October is Over

Sooo.... I think it's been a while since my last Tuesday post. Sorry about that, but life has been getting in the way of blogging. Monday night is always a hard night for me to want to do anything. Many things to recap though. Jessie and I have been enjoying lots of things in our life recently. One thing that I am happy about is no longer having to cut and chisel apart frozen chubs for the dog.

We had been buying 10 lb. chubs of frozen chicken meat for the dog, and I was responsible for cutting apart and portioning it for the dog.

She is always very interested in how I portion it out.

Well the most exciting part is that the age of the chub has ended! The dog food company has discontinued making the food, and now we just buy whole, sliced chicken from the store and thow it in her bowl. I feel like I work at Pollo Tropical. "You want a quarter chicken or half a chicken?"

Work has been going well, and we can now say that we are debt-free! So thankful that God has provided good work for me and has more than provided for our needs. I have been working next to a guy named Gary and have really enjoyed hanging out with him some too. He had the front cover off a Cummins ISX the other day. I thought it was interesting, so I took a picture.

Might look like a scrap pile to you, but it's very organized.

Also found a very old Mack in our truckyard the other day. It came in for a state inspection and failed terribly. We enjoyed the train whistle of a horn that it had though.

I think the year model was 1990

Not a very nice ride

Had to dig some wiring out of the frame rail in a trash truck. I was proud that it only took me about two hours to find the issues going on with this truck. Normally, it would have been in the four to six-hour range. 

Hydraulic oil had leaked into the wiring and ruined it. Along with trash juices :/  

All that to say, work has been going well. I am currently in a class at a Mack and Volvo training center for three days. Although it has been mostly review, I'm glad that I get to attend. Gary has been taking the class with me, and the other day we also went shooting. Because it was so close to Halloween, we decided to shoot zombie targets.

If you look closely, you will note ten fatal holes in the zombie.

I shot the ten rounds from about 12 yards

This is Gary who is very happy to be shooting the zombies after a long day of work.

Jessie did a great job with her Halloween activity by carving a really scary jack-o-lantern.

I was impressed

We spent the evening at our pastor's house, giving out candy from his front yard and enjoying a small fire on one of the first cool nights of the season.

Jessie also did a great job breaking her PR on a Half Marathon run.

Here you can see her passing the competition at the finish 

We also had a good time at the first drive-in theater we have ever been to. It was really fun watch a movie on the big screen from our car with everyone else and their dog.

The power wagon out to the movies

Great times were happening at this photo shoot with Matt and his new gal, Olivia. We love having good friends - old and new - here in the big city. It makes it feel smaller.

Things were taking a little longer then I wanted. 

The month of October had really been full of great activities and I will end with one of my favorite that happened. I was called up by our local Indian Motorcycle dealership and told about free demo rides going on through Saturday. I was very excited to go. The morning of was about 45 degrees outside, and I rode my bike out there (and was kind of frozen when I arrived). They asked which one I wanted to ride and I replied, "Which one has a windshield?" Here are the bikes I was able to ride.

First ride was on the Chief. Base model complete with windshield 

This was my next ride called the Roadmaster. It had an adjustable windshield, heated seats, and heated handle grips.

The last ride was on the Scout once it warmed up.

Had a great time but don't plan on ever buying any of those bikes. Either too much money or not enough bike.

Thanks for reading through this random catch-up post and hope you enjoyed it.

Currently listening to: Miss May I, Bon Iver, and Audio Slave

Currently working on: test questions like "What is the part number for an injector nozzle kit for a 2003 Mack CH?" 

Currently thinking about: Is it socially-acceptable to wear spandex running pants outside of the house without shorts over them, or do the shorts make it worse? Why is it cold?

Tyler Tuesday: Fun in the Texas Sun

Welcome to “Tyler Tuesday,” where instead of my lovely wife sharing our life, you will get to enjoy the man’s perspective on the family. This might include thoughts on what we are going through as a family, things that are happening to me (such as work or awesome motorcycles that I find), or just thoughts and ideas in my head. Who knows? Just starting out and thankful for a new outlet. 

Since moving to Dallas I have re-discovered all of my favorite hobbies, including but not limited to: motorcycles, drag races, kayaking, shooting, running, working out, and the old favorite…cycling on my road bike. Some hobbies that I have yet to do in Dallas are rock concerts, fishing, and golfing. I really wish I was worse at more things because these “hobbies” are getting expensive to keep up. 

For all of you long- time readers, you may remember when I first purchased my road bike in Nashville. My life was forever changed by that bike and the enjoyable miles and miles riding through beautiful Tennessee. Hard hill climbs, sweeping turns, and the perfect blend of countryside and city streets. Then Florida happened, with terrible traffic, hot and sticky weather, and short interrupted trails. I gave it up for quite a few years.

Since I have moved to Dallas, one of the greatest features of our new home has been living next to White Rock Lake Park where there are, much like Nashville, miles and miles of paved cycling trails. 

What makes these trails better than Nashville is I get to ride them with my beautiful cycling partner, Jessie. (Whoo! Team Welsh!)

We have made several evening dates of loading up the bikes and driving about five minutes to the lake and riding in the warm summer nights, with the sun setting behind the city skyline and reflecting over the water. Good times.

So if you haven’t gathered from reading already, I like to do most everything to extreme. Not always a good trait. If I’m going to do something, I want to do it the best. If I’m going to be a mechanic, I want to work on the biggest engines. If I’m going to play music, I am going to play the loudest instrument. If I had ever joined the military, I would have joined the Marines. (Sorry, Chuck). If I’m going to ride a bike, I have to ride it fast. 

I was fine with where I was in Nashville, riding my little Target bike. I was pedaling out and about getting along fine down the trail when all of sudden, a road bike went speeding by effortlessly. I wanted to keep up and ride fast, too, but I couldn’t. The efficiency of that machine was beyond what my bike could ever hope to be.  I thought, “With my wider tires and heavy [bike] frame, perhaps the mountain bike scene is where I need to be.” I went to the nearby mountain bike trails and rode that bike so hard through the dirt and rocks that I twisted the frame and bent both rims while watching other mountain bikes hop along the trail with much less effort. This had to change. I searched Craig’s List and well... that’s how it all started. 

I was loving these new Dallas trails and found myself sprinting up hills and racing through wide streets of long declines, often looking back and forgetting to ride with Jessie and not race her. All was well until one evening my mechanical eyes were looking over my bike and found a large crack in the aluminum head stock part of the frame. Bummer. I wasn’t positive that this was the end of my bike, so I took it to the local hipster bike shop where I get most of my advice; they confirmed it: the bike was finished. If I continued to ride, I would risk the crack splitting at the head stock and the front forks falling out from under me. I was now faced with having to again find a road bike worthy of my reckless ambition.

At the hipster bike shop I received advice to have a new custom frame built and swap over components that I liked from my old bike and buy new components that I wanted to swap out. My mind raced, thinking, “Yeah, custom rebuild! I’m a mechanic and I could make everything work perfectly and look awesome, and I would be the only one with a bike like mine!” But I soon did some math and found that there wasn’t too much about my old bike worth keeping. By the time I had bought a frame and installed everything I wanted, I would have a bike that costs more than a new one and only half as good. Not to mention the assembly required and my desire to open my own used bike store. If I’m going to do something, it has to be all the way. So I moved on.

I went to Bike Mart down the road (yes, it’s really called that) and found that it costs about three grand just to walk in the door. Not the store for me, with high-end European models that were the equivalent of exotic cars in the bike world. I went instead to local, friendly, Dallas cycle shop and talked with the sales associate.

“What can I help you with today?” he asked. 

“I’m looking for a road bike to replace my old one.” I replied sophisticatedly as I could.

He perked up “Great! What were you looking to spend? What is your price range?”

Already in my mind I was thinking, “As little as possible," but to keep the conversation going I replied confidently with some high numbers, “I’m looking to spend around five to eight hundred dollars and get something nice.”

His face cracked a small smile, and I could almost see his mind’s eyes rolling as he said, “Well road bikes start at about nine hundred dollars and go up from there.”

I gulped and continued to drill him with technical questions to equip myself with the information necessary to do what I needed to do the whole time: buy a used bike.

I have been looking online for a week or so now and have had a hard time. If the bike is one I want, it costs too much. If it’s in my price range, it ends up being too small. Isn’t everyone 6’1” and all torso? I know that the right bike is out there, but I hope I don’t miss too many date nights with the Team Welsh Cycling Club before I find it. For now I will make do with my new running shoes and run with Jessie. While running, the tables are turned, and she is the one looking back trying not to make me look too bad.  

Hope this interests you; keep in mind that not all posts will be long, picture-less stories. I will keep the blog camera rolling for y’all. Have you ever starting something that you wish you hadn’t for price alone? It happens to me all the time and keeps me from starting other hobbies… for now. 

Currently enjoying listening to: Empire of the sun, Miike Snow, August Burns Red, and Portugal. The man. 

Currently working on: 2011 Volvo VNL, checking rod and main bearing for excessive wear as possible root cause for piston oil cooling pressure codes.  

Currently pondering: how to cut Brooklyn’s chubs into perfect one pound pieces without touching them. Hmm. 

Race Recap: Baldwin Park Half Marathon (AKA The Race I Would I Run Again and Again!)

If you were wondering if I decided to run or not, I did! The doctor gave me the okay, and that was enough for me. I ran very, very little last week and just focused on resting and recovering.

Also part of my preparation for the race...

Calf Ironing

Family, my doggie, football, and a "calf-rolling" session. Runners, if you've never had your calves ironed out with a rolling pin, you are missing out - seriously! This tip brought to you by the ballet studio where I work! Who knew I'd pick up helpful tips for running?!

My marathon training buddy, Mollie, ran the Wine and Dine Half Saturday night at Epcot (and seriously SMOKED it! Go, Mollie!). For a moment, I thought about signing up, too. I'm almost to the point where I'm considering another Disney race, but I was so drawn to this little race in Baldwin Park. There were just over 300 participants. No corrals, no fighting crowds, no tutu-- sorry, I really need to let that go.

My morning started splendidly with a pre-sunrise trip to a local park. I wanted some time to sit and relax before heading to the race course. We let Brooklyn run around and burn some energy. We may or may not have stopped for me to use the bathroom before heading to the course. AH! Race nerves! I told Ty that I seriously had no idea how I was going to run. I was just excited for the opportunity.

Pre-race with my pup!

Tyler jokingly said something about being the "Weim Wrangler" at the race. I found it so hilarious that I made him pose for a picture. Brooklyn made that face all on her own.

Best company I could ask for!

My start time was only about fifteen seconds after gun time (told you it was small!), and Ty and Brook watched me head off! I later found out that they went for a nice long walk and met different people and dogs at the race. I was just a little bit proud when Ty told me people were complimenting him on Brooklyn's good behavior. 

A down-side to small races is that it can be challenging to pace yourself. I was running only with a stopwatch and missed the first mile-marker (somehow?). I didn't know my pace at all really until I hit mile two at 16:00. My dad, a college letterman in cross-country and track, gave me this advice: find someone around your pace and try to stick with him. If he moves out of your sights, find someone else.

I tried to do that. One, gone. Two, gone. Three, gone. They were all too fast for me!

Finally, around mile three, I came up on a middle-aged woman who was steady and around my pace. For a half mile or so, we went back and forth: I passed her, she passed me, etc, etc. Then she just turned to me and said, "Let's stick together, okay? I'm Ellen. What's your name? And don't mind if I don't talk too much."

I was delighted! While were weren't talking "too much," I managed to find out that she is a nine-time marathoner. She was at mile 25.5 last year in Boston when the incidents took place. Apparently she had been injured during the race and likely would have been at the finish at the worst possible time, if not for the injury. She's fifty-one and has been running since age sixteen. I don't mind saying that I'm a slight person and typically buy my jeans in the smallest size. Let me just say that I have no idea where this woman shops. She was a tiny, feisty thing! I liked her, and she motivated me to keep pace. Since she had a GPS watch, I let her do the monitoring and just kept with her. She was truly a godsend!

Post-race with Ellen!

The course was beautiful! We ran around Lake Baldwin and on the Cady Way Trail. The runners were friendly and cheered for each other. It was a positive, motivating experience!

Mile 11 was the hardest. I felt It. Would. Never. End.

Unlike our recent 5K, I was giving it all I had at the end. I was breathless and couldn't have talked if I'd have wanted to. When I saw the finish line in my sights, Ellen told me to go on ahead. Somehow I found a little bit more energy and did just that.

I know, I know. It looks as if I'm first or last. That's just how not crowded it was. Did I mention I'm a fan of small races?

I had the best cheering committee ever! Ty spotted me approaching the finish line (which looped in the parking lot) and said, "Brook! It's Mom!" He began cheering immediately, and then the two of them ran next to me part way to the finish line. Brooklyn was quite excited after watching runner after runner come it!

She was also excited about the water bottles I got...

She eventually calmed down again! Hello, pretty puppy!

My mom was planning to attend, but she was a little bit delayed. Unfortunately for her, I ran faster than expected, so she missed me at the finish line. Fortunately for me, though, because I set a new PR: 1:49:41. Probably the only time ever I'll beat my record by over twenty minutes. I guess it really makes a difference when you don't have food poisoning. (Sinus infection? No big deal.)

We all know the best part about races - for the racers and spectators - is the much anticipated post-race meal. Mom made it to breakfast, and that's what counts! I felt a little gross walking into a restaurant, but nothing was coming between me and my coffee and bacado omelette, thank you very much.

We may have played hooky from church and crashed at home...

Races are tough on the support crew!

Pretending to be grumpy because I took their picture.

...and then gone to Disney!

 Tell me that's not the best of both worlds? RunLovelysmallrace and then PlayDisney.


Hollywood Studios time!

Stunt Show! Lightening McQueen now has a role!

Meeting characters is one of my favorite things to do!

After this photo, she just stared and said, "Very good, very good,"

Tons of characters were out! Even rare ones like Pinnochio, Mulan, Poppins, Belle, Hook, Stitch, and more!

Osbourne Lights were up!

By this point, my legs were KILLING me. I told Ty he was going to have to carry me to the car if we stayed much longer. We crashed at home at 8PM. Pretty sure we were both asleep by nine. Thankful for such a wonderful day running and being with my family.

Safety First