I've heard those words five times now, and they never get old, although it would help if someday they learned how to pronounce my last name! That is a story for another day however...
After a week of binge drinking, feeling sorry for myself, and whining, I think i'm ready for a race report. I don't think i'll talk about results or time or watts or heart rate or anything like that because if you're not a professional or an aspiring professional these things are annoying to talk about endlessly. For the vast majority of us, endurance racing is a lifestyle choice, a way to conduct your life day in and day out, and an Ironman is the culmination and the reward for choosing to live that life! It's sort of like if you get together with an accountant and all they can talk about is numbers, you know, it's boring and nobody cares...This is not anger or bitterness, though after every Ironman I have to go through this period of feeling like I need to lock myself in a dark room and scream for a couple of days and then after a little while I have to stop and remind myself, "wait a minute, I completed another challenge, with new twists and turns, and I should feel good!".
So having said that, Ironman Lake Placid for me was about going up to the Adirondacks, hanging out with a bunch of family for a couple of days, oh yes and trying to get to Kona (which I didn't, but I didn't put on a wetsuit and discount myself from the beginning). At the end of the day, giving my 3 year old nephew a high five on the side of the road is worth more than anything else I can think of.
Thank you to mom and dad for renting this big SUV, with a bike rack and kayak so we could all ride in comfort up to Lake Placid, instead of squished in their subaru with derailleurs and spokes and aerobars hitting them in the neck, face, shoulders, etc...Especially glad for the nice comfy seats on the way home stuck in traffic. I'm not usually one for excessive creature comforts, however after an Ironman sometimes it is appreciated a little more. So we get up to Lake placid complete with bike and kayaks and a cooler full of food, and all is well in the world!
Lake Placid is a beautiful venue for an Ironman, and the weather was unbelievably good for the entire weekend, and then Monday, the skies opened up and a deluge followed, the kind of rain they don't even make a windshield wiper setting for.
So the swim was wetsuit optional and I went without one because I figured you gotta go for it or don't go at all, although one suggestion for Ironman: It might be nice to have a seperate wave for those not wearing wetsuits going for awards and slots, as for terrible swimmers such as myself , almost drowning in the middle of a bunch of people crawling over you with "floaties" is a challenge, but maybe not the best feeling i've ever experienced...
The Bike course was great, challenging, nice rollers and good climbs, and nice riverside road for a good part of the bike. No regrets. Chain dropped twice, probably operator error so can't complain...
Run was a great course as well, not my best run, but no excuses, just didn't get the job done....Oh well,next time...
Big thanks to Southwest Airlines, handing out free drinks on a delayed flight out of DIA, and not charging for my bike on the way home, they are my all-time favorite airline for sure! Big thanks as well to all my family who stood out in the sun for 10+ hours with kids, no less, to cheer me on! Also thanks, as usual, to GU for fueling me during the day and Louis Garneau for getting my new helmet to me before the race, and of course Erin Baker's for all the support!
there's my blah, blah, blah for now...
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
The eagle has shuffled in
Eagleman 70.3 is in the books as they say. The first thing on my mind is how I got here, million miles away from my home, emptied of all the blood and sweat that I could give wondering where to go from here.
That is always the question after one of these races. An insatiable appetite for some kind of validation for the things that you put yourself through day in and day out, of your own choosing. How do you measure yourself, by the level of satisfaction that you get from a certain activity? It seems that we can't measure success in relation to what others do but it's so hard to do. Being human, we want some external measurement of our place in the world and I guess the key to happiness is in being content with that place, or not caring because everybody is exactly where they are supposed to be. You may not be a VIP, star athlete, movie star, or a CEO of a major corporation, you may just be some envelope stuffer or pencil pusher or something akin to that, but do you go home at night and lay your head on the pillow wishing you could be something else? Mostly it's just a matter of will and guts, I mean, yes, we are all hindered (or helped) in some respects by genetics and natural intelligence but the rest is just a matter of do you want something bad enough to focus all your energy and will towards one thing, and are you willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve that end, even though you may have to invent a reason why it's so important to you in the first place.
I'm sure by now you are saying to yourself, "what the hell is this guy talking about?!!?", and the truth is, I'm not sure I know myself...Is it bitterness, jealousy, regret, envy, all of the above?...
Where was I....Oh, How did I get here? Well in the strictest sense by plane to Baltimore, then to Silver spring Maryland, and then on to Cambridge, Md to race in the Subaru Eagleman 70.3 Ironman event. Bike shipping was no problem because I used ShipBikes.com on the way here and will use BikeFlights.com (http://www.bikeflights.com/) on the way home. This is a pretty convenient way to do things if you can stand taking apart your bike twice and have a half bottle of degreaser on hand. You just get the shipping labels from those guys, and fed-ex will ship your bike anywhere. I was able to ship my bike for about 80 bucks each way which is considerably less than many of airlines, especially U.S. Airways, which wants $200 each way for a bike....RIDICULOUS!! It's also really easy to get the labels, they just send you an e-mail after payment and then you just print out the label and affix it to the cardboard box (or travel case) of your choosing. The website interface is really easy to use as well, and the communication is quick by e-mail or phone.
So, the eastern shore of Maryland is a beautiful place, if you can get to it, and you can see through the haze that tends to permeate the area when it's 95 degrees out! If anyone breaks down or has an accident on the bay bridge (the one bridge over from the D.C. area) it's all over, you will be sitting in traffic for hours. I'm just saying, bring a healthy dose of patience in a spare bag just in case... My family and I stayed in Easton, MD which is a great little town 15 minutes from Cambridge, and although we had to get up a little earlier on race day, it turned out alright as the parking situation was easier than advertised. For Carbo-loading in Easton, I would recommend Ledo's pizza. Kid friendly, cheap, and good, what more could most of us want in a restaurant when traveling?..My little nephew must have spilled a half pound of pasta on the floor and the waitress just shrugged it off saying it happens all the time. Ledo's is also the official pizza of D.C. United (MLS soccer) for those who care.
Race day: The choptank river is 82 degrees, so no wetsuits, but the start is very nice, spread out, no climbing over each other for the first 1000 meters, though towards the last 200 meters of the swim the water is so shallow, there were people just running it as opposed to swimming, which provided an interesting twist, more like a one mile swim with a 200 yard water run! For the record I swam until my hands were digging into the sand about 50 yards from the shore, so I can take that with me at least...Come out of the swim and hop on the bike: Inevitably in the ironman races, you will fall in with four or five guys that you just can't shake, so you might as well just rotate every so often, and use each other as motivation. The group I fell in with was accused of drafting more than once but I can honestly tell you that there were always 2-3 bike lengths between us all for the most part except around turns and when things got crazy trying to get around slower riders. Most of the people who get mad are the ones who can't keep up, I mean if you can stay 15-20 feet behind me, fine; If not, shut up! All of you boy scouts and goodie-two-shoes need to go into the priesthood or something and stop racing Ironman, because if you are going to get mad at every person to be engaging in what you deem to be "drafting" or "cutting you off" then you need to just ride by yourself out in the country somewhere you won't be bothered...GEEZ! Okay, okay, moving on, the bike is flat and windy, on really nice twisting country roads, overall really enjoyable! So jump off the bike and put on your running shoes: At this point I still feel as fresh as a daisy, which tells me I haven't been racing fast enough, but what can one do, I'm not going to hammer on the bike, and ruin my running legs to gain 20 seconds over a bunch of people that you could use as carrots, and I'm just not a good enough swimmer yet I guess to push the pace past the comfort zone. Anyhooooo, start running get into a good groove, roads are as flat as pancake, but it's starting to get oven-hot out there! Finish strong for 10th in age group and 43rd overall, 4:27:30; not good enough for World Championships, but then again, I didn't have to write any large checks...And so it all circles back to the first paragraph of this story...
Overall, as usual, Ironman puts on a spectacular race, well organized with first class competition, and so I guess I will keep on chasing that dragon known as the World championships although I have no reason why, just gotta keep moving on...Thank you to Erin Baker's, and Kestrel, but most of all my sister her husband and two nephews for their support this weekend!
Next race: IRONMAN Lake Placid!
That is always the question after one of these races. An insatiable appetite for some kind of validation for the things that you put yourself through day in and day out, of your own choosing. How do you measure yourself, by the level of satisfaction that you get from a certain activity? It seems that we can't measure success in relation to what others do but it's so hard to do. Being human, we want some external measurement of our place in the world and I guess the key to happiness is in being content with that place, or not caring because everybody is exactly where they are supposed to be. You may not be a VIP, star athlete, movie star, or a CEO of a major corporation, you may just be some envelope stuffer or pencil pusher or something akin to that, but do you go home at night and lay your head on the pillow wishing you could be something else? Mostly it's just a matter of will and guts, I mean, yes, we are all hindered (or helped) in some respects by genetics and natural intelligence but the rest is just a matter of do you want something bad enough to focus all your energy and will towards one thing, and are you willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve that end, even though you may have to invent a reason why it's so important to you in the first place.
I'm sure by now you are saying to yourself, "what the hell is this guy talking about?!!?", and the truth is, I'm not sure I know myself...Is it bitterness, jealousy, regret, envy, all of the above?...
Where was I....Oh, How did I get here? Well in the strictest sense by plane to Baltimore, then to Silver spring Maryland, and then on to Cambridge, Md to race in the Subaru Eagleman 70.3 Ironman event. Bike shipping was no problem because I used ShipBikes.com on the way here and will use BikeFlights.com (http://www.bikeflights.com/) on the way home. This is a pretty convenient way to do things if you can stand taking apart your bike twice and have a half bottle of degreaser on hand. You just get the shipping labels from those guys, and fed-ex will ship your bike anywhere. I was able to ship my bike for about 80 bucks each way which is considerably less than many of airlines, especially U.S. Airways, which wants $200 each way for a bike....RIDICULOUS!! It's also really easy to get the labels, they just send you an e-mail after payment and then you just print out the label and affix it to the cardboard box (or travel case) of your choosing. The website interface is really easy to use as well, and the communication is quick by e-mail or phone.
So, the eastern shore of Maryland is a beautiful place, if you can get to it, and you can see through the haze that tends to permeate the area when it's 95 degrees out! If anyone breaks down or has an accident on the bay bridge (the one bridge over from the D.C. area) it's all over, you will be sitting in traffic for hours. I'm just saying, bring a healthy dose of patience in a spare bag just in case... My family and I stayed in Easton, MD which is a great little town 15 minutes from Cambridge, and although we had to get up a little earlier on race day, it turned out alright as the parking situation was easier than advertised. For Carbo-loading in Easton, I would recommend Ledo's pizza. Kid friendly, cheap, and good, what more could most of us want in a restaurant when traveling?..My little nephew must have spilled a half pound of pasta on the floor and the waitress just shrugged it off saying it happens all the time. Ledo's is also the official pizza of D.C. United (MLS soccer) for those who care.
Race day: The choptank river is 82 degrees, so no wetsuits, but the start is very nice, spread out, no climbing over each other for the first 1000 meters, though towards the last 200 meters of the swim the water is so shallow, there were people just running it as opposed to swimming, which provided an interesting twist, more like a one mile swim with a 200 yard water run! For the record I swam until my hands were digging into the sand about 50 yards from the shore, so I can take that with me at least...Come out of the swim and hop on the bike: Inevitably in the ironman races, you will fall in with four or five guys that you just can't shake, so you might as well just rotate every so often, and use each other as motivation. The group I fell in with was accused of drafting more than once but I can honestly tell you that there were always 2-3 bike lengths between us all for the most part except around turns and when things got crazy trying to get around slower riders. Most of the people who get mad are the ones who can't keep up, I mean if you can stay 15-20 feet behind me, fine; If not, shut up! All of you boy scouts and goodie-two-shoes need to go into the priesthood or something and stop racing Ironman, because if you are going to get mad at every person to be engaging in what you deem to be "drafting" or "cutting you off" then you need to just ride by yourself out in the country somewhere you won't be bothered...GEEZ! Okay, okay, moving on, the bike is flat and windy, on really nice twisting country roads, overall really enjoyable! So jump off the bike and put on your running shoes: At this point I still feel as fresh as a daisy, which tells me I haven't been racing fast enough, but what can one do, I'm not going to hammer on the bike, and ruin my running legs to gain 20 seconds over a bunch of people that you could use as carrots, and I'm just not a good enough swimmer yet I guess to push the pace past the comfort zone. Anyhooooo, start running get into a good groove, roads are as flat as pancake, but it's starting to get oven-hot out there! Finish strong for 10th in age group and 43rd overall, 4:27:30; not good enough for World Championships, but then again, I didn't have to write any large checks...And so it all circles back to the first paragraph of this story...
Overall, as usual, Ironman puts on a spectacular race, well organized with first class competition, and so I guess I will keep on chasing that dragon known as the World championships although I have no reason why, just gotta keep moving on...Thank you to Erin Baker's, and Kestrel, but most of all my sister her husband and two nephews for their support this weekend!
Next race: IRONMAN Lake Placid!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
perspective
So it's been roughly 10 days since my first foray into the Las Vegas area triathlon scene, and I think I have the perspective now to give an objective opinion on that experience, and here it is:
F_____in wind!!! F____in 1 aid station on the bike, at mile 20 no less, useless!! F_____in no swim because of the wind!! Are you F___in Sh____in, kidding me!! Here's an excerpt from my thoughts on the bike portion of the course: Y%Y%$WU&I^REU%$EYRESY%RD^^^D^RDUTD^TDI&TDUTYD^T#W#$##$#$#$%%%&^TFTYF&TTFT&F&TTFT!!! (symbols and letters signify massive amounts of foul language)
Here's some thoughts from the run: Why!!! WHY!! Oh my god, WHHYYYYY!
However, besides all that, the race did provide for a memorable experience. The drive from Boulder was amazing and passes through some really interesting parts of Colorado and Utah, and with a little extra driving my wife and I were able to see Zion, Bryce canyon, and Arches National Park, as well as Moab and St. George (another little triathlon hub). We also saw the Hoover Dam, which purely in terms of human ingenuity is amazing, though there is the question of destroyed ecosystems to consider as well. Still all in all, it must be seen, love it or hate it, and they now have a bridge that spans the canyon so one can view the dam from above.
We were planning on camping but snow and cold in Utah, and the F____in wind and 55 degree temps @ Lake Mead prevented that from realistically happening. I jumped in the water and swam about half the course and it was doable, however, the one kayak the race organizers had might not have been enough to save all the people who could have possibly have been struggling during the swim portion of the race. Better planning and race organization is needed by those folks in my humble opinion, and maybe the swim could have taken place, i've done stroke and stride's at the Boulder rez that were similar conditions...
Anyhoo, a well placed Best western ( in Torrey, UT, middle of nowhere, trust me), and the El Rancho motel in Boulder city were life savers, however, be sure you're nice to the old lady at El Rancho if you stay there, I don't think she likes out-of-towners very much, especially if you have a dog...
Interestingly, or maybe not so much, Starbucks became our "restaurant" of choice on the road, where we discovered that in addition to the legalized crack they call coffee, they also have hot, egg-white breakfast sandwiches which were mighty delicious. Another key component to the LONG road trip is the book on tape. It was effective in keeping the ride quiet as well as keeping me from driving the wife insane singing to the radio for the roughly 40 hours we were in the car. "The Girl who played with fire", by Stieg Larsson, highly recommend it, very good story...
First time to Las Vegas and I can proudly say no money was lost, I didn't even get out of my car, took plenty of pictures though. Treated it like a trip to the zoo, just pointing and clicking, safer that way. Again, one of those unique places that love it or hate it, must be seen at least once or twice in one's life.
So, all in all a pretty good trip. Saw some amazing parts of America, finished third overall in a brutal duathlon partly on the infamous Silverman tri course, dog was happy, and my wife and I didn't kill each other....Success!
As I look forward to possibly racing twice more in the Vegas area this year, much was learned from this trip, purely in terms of race preparation and what one can expect in a race in that area of the world. That may prove to be the most lasting thing taken from the "Showdown at Sundown".
//As a side note, the tour of the Basque country is on Universal sports this week, check it out, it's channel 250 on comcast...I suppose you could check it out online too. Vinokourov broke away today with about 6K left and averaged 35 MPH's to the line to win the stage today.
F_____in wind!!! F____in 1 aid station on the bike, at mile 20 no less, useless!! F_____in no swim because of the wind!! Are you F___in Sh____in, kidding me!! Here's an excerpt from my thoughts on the bike portion of the course: Y%Y%$WU&I^REU%$EYRESY%RD^^^D^RDUTD^TDI&TDUTYD^T#W#$##$#$#$%%%&^TFTYF&TTFT&F&TTFT!!! (symbols and letters signify massive amounts of foul language)
Here's some thoughts from the run: Why!!! WHY!! Oh my god, WHHYYYYY!
However, besides all that, the race did provide for a memorable experience. The drive from Boulder was amazing and passes through some really interesting parts of Colorado and Utah, and with a little extra driving my wife and I were able to see Zion, Bryce canyon, and Arches National Park, as well as Moab and St. George (another little triathlon hub). We also saw the Hoover Dam, which purely in terms of human ingenuity is amazing, though there is the question of destroyed ecosystems to consider as well. Still all in all, it must be seen, love it or hate it, and they now have a bridge that spans the canyon so one can view the dam from above.
We were planning on camping but snow and cold in Utah, and the F____in wind and 55 degree temps @ Lake Mead prevented that from realistically happening. I jumped in the water and swam about half the course and it was doable, however, the one kayak the race organizers had might not have been enough to save all the people who could have possibly have been struggling during the swim portion of the race. Better planning and race organization is needed by those folks in my humble opinion, and maybe the swim could have taken place, i've done stroke and stride's at the Boulder rez that were similar conditions...
Anyhoo, a well placed Best western ( in Torrey, UT, middle of nowhere, trust me), and the El Rancho motel in Boulder city were life savers, however, be sure you're nice to the old lady at El Rancho if you stay there, I don't think she likes out-of-towners very much, especially if you have a dog...
Interestingly, or maybe not so much, Starbucks became our "restaurant" of choice on the road, where we discovered that in addition to the legalized crack they call coffee, they also have hot, egg-white breakfast sandwiches which were mighty delicious. Another key component to the LONG road trip is the book on tape. It was effective in keeping the ride quiet as well as keeping me from driving the wife insane singing to the radio for the roughly 40 hours we were in the car. "The Girl who played with fire", by Stieg Larsson, highly recommend it, very good story...
First time to Las Vegas and I can proudly say no money was lost, I didn't even get out of my car, took plenty of pictures though. Treated it like a trip to the zoo, just pointing and clicking, safer that way. Again, one of those unique places that love it or hate it, must be seen at least once or twice in one's life.
So, all in all a pretty good trip. Saw some amazing parts of America, finished third overall in a brutal duathlon partly on the infamous Silverman tri course, dog was happy, and my wife and I didn't kill each other....Success!
As I look forward to possibly racing twice more in the Vegas area this year, much was learned from this trip, purely in terms of race preparation and what one can expect in a race in that area of the world. That may prove to be the most lasting thing taken from the "Showdown at Sundown".
//As a side note, the tour of the Basque country is on Universal sports this week, check it out, it's channel 250 on comcast...I suppose you could check it out online too. Vinokourov broke away today with about 6K left and averaged 35 MPH's to the line to win the stage today.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The race of the two seas
Another bike race to catch on Universal sports this week! It's not that the Bobsledding world championships aren't riveting, but it's time for a change...
The race of the two seas
Tylar Farrar must be wondering what planet he's landed on that his leadout man is Thor Hushovd!
The race of the two seas
Tylar Farrar must be wondering what planet he's landed on that his leadout man is Thor Hushovd!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
cycling season is here
At least in parts of the world where it isn't snowing...
The race to the sun
Being uninformed, crawling out from under my rock, I was pleasantly surprised to catch some bike racing as I had a couple of hours of couch time scheduled anyway!
Being the informed crowd you are, you probably already knew this: Paris-Nice stage race is this week, I caught stage 1 on Versus (channel 73-Comcast) this afternoon.
I don't care who won the stage, Jens Voigt is the man! I think Bob Roll said it well when he said " when Jens is in the break with you, you know two things: One, you're going to suffer, and two, the breakaway has a good chance of succeeding!" Indeed...
Stage two tomorrow, 2pm, mountain time, there's no reason why you can't stream the stage at work...Call it recharging of the battery.
The race to the sun
Being uninformed, crawling out from under my rock, I was pleasantly surprised to catch some bike racing as I had a couple of hours of couch time scheduled anyway!
Being the informed crowd you are, you probably already knew this: Paris-Nice stage race is this week, I caught stage 1 on Versus (channel 73-Comcast) this afternoon.
I don't care who won the stage, Jens Voigt is the man! I think Bob Roll said it well when he said " when Jens is in the break with you, you know two things: One, you're going to suffer, and two, the breakaway has a good chance of succeeding!" Indeed...
Stage two tomorrow, 2pm, mountain time, there's no reason why you can't stream the stage at work...Call it recharging of the battery.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The true man
A little ancient chinese philosophy for you...
"What is meant by a "true man"?
The true men of old were not afraid
When they stood alone in their views.
No great exploits. No plans.
If they failed, no sorrow.
No self-congratulation in success.
They scaled cliffs, never dizzy,
Plunged into water, never wet,
Walked through fire and were not burnt.
Thus their knowledge reached all the way
To Tao.
The true men of old
Knew no lust for life,
No dread of death.
Their entrance was without gladness,
Their exit, yonder,
Without resistance.
Easy come, easy go.
They did not forget where from,
Nor ask where to,
Nor drive grimly forward
Fighting their way through life.
They took life as it came, gladly;
Took death as it came, without care;
And went away, yonder,
Yonder!"
-Excerpt from The way of Chuang Tzu, by: Thomas Merton
"What is meant by a "true man"?
The true men of old were not afraid
When they stood alone in their views.
No great exploits. No plans.
If they failed, no sorrow.
No self-congratulation in success.
They scaled cliffs, never dizzy,
Plunged into water, never wet,
Walked through fire and were not burnt.
Thus their knowledge reached all the way
To Tao.
The true men of old
Knew no lust for life,
No dread of death.
Their entrance was without gladness,
Their exit, yonder,
Without resistance.
Easy come, easy go.
They did not forget where from,
Nor ask where to,
Nor drive grimly forward
Fighting their way through life.
They took life as it came, gladly;
Took death as it came, without care;
And went away, yonder,
Yonder!"
-Excerpt from The way of Chuang Tzu, by: Thomas Merton
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
??
This has nothing to do with anything, but what the hell, I thought it was funny/cool...
Because austerity blows
Because austerity blows
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