An Epic Century

Yesterday was the SAW WHC Century. I rode it...and then some.

Despite not having ridden a century in over a year, coupled with the fact that my longest ride the past several months has been somewhere in the upper 60s, I felt obligated to ride to the start. After all, Judson is barely five miles from home, so what kind of cyclist-training-for-an-Ironman would I be if I drove there?

As I pedaled down 78, I misgivings were already in place. However, I felt comfortable about pacing myself with the trusty S725x back on my wrist, ticking my heart rate, the time, and the miles by. The crowd was quite small, but a few familiar faces were present, including Murray, so off we rode a little after 7:30. A couple of the guys were a little squirrelly, gunning it not even 10 miles in, but the ride soon got under relative control, courtesy of Murray & me.

Rather than bore you with a mile-by-mile recounting of the ride and sprints for city limits signs (Murray & I tied at 3/ea), I'll say that this was the longest <expletive> century in the history of centuries. Even had the map been accurate, to say nothing of the occasional wrong turn, we were far over 100 miles for the ride. In fact, S--- crashed at mile 101, and we still had close to 10 miles before we were back at Judson.

 (S---, btw, was okay, but his front wheel & tire were shredded. Fortunately, one of the guys' wife came looking for us in the car and picked up her hubby and S--- to cart them back to the start. Murray & I were on our own to finish.)

When it was all said and done, the odometer on the S725x read 121.7 miles, finished in a ride time of 6:32:52.5. I would stop the counter when we hit a rest stop, as well as when S--- crashed, but, either way you look at it, that is a seriously long day in the saddle. Regardless, it was a learning experience, and here is what I have taken away with me:

1. Never trust the accuracy of mileage on a map.
2. Guys you ride 50 or 60 miles with on a regular basis are not necessarily the best of companions for a 100+ mile outing -- especially when your training needs are so different.
3. Convenience stores no longer carry Yoohoo!
4. Watch out for those cracks in the pavement that look just wide enough to swallow a bicycle wheel; they are.
5. I am a bad-<expletive> on the bicycle.

And thus ends today's posting. I've just returned from a massage, and sleep is calling me. Unfortunately, so is my 4:00 AM wakeup call. Whatever time your wakeup call will be, thanks for reading.

Happy Feet

Weird as it sounds, it came to me in a dream. When I awoke for my 10-mile run this morning, I had the notion that I should try running in a pair of Brooks Adrenaline shoes I thought had given up the ghost, following a 12-mile trail run this past July. They were very much alive, as I found myself to be, during the duration of the run. Oh, and I used the Polar, too. Wonderful machine, when used properly.

So, it appears that Nike may just not be my niche. Slick of a product as they may make, I'm getting the impression that it's just not for me -- shoe-wise. Yes, I still love my ID Triax Speed 100, but I think in the lead-up to CdA, I'm going to stick with the Polar. Tomorrow will be the real test of endurance with the watch: The SAW Century, followed by a 4-mile run. Woohoo!

The morning's running late, and I've a yard to mow. Enjoy your weekend, and thanks for reading.

Skipping

There just doesn't seem to be enough time. I missed my second workout in as many days today, and I am most displeased with my apparent lack of effort in the realm of training. Good thing CdA is still many months away. Still, I'd like to not make a habit of this, but I'd also like to find some time to do some things for myself. It seems like all -- and I mean that, literally -- of my time is occupied with work. Take yesterday, for example:

• 4:00 AM - wake up
• 4:45 - 6:30 AM - swim practice
• 7:15 - 8:40 AM - prep for day & open house
• 8:40 AM - 3:05 PM - teach
• 3:30 - 5:30 PM - swim practice
• 6:00 - 9:00 PM - open house
• 9:30 - 10:45 PM - lesson prep for next day
• 10:45 PM - sleep

I'm enjoying the living daylights out of working with the swim team, but the additional duties have me swamped. Heck, I've not even had time to call parents about the kids, as the only time I seem to have is before swim practice or just before bedtime, and I seriously doubt parents would want a call at either of those times. I'm whining, aren't I?

Yes, I'm stressed. Still, I feel confident I will overcome this. The first cool front blew in a few days ago, and the pool temperature in the afternoon is already noticeably cooler; it shouldn't be too much longer until we lose afternoon practices. I'll still be without a conference period, but afternoon practices will end at 4:00, leaving me some extra time to tend to my teacherly duties on top of the swim team. Good thing serious IM training doesn't begin until (approximately) the end of the swim season.

Right, I need to go to bed. I'd like to not have a repeat of the past two days where I don't get to bed until some ungodly hour and then rise at an even more obscene hour. That I am just not as young as I used to be has become painfully obvious to this weary one. Get some rest, yourself, and thanks for reading.

The Ike-man Commeth

Hurricane Ike started heading for the Gulf of Mexico a week or two ago, and it now looks like it's going to hit Corpus Christi, some 200 miles away from home. You wouldn't know it by visiting the grocery store or looking at the school closure list for tomorrow, though. The aisles containing the staples of necessity, as well as that of bottled water, were stripped all but bare (give you an idea about the health-conciousness of folk in the area: The whole wheat, good-for-you break N--- & I like so much was still available; the cheap <expletive> had been snatched up). Glad I needed but a few things for my weekly trip to the store. Glad I don't work in a grocery store.

As a warm-up to out-running the hurricane, I headed to the track tonight for my scheduled workout of 2x2-mile splits. As sub-varsity football games had been canceled for the weekend, and varsity bumped up 24 hours, my choices were limited. At the home campus, the track is still unuseable, due to the lagging behind installation of artificial turf (so much for June 10th), and the track closest to home was hosting a varsity game of the cross-town rival(?!), so I headed over to the middle school to try out their new track, only to discover they were hosting the 8th grade game. Fortunately, there was a little over two minutes left on the clock. Nearly half-an hour later, the game was over and the fans cleared enough out the way for me to run.

The sensation of running on a track was rejuvenating to me; it'd been several months since I stepped foot on the softened surface and ran timed splits. The sub-9-ounce shoes encompassing my feet helped me tick off the miles at a satisfactory pace (7:19, 7:14, 7:19, 7:12), and now I am back here. Tomorrow should be somewhat of an easy day, given the one o'clock release scheduled, all thanks to the aforementioned hurricane. It still baffles me how stupid people can be over a little wind and rain. We'll see what happens in the next 24-30 hours, which is when Ike is scheduled to make landfall. One thing that won't be happened, for sure, is the Wild West Hammerfest, so my weekend is all but shot. But that's another rant for another time. Despite the fact I don't have swim practice in the morning and that I do have only half-a-day to work, I need to get to bed. Maybe you should, too. So, goodnight, and thanks for reading.

The Phelps Effect

It seems like the pool has been overflowing with would-be swimmers these past several weeks. I blame Michael Phelps.

Make no mistake: The man is a phenomenal swimmer. The folks who have been infesting the pool at the gym, though, are not. Myself included, of course, but I'm proud to say that I can cover more than 25 meters (one end of the pool to the other) without getting totally winded and needing to take a 5-minute breather. Tonight, for example, I covered 3,000 meters before I needed to stop. That's not to say I didn't want to, for the left lens of my goggle kept leaking. But, I suffered through the swim, nonetheless. Even with the stopping & fidgeting with the goggles the first couple of hundred meters, I still clocked the 3km at just over an hour. Not too bad for a guy with the hydrodynamics of a cinder block.

I could go on & on about swimming, but, instead, I need to find myself a bed and a pillow. Swim practice will still commence at 4:45 tomorrow morning, which is a little more than six hours away, and I am definitely in need of some beauty sleep. Sleep well, yourselves, and thanks for reading.

It's On

As I'm sure you can tell by your calendar, today was Monday. Not that I had a case there-of, but today signaled the "official" start of my schedule for the San Antonio Rock-n-Roll Marathon, coming up on November 16. Call me a slacker, call me what you will, for most folk have been training for this since June or so. Then again, I have been actively racing long-course triathlon since March or April or something, but...eh, who have I to impress? (well, only one, really, and from what she tells me, she's already impressed <grin>)

It's getting close to ten, and I still need to get cleaned up and ready tomorrow's lessons before crashing. More tomorrow, with some possible big news when it comes to just how much time I've been devoting to the swim program...gotta check with the rule book and the veteran coach. Until then, .: d says to get your beauty sleep and to always, always, email Strong Bad.

Recharging

Today had a 50-mile ride on tap as a follow-up to yesterday's 60-mile outing. It didn't happen.

Instead, I was a bum, enjoying N---'s company and tending to things around the house that had been much-neglected since returning to school. The clothes are now ironed, the lessons are planned, and all is right with the world...except for the part where N--- & I return to our weekday routines and consider ourselves lucky if we get to talk on the phone for five minutes before either or both of us pass out from exhaustion. Sigh. It's only for a little while. But, so is the amount of time I have to sleep, unless I get going, so get going I shall.

Have a great week, and thanks for reading.

Fifteen Seconds

Well, almost.

T---, N---'s sister, spotted this clip on YouTube this past week.



Around 14 seconds, there is a shot of an attractive young lady in a white blouse & pink running skirt, next to some guy in a black shirt & running kilt. That young lady is N---. The guy next to her is me. Yes, we are famous. World-wide. So cool.

The SkirtChaser 5k was a fun race, even if I did do it full Scottish style -- and with 22 miles in my legs from that morning. N--- has already signed us up for the 2008 race (haven't checked the calendar to see what's on tap for that morning, but I'm sure it's something similar; SA is a little over a month out from the day of the SkirtChaser), although she & I both had some comments to make to the title sponsor about its choice of suggestive logos on the guy's apparel. After three business days, there's been no response, but, based on my recent experience with customer service, etc. from some other companies, I'm not exactly surprised. Eh, whatever.

Right, so it's 5:30 on a Saturday morning, and I've been unable to sleep for the past 90-minutes. After tossing & turning for over an hour, I roused & parked myself here to tend to some business and will now excuse myself to tend to some house cleaning prior to my scheduled ride this morning. I'll certainly not set any land-speed records, but it will feel good to just get out & ride with no real agenda but to get in 60 miles...before returning home to clean & grade. Yippee.

Hope you slept well & can have a more relaxing weekend than I. Regardless, thanks for reading.

Settled

Methinks the Great Polar Debate has been settled, courtesy of Polar. You see, I had contacted a rep for the company via Slowtwitch about his thoughts on the possibility of swapping bands & housings of the chrome & green S725x I owned for something more black & red, making the S725x, essentially, look like an S625x...though somehow cooler. This rep didn't think it would be an issue and made some suggestions as to whom I should speak at corporate and so on. I made the call and waited. And waited. A couple of days later, I called back, got somebody in some Asian country or other who was unable to understand my request; he said he would get back to me the next day. He didn't, so I contacted customer service via Internet chat. This rep seemed to understand what I wanted -- so well, in fact, that her response was a definitive "No, we will not swap bands and/or housings." Not that they could not, but that they would not. So much for customer service. All that in mind, I was still thinking about going with the S725x as my training tool of choice, but the color bothered me, as did the attitude of post-sales service. Well, the rep did say they would pass on my comments (a polished chrome bezel on a watch for all-day, outdoor activities?) to R&D, but that does me precisely no good for my current situation. So, the S725x will find its home back in its box, back in my closet, until I can get rid of it on Craigslist or something.

Dang. How much time & energy have I wasted on which <expletive> watch to use for training & racing? A fair amount, to be certain, but certainly not as much as I expended at the gym tonight. Because I "chose" to sleep yesterday evening, I hit the gym tonight to lift & swim. I ran into J---, the ultra-marathon man, on the floor, and we talked for a bit. It's obvious we have completely different training goals in mind, but, for there are still fewer people with whom I would rather run. After 40 minutes or so of lifting (I like the routine I've settled on but have swapped my StairMaster warmup for ~15 minutes of stretching, including some yoga poses), I hit the pool for 1500m of paddle drills, sandwiched between a pair of 750m swims. A 200m cool-down followed all negative splits, and I was done. Three-point-two kilometers in the pool tonight, and the only reasons I stopped were because I had to 1) pee; 2) eat, and Chipolte wasn't going to be open all night. Chicken burritos from that joint never tasted so good.

And now I am at home. A side trip to Borders helped get papers graded and a new book purchased -- Twilight, the first in the series of the same name. The kiddos at school seemed really stoked on it, so I thought I'd give it a shot, since it cost me precisely zilch, courtesy of a gift card from T---, N---'s sister. Thanks. :-D

So, now that it is creeping towards midnight, I will creep into bed and begin turning pages until sleep overtakes me. A 60-mile ride, house work, lots of grading, and a birthday party are all on tap for tomorrow. I hope to be able to spend some down time with N---, too; I've missed her terribly since we've both returned to our respective schools. Sigh.

Thanks for reading.

Early to Bed, Early to Rise

Yesterday was Thursday, and I had planned on going to the gym to lift & swim after swim practice. Instead, I made it home with just enough energy to feed the cat, eat a bowl of cereal, and collapse on my bed. I woke up about 15 minutes ago, in time to get cleaned up and go to breakfast with J--- & J---. I sure hope I get re-adjusted to this routine and don't find my weeks ending in complete & total exhaustion. Perhaps it will be better when we lose the pool due to cooler weather.

In the meantime, I need to go meet for breakfast. Enjoy yours, don't forget to tip your server, and thanks for reading.

The Great Polar Debate

...still rages on. Yeah, I know all that stuff last night about signs & all that, but, even after tonight's LSD run with J---, I can't decide if the Polar S725x is the right training tool for me. It seems so excessive, even for me. True, training for IM CdA is a big to-do, but tens of thousands of athletes don't train with an HRM, and they seem to do just fine. Why, oh why, can I not decide something so simple? Why, oh why, did the <expletive> thing not sell on eBay...or Craigslist before that...or ST before that? 

Gads. I still need to get my PPT prepped for tomorrow and make a half-hearted attempt at grading some of my non-AP kids' essays. One never knows just how valuable 50 minutes can be until it is removed from one's day; not having a conference period sucks.

Two bowls of Cocoa Puffs gone, and I'm feeling the effects. Must get PPT knocked out and dish cleaned and teeth brushed. Tomorrow is the last day of morning swim practice this week, and it could not have come too soon. Keep tuning in to find out what's on my wrist: Nike or Polar. Until then, thanks for reading.

A Sign

For the past two weeks, I've posted the Polar S725x I bought this past March on eBay. Obviously, it didn't sell the first go-round, so I re-posted. Didn't go that time, either. So, I'm taking it as a sign that I'm supposed to use this massive piece of plastic as my training guide up to and through CdA. Really, apart from the color and lack of a real interval/countdown timer (useful for stretching), I've no legitimate complaints for the watch (right, it is freakin' huge -- like Sputnik -- but it does do an awful lot, too). However, a call to Polar has been placed, inquiring swapping the housing & band for something more black-and-red.

Gads, it's after six. I've been up since 3:00, and out of bed since four this morning, tending primarily to swim stuff. Morning practices started today, so that will mean oodles of fun for me through the end of February, 2009. Still, I am looking forward to a good season but will be happy when I have some time to myself on campus and don't have to sacrifice my lunch time to make copies and tend to other swim team business...to say nothing of prepping for my Engrish classes. Speaking of, I need to get tomorrow's warm-up knocked out and then prep myself for a ride. Easy 30 tonight, but I've also papers to grade, post-ride-o, and I do not want to be up quite as late tonight as last. Check back another time for another rousing rendition of a blog entry from yours truly, when I will say, just like always, "Thanks for reading."

08.31.2008

For the past several months, a certain athletic apparel & accessory manufacturer has been doing its darndest to engrain the date of 08.31.2008 into the heads of every person who had had the slightest inkling of running a 10k. I took the bait and signed up for the Nike Human Race 10k, in small part because there was a host city less than an hour from home, but also because I thought it would be fun. Yes, it seemed like a good idea...at the time.

I had forgotten that N--- had her final HOT race that morning, so there was some initial confusion and crossness over my not being there to provide support, but all of that was alleviated once I actually check the start time for the Human Race: 6:30 PM. Yes, PM. In the evening. You know, when it's <expletive> hot in Texas. Even that didn't serve as much of a deterrent, as N--- signed up for the Human Race, and I, in turn, decided to sign up for the HOT Championship. We would both do the two races, roughly 12 hours apart. After all, we had survived TIR this past March -- which, too, seemed like a good idea at the time.

Heart of Texas Championship | 7:00 AM

Yesterday morning started out like so many other Sundays this past summer: Rise at 4:30, load up N---'s bike & gear, head to Fort Sam, watch her race, track her splits, finish at Starbucks. The last day and race of August was almost no exception but for the closing of the most convenient entrance gate, due to construction. One detour later, we were on post, at transition, and set up, ready to race. A smaller field than normal was certainly deceptive, as the men's field in particular was rather loaded: There were some seriously fast people there. The women's field was a bit smaller, but some rather quick ladies were present, as well. Here's how the race went:

• Swim: 10:34. Had to start waaaaay in the back (#59 out of ~62 competitors), which didn't do much for me, mentally. I just reminded myself that it was a training day, regardless of how competitive I wanted to be.
• Bike: 41:10. Altered course due to the aforementioned construction on post. It seems like every conceivable place a person can run or ride is undergoing renovations of some sort. That said, it was a great, hilly course. The heaviness of the Sciroccos was a hindrance, seen in my less than quick bike split and slow, 21.5 average speed. Still, I felt good and cornered well. Regardless of the sexiness of the newer Felt frames (and to say nothing about other options, like Aargon's E-114 or Fuji's D6), I still am quite keen on my B2.
• Run: 22:40. On the return trip from packet pickup yesterday, N--- & I stopped by the outlets in San Marcos, including the Nike outlet. I went in for a couple of pairs of shorts (which I got, and, as a side note, thanks, Lance, for making longer, baggier shorts the style) and maybe a technical tee or two (got one, too). Stupid me went to check out the shoes. Naturally, there was quite the selection, including the Free Everyday, a shoe I had been keen in trying out (did; didn't like it). Next to the Free was the Victory+. I tried this one, too, and liked it so much I bought a pair, despite mental concern over the high support in the back, reminding me of Zoot's running shoes. That mental concern manifested itself in pain, much pain on the run yesterday morning, rubbing both of my Achilles raw -- the right one so much it bled...through the sock...onto the shoe. So much for returns.

When it was all over, I finished my first HOT race in three years with a time of 1:16:22 (1:16:23 by my watch), earning me 2nd place in my age group and 8th place overall. N--- wrapped up her series with a 1st for the series but was defeated in the championships by some newcomer. This new girl was quite fast (#61, she started one minute behind me and passed me on the swim at around 300m [I returned the favor and blew by her on the bike course]), and so was her husband; he was somewhere just above me. Good job to them both, but even better kudos to N--- for clinching the series. Yes, luv, that means that you, too, need to train for something next summer. ;-D

Hotter'n HOT: The Nike Human Race | 6:30 PM

The announcer said some 15,000 people were to be crowding Congress last night, and N--- & I were right in the middle of it all. When the horns sounded, we were more than ready to run and get this stinkin' thing over and done with. True, we (well, more me) were intrigued by the concept, the execution was less than ideal: Starting at the hottest part of the day at one of the hottest times of the year was less than brilliant thinking but to make runners wear their silk-screened race numbers on a short sleeve (re: not sleeveless), low quality (re: heavy) technical t-shirt was just south of idiotic. Impressive of a site as it was to see mile after mile of red-clad runners, many passed out from heat exhaustion, while others stripped themselves of the tee. As I am without the runner's body to get away with running shirtless, I suffered through it all, fully clothed, including the Sport Kilt, and including heavily bandaged feet to protect my raw Achilles area. No blood this time, though, and I will say that the Victory+ is a rather comfortable shoe, despite its fugly colour scheme. Should I decide to run in these for CdA, I will definitely build a pair via Nike iD.

The Next Event

After the run, N--- & I collected our consolation prize (some sort of goofy bracelet; at least the packaging was cool) and headed back to our parking spot at the offices of The Statesman. It was just after sunset when we made it to the car, so we watched the bats take flight and then took flight ourselves, also in search of food. Much to our dismay, Red Robin in San Marcos was shut down, so it was off to IHOP for our second choice, but that place was too <expletive> cold to even make it past the entrance, let alone inside -- what are these restaurants thinking, keeping it so cold? Finally, we settled on McDonald's takeout (yeah, perfect recovery food), ate, showered, and crashed. Sleep seldom feels so good as after a long, hard day of racing.

So, here it is, Labor Day, and I am laboring at keyboard, cat in my lap. Literally, I am bruised, bloodied, and sore, but life is good. N--- & I might try to hit Sea World, if I can get my grading finished, so I'm off to tend to that. Hope the holiday is/was good to you, with the same thoughts for the final four months of 2008. It's been a great run, but I simply cannot wait to see what 2009 is going to be like.

Thanks for reading.

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.

Insomnia, Part Something

Sad to say that the only chance I've had to write anything here is this morning, when I'm affected by insomnia. It's not entirely my fault. I've been unable to fall asleep, for each time I nearly drift off, a voice in my head awakens me. It's a voice of panic that I cannot place but disturbs me, still. As long as I'm awake, everything is fine. (One, two: Freddy's coming for you...)

Although it's easy to do -- and I certainly have the time -- I'm not going to write & back-date any entries to outline what's been happening since N--- & I returned from Colorado, so here's a run-down of some of the high points in my life the past 22 days:

• Drive back from CO was painstakingly long. Saw three bears (sans Goldilocks) crossing Highway 87, in NM. In an incident completely unrelated to the bears, although shortly after sighting them, I scored a serious crack in my windshield. First time for everything.
• Been on a comic book kick at the movies: Saw both The Hulk and Iron Man on subsequent days. The Dark Knight is on tap for this weekend.
• Passed four of the six written tests for my CDL. Still need to pass "General Knowledge" and "Pre-trip Inspection" -- you know, just in case I need to do either of those for the big rigs that I will neither be licensed to drive nor have any reason to drive, let alone inspect, pre-trip or otherwise. I love bureaucracy.
  
• Ordered new faucets for the bathrooms. No clue as to when I'll have time to install them.
• Started the assessment gig. Talk about mind-numbing work: Sit in an uncomfortable chair, in a super-frigid room, and assess ~8 essays per day, hand-writing coded comments from an approved list of adjectives. I leave every day with a headache and a strong desire to sleep. Sitting in traffic for half an hour afterwards doesn't help either of them. However, playing outside seems to cure them both.
• Went to H-town for a couple of Cubs games (that was the big surprise N--- had planned for me; my gal rocks), and tooled around downtown & Memorial Park. The former informed us that the big hotel chain that starts with an "H" and includes brattish, socialite daughters sucks as a place to stay (more another time, maybe), while the latter revealed that Houston has more to offer athletically than San Antonio...at least with regards to running.
• The Tour is on. The Argyle Army isn't fairing so well at the big dance, either. However, Paris is still a ways off, and they just hit the Alps this week.
• The new SAW site is now live. Gotta finish the EHCT site, now.
  
• Registered for Small Texan this Sunday. Like TIR, I've a feeling this is going to be one of those "It seemed like a good idea at the time" races.
• Selling the Polar (or trying to -- I just posted it an hour ago). After much debate and additional research, I've come to the conclusion that, while cool, HRMs aren't all that. Yeah, they give data, although it tends to be a bit too much data, taking the fun out of training. Plus, it's not exactly fun to head out training with more electronics on you than the Borg, as a collective. Resistance, apparently, is not futile.
• Faster-than-planned-pace ride in ridiculously hot temperatures (104°, according to the bank in Marion), made even worse by the fact I assess papers in a meat locker eight hours a day. I feel severely dehydrated. (Hmm...wonder if that's what's triggering the voices?)
  

The past couple of hours, I've been sorting through some papers that needed to be filed or filtered for shredding (guess where the bulk wound up?) and trying to print out a calendar for planning out IM training. Had to switch over to the inkjet, for the toner cartridge in the laser finally gave out. Too many Sudoku puzzles? ;-p

My alarm's going to go off in a little over an hour, signaling the time to get up, get packed up and head over to the gym for a morning swim session. Yeah, that'll be interesting on two hours' sleep. At least the pool's not shallow, so my chances of drowning are minimal. If you don't hear back from me by...hmm...given my propensity for proliferation in this blog, I'd better not set deadlines. Just keep an eye on the obituaries at mysa.com, if you're morbidly curious. In the meantime, thanks for reading.

Riders on the Storm: BSLT 2008

Today was my attempt at retribution for the Buffalo Springs Lake Ironman 70.3 Triathlon -- Buffalo Springs or BSLT for short. It was a cold, wet, windy day, and two, maybe even all three, of those factors had a significant outcome on my finishing time. In any event (well, all three, if you'll pardon the pun), today was a good day to race in Lubbock, Texas, and gave me a much fresher and appreciation of what is to come for IM CdA next June.

Just like in 2006, N--- & I stayed at a Marriott property in Lubbock, and, just like in 2006, I didn't sleep for squat last night. Not that I was getting midnight phone calls, but the pool was apparently the happening place to be at this particular hotel. Noises from out yonder dropped me in and out of sleep from ten o'clock until nearly 2:00 AM. When the alarm went off at 3:30, I had little choice but to stay conscious, as I didn't want a parking repeat of last time.

Fortunately, N--- & I got ready, breakfasted, and checked the weather, and it wasn't looking to be too beautiful of a day in the neighborhood: high winds and lots of rain were on tap. We were able to make it to the lake, get set up in transition, and ready to race well before six. I was able to maintain my sunny outlook, even if the weather wouldn't.

1.2 -mile Swim | 34:30
Water temperature at the start was just barely wet suit legal, but, as I was still extremely tired from the night's noises by the pool, I decided to don the Vortex. Unlike my last experience at BSLT, though, I was able to maintain a decent pace in my trek around the lake. Two things I noticed that made me question race standings:

1. At the start, several (dozen) competitors in each wave, trotted through the water a good 50+ meters from the beach, hugging the shoreline around the lake, as that area was just deep enough to cover the ground below. While humorous to watch, I did feel it was a lot unfair, given their distance from the start and that fact they were supposed to be swimming.
2. No strippers at the swim exit. There was still a great bunch of volunteers hoisting our weary, wet bodies from the water, but the absence of strippers threw my transition off by a good 20-to-30 seconds.

Even with the above, I still felt calm and comfortable in the water. However, I would, at some point, like to begin this race the sheer feeling of exhaustion that has plagued me the last two times I've been here. On the bright side, I was relaxed out of the water and set up for a good bike.

56-mile Bike | 2:52:04
My main reason for coming to this race again turned out to be the main reason I didn't fair so well in my time. The weather all but refused to cooperate, rendering me an obstinate rag doll to be tossed here and there, due to the deepness of my front wheel. This was most noticeable just after the first turn-around, when a high-speed descent and an equally high-speed cross wind caused my front wheel to oscillate with great rapidity. Fortunately, I was able to get the bike back under control, but the next several miles were difficult at best, given the low gear in which I spun in order to maintain control. Finally, I managed to get it back together, take in some nutrition, and get back up to speed for a bit.

I'd a friend competing in the aquabike event (same distances as me, but no running) who had expressed something short of concern over a section of the bike course known as "the spiral staircase of death." There were actually two sections that could have fit this description, but it was the first one that had my attention, for it was there where I flatted in 2006. No flat this time, but I also took the corners far more conservatively than before, due to the aforementioned instance of maintaining control in the crosswinds, as well as the wetness of the roads. I was able to recover lost terrain on the flats and on the climbing, as several of the competitors and I played leapfrog all the way until T2.

13.1-mile Run | 1:49:54
This was the only section of the course where the wet, overcast conditions were a blessing. Unlike the last time I ran here, I had no issues with overheating and no near-collapses from total exhaustion and lack of nutrition. In fact, despite the horrid weather conditions on the bike, I managed to take in the right amounts of nutrition to keep me motoring along. So, coming off the bike, I felt good. Really good.

My first three mile splits were consistent, around 7:45. Then came the hills. Unlike in 2006, I didn't walk any of them, but they did slow my pace down...a lot. By the time I crossed the finish, I was crawling at 8:23, nearly half-a-minute off of my target pace. Gotta do something about maintaining strength on the run. Of course, it could have had something to do with the fact I really had to pee, but, what's done is now done, and my intended retribution on the course is successfully completed; I bettered my time by nearly 23 minutes.

All Said and Done | 5:22:40
Weather in Texas is completely unpredictable, and in Lubbock, this holds especially true. Overall, it was good to have such an overcast day for such a long race, but I could have done without the gale-force winds on the bike course. In all, it was a fun race, but I'm not 100% sure I'll do it again. Next year is definitely out, as the week prior is CdA, but who knows what will happen in subsequent years.

Much appreciation to all of the usual suspects for their usual support, with particular notes going out to M--- for the awesome wheels, D--- & K--- for a super pre-race meal and good company (great to see you both again; missed you), and, of course, N--- for keeping me company on the long road behind and the even longer road ahead (we leave for Colorado tomorrow), as well as that cheer as I approached and crossed the finish line.

Next race will likely be Small Texan, at the end of July, but, we'll wait & see how I feel after vacation. Regardless, stay tuned to find out how IM prep comes along, how the school year starts up, and all of the other exciting things in my life that make this the best blog on the Internet. As you fall off of your chair laughing, accept my thanks for reading.

Lock & Load

BSLT is on Sunday.

Transition & vacation bags are packed. Bikes are primed. I, for a change, feel relaxed and focused on the job at hand: Have as awesome of a race as possible.

While I don't recall every nuance of the course, I do remember some of the key points (like the mile-long, 9% climb right out of T1). That, plus the use I've been making of my HRM during training should make for a quality race. Of course, I've no hopes of qualifying, but that's not why I'm going. I'm going to have a more enjoyable race than I did in 2006 (no offense, B---, as it had nothing to do with you, S---, or the abundant hospitality given to me, the leach).

With that said, N--- & I are going to swing by the gym for a light swim (just to stretch out after an awesome massage last night), fuel ourselves, fuel up the car, and then head out. I've no idea what Internet access will be like in Lubbock or in Colorado (where we're headed the day after the race), but I'll be sure to pop back in with a post-race report as soon as I'm able. Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading.