tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62387362011-08-03T22:19:10.401-05:00I rode 173 miles from Houston to Austin the 2004 MS 150 last April. This blog documents my training leading up to that event and my biking activities afterwards.The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-5421097816106550332008-07-10T21:10:00.002-05:002008-07-10T21:14:28.639-05:00

I have started a new blog tracking my training for the Houston Half-Marathon. I'll keep this baby going too, with the frequent, detailed posts you have come to enjoy. See you over at The Dustinator!Later,Dustin

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-76855376945297722512007-11-05T22:49:00.000-06:002007-11-05T23:05:57.106-06:00

I am in training with Fort Bend Fit to walk the Houston Half Marathon in January 2008. So far have walked eight miles as the longest distance several times. We get up at dark-o-clock on Saturday morning to do our long walks. As in any other specialized sport, you need your technical clothing, your hydration systems, your fancy shoes (worth it--I have Pearl Izumi and wear them everyday). I got

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-57112655782525336902007-05-31T12:25:00.000-05:002007-05-31T12:35:35.305-05:00

The daughter of a good friend of mine is riding the great divide:On May 7th Erin departed on a 5 month 3100 mile ride on the Continental Divide Trail.She's quite a trooper! The ride is self-sponsored so far. If you can sponsor her ride, see the link http://www.ridethegreatdivide.com/index.htmlLater,Dustin

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1138286611359109572006-01-26T08:41:00.000-06:002006-01-26T08:43:31.370-06:00

You like to soak up the sun, but your tastes are down to earth. Everyone thinks you're cute. Life is a winding road, and you like to take the curves in stride. Let other people compete in the rat race - you're just here to enjoy the ride. Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.I think I'd rather be a Mustang, BMW, or Saab convertable, but this indicates otherwise.driven,Dustin

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1130438826482849752005-10-27T13:44:00.000-05:002005-10-27T13:47:06.496-05:00

"The humble bicycle has won a UK national survey of people's favourite inventions"."Listeners to BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme were invited to vote in an online poll looking at the most significant innovations since 1800.It was an easy victory for the bicycle which won more than half of the vote.The transistor came second with 8% of the vote, and the electro-magnetic induction ring - the

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1129737340152935512005-10-19T10:53:00.000-05:002005-10-19T10:55:40.156-05:00

After eight years in the lab, the Tour Group has made rolling nanocars. See this C&EN article:http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/83/i43/8343nanocar.htmlSee ya,Dustin

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1120419017340401602005-07-03T14:28:00.000-05:002005-07-03T14:30:17.340-05:00

You're I, Robot!by Isaac AsimovWhile you have established a code of conduct for many generations tofollow, your demeanor is rather cold and calculating. Brought up to serve humans, youhave promised never to harm them, to follow orders, and to protect yourself. Living upto this code has proved challenging and sometimes even drives you mad. If you were atype of paper, you would be pulp.Take the

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1109647878175020412005-02-28T21:31:00.000-06:002005-02-28T21:31:18.176-06:00

I decided some time ago not to do the MS 150 in 2005. Too many things on my plate, and didn't have the energy to do the training rides and all. Gonna try to do one or two training rides though. Finally got my "Live Strong" bracelets. I had been looking around at local bike shops for one, and had heard all sorts of stories about orders from the web site being slow, but once I finally placed

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1088384719325447152004-06-27T19:50:00.000-05:002004-06-27T21:16:24.813-05:00

In April the big weekend came; I finished the two day MS 150, riding a total of 173 miles, and raised about $400. It's taken so long to post to my blog about it because, well, it seemed anticlimatic, and I've been a little busy. The bloom is off the blog, so to speak. The photos from the ride are posted here: http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~dustin/biking/MS-150/MS-150.html The first day of the ride

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1081567901562276022004-04-09T22:31:00.000-05:002004-04-09T22:35:31.793-05:00

After the Continental Airlines Cycling Classic on the 13th (that I missed because of ear problems), I got an e-mail advertising the availability of a bunch of left over t-shirts from the ride. I replied to the e-mail and got back an invitation to join the Continental Airlines Cycling team. All I had to do was to buy a jersey for $50 and I would get special meals, flush toilets, and access to

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1081566771961904002004-04-09T22:12:00.000-05:002004-04-09T22:16:42.356-05:00

On the 20th of March there was a free ride for MS 150 riders only. They opened the new Westpark Tollway up for bike riders before it was ready for cars. It started at 8:00 a.m. I got my trunk rack and bike set up the night before and got there early, about 7:30 a.m. or so. There were thousands of bikers there. Parking was in the Alief Hastings High School parking lot, off Dairy Ashford Road

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1080795777736038642004-03-31T23:02:00.000-06:002004-03-31T23:06:35.920-06:00

Took the week of March 15th off from work to paint the house and spread mulch in the various beds and gardens we have in the yard. Took the opportunity to get new slick tires put on my hybrid bike to take the place of the rougher nobbies. I also had the Bike Route do a safety check on the bike so I could get one of those stickers that gets me free mechanical repairs if anything konks out on the

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1080795244503089112004-03-31T22:54:00.000-06:002004-03-31T22:57:42.763-06:00

I had signed up for the Continental Airlines Cycling Classic up north of Houston on 13 March 2003 but ended up missing it after having a bad ear ache the night before that kept me from getting a good night's sleep and left me somewhat unbalanced (physically, not mentally [at least, not any more than usual]). I was looking forward to biking the hills of Montgomery County to get ready for the

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1080103355927727992004-03-23T22:42:00.000-06:002004-03-23T22:46:02.560-06:00

On March 6th I did 45 miles (the "in between" distance) in the Gator Ride in Baytown, to benefit the Baytown YMCA. The Gator Ride t-shirt is pretty cool, with a big green gator on it; it came in handy on St. Patrick's Day, when I had to wear green. But I'm getting ahead of myself. For me the draw of the ride was that 1) it was on a Saturday; I would not have to miss going to Church; 2) it

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1078436365866860622004-03-04T15:39:00.000-06:002004-03-04T15:42:26.106-06:00

OK, today I realized (again!) that the whole reason I'm doing this bike ride is to raise money to find a cure for multiple sclerosis. This brilliant realization came to me as I was signing up on-line for the Continental Airlines Cycling Classic in Montgomery County on March 13th. Should be a good practice run for the hills of central Texas. Anyway, I need to quit whining (see below) and get on

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1078196444255697572004-03-01T21:00:00.000-06:002004-03-01T21:03:41.200-06:00

I don't know how people blog every day, much less once or twice a week. The last week or two I've run out of things to say. The bloom must be off the blogging rose or something. Run on over to htownblogs.com and read some of their blogs for entertainment. Oh, I did do 13 miles on my bike Saturday. Went to spinning this morning and sweated to Kim's tunes, one from Costa Rica. It's taken me a

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1077332538877786682004-02-20T21:02:00.000-06:002004-02-22T15:21:05.153-06:00

On February 15th I participated in my first organized ride, the West U Warmup, sponsored by one of my favorite bike shops, West U Cycles (or West U Schwinn, depending on what sign you read) at 2519 Rice Blvd in the Rice Village, phone 713-529-0140. I did the 29 mile ride, the shortest one. The day began at 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning, one of the coldest days of the winter. Our heater was not

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1076536263476404102004-02-11T15:51:00.000-06:002004-02-11T15:53:33.310-06:00

As the rain falls steadily on Houston, I happened to stumble across this cycling advocacy information page. It's got some links to interesting statistics about safety. I wonder how well their studies translate to Houston, since I'm not convinced I'm safer riding in the street than on the sidewalks. What is the saying "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics"? Staying

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1076274657779348812004-02-08T15:10:00.000-06:002004-02-08T21:04:12.793-06:00

Has it been a week since the Super Breast--er Bowl? It was a great football game, down to the wire. As to halftime, I'm way tired of that. Yes, I live in Houston and the only thing I did related to the Super Bowl was to watch it on TV. Didn't buy a shirt, didn't go downtown, didn't have a party. Now that it's over, I'm looking foward to getting downtown and enjoying what it looks like

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1075508600144843052004-01-30T18:23:00.000-06:002004-01-30T18:25:34.060-06:00

If you are cruising by this site on your first virtual trip into Houston, Welcome! It's Super Here! We've put our smile on! :-) As for training, did spinning on Monday, step aerobics on Wednesday, and signed up for the West U Warmup and the YMCA of Baytown's Gator Ride. Will try to get out this weekend for riding around the neighborhoods, get some miles in. The Gator will be interesting

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1075090611262364522004-01-25T22:16:00.000-06:002004-01-25T22:18:58.530-06:00

Over the weekend I attended a Reunion Planning Workshop at Southwestern University (I graduated from SU in 1979). We are coming up on our 25th reunion in October and I volunteered to be on the planning committee. It was great to see several of my classmates again! Our reunion will be a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to teaming up with my fellow committee members to get it planned. Since

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1074812408575957752004-01-22T17:00:00.000-06:002004-01-22T17:02:11.653-06:00

HoustonChronicle.com - Free four-day street party leading up to Super Bowl It is true that in the past Houston has not been pedestrian friendly, something that was confirmed for me when I was almost killed walking across Main Street from the Rice U Metro stop recently. Last Friday I needed to pick up our race packets for the Houston Press/Metro 5K race the following Sunday (see previous post).

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1074566741970424602004-01-19T20:45:00.000-06:002004-01-19T20:47:40.530-06:00

So we got up at 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning to get dressed for the Houston Press/METRO 5K run/walk. We drove into Houston, parked before 6:00 a.m. in a covered garage, hung out for a while, then walked over to the George R. Brown Convention Center to see the sights. It was the first Houston Marathon scene for both of us. Pretty cool! The main problem was standing in line for the restroom before

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1074091943490533352004-01-14T08:52:00.000-06:002004-01-14T08:54:14.436-06:00

Clemens's Decision Doesn't Annoy JeterAs an Astros fan from way back (when I learned to ride my first bike, I used to circle around the yard with a transistor radio ear plug in my ear, aimlessly meandering while listening to games called by Gene Elston, one of the legends of sports radio, and Loel Passe, an Astro's fan if I ever heard one), I am really excited about having Andy Pettitte and Roger

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1074091461054812212004-01-14T08:44:00.000-06:002004-01-14T08:46:12.110-06:00

The City Life: Rounding the Island, on Wheels This is a great Op-Ed in the New York Times (registration required) about a biker's ride around the city. You definitely get a different view of your surroundings when you walk or ride a bike versus speeding by in your car, encapsulated in your own little world. There are so many houses, yards, streets, and neighborhoods that I would not have seen

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1073875794929119992004-01-11T20:49:00.000-06:002004-01-11T20:50:15.523-06:00

In the list of links to the left you'll find one to make a donation to the Lupus Foundation. I'll be participating on the Houston Press/Metro 5K on Sunday the 18th of January. The pledges I get will all go to the South Coast Texas Chapter of the Lupus Foudation of American. Please make a donation. After 5 days of bitter cold (on a Houston scale) and rainy days we got some great weather this

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1073535764516655822004-01-07T22:22:00.000-06:002004-01-07T22:23:04.250-06:00

Going home in the evening from work, I pass by the Ernest & Co. Gym at the corner of Greenbriar and Holcombe, where the aerobics class participants are on display in the first-floor store front windows. I can usually tell what steps they are doing since I've been doing step for a long time, but I wonder what the other drivers think as they drive by. Do they think the steppers look goofy? Do

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1073434329664800732004-01-06T18:12:00.000-06:002004-01-07T20:53:18.866-06:00

A year after we moved to Houston, we put a pool in our backyard during the summer. We swam in the pool through the month of December, thinking nothing of swimming in sub-80°F water (maybe even below 75°F). Since then, we've gradually gotten spoiled by the warm weather, and find that it's difficult to swim in the pool unless the temperature is at least 80°F. preferably higher. We joke that

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1073274620395507282004-01-04T21:50:00.000-06:002004-01-07T22:30:36.556-06:00

Tomorrow I head back to work after two weeks off. It will be interesting to see how my training progresses. I don't think I'll be riding at night; I don't have all the night gear and I'm not that eager to run into cars that won't see me. I'll go to spinning on Monday mornings and aerobics on Wednesday mornings. I'll find out if I can get up early enough to ride a few miles on the other

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1073102525728197632004-01-02T22:02:00.000-06:002004-01-07T22:25:44.623-06:00

Kim had promised that she would lead a spinning class at 6:00 a.m. on New Year's Eve, even though it was not on the schedule, she was going to show up so we could burn all those Christmas treat calories off. Dutifully, I set my alarm for 5:00 a.m. Wednesday morning so I could get up and drive in to do my spinning. After all, it would count as my training for that day, and if Kim was going to

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1072824663538378672003-12-30T16:51:00.000-06:002003-12-30T16:51:20.663-06:00

Absolutely beautiful day in Houston--started out with a light frost on the grass this morning, warmed up nicely with a light breeze so that by the early afternoon I was ready to try out my bling bling. Got all duded up in my new biker shorts, shirt, gloves, and flashing light on a beltpack, and headed out for the local streets and walk/bike path. Had a lot of fun, managed to up my average speed

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1072731160709537932003-12-29T14:52:00.000-06:002004-01-07T22:29:49.026-06:00

The Christmas holidays have thrown my training schedule off course. I have not riden since Christmas Eve. We were up late that night since I was ushering at the Candlelight Service at church. Afterwards, we did our Santa thing, so I didn't get to bed until 1:45 a.m. Christmas Day was filled with family fun opening presents, an afternoon nap, shrimp boil and chow down, and watching "Pirates of

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1072316002344973712003-12-24T19:33:00.000-06:002003-12-24T19:33:38.173-06:00

I managed to put another 6 miles in today, riding my bike in a loop around the park and back to the house. It was a beautiful day, with little or no wind, and perfectly clear blue sky. When riding, I am struck by the short views I get of people's backyards through the slats of the fences. In our neighborhoods, almost everyone has a six or eight foot tall wooden fence around their backyard (our

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1072217425402542332003-12-23T16:05:00.000-06:002003-12-23T16:10:41.250-06:00

During my Christmas vacation I am trying to train every day. Yesterday I did Kim's spinning class at 24 Hr Fitness, so that counted as a training session. Last night a cold front came through Houston, with some much-needed rain, and it brought the wind with it. Boy, is it windy today. I put off taking my training ride as long as I could. I mowed the yard to warm up. Then I bit the bullet

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1072217059901034802003-12-23T15:57:00.000-06:002003-12-23T16:04:35.846-06:00

One morning after spinning class I asked Kim about how far we had gone, if we had actually been going anywhere. She said "about 15 miles, if you stay with me at the same pace I go." Of course I thought "WOW, I'm in really good shape. 15 miles already!" The problem was that I did not have a speedometer/odometer on my bike at home, so I didn't really know how far I was going. For my birthday

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1072152962187193622003-12-22T22:16:00.000-06:002003-12-24T19:51:35.333-06:00

So there I was, lighter and spinning away on Monday mornings. But something was missing. The wheel was turning but I was not going anywhere. I had done great on the diet, but had reached a plateau. I needed a goal. I had signed up to walk the 5K in the Houston Press Walk/Run in January, raising money to find a cure for Lupus. You can go to this link http://www.doitsports.com/donations/

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1072151869527103412003-12-22T21:57:00.000-06:002004-01-07T20:51:39.523-06:00

You've probably heard of the South Beach Diet. My wife bought the book in August, read it, and thought it would be a good thing for us to do together. She suggested that I take the book on my trip to New York in September for the American Chemical Society meeting. This time I was not sitting by someone excited about buying their "Lance Armstrong" bicycle, so I had plenty of time to read the

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1072149872799737402003-12-22T21:24:00.000-06:002003-12-24T19:39:19.670-06:00

What happened next to point me in this direction? God's plan unfolds in interesting ways. I've done aerobics at 6:00 a.m. weekday mornings since we lived in Wichita. I started going to the Wichita Racquet Club (now a Genesis Health Club), where I joined a group of 6 am'ers who had all moved over from another club. Everyone knew everyone else, and they accepted me quickly as I moved up from

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1072148420241426322003-12-22T21:00:00.000-06:002004-01-11T20:52:39.380-06:00

So how did I get to this point, of riding my bike 150 miles (I think it's more like 180 miles) from Houston to Austin? God plants seeds, and they take a while to sprout. In my case, I was returning from a DARPA conference in Virginia last summer (our research at Rice is funded in part by DARPA). I happened to sit next to a very enthusiactic young lady who was returning to Houston with her new

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238736.post-1072147662319630062003-12-22T20:47:00.000-06:002003-12-24T19:46:48.336-06:00

Here I am, 47 years old, and never been much of an athlete. And now I've signed up to ride my bicycle from Houston to Austin over two days in April, 2004. Sure, I've known how to ride since I taught myself in my early teens on my Aunt Pat's bicycle one summer. I used to ride in circles around our house and neighborhood, listening to the Astros on my transistor radio ear bud all summer long.

The Dustinatornoreply@blogger.com