Price: $8.50

So for about the last 10 or 11 years I have been working out pretty consistently, and I have fallen into the habit of finishing up my weight workout, run, ride, etc with either a powdered (whey) protein or recovery drink. But have been plagued by the same issue over and over again, substandard shaker/blender bottles. Over the years I have tried a handful of GNC’s various designs, a couple different designs from Bodybuilding.com, various other companies, and even the one with the motor that blends it for you (which worked well until the motor was subjected to moisture.) Which all usually start out working great, then start dripping, leaking, or completely coming apart and spilling the contents everywhere. Some contain little gaskets or “O” rings that fall out in the dishwasher, sink, etc.

Well several months back I ordered a Hammer Nutrition Blender Bottle. Upon receiving it, I felt the immediate need to try it out. First glance was that the lid and flip cap were made of heavy duty thick plastic, and there was no gaskets to lose. Still gunshy, from multiple mishaps of whey splatters on the kitchen cabinets, hardwood floor, or myself, I held it over the sink I gave it a whirl. The result: No leaks, everything was mixed, no  chunks. Perfect! But how long would it last? Well it has been apprx 8 months with constant use, and it still performs like the day it arrived on my doorstep. I have since bought another one and have them both in constant rotation. The stainless steel blender ball works like a champ, no chunks, although it does sound like you are shaking a spray paint can when you are shaking it, but a small price to pay in my book.

Pros: Well made, sturdy construction, blender ball mixes contents perfectly, no gaskets or “O” rings to lose, no leaks, Dishwasher safe, and of course BPA free.

Cons: Might be too small for some applications because it is only 16 oz (although I have not had any problems).

CanEnd Review Crew Rating: ★★★★★ 

-  OnTime

Little did I know, the wormhole goes MUCH deeper.  It seems construction is an effort to cover up a Top Secret UFO landing site, which I have dubbed Area 31.  Now that I know the facts, I will keep my eyes to the sky.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXF9OwsKUx8

Only 2 weeks after the release of this fine example of journalism, video evidence of a UFO was documented.  You can very un-clearly see an Unidentified Flying Object “rotating on a vertical axis”.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xpd7vP7uAY

I am neither confirming nor denying that someone I know, may or may not have snuck through said construction site just last night to get a short ride in and test out his new helmet cam, but the general feeling around town at that time seemed to be of utter ignorance and/or sheer indifference.  I will be watching the developments with great interest.

The Truth is out there…

- The Amateur

- The Amateur

If you’ve been watching the Tour De France you may have noticed yellow messages of hope written on the course ahead of the riders.  These are messages written by the Livestrong Chalkbot.  The messages themselves are composed by people on Chalkbot’s Twitter or text message all over the world.  The inspirational messages are of hope and remembrance for those effected by cancer.  My favorite so far is entitled ‘Dear Cancer’:

Dear Cancer...

The technology behind Chalkbot is pretty cool.  Messages are received, reviewed, and then queued on a computer aboard the truck towing the Chalkbot, then printed in emulsified chalk on the course of the Tour much like an old dot-matrix printer.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvRwtZfR_mk

To send a message Twitter @chalkbot then your message , or text LIVESTRONG, then your message to 36453.

I just Tweeted ‘Think this Stage is Tough? Try Chemo’.

-  The Amateur

According to The Kane County Chronicle’s article on them this week, they have braved bears, tornados, poison ivy and, as they near the Gulf of Mexico, they are concerned that the Oil Spill in the Gulf will prevent them from completing their trip 100 miles south of New Orleans.  Their Canoe for the Cure Blog states that the BP Oil Spill has begun to impact Lake Pontchartrain just north of New Orleans.  Aaron and Jake are currently ahead of schedule by nearly a week, planning to reach the Big Easy on July 17^th where they will find out if they are able to continue their paddle down the delta.

The boys were inspired to attempt this test of endurance by Aaron’s mother, Missy Scardina, who is a breast cancer survivor.  Missy is in her 3^rd year of remission.  Aaron and Jake are raising funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure and have already raised over $5,000 to fight Breast Cancer.

If you would like to follow their journey or donate visit their Blog at:

http://www.canoe4cure.blogspot.com/

-  The Amateur

When: June 27, 2010

Where: Hampshire, IL

Offerings: 25mi, 45mi, 62mi, 75mi, 100mi, 124mi

Our group was small but mighty this year at the 41^st Annual Swedish Days Ride organized by The Fox Valley Bicycle & Ski Club in Hampshire, IL near Burlington, IL.  The weather report was questionable, but we decided to go give it a try.  As it turns out we’d face a number of weather variables including driving rain, thunder & lightning, more rain, then high winds, and finally blazing sun as we ran the ride course.

We started out early and made great time in our first 20mi.  But around mile 10 we started to notice large storm clouds rolling in.  The storm chased us for the next 30min, we watched warily as lightning strikes flashed on the horizon and thunder peeled through the farm country we were riding through.  It started to rain soon thereafter.  We started to notice more and more fellow cyclists ducking for cover wherever they could, borrowed porches, barns, sheds, and the occasional tree.  The rain was coming down but we  pushed on towards the first rest-stop, arriving just in time to join about 50 other bikers under the first forest preserve shelter.  Moments after we arrived the skies opened up and it POURED!

Seeking Shelter at the Forest Preserve

It rained hard for a good 45 minutes, watching the news later they said it rained an inch in an hour’s time.  The shelter thankfully had a connected bathroom.  The stranded cyclists shared observations on the rain, shared cell phone weather reports (my WeatherBug iPhone App was particularly popular).  We had to shuffle in towards the center of the shelter with our bikes as the flood waters slowly encroached.

It Really Came Down

Finally, the rain subsided just enough and we rode farther into the forest preserve to reach the very well stocked rest-stop, filled up our water bottles and grabbed some snacks.  The news among the riders was that there would be an hour break in the rain, so we took off again.  We rode for maybe 10mins when it started to pour again, we had reached a stretch with no convenient shelter, so we powered on in hopes of finding someplace to get out of the rain.  We never found one.  Again the rain slowed down.  A very nice couple in a car pulled up and offered for us to come to their house for some coffee and a dry place to rest, which was extremely kind.  However, I made the executive decision that it seemed like the rain was letting up and we should continue on.  Finally the rain stopped and though we were all soaking wet, we were in good spirits.  Shortly thereafter the sun came out and soon enough we’d gone from soaked to dry and back to soaked with sweat as the hot, sunny, humid temperature settled in.  The middle portion of our ride went very well and the miles flew by.

As we got farther south near Tollway 88, the west wind really picked up and the sun blazed, forcing us to share short pulling duty to cut the wind for the rest of the group.  Finally, we turned back north for the home stretch.  The last rest-stop in Maple Park, the Club Mexicana was my personal favorite.  The stop had Gatoritas (Frozen Gatorade Margaritas, virgin of course) and nachos.  I had a quick Gatorita, but passed on the nachos, which I’m not known to do.  I love nachos but decided that they might not sit well as race fuel.

I briefly suggested that we follow the arrows for the double metric century ride, but was shot down sternly by the group.  The general response was “You go right ahead, we’ll see you at the finish.”  I decided to stay with the group.  With the wind at our backs the final miles went quickly.  We finished the 100mi century ride together, very happy to finally be done.  I earned one of the best cycle jersey tans yet.

The Epic Cycle Jersey Tan

Overall, the ride was quite the experience.  The weather ran every extreme except for snow.  But the ride was well run, all of the volunteers from The Fox Valley Bicycle & Ski Club were very helpful, polite and laid out great themed spreads at every rest-stop.  The course was well marked with color coded arrows and there were marked SAG vehicles patrolling every section of the ride. We had two unpleasant encounters with motorists on back roads.  We always ride respectfully, single file, hugging the shoulder.  Yet an older gentleman passed us travelling at least 45mph giving us only about 10in of clearance.  I stood up and sprinted forward in an attempt to let him know in no uncertain terms about the 3ft law, but was unable to catch him at the stop sign.  The next encounter was an older model red pickup truck who, while giving us plenty of clearance, made it very clear the he didn’t like cyclists on his road by laying on the horn and showing us an unpleasant gesture out his window.  We found that one slightly funny.  Despite the weather and the occasional bike hater we had a great time.  The ride organizers and volunteers get the highest marks.  We plan on attending next year for the 42^nd Annual Swedish Days Ride.

CanEnd Review Crew Rating: ★★★★½ 

His career is obviously connected to Breast Cancer, but he also has a family connection to Brain Cancer.  His brother, Rich, was diagnosed with a malignant grade 3 brain tumor in the spring of 2009 and underwent three brain surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy.  According to the Daily Herald he has been cancer-free since the surgeries.

Truly an amazing story, we at Cancer Endurance wish Dr. Bob the best of luck, a stiff tail wind, and a flat-free ride.  I’ve provided direct links to his fundraising pages below.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

American Brain Tumor Association

- The Amateur

This video is one of those amazing stories.  My family had the honor to be at the Inspirational Dinner for Team in Training before the Elkhart Lake Triathlon when the story of Lauryn, who has Leukemia and her grandfather, Tom Rushworth was featured.  Tom ran the Olympic Distance Triathlon at Elkhart lake to “honor his personal hero” and granddaughter, Lauryn.  His story was featured on the news in Indianapolis.  Tom is a member of the Indiana Team in Training Chapter.

Tom finished despite suffering a torn aorta days before the race, which he didn’t realize.   Truly an amazing story.

- The Amateur

Here’s the flyer with all the Info: KLLGB Flyer

Ride Details

- The Amateur

Heading Out on the Run

She was honored at the Team in Training Pre-Race Pasta Dinner for achieving her Triple Crown.  Meaning she has competed in all three categories of endurance events that Team in Training offers to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  She has completed the Indy Mini Marathon with the Marathon Team, America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride in Lake Tahoe with the Cycle Team, and has done the Elkhart Lake Triathlon TWICE, both the sprint and Olympic distance.

Elkhart Lake Triathlon Awards Ceremony

That not being nearly enough, she finished her race in 3:22:07, which was enough to put her 2^nd in her age group, earning her a medal at the post-race awards ceremony.  She also upheld her reputation as a bit of a badass by receiving a two minute penalty from USAT, which she argued fiercely with the a judge about after the race, it took the rest of the family to hold her back before the heated argument came to blows.  I’m pretty sure we saved that judges life.  (some embellishment for effect, the official was very nice, he explained that a judge had ruled that she took just a few seconds too long to execute a pass)

Mugging for the Camera at the end of the Bike

This capped off a great weekend at Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.  A full race review to come later.

- The Amateur