Mid-week Update

Yesterday, I began my long-anticipated entry into grad school. According to the original plan (you know, the UTSA one), by this point, I would have been nearly half-way through my program. However, it would have required an ungodly amounts of both money and time (most of which of the latter would have been spent driving to & fro the 1604 campus; no thank you). While the TAMUK route may take a tad longer, so far (yeah, after a day-and-a-half), I'm enjoying it and look forward to seeing just how much can be done without ever actually setting foot inside of a classroom.

Elsewhere, tri training continues on somewhat of a predictable schedule:

• Monday: rest
• Tuesday: lift + run with Marzipan (AM) & ride (PM)
• Wednesday: swim (AM) & track (PM)
• Thursday: spin (AM) & lift (PM)
• Friday: ride (AM) & swim (PM)
• Saturday: brick @ Boerne Lake
• Sunday: alternate weeks of (long) ride or run

When I'm not doing any of the above, I'll be parked in front of the computer, reading or doing something else school related. Of course, I still tend to the house stuff, too. Speaking of, I need to go ready the pesto for tonight's dinner. Hope you've no aversion to garlic.

Thanks for reading.

Ironman 2.0

Despite all the throwing about of my weight & words, I did it: I signed up for Ironman Texas.

And so did a lot of other people, apparently. Regardless, the journey to get there will be interesting, if not (more) challenging than it was for my first, for I am no longer single, a full-time swim coach, and enrolled in graduate school. All the same, I am optimistic about how things are going to go. Even though Derek will not be joining us, there is a local crew of close to a dozen of which I know (half of which live within a mile of me) who will be going. Best of all, N is on board.

Time to go tidy up a bit. Dinner with friends in a couple of hours, and I need to make myself look a tad more presentable than my present state.

Welcome to Ironman 2: WTF Was He Thinking?

Thanks for reading.

Terrance, THIS Is Stupid

I have a tendency to buy stupid . Even in high school, when I was given money to buy my own clothes, I tended to buy the most ludicrous, of-the-moment thing in the mall. Case-in-point: The "I've seen Elvis" shirt, immortalized in the panoramic senior class picture. Thank God Marzipan ripped my copy to shreds a few weeks back; too bad some nimrod had to go scan and post the thing on Facebook. But I digress.

Last night, the powers that be finally got around to announcing Ironman Texas. The full 140.6 event will take place on May 21, 2011, in the township of The Woodlands. Entry opens up tomorrow at noon; and Jason, Derek, and I are again debating registering. The catch, for me, again, is money. Now, Derek did rightly point out that logistics & such will be both cheaper and easier than that of last year's excursion to CdA. Registration fees, on the other hand, have gone up nearly $100 since signing up in 2008, which leads me back to my reason for writing.

Ironman is owned by a corporation, and is a brand name akin to Xerox or Coke; and, like any corporation, they want money. My money. What they give in trade is the opportunity to race on a hopefully well-planned, well-supported race course. This was the case for CdA, and I would expect no less for Ironman Texas; the eyes of the triathlon world will, instead, be upon Texas. In spite of the star treatment and being proclaimed "an Ironman!" by whatever his name is, I find myself having a hard time rationalizing that much money for that one race. I am closer than I have been in a while to paying off debt. N has a new car to pay for and still manages ample charitable donations and substantial savings. I feel I would not be pulling my fair share by registering for this race. True, I get "free" money for some of the workshops I'll be doing this summer, as well as money from the DATE grant for meeting targets for TAKS; but that is money that can be used to pay down debt. To pay for grad school. To save for a house. To do something more than swim and bike and run. I can do that here. For free. Besides, I am an Ironman, even if it is over my self-imposed 12-hour time frame.

Since starting this post, I ran into Jason & Rodney. Both have plans to register tomorrow at noon. According to Jason Matt & Andrea (neighbors to Jason) have plans to register too. All are expecting me to register as well. Truthfully, I want to, in spite of every indicator saying "no." while, physically, I should be in some of the best shape of my life, fiscally, I still have a long way to go---more than 140.6 miles, and step one of training is saying "no" to buying in to name brand like this. Let's see if I'm up for the challenge.

Thanks for reading.

Rough Roads

The 2009-10 school year was a tough one. There was no one thing on which I can place blame for the toughness; but, since it didn't kill me, it has presumably made me stronger. If that's the case, I should be quite the strongman by summer's end, for the first few days of post-school have made me actually want to go back to work.

Things actually started out pretty well. I finally received my IRS refund, which was promptly re-directed to credit card bills, putting me within a month of getting one card wiped out. Saturday morning, I was suited up and on my way to Boerne Lake for the Trisition workout, when the battery light on Buckbeak began to flash. The car was later dropped off at the local garage who had answers for me: As expected, the alternator was shot. A new one would be ordered (to the tune of $400, plus $200 in labor), plus another $100 or so to fix the engine coolant leak. Good thing I nearly had that credit card paid off.

Sunday was expected to be an eventful day. It, too, began awesomely enough with a 50-mile outing with D--- through the New Braunfels area. After that, it was off to drive a bus for the band's performance at graduation, which, apart from the lack of A/C for part of the trip, went fine. However, just as we pulled in to the Coliseum, N--- called; her grandmother in Ohio was found slumped over in her room at post-surgical rehabilitation facility and could not be stabilized. She was not expected to last the afternoon. Sadly, she did not.

N--- did some checking and airfare is just too outrageously expensive for me to go. Add onto that my still trying to get admitted to TAMUK for grad school, arranging for a house inspector, managing Marzipan, and getting my car fixed. Fortunately, N--- is at peace with this; her grandmother is no longer experiencing the physical discomforts of this world and is, rather, "with the Lord." A real concern is how her grandfather will adapt to life without his partner for the past half century. There is family close to him, but, if you think about it, say a little prayer for his well being.

I chatted with the mechanic about an hour ago, and the car was still having electrical issues, even with the new alternator installed. As expected, they're working on it. That, I suppose, is really all we can do to work on our own charging needs: to "work on it." Despite my impatience with wanting my car back (got to get N--- to Austin airport tomorrow morning for her flight out; Frontier had no available flights out of SA until Thursday), I realize that some things just cannot be rushed, especially if you want them fixed properly.

Again, say a prayer for the Joneses (N---'s mother's family) that smoother roads may lie ahead. Thanks for reading.

5th Place!

Marzipan!

Re:set

The time is now 2:42 AM, Central.

A noise awoke me at 11:47 PM, and I was unable to go back to sleep. Since then, I've tinkered with my TT bike (made some saddle adjustments & perma-mounted a flats kit to the rear bottle cage), played with Marzipan, and trolled on Slowtwitch and sundry other websites. Nothing seems to be working on lulling me to sleep. Not even the sound of the rain, strumming its typical lullaby on the roof, is working tonight. Or, this morning, as it were. At least it's the weekend.

Because I Cannot Sleep...

...I, again, write here.

Hola, amigos. Yeah, it's been a long-<expletive> time since I've rapped at you. I'll not offer any excuses as to why, but I'm sure you can imagine. Besides, don't we all have more important things to do than to write down and/or read paragraph upon paragraph of someone's thoughts on life, the universe -- everything?

While it has been more than a thousand hours (obscure reference to a Cure song, which, interestingly enough, translates into 41.6 days; and that would, conveniently, round up to 42) since my last entry, there isn't really that much to report. The highlights:

• N--- & I got a dog! Her name is Marzipan, and she is a great runner. Our first 5k is on May 22nd.
• I competed in my first (and likely only) triathlon of the season in Kemah, TX. It was an awesome race, complete with a swim clinic by Andy Potts and a run clinic by Matt Reed. As expected, I sucked, but the swim was awesome: Ferry the competitors out 1500m into Galveston Bay, shove us overboard, and have us swim to shore to start the bike leg = Awesome!
• N--- had knee surgery to remedy a piece of torn cartilage. She's on crutches for six weeks (three down, three to go), which has me rushing about, tending to her needs and keeping house, etc. This is nothing in comparison to everything N--- did for me/us last year in my lead-up to Ironman.
• I registered for & dropped graduate courses at that school at 1604 & I10. The big reason for the drop was the lack of availability of promised grant money, as well as the general lack of not knowing WTF was going on between departments. Still awaiting word from TAMU Kingsville about acceptance into a program this summer.
• I donated blood today for the first time in nearly three years. A "double" made me feel better and more alive than anything I've done in recent memory.

And that's about it for the goings on. Something worth mentioning, however, has been the debate over whether or not to participate in the rumored Ironman Texas.

See, I heard this rumor at the big race in Kemah that officials in The Woodlands (where the doomed Tri 101 Championships were to be held in 2008, but weren't) were cooperating with WTC to host a full IM race there in 2011 or 2012. Rumors were unofficially confirmed on Slowtwitch the week after, and, so, we tri geeks began speculation and planning what fun it would be to do such an event. I even had N---'s blessing to sign up & participate. However, in the near month that it's been since racing in Kemah, I've had some time to reflect on things, including rereading posts from last year regarding training and the lackluster feeling I had once I crossed the finish line in Coure d' Alene. Granted, things would likely be different (this is Texas, after all), but a tremendous amount of training and a fair amount of funding would need to go into the endeavor, and I just know if that's where I want to go. The only motivation I would have would be to break twelve (or eleven, if I were to actually get & stay serious) hours; but, even if I did, so what? The only guarantees I would have for the event is the loss of nearly $600, and an essentially unnecessary strain on my personal & professional lives. I am an Ironman, already. Even though my finishing time was not what I desired, I still crossed the finish line. Why would I need to do it again?

That question, I suppose, is where I will leave off. Disintegration is winding down (haven't listened to the album in its entirety in a long while; and, yes, I've missed it), and sleep feels to be coming upon me. Perhaps tonight's rest may bring some insight to the question which I now ponder regarding the rumored IM TX.

Thanks for continuing to read.

Down & Out

It is nearly four o'clock in the morning. The alarm will be sounding soon, but I have been awake for nearly three hours. Insomnia, my old nemesis, has come back for a visit, and, while I would be pleased if it would leave, I would be more pleased if this fracking cough/sickness that has had me down the past week would make like a tree and leaf me alone.

Heading into last week's Austin Marathon, I was feeling fine. I'd no time to run that week, due in large part to prep for the Regional Swim Meet, but I felt pretty groovy, nonetheless. The same could not be said for N---. The poor lass came down with a cold three days away from the big event for which she had been training since September. Me, being the sympathetic husband, made her run anyway. Happy Valentine's Day and everything, huh?

N--- finished her first marathon, though far off from the time she sought. Finishing it at all, though, as sick as she was, was nothing short of awesome; my wife is tough. Me, I too finished, though nowhere near my target time. On the upside, I'll not have to worry about travel arrangements & such to Boston this year. Because of my lack of training, my body was severely worn down and I caught whatever it was that N--- had. Since, I've been coughing, hacking, and unable to sleep in the same bed as the now-healthy N---, as I don't want to keep her awake or re-infect her.

After several days, I opted to go to a doc-in-the-box last night (getting a regular appointment with my work schedule is near-impossible) and got a prescription for a steroid to dry up my sinuses (what the doctor says is causing my cough). The medication appears to be working in that my sinuses feel better, and I am coughing less. However, I began tossing & turning some four hours after sleepy-bye time and, rather than risk waking N--- or -- heaven forbid! -- the cat, I got up and have been biding my time since. Emails have been sent, some research papers have been graded (I ran out of pencil lead, of all things, and could not continue; oh, the luck), and I've pored through most of the new issue of 'Triathlete.' All that was left was to write to you, dear reader, and share my pathetic ponderings.

Now that all of that has been done, I can maybe catch an hour or two's sleep before N--- rises to hit her bicycle training. Depending on how I feel, I may join her in the garage for a bit (yesterday's trainer session was not productive [refer to previous comments regarding illness, feeling sorry for one's self, etc.]), if for nothing else than to watch awesomeness personified.

That's the news, folks, and I am out of here. Thanks for reading.

Hello, World.

I've not published anything here in nearly three months. Not for lack of things to say, but I have had two things in ample supply as of late: Jack and <expletive> -- and Jack left town. With swim season almost in the bag (Regionals are this weekend; State, two weeks after that), I hope to have a bit more free time for things, including, but not limited to, being a full-time teacher again, triathlon, graduate school, and "other."

"Other" will include quite a bit, some public information and some not. What can be public will, quite obviously, be made so, but something that has been tugging at the back of my mind the past several months is getting involved with larger issues. Two, in particular, are Yield to Life (seeing cyclists and other road users as human beings and not just something inhibiting driving the maximum possible speed permissible) and Pick Up the Phone (suicide prevention). The former should be obvious, given that I ride my bike (not as much as, say, a year ago, but, again, the aforementioned ending of swim season within the next few weeks should remedy that), while the latter, too, is linked to cycling. See, I lost a friend to suicide, almost a year ago.

M--- lost his wife through the most seemingly unfathomable ways: A bee sting. Fast-forward 15 months, and M--- seemed to be getting along well with his life, cycling on a spiffy, new bicycle, going out with friends to honky tonks & such. Everything seemed normal. It wasn't.

For several weeks in early 2009, M--- was on my mind. I kept wanting to call him but never did. On Good Friday, I learned I never would get the chance; M--- had taken his own life.

Details were never revealed, but what would they have mattered? A friend, a person, was gone, and I had done nothing to keep it from happening.

Please, no comments about how it wasn't my fault, etc. Rather, if you know of someone who needs you, don't be afraid to pick up the phone; or write; or drop by for a visit. Social networks may still be somewhat the rage, but Facebook will never take the place of face time. For me, I'm in need of some sleep time, so I'm heading to bed. As always, thanks for reading.

Finisher

At Trisition Area's Kona viewing party last month, I met several fellow IM finishers. Among them was an average Joe who had completed Couer d'Alene and was in training for Cozumel. He'd mentioned he was in need of folks with whom to run long, so we exchanged numbers, as I thought I might have some times for some longer, more casual runs. Those runs didn't pan out too well, but a few weeks ago, I received a text from J--- asking if I was interested in pacing the San Antonio Rock & Roll Marathon on November 15. Hmm...marathon...4:30 finish...10:15/mi pace...free...three weeks to train...sure, why not?

From there, I started hammering out some runs in excess of six miles (my longest since CdA) but never made it above a couple of fifteen-mile efforts. My planned twenty miler didn't pan out too well, due to the time of day, lack of nutrition, and sheer exhaustion from the week (and proctoring the SAT earlier in the day), so I was beginning to get a little concerned over my planned, Barney-style assault on a full marathon. Then I did a track workout (of mile repeats) at race pace and all of my fears evaporated; I knew I would rock this thing with energy to spare.

The marathon was yesterday. It was my third time running San Antonio and my slowest of them all, due to the chosen pace. I brought in everybody (who stayed with me) within the 4:30 window, even having time to stop and chit-chat with W---, another CdA finisher, who was spectating at the finish. In all, it was an enjoyable experience, but, more-so, it was a learning experience. In no particular order, here are some of the things I learned from running the 2009 Rock & Roll Marathon:

• San Antonio's marathon sucks. The course itself is fantastic, but everything else surrounding the marathon (expo, getting to the start, getting out of the finish and back to the start [where your vehicle is parked]) could use a quick exit out of mediocrity.
• It is possible to train for and complete a marathon in three weeks...providing the person attempting to do so has run marathons before and has completed an Ironman within the preceding six months.
• Pretty girls run around a ten minute pace. In addition to those I met yesterday, N--- has just under a 10:00/mi pace on-tap for Austin, and girls don't get any prettier.
• You can find some cool while running. Yesterday, I found a sequined, Michael Jackson-esque glove around mile eight. You bet I nabbed it and finished the marathon with it on my hand. I can't wait to see the pictures.
• Non-mylar balloons do not make good "signs" for pacers -- especially with painter's tape being used to attach the pace numbers.
• It's OK to have up to a half-cup of beer while running a marathon.
• Lone Star Beer isn't half-bad. Then again, after 23 miles of running...
• Even people who make a living coaching athletes have to walk from time-to-time
• The Purple Menace isn't nearly as annoying if you don't have to share a hotel with them.
• Red Robin totally rocks for post-marathon food.
• Timex's titanium Ironman watch looks -hot but absolutely sucks for trying to keep track of splits in a marathon -- or a track workout. Specifically, each time I hit the lap-split button, the watch records two depressions, resulting in many, many screwy splits.
• The Nike Free 5.0 is the most comfortable (running) shoe ever made. If you have the means, I highly suggest you pick up a pair. They are so choice.

There's more, I'm sure, but it's getting horribly, horribly late, and I need to be up early for swim practice. It will be another long week, with the TISCA meet on tap for Friday & Saturday. Three more school days, though, and then, after TISCA, I'm off for a week for the Thanksgiving break. Looking forward to time off to investigate grad school for myself, hopefully witness N---'s presentation for her wrapping up grad school, and, of course, swimming, biking, and running.

Thanks for reading.

Gruene with Envy

Last weekend was the annual Tour de Gruene and accompanying time trials. For the first time since my re-entry into cycling in late-2000, I actually competed in the TTs, solo & team, and I am so glad I did. However, in looking at results and pictures from last weekend, I have reached the sad realization that I have let my body get into a sad state of affairs. Naturally, I am at fault for having allowed this to happen; I got too lazy after Ironman. Once I returned to work in early August, that was more or less the end of free time, and my exercising slacked off immensely, yet my calorie intake took no such break. From there, the imbalance worked against me in the worst way.

My posted time for the ITT (individual time trial) at Gruene last Saturday was 41:30, where I averaged 23.13mph over the 16-mile course. The good news is that I finished fourth in my category and am forced to upgrade to the Blitz category next year, as I proved too fast for the Schnell category in which I raced. The bad news is that I missed tying for third place by one second. Yes, one second. Worst yet, in reviewing the pictures, that one second (and then some) could have been had quite easily, had I paid closer attention to my form. I am finding that, again, my grip is creeping too far back on the aerobars, sitting me almost upright; that's a lot of wind resistance. Additionally, my elbows are a tad too wide. I am hoping that the former can be fixed with the obvious reduction in my girth. I may need to look at a different saddle, as well.

Sunday's TTT was run with T---, a buddy from SAW, with whom I have done countless rides, yet never raced. We fixed that this year (his suggestion, and I am so glad; I had no clue who would be willing to ride with me), although T---'s climbing legs were not operating as well as they typically do. We lost a fair amount of time over the 26.93-mile course but I lost nothing in having fun. Dropping down into the bars, with a buddy on your wheel, hammering for all it's worth is an exhilarating feeling that I would not want to trade for anything (okay, maybe a one-time winning super lotto ticket, but only on the condition that a portion of the money could be used to buy bikes and time away from other obligations to go train and/or race). Thank you, T--- for motivation to get back into training and for pulling us across the line in 1:18:55. We averaged 20.76mph, which is only 0.04mph under what I guesstimated we would do. Next year,though, we might wind up with one of those obligatory upgrades to Blitz or something. Full results are posted at www.tourdegruene.com; pictures, www.rxdesign.com.

The SA Marathon is next weekend; Austin, February. Apart from those, I've nothing on the radar, but I cannot let that stop me from getting back into a shape other than round. I'm thinking of a triangle -- so long as that it resembles a yield sign, as opposed to a pedestrian crossing sign.

With that, I'll sign off and leave you to do what you will. Whatever that may be, thanks for reading.

Back in the Rhythm

To my countless, adoring fans who have wondered to where I had gone: Fear not, for I am, again, with you.

The start of the school year proved tougher than usual; a routine more difficult to establish. A routine, however, has now been semi-cemented, and, with afternoon practices now abolished, courtesy of the cooler weather (by Texas standards), I will find myself with more time to myself, though not necessarily more time to sit and type. This fall is going to be a busy one.

What's coming up:

• SAW Board meeting tomorrow night. They're still searching for a replacement for me as Web dude, but volunteers aren't exactly forthcoming. I may be coerced into staying on for another term, should some changes get made.
• Team pics at the pool on Wednesday, followed by a pasta party. Yea, pasta party!
• Duel in the Pool #2
• ITT & TTT at Gruene next weekend
• Help K--- & T--- move
• Proctor SAT on the 7th
• Pace the 4:30 finishers at the SA Marathon (I'll be running it Barney-style!)
• TISCA meet in Corpus
• Thanksgiving

That, boys & girls, takes us through November; the remainder of 2009 will be every bit as busy, with 2010 shaping up to be one heckuva sequel. Bring it.

Time to fly on out of here. More updates (including some retroactive posts of significant events in the past) will be posted, now that my computer is again fully functional -- and that blasted keyboard issue has been resolved.

Hope you have been doing well. Thanks for reading.

It Has (Already) Begun

I've been back to work for almost a week now, and I already find myself finding excuses to stay at the computer a little bit longer in the morning -- I mean, just look at the last time this blog was updated and ponder why I'm doing it right now.

For whatever reasons, here I sit, in need of readying myself for the day (and a long one it will be; tonight is the community gathering to introduce all of the school's athletic teams, which includes swimming, reminding me I need to get a few words together) and, instead, writing to you. While it's not quite as bad as Office Space, where every day was the worst day of the protagonist's life, I am already feeling the stress of an academic year that has yet to even begin. Hoo-boy.

Enough procrastinating, then. It's off to become presentable before heading off to school. If I don't see you tonight in the gym, accept an early thanks for listening...or, in this case, reading.

The NeXT Level

The original post was rather disgusting, so I'll save you the mental image (but if you really want to know, you can read it here) and just post what has to be one of the best forum responses ever:

You can't put anything past an obese person. They've already proven they can take it to the next level.

That just really says it all. Except, that I hope I never have the motivation, or lack there of, to take whatever "it" is to that level. Hope you don't either. Thanks for reading.

IrDA

A few weeks ago, I scored a(nother) Polar S725x HRM off eBay for a decent price. This was the "Tour Edition" I'd my heart set on for some time, plus it included both the S1 foot pod and USB IrDA adapter, the latter used for uploading workouts to the computer. At least, it should be so easy. Unfortunately, I have been unable to get the <expletive> thing to work, let alone be recognized by Device Mangler. I've tried a number of drivers from various chipset manufacturers, followed all of the instructions & suggestions off of the Polar site, but nothing; I ain't got <expletive>.

No real point to this post, other than to moan & groan over the conundrum that is use of the nifty, "new" S725x: On the main 'puter, I have the ProTrainer software installed, but no IrDA interface. On the laptop, I've a functioning IrDA interface, but no ProTrainer software. So, what to do. Methinks I'll do my prescribed StretchCordz & yoga workouts and then head to bed. It's been a long day, and tomorrow is looking to be another one. I can only hope to get this <expletive> IrDA adapter to work sometime soon; the next TT is this Saturday.

Thanks for listening to me whine, and thanks for reading.

Lessons Learned

Read a story today in USA Today about ComiCon in San Diego. Today, apparently, is Star Wars day at the annual comic book/sci-fi convention, and the article entailed how fans of the two sets of trilogies are trying to reconcile the differences. From the sound of it, it sounds like the (older) fans of the original trilogy are becoming more accepting of the newer ones, although the younger generation has yet to learn to appreciate what came before, even though it comes after, chronologically speaking.

And so I got to thinking of assorted scenes, quotes, and so on from the new trilogy, and one stands out from TPM that I really like. Yoda, speaking to 9 year-old Anakin Skywalker, says, "Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." (italics, mine).

While I still consider the original trilogy far superior to the CG-riddled prequels of 1999 and thereafter, there is much that can be learned from them, the above quote, in particular. Still, ESB remains, not only my favorite of the Star Wars series, but also my favorite movie of all time.

May your fear never get the best of you and morph into anything more malevolent. Thanks for reading.

I Live, Again.

That one lasted a little over a month.

For the second time in as many years, I tried to kill my @off242.com email address. Once, again, I failed -- but it wasn't for lack of trying! Some of you even updated your addresses this time.

This most recent attempt was inspired by May's purchase of an iPhone (at $199; they didn't drop down to $99 until a few weeks after N--- & I purchased one for the each of us; thank you, AT&T), as the checking of my own domain's email proved problematic, given the horrendous amount of spam that manages to easily work its way through my host's filters. Simply put, Gmail provided a cleaner product and made life easier for me. To heck with everyone else who had to go through and update their address books. To heck with them, again, apparently.

During a conversation with S--- yesterday afternoon (glad you called, G; it was good to actually hear from you, and I can't wait to meet up for lunch or something next week), I was informed that Gmail offers the ability to check accounts from other mail servers, apply its own, superior filters, and deliver to the Gmail box. Additionally, users can send messages from Gmail and use the return address of an external domain. In short, @off242.com, an address I have had in excess of ten years, now, can remain active -- and with 99.9% less spam, too! So, mad props to S---, without whose guidance I would be a sheep...@gmail.com.

For any of you who have already updated your address books, don't fret: Messages sent to my Gmail account will still get to me. Or, change it back to @off242.com; whatever works for you. Just keep the messages coming; keep in touch. As always, thanks for reading.

Point Two-five

Ran this morning, feeling like poo the first 20 minutes or so. Things turned around shortly after the turn-around for the return leg, which wound up making for an amazing run. The only thing that came close to sucking about it was the sad realization that mapmytri.com was right: The route I had previously clocked at 6.25 miles is actually 6.00 miles...at least, according to the more accurately calibrated Polar foot pod, signaling the S725x HRM. Yeah, I'm back in geek mode, again, but more on that in the future. For now, I need to go sort through the past in the folks' attic; I apparently still have a lot of crap over there. I'll let you know if I find anything good.

Thanks for reading.

Nothing to Say

Not that I can articulate, anyway.

The summer has been relatively uneventful, post-Ironman. I've cleaned house, I've read, I've watched assorted DVDs -- oh, and I've gone to see an alleged summer blockbuster. I know that I am old, for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was one of the worst films I have ever seen and the worst $10.50 I have ever spent. Going to see Bruno (which I won't be doing, so calm thyself) would likely be a step up in both entertainment and intellect.

Swimming, biking, running continues to be somewhat of the norm, although not so much on the swimming; I need to fix this, along with my right arm stroke. Last Thursday's outing to Boerne Lake was most disappointing, for I noticed the right arm provides absolutely zero, zip forward momentum. It as though I move my right arm through the water simply out of ceremony. No wonder my swim splits suck. Running is almost in the same boat, for I am just generally unmotivated to go run. Gotta fix that, though, for I've a 5k at the end of August. Now, cycling? That has been vastly improved since Idaho. Gotta keep that going, too.

But, first, it is time to clean house -- a task I intended to begin when my run fell to <expletive> this morning. Now that I have napped, fed, and goofed off for an unreasonable amount of time, I must begin. After all, tomorrow (and Wednesday, and Thursday), I get to go proctor TAKS! I truly know how to spend my summers.

Enjoy what precious little remains of the summer break, dear friends. Thanks for spending a bit of that time here, reading.