I haven't been able to get my iPhone to take a picture all day...the drive's not full. Time for a reset, perhaps.
I did take it on my two-hour bike ride today, but it was kept padded and dry...
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Animals
When I set out on my first two hour run in some time on Saturday, I was expecting any number of things, but what I was not expecting was to have a chocolate labrador try a Deion Sanders shoulder-tackle about 70 minutes into the run. Fortunately, like any Sanders tackle, it was more show than substance, and as you know, dogs are not very good at wrapping up.
However, I will give the dog this- he came up behind me without setting off any alarms and it wasn't until he actually put his head and shoulders into the back of my knees that I realised something was amiss. Because the dog and I were both moving in the same direction and his intention was friendly, there was no harm done, just an extra shot of adrenaline and the wait for the owner to come get control back of his dog.
One my Sunday ride, I disturbed a hawk with his meal- a squirrel, about 15 minutes into my ride. He was just sitting in the middle of the road, eating, so I was a little worried that he might not just take his meal and move off, but he did. I'd completely forgotten about him an hour and a half later when I rode back into Stony Creek.
Apparently, the Hawk did not like mealus interruptus. As I crested the hill and was at my lowest speed, the hawk closed in. I caught its shadow, turned and yelled something- who knows what- at it. Of course, turning my face towards it was probably the dumbest thing I could have done, and clearly it just was reminding me whose turf I was on, but still...
However, I will give the dog this- he came up behind me without setting off any alarms and it wasn't until he actually put his head and shoulders into the back of my knees that I realised something was amiss. Because the dog and I were both moving in the same direction and his intention was friendly, there was no harm done, just an extra shot of adrenaline and the wait for the owner to come get control back of his dog.
One my Sunday ride, I disturbed a hawk with his meal- a squirrel, about 15 minutes into my ride. He was just sitting in the middle of the road, eating, so I was a little worried that he might not just take his meal and move off, but he did. I'd completely forgotten about him an hour and a half later when I rode back into Stony Creek.
Apparently, the Hawk did not like mealus interruptus. As I crested the hill and was at my lowest speed, the hawk closed in. I caught its shadow, turned and yelled something- who knows what- at it. Of course, turning my face towards it was probably the dumbest thing I could have done, and clearly it just was reminding me whose turf I was on, but still...
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Notes from the Treadmill
Those big screen TVs at LA Fitness are set to CNN, ESPN, and Channel 8, and today was a lunch treadmill workout. here are my observations on today's noontime dren:
ESPN- I don't care if Jose Canseco knows who the second Kennedy shooter was, he does not deserve interview time on any station that can afford to upgrade to HD broadcast equipment.
CNN- Is that Larry King Live discussion scheduled for tonight a Clinton-Obama cage match with John McCain as the in-ring referee ? Obama's got the footwork, but the real secret here is that it's actually Clinton who's got the better left.
Channel 8- How about treating the weather as, oh I don't know, the weather, and not an impending terrorist attack...
ESPN- I don't care if Jose Canseco knows who the second Kennedy shooter was, he does not deserve interview time on any station that can afford to upgrade to HD broadcast equipment.
CNN- Is that Larry King Live discussion scheduled for tonight a Clinton-Obama cage match with John McCain as the in-ring referee ? Obama's got the footwork, but the real secret here is that it's actually Clinton who's got the better left.
Channel 8- How about treating the weather as, oh I don't know, the weather, and not an impending terrorist attack...
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Time Trial, Part II
Ah, things are starting to come back to me.
I found myself time-trialing the Hammerfest course for the second time in three days. Do I hate myself or feel that I'm behind on my progress for 2008 ? No. Do I think that hopping my bike in late March and riding until I just feel well, like I'm sprinting for 36 minutes, proves anything. Definitely not.
What is it then. Two things- first, it's light and warm enough to be outside, and second, I have to pick my son up from day care most nights and I'd rather ride my ass off for a little under forty minutes outside on a nice day, than spin inside if I'm also watching my son at the same time. That was my dilemma today- pick him up and try to convince him to play in the basement for an hour while I spun, or rush home, ride until my tongue was hanging out of my mouth and get that done in less than forty minutes.
I picked the shorter, harder, more known quantity. He's let me spin 9- minutes without an interruption that requires me getting off the bike, and other days it's 5 times in 40 minutes. With my other option being to wait until 9 PM, I decided to squeeze what I could in...
And then, I almost overcooked a turn at 25 mph, which would have endangered the day-care pick up.
But I'll note here- as this is the closest thing I have to a training diary- that I averaged 22.2 mph for just under 14 miles. So if I was thinking I was behind where I need to be....
I found myself time-trialing the Hammerfest course for the second time in three days. Do I hate myself or feel that I'm behind on my progress for 2008 ? No. Do I think that hopping my bike in late March and riding until I just feel well, like I'm sprinting for 36 minutes, proves anything. Definitely not.
What is it then. Two things- first, it's light and warm enough to be outside, and second, I have to pick my son up from day care most nights and I'd rather ride my ass off for a little under forty minutes outside on a nice day, than spin inside if I'm also watching my son at the same time. That was my dilemma today- pick him up and try to convince him to play in the basement for an hour while I spun, or rush home, ride until my tongue was hanging out of my mouth and get that done in less than forty minutes.
I picked the shorter, harder, more known quantity. He's let me spin 9- minutes without an interruption that requires me getting off the bike, and other days it's 5 times in 40 minutes. With my other option being to wait until 9 PM, I decided to squeeze what I could in...
And then, I almost overcooked a turn at 25 mph, which would have endangered the day-care pick up.
But I'll note here- as this is the closest thing I have to a training diary- that I averaged 22.2 mph for just under 14 miles. So if I was thinking I was behind where I need to be....
Monday, March 24, 2008
Time Trial
Well, the weather is sort of improving- why we are having some of our coldest nights of the year in the spring, when there's no snow on the ground is beyond me, but even the 20 degree nights aren't stopping the shoreline temperatures from flirting with 50 degrees late in the day.
I took advantage to get out on my bike at 6:30 tonight. Yes, 6:30. I don't know what sort of crazy sort of blood-pressure medicine the US Congress is on, starting Daylight Savings Time in the middle of March, but suddenly, I'm liking it. I was able to get in a 42 minute, 14.75 mile time trial ride on my Elite. Nothing to brag about- barely 21 MPH for a fairly flat course. But the last time I managed a time trial was back in late November after a long run.
I was overdressed, sucking wind the whole time, and wondering if my legs would hold up, but it was sure nice to pull the bike off the trainer and give it a real workout...
I took advantage to get out on my bike at 6:30 tonight. Yes, 6:30. I don't know what sort of crazy sort of blood-pressure medicine the US Congress is on, starting Daylight Savings Time in the middle of March, but suddenly, I'm liking it. I was able to get in a 42 minute, 14.75 mile time trial ride on my Elite. Nothing to brag about- barely 21 MPH for a fairly flat course. But the last time I managed a time trial was back in late November after a long run.
I was overdressed, sucking wind the whole time, and wondering if my legs would hold up, but it was sure nice to pull the bike off the trainer and give it a real workout...
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Egg Hunt, or on Being a Parent
I don't usually delve too far into my personal life here in this blog (are anywhere else for that matter ?), but today a completely off-topic event reminded me of a 5K, so here I am, writing about it.
I'm not your typical parent- at 42, pushing 43 pretty hard, my son is just 3 years old, and we have only a few friends with young (or any) kids, and I would not say those are friends we spend much time with. I'm not exactly tapped into the kid nation either. I had sort of an odd childhood in that my parents were even older than I am compared to my son and I'm not sure they were dialed all the way in either, although they tried pretty damn hard and on scant resources. As a result, there's an awful lot I don't know about what is typical family activity.
Take the egg hunt. Branford sponsors a town-wide egg hunt and this is a pretty well-attended event. My wife was swimming out in New London until 9AM, and really wanted me to go to the egg hunt. For this and other reasons I was left with getting my workout (and shower) in between 9 AM and 10:40 AM. I went long on the bike yesterday (in my basement) and in honor of the EH crew being out in Arizona, did another part of the virtual reality Arizona DVD from Coach Troy- the Mt. Lemmon climb (yesterday was Gates Pass). If you really want to work your backside off on the trainer, get this DVD. If half an hour straight in Big Ring 13 is not to your taste, then this is not the DVD for you (or you're not working hard enough, pal). There's the workout related, on-topic part of the blog.
At 10:30 I was in the shower, and at 10:40 we were in the car for a 5-10 minute drive. This was still probably a little bit too late to leave the house. We pulled down the side-road to Foote Park wedged between minvans and Jeeps, grabbed one of the last parking spaces in the park, and headed over to the start. We ran into a number of Ian's friends from school- children that had been in his pre-school class at day care until recently when he moved up. We happily settled into line with them and snapped some pix as the VFW volunteers waited for everyone to get into place for the 'hunt.'
Now, as hunting goes, this is a step above hunting with Dick Cheney (how a guy shoots you in the face when the birds he's supposed to be shooting are basically stationary until the moment of they are flushed and he knows where the birds are going to be, in other words in the air, not at ground level, in other words, accident my ass), but a step below English foxhunts. The 'eggs', hundreds of them along with store-bought candy bars, are laid out on a relatively flat patch of grass in corrals, divided into different age-groups. Meanwhile, the Eastern bunny was roaming around- costume perfect except for some pretty beat-looking basketball shoes that kind of ruined the illusion for me.
The problem was that Ian, standing with his friends, was in the 1-2 corral. We moved over to the 3-5 corral and I smelled trouble. First of all, we couldn't even get to the line, second, their was a slew of parents blocking the way and hovering over their kids. The VFW crew announced that parents could follow their kids. I determined not to do that, but wow.
The whistle went off and I finally knew what it was like to be on the wrong end of a 5K. The locust went up the grass and with the machine efficiency of terminators, they eliminated every egg, every piece of candy, every wrapper. It was a horde lurching up over the Urals, while I watched it retreat away from me. Even the grass browned under the press. Ian got a decent amount of candy, but was not exactly the high earner.
He happily scooted over into the 1-2 corral, where he had half the area to himself and filled his basket without depriving anyone else of their candy.
Man, being a parent is weird.
I'm not your typical parent- at 42, pushing 43 pretty hard, my son is just 3 years old, and we have only a few friends with young (or any) kids, and I would not say those are friends we spend much time with. I'm not exactly tapped into the kid nation either. I had sort of an odd childhood in that my parents were even older than I am compared to my son and I'm not sure they were dialed all the way in either, although they tried pretty damn hard and on scant resources. As a result, there's an awful lot I don't know about what is typical family activity.
Take the egg hunt. Branford sponsors a town-wide egg hunt and this is a pretty well-attended event. My wife was swimming out in New London until 9AM, and really wanted me to go to the egg hunt. For this and other reasons I was left with getting my workout (and shower) in between 9 AM and 10:40 AM. I went long on the bike yesterday (in my basement) and in honor of the EH crew being out in Arizona, did another part of the virtual reality Arizona DVD from Coach Troy- the Mt. Lemmon climb (yesterday was Gates Pass). If you really want to work your backside off on the trainer, get this DVD. If half an hour straight in Big Ring 13 is not to your taste, then this is not the DVD for you (or you're not working hard enough, pal). There's the workout related, on-topic part of the blog.
At 10:30 I was in the shower, and at 10:40 we were in the car for a 5-10 minute drive. This was still probably a little bit too late to leave the house. We pulled down the side-road to Foote Park wedged between minvans and Jeeps, grabbed one of the last parking spaces in the park, and headed over to the start. We ran into a number of Ian's friends from school- children that had been in his pre-school class at day care until recently when he moved up. We happily settled into line with them and snapped some pix as the VFW volunteers waited for everyone to get into place for the 'hunt.'
Now, as hunting goes, this is a step above hunting with Dick Cheney (how a guy shoots you in the face when the birds he's supposed to be shooting are basically stationary until the moment of they are flushed and he knows where the birds are going to be, in other words in the air, not at ground level, in other words, accident my ass), but a step below English foxhunts. The 'eggs', hundreds of them along with store-bought candy bars, are laid out on a relatively flat patch of grass in corrals, divided into different age-groups. Meanwhile, the Eastern bunny was roaming around- costume perfect except for some pretty beat-looking basketball shoes that kind of ruined the illusion for me.
The problem was that Ian, standing with his friends, was in the 1-2 corral. We moved over to the 3-5 corral and I smelled trouble. First of all, we couldn't even get to the line, second, their was a slew of parents blocking the way and hovering over their kids. The VFW crew announced that parents could follow their kids. I determined not to do that, but wow.
The whistle went off and I finally knew what it was like to be on the wrong end of a 5K. The locust went up the grass and with the machine efficiency of terminators, they eliminated every egg, every piece of candy, every wrapper. It was a horde lurching up over the Urals, while I watched it retreat away from me. Even the grass browned under the press. Ian got a decent amount of candy, but was not exactly the high earner.
He happily scooted over into the 1-2 corral, where he had half the area to himself and filled his basket without depriving anyone else of their candy.
Man, being a parent is weird.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
300- Spinning Movie Review
I don't usually watch movies when I spin, but I rented 300 on the iTunes store and had- you guessed it, 2 hours left to watch the movie before it expired- Apple only gives you a month. Sad.
The movie actually starts out a little on the slow side, to be honest. A lot of talking, a boy and his dog victim, politicians, and so on. But that doesn't last and anyway, when I started spinning I had 1 hour and six minutes left to watch.
Now, there's no sense talking about history here. First of all, the real Xerxes was probably a little over six foot tall, not seven-eight feet tall and oddrogynous. Then there are the particulars of the stand of Leonidas and his men, many of which followed him and his to the grave and certainly were at odds with what you saw in the movie. And let's not even talk about how the Spartans were just as often the worst Greece had to offer as the best. Nevertheless...
300 really turned out to be a guilty pleasure. Because it's always a little guilty for me, as someone who generally thinks that war and killing are exactly the sorts of things the human race should have figured out by now how to do without, to really sit down (on my bike in this case) and enjoy- really enjoy, a movie that at its essence, is about the most brutal, most violent sort of conflict.
This is a great movie for when you're trapped on your bike looking to generate some intensity. The fight scenes are top-notch, graphic, but well done. The slower parts still carry the right sort of music and storyline that you'll find yourself cranking out a nice steady high-aerobic effort while watching the movie. A good movie to spin to immerses you without being distracting.
And let's face it- while the Spartans are standing to the last man against Xerxes you feel like the least you can do is suffer a little spinning...
The movie actually starts out a little on the slow side, to be honest. A lot of talking, a boy and his dog victim, politicians, and so on. But that doesn't last and anyway, when I started spinning I had 1 hour and six minutes left to watch.
Now, there's no sense talking about history here. First of all, the real Xerxes was probably a little over six foot tall, not seven-eight feet tall and oddrogynous. Then there are the particulars of the stand of Leonidas and his men, many of which followed him and his to the grave and certainly were at odds with what you saw in the movie. And let's not even talk about how the Spartans were just as often the worst Greece had to offer as the best. Nevertheless...
300 really turned out to be a guilty pleasure. Because it's always a little guilty for me, as someone who generally thinks that war and killing are exactly the sorts of things the human race should have figured out by now how to do without, to really sit down (on my bike in this case) and enjoy- really enjoy, a movie that at its essence, is about the most brutal, most violent sort of conflict.
This is a great movie for when you're trapped on your bike looking to generate some intensity. The fight scenes are top-notch, graphic, but well done. The slower parts still carry the right sort of music and storyline that you'll find yourself cranking out a nice steady high-aerobic effort while watching the movie. A good movie to spin to immerses you without being distracting.
And let's face it- while the Spartans are standing to the last man against Xerxes you feel like the least you can do is suffer a little spinning...
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Hybrid Workout
Yesterday my coach gave me a two hour outdoor ride, but it was thankfully set up in a way that was also easy to spin- warm up, 20 minutes in C, 20 minutes easy, 20 minutes in C, steady B to end. I've done plenty of outdoor riding this winter, but the one thing I won't do is ride in cold and wet/raining conditions, and it was a wet morning. So while my coach was on his way to Tucson, I popped in Stargate SG-1, the Ark of Truth, and started my workout. Because the downstairs TV is beyond its last legs, the only way to really see anything on it is to turn out the lights, making the basement dark enough you can see the TV.
Shortly after I started my second set in C, I noticed bright light. It was coming in through the basement windows and with 45 minutes left after the set, I decided that even though I was enjoying this straight to DVD treatment of the Ori saga (I know, geek alert), it was time to hop on the Elite and get outside. I didn't want a long transition, so I just threw on tights, a jacket, gloves and a hat and got to it.
Of course, it looked nicer from inside than it was on the outside- so typical this time of year- you want it to be nice so badly that you maybe force it a little, but then again, even when it's bad, it's not really that bad. It was sunny, but not all that warm. I started out with the wind at my back and I was flying, chasing along with the cars and feeling really good. For not having been outside in two or three weeks I was surprised at how strong I felt and I was thinking that all the spinning I'd done really was paying off. Of course it's easy to feel good with the wind at your back. That didn't last. As soon as I got into the crosswind I nearly fell over and for the rest of the ride I was off more than on the aerobars, fighting the conditions and not feeling like I was mid-season shape anymore.
It was still a good forty-five minutes outside and probably in some ways the best part of the two-hour ride, however, towards the end, when my feet were cold, the wind was blowing me all over the road and I was climbing a hill, I couldn't help but think back to how I'd been on the trainer sweating, watching a movie with warm feet, and how that was preferable to being cold, and wind-blown at 12 mph.
Which was why it was good that I had to throw the bike back in the basement, grab my running shoes, and head out on my brick run. There's no better way to get the feeling back in your feet, after all...
Shortly after I started my second set in C, I noticed bright light. It was coming in through the basement windows and with 45 minutes left after the set, I decided that even though I was enjoying this straight to DVD treatment of the Ori saga (I know, geek alert), it was time to hop on the Elite and get outside. I didn't want a long transition, so I just threw on tights, a jacket, gloves and a hat and got to it.
Of course, it looked nicer from inside than it was on the outside- so typical this time of year- you want it to be nice so badly that you maybe force it a little, but then again, even when it's bad, it's not really that bad. It was sunny, but not all that warm. I started out with the wind at my back and I was flying, chasing along with the cars and feeling really good. For not having been outside in two or three weeks I was surprised at how strong I felt and I was thinking that all the spinning I'd done really was paying off. Of course it's easy to feel good with the wind at your back. That didn't last. As soon as I got into the crosswind I nearly fell over and for the rest of the ride I was off more than on the aerobars, fighting the conditions and not feeling like I was mid-season shape anymore.
It was still a good forty-five minutes outside and probably in some ways the best part of the two-hour ride, however, towards the end, when my feet were cold, the wind was blowing me all over the road and I was climbing a hill, I couldn't help but think back to how I'd been on the trainer sweating, watching a movie with warm feet, and how that was preferable to being cold, and wind-blown at 12 mph.
Which was why it was good that I had to throw the bike back in the basement, grab my running shoes, and head out on my brick run. There's no better way to get the feeling back in your feet, after all...
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Who am I ? Here's One Tongue-in-Cheek Answer
Sure, you've got a lot of stuff figured out, but that's no reason to take yourself too seriously. The most important thing is to do what makes you happy and help the people you care about. Just don't forget to relax and enjoy yourself now and again and you'll come out on top!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Shamrock and Roll
One thing that has definitely changed for me when it comes to road races is my desire to warm-up before the race.
I got to the race about 40 minutes before it started, quickly registered and went out and ran about a mile and an half. After that I went straight to the starting line, did my strides and picked the straightest course I could through the start by doing about 20 stride-outs. The start is not as all straight- the street kind of winds it way up the road, but you can run a perfectly straight line if you want.
Surprisingly, people didn't really want to stand right on the line. So I was pretty amazed that as we went to turn the first corner I was in about 30th place and some clown in black cut me off at the corner like it was a 1500 indoor track meet. As there was ice at the corner, I let the man in black cut right across me, something I usually wouldn't do. Then it was into the canyon of everlasting night there at the turn and we were running uphill into the wind.
I looked at all the people in front of me and forced myself to stick with my plan. I mean, it was disheartening- I have rarely run a race this size (less than a thousand people) and been so far back place-wise so early (later yes, this early no). And it didn't exactly look like the usual crowd of kids, high school students, and the terminally insane. But I started up the hill- and noticed what looked like a guy in a red-white and blue jacket running on the sidewalk to our right. The running form looked familiar but all I could think as I started slowly moving up was 'Why is some guy in a jacket running as fast as me ?'
That guy was Chris Schulten, who was out for a training run and intersected the race by accident. I won't say that he dropped me on the hill, but it was close to it. I continued moving up and even passed Michael Dolan (who would pass me back after 2 miles). I took the turn and settled in and wouldn't really change places much except to fall behind Michael on the downhill.
The race is really a hard race, because it's a real dash up the hills for the first half of the run. At least this time, none of the motorcycle cops tried to run me over...
I thought I ran the downhill well, and pushed hard to the finish. Not much really happened on the back half of the race- I ran as hard as I could, held my position, and banged out an 18:15, after I which I downed two Guinness and did my warm-down with Charlie Hornak. I beat my time from two years ago by 15 seconds and for the second time this year felt like I ran a good race, which, since I raced twice, I'll take.
But I still went out in the afternoon and ran for 75 minutes because Sunday is my long run day and I'm training for an Ironman.
I got to the race about 40 minutes before it started, quickly registered and went out and ran about a mile and an half. After that I went straight to the starting line, did my strides and picked the straightest course I could through the start by doing about 20 stride-outs. The start is not as all straight- the street kind of winds it way up the road, but you can run a perfectly straight line if you want.
Surprisingly, people didn't really want to stand right on the line. So I was pretty amazed that as we went to turn the first corner I was in about 30th place and some clown in black cut me off at the corner like it was a 1500 indoor track meet. As there was ice at the corner, I let the man in black cut right across me, something I usually wouldn't do. Then it was into the canyon of everlasting night there at the turn and we were running uphill into the wind.
I looked at all the people in front of me and forced myself to stick with my plan. I mean, it was disheartening- I have rarely run a race this size (less than a thousand people) and been so far back place-wise so early (later yes, this early no). And it didn't exactly look like the usual crowd of kids, high school students, and the terminally insane. But I started up the hill- and noticed what looked like a guy in a red-white and blue jacket running on the sidewalk to our right. The running form looked familiar but all I could think as I started slowly moving up was 'Why is some guy in a jacket running as fast as me ?'
That guy was Chris Schulten, who was out for a training run and intersected the race by accident. I won't say that he dropped me on the hill, but it was close to it. I continued moving up and even passed Michael Dolan (who would pass me back after 2 miles). I took the turn and settled in and wouldn't really change places much except to fall behind Michael on the downhill.
The race is really a hard race, because it's a real dash up the hills for the first half of the run. At least this time, none of the motorcycle cops tried to run me over...
I thought I ran the downhill well, and pushed hard to the finish. Not much really happened on the back half of the race- I ran as hard as I could, held my position, and banged out an 18:15, after I which I downed two Guinness and did my warm-down with Charlie Hornak. I beat my time from two years ago by 15 seconds and for the second time this year felt like I ran a good race, which, since I raced twice, I'll take.
But I still went out in the afternoon and ran for 75 minutes because Sunday is my long run day and I'm training for an Ironman.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Snow ?
I found myself driving through a snow squall up north of where I live on the way home around 9:30 tonight. There's something wrong with the weather and our climate when I see more snow in late February than the whole rest of the winter put together.
We took our son sledding for the first and second times ever Friday and Sunday. As a kid, sledding was what you did in the winter. We had the best hill in the whole neighbourhood and all the kids came over to my house- whether I was out there or not. This was the 1970s, when of course things like liability where not an issue.
We got some good sledding in and it was great to see Ian was totally psyched and didn't want to leave either day. But I have to wonder at how little sledding there is in CT. The kids on the hill didn't seem to have the basics down- that you have to groom the course to keep the run from wearing down to the dirt, that headfirst is the fastest way down, that you have to keep the line moving, and most of all, never turn your back to the run unless you want someone to cut you down at the ankles.
Still, it's too bad that the days of snow in winter in southern CT seem to be gone for good...
We took our son sledding for the first and second times ever Friday and Sunday. As a kid, sledding was what you did in the winter. We had the best hill in the whole neighbourhood and all the kids came over to my house- whether I was out there or not. This was the 1970s, when of course things like liability where not an issue.
We got some good sledding in and it was great to see Ian was totally psyched and didn't want to leave either day. But I have to wonder at how little sledding there is in CT. The kids on the hill didn't seem to have the basics down- that you have to groom the course to keep the run from wearing down to the dirt, that headfirst is the fastest way down, that you have to keep the line moving, and most of all, never turn your back to the run unless you want someone to cut you down at the ankles.
Still, it's too bad that the days of snow in winter in southern CT seem to be gone for good...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Ironman Replay
A few hours after running the Sweetheart, I found myself on my bike in the basement, spinning out an Aero Base Builder. After all, Saturdays are for the bike, not running races, so there was no question I should do the spin after resting and recovering from the race.
I have an Apple TV with a number of Spinervals set up on it, and that and its monitor sit on top of an old TV. So when I went downstairs the ironman was on, however, I didn't turn it on right away. There was the fact I'd already seen it once. There was also the fact that, well, I have a little bit of a sore spot there.
It's an hard thing to get by. I'm really fortunate to train with, know, and even be coached by people who not only have been in the big show, but conquered it nicely. As someone who never thought about qualifying, to have qualified and then not gone is- it makes it a little difficult to watch this ninety minute celebration of other people at Kona. Which is incredibly selfish. So after refusing to turn it on during the first five minutes of my spin, I did flip the TV on.
Of course, I was glad I did. It's good to get past your own selfish hangups. There are the obligatory reminders about how good you really have it. There was the kid with the scar running the length of his chest, the blind man, the guy with zero legs.
But what really affected me was Rutger Beke. My own race at IM Arizona was brought back to me in force. I was embarrassed. I was shocked with myself, but mostly, I was just disappointed. And then I watched this man, a true professional, an accomplished athlete, the sort of guy who is looking at breaking not just 11 hours, or 10, but who is a top ten finisher, and multiple Kona finisher. And there he was, honouring the race, walking the marathon not because he wanted a finisher's medal, not because he planned to walk the marathon, but because he could no longer run.
That was something. That is something I'll take into races with me, a reminder about determination, about looking inside yourself to find something, even when nothing is left...
I have an Apple TV with a number of Spinervals set up on it, and that and its monitor sit on top of an old TV. So when I went downstairs the ironman was on, however, I didn't turn it on right away. There was the fact I'd already seen it once. There was also the fact that, well, I have a little bit of a sore spot there.
It's an hard thing to get by. I'm really fortunate to train with, know, and even be coached by people who not only have been in the big show, but conquered it nicely. As someone who never thought about qualifying, to have qualified and then not gone is- it makes it a little difficult to watch this ninety minute celebration of other people at Kona. Which is incredibly selfish. So after refusing to turn it on during the first five minutes of my spin, I did flip the TV on.
Of course, I was glad I did. It's good to get past your own selfish hangups. There are the obligatory reminders about how good you really have it. There was the kid with the scar running the length of his chest, the blind man, the guy with zero legs.
But what really affected me was Rutger Beke. My own race at IM Arizona was brought back to me in force. I was embarrassed. I was shocked with myself, but mostly, I was just disappointed. And then I watched this man, a true professional, an accomplished athlete, the sort of guy who is looking at breaking not just 11 hours, or 10, but who is a top ten finisher, and multiple Kona finisher. And there he was, honouring the race, walking the marathon not because he wanted a finisher's medal, not because he planned to walk the marathon, but because he could no longer run.
That was something. That is something I'll take into races with me, a reminder about determination, about looking inside yourself to find something, even when nothing is left...
Sunday, February 17, 2008
A Good Race, but Five Seconds ???
I really went into yesterday's race with a feeling that there would not be much I could do. I didn't say anything to Margit as we'd be racing as a team, but when I haven't raced in two months, I usually don't do anything worth writing about.
It was cold and windy, not quite bitter but certainly bordering on too cold for the racing shoes I was wearing- bright orange Mizunos that stick out and draw comments. I went off on my own and warmed up, running almost two miles and feeling like I was sucking wind on a comparatively small hill. This was not the 2 hour plus bike ride which has become my Saturday staple.
The race thankfully started close to on time and I very quickly found myself set in with a group of four runners, Ryan Pancoast (congrats, Ryan) leading the way on the first downhill mile. There's something nice about racing in February. It really was a sedate first mile. I was in the lead group, so I decided to try and step outside myself and stay with this. We went through a mile at 5:38, but that's as downhill a mile as the 4th is uphill. We climbed a bit and then broke onto a straight away and I told the two college kids with me that Ryan was just waiting for them to draw up with him. Right then, Ryan looked back as he took the turn and after the race he confirmed that was just what he was doing.
We took another hill. I fell back on the opening part of the hill but then surged past everyone but Ryan as we crested. He was only holding about 50 yards, and although I know I could never beat Ryan, I made an attempt to close the gap, but it was so small. I couldn't, and that effort probably hurt me.
I spent the next mile pulling away on downhills and getting tangled up in a mix of what had become 4 runners including myself. We hit the three mile mark and I fell back to fifth. Ryan had left us behind and Fred Willis was slowly pulling away, but we went up that long hill and fell into fifth, just biding my time. As we finally crested, I tried my best to find an extra gear and on the downhill pushed into third place. I ran hard, but after the last turn onto the main road, I slowly fell back to fifth.
The clock was at 23:49 when I first saw it and I knew it would take a titanic effort to break 24:00. It didn't happen. I ran 24:03.
As soon as Margit finished we went out and ran the course backwards with Robin Passander, cutting out the upper loop and just doing about three miles. I was thinking Margit and I had a very good chance to win. I didn't know that Ian Frankel had been randomly matched up with a 15 year old girl that finished second overall and we lost our chance to be three-time champions by 5 seconds.
5 seconds ?
It was cold and windy, not quite bitter but certainly bordering on too cold for the racing shoes I was wearing- bright orange Mizunos that stick out and draw comments. I went off on my own and warmed up, running almost two miles and feeling like I was sucking wind on a comparatively small hill. This was not the 2 hour plus bike ride which has become my Saturday staple.
The race thankfully started close to on time and I very quickly found myself set in with a group of four runners, Ryan Pancoast (congrats, Ryan) leading the way on the first downhill mile. There's something nice about racing in February. It really was a sedate first mile. I was in the lead group, so I decided to try and step outside myself and stay with this. We went through a mile at 5:38, but that's as downhill a mile as the 4th is uphill. We climbed a bit and then broke onto a straight away and I told the two college kids with me that Ryan was just waiting for them to draw up with him. Right then, Ryan looked back as he took the turn and after the race he confirmed that was just what he was doing.
We took another hill. I fell back on the opening part of the hill but then surged past everyone but Ryan as we crested. He was only holding about 50 yards, and although I know I could never beat Ryan, I made an attempt to close the gap, but it was so small. I couldn't, and that effort probably hurt me.
I spent the next mile pulling away on downhills and getting tangled up in a mix of what had become 4 runners including myself. We hit the three mile mark and I fell back to fifth. Ryan had left us behind and Fred Willis was slowly pulling away, but we went up that long hill and fell into fifth, just biding my time. As we finally crested, I tried my best to find an extra gear and on the downhill pushed into third place. I ran hard, but after the last turn onto the main road, I slowly fell back to fifth.
The clock was at 23:49 when I first saw it and I knew it would take a titanic effort to break 24:00. It didn't happen. I ran 24:03.
As soon as Margit finished we went out and ran the course backwards with Robin Passander, cutting out the upper loop and just doing about three miles. I was thinking Margit and I had a very good chance to win. I didn't know that Ian Frankel had been randomly matched up with a 15 year old girl that finished second overall and we lost our chance to be three-time champions by 5 seconds.
5 seconds ?
Friday, February 15, 2008
A Race ?
I haven't run a race since Christopher Martins last year and haven't even really considered running one either. It's been 2 hours on the mountain bike or spinning Saturdays and 90 minutes or more of running every Sunday- I got back up to 1:45 last Sunday.
When Margit suggested running the Sweetheart Run, I was taken a little off-guard. I haven't really done any speed work running. it's been slow runs in the b range, spinning, the occasional swim. Work has been unusually busy- a series of mishaps caused by people who are supposed to be helping me with me picking up the pieces- so getting in two workouts a day has been rough sledding and often if I get one workout in, it's on the bike.
The Sweetheart course is a hard course, with a big hill and usually some good competition. I'll be interested to see how I do.
When Margit suggested running the Sweetheart Run, I was taken a little off-guard. I haven't really done any speed work running. it's been slow runs in the b range, spinning, the occasional swim. Work has been unusually busy- a series of mishaps caused by people who are supposed to be helping me with me picking up the pieces- so getting in two workouts a day has been rough sledding and often if I get one workout in, it's on the bike.
The Sweetheart course is a hard course, with a big hill and usually some good competition. I'll be interested to see how I do.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Electronic Voting Machines- Burned by a Bad Idea
I want to preference this by pointing out something obvious to anyone who knows me- I'm no luddite. I'm an early adopter of technology actually- from wireless networking to the iPhone, I'm on the front edge of this kind of stuff.
But I'm also a major privacy advocate, and I have always felt that electronic voting was at best a good idea with slipshod implementation, and at worst a dangerous undermining of democracy- yes, that sounds paranoid, but Diebold is the big player, and these gentlemen shouldn't be making cash registers for elementary school lunch programs. It's interesting that their ATMs rarely make errors, but I think that's because banks aren't not very tolerant of third-party mathematical errors in consumer transaction. Of course for me the big concern is that the underlying possibility that Diebold has a political agenda.
But this isn't a Diebold rant. This is a generalised rant. I went. I voted. Only my vote wasn't counted. That's right. I filled out my 'ballot'. I walked over to the machine. I put my ballot in while watching the total count. It was at 209 before I inserted the ballot, it stayed at 209 while the ballot was inserting. It stayed at 209 after it disappeared.
I went over and got a volunteer. Astonishingly, she took a key and opened the ballot box. That's right, opened it. One person, with no one but me watching her. She confirmed that my ballot wasn't jammed. I asked what happened next.
She took my name and phone number and told me someone would 'look into it.'
The monster that ate my vote, of course, just sat there, a big, dump, fraking box. My ballot ? Gone. And here at 11 PM,
the state has been called, my vote is still gone, and who knows if this particular machine will be audited. The sheet that my exception was written on was either the 3rd or 4th exception- it was hard to read them as they were hand written. That's between a 1.4 and 1.9 (or so) margin of reported error. Over 1% ?
Not acceptable, not at all.
But I'm also a major privacy advocate, and I have always felt that electronic voting was at best a good idea with slipshod implementation, and at worst a dangerous undermining of democracy- yes, that sounds paranoid, but Diebold is the big player, and these gentlemen shouldn't be making cash registers for elementary school lunch programs. It's interesting that their ATMs rarely make errors, but I think that's because banks aren't not very tolerant of third-party mathematical errors in consumer transaction. Of course for me the big concern is that the underlying possibility that Diebold has a political agenda.
But this isn't a Diebold rant. This is a generalised rant. I went. I voted. Only my vote wasn't counted. That's right. I filled out my 'ballot'. I walked over to the machine. I put my ballot in while watching the total count. It was at 209 before I inserted the ballot, it stayed at 209 while the ballot was inserting. It stayed at 209 after it disappeared.
I went over and got a volunteer. Astonishingly, she took a key and opened the ballot box. That's right, opened it. One person, with no one but me watching her. She confirmed that my ballot wasn't jammed. I asked what happened next.
She took my name and phone number and told me someone would 'look into it.'
The monster that ate my vote, of course, just sat there, a big, dump, fraking box. My ballot ? Gone. And here at 11 PM,
the state has been called, my vote is still gone, and who knows if this particular machine will be audited. The sheet that my exception was written on was either the 3rd or 4th exception- it was hard to read them as they were hand written. That's between a 1.4 and 1.9 (or so) margin of reported error. Over 1% ?
Not acceptable, not at all.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
iTunes and Device Control- Another Opinion
One of my big theories about the internet is that it's always hard to evaluate anything based on what's written on the internet. People who really like things seem to be slugs for the most part, while the haters out there seem to have a ton of energy.
Now don't get me wrong. I hate the record companies as much as the next guy. I'm also a pragmatist. The iTunes store would never have happened without DRM, and the DRM (FairPlay) has never caused me a problem. I've never been unable to play a song when I wanted to and where I wanted to. And I'm way outside the curve. I actually have 5 computers that get daily use- a MacBook Pro, a MacBook, a G5, a Mac Mini, and an HP PC of dubious origin.
The MacBook Pro has, for the entire time I've had it, been my primary iTunes box. It's the machine all my iPods, my iPhone, and my MacTV are linked to. It's also dead as a doorstop due to an odd series of circumstances. I wasted no time moving my portable needs to the MacBook, but with the MacBook Pro on its way to Texas to get some Applecare, I didn't want to set the MacBook up as my iTunes home. For one thing, the hard drive isn't big enough. For another, if the MacBook Pro does come back alive I don't want to have to do all that work twice.
Now, if you don't set iTunes up properly, when you sync your iDevice, it will wipe out whatever is on it and replace it with whatever you've told iTunes to autofill the device with from that computer- usually nothing.
But if you do set it properly, you can still plug in, get a charge- and transfer all the purchased items from the iTunes store that are on it to the computer, but only if you want to.
That device control- which usually gets knocked as a DRM-centric, crippling liability- actually has allowed me to keep my devices charged and full of their own music, and not have to cross-pollinate the different iTunes libraries that are divergent on my different computers.
I like it. I don't feel crippled. i just feel like I have the control that I want.
Now don't get me wrong. I hate the record companies as much as the next guy. I'm also a pragmatist. The iTunes store would never have happened without DRM, and the DRM (FairPlay) has never caused me a problem. I've never been unable to play a song when I wanted to and where I wanted to. And I'm way outside the curve. I actually have 5 computers that get daily use- a MacBook Pro, a MacBook, a G5, a Mac Mini, and an HP PC of dubious origin.
The MacBook Pro has, for the entire time I've had it, been my primary iTunes box. It's the machine all my iPods, my iPhone, and my MacTV are linked to. It's also dead as a doorstop due to an odd series of circumstances. I wasted no time moving my portable needs to the MacBook, but with the MacBook Pro on its way to Texas to get some Applecare, I didn't want to set the MacBook up as my iTunes home. For one thing, the hard drive isn't big enough. For another, if the MacBook Pro does come back alive I don't want to have to do all that work twice.
Now, if you don't set iTunes up properly, when you sync your iDevice, it will wipe out whatever is on it and replace it with whatever you've told iTunes to autofill the device with from that computer- usually nothing.
But if you do set it properly, you can still plug in, get a charge- and transfer all the purchased items from the iTunes store that are on it to the computer, but only if you want to.
That device control- which usually gets knocked as a DRM-centric, crippling liability- actually has allowed me to keep my devices charged and full of their own music, and not have to cross-pollinate the different iTunes libraries that are divergent on my different computers.
I like it. I don't feel crippled. i just feel like I have the control that I want.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
What a week !
By 9 PM Monday night I was sitting in an ambulance, with my son throwing up on me. He tripped and fell at IKEA and ended up with a mild concussion, a CAT scan, and an overnight stay at Yale-New Haven. That was a little disconcerting.
He wasn't really the same until Thursday, and as each day went by some other major or minor catastrophe seemed to creep into frame. I'd missed half a day of work on Tuesday after being off Monday. On Thursday I had my six-month dentist's appointment. Five hours later I no longer could find my MacBook Pro- it would eventually turn up, but dead as a doorstop. I was, however, the proud owner of a faxed, partially hand-written list of new students for our meal plan- that's right, hand-written.
Saturday morning I woke up (at 5 AM) to one cat dropping a load on the kitchen floor, another one vomiting all over the closet. That night we we at a party in the Bronx until 12:30 and it was 2AM by the time we hit the sack to call it a day.
But the point isn't to complain here. Some of these things are serious, others just mild inconveniences. The high points were two fold- one, watching my son return to perfectly normal behaviour- the rapidly expanding vocabulary, the curiosity, but most of all, the willingness to continue to run around exuberantly (although often in ill-advised ways). After a head injury, you worry that there is going to be some permanent deficit. As someone that has had their bell rung several times as an adult, it's a scary thing.
The other thing that went right this weekend were the workouts- the 2 hours of spinning and half an hour of running Saturday, the 90 minute run today. It's nice to be able to unplug from returning students, domestic disasters, dead computers, and focus on something simple, direct, and know that, if you're following your plan, you're accomplishing something. then of course, it's time for a shower and back at the world, but feeling refreshed.
He wasn't really the same until Thursday, and as each day went by some other major or minor catastrophe seemed to creep into frame. I'd missed half a day of work on Tuesday after being off Monday. On Thursday I had my six-month dentist's appointment. Five hours later I no longer could find my MacBook Pro- it would eventually turn up, but dead as a doorstop. I was, however, the proud owner of a faxed, partially hand-written list of new students for our meal plan- that's right, hand-written.
Saturday morning I woke up (at 5 AM) to one cat dropping a load on the kitchen floor, another one vomiting all over the closet. That night we we at a party in the Bronx until 12:30 and it was 2AM by the time we hit the sack to call it a day.
But the point isn't to complain here. Some of these things are serious, others just mild inconveniences. The high points were two fold- one, watching my son return to perfectly normal behaviour- the rapidly expanding vocabulary, the curiosity, but most of all, the willingness to continue to run around exuberantly (although often in ill-advised ways). After a head injury, you worry that there is going to be some permanent deficit. As someone that has had their bell rung several times as an adult, it's a scary thing.
The other thing that went right this weekend were the workouts- the 2 hours of spinning and half an hour of running Saturday, the 90 minute run today. It's nice to be able to unplug from returning students, domestic disasters, dead computers, and focus on something simple, direct, and know that, if you're following your plan, you're accomplishing something. then of course, it's time for a shower and back at the world, but feeling refreshed.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Polar Plunge 2008
Thanks to everyone who donated. It was a nice cold day, the water was pretty damn frigid, and there was a great turn-out as always, thanks to EH, to does a great job with this event.
Only one picture, but it should give you an idea of the type of day it was.
Ian was a real trooper, downing pop'em donut holes, playing with his Pollys and blowing bubbles while Dad ran into the cold water of the sound. My feet were cold for a solid hour, but hey, at least I got a good deal on a digital camera on the way home (Comp USA is going out of business).
I have to say I cannot image who in their right mind would do a plunge without some bigger reason, like charity. Jumping in ice cold water just for the hell of it ? No thanks.
Again, thanks for the donations...
Only one picture, but it should give you an idea of the type of day it was.
Ian was a real trooper, downing pop'em donut holes, playing with his Pollys and blowing bubbles while Dad ran into the cold water of the sound. My feet were cold for a solid hour, but hey, at least I got a good deal on a digital camera on the way home (Comp USA is going out of business).
I have to say I cannot image who in their right mind would do a plunge without some bigger reason, like charity. Jumping in ice cold water just for the hell of it ? No thanks.
Again, thanks for the donations...
Friday, January 18, 2008
Polar Plunge Tomorrow
The Polar Plunge is tomorrow and I'll be diving into the water down in Southport for charity at some time between 8:30 and 9:00 AM (http://www.hodska.com/plunge2008.html). We're supporting a small boy with Kawasaki's disease. If you're reading this there's a good chance I already asked you to donate 5.00 to the cause. If you'd like to donate, Paypal Eric Hodska- http://www.hodska.com/paypal.html
I'll post pictures tomorrow when I get them. It's gonna be cold !
I am going to work to get my whole body under the water this year. It's always easy in your mind, but hard in reality, to actually get under that frigid, nasty water.
I'll post pictures tomorrow when I get them. It's gonna be cold !
I am going to work to get my whole body under the water this year. It's always easy in your mind, but hard in reality, to actually get under that frigid, nasty water.
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