Sisters

I have two of the best. I know, everybody says that... but I'm right.

I received a call from my older sister Jennifer - The Seester - after work today. It was a welcome surprise because she lives in L.A. and with me in Alaska, we don't get to spend too much time together - but when we do get to, or even talk on the phone, it's a the beat was never missed. She can hear the rhythm for the drums, if you know what I mean. Anyhow, she shared some good life changing news that is in the near future for her and her husband and I could hear true excitement in her voice. When you talk to someone that is happy and energized by whatever may be on the horizon, it gives you perspective on your own life. I'm thankful for her sharing her happiness with me and hopefully I can reciprocate the next time around.

The younger sister, now widely know simply as Maigh, is phenomenal as well. There were times in our distant past when to say that we didn't get along would be a monumental understatement. With the years since those tough times, we've grown closer and have developed a great respect for each other. We also don't get to see each other as much as we like with her living in Atlanta, but when we get to see each other again, there is a laughter induced spark and time stands still. Then it's time for one of us to head back in the direction of our home and it's unspoken that next time we'll pick up right where we left off.

I can only hope that you're as fortunate as me.

Kincaid

This past Saturday at noon we (Team Allez) began the two person 12 hour mountain bike race at Kincaid park. A new friend I made through road racing, John Cole, was the other half and the weather was perfect for us - approaching 70 degrees and sunny. The course was 10.5 miles of fast doubletrack and technical singletrack with 1,100 ft. of climbing per lap. On my first lap, I missed a turn that wasn't marked very well and added about a mile to my lap by backtracking to the point I flew past. That lap was 57:26 and the next five laps were 51:40, 52:53, 54:41, 53:36, and 52:56. The slightly faster last lap was, I believe, due to the fact the my wife Michelle came out at around 10:00 p.m. and brought me some Mirror Pond Pale Ale. It was supposed to be a post-race treat but a cold beer was too good to pass up. I downed the bottle and headed out for my last lap with Ben Harper in the earphones and the sun just beginning to sink toward the horizon. It was a nice way to finish off a day of racing Fango 63 miles up and down hills through the woods. And John was no slouch - he knocked out 5 laps at right around an hour each... and he stayed cool when, on his first lap, he broke his chain. I started freaking out when I missed a turn - I would have gone berserker if I broke my chain. His persistence to head out on to his next lap strong and finish strong with a few positive words in our brief exchange as I rode away for another lap made the event quite enjoyable. Thanks John... see you next time.

The Good and The Bad

This weekend was eventful, to say the least. On Saturday, there was another downtown crit. I won $40.00 for the first lap prime and Alaska Waste had brought out quite a group. We ended up getting third on the day (Evan Hyde) and you can please check out a more detailed breakdown of the race on his site evhyde.blogspot.com Also, please feel free to check out race photos from a link on akbike.org to Andy Romang's site... They're pretty cool.

After the race, my wife went to check out dogs without the kids knowing. She came back and had me go with her to Petco where they have a dog adoption program. I saw Rex and immediately liked him. He's a cool mix of Shar-Pei and miniature Pinscher. I know - it's hard to imagine so I'll post a picture of him soon. After we brought him home and introduced him to the kids, Michelle took them to see Cars and Rex and I took a nap and I found out that he snores... but it's a cute snore. He's very mellow, loves attention, and is not a barker.

Then came the Sunday race. The Kincaid Loop road race is a 3.75 mile lap with a few hills on the back side that proved to be crushers for me. They had us set up to do 14 laps and the hills are really not that bad but on the 7th lap, I got dropped like a bomb from the Enola Gay and had to work my ass off to get back on... only for it to happen again on lap 8 with a strong acceleration from Matt Jordan. My legs filled with shit and I couldn't get my heart rate up. Patented bonk. There is a picture of me on Andy's site dying the death of the Ming-Wang-Dang-Doodle Dynasty and the only thing that looks good is my calf which, shortly after the photo was taken, staged a revolt of it's own in concert with it's cohort - the other calf. I chose to stop racing and limp back home rather than get lapped, which would indeed be worse than getting dropped. It was a bummer but everyone has a bad day and today was one of mine for sure. The good news is that although we didn't get a win (Matt Jordan had a one minute lead by the time I left) we got second. Evan again. Way to go, Evan... I hope I can help more next time.

The evening finished with having Michelle's folks and her sister and brother-in-law over for Father's Day dinner. Michelle made a delicious feast and she and the kids bonused me out with one of my very favorite movies: Uncle Buck.

PR, Bitches... PR

Last night there was another Moose Run time trial. My previous best time was 25:16 over the 10 mile course in 2002 - the summer before the "accident". During my warm up, my right hip was feeling really tight and it felt as if my right leg was running at about 60% power. It started messing with my head and I was getting really nervous because I had already paid for the race and they were just about to post the start list. Luckily, after getting off the bike and stretching, it started to feel a little looser. I had a GREAT mountain bike ride two nights earlier and I felt like I was getting fast again. I told my buddy Clay when we were parting ways at the end of the ride that all I wanted to do was break 25 minutes in the Moose Run and I'd be happy... 24:59 and I'd be happy.

So I rolled up to the line feeling better mentally than I had in my warm up and I was off. I hit the turn around in 11:30 but I knew the way back would be tough. The slight hills would take a little more out of me and there was a gentle head wind. As I approached the line I was giving it all I had as I watched the seconds tick by on my computer. My heart rate hit 185 and I rolled across the line in... 24:59. The race organizer recorded my time as 25:02 and that's o.k. because I know better. I didn't beat the shredders that blazed the course in under 23 minutes but I was very happy with my performance. It was one little personal victory and a Personal Record to let me know that I'm back, baby... I'm back.

Three Years

On June 5, 2003 I was nearly taken out of this life by a pick-up truck while riding my road bike. Much has happened in the three years since and I'm happy to say that, save for some nagging aches that flare up on occasion and make my hips feel like I'm an old German Shepherd, I can still run, jump, & kick and I'm having a blast riding and racing my bicycles. The following is a letter most likely written while under the influence of pain numbing narcotics - perhaps the reason it didn't find its way to the ones that were there for me until now.

7.15.03

Hello all! So it has been about six weeks since a motorist (whose egregious negligence was beyond comprehension) seriously injured me while I was riding my bicycle. After being struck, run over by a 3/4 ton Chevy truck, and suffering a seizure, I was taken to the hospital by ambulance (don't remember that part) where it was discovered that I had a fractured skull producing bruising and swelling of my brain, a fractured scapula, separated left & right shoulders, a fractured pelvis, and multiple cuts and scrapes from my ankle to my head - not to mention deep contusions in the muscles of my legs that continue to be problematic. Considering the extent of my physical damage, I am very thankful that it wasn't worse. I'm healing well due to the care I received at the hospital and - equally as important - all of the love, prayers, and support I got from my family and friends. It has really helped keep my spirits up. I know that it will take quite some time to fully recover but, with the support that I'm getting, I believe that I will be able to return to - and surpass - the level of fitness I had attained at the time of the inconceivably heartless crime.
I want to sincerely thank everyone who came and visited me, said prayers for me, gave me encouraging phone calls during the difficult ten days in the hospital, and for everyone who wished me well along the way. I would also like to extend gracious thanks to the witness who chased down the ruthless perpetrator as he fled and to the witness who stayed with me until the ambulance arrived. This genuine outpouring of compassion, love, and concern does not go unnoticed by any means - in fact, it has had a profound effect on me. I have had the proverbial paradigm shift and it has reassured me that, contrary to some opinions, there really are good people out there. With that, I must say that I believe all of the attention I have received has been of immeasurable assistance on my road to recovery. Happy Trails! (& thanks again).

Love, KRH

Hope Road

Today was the Hope Rd. 40K TT and I got up at 6:30 a.m. to eat breakfast, shower, and drive out to the staging area. It took me an hour and I arrived at 8:00 a.m. with time to sign in but usually takes longer. I was lucky I didn't get a speeding ticket between Anchorage and Girdwood because it has recently been classified as a "safety corridor" and the fines are doubled. Just as it was put in place, they did a story on the news about some sorry jackass that got a $680.00 ticket along Potter Marsh... I digress.

So I got up to a beautiful morning, ate some oatmeal, and headed to the coffee stand on my way south. I threw in the new TOOL (10,000 Days) to get me in the mindset for the self inflicted pain that was in my near future. It was sunny but a bit chilly as I pulled out the rollers and began to warm up. I was the only guy from Team Alaska Waste that was there and I wasn't in the mood to chat with the Kaladi guys that were warming up near me (although they're a great group of guys) so I plugged into my ipod and jammed for about 40 minutes. The start list was posted and I arrived at the starting line just prior to my start time... And then I was off.

The road is now a perfectly smooth ribbon of asphalt and as you head toward Hope there is a swift flowing river on your right and snow capped peaks on either side. There's a whole lotta photosynthesis goin' on with all the vegetation - especially the Birch trees - and the air smells clean and summery. The race was 12.5 miles out, 12.5 miles back, and turned out to have 920 ft. of climbing. Out of the start it was a bit downhill and I was excited to be going so fast but I knew I would have to meter my efforts because the road had many rolling hills. I felt good for about 2/3 of the race but began to fade toward the end. I made it to the turnaround in 29:08 but the time of my return trip was proof of my waning performance - 34:53. Although I really wanted to break an hour, it just wasn't in the cards and overall, I had a good time. Afterward, when most folks had left for home, I tagged along with the Kaladi guys for a mellow ride back to Hope - we just couldn't pass up some more time on that new asphalt coupled with virtually no traffic.

That was the morning. The afternoon consisted of taking out any left over frustrations by physically destroying a "clubhouse" in our backyard that was there when we moved in. It felt good to get rid of it and even better to be bonused out by my wife with a dinner of grilled halibut, bbq chicken breast, baked potato, bbq corn on the cob, a wicked salad, and some Deschutes Brewery Inversion IPA. Big day. Good day. I hope you enjoyed yours.