"Nothing, Daddy."

The development of a child — both physically and mentally — is a pretty amazing thing. Like all (or most) parents, Chris and I have done everything we can to stimulate growth in both areas. Jack knows his letters and the sounds they make, can spell his name and count to 20 (most days). He can ride his bike with ease, is getting the hang of throwing and has a sweet left-handed batting stroke. Well, for a 3-year-old it's sweet.

But what's most interesting, to me at least, is how his personality is developing. We've been through all sorts of phases, from brazen naughtiness and no remorse for misdeeds to recognizing that apologies need to be offered from time to time.

The latest development, however, is guilt. Full-on, "oh shit, I screwed up" guilt. And it's hilarious. Because while he feels guilt, he hasn't developed a range of guilt. The reaction is the same for both knocking something over (not that big of a deal) and, say, putting paper in the shredder (very, very uncool, depending upon the paper).

For the shredder incident, he was scolded (by me, in this case) and cranked out the tears. He was wiping tears long before he started sobbing. Chris asked him what was wrong, and he replied, "don't look at me, Mommy." Ah, shame.

Last night around 8:45, he was in his room (with the light on, as usual) when he burst into tears and sobs again. I went in to check on him. "I'm crying, Daddy." I know, bud. What's wrong? "Nothing, Daddy."

I asked him if needed to go potty, and he said he did (he always says he does). When we got in there and closed the door, he was still crying. Jack, what's wrong? "Nothing, Daddy." Then I figured it out.

Jack, did you do something naughty? "Yeeessss" (more wailing). What was it? "Nothing, Daddy." Jack ... .

"I put a boogie in my mouth!" (Even more wailing.) While his head was buried in my arm, I had to stifle a laugh. He clearly knew he wasn't supposed to do that, and was completely devastated when he did.

We wiped his tears, talked about what he needed to do in the future (just tell us if he has a booger that needs to be wiped) and I tucked him back in. When I told Chris, we both burst out in laughter.

I know, of course, that at some point we'll have to deal with bigger issues — and bigger guilt — than Jack putting a booger in his mouth. But that's a pretty damn funny start to another phase of development.

Embrocation and motivation

Officially official training starts on December 13. That's still two weeks away. And the training involved is far from exciting stuff — long miles, steady-state tempo riding; just building up the engine.

But man, I'm actually excited. Take, for example, Sunday's ride. It's late November, it's windy as hell and nobody involved needs to make any huge statements. We're only looking at long base miles. I was looking forward to that all weekend.

It turned out to be a pretty nice day, but yeah — it was windy. Only a few times did I feel like we were really getting hit hard by it. In between we stayed mostly sheltered from the 30-plus-mph gusts. Based on the upcoming weather forecast, I'm guessing it'll be one of the last days I'll be able to get away with just embrocation, and not knee warmers, on my legs.

In the end, I finished just shy of 70 miles, with just over 4 hours in the saddle. Hopefully today I can get out for a few more miles — maybe on dirt? — and follow it up on Tuesday with a few more hours with EOB.

Training isn't official yet, but I feel more ready for this than I have in quite a while. Last winter was a disaster — a waste of time. This past summer didn't turn out well, either.

Next summer will be different.

I meant to take pictures

For the last, oh, two or three months or so, EOB and I have had a standing ride on Tuesday mornings. I'm off that day and Eric ... well, he can write whenever he wants, really.

We've had brutally hot days, windy days, dog days (No, really. Days during which we interacted with random roadside dogs.) and, finally, cold days. Yesterday was the coldest so far.

Eric says the wind chill was around 4 or 5, and my computer on the way over was reading 17 degrees. Damn, already? Luckily, I know how to dress. And other than my face feeling like it was going to fall off for the 10 minutes, the ride was good.

I planned on taking pictures, but it was too damn cold. How cold? Eric's fingers were frozen until the last 20 minutes. And he did some science for you. You know those big-ass Pearl Izumi lobster gloves? Don't wear liners under them. He was frozen until he removed the liners — it can't get worse, can it? — and had warm hands by the time we were done.

Though the upper digits were plenty warm, the lower digits were not. My feet were frozen. I'm going to stop short of putting embrocation on my toes. I'm not sure if that burn would be better or worse than the standard cold sting of winter.

Playing a part

For the bulk of the past four racing seasons I've been, you know, racing. At least on the road side of things. Mountain and 'cross events have been on off-weekends, when I've felt the need to stay home and spend time with Chris and Jack.

So it stands to reason that I haven't given my time to volunteering nearly as much as I should. My team, Midwest Wheelmasters/Velogear.com, puts on a couple of race weekends every year. For the MTB weekend, I ... well, I don't know where I was. What I do know, though, is that I saw a report afterward from Troy, the man with the plan. It went something like this: "Mad props to Craig and Matt and Kevin. I don't know how we pulled it off, but we did it with four guys."

OK, that's not enough manpower. Not even close. So I made sure my schedule was free to help out with yesterday's state cyclocross championships. Having just finished an event, I know how crucial it is to have bodies on hand and ready to help.

As it turned out, I got one of the better jobs of the day: sitting next to a propane heater entering rider information into a spreadsheet. I can't stress the propane heater enough. It was nice and warm. Elsewhere ... not warm.

And considering the discipline and the weather, sitting next to that heater was a pretty good place for me to be. It was strange, though, watching guys I race against (and sometimes beat) and not being out there. I kind of felt like I was missing out. (And all of the spectators were treated to great races all day.)

Then I saw people hacking up their lungs and looking generally miserable. Mmmm ... propane heater. Nice.

Friday discussion — The Beatles

First things first: The Beatles are the greatest band in the history of rock. Period. The Stones? Please.

A good chunk of bands old and new would be blessed to have a songwriter like George Harrison on board. He was the third-best songwriter in a four-man group.

But the whole "greatest band in the world" thing is not today's discussion. Here's what we know about the Beatles:

• In a short period of time — only eight years — they unleashed the most popular music catalog of all time.
• Each of them could play the hell out of their instruments. Yes, even Ringo. He's better than the little credit he gets.
• They quit performing live in 1966.
  

They're obviously good musicians, and even the most ardent anti-Beatles person can recognize that.

But here's my hypothetical: Let's say they toured in 1969, pre-Abbey Road, but post-White Album. Aside from the likelihood that they would have killed each other, which would have been entertaining enough, would it have been a good show?

The live recordings I have are pretty spotty. Some good, some middling. They always seem really rough, though that could have something to do with being ferried around the country and listening to screaming girls for hours on end.

But in 1969, long after the "screaming girls" years, how would they sound live? Were they even capable of playing together, as a live band?

My stance: They'd be frickin' amazing, but with the potential for train wreck always present.

Your stance: In the comments. You know the drill.

Outside

I get a lot of crap about riding inside in the winter. "Why would you ride a trainer? It's so (fill in derogatory comment here). Man up, go outside." Yeah yeah.

Nevermind the fact that, until very, very recently, I lacked essential equipment for riding outside in snow and muck: a bike that isn't a full-on road bike. No, it was a matter of not being tough enough. Do a real trainer workout — not just spinning and watching Lord of the Rings or something — and you'll strike that notion pretty quick.

Anyway, it's not like I didn't want to be outside. There is often a time element involved. I typically have mornings free to ride. Even if it's going to be nice later, morning is my window. You get your work in when you can.

On some days of the week — Friday and Saturday, for example — I have an hour or so of workout time. Spending 15 minutes kitting up to go spin around outside for 40 minutes seems a bit of a waste. In that case, I'll probably hit the trainer, so I can get an actual hour of work in.

But here's a fun fact: I don't actually own a trainer right now. I sold my old CycleOps Magneto last winter, and the trainer I used since then was Munson's. But that trainer is back home now, so I'm looking at an empty basement. Kinda wild, really. (And what of the rollers? They're at the shop, because riding them on a carpeted floor sucks. I'll probably use them once a week for an easier spin.)

I'm not in the biggest hurry to make arrangements for another trainer. After all, I have three weeks until I fire things up. And with the exception of footwear, I'm set for riding outside. But I'm going to have to get ahold of one eventually.

But otherwise, I hope to be outside. Gee, I hope I'm tough enough. Guess we'll find out, won't we?

Targets

It goes like this:

The officially official program starts on December 13.

Goal 1: the Lincoln and Quad Cities weekends at the end of May
Goal 2: Omaha weekend on July 16-17
Goal 3: Whatever that UNL weekend in September is

In between, I'll do Gravel Worlds, the rest of the Nebraska road series and whatever else gets in my way.

Annnnnd GO!

Moving on

By now, Cranksgiving is becoming pretty routine. Despite knowing that routine, there are always little things that come up in the last 24 hours. Once those are taken care of, it's just a matter of keeping the train on the tracks.

How routine is all of this by now? At 5 p.m., Chris and I were home, cleaned up and done with everything. Want to talk about a load off your mind? That'd be it.

So when I woke up on Sunday morning, got hopped up on coffee and faced the day, I was ready to rock and roll. Got a ride in, installed a new thermostat, got groceries, grilled some stuff, played some PS3, ate some ice cream. Nice.

The training plan? I have ideas. Oh yes, I have ideas. It's going to be fun.

I'm going to go do ... I don't know, something. Then deliver about $1,000 to the Food Bank. Sweet!

Friday discussion — Pain or suffering?

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain. It hasn't really let up. It's going to be like this for a while. And if I didn't have to go to work at some point soon, I'd need to get a workout in.

There are two options: outside in ... that (currently 36 and raining) or the trainer. In all reality, I want nothing to do with the trainer right now. But outside ... yuck.

When answering the following question, throw "training benefit" out the door. You're just going for a steady ride, and I want to know solely of the "experience" only.

You need to get in two hours today. What's it going to be: trainer or outside (again, 36 and raining)?

My stance: Actually, I think I'd rather go outside. I have no idea why, considering the last time I was outside in those conditions I was absolutely miserable.

Your stance: Go!

OK, I'll shut up after this

Cranksgiving is Saturday. As of right now, the weather is ... well, potentially sketchy. Luckily, though, we've had that in the past. It's not that big of a deal.

If you can't make it to the race, please consider a monetary donation. Like I wrote a couple of weeks ago, Chris and I already sent our donation in. And though I wrote of a $50 donation, Chris actually sent $100. I'm not asking you to send in $100 - though that would be totally awesome - but I hope you'll consider doing something to help out.

Remember, it's $9 worth of food for every $1 donated. Think of what you can do with $90 in food, and all for a $10 donation. Consider $20 or $30 or even $50, and it's clear we can make a big impact.

So that's that.

I'm now going to dig up more old bike parts to spray-paint. That's your motivation, kids - the golden crank.

Calling the shot

OK, time to get a plan together for next year.

And as you know - or maybe you don't - you need to have a goal (or goals) in mind before you can build a plan.

So the targets fall into place like this:

1. Omaha Cycling Weekend. It has all of the advantages that out-of-town races don't: sleep at home, eat your own food, short travel times. Plus, I've effectively missed it the past two seasons.

2. Gravel Worlds. No, I don't have a bike. No, I'm not even sure I can do it. But I'm going to try.

In between, I'm going to do pretty much all of the Nebraska road racing series. I plan on hitting at least one of the Tour of KC races at the end of June - it'll be a nice tuneup for the Omaha weekend in July.

I'd like to do a bit better at the Twin Bing Classic in April/May, since last year was a waste of time. I haven't raced in Iowa - other than the Twin Bing - in a couple of years, either.

Other than goals 1 and 2 up top, I'd really like to strive for consistency. Yes, everybody's going to have ups and downs, but consistency has been absent for some time. So that's a goal, too.

When is it all going to start? Soon enough. Soon enough.

Vice squad

On a fairly regular basis, I take heat from Chris for eating all of the candy/cookies/cake/sweet things in the house.

Her accusations are not without merit, though it's not as bad as she says it is. For example, I eat very little ice cream. Too much fat, too many calories. We've had a half-gallon of vanilla in the freezer for months.

The exception, of course, is peppermint stick ice cream. And it's back in stores in time for ... well, in time for me to want to eat it all.

It will take me about a month to eat it all, and then I'll go get another package and call it good for the year. See? I'm in complete control here.

(Is it too early to have some?)

Cranksgiving week

As interesting as Friday's "$1,000" post is, it's time to move on. There were some really good answers in there. Vaughn's suggestion is probably the best, since it's little expenses like entry fees and travel that chip away at your reserves.

Although one can't help but wonder how much of a difference coaching and power would make. That could be pretty fun, too. And then there's Shim's question - $5,000 to $10,000? Pretty easy at our house. Spruce up the bathrooms, fix the siding, get a new air conditioner. Well, that money is gone.

OK, really — moving on ... .

Specifically, it's time to get ready for Cranksgiving. As of right now, the weather forecast looks OK — high of 52, afternoon sunshine. Of course, we've seen it swing both ways, so lord knows how that's going to turn out. Regardless, last-minute preparations will consume my week.

Luckily, I was able to get out on the road yesterday with a small group. By and large, I felt pretty good. But I under-ate, which is completely my fault, and had a sore back by the end of it. I still ended up with 81 miles in 4:20 or so. Not a bad day, but I'll just chalk it up to "suffer practice" and call it good.

I'm guessing there will be a lot more "suffer practice" before all is said and done. No complaints here.

Friday discussion: $1,000

This is an easy one: What bike upgrade would you make if you had $1,000 in your pocket right now. And if you do have that $1,000 free, what are you going to blow it on?

My stance: Power meter. I really want a power meter.

Your stance: Comments. Go.

I'm jealous of my wife's bike

For as long as we've had bikes, Chris' bike has merely been "good enough" while mine have gotten progressively nicer. For example, the bike I'm riding right now - the Madone 6 Series SSL - is completely ridiculous.

It is, of course, related to use. I ride a lot, Chris doesn't. But she still deserves nice stuff - if only for putting up with me. So we'd been trying to find a good fit for her, bike wise.

A while back, she noted that a 'cross bike would be pretty fun and versatile. I agree. So she said, "I want a 'cross bike." I was more than happy to take care of that.

Finally, after an Interbike-related delay (SRAM bits, etc.), it's done. Short of the fork, it's essentially the current Trek XO-2. It's an older Trek XO frame (one of the last US-made ones) with a full SRAM Rival group, Avid Shorty 6 brakes, etc. The non-matching wheels are just part of the deal at our house. I actually own only one matching wheelset - and it just came on the new Madone.

Future project: new fork, matching wheels.

For now, though, Chris is going to rip things up. Sigh ... I wish I had a 'cross bike, too.

That's not me

Unlike the past few years, November 1 came and went without so much as breaking a sweat.

On the traditional "next year starts now" day, I touched up the paint in our basement, went grocery shopping and took care of some writing projects. Today, I'll get a nice 3-4 hours in before coming home to do more of the same: basement work, Cranksgiving work, etc.

When I think of the energy required to fire up a for-real training program, I can't come close to mustering the mojo to make it happen. Not right now, at least. The feeling was similar at 'cross practices earlier this fall. While Mark and Randy and Mike and Jonathan were ready to light it up — and blasting off the line each time — it took me a while to get it rolling.

Mentally, I just couldn't do that.

But I'm getting there. Seeing the many, many Facebook and Twitter mentions to 2011 training has me thinking about goals and events on the horizon.

I feel like I need to make up for lost time. When all hell broke loose in 2009, I was faster than I'd ever been. I felt like I was on the cusp of reaping sweet rewards for all of that work.

It was the same thing this spring when my back finally felt good. Signs of life in Norfolk and then a month on the shelf.

Things have been good since, though. It's been long, steady base miles since then, with some running and MTB sprinkled in. My weight is good, my back is good. Basically, I'm physically ready for launch.

Mentally ready? Eh, check back in December.

Checklist

• Saturday ride, which was awesome and I felt good and strong and fast and such.
  
• Embrocation test: Low 40s is warm enough to go sans knee warmers and use embrocation only.
  
• Spend the entire rest of the day/evening cleaning and painting the basement, in preparation for a renovation of sorts.
• Sunday ride: Dirt, in which I managed to feel strong and fast but not actually go fast. Huh.
• Sell things at the shop.
• Trick or treating, during which Jack fell (unhurt) and his pumpkin rolled down the sidewalk.
• A lap around the basement to see how many spots I missed.

And that's the weekend. I'm going to fix those spots I missed now. And then more rearranging. Maybe then I'll be able to go to work to relax.