I will have more thoughts on this later, but as of now, all I can feel is excitement. Go Dawgs!
12.14.2009
11.30.2009
fiction!
I don't know if it was slight dehydration or fatigue or maybe it was a touch of food poisoning, but I was pretty sick for most of the day. The details I will spare. One good thing, however, did come out of it. I was able to finally finish, Theodore Rex, by Edmund Morris. The completion of this book also signifies my renewed commitment to fiction. I figured it was time to knock out some books I have been putting off for a long time.
On tap:
The Magic Mountain, Thomas Mann
Ulysses, James Joyce
The Guermantes Way, Marcel Proust
Should be quite the task as I often loose focus when I begin reading projects, but as of now, consider me committed.
On tap:
The Magic Mountain, Thomas Mann
Ulysses, James Joyce
The Guermantes Way, Marcel Proust
Should be quite the task as I often loose focus when I begin reading projects, but as of now, consider me committed.
10.18.2009
10.14.2009
Race Report: Black Diamond Long Course
Black Diamond Long Course
9.26.9
Swim: 1.2 Miles
Bike: 56 Miles
Run: 13.1 Miles
The final race is over and it took me several weeks to post this report. I had a few other things going on, namely getting engaged the weekend after this race.
Life has settled back into its daily routine and its time to finalize another season. This was a good race for the end of the year. Now that a few weeks have past it came at the right time and the season ended at the correct time.
Aleck and I drove up on Friday afternoon. Traffic getting to the greater Puget Sound region was bearable. Aleck's new VW Routon was comfortable, but lacked sufficient bass. I have been assured he is working on it.
One of the great things about this race is its late start time. Nine a.m is nice. I got a great nights rest. Nutrition in the morning was standard. We arrived in plenty of time to get things prepared in transition. This was a welcomed change from my last race. Those escapades were detailed in another race report. I am very happy things went more smoothly this time. After posting my race report from Spokane my coach asked if this was my first race. Apparently things go more smoothly in your second race.
The swim started out very hectic. It felt almost like an Ironman start. Everyone was very aggressive and I am unsure why. There was a smaller channel in between the first buoy and the edge of the lake. I can only think that people wanted to be the first through that gap because it was almost like an all out sprint to the first buoy. That is the only excuse I can think of for such poor behavior.
I swam fairly well, but didn't feel overly strong. I hadn't been swimmingly that well leading up to this race, so I didn't expect to go under 30 minutes which would have been a good swim for me. I was able to find a set of feet to get on for a large portion of the second half of the second loop. It doesn't sound substantial, but it put me in a good frame of mind going into T1.
Swim: 31:08
I did not have the disastrous transitions in this race as I did in Spokane. It just goes to show that you shouldn't over sleep your alarm on race day. My time was pretty much in line with everyone else, so good for me.
T1: 2:15
Heading out on the bike I felt pretty good. This was the first time racing with specific power targets and it made a huge difference. This was easily the best bike split I have ever had. There was a different feeling in my legs throughout that had never been there before. I wasn't overly prepared for this race. Training had gone well, but not superb. However, there was some fluidity in my legs and it felt good.
The course was two loops and I held my target watts the entire first loop. On the second loop the air temp actually cooled down and the wind starting coming off the mountain. I tried to maintain my target watts, but just wasn't able to do it and settled in pretty comfortably 10 watts lower.
Jason passed me about ten miles from the finish. In the last couple races it has been m goal to stay in front of him as long as possible. I know I wont be able to fend him off for an entire race, but the longer the better. I stayed within sight of him the rest of the ride and we came into T2 within a minute or so of each other.
Bike: 2:32:06
My second transition was equally uneventful. Just as it should be. As we left transition Jason yelled to me, "Let's run this together."
T2: 1:25
For nearly the entire run Jason was about 45 sec. to a minute ahead of me. The entire run I tried to bridge the gap and couldn't. He just loomed out there, just far enough I couldn't make up the differential.
The run was tough. There were a couple really steep inclines. They were the kind of inclines that break up an momentum you have and sap the strength out of your legs. I tried not to think about it, and just kept focusing on what was in front of me. I was pretty consistent the entire race in terms of pacing. I know I slowed a little toward the end on the trail portion, but that is the way it ends.
Run: 1:31:08
In terms of overall races it was a good one. I PR'd by a few seconds, which leaves me with a sweet taste in my mouth heading into the off season.
4:38:02
Ironheads did exceedingly well. As we team we took four of the top seven places.
9.26.9
Swim: 1.2 Miles
Bike: 56 Miles
Run: 13.1 Miles
The final race is over and it took me several weeks to post this report. I had a few other things going on, namely getting engaged the weekend after this race.
Life has settled back into its daily routine and its time to finalize another season. This was a good race for the end of the year. Now that a few weeks have past it came at the right time and the season ended at the correct time.
Aleck and I drove up on Friday afternoon. Traffic getting to the greater Puget Sound region was bearable. Aleck's new VW Routon was comfortable, but lacked sufficient bass. I have been assured he is working on it.
One of the great things about this race is its late start time. Nine a.m is nice. I got a great nights rest. Nutrition in the morning was standard. We arrived in plenty of time to get things prepared in transition. This was a welcomed change from my last race. Those escapades were detailed in another race report. I am very happy things went more smoothly this time. After posting my race report from Spokane my coach asked if this was my first race. Apparently things go more smoothly in your second race.
The swim started out very hectic. It felt almost like an Ironman start. Everyone was very aggressive and I am unsure why. There was a smaller channel in between the first buoy and the edge of the lake. I can only think that people wanted to be the first through that gap because it was almost like an all out sprint to the first buoy. That is the only excuse I can think of for such poor behavior.
I swam fairly well, but didn't feel overly strong. I hadn't been swimmingly that well leading up to this race, so I didn't expect to go under 30 minutes which would have been a good swim for me. I was able to find a set of feet to get on for a large portion of the second half of the second loop. It doesn't sound substantial, but it put me in a good frame of mind going into T1.
Swim: 31:08
I did not have the disastrous transitions in this race as I did in Spokane. It just goes to show that you shouldn't over sleep your alarm on race day. My time was pretty much in line with everyone else, so good for me.
T1: 2:15
Heading out on the bike I felt pretty good. This was the first time racing with specific power targets and it made a huge difference. This was easily the best bike split I have ever had. There was a different feeling in my legs throughout that had never been there before. I wasn't overly prepared for this race. Training had gone well, but not superb. However, there was some fluidity in my legs and it felt good.
The course was two loops and I held my target watts the entire first loop. On the second loop the air temp actually cooled down and the wind starting coming off the mountain. I tried to maintain my target watts, but just wasn't able to do it and settled in pretty comfortably 10 watts lower.
Jason passed me about ten miles from the finish. In the last couple races it has been m goal to stay in front of him as long as possible. I know I wont be able to fend him off for an entire race, but the longer the better. I stayed within sight of him the rest of the ride and we came into T2 within a minute or so of each other.
Bike: 2:32:06
My second transition was equally uneventful. Just as it should be. As we left transition Jason yelled to me, "Let's run this together."
T2: 1:25
For nearly the entire run Jason was about 45 sec. to a minute ahead of me. The entire run I tried to bridge the gap and couldn't. He just loomed out there, just far enough I couldn't make up the differential.
The run was tough. There were a couple really steep inclines. They were the kind of inclines that break up an momentum you have and sap the strength out of your legs. I tried not to think about it, and just kept focusing on what was in front of me. I was pretty consistent the entire race in terms of pacing. I know I slowed a little toward the end on the trail portion, but that is the way it ends.
Run: 1:31:08
In terms of overall races it was a good one. I PR'd by a few seconds, which leaves me with a sweet taste in my mouth heading into the off season.
4:38:02
Ironheads did exceedingly well. As we team we took four of the top seven places.
9.25.2009
9.20.2009
irony
Yesterday, the University of Washington, won what we all hope will be a program defining game. The Huskies defeated the University of Southern California. No two programs could have defined the two ends of the football spectrum more perfectly than these two. On this day, however, the mentor was defeated by the mentee. It was a day that everyone who was in attendance will be telling their grandchildren about. When the horrible memories of the Tyrone Willingham led Huskies become distant, 162,000 fans will say there were when in reality there were 62,000. It was a day of lore. A day of redemption.
It was day I spent in Autzen Stadium.
Much of my family has ties to the University of Utah, who played in Eugene yesterday. When the idea of going to the game was proposed many months ago I could not have imagined such a quick turnaround for UW. After last year's drubbing, I was pretty sure I couldn't bear sitting in Husky Stadium to watch the repeat. So, in a show of support for the Utes we all traipsed down I-5 to attend to football game.
The Utah/Oregon game was one marred with quarterback ineptitude. I will spare everyone the link to the stat sheet, but I will say, it was not good for either team. Before the game started, I had made a deal with my good friend Joe to send me updates. As the game progressed and each text arrived to my phone on the wings of angels, it became abundantly clear -- The Dawgs were not (repeat NOT) outclassed. As one reported later noted, we were winning 'old school'.
Then the updates stopped. I was on the edge of my seat. The game I was attending suddenly was interesting after three quarters of football purgatory, but I couldn't keep my mind of what was happening in Seattle. I was cursing Joe! Didn't he know what I was going through.
Picture this: four Husky fans in Autzen Stadium, sitting in the Utah section of the stadium, huddled around my sister's Blackberry hitting refresh every time it loaded in hopes of an update while the Oregon legions were copying the sideline to sideline 'Go Huskies' chant. (Their rendition was both inaudible and ill informed.) Oh....the irony. The Dawgs were winning and I was in Eugene. I was in EUGENE!
In spite of my absence, the Dawgs won, and the riot ensued.
Image Credit: Leslie Danielson
It was day I spent in Autzen Stadium.
Much of my family has ties to the University of Utah, who played in Eugene yesterday. When the idea of going to the game was proposed many months ago I could not have imagined such a quick turnaround for UW. After last year's drubbing, I was pretty sure I couldn't bear sitting in Husky Stadium to watch the repeat. So, in a show of support for the Utes we all traipsed down I-5 to attend to football game.
The Utah/Oregon game was one marred with quarterback ineptitude. I will spare everyone the link to the stat sheet, but I will say, it was not good for either team. Before the game started, I had made a deal with my good friend Joe to send me updates. As the game progressed and each text arrived to my phone on the wings of angels, it became abundantly clear -- The Dawgs were not (repeat NOT) outclassed. As one reported later noted, we were winning 'old school'.
Then the updates stopped. I was on the edge of my seat. The game I was attending suddenly was interesting after three quarters of football purgatory, but I couldn't keep my mind of what was happening in Seattle. I was cursing Joe! Didn't he know what I was going through.
Picture this: four Husky fans in Autzen Stadium, sitting in the Utah section of the stadium, huddled around my sister's Blackberry hitting refresh every time it loaded in hopes of an update while the Oregon legions were copying the sideline to sideline 'Go Huskies' chant. (Their rendition was both inaudible and ill informed.) Oh....the irony. The Dawgs were winning and I was in Eugene. I was in EUGENE!
In spite of my absence, the Dawgs won, and the riot ensued.
Image Credit: Leslie Danielson
9.14.2009
Race Report: Spokane Triathlon
Spokane Triathlon
9.13.9
Swim: 1.5k
Bike: 40k
Run: 10k
This race report will be different than most, as this trip was one part road trip, one part race. I signed up on a whim after some convincing from Aleck. I hadn't planned on racing, but he said, "The team needed me to earn some points for the team competition." I said, "ok."
I met Aleck at his house early Saturday morning. We packed up the van, and after some minor delays getting our bikes set on the rack, made our way to Kaytee's house to pick up the rest of the crew save for A.J. This went more smoothly. We had a system in place for bike loading. I think this helped quell any suspicions, as we were already behind schedule.
The drive to Spokane was relatively uneventful. Kaytee and Kelly seemed to drift in and out of slumber most of the waking only when we stopped for gas or needed a natural break. Aaron, Denny, Aleck and myself chatted lightly, for 5+ hours about how this course was supposed to be 'flat and fast', faster than Blue Lake.
We also learned almost immediately, this van had bass. Dirty, dirty high school bass that would be put to the test later.
We arrived in Spokane, ate food, and some of the contingency left for an ill-fated highway ride. They were only called 'fags' once. I think the perpetrators may have been confused because two of the four people riding were women. Maybe they didn't know the difference. I will give them the benefit of the doubt because this I believe was the only negative interaction we had with locals. Spokane was strangely friendly, even as I wore my University of Washington shirt all day after our first win in 666 days.
Aleck and I stayed behind to pick up A.J. from the larger than expected Spokane Airport. En route we put the bass to the test. This would help define the rest of the trip. Bass. Sweet, sweet bass. On this trip we learned the major differences between new school bass (Black Eyed Peas) and old school bass (Sir-Mix-Alot). Neither one is better than the other, both contain their own merits. We learned that optimally they both should be played on the 'supr bass' setting on a volume ranging from 36 to 40. We also learned that Eazy-E now makes me a little uncomfortable.
We ate at Old Spaghetti Factory. We came back. Watched some of the Oregon/Purdue football game, and fell asleep hoping Oregon would find a way to loose that game. (We awoke to find this was not the case.)
The following morning was interesting. A few of us woke at 4am, on schedule to eat. I drank down my calories, and without even thinking about it, crawled back in bed and quickly fell asleep. Seriously, all of us fell back asleep until there was a report on the door. The girls were waiting and wondering where in the hell we were. We sprang into action quickly, maybe a little too quickly.
We made it to the race site on time. We prepared our stuff. I got in the always long bathroom line. Did my business. Went back to my bike to get my wetsuit on...and discovered my shorts were on BACKWARDS!!!! I needed to get my wetsuit on, I was starting to think I wasn't going to make the start. AGhhh. My friends started walking to the start. I didn't have a towel. I didn't want to strip down right there. Fortunately, a girl sharing my bike rack recognized my dilemma and lent me a towel. I promptly fixed my shorts. I got my wetsuit on, but not well, found A.J., Aaron and Aleck and got position in the water where we thought there was a good line to the first buoy.
We all heard the course was clockwise, keeping the buoys on the right, but things weren't adding up. We weren't the only one who heard this, A.J. even asked someone for confirmation, but there was also a lot of people lined up to the right of us, obviously lined up for the opposite buoy. When the gun went off, I took a quick look at them and realized they were not heading for the same buoy. I thought, "oh shit!" I got back on course, but I know I missed at least a minute, maybe more, getting back on course. I swam the whole, shallow, knuckle-dragging thing, by myself. No drafting, which sucks. I was not happy with my time at all.
Swim: 24:12
T1 was an exercise in frustration. Since I hurried through getting my wetsuit on, I had a hard time getting it off. It got stuck on my ankle. It felt like I was in there forever and ever. I was building a camp there. Staying, making a home, right there in that parking lot. Some one would find me there fossilized and tangled in my wetsuit. Finally it broke free. I was free. Free...and off on the bike.
T1: 1:41
The bike was neither flat nor fast as the website had indicated and liaisons in Spokane had confirmed. It was slow. It was hilly. It was a good course, fair, but not flat and not fast. I went out slightly conservatively. I was expecting it to be flat, but there were obviously hills at the beginning. I thought I was conserving my energy to lay it out on the flats. There weren't any flats. I probably should have gone out a little stronger, but as I was not familiar with the course. I also lost a bar end.
At the turn I decided to give it what I had. I knew there would be a couple stiff rollers, but would power through them. I was a little distracted by the dude that came screaming past me drafting behind a car. He said, "Nice bike" as he passed. I was so flabbergasted I said nothing, but thought about many unrepeatable phrases. I had a good second half and started to prepare myself for a 'flat and fast' run.
Bike: 1:07:36
T2 was pretty smooth. No real issues. I was about average in the top 20.
T2: 0:47
I went out on the run and felt good. At the first mile post I looked at my watch and it read 5:47. "Ummmm.....I should slow down." The run course was flat, but not fast. I passed the dude who drafted past me on the bike. Repeated those colorful euphemisms in my head and proceeded.
There were like a million turns and the entire thing was on a gravel road. Gravel is not fast. I past a couple dudes in my age group and felt pretty good. I feel like I should have pushed a little harder. I should have been under 40 minutes, but it happens. "Sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes the bar eats you."
Run: 40:54
It was a fun race, everyone involved was great. They were happy we made the trip from PDX. It was a great experience.
Total: 2:15:07
3rd AG
14th OA
As a team we killed it. Veni, Vedi, Vici. Congrats to all.
Team Scores:
And then....the miracle. Kaytee and Kelly flagged down a car. In the very first car, the driver worked at the gas station. No kidding. We were in the middle of nowhere. The first guy that stopped had gas. He would be right back. I was thinking, "No way. The only way out is going to be riding to Moses Lake. We have bikes."
But...he came back with gas. It was enough to make it to a gas station. He told us about the race cars he owned. We paid in cash. We were out of there. A miracle indeed.
We made it home safe and sound, many hours after we started. I wouldn't change it for anything. A very wise friend of mine once said, "the meaning of life is making stories."
We just added a few to the book.
9.13.9
Swim: 1.5k
Bike: 40k
Run: 10k
This race report will be different than most, as this trip was one part road trip, one part race. I signed up on a whim after some convincing from Aleck. I hadn't planned on racing, but he said, "The team needed me to earn some points for the team competition." I said, "ok."
I met Aleck at his house early Saturday morning. We packed up the van, and after some minor delays getting our bikes set on the rack, made our way to Kaytee's house to pick up the rest of the crew save for A.J. This went more smoothly. We had a system in place for bike loading. I think this helped quell any suspicions, as we were already behind schedule.
The drive to Spokane was relatively uneventful. Kaytee and Kelly seemed to drift in and out of slumber most of the waking only when we stopped for gas or needed a natural break. Aaron, Denny, Aleck and myself chatted lightly, for 5+ hours about how this course was supposed to be 'flat and fast', faster than Blue Lake.
We also learned almost immediately, this van had bass. Dirty, dirty high school bass that would be put to the test later.
We arrived in Spokane, ate food, and some of the contingency left for an ill-fated highway ride. They were only called 'fags' once. I think the perpetrators may have been confused because two of the four people riding were women. Maybe they didn't know the difference. I will give them the benefit of the doubt because this I believe was the only negative interaction we had with locals. Spokane was strangely friendly, even as I wore my University of Washington shirt all day after our first win in 666 days. Aleck and I stayed behind to pick up A.J. from the larger than expected Spokane Airport. En route we put the bass to the test. This would help define the rest of the trip. Bass. Sweet, sweet bass. On this trip we learned the major differences between new school bass (Black Eyed Peas) and old school bass (Sir-Mix-Alot). Neither one is better than the other, both contain their own merits. We learned that optimally they both should be played on the 'supr bass' setting on a volume ranging from 36 to 40. We also learned that Eazy-E now makes me a little uncomfortable.
We ate at Old Spaghetti Factory. We came back. Watched some of the Oregon/Purdue football game, and fell asleep hoping Oregon would find a way to loose that game. (We awoke to find this was not the case.)
The following morning was interesting. A few of us woke at 4am, on schedule to eat. I drank down my calories, and without even thinking about it, crawled back in bed and quickly fell asleep. Seriously, all of us fell back asleep until there was a report on the door. The girls were waiting and wondering where in the hell we were. We sprang into action quickly, maybe a little too quickly.
We made it to the race site on time. We prepared our stuff. I got in the always long bathroom line. Did my business. Went back to my bike to get my wetsuit on...and discovered my shorts were on BACKWARDS!!!! I needed to get my wetsuit on, I was starting to think I wasn't going to make the start. AGhhh. My friends started walking to the start. I didn't have a towel. I didn't want to strip down right there. Fortunately, a girl sharing my bike rack recognized my dilemma and lent me a towel. I promptly fixed my shorts. I got my wetsuit on, but not well, found A.J., Aaron and Aleck and got position in the water where we thought there was a good line to the first buoy.
We all heard the course was clockwise, keeping the buoys on the right, but things weren't adding up. We weren't the only one who heard this, A.J. even asked someone for confirmation, but there was also a lot of people lined up to the right of us, obviously lined up for the opposite buoy. When the gun went off, I took a quick look at them and realized they were not heading for the same buoy. I thought, "oh shit!" I got back on course, but I know I missed at least a minute, maybe more, getting back on course. I swam the whole, shallow, knuckle-dragging thing, by myself. No drafting, which sucks. I was not happy with my time at all.
Swim: 24:12
T1 was an exercise in frustration. Since I hurried through getting my wetsuit on, I had a hard time getting it off. It got stuck on my ankle. It felt like I was in there forever and ever. I was building a camp there. Staying, making a home, right there in that parking lot. Some one would find me there fossilized and tangled in my wetsuit. Finally it broke free. I was free. Free...and off on the bike.
T1: 1:41
The bike was neither flat nor fast as the website had indicated and liaisons in Spokane had confirmed. It was slow. It was hilly. It was a good course, fair, but not flat and not fast. I went out slightly conservatively. I was expecting it to be flat, but there were obviously hills at the beginning. I thought I was conserving my energy to lay it out on the flats. There weren't any flats. I probably should have gone out a little stronger, but as I was not familiar with the course. I also lost a bar end.
At the turn I decided to give it what I had. I knew there would be a couple stiff rollers, but would power through them. I was a little distracted by the dude that came screaming past me drafting behind a car. He said, "Nice bike" as he passed. I was so flabbergasted I said nothing, but thought about many unrepeatable phrases. I had a good second half and started to prepare myself for a 'flat and fast' run.
Bike: 1:07:36
T2 was pretty smooth. No real issues. I was about average in the top 20.
T2: 0:47
I went out on the run and felt good. At the first mile post I looked at my watch and it read 5:47. "Ummmm.....I should slow down." The run course was flat, but not fast. I passed the dude who drafted past me on the bike. Repeated those colorful euphemisms in my head and proceeded.
There were like a million turns and the entire thing was on a gravel road. Gravel is not fast. I past a couple dudes in my age group and felt pretty good. I feel like I should have pushed a little harder. I should have been under 40 minutes, but it happens. "Sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes the bar eats you."
Run: 40:54
It was a fun race, everyone involved was great. They were happy we made the trip from PDX. It was a great experience.
Total: 2:15:07
3rd AG
14th OA
As a team we killed it. Veni, Vedi, Vici. Congrats to all.
Team Scores:
Ironheads- 88 Points (4-1st, 2-2nd, 1-3rd, 1-5th)
Tri-Fusion- 66 Points (3-1st, 1-2nd, 1-4th, 1-5th)
Team Blaze-53 Points (2-1st, 1-3rd, 4-4th)
As with all good road trips there has to be some obstacles and miracles.
The obstacle came in the drive home. We were tired. We had swilled down a few celebratory beers, ate some chow and headed home. We were dropping serious bass on I-90. Cruising. Not reading the signs. We missed our exit. We had overshot US 395. It wasn't by much, but we missed it alright. There was a classic deserted farm road, real 'Grapes of Wrath', that cut the angle back to the highway. We were still dropping bass and also using gas. More gas than we should have. Right before the highway, in what can only be described as as ghost town, we ran out of gas. There was only a Pacific Pride station in town. No one had an access card. We were screwed. As you can see: I decided to check the bikes. Someone was going to have to ride to Moses Lake. It seemed our only option.
And then....the miracle. Kaytee and Kelly flagged down a car. In the very first car, the driver worked at the gas station. No kidding. We were in the middle of nowhere. The first guy that stopped had gas. He would be right back. I was thinking, "No way. The only way out is going to be riding to Moses Lake. We have bikes."
But...he came back with gas. It was enough to make it to a gas station. He told us about the race cars he owned. We paid in cash. We were out of there. A miracle indeed.
We made it home safe and sound, many hours after we started. I wouldn't change it for anything. A very wise friend of mine once said, "the meaning of life is making stories."
We just added a few to the book.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)