35 to Go

The first week of school is usually the most exhausting, and this year's proved no exception. With my increased capacities as local tech dude -- now for the whole campus, instead of just the Engrish department, it has become increasingly difficult to find time to work out, let alone get my actual work done. Still, I managed this past week -- and with only minor exhaustion, too. We'll have to see what happens when morning swim workouts start this week.

This past week, I've been gearing both up & down for the upcoming season. The Polar is back on eBay (now with free shipping! check it out!), so I'm hoping to get rid of it before too long. I've also started using a square-cut practice suit, which I find far more comfortable than the jammer style; 3km in the pool isn't quite so bad. While still in the pool, Swedes have indeed made a comeback for me. I think I finally have the adjustment method down, which took but three years to figure out. What a genius I am. The aforementioned aside, what I am most excited about is Rudy's new entry in the sunglass market: The Exowind.

I stumbled upon these on their site a couple of weeks ago before finding them on the B2B portal this past weekend. The order was placed on Sunday afternoon, and they were on my doorstep on Wednesday. I've yet to really try them on a bike ride or run (more on that in a bit), but, thus far, I am totally stoked about these shades. Finally, Rudy Project has crafted a pair of sunglasses that can rival the sadly, long-outdated Tayo. I promised a contact at Rudy a full report after tomorrow's double-header.

The Nike Human Race 10k is scheduled for tomorrow night in Austin. A victim of the hype, I signed up for the race back in July, much to the chagrin of N---, for 08/31 is the same day as the HOT Championship. She & I were both greatly relieved to discover the Nike Human Race doesn't begin until 6:30 PM, so we'll be long finished with the HOT triathlon by then. Yes, we: I, too, am racing a HOT series triathlon, for the first time since my baptism in the series three years ago. Unlike the last HOT race I did, this one won't be at Canyon Lake, but still on post at Fort Sam. Five @#%* loops on the bike...but, at least it's a different course than last time. Regardless, I'm there to watch N--- finish strongly, clinching the crown as the Queen of the Heart of Texas Triathlon 2008. What a gal.

I think my eggs & waffles are getting cold, so it's time for me to end this post and go feed my face before journeying up to A-town for packet pickup (@#%* Nike isn't doing race-day packet pickup, which really sucks for out-of-towners). Check back Monday or Tuesday for a race day report and to read how the Exowinds perform under pressure. A school routine should be nailed down in the next week or so, so regular posts can begin again. Well...regular for me, but I'm sure you're used to that by now. Thanks for reading.

From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea

It seems like I've been using a lot of song titles for titles to blog posts as of late -- and by "as of late," I mean in the past couple of months; I realize I've posted precisely squat the past several weeks. Why? Certainly not for lack of anything to say, nor was it anything you, my faithful readers, had said. Rather, the plain and simple lack of time. Here's a run-down on what's been going on in the wonderful world of .: d since the last post:

• Went to the school to start setting up my classroom. Found out I and the rest of the English department had been relocated to the other side of the school. Only good thing is that we can now say we are all a bunch of "Gs." After 3+ weeks, the room is finally good to go.
• Dog-sat for N---'s friends in Rio Medina, again. Had a couple of great days of training: 40-mile ride & 4-mile brick at race pace; 60-mile ride at moderate pace; 10-mile long run. I am so enjoying this.
• Finished my CDL stuff. The wheels on the bus can now go round & round with moi behind the wheel. Bwahahaha!
  
• Updated my First Aid & CPR training since I get to play swim coach this year.
• Turned another year older.
• Saw the new Star Wars movie, Clone Wars. It was much less than what I was expecting, but it did afford me & M--- the opportunity to get dressed up in Jedi garb and discover that he & I are not as hopeless of dorks as some others in attendance are.
• Officially began in-service for the school year. The gloves came off on day one, making for a less-than idyllic beginning to the 08-09 year. I just hope the fist can relax some (okay, a lot) between now and June.
• Playing techno guy for the whole @#%* campus. Most of my mailbox has been filled with messages bearing the subject line "HELP!" I so cannot wait to see what comes next.
  

Not a whole lot, I suppose, but enough to keep me swamped. I mean, I just did my lesson plans today. Nothing like waiting until the last, possible second. Speaking of, I need to go check how many minutes:seconds are remaining on lunch. The day is growing longer, and N--- & I are growing hungrier. The first day of school is tomorrow, plus there's a SAW meeting tomorrow night, so no telling when I'll pop back in. Oh, and I hope to start posting some training data over on Bicycle Heaven's blog, per a request from M. More on that another time. For now, it's time to eat. Don't forget to wash up, and thanks for reading.

How Swede It Is

It is indeed triathlon season. I raced last Sunday at the Small Texan (bettered my PR from 2006 with a new one this year by nearly ten minutes!), with N--- her usual awesome support. This morning, it was my turn, as N--- returned to claim her Heart of Texas crown as the fastest female of the lot. I don't recall her time, but she is still dang fast.

After the race, I hopped in the pool to take advantage of access to a 50m pool. A couple of days ago, I made some adjustments to the Swedish-style goggles I had, shortening the nose bridge even more in the hopes of making the lenses fit better. It worked. Even though I managed to eek out a mere 1.5k, the goggles never leaked and were far more comfortable than anything else I've used, save other Swedish goggles. I just hope they continue working that well for at least the next year.

It's bum mode time, again. Since returning from FSH, N--- & I have accomplished little more than
watching Cloverfield and eating ice cream. We're going to continue the trend and watch Juno. Like the shirt says: "Life is good." Hope yours is, too. Thanks for reading.

The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning

Today is August 1, 2008, and I officially began my training for Ironman Coeur d'Alene today.

Initially, I was thinking to begin with a 10-mile run, as I've not been running as much, lately. However, my foray into triathlon began with the bicycle, so I thought it only appropriate to begin my training with a ride. Unlike tri-riding, though, this morning's ride was a group effort: I conned D--- into going with me. Yeah, it took a lot of arm twisting and texting to & fro, but the latter was merely to arrange the particulars. Asking a cyclist if s/he wants to go for a ride is like asking an alkie if s/he wants a drink.

The plan is to build base from now until the end of the calendar year, and the plan is, so far, going well. D--- & I managed to get in 45 hilly miles at a casual pace this morning, and I've another 80 planned for tomorrow with SAW. My weekend will wind down with a 3k swim in the pool at Ft. Sam, as N--- has a race, along with a crown to defend. After taking the month of July off for holiday, I'm certain there are some would-be princesses thinking they've got the HOT thing in the bag. My gal has to go put them in their place.

Speaking of, I need to get going so I can meet her for lunch. Now that I'm actually training, I'll try to make a point of poking in every now & again to post how things are proceeding. As always, thanks for reading.