Breezy Point Triathlon

If you're ever in the area check this race out. It takes place on the Norfolk Naval Air Station, aka Breezy Point. We got to ride and run by helicopters, barracks, bases, MPs, grunts, generals, and all sorts of other fun stuff.

The swim is in a saltwater sheltered waterway, so no waves but plenty of wind chop. There were some fast young guys here and I swam next to one guy on the way to the first buoy, then felt like he was crowding me outside the buoy line, so swam over him. I will do this to you if you insist on swimming right next to me and push me in one direction or another. Finished in 3rd position, about 10 seconds down on the first swimmer (a collegiate mid-distance swimmer).

Had a good transition, hopped on my bike, and got my shoes on, and found myself in the lead on the bike. Pushed it as hard as my training would allow, and finished about 90 seconds up on the next competitors. The bike was flat and fast, except for the choppy conditions of the road.

On the run I felt OK, not great but not bad. First mile was 6:15, but it crept up from there. We run around the complex, with some nice views of the water and the helicopter launching area. At mile 1.5 I glanced over my shoulder and saw that two guys were quickly approaching. Pushed it and went to my "hurt box," but they caught and passed me with about a half-mile to go. I hung onto third, about 20 seconds down on 1-2, and came home with $200 for my efforts.

I am going to focus on some run conditioning for the next few weeks and get back to sub-19 off the bike shape - this 5k was 20:21, which is good but not great.

Bri had a great race, finishing just under three minutes slower than me, and won the women's division by two minutes.

Busy week

Busy week. Training. Classes. Masters. Swim lessons. In bed by 9:30 every night. Up by 5:30 every morning. Off to Virginia this weekend. Racing in the Breezy Point Triathlon on Sunday.

Don't forget to sign up for the Jordan Lake Open Water Challenge on Sunday, June 7.



Check out my latest article in the June 2009 issue of Endurance Magazine, or read the whole thing at the Endurance Magazine blog.

That is all.

Woodlake Triathlon and Bri's birthday bash

This morning Bri, Tassie and I woke up at the butt crack of dawn so we could drive down to Vass for the Woodlake Triathlon. It is a locally run, non-USAT, $35 dollar tri put on by a golf/retirement community. Good fun. We got there with time to spare and parked Tassie in the shade of a SUV so she could stay cool while we raced.

We both had good races and won the overall titles. I was motivated by a sense of history - forever and for all time Bri would be able to tell the story of how her and her husband both won a triathlon on her 30th birthday weekend extravaganza.

I had some competition, as Dan "Demonchild" Young and I have had smack talk going on for this race since January as he beat me last year. I had a good swim, then felt terrific on the bike and opened up a solid lead. Held onto it for the run, which is run primarily on hard packed dirt trails. Dan finished about 1 minute back.

Bri made it look easy and finished with a big smile.

Now we are going to throw a big party for Bri (but really a birthday is just an excuse to throw a party for friends/family), and tell stories into the night.

busyness

I started an EMT-basic course at Wake Tech community college this week. It is every Tuesday and Thursday for the next 10 weeks from 8-12 and 1-5. 176 hours in total (a couple extra classes at the end). We may not get to use it next year, but if the ultimate plan of being a beach bum works out, then this is a handy certification to have. Not to mention it will be good to have given the number of camps and events we either host or attend.

In other news, this weekend is Bri's big birthday celebration bash, as well as the Woodlake triathlon on Saturday morning. I am looking forward to both with great forward looking ness.

That is all.

Going to Asheville

Bri and I are off to scenic and hippie-friendly Asheville this evening to enjoy three nights and days of hiking, lounging, exploring, and relaxing in this beautiful part of the country. When we were debating our relocation from Central Florida, Asheville made the top ten list of new homes, but ultimately the smaller population/job pool/economy made us choose a larger metropolitan area.

Asheville seems like my kind of town. While I'm no longer a smelly bum (I was once), I enjoy the ambiance of the town, with it's combination of a lively downtown shopping district, whack-job Dead Head drum circles, vast hiking and biking options, microbreweries & hangout pubs, and upscale restaurants when you need to escape the smelly bums.

We are staying in a pet-friendly cabin outside of town, so Tassie gets to enjoy the weekend with us.

Time flies when you're having fun - Bri and I have been hitched for five years now, and a "couple" for nearly nine!



Shoot - I should go get her a present before we leave, huh?

White Lake sprint #2

I drove down to White Lake this AM to race in sprint #2. I'm glad I did as it was a nice day and I felt good throughout. On the swim I stayed on David Sokolofsky's feet for about 100 yards before the pace was too quick, while another new guy to the area did the same. Then me and the new guy swam together or with him drafting me to the finish - 2nd on the 1/2 mile swim about 40 seconds behind David (an olympic trials qualifier in his day).

On the bike - solid, held a good pace, not quite Superman level but not bad at all. Came off the bike in 3rd (same two guys ahead of me.) 14 miles @ about 24-25mph.

On the 5k run- did not get my split but probably 6:30 pace and had enough room to hold my place to finish 3rd. Not sure if any age groupers beat me. All in all really glad to feel some fitness and speed coming back into my world.

Up next: Asheville 5 year anniversary weekend (with our awesome sidekick Tassie), and a 4 mile race in Fletcher.

Jordan Lake and home made beer

Bri and I went out to a local fella's house for a run-swim-run last night with our extended gang of friends and training comrades. It was a good time, and the host graciously feeds the athletes and gives us tasty home made beer afterwards. You can imagine that I am making this a staple of my 2009 summer training season.

In other news, I applied for another tech writing contract job today; called several people at NC State about teacher licensure (hoops, baby, hoops), and am finishing up a substitute teaching application for Chapel Hill-Carrboro.

I also lost more money on SKF and FAZ, made a little on DXD, and have gone long with a loose trailing stop on TBT.

going batshit at home

The title says it all. I am not cut out to sit by myself every day for years at a time. I can't take it anymore and am looking for a regular job so Bri can stay home and help raise a couple babies for us and be the full-time coach.

Unfortunately, the economy is not exactly totally awesome right now. So I may wind up going back to school for something or other.

I start an EMT-Basic course in a couple of weeks and am looking forward to not sitting at home by myself and stewing about sitting at home by myself.

Apparently I'm too old to join the Coast Guard reserves and Bri doesn't want me in the NC National guard as they get called up pretty frequently these days.

Can anyone out there use a MBA-tech writer for 20-30 hours or so a week in a somewhat stimulating environment?

Did I mention I'm going totally batshit?

White Lake

I had a good swim at White Lake and then everything went south from there. Whatever illness I caught seems to be peaking right about now - 4pm on Saturday. I made it through the bike leg at about 21mph, then shuffled through a couple miles of the run at 9 minute pace before throwing in the towel and jogging back to the FAA center. I told Bri that I could handle being a bit undertrained, or a bit sick, but not both and that was the case. In other news, it was a nice day and a good time except for the aching, fevers, stuffihead feelings.

Bri races tomorrow and I will be cheering for her.

Bank stress tests delayed while government makes up results

Bah.

I am feeling decidedly fluish and less and less inclined to race in a half ironman tomorrow morning. I'm torn between doing the swim only, the swim-bike only, or if feeling OK then giving the whole thing a shot and seeing what happens. My issue is that if I start I almost always finish the race, sick or not. We are going out there to set up a table as part of our sponsorship so will be on site either way. Bummer.