Lactic Acid From The Left

Spring?

2008-04-01T13:38:00.009-04:00

It is a whopping 60 degrees outside and I'm thinkin' I just might stop off for a little trail run on my way up to downtown this afternoon. I'm finding the trail very alluring this spring and enjoyed the warm temps and sloppy conditions on Sunday. My shoes are caked in mud. I'm wondering if I should have hosed them off or something instead of just leaving the mud to dry?

I also got in a nice ride and run-off on Saturday. Headed out to Northern Portage/Southern Geauga Counties for some rolling hills, bogs, and farm houses...

Developed some saddle sores on my left leg (pics of the culprit ONLY, you'll just have to take my word about the sores...

And the Indians won yesterday. Yep, I'm putting on some shorts and going for a run. Spring is here.......

Catchin' My Breath

2008-03-26T22:06:00.002-04:00

I haven't had much time for blogging lately. Between work, school, training, and some volunteer work I've had time for little else. I usually try and squeeze blogging in somehow, and before I seemed to run out of time for it I was planning on making some changes around here. Maybe spiff things up a bit? My 100th post is near....which means that I've probably spent a little too much time inputing this nonsense onto the computer screen. Well, it's not all nonsense....this blog has been good to keep me motivated for training. And, reading other folks blogs has provided an abundance of entertainment and also provided a TON of knowledge as I try and move forward through the world of endurance sports. Hell, I kinda think of life like the longest endurance event there is....all these races are just little pieces that contribute to the long event, improving my health along the way (while I have a little fun!).

So, don't be surprised if you come back someday soon and see something different. It might be suttle...and it might not. Hard to say.

I will say that when I walked into the rec center and saw that the lap lanes had been flipped to 50M lengths I was so excited that I immediately threw on my cap and goggles while running to the locker room. I changed from my khaki's and sweater to my speedo jammers in the locker room like I was in T1. I'm just about ready to donn my wetsuit and take a dip in The Great Lake.

Sensorial Observation And The Idiosyncracies of Facial Hair

2008-03-12T10:46:00.012-04:00

My beard is gone. Well, not exactly gone....it has moved. Entered the waste stream, so, it is gone from my face....

Which was cold yesterday (my face, that is). It felt like I had a wet beard all day. Even indoors. Weird. Simply putting my hand on my chin proved there was no wet hair there. Shaving my beard makes my chin feel really, really small...and less round.

I suppose I am on "spring" break after all. And if my "spring" break is going to begin with the biggest snowstorm that Northeast Ohio has seen in years I might as well think spring and go with the naked chin for a spell. Last year I think my naked chin lasted less than a week, before the short beard was maintained through the summer. This is truly one of the joys of being a man......contemplating what to do with your beard.

Next winter maybe I'll let it grow a little longer......put a windmill in it.
Like this guy......

Cool, eh??

Shamrock 15K

2008-03-09T19:13:00.010-04:00

My original plans for today were to participate in the tri club's indoor triathlon up on the East side. Old man winter had other plans, and they involved a couple feet of snow. The indoor tri got canceled, but the Shamrock 15K didn't. So, I decided that although I had abandoned long runs for a spell until I get my achy knee all fixed up, and hadn't run more than 6 miles for about 6 weeks, that a 15K wouldn't hurt. And it didn't hurt....too much.

The race started at noon, so I really had no routine to go through to get ready. The biggest decision was how to dress, and I opted to take a backpack full of different things so that I could decide just before the race started. Breakfast this morning consisted of coffee, a banana, and a bowl of Irish oats. Usually oatmeal is out of the question on race day, but with the race starting at noon I went ahead and had the Irish (aka steel cut) oats. I think that my ole GI system likes this much better than the typical "old-fashioned" or quick oats. Why no oatmeal for me on race day you ask? For fear I'd be visiting my rat friend, but I wanted to try the Irish oats....... after all, it was the Shamrock 15K.

So, after the Irish oats, a shower, and some reading it was time to head to the race. I stepped outside into the snow covered landscape, feeling a bit like I was entering into some sort of fantasy land that consisted of exploded marshmallow goo (I know you all remember ghostbusters).

Got to the race in plenty of time, fidgeted with my clothes over and over again trying to figure out what to wear. Hat or windblock headband? Windbreak vest or no windbreak vest? Road shoes or Trail shoes? I think you get the idea. On went the headband, vest, and road shoes.....and my warm-up run convinced me I was dressed appropriately. So, time to head to the starting line and I spent so much time changing head wear and shoes that I had to hurry to get in one more bathroom trip (which is time consuming with all of these winter clothes). I lined up towards the front left of the pack, and within seconds off went the gun.

This was the first time I raced with headphones, and I was so preoccupied with finding the right music that I forgot to start my watch!!! I realized this before too long, and settled into what I hoped would be the right pace. This was my first 15K, and only my third race above the 10K distance, so the plan was to hold back a bit until at least the halfway point and then go with what I'm feeling. This strategy was tough to follow because the first 3 miles were basically a steep, descent into the valley . During the descending I could feel my left quad tinging a bit. Great....I hope I can climb out!! I saw one or 2 folks drop out of the race before we hit the valley floor. Cold ass temps.+ harsh descent out of the gate = seizing muscles. What makes someone drop out of a 9.3 mile race in 2 miles?? This......

*total amount of climbing for the course is ~550 ft.

After we hit the valley floor we had a mere mile, or so, of relatively flat terrain, then up we went, ascending the eastern flank of the valley.....basically it was 5 miles of climbing and about 3 more folks in front of me dropped out, presumably from cramping. One poor fellow started cramping after he made it a good portion of the way up. He stood on the side of the road holding his hamstring while I passed him. A few minutes later, he passed me at a pretty impressive pace...then he started cramping and I passed him....then he passed me again.......then cramping again and I passed him...after the third leapfrog, I didn't see him again.

I mentioned that this was my first race with headphones, and Phil Lesh and crew was my music selection. It was perfect. At mile 8, Phil started singin' about goin' where the climate suits my coat, the chilly winds don't blow, and the water taste's like wine to pull me across the finish line in 1:04:43. I am more than happy with that time. I even got a runner guy bobblehead to take home for finishing 3rd in my AG ( the women got runner girl bobbleheads!).

I'm going to start posting my splits, so I can look back at them easily if I want to reference them. And.....I know you all have a deep interest in my pacing strategy ;-)

Miles 1 & 2: 13:17
Mile 3: 6:51
Mile 4: 6:58
Mile 5: 7:42 (things began looking "up" here)
Mile 6,7, & 8: 21:11
Mile 9: 6:46
Final .3: 2:03

This is a great race and was very scenic today with all of the snow. Good to see the trifolk crew and this poor girl (who was all set for her first tri today, only to have it cancelled) out there today!! I'm off to waddle the dog around the block with these achy legs....

Signs of Spring (and how to become a yogi)

2008-03-06T11:36:00.008-05:00

Two things happen at the end of winter. First, the pool nearby work/home gets WAY too warm. The water temp. is lowered during swim season for the high school swim team. When they are done the temp. goes up. Yesterday, it was on its way up. My chest felt constricted, I had trouble breathing, and I was sinking like a rock. My membership is up there in a couple of weeks and I will say goodbye to that pool for the spring and summer.

The second sign that spring is near is that the pool at CSU where I spend part of each Tuesday and Thursday changes the lane lines around and the 25 yd. lengths are replaced by 50 meter lengths. This more than makes up for my angst due to the rising water temp. at the other pool. And, the water @ CSU is always nice and cold. Last week I was told by a lifeguard he expected the lengths to be switched "sometime in the next couple of weeks." So, swimming is @ CSU for now, until it is time to get in the lake!!!

Oh, I've got to add my third sign that spring is upon us....at least here in NE Ohio. We keep getting bad winter storms. You know, it is March after all. The worst storm of last winter was in March. The worst storm of this winter was in the last few days of February, but we were just covered in a foot of ice and another snow/ice storm is on tap for this weekend. Are bad winter storms in March a sign of climate change? How about no snow in December in NE Ohio? That has happened 2 years in a row also. Ok, so we all know that climate change is happening. So, who knows why?

Getting back to my tri life.....

Maybe you remember my knee pain I was having a while back. Well, it's not exactly knee pain, more like stiffness, or a "my knee just ain't right" sensation in the back of my left knee. I didn't complain about it much because I was complaining about being sick for 3 weeks. Then, as soon as I got back to training the knee pain returned. I became a bit concerned, to say the least.

I did not get it looked at for a couple of reasons. 1) is that it was not getting any worse. just staying about the same 2) there was very, very little swelling 3) it would get better during a run.

I noticed it began to feel worse throughout my bike sessions. Especially if I was turning a big gear. So, I stayed off the bike for about a week. Also, I hit a couple of yoga sessions. I found a great instructor @ my second session and my knee pain has almost disappeared since that session. I have found that if I stretch my hip flexor, that it relieves discomfort in my knee even though there I have no hip pain, just knee pain. I don't care why my hip problem makes my knee hurt...I'm just going to keep stretching and stay away from one-legged drills on the trainer. Man, I will be so relieved when that knee (hip?) returns to normal. I was working really hard on my pedal stroke over the winter.....maybe I overdid it a bit working on the upstroke, eh? Throw in the fact that my saddle position needed a little tweaking (especially with the new, more efficient peddle stroke), add in a 45 mile hilly ride in the middle of winter....on a 35 degree day, and.....voila, there you have it! Overuse!!!!

Since balance is everything there must be an upside of my nagging overuse injury, no? Yes, of course.....weekly yoga and learning from a good instructor.

Enter a new chapter in my pursuit of endurance sports, becoming a yogi..........

What Would You Have Done?

2008-03-03T12:27:00.008-05:00

Yesterday, I pulled up to the parkway for my run in 40 degree heat!!! I was a bit overdressed, but heck I was more than ready to run in the nice weather. Before heading over to the jogging path I went over to the latrine to....well, pee. The latrine is about what you would expect in a park, being one step up from the port-o-pot. It is basically a little shelter with a toilet covering a big whole in the ground. I opened the door and stood over the toilet and something sort of startled me.....

A furry little rat scampered downwards from the top of the "latrine pile" into the dark, dank, depths of the hole that I was about to fill with a little liquid. I couldn't piss on the little rats head, so I started my run with a little bladder discomfort as I knew there was a latrine on the path after one mile. Rats are known to live in sewers, but latrines???

Now, I don't mean to frighten anyone who has to use a latrine from time to time. Don't you think that if rats were likely to attack asses and third legs while they hover over the top of the latrine we would have heard about an attack by now?? So, don't be scared, I just thought you might find it interesting that you don't really know what all is down in that stinky hole...and what you might be pissing (or worse) on.

On a psuedo-related note, I guess it is the year of the rat after all.

Tagged

2008-03-01T22:06:00.011-05:00

Since I was tagged by TriGuyJT to name 7 random things about me a while back, this is a little bit overdue.....

1) If I have a nasty wound, I may very well end up with a nasty scar. I often form what are called hypertrophic scars (follow the link and see the middle pic), although when I was young the Dr.'s referred to them as keloids. Believe me, a kid who is the tallest and skinniest in the school can be pretty self-conscience of his nasty scars, although I've become pretty comfortable with them. I have a couple on my chest, one on my shoulder and two on my left knee. I had a little one behind my ear from a piercing, but it has pretty much disappeared. Both of the ones on my chest seemed to come out of nowhere, with no injury...one of them forming right "above" my heart. Hmmmmmm? If you see a tall skinny man with a scar on his right shoulder @ your next triathlon, say "hi."

2) I'm not sure if there is any food that I don't like (excluding frankenfoods and fast food). Brussel sprouts can taste kinda nasty, if you don't prepare them properly though. Eh, lately I haven't been very into raw cauliflower either.

3) Quite possibly the most memorable thing that has happened to me was when, on the 2nd or 3rd night of a camping trip I saw the Northern Lights for the first time.....on my birthday....on an empty beach.....along the shore of Lake Superior. Mother nature really knows how to give a nice gift!

4) I've been growing a beard every winter for, oh.......8 or 9 years. The last couple of years I have kept it relatively short (probably less than 1 inch).

5) I have been to 32 States in the Union, all of them by car(and occasionally van, or bus) except for Utah. My trip to Utah was by plane. My dog has visited 21 states in his 7 years and is a California native. I picked him up at the pound on the border of Arizona and California....after spending the night sleeping on the banks of the Colorado River. I've probably slept on the ground in about 20 states (I'll have to figure that one out). Yosemite has my vote as the most breathtaking place I've visited, probably because I was there in January and the whole environment was very intimidating. There I had my only experiences with winter alpine storms, which show mother nature's "other" side.

6) I have been to 2 countries, the United States and Canada. Near San Diego I walked along a hiking trail that was only a few miles from Mexico (according to the signs on the trail), but never crossed the border....walking or driving. I think a trip to Europe is in order!!

7) After I returned to school I haven't been able to travel...except to Chicago for a weekend, but I'm talking about a real trip. I have to say, though, that I don't really miss it much because those long summer bike rides suit me just as well.

Since every blogger I know has been tagged by now I'm not tagging anyone...but here are seven links to folks that just posted their 7 "random" facts...

TriFolk, Iron G, Daisy, E-speed (who put her own little spin on this one), Tracie, Trying To Tri, and TriSaraTops.

Ginger Tea for Breakfast

2008-02-26T05:09:00.003-05:00

I was tagged by TriguyJT (who has a nice bio in Ohio Sports and Fitness this month), and I will respond to that shortly, but this morning I've got to ask you what it is that you think caused me to miss half a nights sleep last night.

I had my tri swimming clinic again on Sunday. We had a really nice workout, and afterwards I felt great. I didn't get the post long workout crash that is typical after pushing my limits. I was SO happy to finally be back after my long bout with the illness in January. After the workout, I headed over to The Feve to eat, since my typical spot, The Black River Cafe had a line to the door. The brunch at the Feve was awesome!! A little more expensive than the Black River, but still affordable. I started off with a cup of wild mushroom soup. Then mama bear (my server, yes at the bottom of my receipt it said thank you....mama bear.) brought me a giant a sweet potato burrito with sides of black beans and rice with diced tomatoes and herbs, and a tangy coleslaw. Everything was delicious.

As I sat at the bar waiting for this dish and drinking my coffee, my neighbor commented about her friend "giving me the flu" by sitting next to me. I overheard this...I mean don't you overhear almost everything your neighbors say when you dine alone. I may have been reading, but I smiled when I was brought into the trio's conversation. I proceeded to tell them that I already had the flu and it attacked my upper respiratory system for three weeks. Their response was that this is "the other strain" of flu with a quirky smile. I get it.

So, moving onto today, I finish my afternoon/early evening workout and stop at the nearby coffee shop to refuel. The food at this joint isn't too great when you are so hungry you could eat enough for two (they do have decent cookies). I passed up on my typical choices....lentils and rice, granola with soymilk and opted for the med-ah-terranean turkey wrap, going against my better judgement of ordering meat from a questionable source (as in factory farmed....shame). When I ordered it, the employee taking my order AND the employee making a drink right next to him both chuckled. I found this odd, and asked them if the med-ah-terranean turkey thing was a poor choice for some reason. Hell, I'm a regular and I thought they would tell me the truth. The cashier assured me they were not laughing about my food choice, but some other peculiar occurrence that only two people who are cooped up together for 8 hours day after day could laugh about. I took their word for it, and I got the med-ah-terranean thing.

So, here I sit typing away in the pre-dawn hours, when I'd really like to be working out. But instead, I am having ginger tea because I was lying awake in the fetal position this morning from 3:00 until 5:00 while my stomach seemed to by experiencing what was comparable to an earthquake. This was accompanied by a mild fever, and I thought that if things got worse I might be talking to the porcelian gods. Are you kidding me?? Not again!!!! Prior to going to bed "it" didn't, uh, come out the wrong end, but it sure came out the right end with a vengeance. I went to bed and didn't think too much of it, other than questioning if I worked out too hard today or IF I ATE SOMETHING BAD.

So, as I finish my tea and debate wether I should try and get some more rest or get the day started I am wondering.....was it my neighbor with the flu or the food at the coffee shop? I'm leaning toward the coffee shop food because my symptoms are WAY better than they were in the middle of the night. And, the coffee shop employs mostly militant, fixed gear riding vegans....who just might think it was funny that some meat eating yuppie looking dude ate the turkey that was "accidentally" left out over night. I mean, these are the folks that like to threaten cars with their U-locks and often refer to themselves as being a part of the "fixed gear army." And giving someone tainted meat/dairy is kind like food warfare, no?

Lucky Birds

2008-02-16T13:20:00.018-05:00

During my run yesterday, I finally returned to that blissful space often referred to as runners high. I began to think about the physiological events that were happening. I thought about my quickened heart rate and how it accompanies the endorphins. Shortly thereafter, I thought about the canary, whose resting HR sits somewhere around 1000 bpm. Whoa!! And, birds get so much exercise flapping those wings so many times each day, except for the ostrich. Well, the ostrich is so big that its resting heart rate is much slower than 1000 bpm. But, that is another story. This story is about canaries.

With all of that exercise and a ticker that's moving at breakneck speeds, I bet they live their lives in a constant state of runners high, or shall we call it birds high. Not only do they get to fly around and sing all day, but the endorphins have to be quite active under those feathers. The endorphin generated euphoria would be a logical explanation for all of the singing, I suppose. Are there any zoologists out there who can confirm that birds really are living this blissful existence? I guess if you come into this life as a canary you have a HUGE chance you will spend your entire life in jail (a.k.a. be a pet and live in a cage), which is not so desirable.

Or, you could be one of those lucky wild canaries. The one with the racing heart that gets a huge amount of exercise and sings all day. That life just might be something like the meditative space that I hope to find somewhere between mile 3 and mile 15 of a run.....

Man vs. Virus

2008-02-10T16:16:00.002-05:00

My friends, I'm pretty certain that what I have been fighting over the last 3 weeks has been some sort of viral infection. Folks all over NE Ohio have been suffering from attacks by these little cell invaders. If you're interested in how a virus executes its attack, you can read this or ask her, as my knowledge of the life of a virus is minimal. But, I think I learned something about the pesky virus over the last 3 weeks.....

I like to think of a virus as smart. They seem to know what's going on with your body so well. For example, they'll move the focus of their attack around from your head, to your sinus cavity, to your throat, to your chest, etc. searching for a weakness. My recent virus did this. The virus knows when you are vulnerable. It will attack you when you are sleeping or after a hard (or even not-so-hard) workout. For example, I was feeling much better last Monday and then after a short run that evening my muscles ached like I'd just run 15 hilly miles on the pavement.....and then the next morning my throat was under attack (a.k.a. a little sore).

So, after nearly 3 weeks of resting and fighting this virus with tea and cayenne pepper I found it's weakness. Beer and whiskey. So, if you have this nasty upper respiratory infection that is going around, I would recommend drinking an ample amount of strong beer from your local brewery and include a few ounces of your favorite whiskey. When I worked at a liquor store many years ago, our regulars would refer to this plan of attack as "scaring it out of you," and they practiced it regularly when they were sick, modifying my plan by eliminating the beer and attempting to consume a fifth of whiskey (and likely succeeding). Note that said regulars at said retailer were sick often. At any rate, here is an example of what this plan of attack might entail....

Go to a party. Enjoy talking with folks at the party, especially if they are members of your local tri club or have other interests similar to yours. At the party attempt to drink a 6 pack of beer over a few hours whilst talking to the good people in attendance. If you don't drink the entire 6-pack that is ok, but try and drink at least enough of them to induce what you might call a good beer buzz. Drink whiskey when a toast is proposed. Leave the party and sit in the car for an hour on the ride home (which may entail a snowstorm, if mother nature says so). Upon realizing that the local beer and whiskey taste good, and considering the effect whiskey has on your desire to continue consuming more beer and whiskey, go ahead and stop at the bar around the corner from home just before hitting the hay for the night. Have one more big mug of beer concocted at your local brewery and a little more whiskey. Go home. Sleep on the sofa in your clothes until 7:30 a.m., then put on more comfortable clothes and sleep as long as you can. Wake up to a headache that can be attributed to your hangover and realize that your throat and sinuses feel better than they have in many weeks and that you didn't wake up with a sore throat for the first time in about a week. Then, you can praise beer and whiskey for it's ability to cure your viral infection. Tell all your friends about your discovery and resume endurance training near previous levels the next week.

* Disclaimer: The author believes that consuming an amount of beer and whiskey that results in sleeping in your clothes can induce sickness under certain circumstances, and is only recommended when a viral infection is near defeat (think of it like giving speed to a hyperactive kid, as in the case of ritalin). Alcohol consumption to the point of memory loss, urinating oneself, vomiting, waking up in bed with a stranger, or provoking a fistfight is not recommended.

I must be feeling better...

2008-02-08T22:56:00.001-05:00

Because it is Friday night, and I just had a date.

We watched basketball.

I ate a little.

And I drank alot.

And, eventually....

things were going well enough that I suppose you could say it got hot and I began to sweat,

Heavily.

No!! Of course it wasn't a first date!!

More like an old fling. Well, not that old, it's only been 3 weeks.

But after tonight, I'm not sure how I went 3 weeks without it....

We watched the Cavaliers hit big shots and play tough defense down the stretch to beat Atlanta, even with the plethora of injuries that are plaguing them right now. Austin Carr's exhilarant voice coincided with the hum of the trainer as Damon Jones made big shots and the Cavaliers defense made big stops. Life is getting back to normal. The Cavs win, and I put on some lycra for the first time in 3 weeks.

The Power of Meditation

2008-02-06T21:13:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the world lost one of it's biggest advocates of world peace and freedom from suffering. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi died at the age of 91 (or so). He spread his ideas on the power of transcendental meditation to the Western World, with the help of The Beatles. When he caught the Beatles using drugs on a visit to see him, they had a falling out...but that is another story.

Maharishi Mahesh believed in the power of collective meditation, holding the belief that if enough people meditated regularly in support of world peace, it would be achieved. Now, maybe you think the yogi is cool.....or maybe you think he is a crackpot, but either way the world will miss a man who spread the message of a better way of life than most of us experience. Whether or not you believe in his methods, how can you not believe in his message?

In light of my longstanding illness and current sore throat, I've begun to wonder that if you all would meditate on my rapid recovery tonight before you go to bed, or tomorrow morning upon waking that I could return to my normal training pattern by tomorrow evening. Then, I thought the yogi would probably think I was being selfish and look down upon this, so I came up with another (better) idea. Think about your relationship with your maker; your god or goddess, and how it effects your day to day life. Think about what you give back to this earth and all of its inhabitants....and what you are creating or leaving here for the next generation. Collectively, we all make up the reality that is the world we live in; whether we meditate or not. Just think about it...

Don't Ease Me In

2008-02-04T19:09:00.000-05:00

After a 2 week hiatus I got in a little run today; about 3 3/4 miles nice and slow. I pretty much felt like crap until a half hour into the run, and as soon as the endorphins flooded my body, it was time to stop. I'm still having some sinus issues hanging around, but as long as these short, easy workouts don't impede my healing sinuses you can officially consider my back on the wagon.....Or, maybe back in the saddle is more appropriate. The plan....ease back into 9-10 workouts/week.

I was welcomed back to my running life by a wonderful Phil Lesh and Friends gem. If you noticed the song reference in the title of this post, you might want to follow the link and download this show. It is a beauty.

As soon as I feel up to it I'll be back on the trainer. I'm going to try and lower my saddle a cm or so....I'm thinking that the cause of my knee discomfort was my saddle height. My thoughts on that matter go something like this....
I've been working on peddle mechanics quite a bit this winter. One improvement I've made is to keep a neutral foot through the bottom of the pedal stroke. In other words, my toes used to point slightly downward at the bottom of my stroke....now, they do not. Once I began to put in more time in the saddle, and got in a couple of road rides (one of with was about 45 hilly miles), the back of my knee was stressed by my new, smoother, more powerful peddle stoke not working in conjunction with my saddle height. So, the saddle will go down a hair, and my knee will thank me.

...and one more thing. What a freakin' wonderful football game last night!!

Day 12.......no training.

2008-01-31T13:05:00.000-05:00

I'm still recovering from my illness. Each day I'm feeling a little better, but I'm not going back to my training routine until every symptom is 100% gone. I am really looking forward to tying the knot on top of my asics and setting out on a run to an unknown destination. I've become accustomed to setting aside an hour or two a day to be free of all the stresses of life; that wonderful time where I can fall into the rhythm of my breath and pit-pat of my sneakers and just let my mind wander. If you are a runner, I need not say more...

Now, as I wait to be sure I am completely recovered from the attack of this bug I have to find a different way to attack the stresses of life. I have not thought about a specific way of dealing with stress without training, it just sort of happened. And I've found myself keeping busy well into the evening with my studies.....and I feel rejuvenated in my academic pursuits. You know, I'm a treehugger (a.k.a environmentalist), and, like triathlon, this lifestyle has it's difficulties. Believe it or not folks, being a treehugger isn't all Bush-bashing and tofu-eating!

I have to say that although losing 2 weeks of training sucks, I am glad that I have been able to rekindle the fire that I have for environmental and social justice issues. So, if you live in Ohio and you are a treehugger too, you can go here to show support for renewable energy in Ohio, which is virtually as fulfilling as hugging (or even kissing) a tree. If you are unsure about renewable energy being a good choice for us, or would like to read a bit about the benefits of "green" energy go here or here.

You might recall the urban farm project I worked on last semester? I'll be giving a presentation to some of the active urban farmers in town in order to 1) stimulate interest and 2) continue brainstorming with folks who are knowledgeable about growing food in the city and getting that food to market. We are still putting together a working model, but the big question is, "where's the capital going to come from?"

Are you a Bioneer?? We've started planning for the Cleveland conference in 2008. More details to come on this as they are worked out.

I suppose if I'm not dreaming about a full carbon TT bike decked out in dura-ace.....or Kona, I might as well dream about wind turbines, local food, and a positive future!!!

I think I'm gonna make it.....

2008-01-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

My friends, I am just getting over one of the worst illnesses I have ever suffered through. I originally thought it was the flu, I couldn't even get out of bed for the first day my fever was so high. I couldn't work for 3 1/2 days and am still recovering on day 7. Now, it seems something more like a sinus infection I'm fighting off. Who knows how long it will be before I resume training. At this rate, another week probably. It's funny, when I'm well the one thing I look foreward to is training.....but when I was sick, the things I felt the worst about getting behind on were academics and work. Maybe my priorities aren't as backwards as I thought ;-)

It makes me do things like grind my teeth.....

2008-01-19T18:28:00.000-05:00

I first noticed it a little bit on Sunday after my run whilst using the Roman Chair. Then, nothing for two days, until I felt it again about an hour after my morning spin on the trainer. Then, I noticed it more and more. After a swim. Walking around campus. During my core workout. Then I noticed something important...

swelling on the posterior portion of my knee....

...and a lingering stiffness. Not sore. No pain. A little swollen and stiff.

So, when I realized that I might have a little problem I decided to forgo my trainer session and run yesterday, and opted for a rest day.....

.....until 7:00 hit and I NEEDED to get a workout in, so I hit the pool for 2500 yards, which I believe is my longest swim workout since I began swimming last fall. Yes, I had to relieve a 'lil stress. I went through with my trainer session this morning, have been icing all afternoon and into this evening....

......and now I've got to wait and see how the knee feels tomorrow. I'd just take a big rest (and I may have to), but I'm just about ready for a half-mary PR on March 2nd...and I'm about ready to start my build for the TOSRV.

Besides RICE, what else does someone do who is a bit stressed out about a swollen knee? Finally register for Steelhead. And the TOSRV. And purchase my USAT membership. And spend some time trying to put together a race schedule with all of my "B" and "C" races. And start bike shopping. If anything can get your mind off of a tweaky knee, it is planning out your racing season,

and this.......
*of course I can't afford that bike.....but it is way prettier than my stiff, swollen knee.

Do you wanna ride to the mall??

2008-01-12T21:22:00.000-05:00

When I was about 12 years old, my neighbor that lived across the street (who was the ripe old age of 14) asked me if I wanted to ride my bike with him to the mall. I told him there was no way I would be allowed, and with 14 years worth of wisdom he responded, "Me either. We don't need to tell our mom where we're going. She'll never know." So off we went.

I can't recall if I was riding my diamondback or my GT, but it was certainly a BMX. The instigator, known here as big kidd, had a BMX as well. Who didn't have a BMX in 1988, c'mon?? I don't recall having any money, but I do know the round trip was somewhere around 10 or 15 miles. We had to be back by dark.

Off we rode, towards the park (at least that's what our parents thought)....when in actuality, we were headed to the friendliest mall of all. It was a long ride there and man.....there were so many cars to navigate around once we got close. I was overwhelmed with the volume and speed of the traffic. Big kidd was older and bigger than I was and I had a hella tough time keeping up. He didn't seem too concerned about waiting for me, so I just hammered down on those little platform peddles as best I could and tried not to fall too far off his wheel. I sure as hell didn't want to get dropped (or as I called it at that time get left in the dust).

When we got to the mall we didn't have much time to hang out, so we went to the music store (where I more than likely browsed the Public Enemy, Ghetto Boys, and 2 Live Crew selection) and then we hit Toys R Us to scope the Nintendo games. Yes, the Nintendo entertainment system....with 2 buttons and 4 directional arrows on the controller. The controller was square; not exactly the ergonomical designs of today. Neither of us bought anything. We had no money, or no job. We were 12 and 14 and we peddled ourselves all the way to the mall, which was way better than a new CD or video game.

The ride home was rough. I was tired. Very tired. As a matter of fact, I was falling off of big kidd's wheel and as we cut across an empty field on our BMX's I bonked....hard. The grass was too much for me to handle, so I stuck to the sidewalk for the rest of the ride and continued on grimmacing with every pedal stroke. The sun was setting. I was nervous about riding waaayyyy on the other side of town at dusk when my parents thought I was at the park. As if that wasn't enough, big kidd didn't wait for my tired ass because we had to be home by dark......and it was pretty much dark. But I kept peddling.......and since my folks don't read this blog (as far as I know) they still don't know that I rode my bike to the mall with big kidd (as far as I know).

So, as I lie here in a big puddle of achy legs with eyes that can barely stay open I'm blaming big kidd for planting the almighty seed of adventure. Adventure on two human powered wheels that I can't get enough of still today....beyond thirty (just barely ;-) It is big kidd's fault that my legs have taken me a few thousand adventurous miles over the last couple years. It is big kidd's fault that I am riding in the TOSRV. And, it is big kidd's fault that I spend all of my spare change on winter cycling tights and chamois butt'r.

I took advantage of the sunny afternoon and took Amaterasu out for a little spin. It's the multi-hour excursions with her I enjoy best. Temps in the upper 30's. Sun shining. Booties covering my shoes and jacket zipped up to my hairy chin. Nearly 3 hours of spinning, a couple thousand feet of climbing, and a good nights rest.......all because big kidd had to tap into my spirit of adventure at the ripe old age of 12 and pose the question, "Do you realize how far we could ride our bikes?"

Spring again??!!??

2008-01-08T12:34:00.000-05:00

This morning whilst sipping on my morning coffee, I flipped through my Patagonia Heart of Winter 2008 Catalog and anticipated the 60 degree afternoon staying dry (and windy) in order that I could donn some shorts and take Amaterasu for a spin. It looks like the rain is holding off, for now, and that if I quit blogging and hurry up an finish up some work I can squeeze a ride in this afternoon. In shorts. On January 8. In Northeast Ohio.

Even though this is a perfect opportunity to mention climate change, I won't ;-) We did have some warm spells last winter, but I don't think any of them took us to 60 degrees.

As for the Buckeyes, they were outplayed. They needed to establish the run and control the clock, and they didn't.......Which was better than last year, when they didn't even show up. Now, all of my hopes are lying on the shoulders of the Cavaliers (at least until baseball season).

Lebron was the NBA's player of the week last week. The Cavaliers won 3 straight. Their defense looks like it may have reappeared, but their backcourt is still a big mess, particularly on the offensive end of the court. Boobie has been the only guard to show any consistency, but h0w much can you rely on him, in his 2nd year in the league, to be a one man backcourt?? This year, with Detroit playing so well and dem Celtics looking nearly unbeatable (which they aren't), it is going to be a long, tough series of games in the Eastern Conference playoffs.....and the Cavs won't make it through without a deep and consistent backcourt. Funny thing is they seem to have the talent, they just can't find a rhythm (or the rotation) to make it work. Maybe Danny Ferry needs to shake things up a bit and make a trade??

2008-01-07T17:50:00.001-05:00

Go Buckeyes!!!!!

Iowa and The NBA

2008-01-03T22:16:00.000-05:00

I will make no attempt to connect the hawkeye state to pro basketball.

But, I will say that I'm cool with O'bama doing well in Iowa. However, I am a bit worried about Mr. Huckabee. Not worried that I think he's a better candidate than O'bama, or Clinton, or Edwards, or my favorite GOP candidate McCain....but worried about, well....let's just say Mr. Huckabee is not my favorite candidate. But it is just Iowa. I digress.

Last night, whilst pounding out a few miles on the dreadmill I watched Lebron James take over the game in the 4th quarter against Atlanta (yeah, Atlanta with the 4th best record in the East) and I smiled realizing that he is well on his way to becoming one of the best to ever play. Now that he's added a nice mid-range jumper over the off season as well as improved his free throw shooting he's becoming more and more dominant, especially towards the end of games.

AK-Rowdy!!!!!! (had to get the hometown shout out in there)

The cavaliers will come around. They'll be playing good ball by playoff time... and they'll need to be, because of that team in green.

Not Boston again!!!! Uh boy. First Florida twice....now Boston twice??

The Celtics better keep it up because there's a team up here on Lake Erie that is ready to come out of it's shell. Shit, the playoffs don't start until April.

2008 (rhymes with great) A.K.A. another new beginning

2008-01-01T18:49:00.000-05:00

This holiday season has been a crazy one. I saw the Black Keys play the Akron Civic Theatre just before Christmas, thought it would be a good idea to stay up all night drinking beer, and then woke the next morning with a cold. The day after Christmas was the worst of it....I could barely breathe and was just downright tired. I recovered just in time to celebrate my uncles 50th birthday a few days after Christmas where I proceeded to drink what is typically my monthly intake of beer in about 7 hours (wouldn't you think I would have learned my lesson after the Black Keys show? NO.) The good news is that I'm pretty well recovered from my cold and from all the drinking and now I'm ready to move into 2008....and I'm ready to start thinking about training for a nice long racing season. After finding that my early season half-iron, The Little Smokies Tri, had been canceled I began to look for another HIM to replace it....but instead I am beginning to think I will do the TOSRV instead.

Despite the head colds and alcohol I managed to train a bit over the holidays. I got to spend some wonderful time with family and friends. I got to spend a few days without thinking about deadlines and training goals. I am refreshed. I ran The Great New Years Eve Race on.....New Years Eve (of all days), bettering my time from last year by nearly a minute. Then, it was time to raise a glass of champagne at the witching hour to toast a year of goodness. Most folks wish for prosperity in the coming year. So do I. Only I do not wish for material wealth, but rather richness of life. What do I want for all of us in 2008?

New Beginnings.
The beginnings that reside somewhere in your solar plexus
Until you release them by living them.
Like your first day of school. Or your first day of college. Or your first time performing in front of a large crowd. Or if your not like me and got "all kinds of game," like an important first date.
New Beginnings....like January 1, 2008.

Waiting like a blank piece of paper for the writing.
A clean canvas for the color.
A spotless life for the living.

I started off the first day of 2008 with a trail run accompanied by Sage Doggie Dogg as the snow fell:

I hope that 2008 holds many good things for all of us. Smiles. Hugs. Accomplishments. You know, the good things. It's what we make of it.......

Spaghetti Arms meets The Pull

2007-12-21T12:22:00.000-05:00

Last month I started my tri-swimming clinic out in Oberlin, which is a really great town. The downtown district is full of locally owned restaurants and shops. They still have a five and dime and no Wal-Mart. After the clinic, I visit the Black River Cafe (named after the nearby Black River, shown in the pic below) for blueberry and banana pancakes to refuel for the hour long drive home.
In month one of the clinic, we focused on kick drills and keeping our legs popped up in the water....the same things I've been working on for the last year in the pool. I did start incorporating a flutter-kick drill into my training which has helped me keep better form when getting a breathe.

It is now month 2 of the clinic and we've begun to work on our pull. Whilst learning the technique of a proper pull and trying to execute the drills @ the clinic things were a bit off. I couldn't quite coordinate my pull, kick, body rotation, and well....my entire stroke was ugly to say the least. I Regressed to my early experiences in the pool, where I was flopping and flailing around at a snail's pace. I was looking forward to getting back into the water to work things out.

As most of you know, I don't exactly have 24 inch pythons. They are....smaller. And as you might figure my upper body strength is not what you would call powerful. I fit better into the long and lean category than the big and buff category. Yesterday it showed. My shoulders were burning as I concentrated on keeping my elbows high and my hands near my center line on my pull. My stroke count had to drop a ton, but man was it painful. The good news is that I made big, big strides in getting everything back to a smooth cohesive stroke.....albeit a stroke that quickly creates a searing burn in my shoulders. This will make me a much better swimmer. My pull was about as inefficient as you could imagine. I'm taking my lunch break (a.k.a. swim workout) in a couple minutes. No ham sandwich for me, just a little fire burning deep in the back of my shoulders and a little water up my nose.

Winter Training in Northeast Ohio

2007-12-15T20:09:00.000-05:00

I had plans to hit the pool this morning and then get in my long run later this afternoon. After spending too much time standing around a pool table and/or sitting on a bar stool last night, I skipped the morning swim in exchange for a little sleeping in. Aside from sleeping in, one of the joys of a little time off of school is that I get to read what I want to read.....so I started A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, a read which is far overdo. As the snow started to fall on us here in Northeast Ohio, I was inspired by some of Aldo's words,

"There are two spiritual dangers of not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other is that heat comes from the furnace. To avoid the first danger, one should plant a garden, preferably where there is no grocer to confuse the issue. To avoid the second, he should lay a split of good oak on the andirons, preferably where there is no furnace, and let it warm his shins while a February blizzard tosses the trees outside."

Today I did not plant a garden, nor build a fire....but I did experience a little of mother nature on my run (with my camera in tow)......

Setting out on the towpath:

A couple of pics of the mighty Cuyahoga:

Truckin' along down the towpath trail:

The snow picked up a bit before my run was over:

It is in weather such as this that a beard comes in handy (yes, icecycles had begun to form on my beard, eybrows, and eyelashes):

This is what happens to your car after an hour and a half of running through the snow:

The other side

2007-12-14T09:53:00.000-05:00

Somehow, I manged to get everything submitted and now I am looking forward to a little break. I was forced into a recovery week due to all the time spent composing papers and making maps, but plan to get things going again this weekend. Two weeks ago my weekly running mileage hit 20 for the first time....and other than a wee bit of IT pain I felt pretty good. It would be great to get up to a 30 mile week before starting my next training cycle. Soon I'll have my race schedule solidified, but no doubt I plan to peak around mid-August for another 70.3. I'm thinking of a spring half-mary and early season 70.3; as well as a fall marathon, assuming I get my running mileage up to the point of marathon worthiness.

I just signed up for THE BEAST!!! today.

In other training notes, I've been attending one excel in cycling workout per week. These workouts are tough, but are exactly what I need to address my lack of power on the bike. I suppose my chicken legs might not be so bad for running....but they aren't exactly up for pushing big wattage on the bike...yet...

And now that my semester is over, I think it's time to really focus on my health.....

Almost there.....

2007-12-07T17:25:00.000-05:00

My academic deadlines are completely overwhelming me right now. And I'm still trying to train as much as possible. Actually, I NEED to train....otherwise the stress would have me going through a fifth of Jameson per night. Well, the point of all this is that I have relatively no time for blogging. Everything will be back to normal after next Thursday. Amen.

Until then, here is some reading on how you can lower the carbon footprint of your Christmas gift giving if you live in Northeast Ohio Not only are these gift ideas ecologically responsible, they are often one of a kind as well.

And for those of you outside Northeast Ohio....check here.

Happy Shopping!!!!

Technology Sucks!!

2007-11-25T19:59:00.000-05:00

What do you do when you spend anywhere from 5 to 10 hours each week working out alone. You buy an MP3 player....of course.

So, I bought one of these devices, a Sandisk Sansa Clip. It was great. I wore it in the weight room and on runs. And now the piece of shit won't communicate properly with my PC. I've had this thing for about 3 weeks.

Good thing I bought the extended warranty. Why whould I do that?? Because my palm pilot that has a one year warranty has broken 3 times....never making it over a year before it just quits working. So, I've decided to buy warranties with these piece of shit devices. Now, if I can just find the receipt to the damn thing........

Let me tell you, I was happy today when I was standing outside in the brisk 40 degree air messing with cheap ass thing and I couldn't get it to work. So, off I went on a 50 minute run with nothing but the sound of crunching leaves and exhaust pipes (and me swearing at a little plastic shitty MP3 player). F*$%ing technology!!!!!

SALE!!!!!

2007-11-24T06:54:00.000-05:00

I'm off to Performance Bike for buy one, get one nutrition.....and then 20% off my entire order. But, the sale ends at 9:00 a.m. I guess that makes me a crazed early morning thanksgiving weekend shopper.

I'm hoping they have some windblock booties for my ride this afternoon. I'm sure they'll have some but the question is if they will fit my big feet!! For those of us that have larger than a size 12 (or maybe 13) finding footwear is not always an easy task.

The weatherman says nice riding weather today. Dry. Sunny. High of 41 degrees. Amaterasu is sporting some new (to me) aerobars and wants to hit the town....and the country. But first, it's shopping and the rec center pool for a few laps. It should be interesting to step on the scale after the last couple of days. I'm betting it says 194, still 8 or 9 lbs. above my mid-summer weight. What does triathlon do to a man?? Makes them weight conscious and gets them to shave their legs???? What kind of sport is this, anyways??

Thanks

2007-11-22T06:35:00.000-05:00

I've eaten breakfast, and will be getting on my way shortly to the home run for the homeless 4 miler here in downtown Akron. Before I go, I thought I'd stop here and wish a happy holiday to you. In the spirit of thanksgiving, here are a couple of thoughts on what I'm thankful for.

Yes of course, I'm thankful for all of the things we all take for granted all too often....family, friends, my puppy, and the abundant wealth of living in America. I'm thankful I've found endurance sports, and I'm thankful for what the sport has given to me.

I suppose you could say I found triathlon by chance. Basically what happened was that I'd known Treetop for years; I met J; introduced Treetop to J; they got married; J's father started running marathons; Treetop and J started running and invited me to join their Akron Mary relay team. Then, they asked me to join them for the home run for the homeless 4 miler....this was 3 years ago.

That thanksgiving we ran in a blizzard. It was cold, very windy, and snowing like CRAZY. My beard was freezing around my face in a hurry. I was hooked....

Fast forward through a few road races the following summer where I met a couple folks involved in triathlon and here I am.

Here I am with plans to train for my second half-iron distance event next summer and with thoughts of IM Louisville or IM Moo in the back of my head for the summer of '09. All of the training has brought many good things to my life. I have improved my health. My outlook on life has changed.

I set goals. Long term goals. Short term goals. Athletic goals. Career goals. Personal goals. Goals that make my life more fulfilling by the act of pursuing them. I've begun to think of my life as always moving towards something great, as opposed to just moving. I used to think of life like a timeline. I was always moving forward, at a steady pace...slow and steady...day after day.

I now think of life like a mountain, and with each step I keep moving closer to that breathtaking vista. Along the trek to the top of the mountain the clouds, sun, trees, and trail allow for an occasional view, a moment of beauty and enjoyment.....but no view will be like the one at the summit. Thank you friends of endurance sport, and friends of life for pointing out this path. I'm on my way.....

Tonite at Ten...

2007-11-14T20:56:00.000-05:00

Have you guys seen the Miller lite commercial where the newscasters fly through their broadcast and then head across the street to the bar. This post is going to be something like that, with a little more detail. If my life was newsworthy, here's what the newscasters would be saying...

I did a little running over the last week or so. 4 to 5 milers at a nice easy pace and I'm having not ITB pain, but still a little stiffness. It seems to be getting better so I'm going to plan on running a couple of days a week until the pain disapears and then I'll increase my weekly mileage. Thinking 'bout the pigskin classic on Saturday....

Sunday I got bit by a dog. On my lower lip. It is healing. It did not get infected, so I am happy. Bitch!!!

Sunday is the beginning of my tri swimming clinic (man, do I need that) so I hit the pool today for the first time in a couple of weeks. 2300 metres. I did a 500M and 1000M time trial. Not balls out, but hard. 500M = 9 min. 1000M = 18 min. give or take a few seconds on each. Haven't lost too much swimming fitness. Cool.

But I have gained 10 lbs. since the Greater Cleveland Tri in mid-August.

It will come off.

Went climbing for the first time in about a year on Monday. After a half hour of bouldering and I couldn't grab onto anything. It took me 15 minutes before I felt like I'd bouldered before. Then, my forearms were cooked. I'd like to keep climbing at least once a week over the winter.

Started some weight training. Ouch! Whilst swimming today, CSU's swim coach, who recognizes me as the slow swimming triathlete he's been seeing at the pool many an afternoon, asked me if I hurt my back or something....told me "you look a little stiff, like you're not walking like normal." Ok, so the weight room has me walking like a duck.

Monday I did my graded excercise test. Not exactly a VO2 max test, because Akron U doesn't have all the equipment. My VO2 max was estimated from the data colected, like my heart rate, blood pressure, etc.

The test went something like this...got hooked up to a shit ton of EKG's and started walking on the treadmill. Every 3 minutes the treadmill spead up and increased the slope. After 15 minutes I was @ an 18% grade or something, around 7 m.p.h. and I wasn't sure if my calves were on fire or if I was going to throw up on Julia, so I stopped. Estimated VO2 max is 58.4 ml/kg/min. I went here and estimated my VO2 max from my 5K PR last summer at 54.04.

C.C. wins the Cy Young....cool.

Tune in next time when......................

I think of something witty to write about.

A Little Data is Forthcoming

2007-11-09T07:21:00.000-05:00

Monday I'll be taking a free VO2 max test.

Thanks J!!!

The only downfall is that this hairy triathlete has to shave his chest for the test....and I'm not exactly looking forward to that.

Red Flannel Metric Century

2007-11-04T17:56:00.000-05:00

I woke this morning just in the nick of time to make it out to Oberlin for the Red Flannel Metric Century. This tour is put on by the Lorain Wheelmen and took us through the back roads of Lorain county. Yes, it was chilly....probably about 35 degrees when I set out on the ride. It warmed into the 40's for most of the day and I was relatively comfortable. This is in part due to the fact that I purchased some new tights yesterday to use over the colder months here in Northeast Ohio. They rock. Gore Bikewear Class action tights (chamois free) are highly recommended by me, for whatever that's worth. Yes, they were pretty expensive but my legs were comfortable all day. Even the chilly morning air wasn't leaking through to my thighs.

Most of the Red Flannel ride is on back country roads with almost no traffic. The course was very well marked. Other than a few small climbs the terrain was relatively flat. But, as the day progressed the winds picked up a bit, as one might expect. There were plenty of cookies, made from scratch, and other tasty indulgences to be had along the course. At the rest stops the volunteers served up homemade chilli, black bean soup, and warm apple cider. My stomach wasn't so happy with chilli (and a little Tabasco sauce) in the middle of a 100K, but not much would have tasted better (or been more seasonally appropriate).

As opposed to having a rolling start, most riders set off right around 9:00 a.m. so even through there was only about 250 cyclists the roads were fairly crowded with folks to ride with. One of my companions through these country roads snapped a few pics that I will post after they are e-mailed to me. I, unfortunately, left my camera in the car.....with my cue sheet, map, and chapstick.

This morning, I had my first experience of passing a rig that was traveling in the opposite direction on a 2 lane highway. The truck blew so much cold wind in my face I thought I might start rolling backwards. My chest and jacket served as a sail and I slowed almost 5 miles per hour in about one pedal stroke.

About 35 or 40 miles into the ride I was having a heck of a time buffering the lactate that was building up in my legs. After the Fall 'N' Leaf ride I took 2 weeks completely off (but worked really heard to catch up on my beer drinking), which may have been the cause. I also am wondering if the cold played much of a role. With all the climbing at the Fall 'N' Leaf I felt much stronger than I did today. My other thought is that the headwinds were tough on me, as I see many more hills than strong winds around the Cuyahoga Valley.

After the ride I stopped at the Black River Cafe in downtown Oberlin and the food was awesome!!! Organic coffee. Fresh Vegan pancakes with bananas and maple syrup from good 'ole Ohio maple trees. I had a short stack (2 pancakes) and these things were so filling!! My server told me she's never seen anyone finish a full stack of 3 cakes...which I could have done.....if I didn't also order home fries; which came with green and red peppers and onions. I was stuffed and my tab was 8 bucks!! The atmosphere in this place was great. It was a small room that was alive with chatting voices, sounding more like a sports bar on a Sunday afternoon than a restaurant. The folky rock playing from the radio in the kitchen could be heard over about one fourth of the room as could the clanking of dishes.

The floor was wood. The tables were wood. The chairs were wood. The walls were half wood and I sat at a wood bar that was opposite the windows that looked out onto the street. I picked up a new book at the bookstore across the street so I'd have something to read whilst eating.

It was a great ending to this years cycling season. Now I'm off to get some work done on my research of the feasibility of wind power as an energy source in Ohio. The good professor requires us to collect 40 sources, which.....might......take.........all..........night............

The possiblity of completing 832 IM's over a lifetime....

2007-11-02T16:23:00.000-04:00

There was a new book recently published by Aubrey de Grey that questions the concept of aging as we know it. In a nutshell, here is what he is studying.....

Aging occurs as we lose cellular health, or the cells of our body are no longer able to reproduce new cells that work as efficiently as the old ones. There are 7 main factors, according to de Grey, that contribute to cellular health. In laymen's terms, one major factor is that there is "gunk" that accumulates in our cells over time which disrupt their ability to function optimally. So, I guess you could say the "gunk" eventually kills us. However, outside of our bodies there are known organisms that feed off of this "gunk." So, if you were to go to a cemetery the gunk is no more, because these organisms have feasted on it and eaten it all up (kinda like myself with a pint of ice cream). So, in order to live many, many, many years all we have to figure out how to do is introduce this organism into our living body to feast on this gunk.....and then we can live for say.....1000 years.

Ok, where do I sign up???

The Washington Post published an article about de Grey and his book "ENDING AGING" yesterday that you can link to here.

The leaves are a fallin'

2007-10-28T19:21:00.000-04:00

I've finally downloaded my pictures from the Fall N Leaf 100K cycling tour that I did a couple of weeks ago. The tour also has a 50K option and takes place in "Mid-Ohio" near Mansfield and Mohican State Park. The very well marked route takes you on back country roads (not 2 lane highways) where the wood burning fireplaces added a pleasant odor to the air; and I saw more cows than cars (which added a different sorta odor to the air)...

The terrain is quite hilly....lots of rollers.

A nice big granny gear is recommended. Over the 100K there was somewhere between 4500 and 4700 feet of elevation gain. The crests of many of the hills are STEEP. I think a 25T cogset would have been much better than my 23. I never had to dismount, but I really had to do some slow and hard peddling to crest some of the hills.

I'll be back to do this one again.

The Bird that GETS DOWN......

2007-10-27T20:49:00.000-04:00

If you have not seen Snowball, the dancing bird do his thing.....you have to check this out.

It is Hilarious!!!!!!!!! I heard something last month about some dancing bird and finally saw him and it made my Saturday night.

And he has different dances for different tunes!!!!

I need a vacation.....

2007-10-17T17:21:00.000-04:00

I am beat up. My knee hurts. My muscles are tired and achy. I have a sore throat. After a nice 50 minute run Tuesday night with a couple hill repeats I have made a sound decision to put away my running shoes for a spell. My friends, I am taking a vacation...

But just like my 70.3 mile journey around Northeast Ohio this summer I'm not really going anywhere. Well, except I am. This weekend I'll be @ the Bioneers conference. Actually, the conference came to me. Ok, not exactly....but it came to Cleveland State, where I happen to spend a little bit of my time. Tomorrow morning I'll start off my vacation with a tour of the urban farms here in Cleveland. That, my friends, is the way to start a vacation!!!!

Oh, and when I return from my vacation I'll begin the journey towards next summers goals....one of which will take me to the southern shores of Lake Michigan. I was contemplating which races I wanted to do next summer, and the ironveganmusician in town helped me make up my mind.

Good luck to my friends racing (and pacing) this weekend. Charlie, E-speed, and Paulie. I sense PR's and trips to Boston will be earned!!! And if you'd like a first hand description of the craziness that went on @ the Chicago Marathon, stop over to Janet's blog, and read about her experience there.

And as for my vacation experiences....I just might blog about something other than racing. And you were begining to think that's all I thought about anymore, weren't you?

While I have a free minute....

2007-10-07T13:34:00.000-04:00

What up Blogland!!! I have found a little time to give you an update on my past couple of weeks. I did a couple of great races and have been working on some fun stuff at the University. The rundown:

A couple of weeks ago I ran the Cuyahoga Falls Nat 5K. This is a really great race on a fast course. There were a couple of local speedsters at the front of the pack this year and the top 3 finishers all broke the course record (it is a 5 yr. old race). I ran what turned out to be my best race....of my 31 years, and PR'd with a 18:39 (6:00 pace). 2 out of 14 in my AG, and 7 of 274 overall. Hmmmm, all of the workouts over the summer have paid off, (literally)! They gave out awards for the first Cuyahoga Falls male and female resident to finish the race. I think I was actually the 2nd local male, but I got the award because the 1st place Falls resident won an overall award. And I got a $50 savings bond and a $50 gift certificate to Fleet Feet!!! Score!!

Last weekend was my impromptu half mary (not recommended) at the Akron Marathon. My dear peeps Treetop and J were training for their first marathon in Columbus, next weekend. J's knee did not cooperate. She had a registration for the half mary at Akron in preparation for her full, so she gave me her bib since she cannot run. I accepted even though I haven't run 10 miles or more since August and my "long run" since that time was a 10K at the Portage Lakes International Tri.

So, as for my first stand alone half mary...The weather was perfect!! Almost 7000 runners toed the line in downtown Akron at 7:00 a.m. I tried to stay with Treetop for the run, but had to let him go at mile 10 as I felt a SHARP pain in my right knee. I had to walk for probably 3/4 of a mile. I did not think I would be able to finish as I could not run one step. Finally, the knee pain went from sharp to dull and I trudged onward for the last 3 miles, coming in @ 1:45:37 (8:04 pace); good for 160th out of 1134 half marathoners, 25 of 84 in my AG. Here's a pic taken shortly after finishing...I'm not sure if I was still in pain, concerned about the cause of my knee pain, or just downright tired (thanks goes to one of the five fast femme fatale freaks for the pic).
Turns out my knee pain was my ITB, the first time my IT band caused me any knee pain. It hurt!! Sharp stabbing pain on the outside of my knee and underneath my kneecap!! I've been resting it and all seems to be doing well. I'll more than likely start running again this week.

The pic below I "stole" from the Akron Beacon Journals web page, and was taken at the race. No, of course that is not me, but I thought it was a great image. The story that ran about the pic said that the guy in the wheelchair (I forget how he lost his legs) was a high school sprinter in Akron, I think at Buchtel.

Remember my DNS at the Portage Lakes Tri a couple weeks ago?? HFP racing found my results! My swim was longer than I thought, and my run better than I thought. Another note, I took FOREVER in both transitions, especially T1. That's something to address next summer.

Now, on to academia...I am writing 3 research papers this semester, which should total 30 to 40 pages when completed. This is why I have no time to blog, and when I do I don't know what to say because all of the reading and writing I have been doing lately is technical, which does a number on my creativity.

I've also been working on a great project with CSU and a local community development corp. to turn an empty warehouse in the Detroit Shoreway here in Cleveland into a working farm. Yep, we're going to grow food in this building (and on the roof, in the yard, etc.) This project is something like this and this, except we are not building some multi-million dollar facility, but rather, we're on a tight budget and have to be as creative as possible to make this work and utilize all of our resources.

I have nominated myself to be one of our soil and water "experts" and have been learning about rain water diversion, composting and vermiculture. A couple of my goals for this project are to be able to collect all of the buildings water needs from the sky (i.e. rain), and to start a curbside composting program in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood. The motivation for composting....discounts on the organic food we grow, of course.

Ok, it is 85 degrees this Sunday here in Northeast Ohio.....time to turn off the computer and hop on my bicycle....

Portage Lakes Triathlon

2007-09-23T21:07:00.000-04:00

Well, my first triathlon season has come to a close. My final race this summer was the Portage Lakes International Distance....my first oly. As I mentioned HFP did not get a time for me. I have some approximate splits that I've got from glancing at my watch and my bike computer.

With Portage Lakes State Park, the race site, close to home and having an 8:00 start I got to sleep in until about 5:30. I awoke and took my dog out and was greeted by some BRISK morning air. Temps. were in the low 40's. I brewed my java...Green Mountain Autumn Harvest Blend. I ate my bagel with strawberry jelly and a banana. Grabbed my bags, stuck Amaterasu on the roof and I was off.

I arrived at the race site just before 7:00 a.m. and the parking lot was packed!! As I was milling around, setting up my transition, etc. everyone had something to say about the cold morning. Some folks were wearing stocking hats and gloves. After setting up my typical transition I put my cold weather gear in a pile and contemplated what to leave out on my towel for T1. Final decision was arm warmers and full finger gloves (the liner hat, windbreaker, and leg warmers stayed in my backpack). Off I went towards the beach.

THE SWIM

The course was 2 loops counterclockwise with a water start. Water temps were perfect, around 68 degrees. I took a nice long warm-up as all the sprinters started first. Soon enough it was time for my wave, the 2nd international wave to go. There were about 50 of us, the biggest wave start I've had all summer. I lined up towards the front and left of the pack. The horn sounded and we were off, swimming towards the rising sun (and 2 giant yellow buoys we couldn't see in the sunlight). The first couple hundred metres things were tight. Bumping shoulders. Hands and arms on my legs. As we were nearing the first turn the lake was full of some sort of seaweed stuff that was strange to pull through. Imagine a net that never seemed to tangle your hands up, but felt like it was about to. I wondered if this race was some trick to catch all the triathletes in some giant net and have a triathlete bake (you know, like a clam bake).

At the first turn buoy I found clear water and could really open up my stroke. For the first time in a race my heart rate didn't skyrocket at the beginning of the swim. Maybe it was my long warm-up. Maybe all the swimming I've been doing is paying off. Either way, it was nice not to feel oxygen deprived at any point of the swim. I felt so comfortable I tried some bilateral breathing for the first time in a race but didn't stick with it because I could feel my heart rate go up immediately.

As I entered into the surreal state of

...thoughtlessness...
murky water...breath...

that is open water swimming, I zig-zagged quite a bit and at one point was cut off by a lifeguard in a kayak who was pointing out towards the middle of the lake yelling "go that way." Note to self: need to work on sighting and swimming in a straight line. Before I knew it my hands were dragging on the beach and I stood (and stumbled) to head towards T1.

I took the run up the beach nice and easy. Since my HR stayed down so low during the swim I wanted to take advantage of that as best I could and get on the bike with it down lower yet. T1 was slow as I took my time and had trouble getting my wetsuit over my ankles. It could be that I remembered the timing chip fiasco at GCT, so I was sure not to lose my ankle bracelet. Little did I know it wouldn't have mattered anyways. My race was already a DNS (sort of). Unbeknownst of this fact I noticed my timing chip didn't beep coming out of T1 and asked the volunteer at the bike mount about this. She had no idea what I was talking about (what?? beep?? huh??) and I didn't worry about it as I didn't hear the mat beep for the guy next to me either.

THE BIKE

Heading out of T1 I glanced at my watch and saw it ticking at 23 minutes and change...whoa!! Best swim of my life!! The swim course was short but I was still feeling great about my time. Hopped on Amaterasu to a brisk breeze heading out onto the bike course. The course was two loops of rolling hills around Lake Nimisilla. Immediately I noticed that the cold wasn't bothering me too much, except that my hips were really, really tight. They didn't loosen up until I had completed most of the first loop. Once I finally got loose I kept a nice pace and decided to open it up on the 2nd loop...get out of the saddle to crest some of the rollers, etc. I was feeling good. The front of my legs were a pink/purple color but they felt fine.

After I began to loosen up my mind drifted to the history of the area. I could envision the thick forest that once stood on these roads and thought of what life would have been like if a canoe on the water was the best way to get around (sans the 8 mile portage).

Whilst enjoying the scenery, I lost my chain going down to the small ring on a climb and was passed by 3 people immediately. I got pissed and hammered out the rest of the course. According to my computer the 40K (24.8 mile) bike course was closer to 23.3 miles. I finished it up in about one hour and 9 minutes for a 20.3 avg. pace.

THE RUN
Quick T2. Changed shoes and threw on my hat. The run course was 2 loops of more rolling hills. In the first mile I passed quite a few folks. My feet were cold for most of this stretch and felt bigger than the size 14 they actually are. I gained my running legs somewhere about one half to three quarters of a mile into the run, possibly my best run off this summer. I stayed steady for the first loop, and just before mile 4 I started to get fatigued on an ascent. At the bottom of the next descent I got passed by someone who looked like he did alot of running (i.e. skinny dude with a nice stride wearing running tights). I tried to hang with him, and did for about a mile, but he dropped me at the next ascent. The quickening of my pace kept me passing folks here, even after getting dropped. On the last ascent my quads were fed up and I was afraid I might start cramping. With just over a mile to go I slugged down some gatorade....I know, alot of good it's going to do me now.

The gatorade at least gave me a nice mental boost and I tried to open my stride down the descent towards the finish. I didn't look at my watch when I crossed the line and they didn't have a clock at the finish, but after leaving the finishing chute I saw my watch ticking at 2 hours 23 minutes and change. My guess is I finished around 2:22:??, making my run and T2 around 51 minutes. I was very happy with that time and how I felt throughout the race. My spirits were high and other than a little bit of struggling on the run so was my energy.

This morning I ran in the Falls Natatorium 5K and have a new PR.....that is coming in my next post.

Happy Autumn Equinox everyone!!

International Car Free Day

2007-09-20T14:42:00.000-04:00

Saturday, September 22nd is International Car Free Day. So, unless you support exploitation of natural resources, unhealthy air, noisy streets, and unjust wars you should do your best to leave your automobile where it sits when you wake up (if you own one :-) You should ask your friends to do the same. Here in Northeast Ohio the weather will be beautiful....perfect for walking or biking around. And if you have public transit available to you go on ahead and use it...take a good book to read on the journey, like this one. I find reading much more enjoyable than operating a car anyways. To read a little about International Car Free Day go here or here.

And if you are interested in less important things (like my Portage Lakes Tri race report) stop back.....I'll be reliving the day in my next post.

DNS?????

2007-09-18T11:18:00.000-04:00

My last triathlon this summer went well. It was possibly my best of the summer. I finished the International distance in around 2:21 or 2:22. I don't know my exact time because they have me listed on the results page as a DNS. But, I started....and I finished. The bib number they have listed for me on the results is not the bib number they gave me.....so I think that's the problem. Hopefully I'll either get some splits after calling HFP racing, or a race voucher.

I'll post a race report as soon as I get a little time....and hopefully I can get my splits from the race promoter. One more approximate number that I have (other than my overall time) is the air temperature at race time....probably in the mid 40's. Perfect for a swim......

The Long Weekend (And What's Really Important)

2007-09-05T21:38:00.000-04:00

Holidays are grand. It's nice to get a "break" from all the chaos that has become my day to day grind. I'm taking 16 hrs. of classes this semester. Add in a full time job, my desire (addiction) to train, nightly walks with the puppy, and 3 (or 5) meals to prepare....I have hardly time for anything else....including blogging. But I'll find time for a little narcicism now and again, trust me.

My holiday weekend went something like this...

Saturday morning I rose out of bed around 5:30. Ate. Hit the road with Amaterasu around 6:30. Rode down to the STOMP Bicycle Adventure to meet Janet, JT, and a few other CTC peeps. What a perfect day for a spin on the bike. The morning was brisk. I set off with knee warmers and the windbreaker for the first time since the late spring. My ears were a bit cold on the descent into the Cuyahoga Valley, where the tour started. Met the peeps next to the coffee pot and we set off on the 100K route. After a short warm up on the valley floor we ascended the western flank. The first climb of the day was nice and long...about 2.5 miles (Everett Rd. for you NE Ohio folks). No more windbreaker after this one!!

The ride continued to the Southwest, never going too far from the valley rim. We headed into Medina County for a bit before turning to head back down to the national park. By the time we were done, it was hot. I got sunburned. I sat at the smallest picic table imaginable and ate a nice big lunch that included my first experience with Dragonfruit juice. Well, my drink contained less than 1% juice, but it was still named after the fruit anyways. I spent another hour or so after lunch lying under a tree and shootin' the shit with Craig and a couple other folks.

I hopped back on Amaterasu to spin home. Realizing that I'd be over 80 miles for the day when I made it back I decided to take a little detour. I turned the cranks until my computer read 100 miles, and by this time I was quite bored and happy to get off the old steed. After all the 50 plus mile rides the last couple years, I've finally crossed the century mark.

Sunday I was a little sore. I rested. I studied. I went out for about 20 miles on the bike with Julia.

Monday was the Labor of Love 5 miler. Met Julia and her family at the race, across the street from the University of Akron. I wasn't sure how I'd fare in this one after the century ride on Saturday and considering that I haven't been running regularly since the GCT. I lined up near the front of the pack and set off at a nice clip. The course was 2 loops of rolling hills on the roads surrounding the University campus, with a short jaunt onto campus after a nice spirit breaking hill near the turnaround/finish.

I felt pretty good for most of the run. The last mile or 2 (especially the last hill) were challenging, but shouldn't they be? I was feeling the effects of the sun as my heartrate went through the roof on that last climb and 1/4 mile flat to the finish. Final time 33:15 for a 6:39 pace. That put me @ 21st overall out of 372 runners. 2nd in my AG out of 31. Possibly my strongest stand alone run yet. It was certainly one I was happy with.

But, I have been hella sore since. My swim today finally helped to lossen up these old legs. Next on the list is the Portage Lakes Oly distance tri in about 10 days. My first oly.

But here's what's important. TriBoomer is doing IM Wisconsin this weekend. He has been raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. $50,000 worth of raising money!!!!! He created the 500 over 140.6 honor roll. He has collected over 500 names of cancer victims, fighters, and survivors (of any type of cancer) and will carry those names with him over the entire ironman course this weekend. We all know someone who has been touched by this unforgiving disease. Go on over to his blog and add a loved one to the list. Better yet, if you can, donate to the cause.

Boomer will carry the name of my sister, who I'm calling Ms. Fighter. Ms. Fighter was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma at the age of 19. She is turning 21 this month. She is a devout christian and is finishing up her Bachelors degree this year (just edging out her brother to this achievment, who is 10 years her elder might I add). Throughout her treatment, she continued to attend class. She was sick. Her hair thinned. She never lost sight of her goal, to get through her treatment and finish school in 4 years. After treatment she piled on the classes, 18 & 19 hrs. worth. She is in remission. Ms. Fighter, my sister, is one of my heros.

I admire those that face adversity, get knocked down, and stand up and keep fighting. Ms. Fighter, I may not know what it is like to go through all you went through, but I admire you.

Thank you TriBoomer. Hopefully Ms. Fighter, and everyone else who has been diagnosed with this terrible disease, knows that there are many of us out there who admire them for their strength, courage, and fortitude. These same attritbutes that Boomer will need to complete Ironman. Good luck my friend!

Wait, what did that commercial just say?????

2007-08-26T21:20:00.000-04:00

There is a new drug on the market to treat Restless Leg Syndrome. Maybe you have seen the commercial for this new drug on TV. I happend to hear the advertisement a few days back, and was vaguely paying attention (as I typically do with commercials) until I heard something out of the ordinary.

This commercial was simillar to all the other prescicption drug commercials you see on TV these days. I'm sure you've seen one......

"If you take our drug, we'll make your life better. Just listen to this peaceful music we're playing, listen to my soothing voice, and look at those flowers we're filming next to the smiling person that used to be bothered by said problem. Side effects include.........(insert long and seemingly serious list here)........

So, why am I writing about this you ask? Because one of the side effects of this new drug to cure restless legs syndrom is.......an urge to gamble.

What?????????????

An urge to gamble....is a side-effect.....of a drug used to cure strange sensations in one's leg?????????????

What the hell do they put in these pills????????

Anyone????

My fall semester begins tomorrow morning. Maybe someone at the university would be able to show me the link between gambling urges and leg discomfort?? But I doubt it.

Greater Cleveland Triathlon (Keep...Moving.....Foreward)

2007-08-19T18:28:00.000-04:00

Thanks to E-Speed for the pic!!

THE RUN

Heading out of T2 I thought it would take me a mile or 2 to gain my running legs. After that point, my plan was to hold back for at least a couple more miles. Based on how I felt, I was planning to either pick it up between mile 3 and 4, or mile 6 and 7. My friends, there was no "picking it up."

The run course consisted of 2 loops on the road, with the mid-August sun directly overhead. It was hot, probably around 90 degrees, and it was humid. I felt like the sun was zapping all the remaining energy I had. As I approached mile 3 I began to grow concerned as I was feeling worse and worse. My feet hurt. My thighs hurt. I felt bloated. Instead of feeling better after a couple of miles I was feeling worse.

My plan was to run the entire course, other than the aid stations, where I would walk/eat/drink to my hearts content. Judging by the way I felt at mile 3 and realizing there was going to be no such thing as regaining my legs, I wondered if I'd have to do some walking out on the course. I didn't like that idea one bit. Luckily, by mile 4 my feet and legs began to feel uncomfortable, rather than painful. Also to my advantage, the sky had become overcast and no longer were we running in direct sunlight. The slight bit of shade offered by the clouds was probably the single biggest factor that kept the little man in my head, who was saying "this is too much, stop running now," to a whisper (as opposed to shouting) throughout the middle of the run.

By this time in the race my mind was pretty numb. I was having trouble thinking about the specifics of my nutrition plan. For whatever reason, I no longer wanted to consider if it was time for a shot of GU, or a drink of gatorade. All of my thoughts were coming stride by stride. Every time my foot hit the ground I knew I was one step closer to the finish. Each foot strike meant one less foot strike that I had to endure. Miles 4 through 9 were passed this way. I would anticipate with dismay my foot hitting the ground, only to grow happy for a brief second after I picked it up knowing I had taken one more stride. The happiness was always short lived as my other foot was about to make contact with the pavement. I had moved from feeling like I was downright fading fast into sufferville, to maintaining a tolerable state of discomfort that I knew was coming closer to the finish line with each step. Then at mile 9 the discomfort grew worse.

Foot Pain. Burning and tenderness on the balls of both feet.

Leg pain. It was as if I could feel each and every muscle fiber in both legs, from my knee to my hips. Each and every fiber seemed to send me a warning, every time my foot hit the ground, that it would be in my best interest to stop. This warning.....the sensation that I felt in my legs is hard to describe. It is something like the "steady" burn that is felt climbing a hill on the bike....or sprinting with all you've got for a hundred meters, or those last couple of reps of a hard set in the weight room. Except, it was not a dull sustaining sensation. It was sharp, fast, and intense; and it coincided with my foot hitting the ground, so I knew when it was coming.....and my decision to run was the cause.

Just as my nice little state of discomfort was being quickly replaced by suffering, I inquired at the next aid station about fruit. They had bananas and oranges on hand, and since neither water, gatorade, nor GU seemed to be stopping my tumble down the tubes, I went for an orange slice. And another. And another. And another. For fear of adding stomach distress into the mix I quit eating oranges before I had went through the entire bag. Those oranges were hands down the most delicious food I have ever had in my 31 years on this great planet. They were so good they got me to mile 10 just thinking about their flavor.

Around mile 10, as the sweet taste of oranges began to fade from memory, I was passed by a woman who was just trucking along towards the finish. I knew that there had more than likely been a few women who beat me to the finish line.....with time to spare, but something in my brain was triggered to not let this young lady blow right by me. After traveling a mile or so down the road, I thanked her for pacing me in. We hit mile 12, and the sun came back out from behind the clouds. It immediately began to wear me down again.

With a little under a mile to go to the finish, my stomach went south. Maybe it was the oranges, maybe the sun, maybe I need to tweak my nutrition plan (which never included oranges...or gatorade) but I had 2 options as I approached the finish line. Run to the finish....and maybe see what exactly is in someones stomach who has been living on energy gel and sportsdrink for half a day; or walk. So I walked, for the first time that I was not at an aid station. It was all of, maybe, 75 yards, but I was indeed, walking. Off went the woman who paced me over the last 5K or so. I didn't want to throw up on her....i figured I'd just let her beat me. At this point, I at least knew that I'd cross the finish line in under 6 hours.

After my stomach settled, I began to run towards the finish. I thought I'd get a burst of energy knowing that I was done, but I did not. Right before the finish line I took one last sip of water and even the idea of being done with this damn run couldn't get me moving fast.

As I ran the final few yards of the race, I heard a familiar voice begin to yell, "Brandon!!! You just did a half-ironman!" Then I saw Treetop and Julia off to the side of the course and I knew a cold beer was in my future.....and my race was over.

13.1 Mile Run time: 2:08:12
9:48/ mile pace

Final Time: 5:41:43
45th out of 99 Overall
8th out of 18 in my Age Group

Despite the fact that I could get nothing going on the run, I am quite happy with the result. If I would have layed off a bit on the bike, might I have made up some time on the run? Maybe. If I would have a better taper plan, might I have felt better on the run? Quite likely. Could I have trained a little differently. Absolutely. Would changes in my training improved my time? Probably. I suppose a late season half next year will help me to answer these questions. One thing is for certain....I need to increase my running mileage.

After the race, my support crew drove me home and then we proceeded to stop at the winking lizard where I ate a giant burger......I think they called it the pounder (sorry vegan peeps and poor cow), accompanied by a delicious white Ale. I picked up a pint of Ben & Jerry's Everything But The...on the way home....and I slept. Soundly.

I would never have embarked on the journey to complete this race if I would not have been able to follow so many folks IM journeys through the tri club and here in the blogsphere. All of you inspiring people know who you are. Thank You!! And a big congratulations to Charlie, who finished Ironman UK today, his first IM, in 14:35:25. He had a HUGE negative split on the run. Impressive!

Maybe some day.........

Greater Cleveland Triathlon (feeling good)

2007-08-17T14:38:00.000-04:00

THE SWIM

For the swim we were heading straight out into the lake and taking a left hand turn at the first buoy. Then, we swam parallel to the beach until reaching the final buoy and turning left toward shore. As we lined up, I started in the second row and to the far right. By the time we abandoned running for swimming it seemed that most of the red caps were pulling away from me. I noticed the lead swimmers hitting the first buoy when it still seemed far ahead. Dang! Then, arose a burning in my stomach. Maybe we could call it nausea. The sensation radiated from my stomach out towards my limbs and relocated a strong sensation of warmth on my forehead. Uh no! I thought. I am .1 mile into this race and I already feel like puking. Maybe it was the banana I ate about 1 hour before the start of the race? And why so soon? I'm doomed. I'll be responsible for the recycled breakfast floating on the swim course....uh boy.

Luckily, the nausea was short lived. Maybe it was just my nerves giving me one final bit of trouble before I settled in to "my race." This swimming thing is still pretty new to me after all. Either way, by the time I reached the first buoy I was feeling like a slow swimmer, but not sick. I let it go that I thought nearly everyone was ahead of me and focused on long, easy strokes and body positioning....exactly what I've been focusing on all summer in the water. I felt someone swimming up on my feet, but it was more pestering than bothersome. As I took my breathe's towards shore I would look directly into the sunrise. The lake was perfectly calm and I felt relaxed and tried to site as little as possible. My zig-zagging seemed minimal. The lake was murky, and as I rotated my head with each stroke I would see grayish murky water, then bright sunlight behind sandy beach. Murky water. Bright sun. Murky water. Bright sun. Look ahead....buoys and swimmers.

Murky water. Bright sun.

Throughout the swim, as the sun continued to rise and the light shining in my eyes with each breath continued to get gradually and steadily brighter. Then, head back down into the murky abyss. Repeat. Repeat.

It is meditative.

Halfway through the swim, I began to consider checking my watch. I was wondering how far along I was. I refrained, convincing myself I'd be on the shore soon enough. Swimming within arms length of a buoy I had to laugh as I noticed the giant shark like grimace that was looking directly at me. The buoy's were giant inflatable shark heads!! Better than the real thing, I suppose. I wondered if there was any way for a shark to "sneak" into lake Erie. Before I knew it I was reaching the last buoy. As I'd site, I could see folks heading towards shore. Yeah, that's everyone that smoked me in this swim, I thought. My next thought was that the swim was an incredibly fast 40 minutes. It seemed like 15. I kept swimming towards shore until my hands began to drag on the bottom of the lake. And I stood....and stumbled. I felt like I had drank a fifth of whiskey. If my swimming wasn't too zig-zagged my run into T1 definitely was. My stomach began to feel testy again as I imagined falling over with my sea legs, or puking in front of the scores of friends and family members that gathered at the swim exit to cheer on their triathletes. Then, I looked at my watch and saw it ticking at 31 minutes and change. Whoa!!! Maybe my swim wasn't so slow. I stumbled out of the water, up the beach, and towards T1 and Amaterasu.

1 mile Swim time: 31:38

I arrived into T1 feeling punch drunk, confused, and surprised at my time. Wobbly legs, nauseated stomach, slow cognitive function. I sat down next to my green towel to take off my wetsuit and remembered that I was racing in a half-ironman and I just had the fastest swim of my life and I smiled....until I had began to struggle to get the wetsuit over my ankles. Come off, damn it...this is a freakin' race!! (one which I had absolutely no chance of winning, but a race, nonetheless). After the wetsuit came off I reached for my socks and cycling shoes and realized that my ankle bracelet with my timing chip was gone.

Enter anxiety!!

I thought it must be in the legs of my wetsuit and checked there. No timing chip. I put my arm all the way up both legs of the wetsuit....twice, at least; and besides some grains of sand there was nothing in there. I sat idle for a moment. This sucks, my race is over. I looked to Rob, whose bike was racked next to mine and told him the bad news. "My timing chip is gone!!" I could tell he felt for me, but that he was more concerned about getting on his bike and moving along; and understandably so. "My chip is in the feakin' lake!! Now what??" Do the race without an "official" time. Finish the race to be an "unofficial finisher." Is there really such a title, and if there is do I really want it?

I sat in a dripping wet heap next to my bike and thought about this for a minute. I was looking around on the ground for the timing chip that I knew was floating in Lake Erie. I had begun to accept that my first half iron would land me finishing the swim...and then....DNF!! I'd have preferred to puke in front of the spectators than DNF.

Then, on my black racing suit, directly in my lap, I see the black timing chip and strap. I grabbed it, somewhat unbelieving (how would it land in my lap??), held it up in the sunlight, admired it for it's beauty, then put it back on my ankle and proceeded to put on my cycling shoes....elated. I'll finish this freakin' race after all. It's time to hop on my bike, where I feel at home, and peddle my way towards the finish line.

T1 time: 3:45
Not bad considering I sat there for what seemed like 5 minutes wondering how easy it would be to find a little black strap in one of the Great Lakes.

THE BIKE

I hopped on the bike and began drinking water out of my bottle. Heading out of Headlands beach the steady headwinds and false flat had me riding at around 17mph. I wondered if I was going so slow because I was drained from the swim. I told myself not to worry about it and decided I would stay in the little chainring for the next few miles, like I planned, until I recovered from the swim.

I began getting passed on the bike immediately. As difficult as it was, I knew this was just the beginning to a long day, so I watched all of them go. After about 15 or 20 minutes I switched to the big ring and began passing a couple of folks myself (although not nearly as many as passed me).

Just stay steady. Ride within myself. No burning on the climbs. Eat and drink. That was the plan for the bike. I had finished my bottle of water by the time I reached the first aid station and I grabbed another. Heading through the back of the course, with the ascents, I was feeling good. Just before the cresting the final ascent and cruising the 12 or so miles downhill towards the lake, I saw E-Speed, who was so energetic and uplifting.

Throughout the bike my stomach never calmed down to the point where solid food sounded good. I ate half of my energy bar about 45 minutes in, had to force it down, and decided I'd stick with gel every half hour or so for the rest of the day. That combined with water and sports drink, which I planned to take approximately equal parts of. I have begun putting my gels in a flask and watering it down a bit to help with digestion, and swallowing the stuff. It was working well.

After the first loop of the bike course I felt quite good. This only lasted until I started the climb on the back of the 2nd loop. There was a short steep, steep, steep section that began our ascending and despite shifting to my granny gear and standing out of the saddle I generated a nice burn. Damn!! Not part of the plan. I tried to spin easy through the rest of the ascending. When I came back to E-Speed I knew the toughest part of the bike course was behind me (or so I thought) and she snapped the pic below (thanks!!).

After the ascending was over for the day I began to feel a burning in my nether regions. Uh oh, chafe city. This may have been brought on by the fact that I squirted off my lap and right leg with about half of a bottle of water...it took me probably 2 or 3 tries to actually need the fresh water on my leg. My right shoe was....wet. That's all I'm going to say about that experience.

If that wasn't enough my back started to bother me. Over one bump I felt it spasm, which at least distracted me from the saddle sores that were developing. Over the final 20 or so miles of the bike I couldn't wait to get off. I was uncomfortable from my "sit bones" on up to my neck. As I peddled the last few miles of the course, 2 loops of a TT like false flat section, I would not have imagined I would be excited to get off the bike and head out on the run, but I was. I was ready to take on what I knew would be the biggest challenge of the day, my first half marathon.

56 Mile Bike Time: 2:56:29
Avg. Pace: 18.8 MPH

While on the bike, I ate and drank:
1 half Raw Revolution bar
4 watered down Vanilla bean GU's
1 full strength Vanilla bean GU
approx. 60 oz.'s water
24 oz.'s Razzberry GU20
approx. 30 oz.'s Gatorade Endurance Formula

It seemed to work and I realized that solid food and racing don't go together very well for me.

Headed into T2, hopped off the bike, and decided to take my good ole' time here. I grabbed my fuelbelt, racebelt, visor, and changed shoes. I stopped to talk to Treetop and Julia for a few seconds on my way out to the run. They volunteered earlier in the day and were out on the lake during the swim in kayaks keeping everyone safe. After that, they took over duties as my support crew. Thanks you guys!! You're awesome!! I would have loved to talk with them for a bit longer...maybe tell them about the swim and bike over a beer....

But I had a half marathon to run.....

T2 time: 1:42

Greater Cleveland Triathlon (the anticipation was torture)

2007-08-15T21:59:00.000-04:00

The final day leading up to my half ironman was planned to be full of eating, resting, and final preperations. It mostly consisted of final preperations (of course I ate too, albeit not when/as often as I would have liked). I had planned to be in bed around 9:00, since I had to leave around 4:00 a.m. in order to make it to Mentor abount 5:00, as transition opened at 5:15. I finally fell asleep around 11:30 p.m.

The alarm clock was set for 3:30. At 2:30 I rose out of bed wide awake. When I looked at the clock I thought I would grab a big glass of water and then catch my last hour of sleep. By the time I was able to relax enough to think about sleeping, I only had 45 minutes until the alarm went off, so I headed straight to the coffee pot and began my morning.

I used the extra time to stretch and go over my list of what to bring again (and again, etc....). At 4:00 I hit the road with Amaterasu on the roof. I arrived at Headlands Beach State Park at 4:50 (thanks to Craig for the pic above), and saw a parking lot full of maybe 2 other athletes. Ask Treetop and J, my frequent carpoolin/racin' pals, about this and I'm sure they'll tell you it is not exactly typical. OK, I was a little anxious to get the show on the road. I mean, after all the hours and miles of training, after all the years where 6 beers sounded like much more fun than running 6 miles (trust me, I was a well trained beer drinker), I couldn't wait to prove to myself that I was still alive. To prove to myself that I was 30 years young. To prove to myself that I am capable of things that in my past I would not have thought I could accomplish. I could not wait for this day to begin.

Transition didn't open until almost 5:30 and after getting my bike checked in I headed straight to my spot and set up on my green towel....and I talked to folks. Folks I've met through the sport, folks I've never met in this sport, and the first person I knew in the sport. Before long it was time to head to the swim start, which was a mile walk down the beach.

Off walking I went, with Janet; across the sand as the sun began to rise to our right whilst glistening off the lake, as flat and shiny as your bathroom mirror. There were no concerns of choppy conditions today, the lake was as calm as the inland lake I did much of my training in. By the time I arrived at the start there was no time to warm up in the water. The first wave went off immediatly, and I was in the "red cap" wave, the second wave, which was departing in 3 minutes. I pulled my wetsuit up over my shoulders, asked a neighbor to zip it for me, and jumped in the water to test the temerature and wet the goggles and suit. In the water, which was quite warm, then quickly out and over to the starting line.

I looked down the beach to my left and the line of buoys stretching on, and on, and on.....OK, it was only a mile, but it was quite a bit further than the swim in my previous races, 400 meters. But I was trained and I was ready. The calm shimmering lake was beatiful and I was ready to go. Mickey (who puts on the best damn triathlon in NE Ohio) gave us our countdown and about 30 of us highstepped it into Lake Erie.

Done Gone Long...

2007-08-12T19:06:00.000-04:00

I finished the 70.3 today in just under 5 hours and 45 minutes. The swim was peaceful, the bike a bit uncomfotable, and the run was pretty painful. I just took my feet out of a tub of ice and there is a brew next to me on the table. It was a great event and a great day. I am so tired that I had to pass on a party this evening...yes, it's true. I'll have more to say about the events of the day after I get some rest and regain my wits.

Waiting......

2007-08-11T11:15:00.000-04:00

One more day before the Greater Cleveland Triathlon. I haven't felt great during my taper. My joints and muscles were sore and stiff throughout most of the past couple of weeks. I really learned what it meant to warm-up prior to excercise, as it would take me a good half hour or more to feel loose on all my runs and rides since I cut back on the workouts. This whole taper experience would have me feeling a little nervous about tomorrows event if it weren't for one spin on the bike. On Wednesday, my last workout with Amaterasu before GCT, I felt great. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon. It was hard to turn around and head for home after just 45 minutes. The Yonder Mountain String Band was piping through my headphones, as they just followed up Keller Williams on my MP3 player. Maybe you remember the Acoustic Planet tour? Check out 8/28/04, from Nashville, Tenessee! Perfect accompanyment to a sunny day spin on the bike (assuming you like banjo's)!!

So, I am off to pick up my race packet. I will be waking tomorrow around 3:30 a.m., heading up to Mentor Headlands, and trying my damndest to cover 70.3 miles in less than 6 hours. As long as I finish I'll be happy and will have accomplished something, but sub-6 would be great! I suppose we'll see tomorrow....

Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Run

2007-08-05T21:33:00.000-04:00

Last night I volunteered at the first "running" of the burning river 100. I spent a little time at mile 50 early in the night, and then spent the wee hours of the morning at mile 91. E Speed ran an awesome aid station that was well organized and had the coolest music this side of the border. The event started in Willoughby Hills on the eastern rim of the Cuyahoga Valley at 5:00 a.m. Saturday morning and finished in downtown Cuyahoga Falls. Runners had a 30 hour time limit to complete the 100 mile course that traversed the most scenic portions of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, The Cleveland Metroparks, and the Metroparks serving Summit County.

What can I really say about a 100 mile footrace? I suppose words can't do justice as to what an accomplishment it is to race and complete these types of events. One observation that I took with me are that I have never seen people pushing themselves to such limits. At mile 50 there was a gentleman that was trying to change into dry shoes and needed help putting on his socks. He couldn't get them on straight and a motherly volunteer helped him get them on. He still had 50 miles left in the race. This sort of thing is pretty common. The faces of the runners as they passed through mile 91 (I was there from 1:00 a.m. until 6:00 a.m.) are embedded in my brain. Those faces of pain, determination, and occasionally, happiness. How could someone be making jokes at that point, I have no idea. But, some of the runners did.

One runner, in particular, stands out in my memory. He hobbled into mile 91 feeling awful, telling us he needed to lay down. He was met by a friend that had paced him through other parts of the race, and she sat with him for over an hour making sure he stayed awake and offering to pace him to the finish if he felt up to it. His stomach was in terrible shape and although he needed food the thought of eating was the last thing on his mind. Finally, his friend asked us if we could make him a grilled cheese (I was the grilled cheese chef :-) So, I quickly batched up all that a grilled cheese has to offer. It was a delectable dish....2 pieces of bread, a little crisco, and a slice of American processed cheese product over the coleman stove. We delivered the late night snack to the ailing runner.

About 20 minutes later, the runners friend emerged from the area of the cot, where her friend was laying, sprawled and ailing, with the words, "Congratulations, you got him to eat something!" We all cheered. But still he laid on the cot, and the longer he laid there, the more I began to think he would be there until the race was over, never to go those last 8.5 miles to the finish line.

And finally, he arose. After running over 90 miles, stopping for what was at least an hour to lie down, he set off again in obvious pain. His friend left with him to pace him the rest of the way to the finish. We all cheered as he hobbled down the path in the pre-dawn light venturing towards downtown Cuyahoga Falls. We were still on the bottom of the valley and the finish loomed more than 8 miles down the path, but also about 1000 feet above us on the valley rim.

Shortly after he left I returned to filling the water bottles and fetching food for the other runners passing through, and forgot about his journey. Each runner in this race was facing similar adversary, even if their bodies were cooperating better than his, this is not a pain free event for any of them. I though of the relationship ultra runners must have with their pacer, their friends who run with them through the night, many of them for 20 to 30 miles or more to help will them to the finish. I thought of the attachment the runners must have to their hydration and nutrition systems that they have wrapped around their hands, waist, or shoulders. These water bottles/stash pouches are full of their favorite food and beverage, and accompanies them through all of the tough training and racing miles. I think I know the joys of the right food and drink from my experiences of multi-hour bike rides.....but the joys of the right treats at hour 24 of a run I cannot even comprehend.

After the next shift of volunteers showed up at mile 91, I thought I needed to stop by the finish line before heading home. I needed to see a few runners reach mile 100, the final mile. As I munched on pancakes and sipped black coffee the runners jogged in, one at a time. I recognized the hat of the pacer who sat around our aid station force feeding grilled cheese to her friend. I watched as they both crossed the finish line, the registered runner in the finishers shoot, and his pacer alongside just outside the "official" finish line. I smiled. I approached her knowing she needed a ride back to mile 91 to pick up their car and told her I'd take her whenever she was ready. She said, "Lets go now!!" I suppose these ultra-marathoners are type-A people ;-)

As we rode to pick up her car she told me this was her friends first completed 100 mile event. He tried one previously and didn't make it. She told me how wonderful all the volunteers were and how happy she was to be able to share this day with him. I can only imagine. I could see how proud she was of him. I could see how proud she was of herself, staying up all night and logging quite a few miles in her running shoes by his side. I could see how appreciative she was of a grilled cheese @ 4:30 a.m. and a short ride across town. I couldn't have been happier to contribute these little things to the runners in this event. E Speed and the race organizers put in a ton of work for this. I stayed up all night doing very little, really. And today I walk away inspired by the human spirit, and inspired at how much the little things really can matter at the right time. For me, it was a night well spent.

Taper Time

2007-08-02T15:27:00.000-04:00

When I got into the pool for the first time last fall I was hoping to keep myself fit through a foot injury. I figured that if I learned how to swim well enough, I could try out a triathlon or 2 this summer and see what I thought of the sport. Well, I like it. As a matter of fact, I am hovering on the brink of addiction, and I have been flirting with the point of overtraining. A little over a week ago, on my last big brick (3 hour ride, 1 hour tempo run) shortly after the workout I spiked a nice fever and was aching all over and shivering whilst hovering above my plate of rigatoni. My body had reached it's breaking point. So, now I rest, and wait for August 12th. Thus far I have been recovering well (from the physical aspect), even if I have more pent up energy than I know what to do with. Well, I guess I know what to do with it......save it for GCT.

I am ready. I am anxious. I cannot wait to donn my new wetsuit and head out into The Great Lake Erie's chilly waters before greeting Amaterasu on the shore. I cannot wait to test myself on the second half of the run course, on what will be my first half-marathon. My longst run of my life is 10 miles. My longest run during the peak phase of my training was a measley 8.5 miles. The cross-training and positive thinking will lead me to the finish line, where Charlie will be picking his guitar on his last weekend before Ironman UK. I did not think a half-ironman would be in my summer plans, but here I am......waiting patiently. Here is what has gotten me to the starting line:

Swim training: January 18th to July 30 logged 48,200M (30.125 miles) in about 20.55 hours in the water. In October I could barely swim a 25M length in the pool. Finished up with 2000M "long" workouts. This experience brought me to realize the potential of the human body.

Bike training: Febuary 28th to July 29th logged 1327 miles in about 81 hours in the saddle. My strength of the 3 disciplines in terms of endurance (vs. speed). My comfort on the bike will be essential @ the GCT.

Run training: January 15th to July 29th logged 248.5 miles in about 33.6 hours of foreward motion. I could/should have put in more time here. My strength of the 3 disciplines in terms of speed (vs. endurance). I feel comfortable on runs of 1 1/4 hour or less. Above that is pretty much unfamiliar territory....

Bring on the 70.3!!!!!

Now's a fine time to tell me!!

2007-07-19T11:35:00.000-04:00

I've been training with the same nutrition for months....and months. Not once was I toppled over in my running shoes with my stomach in knots. Rarely did my stomach even grumble. And so I jump jump into this final month of the most physically stressful training of my lifetime. And now, something ain't working right. Tuesday I had another run where my second Vanilla GU, about an hour into my run, caused me to stop (for a few minutes) rather than helping me to push onward. This has happened before and within the last month. I have 3 weeks to figure this out. Man, seems so strange that I handled the GU so well and now........ugh!! If I do go with a different gel, I don't so much like the idea of trying it out over my taper. I need to know how it works when I'm pushing limits. I feel great about my training to this point. The swimming has come around. The bike has been there from the beginning. The first half of the run I'll be fine, and the second half of the run I'll finish on willpower alone if I have to. But stomachache's......man, not something I want to pop up at this point. But I suppose since it did, I oughta do something.

No Rat, Nor Dog.

2007-07-17T23:17:00.000-04:00

But rather goggles and running shoes.

Ratdog played in Cleveland last night. Steve Kimock, guitar master, sat in doing what he does best. In years past I would have went to the show in Cleveland, and as long as Kimock was around, more than likely one or two others. I would have joined my friends to revel in the sounds. I would have thought about quiting my job, quiting my "life" as I was living it (the mantra was, "I'd rather have a life than a living"). I would have drank stout and ate the best vegetarian meal and goo-balls to be found in the parking lot. What fun the journey is......spending time with the traveling circus of concert dwellers, where each waking moment is a celebration of life. One night in Cleveland then on to the next city, and the next. Sure beats the 9 to 5. If you are a deadhead, phishead, spreadhead, partygoer, or music lover you probably understand. Last night, I missed seeing my old friends. I missed getting to know the new ones. I missed the celebration. I missed the journey.

But still I celebrate yet another journey which has brought me new friends. A journey to an unknown destination to share with some old ones. A journey that will see me cover 70.3 miles swimming, biking, then running. A journey that has no limits other than those I put on myself.

It kind of reminds me of Phish tour, without being chased out of town by the police. Instead the police block traffic as I race my bicycle through the streets of Northeast Ohio.

Cool.

Instead of being asked how I travel without a job, or if I pay taxes, I'm asked how I manage to ride my bicycle so far.

It was hard for people to believe I traveled from city to city selling vegetarian burritos out of the trunk of my station wagon.

It is hard for people to believe I can ride my bicycle so far by simply getting on it to ride....often.

I never would have thought I could travel such distances without leaving Northeast Ohio. My first half-iron, up on Lake Erie......miles upon miles away from the homeless traveler.

I used to keep track of set lists. Look them over and mention the rarities to my friends. The anticipation of the next Tweezer, Simple, or Harry Hood led me to many cities, nearly broke but with a concert ticket in hand. And there was, eventually, that Harpua at Star Lake.....it was not New Years Eve and Toad was outside with our dogs. Something just wasn't right.

On to the next adventure........Last week was somewhat a recovery week before my final big volume push and then taper. Rather than setlists or concert dates, this is what I kept track of last week:

Mon: Swim 2000M Bike 17.66 miles
Tue: Run 4.1 miles
Wed: Bike 28.68 miles(intervals)
Thu: Rest
Fri: Swim 1500M Run 7.2 miles
Sat: Bike 50.35 miles
Sun: Swim 1000M Bike 24.55 miles

Totals:
Swim: 4500M
Bike: 121.24 miles
Run: 11.3 miles
Ben & Jerry's: One pint. mmmmmmmmm, Americone Dream!!

NCN Summer Triathlon

2007-07-08T18:28:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago when I did the Summitri I felt awful during the run. I needed another triathlon, and soon, so that I could prove to myself that I was able to handle a sprint distance tri. Why did I need to prove this to myself? There is another reason, other than my vainglorious ways, and I'll tell you about it if you continue to read on. But first, redemption day.......

It's 5:00 A.M. and the alarm goes off to start my morning. I lie in bed until 5:05 staring at the pattern on the ceiling, and then I get moving. This morning I am eating breakfast!! I start the coffee. I take Sage outside to tend to his business. I eat a bagel, with Strawberry Rhubarb jelly, and a banana. I pack the car and put Amaterasu on the roof. I take an apple with me just in case I want it. I grab my Equal Exchange coffee mug, full of Green Mountain Coffee's Peruvian juice, and I hit the road at 5:40. I arrive at Paul and Julia's house within no time, stick my bicycle on the back of their station wagon and we're off. Today is the second triathlon for all 3 of us.

We arrive in Lorain at 7:00 as planned. I head straight to transition to rack my bike. After getting my body marked I set up my transition and do not obsess over it as I did 2 weeks prior. I know I have everything I need and that it is lying on my green towel. I head to the beach to go for a swim. The lake water is perfect, 72 degrees. It is crisp and refreshing as I dive in to swim out onto the course and check the wave situation. It is a little choppy, but not too bad. The 400 meter swim for this race goes straight out from the beach and makes a left hand turn just after passing the break wall. We then swim parallel to the beach just outside the wall, and then turn and head straight in after reaching the required distance. Easy enough. I swim back to the beach and stand on the sand facing the lake. The under 34 wave, my wave, is first to go.

The gun sounds and we're off, 40 men running straight out into Lake Erie. It is not easy swimming directly out into the lake but after a short distance I reach the first buoy and turn left.....and I begin to be lifted up and down by the lake. Once the break wall appears on my left the waves get bigger.....and I start to drink lake water.....and someone is swimming over my legs while I am kicking furiously to get him off and feeling like an ostrich reaching my head up trying to catch breathes over the waves. Up and down...everything is up and down. I try to breathe and water rushes over my head. I spit out lake water and grab a small breathe. Next breath and more waves and more water and less breathe. I see people in front of me floating stationary and I'm passing them here and there. They must be drinking lake water too. All the while the lake is lifting me up and down, I feel like I'm going nowhere in the water.....swimming against the current and reaching my head high for all the air I can get. Small breath after small breath as the waves rob me of the air above my head. I flip on my back and catch many good breaths. I ride the waves up and down and my breathing is back to normal. I flip over to finish the swim.

I'm swimming and seemingly going nowhere except up and down. Up and down. To my left is rocks. To my right is open lake, a boat, and the lifeguard in a kayak watching over us. I keep swimming. I am not panicked and I am not scared. But, this swim is INTENSE! I am dwarfed by Lake Erie. I am out of my element and I am approaching the last buoy. I feel something like an ant in a flood who is swimming upstream. I see the buoy and I turn towards land and head to shore somewhere in the middle of my wave. It felt like I had been in that choppy lake for a long time, 20 minutes, I thought. It was actually about 10.

After a long run up the beach, over a small hill and across the parking lot I make it to my bike. I am quite happy to put down my swimming goggles and cap as I donn my cycling gloves. After a smooth transition I'm off on Amaterasu. The bike course is a flat, flat, flat figure 9 out and back along the lake, 14.4 miles. The head winds are strong as we head west, typical for the lake shore. Big, big thanks to Charlie for the aerobars as the were oh, so essential today. I spun easy on the bike for 20 min. then kicked it up a bit to ride the tailwinds on the back of the course. Before I knew it I had drank 40 ounces of liquid and was arriving back at transition. Time on the bike, 40 minutes for a 21.2 mph average pace.

T2 also goes smooth. I run off while putting on my hat and race belt. Where I am running I have no idea because I don't know where the run course starts. I stop and look around. I turn right. Over to my left I hear, "no, hey...over here." Oh, that way. I get on coarse and set off on a flat out and back 5K. I'm feeling OK right out of transition. Easy pace to loosen up the legs. The legs loosen and I pick it up a bit. I'm eyeing those in front of me with hopes of reeling them in. Around 15 minutes into the run, I hit what seems to be the toughest part of the run for me. I start to feel a little overworked and hot and then.....................all is good. I fall into my pace and put one foot in front of the other. Right near the halfway point of the run there is a small steep hill. I'm up with no problems. I pass a few folks here and am feeling so much better than the last try (tri??). I also get passed but I don't care because I am not in pain. I am feeling good, even if I'm a little thirsty. I run into the finish in 1:16:10, finishing third in my age group. The AG award was not as important to me as feeling good about my swim and run. I'm not sure I actually felt "good" about the swim, but I came out alive and that was good enough. I felt plenty good about the run and was much improved over the last race. I am moving towards my bigger goal. In the spirit of motivating myself here are last weeks workouts:

Mon: Swim 2000M
Tues: Bike 29.5 Miles
Wed: Run 7.5 Miles
Thurs: Swim 1600M Run 4 Miles
Fri: Bike 70 Miles
Sat: Rest
Sun: Swim 400M Bike 14.4 Miles Run 3.1 Miles

Totals:
Swim: 4000M
Bike: 113.9 Miles
Run: 14.6 Miles
Pints: 1 pint of turtle soup, tonite!! (you can find it on the Ice Cream Range)

I would recommend this race, no doubt. The swim is choppy as a result of swimming so close to the break wall. Don't believe the small waves you see because they seem to grow behind these large collections of rock. There is nothing like being put in your place by mother nature. The bike is fast and flat and the run is relatively flat. NCN ran a smooth race, even if the run entrance was a little hard to find. Next Sunday I am thinking about a last minute add to do the Milton Man Tri. I'd like to do the international distance before my big challenge on August 12th. The Greater Cleveland Tri. My big event for the summer. I have decided to go ahead and do the half-iron distance. The biggest challenges of this endevor will be: 1) keeping going for 6 hours, the amount of time I figure it will take me to finish. 2) Finishing the swim...that's it, just finishing it, and 3) the last half of the run course. I have a big month of July ahead; and before I do that 1/2 IM swim I think I'm going to find myself a wetsuit.

We are Independent

2007-07-02T09:12:00.000-04:00

Uh boy. Movement of my arms near the shoulder joint is causing pins and needles. Yes, I got sunburned. I know better. I refrained from putting on the sunblock because I was in a hurry to get out onto the road and get riding, and now I'm paying for it. It is not the worst sunburn in the world. But, it is enough to be uncomfortable. And now my back looks like I'm permanently wearing a sleeveless shirt. This ain't no farmers tan.....it's cyclists tan. No, It's cyclists sunburn and I'll be showing it off tonite during my swim.

Thanks to Charlie, Amaterasu is now sporting some aerobars. They took a little getting used to, but I like them. Yesterday whilst peddling into steady headwinds blowing off of the Great Lake Erie they were invaluable. They put a little strain on the ole back, but are relatively comfortable. They do give the forearms and triceps a bit of a workout. The best thing is.....they make you faster. As soon as I move from my basebar to the aerobars my cadence goes up, as does my pace. Ahhh yeah!!!!

I have been hella busy of late. Busy time of the year for work. Summer class. Training volume is getting heavier. Thursday, the 4th is the Firecracker 4 Miler. Sunday, the 8th is the NCN Summer triathlon. If I decide a 2 week taper is enough for the Greater Cleveland Triathlon then the 28th will be my first century with Amaterasu @ the Sweet Corn Challenge. Here is a breakdown of last week's workouts:

Mon: swim 1200m
Tues: run 7.25mi
Wed: cross train (sort of) 5 hours of moving furniture
Thurs: rest
Fri: swim 2000m bike 25mi (brick)
Sat: bike 40mi
Sun: bike 49mi run 4mi (brick)

Totals
Swim: 3200m
Bike: 114 mi.
Run: 11.25 mi.
Ben & Jerry's: 2 pints

Over the month of July I need to increase running mileage as much as possible and be careful not to overdo the saturated fat in form of pints of ice cream. Also, I'll add one long bike ride per week.....somehow I"ll find the time. Hopefully I"ll get in 3 swims per week over 1200m. The good news is that I felt good on Sunday's brick. There was plenty of running fuel left in the tank when I pulled up after 4 miles. I have set a new athletic goal for this summer. I'll tell you about it later this week. It is a somewhat lofty, absolutely spur of the moment kind of goal. I've already asked myself, "why?" a few times. I can come up with a couple of answers. 1) I like to challenge myself. 2) I want to prove that pain is a state of mind. 3) I like the look on peoples faces when talking about such things.....or in other words, I think I like to shock people. More details to come.

I have a challenge for all of you. Get a stranger to smile at you today by only using one word....hello. Or better yet, see if you can get 10 strangers to smile. I think you get the idea. This was inspired by a little piece of Robert Hunter's writing that is going through my head. "Strangers stopping strangers, just to shake their hand."

Wednesday is Independence Day.

Celebrate your freedom, friends. Celebrate your freedom.

Summitriathlon (Who's idea was this????)

2007-06-25T13:20:00.000-04:00

Sunday morning on the 24th of June, 2007 and my alarm clock wakes me at 4:45 a.m. for my first triathlon. I push snooze and go back to sleep. At around 5:45 a.m. I awaken with the realization that I need to get my ass in gear and get over to the race. I start the coffee. While the coffee is brewing I lube Amaterasu. She was degreased the night before. I get dressed and load the car. I look around the kitchen for something to eat and there is absolutely nothing. I planned on picking up a bagel on the way to the race, but since I slept until almost 6 o'clock I don't have time. Transition opens at 6:00. The elite wave start is at 7:00. Gotta go. I grab an extra gel (nice freakin' breakfast) and head out the door.

Since the race took place only a few miles away I arrived quickly and with plenty of time before the start, although I really wished I'd have gotten at least a bagel. I racked my bike, set up my transition and talked with Paulie and Julia in between trips to the latrine and back to my transition to look everything over. Got body marked. Looked at my transition set-up again....and again.
I was glad when the elite wave started because I was tired of obsessing over my transition set-up. A few minutes before my wave's start I got in the water for a brief warm-up. The water felt great, warmer than the air. Paulie and I made our way towards the starting line in the chest deep water. Many thanks to Julia, Paulie's wife, for the pics, her impromptu volunteering, and picking up my race packet.

I lined up for my first competitive swim near the front. There was probably 30 or 40 folks in my wave. I shivered in the crisp morning air waiting for the horn. And we were off. I kept my eyes above the water for much of the start, because I was a bit uncomfortable with the idea of kicking feet near my head. My hands got kicked a few times. I kicked a few hands. The course was an out and back in the lake, around 460 yards. Halfway down the pack started to thin out. At the buoy we had to swim under the lane line that was still in place and swim back in the lap lane. I dove under the lane line and when I came up my heartrate jumped and I was looking for oxygen. I flipped on my back for a few seconds and continued to kick hard while taking in as much oxygen as possible. When I flipped back over things were better. Nobody passed me whilst on my back. Around the 300M mark I started to warm up. I felt really good. Everything was under control. Long smooth strokes. Then we hit the shore. I got out of the water towards the front of my wave. Suprise, Suprise....

T1 went smoothly. Dried my face and feet, grabbed essentials and was off. The bike course was rolling hills with quite a few turns, all at the beginning and end of the loop, and a long, straight, hilly section in the middle. My cadence pickup wasn't working, the only thing I was really concerned about on my computer, but I continued to try and spin a high cadence and forget about it. I took an Espresso Love GU gel halfway through the bike. I rose out of the saddle to crest many of the rollers in order than I could keep my momentum up. I started passing folks from earlier waves here, and I got passed by a couple folks here. On the back half of the loop I was dueling a bit with a young chap not in my age group. He was 22, will never be in my age group, and he'd pass me on the downhills or flats and then I'd take him on the climbs. OK, they weren't really climbs, lets say I'd pass him on the uphills. I felt o.k. about passing him on the uphills because my HR was staying down. Finally with a couple miles left in the bike portion I put him down and didn't see him again....on the bike. 11 mile bike portion in about 35 minutes with a 19.9 mph average pace.

Came into T2 feeling ok. Didn't feel really strong today on the bike, but no major problems. T2 went smooth. Shoes, hat, racebelt....go! A group of very young volunteers gave us water upon entering the run course and I took a cup to pour on the back of my neck and it felt great. I noticed as I was trying to settle into my run pace for this 5K that I felt a little....funny. My legs were a bit heavy, sure....but something else was off and I wasn't sure what...yet. I've done quite a few bike to run transition runs and did a duathlon last year so I thought I knew what to expect out of T2. Ha! right.

As I approached the half mile mark of the 5K run portion I noticed I was feeling a bit queasy. I had to slow my pace a bit as my body was telling me to slow down. I slowed a bit, then on the uphill portion of the run (the run was a bit hilly) big problems began. I felt a side stich coming on. I never get side stiches, but one was coming. It came fast and I continued to slow my pace. Got passed by one or 2 runners. The pain got worse and I kept slowing. The slow pace wasn't helping and the stitch kept getting more painful. So I started to walk and try and stretch. Never have I walked in a race, until today. I was suffering with this side stitch and I still had a couple miles to go. Whilst walking I got passed by a few people and I was trying to stretch my side out. Then, a woman running past me looked over and said "C'mon, you can do it. Just a bit more to go." Well, I kept walking for a few paces and thought I'd try to run slowly. My right side was still hurting, but she was right. I just wanted to get to the finish line. I was running very, very slowly. I got passed by the 22 year old cat that I was leapfrogging on the bike. Those in my wave that were passing me were putting space between us quickly, because I was CRAWLING along.

Then, around the 2 mile mark things started to get better. I was no longer in pain, just uncomfortable.
So, I picked up my pace a bit. I quit getting passed. I kept it here until about the last half mile when I picked it up in hopes I might see someone in my age group that had passed me while I was walking. Nope. My legs were feeling fresh as I approached the finish line from most of the run being taken at such a slow pace. I crossed the finish line at 1:07:??, good for fourth in my AG. For most of the run I was in pain. I attributed all of this to nutrition. I know what a bike to run transition should feel like and that wasn't it. I knew no breakfast was a bad idea, but I didn't think I would be subjected to pain and suffering because of it. Live and Learn. It was my first tri and what kind of experience would it have been if something didn't go wrong?

What does a rational person do after waking up at sunrise on a Sunday morning and inflicting pain upon themselves so that they can evaluate themselves against a clock? Register for the NCN Summer Triathlon on July 8th. Another sprint with a swim in Lake Erie. I've gotta see how I feel on the run if I eat breakfast.

The Sun Sets on the Solstice....

2007-06-21T22:30:00.000-04:00

I headed out to Emidio & Son's here in Cuyahoga Falls for a late night plate of homemade rigatoni. Looking out of the windshield of my trusty vehicle towards the western sky I noticed that it was still pale blue, not much darker than the midday sky....at 9:45 p.m. A visual reminder that I have just lived through the longest day of 2007. It is summer, the time of the sun, and I welcome this summer with open arms. I welcome those rays of light that make it through the holes in our ozone layer to warm me from the outside in. It has been a tough spring in many ways, although I am excited about all of the new beginnings that occupied my spring of '07.
My first triathlon season, my first swim in the Great Lake Erie, preperation for my first century with Amaterasu, my first year spending any significant time in Cleveland, and my first semester at CSU. This spring brought me to the end of the road at a couple of places where I had difficulty accepting the fact that those roads had ended. Today; the solstice, I am ever aware that there are new beginnings, new roads to travel to replace those old familiar paths. Welcome Sun!!!

The midday summer sun hung over me today at A.J. Rocco's in downtown Cleveland where I finally had the chance to meet Charlie, although because of bloggerland it seemed as if I had run into an old friend. He works at this fine establishment which offers good coffee, good food, good beer, and good company. If you are in downtown Cleveland near Jacob's field or the Q stop in, request some Grateful Dead for the radio (if you are so inclined), and enjoy the food, drink, and bicycle parking lot on the sidewalk out front.

Speaking of Jacob's field and sunshine, the Indians will be the first team in the American League to harness a portion of it's power for the stadium from the sun, once it's solar energy project is completed. The panels will be visible from I-77 and I-71 whilst passing by downtown. Don't you love Cleveland?

I love Cleveland. I love the sun. I love meeting new friends. I love good food and good coffee. I love sleep....and it's calling.

Sprint 411

2007-06-20T09:58:00.000-04:00

Any Nextel/Sprint customers besides myself out there? They've got their Sprint 411, and this is MY sprint 411....

I've been really busy with work over the last week. Not much time for blogging, after work and training. Last weekend was busy. Saturday I woke and headed out to the Jim Klett Memorial 10K. What a beautiful race course along the bottom of the Cuyahoga Valley, over the Everett Covered Bridge and past Hale Farm. This was my first 10K, I guess; although I ran a 10K leg in the Akron Marathon last year. I felt good for this run, reeled in a few runners over the last mile and a half of rolling hills, and PR'd with a 42:18. Since this was my first run over 5 miles since my calf strain I planned on going pretty easy.....which I can have a difficult time with. I went a little harder than I had planned seeing how my first tri is this weekend but have recovered well this week. Saturday night I HAD to spin over to Todd's house to ride out with him on his new (to him) Fuji road bike's innagural ride. We took a nice spin from Highland Square down to the bottom of the valley and back up to the square. Total on the bike that eve was 25 easy spinning miles.

Sunday called for a nice, easy and somewhat long spin on the bike. So I headed out to Portage County on the Bike and Hike trail, did a loop on the country roads and spun back. Total for Sunday was 42 miles....easy, and I felt fine. I got off the bike, reached for the buckle on my shoes and OUCH!!!! SHOOTING PAIN UP MY BACK!!! I have had back problems for the better part of my life and thus far have been doing pretty well to give my back enough love since I've begun running and cycling. My back was sore for the rest of the evening and next day but was not spasming, so I decided to go on with my Monday workout....

Which was my first open water swim in Lake Erie. The tri club put together a wonderful newbies open water swim out on the West side (with accompanying dinner afterwards, thanks Sara!!!) and I got the feel for swimming in the lake. The water was VERY calm and clear. I could see the moss covered ivy on the floor, no matter the depth. Gotta love watching fish swim under you during your workout!!! The lake temperature was perfect, probably near the mid 70's. No back spasm's in the lake....thank goodness. I didn't drown, and I realized that I enjoy open water much, much better than the indoor pool. A visit to my chiropractor yesterday for a little help setting things straight and now I'm feeling almost back (no pun) to normal for my lunchtime swim @ Monroe Falls and evening spin with New Vision Cycling (my first with the group). Then.....

a mini-taper for my first triathlon, this Sunday. The purpose of this blog; my sprint 411. I'll be competing in the sprint distance at the Summitriathlon @ Monroe Falls metro park. 500M swim. 11M bike. 5K run. I hope to be under 1:10 and will be pretty dang happy if I break 1:05. I'll finally learn if I'm as slow of a swimmer as I think I am on Sunday. Good thing my run times keep improving.....

Turn the cranks. Look around...

2007-06-13T21:52:00.000-04:00

What a nice afternoon!!! Amaterasu is being fixed up a bit so I headed out after work on my yet to be named specialized hybrid. It's my city bike/commuter...set up with rear rack for lugging things. I spun it over to my LBS to check on Amaterasu, then down to the towpath heading south into Akron. Multi-use trails are not my favorite way to travel, but the towpath is as nice as they come. Well, after the rain I have to say that the limestone surface of the trail gunks everything up a bit. I now have this white dusty paste on my water bottles and drive train. Other than that it's a pretty nice way to travel. It will be great when the towpath is connected all the way to New Philadelphia. I rode into downtown Akron, past the pubs and ballpark, then back to out the north side of the city into Cuyahoga Falls.

Once in the Falls I headed to my favorite local pub, Dominic's, for a bite to eat and a couple Commodore Perry's. From the pub it was a short spin home. Rarely do I ride so leisurly anymore and it was a nice, easy 30 mile evening. Next Wednesday, assuming Amaterasu is up and running I hope to make it to New Vision Cycling. Maybe some intervals and hill workouts will make me fast???? Well, I'm sure they will at least make me fast-er. I am also sure that they will be painful.....but who doesn't like a bit of suffering??

Eagerly Anticipating the Solstice

2007-06-11T21:45:00.000-04:00

Hello bloggerland. I have been gone a while. I have had a rough go of it, emotionally over the last few weeks, but life is moving on....as it always seems to do. I have learned some hard lessons, which I guess are the ones that have the biggest effect on you. My advice to you is to give a hug or a kiss to everyone you love the next time you see them. Yes, I know you see your wife every day.....but give her a giant hug and a kiss and bask in that moment. Yes, I know you only see your drinking buddy and old comrade once a month on a barstool and you don't like the idea of hugging another man in a public place, but hug him and absorb that moment. Some day you'll be glad you did.

I missed the Sunday in June ride, unfortunately, but was able to spend a bit of time in Chicago last weekend. What a great city. I put in a 5 mile run on the shores of Lake Michigan and I came home with a couple of cases of Fat Tire and lost something that is worth more to me than all of the beer, bikes, and perfect runs in the world. Sorry, you don't get details. As far as my planned first century ride, it has been moved to the Sweet Corn Challenge.

Sunday I headed over to Monroe Falls Park for my first "open water" swim and all went well. I'm not sure exactly of the distance...maybe 1100 or 1200 yards I put in and felt great. The confusion caused by not being able to see whilst swimming in the murky water is great. My body adapted well to the longer and slower sets. No doubt, I would prefer to do anything outside as opposed to the same activity inside. Later that evening a bit of spinning on the bike rounded out a nice day.

The calf has been holding up well, although it hasn't really been tested with any distance, to speak of. I felt great for a 4 miler today and am planning on doing the Jim Klett 10K this weekend. Then the weekend following will be my first triathlon out @ Monroe Falls Yahoooooo!!! OK, it is a very, very short sprint but perfect for my first one. A longer tri will follow at the end of the season, more than likely Greater Cleveland out on the east side. Something about swimming around in Lake Erie for about a mile is very exciting. My other option is the Portage Lakes Tri about a month later, which is very close to the Akron Marathon so I think Greater Cleveland will work out better. I've had my season's fill of physical and emotional injuries and it's only June, just over a week to the solstice. I can't wait.

7 Random Things About Me........

2007-05-25T14:55:00.000-04:00

I've been tagged by Charlie for this post, so here are 7 things some of you may, or may not, know about me.....

7. I was the typical jock in high school. Played football and basketball with moderate success in both, earning 7 varsity letters. Went on to play basketball for a year in college....

6. After first year of college I traded in my basketball shoes for a barstool.....

5. After 2 more heavily intoxicated years of college I traded in my barstool, hair comb, and textbooks for dreadlocks and a ticket stub (or hundreds). Traveled the country. Phil and Friends tour. Phish tour. My subaru station wagon was my home. Learned many lessons, sold a few veggie burritos, and had way too much fun.

4. Today I look like the high school jock, think like the traveling gypsy, and live my life somewhere in the middle.

3. I analyze everthing, thinking it up, down, inside, and out.

2. I believe in things I cannot see.

1. Endurance sports are my newfound intoxication...but maybe this is obvious.

So, I suppose I must tag 3 more....Well, seeing on how I have only a select few bloggersphere cyber-friends and I'm not going to tag someone who's already done this...that leaves 2 people for me to tag. Jodi and IM Able. Oh, I don't even know if you read my blog and you aren't a tri blogger, but Erin you're tagged too. Alright peeps, You're it!!

A Footrace, My Bicycle, Basketball, and A Bit of Narcissism

2007-05-19T18:14:00.001-04:00

O.K., it took much deliberating but the verdict is out......no half marathon tomorrow for me. My calf is better, but not 100%, and it is not worth the risk of reinjury so early in the season. I will postpone my first half marathon only because I know there is more in store just around the corner. Good luck to everyone racing tomorrow. I will be there cheering you on and putting in a long ride with Amaterasu later in the day. I offered to volunteer tomorrow, but by the time I contacted the proper people the volunteer spots had been filled. Apparently there is no shortage of volunteers for this race. Alright Clevelanders!!!

The Cavaliers are deserving of some praise for their arrival in the Eastern Conference Finals. Detroit will be a tough, tough series...as anyone following the playoffs knows. I will stand by my prediction that I made early this season that if they get good backcourt production from anyone (Sasha, Gibson, Hughes), make free-throws, and rebound the ball well they will land in the Finals. Who would have believed that Dallas and Phoenix would be watching the Western Conference finals from home? That is shocking. The San Antonio/Utah series will go seven games and is almost a toss up, but Tim Duncun will prove to be the factor to push the Spurs into the finals.

Now, if I can be narcissistic for a moment (assuming blogging in and of itself, is not narcissistic) I'd like to share with you that I did indeed achieve my first perfect semester in my many years of higher learning. I felt acomplished when I opened my grade sheet to see this:

Deductive Logic: A
Contemporary Urban Issues: A
Economics of Policy Analysis: A

Hrs. completed: 12
GPA: 4.0

After many years of disinterest in actually finishing my bachelor's degree, and failed attempts to enroll, earn a degree and enjoy my studies, I am finally enjoying my academic opportunity and am eagerly anticipating what lies ahead. A career change is on the horizon, along with a B.S. and plans for a M.S. I am entering a new degree program at CSU (I've already been labeled the departments guinea pig) with a major in Economic Development and a minor in Environmental Studies. The Economic Development degree brings with it a G.I.S. certificate, and honing my mapmaking skills is something I eagerly anticipate. The M.S. degree is offered via a "fast track" in which I will be able to double count courses for both my B.S. and my M.S. in my final semesters. Now, if anyone is interested in donating to this cause simply send me an e-mail...personal checks, money orders, and paypal accepted ;-)

Dust off the Asics and grab the fuelbelt.....

2007-05-11T18:44:00.000-04:00

Work ends and I had to head to the post office and I'm kind of in a hurry and want to get in a workout in a short amount of time so what do I do???? Run to the post office. Yes, I ran.....3 weeks and the calf seems ready to go. Just in time for Rite Aid!!! Hmmm, should I do it? I can take it nice and slow and I'll PR since it's my first half-marathon. I can get a feel for the distance. My "take it easy and get back into the swing of things" run today was a 5 miler in 45 minutes. The calf felt great!!! My quads are a in a bit of shock, but they just need a few 3 to 5 milers to reawaken. I can put in a few miles this weekend and early in the week and then Rite Aid on Sunday. Hmmmmmmm.......

At the crest of the hill, looking down the other side...

2007-05-09T21:49:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow, I have my last bit of work to complete to finish up my first semester @ CSU, a final exam on propositional logic. The last week or so has been hectic between trying to finish everything up for my classes and trying to enjoy the consistent 70 degree, sunny days by hanging out with Amaterasu. The last couple of weeks have been pretty steady base building in preparation for some high mileage rides this summer. I spent the better part of the last 3 or 4 months without a lick of spinning, indoors or out. So far, I feel great. The 20 to 30 mile rides @ around 17 mph aren't taking much out of me. This weekend I'm planning a 50 miler or so and then next weekend it's Pedal with Pete, and with my commute to and from the ride and the metric century it would put me at around an 80 mile day. If the 50 miler this weekend goes well, that will be the plan. Thus far, not one mile of running since the calf strain, and I'm thinking the Cleveland half may not be in my cards. Besides, it will be a joy to peddle around downtown and cheer on all the other runners. Daisy Duc and Charlie will be rockin' the streets of Cleveland!!!! For the sake of a bit of foot pain, I sure hope that their blazing speed doesn't melt the bottom of their sneakers and force them to run barefoot....which some crazy people say is beneficial.

Last weekend I spent May 4th in Kent, to commemorate the tragic events of that day in 1970. One of the most interesting aspects of the commemoration was the hostility that many students had towards the event. I walked by 2 fraternity houses that flew giant banners voicing their opinions. One read, "I support our troops, not the hippies," and the other read "Bring home our troops so they can beat up the hippies." Here's my idea: maybe our troops can come home so they quit dying. Not too far back I met a local triathlete who will be competing this year with one leg because his other leg was blown off by a suicide bomber while he was on tour in Iraq. I've always wondered why people often make the assumption that just because someone is opposed to war, or in this case the Iraq war, that they are not supportive of our troops or our country. Here is my feeling on the matter: There are young men and women over in Iraq that are risking their lives to bring me cheap oil, national security, or whatever else they may be fighting for over there. The bottom line is that there is no way I can repay those that lost their lives, or have been injured, or even those that come home alive, but have put their life on the line. Nothing I have to offer will suffice. I am extremely thankful that someone would make such a sacrifice, But, THEY SHOULD NOT BE THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!! I'll leave my ramblings on the subject at that.

As I sat at Taco Tonto's eating a sweet potato burrito (yum!!) and sipping on a Tecate I watched the anti-war protest across the street and tried to imagine what it would be like to experience something so tragic as occurred in 1970. I thought of myself in my early college years, and the difficulties I faced while trying to find my path in this life. I thought about the scars that would have been left, if during my turbulent young adult years I set out to try and make the world around me a better place only to find a friend of mine lying dead at my feet on the campus that I called home. I found that I cannot even fathom such a fate.

I enjoyed listening to Gene Young speak about his experience at Jackson State shortly after the events in Kent in 1970. Mr. Young's booming, powerful voice trembled as he moved his speech onto the topic of civil rights from war protests. He spoke of Martin Luther King Jr. and I seethed with admiration for Dr. King. What strength a man must have to continue to live in the public spotlight knowing he has a giant bulls eye on his chest and many willing hands holding a trigger. After Mr. Young was done speaking I realized that May 4th was a terrible and tragic event and I realized that it is only one of many such events in the history of the great United States of America. We do live in the greatest country in the world, but we are not free from tragedy. Teach and Unlearn.

Change Direction. Keep Going.

2007-04-30T22:44:00.000-04:00

Well, I could easily be on the verge of a deep depression right about now. I have been looking foreward to the Cleveland half-marathon for months. All of my short base building runs this winter were geared towards this race. I began increasing mileage in in March to get ready. It was the only big race on my agenda for the early part of the summer, my first half-marathon. At this moment I am sitting at my computer after my second failed attempt to get a short easy run in over the last 4 days due to my calf stain. Maybe I'll be able to get a run in next weekend, but after having to take 2 weeks off so close to the race I'm not sure I'll be ready. I'm not sure I'll be running through downtown Cleveland pushing myself to reach my goal of a 1:35 in my first half. 1:35 won't win me any prizes and at this pace there would be plenty of people ahead of me. But I want to prove to myself I can do it. If my calf does heal and I am ready for the race next month it is quite unlikely I'd be able to reach this goal after my 2 week hiatus. Right now I'm just hanging on to my final hopes that I'll be able to rapidly get back up to par, but with each day of giving the calf a rest I'm taking one step away from the starting line in Cleveland....

But, I've been spending the lost running time on the bike. So, plan B consists of rapidly getting ready for my first century ride by early June, at the good 'ole Sunday in June ride put on by the Cleveland Touring Club. I was figuring I'd be up for the 100K by this time, but since I've gained all of this extra bike time with the calf problem I might as well move along to another goal to mark off the list and do the 100 miler. I've still got the end of summer goals to set and have to make some decisions between a late fall marathon, my first double century on the bike, or a longer distance triathlon. The tri depends on 2 things: 1)how my swimming progresses and 2)how the calf holds up. #2 is obviously the big factor for a fall marathon.

Believe me folks, the idea of having to postpone my first half marathon is a hard pill to swallow. Lucky for me I've got a giant glass of other goals to help me wash it down.

Things going up, then coming down....evidence of the cliche.

2007-04-21T22:33:00.000-04:00

Over the last week or so I was fighting off some sort of chest cold or something. In my day to day activities (i.e. work, school, etc.) I didn't notice it much other than feeling a bit tired. When I'd run or swim, however, I'd have a nice burning sensation from time to time in my chest. So, I took it easy last week which worked out pretty conveniently since it was a recovery week anyways.

On to this week and my cold symptoms are gone and I had a 10 miler on tap today. Thursday I put in a 5-miler @ around 7:30/mile and felt pretty good, and was anxious to get my LSD (that's long slow distance for you hippies) run in today. I chose to run on the towpath trail for a few reasons. One is the scenery, our beautiful crooked river with it's meanders, waterfowl, snakes, and turtles. Other important factors include the "soft" crushed limestone surface and the fact that it is flat; perfect for the long runs when increasing mileage. The spring weather brought many folks down to the towpath which never helps with the serenity of the run, but can be good for the ego when you see many a family out for a leisurely stroll and you run by all of them sweating profusely with water rations attached to your hips. It is an interesting quirk of human nature, and my personality, that running past walkers gives the psyche a lift.

As I set off on my run I felt a little sluggish. My legs were a bit heavy and joints a bit stiff. I figured I hadn't fully recovered from Thursday's run as I typically train at a slower pace. All would be fine, I thought, as I was taking things nice and slow today..."I'll loosen up," and I did. Throughout the run my legs still felt a bit heavy but overall I felt OK and was glad to finally rid myself of the chest cold. Then I hit mile 6 and......ouch! Mild pain in left leg and it is getting worse by the second..to the point where.....I've got to stop. What just happened??? I felt fine up until this point? Maybe a bit tired, but....

So, I stopped at the nearest tree that didn't have poison ivy roots wrapped around it and stretched a bit. As soon as I stopped running the pain subsided. I thought maybe after a short stretch I could get back to the run.

Nope.

Started running and the pain returned. So I walked. I was 4 miles from my car and 4 miles from finishing my planned run. After walking 2 miles I tried to run again.

Nope.

Sharper pain this time and I knew I wouldn't be running anywhere for at least a few days. ugh!! My self-diagnosis (it's an easy one).....another minor calf strain. Always in the left calf in which I have bad circulation and also suffer from sciatica pains and have a bad varicose vain just below my knee. Always after a long or fast workout. I need to be smarter!!!! Lesson learned: if increasing mileage then NO runs at anywhere close to race pace...at least not yet. Slow, slow, slow LSD runs when increasing mileage for me.

For all 4 miles walking back to the car and the couple mile drive home I was feeling a myriad of emotions, and none of them had any association with happiness. Not doing what you set out to do can work on the psyche in an manner that opposes running past walkers, I guess you could say.

Tonight I've been looking on the bright side of things which is something I've had to learn to do in this life, considering my personality trait of the inability to ignore the dark side. I will ride my bicycle and swim next week. Tomorrow I will be visiting the Cleveland Zoo and riding in the "bike for the earth." I am trying to pull of my first 4.0....ever. It may have happened prior to 3rd grade, but certainly not since. If I do, or even if I make the dean's list (which I plan to) I'll be announcing it to all of bloggerland. You can think of it as something like hanging a test, or better yet, a report card on the refrigerator.

Tomorrow is earth day. Hug a tree, or something.

Would Cloud 10 Be Higher Than Cloud 9??

2007-04-10T11:35:00.000-04:00

It's safe to say that when I made my last post I was still floating on cloud 10 after the spring classic. My battery died in my watch while I was waiting in line at the 'ole port-o-pew, and as I was approaching the finish all I heard was 19:30. My "official" time in the spring classic.....19:42. Still a PR. Still over a minute and a half faster than my previous PR. I'm still happy. I'm still trying to conceptualize the idea of running Boston in the future. Stay tuned....
If you haven't seen it yet, Saint Ralph is a fun and inspirational story of the journey to Boston. I'm still trying to find the time to watch Running on The Sun.

After a recent conversation with Charlie about the difficulties associated with peace on this grand planet of ours, CNN.com has had some insightful articles posted online over the last couple of days about Iran's nuclear program.

In light of this maybe we should listen to Einstein:

"Peace Cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."

"I know not with what weapons WWIII will be fought, but WWIV will be fought with sticks and stones."

"You cannnot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war."

Ok, my insight of the day is that pesimism and fear of our impending battles with the forces of "evil" in the Middle East will only compound the problems that face the Western world and their relations in that region. Optimism and acceptance is the only path that will lead us to a place where no one fears for their life, or takes that of another for the sake of their political agenda or spiritual leader. Think, for a second, of the role of the television in this war and our perception of it. What comes to mind when I mention Northern Africa? What comes to mind when I mention the Middle East? My friends, they are the same place and are home to some of the most ancient cultures in the world. What seperation do the names Northern Africa and Middle East have in your mind? What emotions do the words Middle East evoke in you? Do you trust your TV? The media? What role to they play to perpetuate fear and contribute to thinking that will not allow us to find peace with our neighbors overseas? Do Middle Easterners face the same skewed thinking? Where can we buy a pair of glasses to help us see through the shit and see truth....and peace?

Do you want to gather with folks all across the country to promote renewable energy? Then Step it Up already. This will be one great event and I want to see you there...

Sorry if this talk of war has been getting you down. I seem to have a knack for failing to ignore the painful truth. Maybe this will brighten your spirits...."bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity." I don't know who to give credit for that one. If you're still upset/worried about Northern Africa, visit here (ice cream makes everything better.)

The lengthy process of the turning of a leaf.....

2007-04-08T19:11:00.000-04:00

You could probably say that I'm turning over a new leaf. The process of flipping this leaf from one side to the other has been going on for some time, and as life keeps dictating, it ain't completely flipped yet. The whole process started about three and a half years ago. We went to war. The price of gasoline skyrocketed. Some of the wealthiest and most powerful oil families in the world were running our country. So, I bought a bicycle. For piece of mind, I would ride it around town; to work, the grocery store, the library, the coffee house, and the pub.

I loved riding this bicycle, my new 2003 specialized hybrid, so much that I quickly began to ride it simply for fun. From my apartment on West Hill in Akron, I would ride down into the valley and go as far as my legs could peddle me at the time....10, maybe 15 miles. The weeks and months passed and I kept riding and the climbs began to get easier; and I could ride further.

Then, the Akron Marathon rolled around and a few of my favorite people in the world needed someone to run a 5K for their relay team. Out of despair, they decided to ask me if I wanted to do it. Julia first mentioned it to me, the infliction in her voice already accepting my percieved awnser....no way! But rather, my first response was...."how far??"

"5K, just about 3 miles. We need someone to do it so we all can run."

I started thinking and responded, "so, all I really need to do is jog for about a half hour, right?"

"For sure," says julia. "You'd be done with your section in less than a half hour."

"How much time before I need to do this?"

"You've got about 3 weeks."

"Yeah, I'll do it," I responded, while simotanously giving this "leaf" a giant push towards it's backside.

I trained for my first 5K. I ran small loops around the neighborhood that ranged from 1.5 to 2, or so, miles. I did not find these runs nearly as fun as spinning on the bike, but I had to be able to finish my 5K. I made sure I ran and was prepared. Race day approached, and after one run per week, totaling 3 training runs altogether, I was ready.

My portion of the relay was up Sand Run Parkway, through the metroparks, along a beautiful stretch of road that was gently uphill the entire way. The uphill grade didn't matter to me though, I was pumped, surrounded by hundereds of people all gathering together to do one thing, run as far as they could. I breezed through my 5K passing many runners along the way and logging a time of approximately 26 minutes. I was content. I had finnished my leg of the race.

That was 2005. Yestarday I set out for another 5K, the "spring classic" through the Cleveland Metroparks on the west side. I have, of course, been running ever since that first 5K. I still ride my bicycle; in fact, I now own 2 of them. And I also swim, of course, which is my newest addiction.

For this "spring classic" there was perfect Cleveland spring weather, 25 degrees and plenty of snow. The 1/2 marathon that day drew many more runners than the 5K. In 6 more weeks I'll finish my first half marathon and I'm sure I'll have something to say about that race as well, but today, it was a measly 3.1 miles for me. The 5K start was 15 minutes after the half marathoner's start and my head was drifting to the end of May in downtown Cleveland when the half marathoner's took off. As the 5K start approached I became more focused on what lay ahead, 3.1 miles.

As the race began I set out at the front of the pack and as the leader pulled away, I settled in next to the nearest runner in front of me. Side by side we ran for nearly all 3 miles. I knew I was running much harder than I had since I have taken up this running hobby (addiction?). The 3 miles flew by and as I approached the finish I knew I would have a new PR, and I did.

Second place overall, first in my age group, and a new PR of 19:30 (give or take a second or 2). That blew my previous PR out of the water by almost 2 minutes!! And it was cold as hell. And I still don't inclued speed workouts in my training. So, I was stoked, to say the least. My training this winter was producing results, big results.

After such an improvement, I had to venture over to the McMillan Training Calculator and see what sort of goals I should set for myself this summer. I looked at the projected marathon time for a runner with a 19:30 5K and I saw the magic number...3hrs. 10min. No, something must be wrong. I plugged my 5K time in again and brought up the chart and it was still there....3hrs. 10min, which is exactly my qualifying time for the Boston Marathon. Now, I'm not packing any bags, thats for sure, but just last summer a BQ time seemed really....fast. Certainly much faster than I was capable of running. And now this calculator is telling me that if I train properly for the distance it is very feasible.

After my first 5K we talked about Boston, the most famous foot race in the world. At one point I think I even said, "if you qualify, you've gotta run it." After my 26 minute 5K on that fall day in 2005, keeping a 7:16 pace for 26 miles seemed impossible; but today, I know I can do it. I never thought it would seem feasible so quickly. When the price of oil skyrocketed and Baghdad turned into a blood bath I bought a bicycle, and turned over a new leaf. Today that leaf is a little closer to finally being flipped over and, much to my suprise, I'm starting to wonder if the Boston Marathon lies on the other side.

Does Glue Work on Hair??

2007-04-04T21:34:00.000-04:00

I guess I was a bit premature in shaving off the 'ole winter beard (again) this spring. My exposed face does not like the brisk winds that are blowing around Northeast Ohio. If I thought it would work, I would collect the hair out of the wastebasket and glue it back onto my face; at least for the weekend. As I was finishing up a gentle 4 mile run tonite old man winter was making another apprearence, and cold wind and snow was blasting me directly in the face. All winter long I enjoy the cold and snow, until I shave that is.

As I have mentioned I have been slightly discouraged by my ability to adapt to the 50M lenghts @ the pool. Maybe I should not be so discouraged by my progress, because there may be other factors leading to my swimming induced depression.

DISCLAIMER: Experienced swimmers should only continue to read this blog entry if they are not sensitive to the stereotypes attributed to swimmers. The author of this blog is not as image conscious as he may seem based on the words that follow. He is only trying to get a laugh out of his readers that do not swim and release some frustration.

So, I'm at the pool for the first or second day after they increased the distance of the lengths, and needless to say, I was struggling a bit to adapt. Arriving at the same time as me and claiming the lane right next to me was an older man....say at least 65 or 70. He shows up with a giant collection of tools to swim with and laid them in a giant pile just above his lane. Above my lane was my water bottle. This guy had flippers, paddles, a pull bouy, a kickboard, food and water. Then the 'ole chap gets ready to dive in....

He is sporting his speedos (the kind that resemble underoos), goggles, and a swim cap and he is tan in May in Cleveland, Ohio. Months ago when I decided to try this swimming thing I wondered why anyone really needed goggles (maybe this helps to explain how strong of a swimmer I was this fall) so you can imagine how I feel about speedos.

I was in the water just before this guy, struggling with each length, when I watched him hop onto the little platform at the end of his lane and dive in. And off he went. His first couple of lenghts we were cruising along at about the same speed. Then he was warmed up. I was swimming freestyle and this guy was smoking me while using a pull bouy. Then, we would be wading at the edge of the pool and he would take off for another length while I struggled to catch my breath and wait for my heartrate to drop. There he goes while I have my hand on my neck checking my pulse and staring at my watch.

As if a senior citizen in speedos with a tan at the end of winter swimming circles around you isn't bad enough, the guy was loving the fact that we both knew how much of a stronger swimmer he was. At one point, I was hanging onto the side of the pool and the old guy finished his length, stopped, looked over at me to tell me he needed to take up golf because, "swimming was too hard, and if he was a golfer he could be drunk and happy like everyone else." We both knew that he was truly happy at that moment.

So, after the afformentioned events I was feeling not so hot about my swimming ability (maybe the 'ole bastard would be up for a foot race!!). But, an amazing thing happend yesterday during my workout. Things were going along as they have been, my heartrate was skyrocketing every 40M and I was taking way too long of breaks between each length. Then, a miracle occured. I had completed 800 slow ass meters and suddenly I was gliding through the water with nice smooth strokes and my heartrate was under control. I would swim a length, take a couple seconds, and swim another length. I felt like I could have swam forever. Once I reached my 1200M mark I wanted to keep going, because I was so estatic about how I felt, but I knew that I have to get in other workouts this week, so I stopped. Tomorrow I will be back at the pool and I cannot wait. I even hope that my "old" friend is there.

You Remember Biz Markie??

2007-04-01T23:31:00.000-04:00

I was thinking about the 'ole hip-hop artist Biz Markie today. He had that song "Spring Again" and also "Just a Friend." If I think about the album cover I have to laugh as Biz was dressed up as a scientist making some sort of concoction. The title of the album (I had the cassette) was "The Diabolical Biz Never Sleeps." Good stuff...

My calf has been holding up well over the last week or so since I have resumed running. Today I logged an 8 miler on the towpath and felt great with the sun shining down on me whilt running past many walkers and occasional photographer/cyclist/fellow runner. I watched some geese or something apparently fighting over a bit of dry land as I ran past the oh so crowded beaver marsh near Bath. Watching these birds made the concept of mortage rates and landlords not seem so bad.

Now that swimming season is over the pool at CSU has went from 25M lenghts to 50M lengths, which is a good thing. I realized, however, that I am not quite as good of a swimmer as I had hoped. My heartrate is spiking pretty high with each length. I have to spend quite a bit of time hanging on to the edge of the pool waiting for it to fall so that I can swim another length. I plan to to most of my swimming this summer @ Monroe Falls Metro Park where they rope off lengths that are 200 or 250 meters. I have quite a bit of work ahead of me to get this swimming thing worked out. I don't think I'll get breaks to catch my breath in the open water swims this summer I plan to endure in my first season of triathlon's. I am optimistic though because this fall when I started I couldn't even swim 25M without my hearrate going through the roof.

I cannot experess in words how good it feels to spend some time with Amaterasu again, after another long Ohio winter. We spun to the post office that is on the other side of downtown Akron the other day. It was the first time I had ever riden a road bike in city traffic and it was.....fun, to say the least. My current commuter is a hybrid, but I think I may have to make a change sometime soon as the road bike makes my enjoyment of racing cars a more concievable task, albeit a race that I can really never win....but that doesn't stop me.

Time for me to catch some Z's as another week begins with the dawn. It will be a busy one as I have another research paper coming due soon. Tomorrow should bring springtime weather (of the sunny variety) and I'll be out spinning on the bike after work and I may be looking for a 10K to run next weekend. So my friends, these are the day to day details of my life. If you have read this far either you are terribly bored or truly are a friend and gain enjoyment from the details of my life. Stay tuned as I have a funny story about the fellow swimming in the lane next to me last week that I do not have the energy to type about tonite......

Just before a moment of equality.....

2007-03-18T21:49:00.000-04:00

Been thinking about the passing of time this weekend. Must be the changing of the seasons. The equionox is on Tuesday and the birds know it. I stood outside this morning and although there were patches of snow on the ground and it was just above freezing the trees were alive with song.

I get particularly nostalgic around the equinox. Life and death has cycled yet again and I am witnessing it for the 31st time. After all these years one would think life would be easy. Hardly. I do enjoy a challenge. Maybe it is the year of the dragon in which I was born or the Leo moon that hung overhead as I took my first breathe that has presented me with a life full of challenges. I create them.

I had tried to live an idle life at one point. Imagine someone sitting under a tree whilst their hair grows and you might get it. Here's the catch, this idle man sitting under the tree is still challenging himself....thinking through the mysteries of the universe, or, if nothing else pondering the mysteries of this life and his experiences in it.

For me the mental challenge was not enough and the Dragon gains satisfaction, apparently, from physical challenges as well.

I push on and on and my heart beats fast for hours until my experience becomes surreal. The vivid color of the tree with it's prefectly amorphous shape against the sky/cloud splatter heavens and soft cool breeze bird harmony is bliss.

I was reunited with Amaterasu today. Boy oh boy, the places she takes me......

Spring Break Beyond 20 Something....

2007-03-15T19:21:00.000-04:00

Spring break just ain't like it used to be. My vacation has been and will continue to be spent here in Northeast Ohio. Thus far the highlights of my break have been 1) the sun shining on me whilst riding my bicycle and 2)a stationary fuel cell conference that took place on Monday in Cleveland.

I will not take time to ramble on about energy issues much (today) in my blog, but I will say that if anyone is interested in moving past fossil fuels and seeing our great state of Ohio develop an industry in alternative/advanced energy you should contact Gov. Strickland, or any other politician involved in the decision making in the state and urge them to not only support, but implement in a timely fashion an advanced energy portfolio standard for the state. Gov. Strickland and those in Columbus are moving foreward on this, albeit slowly, and there is technology ready to be brought to market in Ohio but it will not be competitive in the current energy market without some changes in legislation. So, those in Columbus cannot drag their feet on this and it must be accomplished ASAP. Rant off.

Yes, I rode my bicycle outside in shorts this week. It was glorious. Tuesday morning I went out for a spin around 10:00 a.m. and it was around 60 degrees and sunny. Wednesday after work, at rush hour, I decided to spin the 15 mile round trip to the post office to drop off the mail. It has been a while since I've ridden the streets of Akron during rush hour and I had almost forgotten about my nemisis, the aggresive motorist. Three motorists hollard obsenities while driving by and countless motorists came withing arms reach at speeds ranging from 25 to 50 mph. Ahh, the excitement of peddling through the city. This is nothing compared to the experience Charlie had on his commute and, indeed, dogs are often scarier than cars.

I have (another) minor muscle tear in my left calf. This has been nagging me on and off for the past 2 and a half years, since I began distance running, and I thought I had it figured out as I have been injury free for months until last Friday. I will only have to take a week or 2 off of running, but this puts a little pressure on me to be as prepared as I would like to be for the half marathon in May. I did put in a 9 miler last week, but it would be nice to get some speedwork in over the next couple of months. Makes me wonder if it is just a bit of divine intervention telling me that now that spring is here I should throw the running shoes in the closet and mount the trusty bicycle often enough to spin my first double century.....nah, i think the gods are telling me that if I really want to be a triathlete I must remember the importance of yoga.

Stretch.

Clear the mind.

Breathe.

Back from the depths of the textbook...

2007-03-08T22:17:00.000-05:00

I am back in bloggerland. I have been bogged (as opposed to blogged) down with my studies and work and training, but no more. I'll be bogged down with blogging from this day foreward...or....at least I'll find some time to stop by bloggerland and type a bit.

Training is good. I have increased my swim workouts to 1000 meters. My form is improving with every workout and my stroke count has dropped tremendously since I first got in the pool this winter. Soon, I'll bump the workouts up to 1250 meters. I am on the training path to my first half marathon in May. So far so good...but thus far my long run has only been 6 miles and will double over the next couple of months leading up to the race. Over the last month I came to grips with the fact that I am officially addicted to endorphins. Could be worse....

Spring break is next week and I'll be spending it in Northeast Ohio. I'm welcoming the opportunity to have a lax schedule for a week. I may count my pennies, splurge on some extra gasoline for the tank and some marshmellow's, and try to spend a few days in the forest somewhere. If so I'll be sure to share pictures.

If you get the chance, watch The Prestige, it's a pretty cool movie. If you like magic, inventors, energy (as in electricy and such), conspiracies, and/or mysteries you'll love it. And trust me, you'll be fooled.

Time to catch some Z's....I won't be gone so long this time......

A Clutterd Head Must Spit; Watch Your Shoe!!

2007-01-26T11:56:00.000-05:00

Only if I could truly see might I fully understand the freedom that lies just outside of my outstretched fingertips. I am not so sure freedom is human. That does not, however, stop me from pursuing true and sincere freedom of mind, for there, I believe, is where true happiness lies.

Time is Money. Nonsense. Time is art. Better. Time is Time.
It sets the limits of our accomplishments, joy, and sorrow.
It is the shackles wrapped around the ankles of our happiness.

You are my travel companion on our journey to
the insight, hindsight, forsight and nonsense
of my psyche. Thank you for coming along.
I welcome your company and companionship.

Head much clearer now. My scholarly pursuits do not allow much time for random expression. This blog is more than likely to morph (is morphing?) itself into an avenue for that release. Maybe I'll start another blog for that type of writing and reserve this one for the details of my day to day life. We'll see.

School is good. Training is good. I have been able to pick up my running mileage a bit after forcing myself to train at a slower pace. My swimming workout is getting easier and I will be increasing yardage soon. I miss my bicycle and will be forcing myself to spend a few minutes a week spinning indoors. In just a couple of weeks I will be paying close attention to my running mileage in preperation for the 1/2 marathon in Cleveland.....May will be here before I know it.

Beginning this weekend I must spend some time doing some research of envirnmental justice in order to complete a couple of research papers on the subject. Looking into EJ (as it is known to those "inside" the movement) I have become more interested, I must admit. I was aware of dirty industries (i.e. oil refineries) being located in poor, largly black, neighborhoods. But I had never considered the rights of native americans when a chemical company contaminates their water on the grounds that the political soverignty of the indian reservation releases them from the liability that they would have under U.S. law.

I was reading up on this subject yesterday afternoon, looking out of the window onto a frigid, blistery, 15 degree evening in Cleveland. It was hard to tell if the snow flurries were falling from the sky or if the 30mph winds were just blowing around the snow that had already fallen to the ground. Looking through these frantic, dizzying specks of white I could see the awe inspiring Trinity Cathedral across the street, it's stone artwork stretching towards the violent winter sky. I took a sip of my black coffee, took in the motivation, and I read.

The true cost of freedom, wealth, and cheap energy...

2007-01-16T08:16:00.000-05:00

Just the other day I was listening to the radio as is typical. Talk Radio. NPR. A day's worth of this programming tends to bombard me with facts, which I tend to like. Until I hear a fact like this one.....

24,000 civilians died in iraq last year due to millitary intervention.

I immediatly wrote the number down, so that I could include it in my blog to give us all some food for thought.

I looked and looked at the number in awe,

24,000!!!

Then I looked at that number and what it was describing,

24,000 civilians.

That is almost 66 people per day!!

Do you remember the terrible sense of loss we all felt after 9/11?

The death toll was nearly 3,000.

Can you fathom 24,000 deaths in one year due to war.

Can you try. Try and imagine what it would be like to live in this environment.

Imagine the New York City streets riddled with gunfire and car bombs, day in and day out.

This is Baghdad.

This, my friends, is the ugly hand of terrorism.

We need energy independence in this country.

Tell someone.

Newfound importance of the daily schedule...

2007-01-16T07:12:00.000-05:00

I will navigate through the snow today on a 70 mile round trip commute to Cleveland State for a class on economics and another on the study of logic. Saturday I started my on-line class on race, culture, and urban life. Between work and school I am not sure where I will find the time to train as much as I'd like, blog, or drink beer, and believe me, I enjoy all three.

Yesterday I logged a 4 mile run through the cold rain and felt pretty good, although my lower back has been having some minor problems of late. My Sciatica is acting up a bit and the back of my legs send a strange senstation from my ass down towards the heel of my foot from time to time. Yoga is the awnser. No time is my excuse. Yoga is not a priority is the truth (although the sciatica tells me it should be).

I plan to check out the rec center on campus today as I set out for my little half mile swim. My tuition is paying for a brand spanking new rec center that may or may not be finished yet (I'll see later this morning). I don't believe it has a climbing wall. I thought every university built a climbing wall in their new, state-of-the-art, multiple million dollar, fitness center these days. It seems to help recruit the trendy "eco-athlete" of the day. The climbing wall is for all the people that listed hiking in the interests section of their application to the university and if I had to guess there are a few of them.

Here's a funny story. I played football in high school. I ran into the father of another CFHS football alum. We shake hands. Before telling me that his son is pursuing his doctorate, he tells me that the tags on my car are expired. Huh?? You notice shit like this? Are you serious? He was. They have been expired since August and although I am not sure how I forgot to renew my registration I know that I will have a brand spanking new sticker on my liscense plate today. I also know that I will be driving through the snow up to Cleveland after I visit the State of Ohio BMV. I also know that I must get a couple of things done around the office here before moving on with my day. I guess that means my budget of blogging time for the day is filled. I think I may find out in the near future how little sleep I really need to stay healthy. I always thought I needed 8 hours of sleep every night, but that was before I had 8 days worth of stuff to do each week. And without blogging, beer, and bike rides I might lose my sanity...

Rainfall Daydream

2007-01-05T14:22:00.000-05:00

Another Friday at my old familiar desk. It has been quite cluttered for the last month or so. New additions to my office space from the holidays as well as small pile of receipts on the far right side impede on my work area. My new co-worker looks at me from the far right side of my desk, next to the calculator, and his head bobs everytime the desk is bumped. If I turn and look over my left shoulder, there is a wall of windows, and today they look out to a gray steady downpour that is reminescent of London, or the San Franscisco Bay. My mind begins to drift to the enjoyments of a 50 degree January day that is full of sunshine....

I roll the bright yellow bicycle known as Amaterasu over to a tree and grab the air pump to top off her tires. Then, I check her drive train to be sure she has plenty of lube and not too much dirt is stuck to her chain. And I roll her wheels to be sure they are centered between the brake pads and that the brakes are working well. Finally, I bounce her on the ground to listen for any clunks or rattles before mounting her and setting off towards an unknown destination.

Out onto the road and today I will head northeast towards Portage county. It is near 3:00 and as I travel travel through the busy suburbs of Stow and Hudson I find myself constantly cursing at the cars full of teenagers and mini-vans driven by stressed out mothers as they make their way around town. In just a couple of miles I will catch the bike path which will land me onto the rolling hills and country roads that I set out to find.

As those of us from Northeast Ohio know, Portage county is much different from the suburban Akron-Cleveland corridor that I grew up in. It is full of 2 lane country roads, pick-up trucks, small farms, many bogs, marsh's, ponds, and lakes, as well as a bunch of horses and a few cows. It's rolling hills are perfect for a nice spin on the bike, although some of the roads are a bit rough.

I knew that it would be dark by 5:00 and I have yet to mount a headlight on Amaterasu so at 4:00 I turn towards the setting sun to head for home. Although the scenery is still as beautiful, for some reason as soon as I turn towards home much of the sense of adventure that a spin on the bicycle provides is gone, until the next ride of course.

I catch the bike path as I loop back westward and pick up the pace as the terrain flattens. Just before the sun sets I jump off Amaterasu to take in the scenery. I set the bicycle against some brambles and take a good look at her, a 1991 Trek 1200; my first road bike. We are in love, or, at least I love her. Her 16th birthday is coming up this spring.

Arriving home I concoct my usual post-ride snack. I pull out the blender and toss in some rice milk, a bananna, frozen strawberries, a touch of maple syrup, 2 ice cubes, and a scoop of protein powder. I watch as the pile of fruit becomes a deep red liquid and drink it down as quickly as a frat boy consumes his "natty light." Now, I must get out of the sweat drenched clothes and shower as I'm starting to feel a chill.....And I must shake my head and blink my eyes and remember what I'm sitting at this desk to do. The pile of papers in front of my won't let me forget, I must get back to work.....

Exhale and Begin Anew

2007-01-02T21:41:00.000-05:00

Here we are in 2007. I am taking the perspictive of change; progress to be a bit more specific. Nothing is as it was in 2006. Tomorrow is January 3rd in northeast Ohio and it is going to be 50 degrees and sunny and I will ride my bicycle. This is the upside of global warming. For the sake of not sounding like a doomsday environmentalist I will mention that some folks will name the cause as El Nino, which seems to have been effecting us in the U.S. since I graduated from high school.

Uh-oh, I've gotten off track....maybe for 2008 I should focus on order. 2007 is about going further. It is about evolving. It is about running the Cleveland Half-Marathon. It is about completing my first triathlon. It is about going for a nice little 200K spin on Amaterasu.

2007 is about traveling up to Cleveland regularly to work towards a degree that will land me in a new career. Wait....did I just say career?? Not long before 2007 I would have scoffed at the idea of a career. Vagabond's don't have careers. The truly hip don't need careers. I didn't need a career. I made the decision that, "I would rather have a life than a living." Progress for me is combining the two.

Now, on to the events of the day that brought about the afformentioned thoughts. Despite a cold rainy day over 600 folks showed up for the Great New Years Eve Race in Stow. The course was an out and back 5K that was nothing but hills. I somehow managed to PR with a 21:21, even though I have not been running over the last couple of months and was the epitomy of bad health over the holidaze. My most wonderful friends Paul and Julia joined in on the run as well as both of their fathers. I would not own a pair of running shoes if it weren't for these folks!!! Daisy Duc placed second in her age group, even after a 13 mile training run earlier that morning. I'm glad I got to with her and Joey a happy new year.

After a delicious supper of fine meditteranean cuisine it was time to begin celebrating. The beautiful Ursula invited me to join her and her new roomates for a drink. Over a sip of Cabernet, vintage 1976 (I was not brave enough to go for an entire glass) we all made our resolutions for the year. It was a very uplifting moment, indeed.

Then...downtown for drinks....then fireworks....then the first party for a drink.....then another party (and drink).....and another party (maybe 2) and drink (or 2).....then......

I was welcomed into the new year by a spectacular sunrise.

All In The Blink of an Eye...

2006-12-27T16:10:00.000-05:00

Whoa!! Another year has come and gone!

I came to the realization that the "laid back" christmas that I experienced this year is largely due to the fact that I am an only child who is single with no children. A nice situation arises from this scenario as I spent Christmas day eating leftovers, reading, watching television, and sleeping. Quite a different experience, this is, when compared to my youth. Quite a different experience, this is, when compared to my friends that are married or are parents. Make no mistake about it, I liked my mellow christmas.

Christmas night I was given a Lebron James bobblehead whilst sipping on a delicious glass of gin provided by the handsome couple below and their furry friend. I am not a gin drinker, but this stuff was delicious. It tasted like like a combinatin of pine trees, cucumbers, and flowers. Very, very tasty!

I ran into many 'ole chaps I have known since my youth last night and we were having so much fun that upon being kicked out of the pub at closing time Jim, being the generous guy he is, offered to share his bottle of 10 yr. old single barrel bourbon with us that he had gotten as a gift earlier in the night. So, we moved the party into Andy's mothers house just down the street. Lucky for her, she was not home for the evening and was not awoken by a handful of half-drunk 30 year old men. After a few hours discussing Einstein and general relativity, followed by a debate about global warming (all "fueled" by this special bourbon) someone decided to look at their watch. Bad idea! I arrived home at 6:00 a.m.

My orthopedic doc gave me a nice holiday gift just before christmas....the news that my MRI showed no evidence of a fracture. There was a small amount of inflamation showing up that must be from my muscles in my foot causing the pain I have been having. I may need to switch shoes, or get a different insole to try and remedy the problem which is much better than a cast or a screw. On christmas eve I logged an easy 3 miles in preperation for "The Great New Year's Eve Race" at Stow high school. What a wonderful holiday.....

The Fast Twitch Fibers Come Out of Hibernation

2006-12-18T21:18:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow morning @ 8:00 a.m. I have my appointment for the MRI. Then, on Thursday I will take those results to my orthopedic guy and get the skinny on my foot. Needless to say, if I have to wear a cast I'll be one pissed off individual. I am optimistic however, and last Friday afternoon I put my foot to a nice test (not the best idea)and it responded well.

After my half mile in the pool I spent a half hour working my legs and core...then decided rather than go to work, I'd grab a basketball and shoot around for a few minutes. Well, as most of you know I used to play a lot of basketball. Nearly every day (except during football season) from the ages of 12 to 21. I was a hoops junkie (turned bar-fly, turned vagabond, but those stories are for another day). So, when I heard the old familiar question from the folks on the next court over, "hey man, you wanna run?" I could not refuse. Even though I risked damaging my foot to the point of inserting a screw so that it can heal properly. Even though the only shoes I had were my asics running shoes. Even though I have played basketball only one other time in the last 6 or 7 years. "Yeah, I'll run." I had said it before I could even think about it.

Well, I stayed on the court for over 2 hours as the 5 that we put together in the first game could not lose. Playing basketball is like riding a bike, you never forget what you learned when you were young. A day comes when you might not be able to ride as far or as fast. A day when you might not be as quick or be able to jump as high, but the "feel" of the game stays with you. For those 2 hours on the court I felt great.

By the time I got home and got out of the car I was very stiff. My fast twitch muscle fibers were in shock!! It was all worth those 7 pickup games over those 2 hours with kids that still play everyday. Now, it is Monday and I feel much better. My plans for bike rides over the weekend were scratched for short hikes as I needed some rest and if I would have gotten on the bike I'm sure I wouldn't have turned for home until I logged at least 20 or 30 miles. Well, the exciting part of this whole story is my foot felt fine while I was playing ball and afterwards. Not one inkling of pain. So I am very optimistic heading into see the orthopedic doc this week. I'll need it because the thought of a 3 month recovery for an ache in my foot is nearly unbearable.

Time to pull the trusty steed out of winter storage...

2006-12-13T13:26:00.000-05:00

A couple of days ago I was hiking through the snow on a blustery 20 degree afternoon and now it is 50 degrees and sunny and I've had a mid-winter "fling" with amaterasu. I've missed her and she's looking and riding as good as ever. I took her for a pretty flat spin out to brandywine falls and back yesterday. It was the first time we've been out since the end of October. Just over an hour in the saddle, 19.5 easy spinning miles at 16.8mph and I felt pretty good. Not long into the ride I came to recall that cars suck. Last night while sleeping I dreamt I was the modern day version of the chap above and my Trek 1200 was scattering Escalade's, Hummer's, and F-150's in every direction.

My semester is coming to a close and I'm very much looking foreward to a month off. I've still got to straigten a couple of things up @ Cleveland State and should be up in downtown beginning in January. I'm very much looking foreward to my studies up there on the lake. If anyone knows of a foolproof money making scheme that would fund the rest of my schooling and allow me to focus more on my studies and work as little as possible, your input is most welcome. All suggestions should be legal....or at least risk free.

If all goes well I hope to spend a few days in Northern Arizona just after the holidays. I could really use a good dose of sunshine, mountains, and the like. I have yet to actually visit one of the energy vortex's near Sedona, but I have to say the entire Verde Valley is a place that just makes you feel good and full of energy. I can see it now, after finishing up a Fat Tire at lunch in Jerome I'll be sure to stop outside the pub for a minute to take in this view.....

Footprints in the Snow

2006-12-07T20:14:00.000-05:00

Well, well....I've been waiting for a nice snowfall ever since the leaves fell this fall and it has finally arrived. A couple of feet would be better than a couple of inches, but I'll take what I can get. I hit the trail with the puppy as soon as I could this afternoon and was a little upset when I pulled into the parking lot and saw a couple of cars. There was obviously a couple of sets of footprints at the trailhead but after a couple of quick turns I found some fresh trail to break. Happiness is breaking trail after a fresh snow, no doubt. When the snow is nice and deep it's fun to imagine that I'm in some vast and remote northern forest....and there's no telling what might lie just over the horizon....

But alas, as the footprints in the snow tell me there is not much around here besides a whole bunch of deer, a couple of coyotes, and an occasional hiker. Speaking of remote northern forests, did you know that while in the backcountry you are more likely to get hit by lightning than attacked by a bear?? It's funny, because as I'm sure every hiker knows, countless times we are asked, "Aren't you afraid you'll get eaten by a bear?" Not once have I been asked, "Aren't you afraid you'll get hit by lightning?" Another misconception we can blame on the media, I guess.

Here's a great quote from Oregon congressman Earl Blumenauer at a bike lane dedication:
"Let's have a moment of silence for all those Americans who are stuck in traffic on their way to the gym to ride the stationary bicycle."
In other related news I hear Cleveland is going to get a bike station. You know, a place in downtown near public transportation with secure bike parking, bike repair facilities, showers, and lockers for your work clothes, etc. Cleveland Bikes was awarded a $10,000 grant to fund the facility. Progress. Keep moving foreward.

Well, as much as I'd like to sit at my computer and divulge my every thought to you it is Friday night and I've got a date with my math book.....seeing how I have a final exam in the class on Monday morning @ 7:30 (whose idea was that??) So, until another day.....

Dear Mr. Claus,

2006-12-06T07:46:00.000-05:00

I was driving to the gym last night when the giant full moon was sitting just above the horizon. It was not yet bright white, but rather a pale earthy white, a color somewhere between dirty bathwater and light green tea. I watched it rise for almost ten minutes until it sat just above the Akron skyline. It was at this moment, looking at the picturesque skyline and the giant dirty moon, listening to a mountain fiddle that I had one of those moments of clarity that makes one wonder about the questions that cannot be awnsered. It was at this moment that I felt like I was 30 years old, for the first time in my life. It was at this moment that I thought about my 31st holiday season that is approaching and how I much I have evolved from the days when I used to make a christmas list. It was at this moment that I realized this is my 6th christmas spent with my trusty companion...

In the spirit of christmas' past I am composing a christmas list:
1. a right foot that I am able to run on
2. a left calf that stays pain free
3. cross-country skiis
4. snow shoes
5. clothes that keep one warm and dry while using previous 2 items
6. wool hat/gloves/sweater...particularly those handmade it Nepal
7. a carbon fork for amaterasu
8. an indoor trainer so that amaterasu will get some winter usage
9. a more efficient swim stroke
10. a trip to the Verde Valley
11. a 6-pack of Fat Tire (preferably consumed in the Verde Valley)
12. a gore-tex pair of trail runners
13. well, anything gore-tex would be excellent
14. wool socks
15. the finest coffee beans available to man
16. a guampa to go with my bombilla
17. a bag of full bodied yerba
18. a Phil Lesh show in ohio, preferably Cleveland
19. another Phish New Years show
20. and a room right across the street
21. an A in my math class (probably more unlikely than the phish show)
22. an A in my geography class (probably the most likely item on the list)
23. a commuter rail between Akron and Cleveland
24. free pass on said rail
25. and....the discipline (and swimming ability) to be ready to complete a 1/2 iron next summer.

The emotional rollercoaster of a pain in the foot...

2006-11-30T21:47:00.000-05:00

After a month of no running, climbing, cycling, or anything else stressful to my foot, I took a 2 mile run to test the waters. No pain. Then another short run, and another. Then a four miler on thanksgiving morning. All these runs were on concrete. My foot felt fine. I went to see my sports med doc and he gave me the advice to "take it easy and add mileage slowly." All was great with the world.

Then I went for a short trail run. It was 60 degrees and sunny. I felt great and trotted around a 2 and a half mile loop nice and easy. I ran across an open field with rolling hills, through the trees and along a creekbed down into a deep ravine. I climbed back up to the field known to us Akronites as "top of the world." I saw a childhood friend on the trail with his wife and son. How perfect....

I was walking across campus the next day and felt a dull ache in my foot. Ugh!! So, I called my sports med doc and scheduled an appointment for an MRI just a couple days before christmas.

Happy hollidays...here's a cast. Come back and see me in 6 weeks and I'll put on another cast for 6 more weeks. Then, you can get back to life as you know it. Back to runs through the woods. Back to the climbing wall. Back to your bicycle. But you've got to wait 3 months. Damn!!!

Ok, maybe I'm jumping to conclusions. The results of the MRI will tell the real story. Regardless of whether or not I'll be in a cast my foot has to heal so I've got to take it easy. For now it's back to the pool and lots of "calcium fortified" soymilk and orange juice. It's lots of bicep curls and bench presses. And, lots of appreciation for how much I enjoy a run through the woods.

How about we sacrifice an overweight bird?? What'da ya say??

2006-11-26T17:54:00.000-05:00

Well, thanksgiving has come and gone. I ate way too much pumpkin pie and ice cream, and spent way too much time sitting on a barstool after midnight. But alas, things will are returning to normal for about another month until the truly chaotic holiday. The night after thanksgiving was great; spent with old, old friends who I don't get to see often. They have left northeast Ohio for places like Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and Melborne. They return to Akron, Ohio and admit that they don't miss it too much and that it hasn't seemed to change (except for the new Wal-Mart and CVS). And although northeast Ohio hasn't changed much it is changing. Everyone I grew up with here is changing. We are all older and wiser. I have found some wonderful places to sit and have a cup of coffee or a meal made from scratch. Establishments where the business owners serve you the food they cook and they are there every day. Establishments that still don't take credit cards. I have found places to hike where people are sparse and those folks that you see pass with a smile and allow the dog's in tow to run around in circles until they both sprint to catch up to their masters. I have a wonderful family here that urges me to keep evolving and encourages me to keep dreaming and to chase those dreams. I have friends here that have seen the wheel of my life spin in circles and have always been around to sip on a pint of ale and talk about all that is good and bad. I am truly thankful to have been born and raised in northeast Ohio.

I am also thankful Damon Jones has been shooting the basketball with some consistency and look foreward to Lebron taking the Caveliers to the promised land. If Larry Hughes can stay healthy and they continue to get the bench production they've been getting the last couple of weeks look out. If big "Z" gets more involved on top of that they will be in the NBA finals, guaranteed. As the season was beginning I thought that Dallas would come out of the west to face the Caveliers. And they still may, after they pull themselves out of the cellar following their dismal start to the season. But, I guess if the first couple weeks of the season is the best time to hit a rut. The cavs retro orange uni's the last 2 games were crazy cool, no?? I have just added an orange World B. Free jersey to my christmas list.

The home run for the homeless thanksgiving morning was good fun, as expected. Antonio Pittman was there to wish us luck and lead us in a little O-H I-O chant at the starting line. This run has been a nice tradition the last couple of years to share with the Capes and Neal families & friends. The weather was perfect and the course is very hilly. We started at the very back of the pack and were boxed in by housewives and out of shape youngsters for the first mile or so. As things started to thin out I lost the group I started running with just as the course headed into the beautiful Glendale Cemetery....and the hills twisted up, down, and around some of Akrons most influential families resting places. I felt pretty good except for my calf being a bit tight from another minor muscle tear a few days before the race. Goal #1 this winter is to recover coompletely from calf strains and gain strength and flexibility so that I get over this pesty pain in the calf. Before I knew it we were heading out of the cemetery and onto the west Akron sides streets meandering back towards Exchange street for the finish. I had a lot of juice left as I realized there was only about 1/4 mile left and turned it up a notch.....no, more like 4 notches to the finish. My watch read 29:52 for the four miler which i was pretty happy with considering the circumstances. I'm pretty sure it's a 4 mile PR which should be broken on the next four miler I run, which just might be the Winking Lizard run in Cleveland next summer. If I break 20 minutes next year on a 5K I will feel accomplished. If I finish the half-marathon in Cleveland in May I will feel accomplished. So much for barstools and turkey dinners drowned in gravy followed by a big slice of pumpkin pie...

Until christmas.

Cold Rain and Snow...

2006-11-20T08:45:00.000-05:00

I'd almost forgotten what a snowy landscape looks like, unil I awoke this morning. It is one of the types of snow we are used to in northeast Ohio. As the morning gets underway the snow turns to rain, turns to mush....cold, wet, mush. Add a little ice and you have a familiar late fall day in Akron. The snow on mornings like this is often the same type of snow we will see in the very early spring. But make no mistake about it, winter is just about to begin.

I need to do my christmas shopping sometime here in the next month. Damn!! I think the idea should be to do it soon and through the mail so that I don't have to go to the dreaded shopping mall. "The friendliest mall of all" is just down the way if I need it.

Thanksgiving morning there is a nice little run through West Akron to raise money for one of the homeless shelter's in town. Butch Renoylds will be there. Santa Clause will be there. You should be there too!! It's a good way to work up an appetite for Thanksgiving dinner and set yourself up for a nice nap on the sofa during the football game. This year the weather should be nice; around 35 or 40 degrees during the race and dry. Last year we ran through a blizzard. I recall one point during the last mile or so of the run when I had to stare at my feet to keep the snow from stinging my eyes. If I looked ahead, which I tried to do simply for the shear amazement of the situation, I could only see a for a few feet before everything faded into a swirling white abyss. By the fourth mile my beard was frozen solid and I was ready for the warm coffee waiting at the finsh line. This year will be a little different.

Last friday nite we were treated to something special at the Kent State Folk Festival, The Sparrow Quartet, fresh off an airplane arriving from Tibet. These folks were masterful, which is what one would expect from such a group of musicians. And, your grandmother would have liked it. As a matter of fact, she probably would have known a couple of the songs, as they played a handful of old tunes.

Well, I must be off into the cold rain to listen to lectures on mass wasting and geometric theories. Nothing like a morning thinking about dirt and triangles to get the week started...

Credit Where Credit is Due

2006-11-15T14:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, I complain and complain about Damon Jones performance since coming to Cleveland. I post these thoughts in my new blog and then the 'ole chap goes out a week later and catches fire against the Knicks scoring 29 while hitting 7 of 10 shots from behind the arc. It's about time. I will be happy to stop bashing the guy if he gets a little consistency and gives us the bench scoring in the backcourt we so desperatly need. He may have been worried that Sasha would be taking some of his minutes with his recent surge in production. Maybe he corrected a hitch in his shot that he developed from adjusting to the breeze blowing inland from the Great Lake Erie. Whatever the reason I'll take it and insist that if we get production from he or Sasha off the bench we will all witness the cavs offensive production increase enough to not be a question of whether or not we need a point guard to make it deep into the playoffs. Speaking of poing guards, Eric Snow's minutes this year are minimal....maybe Danny Ferry and company will be trying to address the position before the trade dedline. My guess is that it lies in the hands of the bench players production.

Tonight at the Akron Library, journalist Kevin Sites will be speaking about what he has seen in his coverage of the war in Iraq. It should be interesting, if not troubling evening. I plan on squeezing in a swim workout along with some weight training either before or after this event. My calf raises on the "calf roller" on Monday has given me considerable difficulty walking which makes it "painfully" obvious that the time in the weight room will be beneficial. I have yet to regress into the Hulkamaniac of my youth, but look foreward to whatever physical and mental transformation takes place after my time in the weight room. Off I go to study my grimmace in the mirror so that I am in no way mistaken for a bleeding heart liberal or endurance athlete whilst pumping iron. No friends, no deadhead here; I am now an ass kicking meathead. Don't
f%$k with me, my economy car, or my tax and spend ideals. If you do, I'll be off at once to buy a Hummer and prove to you what a little testosterone is capable of....

Apple Cider on a Fall Sunday

2006-11-12T20:04:00.000-05:00

It's another Sunday night and here I sit in front of the 'ole computer with a hot cup of cider. Fall is upon us folks, and winter is right around the corner. If the colorful leaves last month didn't awaken you to this fact, the stiff breeze that was blowing today was all the evidence that you should need. The spectacular fall colors are gone, faded to shades of brown, and the landscape is littered with the skeletons of Ohio's deciduous trees. If you recall, last year thanksgiving morn we all awoke to blizzard-like conditions in NE Ohio, and of course thanksgiving is just over a week away. I will welcome that first heavy snow and look foreward to tromping through the powder with my trusty four-legged hiking partner. But that hike will have to wait as today's cool air was just a sign of things to come.

I set out for my first run in about a month tonight wearing my winter hat and gloves. There is something wonderful about being outside, breathing hard, in the cold. It reminds me that I am alive and the harsh realities of this life are still outside of the four walls of my home that keep me warm and dry. I was elated to have my foot healthy enough to beginning running again. The repitition of my breath and the sound of my Asics harmoniously intertwined with my trusty running partner's tapping toenails and rhythmic panting was more than therapeutic. Unfortunatly, after just a short couple of miles it was time to head for home. The purpose of todays run was to test the foot and reawaken my body to the stresses of running. I suffered the consequences of the all too common side-effect of clearing my mind as well.

Saturday night, after watching the Cavaliers mighty comeback in the fourth quarter against the Celtics I decided to head to the video store to rent The Prairie Home Movie. It was excellent....if you enjoy the radio show. If you are not familiar with the radio show and enjoy dry humor or acoustic music it is recommended. If you become emotional at those times of awareness of the passing of time it is also recommended. If you are a "family person" it is recommended. If you are a republican and/or for big business, or consider yourself urbane it is not recommended. Personally, I think Garrison Keilor is a genius and tomorrow I will listen to the replay of Saturdays "Prairie Home Companion" over the internet while I work...just what I need to make another day at the same desk in the same corner of the same room transform from unendurable to enjoyable.

Thinking of Allen

2006-11-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

Allen, oh Allen,
How I wish you still had pen in hand.
Walking through the depths of purgatorial
life after life
are you in my wishes.

I enjoy you so.
Even now, when there is no more writing
I still read Kaddish and think of
Allen and Naomi and Aunt Elanor
all united in the womb of the afterlife.

And Allen, I still think of you.
And what lies ahead and if we'll meet
at this place of white light,
at the cock-ball-beginning-of-it-all.
I wonder if I'll see you there.

I'm Blue...

2006-11-10T14:33:00.000-05:00

Ohio is blue. Congress is blue. America is blue....finally!! This should be a big step towards rekindling our friendship with the rest of the world, particularly Europe where they are much bigger Bush bashers than we are in the US. Just before the election Bush made a comment that went something like, "a vote for a republican is a vote for peace for generations to come." Makes me think of a quote that I've thought of often over the last few years. "Bombing for peace is like f#*king for virginity." Don't know who to give credit to for that one, but I like the analogy.

It's the end of incidents as we know them. I propose a toast to the good times......

After my swim yesterday I ran for a mile on the treadmill and my foot is pain free!! That is good news and if I can add mileage and put in a few miles on concrete without pain I think it's safe to say that there is not a crack in my talus. My current theory is that my tendons/ligaments in my foot were bothered when I switched shoes. So, I have made an insole change and hopefully things will be better. A runners feet are so temperamental!! The swimming is coming along much more quickly than I thought it would. The human body never ceases to amaze!

The Cavaliers put the stomp down on the Bulls on TNT last night. They made some free throws and got great bench production. If this continues look out!! And how about Sasha Pavlovic stepping up shooting 6-9 from the floor for 16 points in 25 minutes. He's a defensive liability and a bit out of control on the offensive end sometimes, but we sure could use some bench scoring at a guard spot.

I've got a big weekend of nothing planned and should be able to get back on the climbing wall and rest up a bit.....between loads of laundry, schoolwork, etc. If the weather holds I'll take Amaterasu for a spin. I have named my '91 Trek 1200 after the Japanese sun goddess due to her bright yellow color. It also seemed fitting as I plan to ride her in amateur triathlon's and duathlon's next summer. Speaking of, it's figuratively time to run....

Will Rake for Beer

2006-11-07T14:31:00.000-05:00

After my classes yesterday I stopped to visit Paulie, who was home from work due to the fact that he has a broken Volkswagon to deal with. That, coupled with the seemingly endless amounts of vacation time he has acquired being a government employee had him poking around his homestead. In his refrigerator he had, as usual, a nice stockpile of micro-brewed beer. So, he treated me to a Hell Hath No Fury Ale. Another one of the concoctions from the folks in Kalamazoo it was as good as one would expect. The style is an "american dopple-ale," and the color of the brew was as black as night. mmmmm, good!! In exchange for this tasty beverage I helped Paulie rake his leaves. Seeing that his yard is pretty small this seemed like a great trade. Anyone else have an ale (or three), black in color, that I haven't tried they are willing to exchange for a little help with the leaves?

Today is a busy day with a chiropractor's appt., voting, ye olde job, schoolwork, and a swim to squeeze in. I'm also going to try and make it out to Appalacian Outfitters while they're customer appreciation sale is going on. Time for some new smartwools for the winter!!!

The foot is feeling pretty good and soon I will attempt to run on it to see if the pain returns. For now I'm enjoying my time in the pool and have learned how to keep the water out of my nose, even when my heartrate skyrockets and I'm huffin' and puffin. I think a triathlon is in my future next summer.

Off I go to "Rock the Vote."

The Conformity of an Ant Colony.....

2006-11-05T20:56:00.000-05:00

Let's think about ants for a second. Have you ever seen a more cohesive group of workers? Our military goes through intensive training to become similarly focused on one objective. Football teams practice week in and week out to turn 11 individuals into a "well oiled machine." Hundreds, or thousands of ants obtain this sort of unity without "practice." They don't even talk. Or do they?

When I was a child my Aunt Judy bought me an ant farm. I recall learning that I had to be careful not to pour too much water on the farm in order that I do not destroy the little "roads" the ants made in the dirt. If I did and the tunnels collapsed, the stress might kill them! Talk about passion!!! Ants may have one up on humans in cohesiveness and work ethic but they sure don't know how to control their emotions.

Migrating birds travel thousands of miles to the same damn tree year in and year out, generation after generation. They have no map. No GPS. Well, my friend Paul bought a GPS and he said he had it stolen by a Blue Heron. I don't believe it. Squirrels stealing M&M's....maybe (I saw that one with my own eyes), but I know he must have misplaced his Garmin. Anyhow, these birds and butterfiles fly these incredibly far distances, and all we do is chalk it up to instinct. Instinct?? That's the best explanation we can come up with?? We humans are lucky to have a "conscience," although I often question that these days. We are lucky to have such an ability to comunicate as clearly as we do. But man, wouldn't it be great to be a migratory bird and have "instincts."

We work our whole lives so that we can retire, buy and RV and steer that thing across the country while our silver hair blows in the wind. 65 years living life like an ant and a measly handful with the freedom of a bird....for however long we can hang on. I might need to be an ant for 40 hours a week, but I'm not waiting for my social security check to gain a little freedom!! From today on, I delegate working hours only for antlike behavior!!!! Who's with me??

Nose Plug's Please

2006-11-04T16:48:00.000-05:00

Since I'm having this foot problem and can't run or climb I've started swimming. Yesterday was day 2 of this new hobby. I recieved a crash course in technique after my first pool session (thanks Jodi!) and was eager to get back into the pool to try and swim with my improved form. One of the concepts to being an effecient swimmer is to keep your weight over your upper body so your legs pop up in the water. So, I put on my new goggles to test this out. I found out a couple of things: 1) this is a much more effecient way to swim than with your head poking up out of the water; and 2) too much water goes up my nose with my head facing down into the pool. I tried to combat this by blowing as much air as possible out of my nose while my head was in the water. I kept thinking of using my nose like a whale uses it's blowhole to keep the stinging water at bay. It only worked part of the time. Hopefully, with a little practice I'll learn to keep the water out of my nose...or at least I'll get used to the burning sensation in my nose whilst swimming.

Last night we made a last minute journey up to the House of Blues to see the North Mississippi All-Stars. They sounded great and were having a blast on stage. I was of course indulging in a Christmas Ale and soaking in the ear candy. The room was only sparsly full with most everyone venturing up close to the stage, heads bopping to the beat. It seemed to me that the all-stars were a bit looser and shall we say....funkier than the previous couple of times I've seen them.

It was great to kick it with the Charleston folks this weekend!!! Hopefully we'll get together before you head back down south!!

The Cavaliers are for real this year!! How about them handling the Spurs in San Antonio last night. Their defense has really come around, and if they can keep the turnovers in check, make some damn free throws, and continue to stay balanced on offense they are going to be in the NBA finals playing the Mavs come this winter.

Pray for Phil

2006-11-03T17:20:00.000-05:00

Phil Lesh has announced he has been diganosed with prostate cancer. His prognosis is good, but yet this strikes fear in all of us who love him and the music he has been a part of for so many years. He put an announcement on his web page, and he is still playing the Vegoose show. Phil and Friends for New Years anyone??

Beer Bellies Waste Gas!!

2006-11-03T15:08:00.000-05:00

I read a great article on how obesity contributes to an increased use of fossil fuels (and vice-versa). Here is an interesting thought: For each extra pound of passenger plus vehicle, on average, a vehicle consumes .000011 extra gallons of fuel per mile. I'm sure you'd agree this is a pretty small number. If the average person travels 14,500 vehicle miles per year, that means that we consume .16 extra gallons of fuel per person/per year/per extra pound. This is also a pretty small number. Statistics show that 60% of men and 50% of women in America are overweight or obese, resulting in the average American being 20 lbs. overweight. Multiply that by 210 million American adults . Now, if America lost that excess 20 lbs per person it means we would save over a half BILLION gallons of gas per year. That, my friends, is a large number. So, yes....the little things matter. One less pound, One less car, One less disposable cup per person per day and we have large scale changes. The full article on obesity and energy can be found here.

I Am A Witness

2006-11-02T17:00:00.000-05:00

Times they are a changin'. I have not seen a cavaliers game in some time and had no idea how much smoke and lights are incorporated into the NBA games these days. There were courtside MC's, breakdancers, loud music, fireworks, and all sorts of hype. My friend Travis summed it up perfectly with his comment, "these games are geared towards kids with ADD." Every time the players left the floor there was all sorts of action going on.

The cavs loooked really good at points. Lebron was mediocre (by king James standards) and Larry Hughes looked like an all-star. The game came down to the wire with the cavs pulling it out by 3 points thanks to a big shot by King James, a couple free throws by the "wild thing," and a couple of big defensive stops. All in all the cavs looked like it was game #1 as they had some breadowns on both sides of the floor. They're free throw shooting was pitiful. 50% for the game and they were lucky to pull the win out with Varejao splitting 2 pairs of free throws down the stretch. Damon Jones shot 2 of 10 from the floor and has to be traded or needs to quit shooting. Or better yet, he needs to shoot the ball like he did before he came to Cleveland.

In more important news, how about the city of New York considering legislation that would limit resteraunts in the amount of oil they use that contains trans-fats. The topic will be discussed on Science Friday tomorrow on NPR. Kentucky Fried Chicken, Chilli's, Wendy's, and Ruby Tuesday's has already vowed to make the switch in their chain's nationwide. The entire country of Denmark has banned the oil. This is a pretty exciting move towards a healthier society and makes it painfully obvious that we should all think about the food we eat. Now, if we could just ban GMO's.

And the Dr. said.....

2006-11-01T00:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been having a minor (so I thought) pain in my foot for a few weeks. It was mentioned to me that it might be a stress fracture so I immediatly quit running and scheduled an appoitment with a sports med doctor. That doctor and I had a brief meeting yesterday.

They took an x-ray and I was mildly emberassed when the cute x-ray tech gave me a little "skirt" of sorts and told me to "hold this around your waist." I of course thanked her for the "skirt" that deflects whatever the x-ray machine emits that my future children might find harmful and tried to act normal about the whole thing.

So, I take the x-rays to the doc and they show nothing, which isn't a suprise when it comes to stress fractures. And now I have a couple of options:

1) the most expensive and (of course) most logical choice is to get an MRI to rule out a fracture.
2) wait another week or so and run a little bit to see if the pain returns

If it is a fracture of my talus it's bad news. At best 6 to 12 weeks in a cast. At worst put a pin in my foot to fix it, then cast, etc.... If I don't get an MRI and it is cracked and I do further damage then I'm "really screwed, litteraly and figurativley" (to quote trusty Dr. Figler) and I will need a pin in my foot.
full recovery time is approx 5 months. OUCH!!!!!

Remember now folks.....let's be optimists.....There is still no certainty that it is cracked. I sure don't plan to be a couch potato for the next half year.

But, not all is bad in spite of my foot troubles....I'll be attending the Cavaliers season opening game against the Wizards tonite. My prediction.....Lebron gets 32. Larry Hughes chips in 18. Off the bench Donyell throws in 16 to go with 9 boards. Drew Gooden gets 15 and 12. And last and absolutly least, Damon Jones sucks again; but it doesn't matter as the Cavaliers win by 8.

In the beginning.....

2006-10-30T22:57:00.000-05:00

So, I guess I have a blog. I figured I needed one more thing to occupy my time. My never-ending attempt to obtain my bachelor's degree, keep a full-time job, ride my bicycle, jaunt through the woods with my dog, climb up vertical walls, and sip an occasional pint of ale just wasn't enough. On that note, I've got things to do; but I'll be back.......