sure how he can sustain it as long as he does.  Today we rode for a little more than an hour.  The temperature rose above freezing, and within a few minutes everything was wet and muddy, including me and Winston.  Then suddenly, my rear derailleur shattered, and we came to a grinding halt.  Fortunately, we were only 200 yards from the house, so it wasn’t a long hike out.

I’ve owned the DBR V-6 Team for 12 years without so much as a flat tire, riding it all over the Rockies and Cascades and east coast singletrack.  But bike technology has improved in so many ways - shifting, suspension, carbon frame construction, disc brakes, and pretty much everything else.  I’ve tried selling the V-6 a couple of times, but I can’t get enough for it to justify parting with it.  It’s a gorgeous machine.  But since I’m departing the bike business, I’ve been stocking up on equipment, and today I finally gave in and ordered a replacement.  After racing the Specialized Epic Expert Carbon at Leadville last summer, I swore I would get another one in the proper size (the old one was one size too small, and my back paid the price.)  I think the 2010 version is one of the best looking bikes ever built, and a fantastic replacement for the V-6 Team.

Can’t wait to get out and play!  (Neither can Winston.)

Yesterday I did one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do.  I gave Jay my notice.  After eight years, I’m leaving Jay’s Cycle.  I have had a great time there, and still enjoy every day, working side by side with some of my closest friends.  So many of my friends are people who I met through the shop; as cyclists we have a common understanding and similar sensibilities, and those friendships were strengthened by sharing some suffering out on the road.  Don’t worry, those bonds won’t go away.  If anything, I’m going to have more time to ride, so I’ll likely see you all pretty often.

Most of all, I’m proud of what we’ve done with the business over the last 8 years.  We’ve built a staff of intelligent, articulate, easygoing, and confident people with a very professional attitude.  Customers get a higher level of service than they could have imagined, and they enjoy the time they spend there.  We gave back to the community with a number of charity events:  The LBI Ride to benefit the ARC of Union County, the Pan-Mass Charity Auction to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Research Center, and my cross country trip to raise money for cancer research.  And we have built a community of riders, more than just a club, that ride with respect and spread the word about cycling.  It’s been amazing to be at the center of all that, and to enjoy the resulting success.

What’s next?  On February 22 I will be moving into the role of General Manager of the Sneaker Factory stores.  I’m really excited about the move, as it presents a whole new set of challenges, yet I have a wealth of experience to bring to the job.  Mike Conforti, the owner and a close friend of mine, has done a wonderful job improving the business since buying it 4 years ago, and I plan to help him take it further.  We’re eager to get started.

EnduranceGuru.com is going to keep cruising along.  So many of you that I’ve worked with are going strong, having fun, and kicking butt on their various adventures and challenges.  Business is good, and growing.  There are a lot of great things in store this season, and I hope you come along for the ride . . . or run!

I headed back out the door and went exploring.  I wanted to check out possible routes for a charity ride I’m planning with my friend Sarino to benefit the Streetlight Mission in Elizabeth. We’re hoping to start the ride in Scotch Plains at Evangel Church, but the challenge is finding safe and scenic routes from there that avoid traffic congestion, imposing hills, and ugly industrial areas.  Unfortunately, on this trip I found plenty of traffic and ugly industrial zones, although no hills at all.  I’ll have to get creative with the route planning, and I promise it will be an interesting route.  Come ride with us on June 26th.  I’ll keep you posted with details as plans progress.

After another hour of messing around in the South Plainfield area, my hands were frozen again, so I headed home.  The temps had never made it past 36 degrees, and there was plenty of wind, but it was still worth it.  It was great to get out and breathe some fresh air and get the legs turning circles.  I was trying out some new gear for the first time, and I’m pleased:

• Castelli Spunto jacket - super warm and windproof.  I was toasty warm with just a baselayer underneath.  Probably too warm - I could have worn a lighter baselayer and been extremely comfortable.  My favorite jacket ever!
• Castelli Cardio Bibtights - warm and reasonably windproof, although they’re a very snug fit.  Their XL is any other company’s medium.
• Castelli Pioggia shoe covers - perfect for today, totally windproof, light, breathable, and lined with just the right amount of fleece.  My feet were extremely comfortable.
• Specialized Romin SL saddle - excellent!  I really like it.  Amazingly comfortable even on the first ride.  And it lives up to its billing as the most ergonomically designed saddle ever.

After I got back home and warmed up my hands again, I took a quick spin on my new TT bike.  This has been my project over the last month, piecing together my dream machine.  Finally this week I got the 3T Mistral aerobar I had been waiting for, and I was able to put it all together.  S-Works Transition carbon frame, S-Works carbon crankset, SRAM Force deraillers, SRAM Red shifters and brake levers, TRP time-trial aero brakes, Roval Rapide SL 45 aero wheels, Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX tires, and an old Koobi TT saddle that I inherited from Otto after one of his bike renovations.  It felt amazing to blast around the block.  Fast, and almost scary.  The bike is blazing quick, and once I get the fit totally dialed it will be incredible.  I’m looking forward to racing some time trials and triathlons on it this year.

Check out the profile of this bike - narrow is aero!

Anyone interested in a well maintained 2005 Specialized Transition with brand new Vuelta Carbon Pro wheels and new Michelin tires?  It’s an awesome machine, but I won’t be needing it anymore.

If you’re interested, send me an e-mail.  I’ll take $1,000 for it, and I’ll include a complete fitting.  It’s a 56 cm frame, great for anyone 5′9″ to 6′ tall.

My training studio is pretty simple:  my 17-year-old CycleOps Fluid trainer, a riser block, an ancient Panasonic 17″ tv, a vcr (I still haven’t invested in a dvd player for the studio), a pile of videos, my rollers leaning in the corner, and either my TT bike or my CX bike with road slicks locked in position.  A de-humidifier and a fan keep things bearable.

After lifting weights and running a few miles with Jenn and Winston yesterday, my hamstrings were a bit tight, so I was content to warm up slowly, letting the capillaries dilate, the pores open, and the lungs to expand.  I put on my favorite video, Stars and Watercarriers, a classic Jorgen Leth film that documents the 1972 Giro d’Italia.  As I warm up, I move upward through the gears, falling into rhythm with Merckx and Shoenmacher on the screen as they lead the peloton up the Cima Coppi, relentlessly pushing the pace until the best climbers in the world have fallen off their wheels, an only Merckx can continue to accelerate.  Before I know it, an hour has gone, my waterbottle is empty, and a puddle of sweat is on the floor beneath me.

This is the start of my 2010 season.  It feels pretty good.