Love is in the Air and Killer's on the Trail

 

Hanna is putting in the trail work to come good at her 50k race in November. I took her to my favorite off-road running place, Greensfelder. I spent a lot of time on those trails in 2017 and 2018 getting ready for the Beulah 3-6-9 Challenge. I thought it was fitting that she cut her teeth on Beulah, hoping that these tough trails will prepare her for whatever gets thrown at her. Turned out to be a fantastic morning. 

It's just a shame that she had this as her view the whole time. I mean, I did look pretty fetching in my 10 year old jersey in that used-to-be-yellow color. But Killer Jr needs a trail guide and Killer Sr knows this place like an old nursery rhyme. Cue "This Old Man."

Where love fits into this came afterward. My oldest son Tyson and his fiance are getting married in November so there HAS to be a wedding shower. The Beautiful Mrs. K put together an amazing little get-together for the happy couple with an old-timey theme. Super cool props and good food along with great people. And we will have leftovers for weeks. Anyone want some chicken salad?

The Trend Continues

 

I've been locked into a disturbing trend of mechanical failures lately. My hip last November. The garage door motor in January. My Ford Escape engine in May. The garbage disposal. The truck starter. Wow, what next?

The lawn mower, probably. It's 10 years old now. My sweet mother-in-law bought it for my birthday in 2016. It's lived a rough life, for sure. But I changed the oil, the air filter, spark plug...sharpened the blade too many times to count. First thing a few years ago was the height adjusting carrier for the wheels in front. Wouldn't hold the height correctly. I jacked with that and it has been passible. Then I noticed a crack in the deck around one of the engine mounting bolts. Then a small oil leak that has eluded me for the last year. And the other day, for the first time, it didn't start on the first pull.

There are few things in life as fruitless as continuing to pull on a lawnmower starting cord. Pull/hope. Pull/hope. Repeat. Repeat. This one has never been like that. One pull and vroom. So I decided to pull off the air cleaner and carb mechanism. A bit more complicated than I thought, assembly-wise. Sure enough, it was pretty gummed up. I cleaned it out, reassembled it incorrectly a couple times, then successfully returned it to it's former glory. Bam. Started right up.

Engine oil doesn't cost much. A spark plug doesn't cost much. An air filter is less than $10. But I'm not going to buy a new wheel assembly. Or have the deck welded. The old work horse is going to live out it's days kind of like my hip did...limping along, reluctantly doing it's job until it's painfully obvious that a replacement is coming. 

Some Things are Sure Things

 

Killer JR is always coming up with new ways to challenge herself. First there was weight lifting. Then there was healthy food with a flair for the unusual. Then came running. And more running. And cycling. She even did a criterium. Then all of the above at the same time, many in the same day. I'm exhausted just writing about it. 

On the heels of a marathon and a few half marrys, she signed up for an ultra trail run outside of Austin over Thanksgiving. That's like, right around the corner! Complete confidence in her ability (and willingness) to do this without any official preparation, I figured I'd better bore her with fatherly advice and interference. 

Me: Let's start trail running to prepare you for this thing. We can start with something easy like Cliff Cave then progress to the harder stuff. 

Killer JR: You're going to run with me??

Me: Mmm, no. I'll be your tour guide on my bike. 

Killer JR: You think you can keep up?

Me:

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Driving a 30 year old truck definitely has it's caveats. Like, you know, not starting once in a while. A couple weeks ago, it just wouldn't start. Battery...good. Starter solenoid...not good. Replaced that. Worked for a few days. Wouldn't start again. Well those solenoids tend not to be so good aftermarket. So under warranty I got another. This time it didn't fix the problem. Got a new starter. Nope. Wouldn't start. Eli and Isaac came to lend me a helping hand, and after much goofing around and a little bit of wrenching we found out that the old starter was the problem. But so was the new one. Yep, the new one was bad. And so were the battery cables. Got new cables. Got a new starter. Now it runs like a champ! That's a win.

I've trained a lot since my hip replacement. Lots of hours, lots of miles, good weather, bad weather, hot and cold. On paper ("the numbers") I'm as strong as I was 15 years ago. But on-paper isn't real life. In every race I've done so far this year, I have had some pretty impressive stats, but my placings haven't been what I've wanted. Here, Flannery Allison caught me going reasonably fast at Klaus Park, one of my favorite races. Looking quite old, and my placing was quite ordinary. 

ICC was the state championship mountain bike race that the Beautiful Mrs. K tirelessly put on with the help of our great team sponsors. And I wish that I could tell you that it was a good race for me. In fact, it was the worst race I've had in a long time. I was just "off" and that was that. Near the end of the XCO race, Eli waited up for me. We had about a 1/4 mile to go and he kept telling me to pass him. I couldn't do it. So he slowed up even more so we could cross the finish line together. It's a moment that I won't forget, ever. 

Another view, same moment. Although I was dejected, he was happy as usual just to be doing something he loves. Definitely a loss in my placing, but a win in a lot of other ways. Thanks to the Devo team parents for the photos and the season memories.

 

Rest in Peace, GD Number 3

 

I'm sure many among you are tired of hearing old heads say things like "They don't make them the way they used to." And I admit I used to get annoyed with my country mother and my "close the door, we are not air conditioning the entire neighborhood" dad. They always had some worn out old colloquialisms. But one that I (as a getting-older individual) have begun to use a lot and cringe every time I do:

They don't make them the way they used to.

Yep. That's my line now. It applies to so many things. TV's. Refrigerators. Furnaces. And definitely garbage disposals. 

My third disposal grenaded last night. Flipped the switch. Much noise. Then no noise. Poof. I can understand the first one, being a builder-quality unit when the house was built 20 years ago when we moved it. It lasted a few years. Sixty dollars later, I quickly learned how to install a new one, patted myself on the back, and moved on. That one lasted a few years. Same scenario. I think it was a couple bucks more. I know I installed this last one in 2022, I think. The replacement I bought today was $119. Inflation hits the old garbage disposal industry pretty hard, I'm guessing. 

Here is where you can stop reading if you don't want to hear echoes of your grandparents....I know my mom's garbage disposal lasted the entire time she owned the house I grew up in on West Bruno. Yep. 1968 until I sold her house in 2006. That thing looked like an industrial iron smelting pot under the sink and it made noise like one, too. Granted, mom probably used it like 5 times, preferring to suffer through cleaning things up the hardest way possible in her martyr style. But let's be realistic here. Almost 40 years versus an average of 5 or 6 years?

Seems to me like they don't make things like they used to.

Some Racin', Some Iced Coffee

 

It doesn't happen often enough, but I like to get together with Hanna for some morning coffee. We both work a lot but luckily it's not too early so we can catch one of the cool places in South City for some iced something or other. Speaking of which, it's time again. 

Although I'm a terrible photographer, I recently got a couple of photos and videos of Eli racing the Dirt Crit races in Valley Park. He's strong as a bull so naturally he gets into the lead straight away and strings out the field. He probably learned that from me. 

Speaking of me, I did a couple of Dirt Crits myself lately. I also found myself in the lead, but that didn't last long. In both races, I was practically spitting up blood to keep a top ten placing. I was really happy with my output, less happy with the results. But hey...the power is there, the drive is there. My reflexes and reaction time, not so much. 9th place one night, 10th place a week later. Rats. 

The More Things Change...

I love Carl. Everyone loves Carl. Except for Doyle. But that's not the point of this post. The point is...why, oh why, whenever I have to drive someone else's car...it's on E?
 

Asleep at the Wheel

 

There really isn't an easy way to put this. I really did it this time. 

Sorry that you have to view my ugly mug, but I think it's a necessary evil, given the nature of this post. Speaking of posts. I ran straight into a sign post on Thursday. Straight into it. Didn't clip it. Didn't graze it. I whammed that thing. I was 1 minute and 27 seconds away from finishing an hour and a half workout and I suppose I had gotten a bit light-headed. I had spent too much time looking down at my computer, looked up, and smoked a 30mph speed limit sign. 

Now mind you, this is nothing to be proud of. Running into things, especially very hard and immovable objects, is normally not on my to-do list. I normally avoid crashing or falling at all costs. At the particular moment that sign and bike met, I was going about 20mph. My computer says that I was going 27.5mph, and a rapid deceleration occurred. First I hit both brakes just inches before the sign, then the strongest brakes that I know of (the sign post) did their thing. A couple of nice guys were kind enough to stop their car, urging me to seek medical attention. While writhing in pain, I attempted to play it off as though it was a common thing. My broken bike, broken helmet with grass in it, my smashed face, and a bit of blood running down my arm betrayed me. I did ride the bike back to the shop from Jefferson Barracks, though. On the way, I remembered that someone at the scene had said something about Wile E Coyote. And I did manage to laugh. 

Here is an artists rendering of the event. The black dot being the sign post. 

Because he felt sorry for me, Tyson brough me a bag full of my favorite things. Most are already gone.

And Hanna made a Zebra Cake in a Mason Jar spectacle. I ate that, too. 

If there's a moral to this story (I don't think so), it would have something to do with keeping your eyes on the road. Or don't push yourself until you hallucinate. Or getting hurt is the best way to get snacks for free. 

So much Winning!

I'm sure by now you all know how proud I am of my kids. I didn't even like kids, but having my own just flipped a switch and now I have to say they're my favorite people. Well, today the Queen of Fitness in the Fast Lane ran her first marathon (or mary, for those who are hip). Two weeks ago she ran the GO Marathon half, and then decided she should just go ahead and do a full. Sound logic if you're as fit as she is. This one? In Orange County, California.

These days with so much technology at our fingertips, you can follow your athlete every step of the way. I watched the app all morning and was quite relieved to see that she banged out sub-8.5 minute miles without any problems. The Beautiful Mrs. K and I both called her (yes, she runs quite well talking on the cell phone) and gave her some encouragement.

She asked if I was surprised, and I really wasn't. I mean, a mary is nothing to sneeze at, but Killer Jr. keeps proving that she can do the hard things. Yes, she has inherited good old Dad's nickname. She was the first born, you know. And nepotism aside, she deserves it. 

Speaking of winning, we were present at the Tuesday Night Worlds to watch Eli take his first criterium win. He is a good sprinter! He had to fight it out with my life-long friend Doug, who has taken his love of two wheels to another level over the last few years. Congrats, boys!

And if you need more feel-good vibes, as Hanna was blasting out her mary in Orange County, Eli was the sighted rider for another athlete in the Chain of Rocks Duathlon (run, bike, run). They had the fastest bike split, as you would imagine, and Nick had two great run legs with his sighted running partner. The result? Nick was 5th overall and 2nd in his age group.

A final bit of winning: Zebra cakes. Yep. The Queen of Fitness in the Fast Lane is also the Queen of Clean Plates Project. What that really means is that she whips up some incredible food, and otherworldly treats. These Zebra cakes are not from Little Debbie. Trust me!





 

Mountain Bike Racing in Puerto Rico

As much as I hate to travel, I wasn't going to miss a chance to see Eli and a couple of the other XC Devo kids race there. We landed in San Juan, and drove to the south of the island to our Air BnB. This was the view driving down the treacherous path to the race venue, which only 12 minutes away.

I didn't actually get any pics of the house itself, but suffice to say it was gorgeous. The Beautiful Mrs. K takes a lot of time scouting places for us to stay on these race trips, and so far this one take the cake. Fantastic sunsets every night. 

Puerto Rico is a hot and humid place. It's like Florida on human growth hormone. Lucky for us it was February and not July. But the Missouri boys suited up anyway and did some recon laps of the brutal course. Lots of climbing, and a tricky course with tons of loose-over-hardpack trail surface. Here, Cade, Eli and Carson are going out for another lap in full South Side XC Devo kit. 

Cade and Carson did the first race of the week, which was the short track race. Fast, fast, fast. I caught Cade going Mach 5 into the big flyover.

Our house was gated, so we always had to stop at the base of the property to open the gate and drive out. Of course, I skewered my knee on this spikey man-eating plant. 

Turns out, the minivan was the perfect rental car for mountain bikes. We must've gone back and forth to the race venue 10 times. 

We visited the Castillo San Filipe Del Morro in San Juan on one of the off days. It was a hot one, but we had to do some tourist stuff. Amazing place, built in the 1500's.

It's built right on the sea, made to protect PR from invaders at the entrance to the Caribbean sea. This iguana owned this particular section of the fort. 

And yes, there are other critters that inhabit the island. We saw our first tarantula on one day, then another one, dead in the wading pool, the next day. I scooped him out and set him down so I could judge his size. Yep, about the size of a baseball. 

Back to the racing. The course was littered with cool features. The boys were excited about the jump line on the way down from the highest point. Eli did a good job of keeping it low. I actually used his bike to do a test loop of the course, and of course, I stayed low too. 

The racing was freaking intense. There were many, many riders from the U.S. mainland, as well as riders from central and South America. Eli got in two XC races, the last one was a lot better than his first. Lessons learned.

After a week, we were ready to come home. One last stop in San Juan before going to the airport. 

Of course it was hot, so naturally Eli hung out on the edge of the beach like a good American with his hiking boots on and his shirt off. We did a lot more hanging around at the San Juan airport, as they cancelled our flight while we were waiting to board. After getting flown around the country, we got home nearly 12 hours later than expected and being awake for 24 hours. Puerto Rico was awesome. Frontier Airlines, not so much. 











 

Happy 26th Birthday Power Girl!

Eli came up with a scheme this morning to get together with Hanna for her 26th birthday. It's not that hard, as she's always down for some good coffee and excellent breakfast food. Sadly, Tyson nor the Beautiful Mrs. K could make it, but word on the street is that there is another "girls only" event tonight for this momentous occasion. Happy birthday, Hanna! You make everyone's day brighter. 
 

Snow Notwithstanding, Things are Heating up

While this might not be big news to everyone, to me it's pretty significant. My road bike, which I've been using on the trainer a LOT lately, has a power meter that measures left/right power differences. And I must say I have a near EQUAL power stroke right now. And I have spare parts in the right leg! I'm happy with how things have progressed. 

In recent years, we've been terrible about eating out so much. Busy lifestyle and all that. So the Beautiful Mrs. K has made a huge push for us to eat more at home. It's been working really well. This was from Saturday night, chicken burgers, rice and avocado. And as I write this, I'm eating lasagna. Bonus!

And this. Someone posted this the other day on one of the Facebook BMX groups. It's all vintage stuff and old racing photos and very nostalgic. In the category of stuff I wish that I hadn't done, I wrote this letter to the editor of the biggest BMX racing magazine of the era. And they published it. It was during a time when I was absolutely sure that I was better than anyone would give me credit for. I had been passed over for a prestigious idea called "The Terrible Ten". The idea was simple: If there was a track big enough for the entire amateur BMX community to race on, who would be the first ten to finish? I was actually interviewed for it, and when the publication came out, I wasn't on the list. It was almost more than my fragile ego could stand. Believe it or not, a few months later...I wrote another letter. And they published that one, too. Some people just don't learn. 

 

Describe an Almost Perfect Day in Black and White

Thanks to my Fitness in the Fastlane crew and the Beautiful Mrs. K, I blasted the mountain bike trails on Christmas Day. You are allowed to be dubious of the term 'blasted.' 

Kind of like most days, I played frisbee with the giant Hound Dog. His Christmas gifts were pretty normal: dog bones and Nerf Frisbees. However, he's still attached to the chewed up old one, and opted not to chew up the new ones. Until the 26th, that is.

I usually get Christmas day pics with my favorite daughter. This time, I convinced her not to take a really bad picture of me, Plus a bonus gremlin. 

In perhaps the most surprising development of the day, the youngsters in the family were quickly and painlessly organized for a group photo. Except Laura. I have no idea how she was able to hide behind the shortest kid, so you'll have to imagine that she is there. Or just trust me. 

 

The Waiting Game is Killing Me

Waiting around for my body to get acquainted with the replacement parts is killing me. But Strava sends me a cheerleading message every year about this time and at least it's truly encouraging. This is the most mileage I've ever recorded, along with the most hours. And what is not included in those numbers is trainer time.

Meanwhile, in our basement when it's 15 degrees outside...

Being in the house with a very motivated 19-year-old cyclist is not helping my anxiety over losing the fitness I had during the last 6 months. I mean, I was so excited to follow my program. I was obsessing actually. And it felt awesome. Now besides Eli, the Beautiful Mrs. K is starting to ramp up her riding. Oh, and the kids on the Devo team are banging out 8 to 12 hours a week in preparation for the 2026 season which I look at every day on Training Peaks. Give me a break! 

But things just aren't ready yet. I'm walking, lifting with my upper body, doing physical therapy with my lower body...can't ride yet. I have to occupy my prodigious amounts of free time with other projects. Like new seals for the mountain bike fork. 

Wow. Yeah, that was like, what, an hour of my day? Then I messed with the cranks, headset, and dropper cable. Yep, that was another hour. Sixteen more waking hours in the day to fill. 

I'm dying over here.