A New Friend

It took the 11 years and four treks, but I’ve made friends with the North Shore of Minnesota – a stretch of Lake Superior shoreline, highway, infamous landmarks, and seasonal resorts. Up until now, my travels that direction epitomized the word miserable. Few other places in the country boast about bad weather to attract tourists, [...]

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Health Care “On Us”

It’s an upward spiral that seemingly will not end any time soon. I’m talking about the cost of health insurance and specifically the cost that you and I – Joe and Jane consumer – get to bear to have adequate health plans that take care of our families. In this Wall Street Journal story, reporter [...]

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Nature Valley Grand Prix Announces Changes For Time Trial

Minneapolis – This year’s edition of the Nature Valley Grand Prix will go “old school,” with a return to Eddy Merckx-style racing for the individual time trial that opens this year’s USA Cycling National Racing Calendar event. Executive Director David LaPorte said the Nature Valley Grand Prix has opted to invoke a new USA Cycling rule that allows [...]

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Nike and Lance Armstrong

Seven-time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong, doesn’t have to ride a bike. He chooses to because he knows what people facing cancer go through each day. He understands the struggle and the fear. He wants to make a difference. So no matter what you may think of Armstrong’s comeback this year, this ad from [...]

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Age Defying

I’m showing my age. At least parts of me are starting to reveal my 40-something-ness. And while my spirit and mental age might be 36.8-years-old (according to results from this test on realage.com), other external signs sing a different tune. I urge you all to take the test, by the way. It’s simple, yet revealing. [...]

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Century Ride Preparation – Sort Of

I’m not an avid cyclist. I enjoy it. It’s a hobby to me. In the course of a summer, which is short here in Minnesota, I may log 1,500 miles on my bikes. I know that’s a small number compared to the die hards – heck it’s small even compared to some casual riders I [...]

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Day 1 of 30 Days – The Obesity Epidemic

True or false: A recent National Institutes of Health study estimated the annual medical spending due to obesity (BMI >25) in the United States to be as much as $92.6 billion in 2002 dollars – or roughly 9.1 percent of total U.S. health care expenditures. Scary isn’t it? So what are we doing about obesity? [...]

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Having Your Nachos And Eating Them Too

I’m 195 pounds of flesh, bone, muscle and…sadly…a tad bit too much body fat hanging off my 6’2″ frame.  I’m also 42, which is not an excuse, but an explanation. You see, at 39 and 40 I worked hard and built myself into really good shape. A proper combination of height, weight and musculature. It [...]

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Running

Since December, I’ve basically been running indoors. Finally, today, it was still 40-plus degrees outside at 5 p.m.  So, I raced home, threw on the running gear and hit the street. Wow! What a difference running outside can do for your motivation. Spring? Bring it on! -end-

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Training Update

After working diligently through January (missing only a handful of days without a workout of some kind), I tested my efforts this morning. First, to set the stage, the roads and trails in Minneapolis are still ice and snow covered – especially the trails.  Last weekend we enjoyed 40 degree days, followed by sub zero [...]

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