Back to the Races

After my little vacation in Alabama, I went back to Hawaii. Wow that sounds weird, most people would think the opposite. Back to where I was going. After doing the Aloha run I jumped back on the bike the next day for the normal Tuesday ride of terror. I was able to hang with the front group although Steve C was riding much stronger than before I left. We used to mix it up pretty much but now i was struggling just to hang on his wheel. I know he is a strong rider but to comeback from almost having his leg cut in two during knee surgery to where he is now is pretty amazing.

Sunday morning marked my second race of the year. This time instead of a mass start crit, I competed in a 20 K Time Trial. I took off and was going about 29 right away. It didn't feel too bad so I kept it between 26 and 30 the entire way out. As I neared the turn around cones I was confused because there wasn't any signs stating to turn around. There were also some riders coming back from beyond the turn so I kept riding. Luckily I heard a policeman say to turn around so I only went about 50 meters beyond the turn around but still lost at least 10 seconds if not a few more. Unfortunately, I forgot to reset my computer so I didn't get a good time and had no idea how I finished until they announced the results. I placed 3rd but am still waiting for my actual time to compare it to the two guys ahead of me. Two races, two podium finishes is a pretty good way to start the racing season.

Seeing the Nieces and Nephew;Old Friends and the Aloha Run

One of the nice things about going TDY to the mainland is the opportunity to visit family without having to cough up the cost of a plane ticket. The first weekend I rented a car and headed to Atlanta to visit Chris's brother Craig's family. Craig has two children Conner 6 and Tori 3. It had been quite a while since I seen them and they had really grown. Tori is very talkative and was happy to see me when I woke up the first day. Conner is a little more shy but he enjoyed playing football outside. I had a very fun time visiting with them. On Sunday before the super bowl, Craig and I went for a run with a couple of his friends. I ended up running over 7 miles with them which was a great way to prepare to pig out for the super bowl. Craig had several of his Friends over for a party. I had a great time until the Steelers were down in the bottom of the 4th with time running out. Luckily they pulled it out and I ended up winning the pool to top it off.

On the next weekend I headed to southern Illinois to meet my mom, Lucy and the girls. Lucy's youngest Daisy was born in September and I hadn't seen her yet. She was an incredibly good baby. She let me hold her and just smiled and cooed on my lap. Abby still hasn't quite taken to her uncle Steve. She would give me an occasional hug and would tease me but she is definitely a Mommy's girl. I had a great time visiting with them.

After being in the AF for as long as I have, you tend to know someone everywhere you go TDY. This time was no different. My buddy John who was stationed with me in CA and Germany. I spent alot of time at his house while in Alabama. I also got to have lunch with my supervisor from when I cross-trained into manpower. He retired and is working in contracting. It was nice getting to see him.

I came home to a very busy weekend culminating with the Great Aloha run on Monday. I decided to run the race when we met up with Paul and Mel, Chris's cousins and they were running the race so I signed up. I talked to Ben and he said he would run with me as well.
I was surprised how easy of a time I had finding Mel and Paul in a crowd of 20000 but I found them right a way. Paul and I started out together but then he told me to run ahead after the first mile I felt pretty strong the second mile i ran a 645 minute mile. the third mile was right at 7 min so i decided to shoot for a sub hour time. Chris was surprised how soon I passed her. She didn't even have the camera ready. I kept my strong pace but when I crossed the finish time my watch read 1 hour 2 seconds. However, when the official times were posted based on the timing chip my time was 59:50 37th of 868 in my category. My pace was a 7.21 minute mile. Not bad considering I hadn't really trained.

Mtn Biking Alabama Style

Saturday morning John and I got up early and headed to the swayback trail on lake Jordan about 45 minutes from Montgomery. The lake had a nice network of trails providing a fun way to get some exercise. It was a bit colder than I was used to but luckily I brought my tights and long sleeve Jersey. I haven't ridden with John since we were stationed at Beale. He still has an aversion to everything spandex. We had a great time. I did manage to crash a couple of times. The second one I landed on a branch and thought I messed up my knee but it was fine after a it loosened back up. John warned me about a real steep section and was curious to see if I could ride it. I gave it 4 hard tries but gave up when I couldn't get over the apex of the steepest section. There was one section that had a nice jump. Since I love to Jump I had to give it a try. Luckily I managed to keep from killing myself.

1st Race, 1st Win

This morning Momentum sponsored the first of 4 crit races at the Marine base. I was looking forward to this race because I knew I had been riding pretty strong and I wanted to see how I would do. We had a great turnout from the HACC and there were 37 total racers in the senior category. Bryant, John, and I talked about the race during the ride Saturday and we decided we would try to stay up front and keep the pace hard from the start to hopefully narrow the pack. The first lap was neutral. The three of us managed to stay in front so we could take off hard right at the start of the second lap. Bryant took off and I stayed on his wheel. John would then come around. We managed to stay up front and control the pace for most of the race. If the three of us would fall back, Steve Lindsey and Jon Lorian would whip around and take a strong pull. I heard some of the riders talking about how the couldn't believe how many HACCers were riding up the front.

I was able to stay in the front 4 or 5 riders and each time someone would try to take a sprint, I would pick up the pace and catch their wheel. I kept watching my heart rate so that I wouldn't burn out the wick before the end of the race. There was a couple of times when I chased a few breaks down that I was afraid I had overdone it. Luckily, that wasn't the case. With about 4 laps left, Spence, the captain of the Armed Forces Triathalon team took off. I worked so hard to catch his wheel that I was again afraid I may have over done it and wasn't going to have enough to finish strong. Luckily, when I caught his wheel he slowed enough that I could catch my breath a little. With 2 laps left, Jon and Steve both took strong pulls which were perfect as I was able to catch their wheels and stay out front. I think there were two riders ahead of me as we rounded the curve at the end of the back stretch. I amped it up a bit into the end of the curve then started my sprint. I almost lost it as my wheel started to slide but I caught traction and put the hammer down. I crossed the line a couple of bike lengths ahead throwing my arms up in a Tour De France style finish.

The rest of the HACC did very well. Bryant finished 5th in our race. John Girmsey finished 3rd in the Master's category . Kelly did exceptionally well finishing first in the women's category and 4th overall in the public race. Ed finished third in the public race as well. We were complemented for our great turn out. I know I wouldn't have done as well without the hard pulls by Bryant, John, Jon, and Steve. Too bad I will miss the next race which will be in February, due to my TDY. When we race in March, I am going to race in the Expert category which may be tough since I have a 3 week TDY and 1 1/2 week vacation between now and then.

More Bad News

This has been quite a week. Today I learned of the passing of one of my old bosses, Lt Col Bob Lester, retired. Lt Col Lester and I served together both at Beale and at Offutt. He always thought very highly of me and was very instrumental in me cross-training into manpower. He was always willing to set down and talk to his people. Sometimes maybe a little more than we really wanted spend. He flew 130's and also had a law degree. He would do anything for his people and treated us much better than some of his bosses treated him. He will be missed.

Sad News

Today I found out that a good friend of mine,CMSgt Denise Mikolajczyk, passed away suddenly. while TDY to Offutt AFB. Denise and I were stationed together for 3 years in Germany. She was a great person who was a hell of alot of fun to be around. Luckily I got to spend a week last fall with her and Curt Marshall at our training conference in Mississippi. We had a great time, golfing, drinking and reminissing. I had hoped we would get the chance to do it again soon. I had even invited her to come for a visit in Hawaii. I hope she had a chance to try Sam Adams light as I suggested. She will be missed by all who knew her.

Beauty in our own backyard

Living in paradise gives us the opportunity to take pictures of many different beautiful areas all over the Island. However we often over look the great beauty that exists on Hickam. We have always taken sunset pics at Sunset Beach on the North Shore. After living on Hickam for almost 1.5 years we discovered that the oceanfront next to the Fort Kamehameha Housing makes an excellent setting for taking pictures of the sunset. Fort Kamehameha Historic Housing is a section of base housing on the south end of the base that was there before WWII. They recently moved all the families out because the structures were getting pretty old and required significant upgrades to meet the Housing Standards. It is a shame because although they were substandard, they had Million Dollar views of the ocean and are the only houses on Hickam that actually sit next to the Pacific Ocean. Chris and the girls headed out about 5 pm and I rode my bike out to meet them after work. We took a bunch of pics of the beach, Ginger and the sunset. We were even treated to a helicopter fly by.

Last April we moved into a brand new house on base. The house is great, plenty of room, a garage, all new appliances. The only problem is the location. From our lanai you can see the AAFES warehouse, the federal detention center and the base recycling center. We are also next to the Airport so you can see and hear planes taking off and landing 24/7. The only reminder of the fact that we are in Hawaii is the one lone palm tree sitting between two telephone poles. Sometimes I like to sit on the lanai with a beer and a cigar and relax while watching my lone palm tree sway in the wind.