Random Thoughts and Pictures from a Terrible Blogger

I am a terrible blogger. One of the keys to blogging is posting fresh, new content on a regular basis. Fail! I have a tendency to think I have to have a great story to tell before I can sit down and write. I think I just need to post more random thoughts and pictures. Like this one...

I went for my longest ride of the season today...42.31 miles in 2:37 (16.2 mph). I think that's a new record for me on the route I call the Larkspur Loop. It's a beautiful ride along the Front Range of the Rockies with 2,753 feet of elevation gain, according to my Garmin Edge 705. I burned 2,996 calories  (also according to Garmin).

I stopped at Vigil's New Mexican in Larkspur for a bowl of pork green chili (calories unknown and I don't care!). Sat on the patio in the sunshine. Nice spot. Great food. I'll be back!

That's it for my random thoughts and pictures.

Ride on!

Daren

An Ode to Beef

UPDATED February 14, 2017: Check out these new American Heart Association certified heart-healthy beef recipes from Beef. It's What's for Dinner.

My friend Adam texted me this picture last week. On my Blackberry* it looked like maybe a Valentine's Day card or box of chocolates, but when I looked closer it became clear that it was a BEEF heart. Not a real beef heart, of course, but two ribeye steaks forming a heart. Love it!

*I have since upgraded to an iPhone :)

Adam knows I love beef. I'm sure all my Facebook friends know I love beef. Last year "beef" was the most oft used word in my Facebook posts (followed by "ride" and "run"!). But Adam knows I've been a beef lover for many years...long before I went to work for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Adam and I are friends from high school and he can testify that my love of beef goes back to backyard barbecues in the 1980s when we mastered the art of grilling steaks to a perfect medium rare.


So why do I love beef ? Let me count the ways...

An Ode to Beef
by Daren Williams 

I love the sizzle of a steak on the grill, searing in the juices and slow cooking until its just right, but I love it even more when I cut into a perfectly grilled steak and take that first tender bite.

Beef is a lean source of protein which helps me maintain a healthy weight, which hasn't always been the case (I once weighed in at a whopping 278).

Beef provides fuel for the finish of a triathlon's swimming, biking and running stages, providing zinc, iron, protein and B vitamins to keep my body moving as it ages.

Beef comes from family farmers and ranchers who care for animals and the land, toiling every day to provide food for my family, I could not provide with my own hand.

I love serving beef to my sweetheart for some Valentine's Day sizzle, knowing when BEEF is What's for Dinner, our love will never fizzle!

Please join me in celebrating Valentine's Day by taking your sweetheart for a nice steak dinner or staying home and grilling a heart-shaped T-Bone Steak with Parmesan-Dusted Mushrooms. Too cold to grill? Try a Two-Steppin' Tenderloin in the oven or one of the many other great beef recipes on Beef It's What's for Dinner.

Ride on!

Daren

Pulling the Trigger

Decisions, decisions...next Saturday night the route for Ride the Rockies 2011 will be announced. Its a big deal in Colorado and with cyclists around the country who look forward to the annual week-long tour of the Colorado Rockies. I did RTR five years in a row from 2005-2009. Then last year I missed the deadline to enter the lottery by minutes...or seconds (I was signed in and entering my info as the deadline passed).

The 2011 Ride the Rockies is June 11-17. That same weekend, on Saturday, June 11, is an event I've wanted to do for the past two years, the Boise Ironman 70.3 triathlon. The Idaho Beef Council is one of the event sponsors and I have the opportunity to compete in the event as a member of Team BEEF Idaho.

Decisions, decisions...sometimes its better to just make them. Last year I waffled on RTR and missed the deadline. Even if you make the deadline you aren't ensured a spot. RTR is a lottery. You don't even find out if you're in until March. Boise Ironman 70.3 will fill up at some point. Its just a matter of when.

So today I decided to pull the trigger and register for Ironman Boise. Its done. I'm in! This will be my third Ironman 70.3 distance triathlon. My goal is to break six hours. My personal record at this distance is 6:06:18 set last August at Boulder 70.3 (at left).

Boise is an unusual 70.3 event, with a 2:00 p.m. start time. I'm usually finishing around 2:00. But apparently they have a great party at the finish line in Downtown Boise (I should finish around 8:00). Sounds good in theory but I just a blog by Mediocre Athlete that said the weather on the night of the 2009 race was "apocalyptically bad." He didn't like the 2:00 p.m. start and I'm not sure I wll, either. I typically train in the morning.

This will also be the earliest in the "season" that I have taken on such a big goal. Vineman 70.3 in 2007 was in July. Boulder 70.3 in 2010 was in August. Boise is in June. Can I get ready in time?

Regardless, I pulled the trigger and paid the entry fee, so don't have much choice. Time to get serious about training!

Ride on!

Daren