Blog Archives
The Dirty Jenkins Training Ride
As some of you may know, Casey is in town from New York. Since the weather has been great for this time of year, we rode 14 miles of single track down at the Lake of the Ozarks, and then on Tuesday we decided to do the Dirty Jenkins Ride with the creator of the ride himself: One Mister Robert L. Jenkins III (or Bob to you and me). Casey, Austin (my nephew), and I all met up with Bob and had an absolute blast on this ride. Here’s a little video from the gravel ride for your viewing pleasure. It’s at least worth watching from 1:40 – 2:50 and then again from 5:19 – 6:10.
Since Wednesday is supposed to be even better weather, we’re riding again to prepare for Dirty Kanza and Cedar Cross. Adam and Robby actually took a day off, and Casey and I are meeting them for a 50+ mile ride with some decent climbs. Here is the route we’re planning on doing if all goes well. Bob couldn’t fake being sick get someone to cover his shift for him, so he’ll miss out on the most bad-ass ride ever. It’s not like a 50 mile ride would help him avoid eating dog food, right?
The Super Century!
About a week ago, Casey called me up with a “great idea.” Now usually, Casey’s ideas are mediocre at best. Just have him tell you about his ideas for Saturday Night Live sketches if you have an extra 5 or 6 hours. This time, however, I think he had a pretty good idea. Here’s how it went down…
Casey: “Hey, man. Why don’t we all do a Metric Century (100 km = 62 miles) on our trainers on Super Bowl Sunday so we can eat whatever we want during the game?”
Me: “Uh… Because that sounds terrible.”
Casey: “I know.”
Me: “Uh… Sure. That sounds cool.”
And that was the end of it. I thought… But then the idea started to grow on me. Yes, riding outside is more fun. Yes, the trainer can be boring and painful. Yes, it will completely suck. Yes, our taints will be destroyed, and our minds will turn into a steaming pile of dog poo. But that can only help our minds and bodies prepare for the Dirty Kanza 200 and Cedar Cross, right? So… I’m in!
That's not my bike, but I have the same awesome trainer. Thanks again, Dad!
So on Super Bowl Sunday, February 5th, I’ll be getting up early to get a metric century in on my trainer. Casey will do the same thing in NY, so we’ll be suffering together, thousands of miles apart.
I’d love it if some others would join me. Maybe we can get together in someone’s basement, rent all of the Twilight Die Hard movies, and suffer together for a few hours. I have to be at work at 11:30, so I’d like to get an early start. Maybe 6:00 AM? Is that too early for you? Well, too bad. It’s not like there’s ever a good time to start such a long trainer ride, is there?
I see this thing really taking off. I bet with the power of Team Virtus and our vast fan base, we’ll have people from all over the country joining us. And by “all over the country,” I mean at least MO and NY.
We’ll be doing live updates on Twitter and facebook, so be sure to check that out. And please tweet back at us or hit us up with a comment on facebook to give us encouragement or to heckle us. We’ll need it.
Don’t have a trainer? Beg, borrow, or buy one. Or you could do it the easy way and do a metric century outside. We’ll still count it. So, who wants to join me? Are you brave (crazy and stupid) enough?
Just for Fun Friday – Ride with Us Edition
First, I’d like to say on behalf of all of Team Virtus and Adam, merry Christmas to all of you crazed Virtusites out there! We truly hope you have the best Christmas ever. Enjoy this time with loved ones. I know I will.
Secondly, I’d like to cordially invite all of you to a group ride on the one and only Berryman Trail on January 14th, 2012.
I’d like to get a fairly early start, but it will have to be after we register for the Dirty Kanza 200. Registration for DK opens at 6:00 AM EST (That’s 5:00 AM for us) on the morning of the 14th. I’m going to need to be somewhere with access to an internet connection at that time, so the ride will start after that. I have family that lives close to Steelville, so maybe I can crash there so we can get an earlier start. I’m thinking about trying to start the ride between 8:00 and 9:00 AM.
Let’s start 2012 off right with an epic group ride. And if you need some reasons to ride with a group, here you go. We’ve already got some people ready to ride together on the 14th. Some Wahoos, some Hoosier Daddies, and an Offroad Medic are planning on joining us. Why don’t you?
If you have any questions, drop a comment below or check in with us on Facebook or Twitter. We hope to see you there! And once again, merry Christmas!!!!
In Defense of the Group – 5 Reasons Why You Should Ride, Run, Paddle, Train, and Race with Others
Life is crazy. I get it. Trust me, I get it. With a wife, 4 kids, some rental property to manage, a job, grass to cut, sinks to fix, diapers to change, magazine covers to shoot, and now a dog to take care of, life can get crazy. But it’s for this very reason that we must continue to ride, run, paddle, train, and race as a group.
Now, I am fortunate enough to have an AMAZING wife (I love you, Shmoopie!) that is cool with me meeting my friends and teammates for some group training or even leaving for an entire weekend to suffer through a 36 hour adventure race as a team. She doesn’t have a problem with it, but she doesn’t fully understand it. And I don’t think anyone can truly understand it without getting out there with like-minded people on a regular basis. You just have to experience it to really get it. But I’ll try to give you a few reasons why I love training and racing with others.
1. Training and racing as a group creates unforgettable moments that last a lifetime.
'Member when we rode through all that snow and mud, and then Bob crashed (twice) and got his knee all bloody?
For instance there was this one time when Bob decided to… Wait… It won’t be funny to type it. You had to be there. But there was this other time when Casey tipped our canoe and… Um… Well, it just won’t do the experience justice to simply describe it. You had to be there. However, this other time on the way to one of our races, Drew got out of the car on the side of the highway and… Uh… If I tell that story, Drew might get arrested. YOU HAD TO BE THERE! And that’s my point. You have to be there experiencing the ups, downs, and everything in between to create those everlasting memories.
'Member when we endured the pure hell of pack-rafting UPRIVER only to climb what seemed like a thousand stairs just to get ONE measly checkpoint?
2. Training and racing as a group allows you to see and experience things you normally wouldn’t see or experience by yourself.
This one kind of goes along with #1, but I know I wouldn’t do half of the things I do if I had to do them by myself. Meeting up with friends and teammates, however, gets me to do all kinds of things which, in turn, leads to great memories.
For instance… Have you ever sat in a canoe on the bank of the Missouri River waiting for the river to calm down while a gynormous sand barge goes by? Well, we have.
That sand barge tried to run us over... Thrice.
Have you ever had to hike 13+ miles in a cold, driving rain at 50 degrees with your friend, a reporter with a separated shoulder, and a daring, young professional photographer? Well, we have.
Still smiling even though we were miserable.
Have you ever built a raft out of pool noodles after being lost all night while hallucinating in the rain during a 36 hour adventure race? Well, guess what? We have.
Why did I have to be on bottom? Oh yeah... I'm the fat one.
With my friends and teammates I feel like I can do anything. Seriously… Alone, we are nothing to write home about, but as a group we are nearly invincible! Or at least mediocre.
3. You will form some great friendships and create and/or deepen bonds that will enrich your life.
I’ve made many new friends through racing and training. Bob has become one of my BFF’s, but I didn’t even know him until we agreed to do a race together. We’re good enough friends that he actually drove an hour and a half out of his way to help me fix the Virtus Van last week. And while I knew Adam and Robby before they joined the team, I now count them as two of my closest friends. So close in fact, that Adam and I helped Robby move into his new house in the blistering heat – something I would NOT do for just anyone. And I had never even met Rusty before he stumbled onto our blog, and now I consider him a great friend (and a replacement to Adam).
Rusty contemplates the meaning of friendship.
I’ve always been close with my family, but training and racing with them has made us even closer. There’s just something about suffering together and overcoming obstacles together that seems to strengthen family ties. We’ve all heard the saying, “The family that rapels together, stays together.” Wait… That’s a saying, isn’t it? Well, it is now.
Three generations of Lambs climbing, zip lining, rapelling, and kicking ass together.
4. Accountability is Huge when you train with a group.
Training can be fun… Sometimes. At other times, I’d rather drink a couple of shots filled with the sweat wrung out of Bob’s chamois after a long bike ride in blazing heat. It’s especially tough for me when it’s early in the morning.
It's so damn early Bob's eyes aren't even open.
Sometimes I just don’t feel like training at all. But then I remember that we’ve signed up for a 24 hour adventure race, and I know I need to train even when I don’t want to. So I go and check out our account on armonkey.com, and I see that Casey has just run 10 miles by himself in NY. I decide to call some of the guys up and plan some paddling practice, a run, or a ride. Knowing that others are training their asses off and knowing that I have to meet up with the guys to train forces me to do it when I don’t want to.
5. You become a better person in practically every way when you ride, run, paddle, train, and race as a part of a group.
Look… I LOVE my family. I love my family more than anything in this world, and I would do ANYTHING for them. Not only do I have the greatest wife in the world (as I previously mentioned), but my kids are the best in the world as well. My parents are the best parents a guy could ask for, and I can only hope that I’m half as good of a parent as they are. My brothers are two of my closest friends and I love them dearly (yes, even Casey). My In-Laws are even ridiculously amazing! Seriously, I’m truly the luckiest guy in the world, and I’m not just writing this because I know my family will read it (although that never hurts… I hope they emember this for my birthday in January).
Daddy Date Night with Della and Mabel - I TOLD you I'm a lucky guy!
It’s not very hard to want to be around family when you’re as lucky as I am. However… I think I’m a better husband, father, son, brother, son-in-law and overall a better man because of Team Virtus and the training and racing we do together. Whenever I leave my family to do some training or racing, I always come back refreshed and rejuvenated. I come back with a different perspective.
Me and Lyd before the Father - Daughter Dance.
I don’t get as upset or annoyed with the whining when I get home. I don’t even care if Becca wants to watch a chick flick even though (SPOILER ALERT) we all know the guy meets the gal, one of them has a secret or has told a lie, the other one finds out and they break up, and then they get back together again. I don’t even look at changing Otis’ diapers as a chore anymore (except when he poops of course… That kid can drop a load, man!).
There's nothing better in the world.
I’ve also lost weight (yes, I’m still “husky” but I’m thinner than I used to be), I’m in better shape, and I’m healthier because of all of the group training and racing we’ve been doing. And that means that I’ll be around much longer for my family. You can’t even put a price on that one.
And we also have a “Team Code” that we all follow. It all starts with “Strength & Honor.” We try to portray those qualities not only in training and racing, but in everything we do. And that can only make us better.
So, there you have it. Five reasons to ride, run, paddle, train, and race with others. I know there is a time and a place for training solo, and we all have to do what we have to do. But you really need to get out there with other people to fully understand what I’m talking about.
If you don’t train or race with others, why not? And if you do, then share with us any reasons I may have missed. Seriously, we want to hear from you. Hit us up with a comment below.
