baked hot chocolate and tapping

The past few days have been going really well training wise. Even when i'm not training i'm having a good time. I'd been having a problem with my wheel making a weird noise and ended up bringing it around to shops. Their advise didn't get me anywhere and no one was of really any help so I ended up bringing it to Neil. He took it apart in about 2 minutes, cleaned it, lubed it, put it back together and now, no loud clank noise whenever i step on the pedal! ow chee wa wa.

Me and Krista went to San Fran the other day. We got some sweet Mexican food at a restaurant on Haight street. I love just walking around San Fran. Just seeing stuff like big group of fixies chillin around, huge buildings, awesome shops and everything like that, makes me happy enough. I guess i just like to look, no touch. We did go to some shops so Krista could check out some gangsta shoes for her wedding, and then we headed to the Emergency Room to pick up Tim. It was really cool walking around the ER and meeting everyone and seeing how low-key an ER really is. None of that, "HE'S BLEEDING OUT OF HIS EYEBALLS O H M Y G O D IT'S GOING EVERYWHERE GET ME THE CLAMPS STAT." It's more like "alright.... *mumbling to self* not allergic to any meeeeds..... chhhhheck..... ok i guess we can take him to this room and hook him up there" Not so dramatic as tv. I got to see some overdramatic patients, some psych crazy cookoo patients, and make some old black guy with no teeth in a bed make a huge smile. Tim was floored and dealt with something like 61 patients in a 13hr shift, what a pansy flower man. So we walked to Zazie and took some detours so we could walk by some cool bike shops on the way.

Zazie was super cool. Really hip yet upscale, lowlight restaurant with lots of energy and vibe. It was dog night so you could bring your dog and eat out on the balcony out back, super cool. We ordered some french onion soup and then, the holy grail of desserts, baked hot chocolate. Sweet 8lb 6oz little baby jesus was it good. Topped with little marshmellows baked to golden perfection. It wasn't what i expected, and that was practically a dry chocolate cake in a mug. This was so rich and still liquidy you could drink it. I went last year with Tim and Krista but we got there too late. The doors were closed, but you could still see everyone inside partying away, laughing, drinking, eating baked hot chocolate, but not me. I stood there in the freezing cold frigid weather hoping they'd let me in if I made a sad enough face. But I would have to wait another year to get my chocolate redemption. And it was well worth the wait. I needed some extra calories from the riding too so that helped.

Yesterdays ride didn't go too smooth. I had 4hrs with at least 2hrs in zone 2, and I could NOT get my hr to zone 2. I would put down 300watts and it's hover at about 152. I'm not a huge guy that can put down 500w at 130hr, and this was hurting. I would finally get my HR up on the climbs on to have it fall faster than I could get down to the bottom of the hill. So today was not looking good. I had high hopes since I ate a huge fat juicy steak and pasta last night, but upon getting ready and getting out the door, I felt bloody aweful. I was tired, my legs ached and I just couldn't get myself pumped up enough. I climbed up Spruce, which if you have bad legs, is terrible. I get to the top and start going down wildcat to the descent. I try to open my legs up and hit some rollers at tried to push around 300w. I couldn't even do it over a roller. So I turn around and go to the top of Spruce where I whip out my phone and consult my bro. Here's the text responses

Cary: How are you feeling for todays ride?
Me: My legs feel awesome so far... hoping they'll open up
Cary: Ok call me when youre finished. rip it yo
Me: Dude i totally meant to put my legs feel aweful. Im tired and I feel like doodoo
Cary: Better tap fool hahaha
Me: I can't i'm riding. Maybe i'll just call it a day. I can recover today and do gym/ride sunday. I think if I do those hill repeats there's pt no pot way i'll be able to recover by tomorrow
Me: Dunno what pt no pot is. Fuckin dumbass phones idea of predictive text (i was getting pissed!)
Cary: Seiji says listen to your body always, granted next week is recovery
Me:Yeah I know, i don't think I can do it though. I think I used all my reserves the past 3 weeks.
Cary: Try tapping. If it doesn't help then head home. I'll tap from here too

i then decided not to head home and give it a shot.. here's the resulting texts

Me: Dude keep tapping! Unbelievable! The power?!
Cary: tapped for activation of phosphate for ATP, so your muscles should experience more energy, for efficiency, for strength and recovery. I'll do oxygen intake and power output next, to lower your HR?!

I did all 40 minutes of my hill repeats, and felt so bloody good. It was unbelievable. I was flying by people left and right, and I had no trouble keeping my watts where I needed them to be. I left wildcat canyon as my last hill repeat. About halfway up I caught up to two Clif Bar riders. I passed them and greeted them, and immediately noticed they jumped on my wheel. I looked back and they're on my wheel hammerin in, so I keep going for a few minutes and up the pace a little, look back and they're not there.. Maybe they decided I was going to slow and didn't feel liek riding fast anyways, or maybe I really dropped them. I like the latter. Anyways kudos to cary for getting me through my ride. I had the most amazing riders high afterwards. I couldn't get myself to go inside to Kristas and get cleaned up. I just cycled around in circles around the block for awhile and took in the warm setting sun. It was such a good feeling having accomplished that and I know if i hadn't talked to cary, 100% i would have never done the ride, not to mention blast through it like I did dropping everyone in site, including my cool hammer gel holder, which I never found.

i treated myself to some delicious sushi from sushi ko on shattuck street. turns out my mom use to go there all the time..... 25 years ago! i didn't know there was such a thing as restaurants that long ago....! there's was a rally/protest about the iraq war and bush across the street from the restaurant. it was just starting and everyone was showing up, including camera crews. I gotta say, as stupid as i think rally's are, I still like how active berkeley is. There's always people riding bikes, walking places, just getting out and excercising or.... protesting. But it's a breath of fresh air.

So i'm lounging in kristas luxurious temperpedic and am about to go over to Tims. Getting to drive around here is so nice. It keeps my sanity intact, as opposed to when I went to Colorado fresh out of highschool to train and didn't get to drive much less touch a car for 8 weeks. It a really cool place to drive around. I don't think i'd instill as much faith as anyone else as they have with me letting me drive around, but i guess the fact that the mechanic said it's a deathtrap when taken in to get an oil change, might have something to do with it. maybe they're trying to get rid of me!

oh and herring gas is kicking buns at the tour of belize