A lot of my days speed by like a boulder rolling down a long and steep hill. We wake up at 5 or 6 and before We know it, is is 8PM and We only got 50% of what We had planned done. We find it amazing and frustrating. Amazing because many of our days our spent with people we enjoy hanging around with; frustrating because there is always just a little too much to do.
Anyway, I could blog about personal organization habits or choosing your tasks successfully or Nine Traits that Every Leader should have; but this is not a self help or self-improvement blog. This is an eat-my-screaming-and-ranting-thoughts-blog. Or worship-my-awesome-junior-awesome-blog. And a Goddess-Bri-blog. With some coaching ideas thrown in.
The past month has been busy. We did lots. Top of the list would be Boone Blue Ridge Mountain camp. This was our fourth year hosting. We put it on for our athletes, many of whom are now also good friends of ours, at essentially break-even since they already pay us for coaching. This also frees us from the "put on a show and dance for me clown" I have previously experienced at camps where we charged a premium, and I am no dancing clown, thank you very much. Bri has a great write up about Boone camp here.
We raced the 3 little pigs triathlon in Smithfield. Bri won. I flatted but changed it and had a good race notwithstanding.
Junior Awesome turned 18 months old. He is growing stronger, faster, smarter, better, taller, quicker, more awesomer, every day.
We hosted two open water swim clinics in the past 4 weeks, one on our own in this area and one for the Fayetteville Tri-Warriors down south. Happy to get to know some of the fine folks that serve and protect our nation.
Bri and I snuck away for a date day today and saw "This is the End." Very funny, light-hearted entertainment.
I have not been doing great with my promise to get enough sleep recently and am about to declare a moratorium on swim lessons, getting burned out.
The Old School aquathon is this Thursday, July 4 (we co-host) and after that we'll be doing all sorts of July fourthie things with Junior, who totally comprehends the no taxation without representation argument.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Ironman 70.3 Raleigh Scintillating Racey Report
Grab them with the title! Action packed words go here!
My hands are already tired just thinking about typing a race report. So, I give you stats and pictures.
You can see my training for the year here.
Swim: 28:31. Left wetsuit at home, happy to go without, it was on the bubble and I do have to be careful in the heat. I swam very wide to avoid having to swim over 500 other peoples. Maybe a slightly long swim or I just made it that way.
T1: Socks on my little piggy feet.
Bike: Rolling, felt good, rode within myself and ticked up the effort slightly at mile 25. 2:31 and change. We had a nice tailwind coming into town which helped ease the longer hills. Drinking EFS + Carbo Pro and water.
T2: changed into running socks, applied sunblock, took a micro-nap.
Run: started out in the 7s for the first three miles and then drifted into the 8s and a couple 9s as I grew more hot (every day baby yeah baby yeah) / the day got hotter.
The hills around the NC Musuem of Art section were tough but I baby-stepped my way around and only walked a couple seconds at an aid station. Picked it up slightly on the homestretch but had to be careful with heat management. Saw my laddie Junior Awesome at mile 11 near the NC State Belltower. That was the highlight of my day. I had missed him at the 2 mile point as it was a madhouse of people and volunteers and adoring fans requesting autographs.
Didn't come home very fast after that, but didn't fall to pieces. Hammed it up in the finishing chute. 6 mile split was - 46:46, while total time 1:48.59.
Total time 4:54.12. 13th in my age group. Not bad! I am happy I did it. Will stick with a maybe for next year. The race was well done/organized, the separate transitions are not bad, just be prepared for a few hours preparing the day before.
Next up, 3 Little Pigs sprint triathlon in Smithfield on June 15!
Our athletes did great, you can see results on our Facebook page.
My hands are already tired just thinking about typing a race report. So, I give you stats and pictures.
Before we start - happiest part of the day
You can see my training for the year here.
Swim: 28:31. Left wetsuit at home, happy to go without, it was on the bubble and I do have to be careful in the heat. I swam very wide to avoid having to swim over 500 other peoples. Maybe a slightly long swim or I just made it that way.
T1: Socks on my little piggy feet.
Bike: Rolling, felt good, rode within myself and ticked up the effort slightly at mile 25. 2:31 and change. We had a nice tailwind coming into town which helped ease the longer hills. Drinking EFS + Carbo Pro and water.
You are a dork if you think any of this is funny.
T2: changed into running socks, applied sunblock, took a micro-nap.
Run: started out in the 7s for the first three miles and then drifted into the 8s and a couple 9s as I grew more hot (every day baby yeah baby yeah) / the day got hotter.
Before I got too hot and tired to smile
The hills around the NC Musuem of Art section were tough but I baby-stepped my way around and only walked a couple seconds at an aid station. Picked it up slightly on the homestretch but had to be careful with heat management. Saw my laddie Junior Awesome at mile 11 near the NC State Belltower. That was the highlight of my day. I had missed him at the 2 mile point as it was a madhouse of people and volunteers and adoring fans requesting autographs.
Doing the drink lots and shuffle quickly routine
My boy and I
We're having a moment.
Didn't come home very fast after that, but didn't fall to pieces. Hammed it up in the finishing chute. 6 mile split was - 46:46, while total time 1:48.59.
Total time 4:54.12. 13th in my age group. Not bad! I am happy I did it. Will stick with a maybe for next year. The race was well done/organized, the separate transitions are not bad, just be prepared for a few hours preparing the day before.
Post race festivities
Next up, 3 Little Pigs sprint triathlon in Smithfield on June 15!
Our athletes did great, you can see results on our Facebook page.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Pointless Survey time!
It's that time of year. Waste 3 minutes of your life by taking the 2013 pointless survey.
Junior Awesome thinks it's a good idea!
Junior Awesome thinks it's a good idea!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
FS 50 race report
I received permission from Bri to go down and do the FS 50 triathlon in Washington, NC, known as Little Washington to the locals. Had never been there before. It is a coastal town on the mouth of the Tar River, which changes name to the Pamlico River in Washington.
Doug C and I drove down the night before, checked into our hotel and then found our compatriots at Backwater Jacks Tiki Bar. This is my kind of hang out. We tipped a couple pints then went to get some sleep.
The race started at 7AM so we were up by 530 and got going. The race is a 1 mile swim, 44 mile bike, 5 mile run which is a nice mix of distance without being destructive.
My training has been good but not totally hardcore -I figured this would be a good one to assess real fitness. f I could hold together on the run then my chances of not falling apart at Raleigh 70.3 are good.
The swim had some mild chop and a slight cross current but nothing terrible. 22:30 or so, first out of water.
Onto the bike - flat with a prevailing cross wind for the most part. I do my best not to live in the past and rode to my current ability, standing up every 15 minutes or so to stretch out a bit. Nice course, some cool scenery, and low traffic. Dan M passed me with about 4 miles to go. Bike time 1:56:38 which is 22.6mph (I did an Iron-distance race at this pace 11 years ago). I held back slightly as I did not want to have an awful run but couldn't have gone much faster than this all things considered. So for Raleigh I'll be targeting 21-22mph type pace unless there is some crazy wind etc.
Run - felt all right and had a surprisingly fast first mile split at 6:35. It started pouring rain which cooled down the temps but kicked up the humidity, which is worse than the heat. Settled into 700-715 pace and pretty much tried to run relaxed while concentrating on turning the legs over. We ran through downtown Washington, which is on the water and very scenic. Worth a visit if your into exploring North Carolina. Held onto 2nd place which is great. Time 35:19
Jogged the course again as continued run/cool down since the 70.3 has 13 miles, not 5 to get through.
A couple pics:
Next up: Raleigh 70.3. Holding out hope for cooler temps!
Doug C and I drove down the night before, checked into our hotel and then found our compatriots at Backwater Jacks Tiki Bar. This is my kind of hang out. We tipped a couple pints then went to get some sleep.
The race started at 7AM so we were up by 530 and got going. The race is a 1 mile swim, 44 mile bike, 5 mile run which is a nice mix of distance without being destructive.
My training has been good but not totally hardcore -I figured this would be a good one to assess real fitness. f I could hold together on the run then my chances of not falling apart at Raleigh 70.3 are good.
The swim had some mild chop and a slight cross current but nothing terrible. 22:30 or so, first out of water.
Onto the bike - flat with a prevailing cross wind for the most part. I do my best not to live in the past and rode to my current ability, standing up every 15 minutes or so to stretch out a bit. Nice course, some cool scenery, and low traffic. Dan M passed me with about 4 miles to go. Bike time 1:56:38 which is 22.6mph (I did an Iron-distance race at this pace 11 years ago). I held back slightly as I did not want to have an awful run but couldn't have gone much faster than this all things considered. So for Raleigh I'll be targeting 21-22mph type pace unless there is some crazy wind etc.
Run - felt all right and had a surprisingly fast first mile split at 6:35. It started pouring rain which cooled down the temps but kicked up the humidity, which is worse than the heat. Settled into 700-715 pace and pretty much tried to run relaxed while concentrating on turning the legs over. We ran through downtown Washington, which is on the water and very scenic. Worth a visit if your into exploring North Carolina. Held onto 2nd place which is great. Time 35:19
Jogged the course again as continued run/cool down since the 70.3 has 13 miles, not 5 to get through.
A couple pics:
OSB Social Chair Heather rocking the OSB gear
Almost all the OSB'ers at the race
Next up: Raleigh 70.3. Holding out hope for cooler temps!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Jordan Lake open water challenge 2013
We co-hosted the 1st swim of the Triangle Open Water Swim Series over the weekend along with FS Series. It went well - big turnout as the site is the same as 70.3 and it is a nice time of year to swim open water around here. We usually host the Little Uno and Big Deuce at this location but switched around to complement the half-Ironman coming up shortly.
Little Uno and Big Deuce will move over to New Hope Overlook for a change of scenery, but remain a July date.
Most people seemed happy with it and from my perspective it went well - we pulled a few people out of the race early with nerves/wetsuit issues but there were no major problems.
It is an exhausting process and the week prior to the race was very busy, trying to keep my day job as well as plan and execute everything around a 300 person event.
This Saturday I am racing in the FS 50 which is a 1 mile swim - 44 mile bike -5 mile run which I think is a great distance.
Below a few pictures from the swim:
And some post-race shenanigans:
Little Uno and Big Deuce will move over to New Hope Overlook for a change of scenery, but remain a July date.
Most people seemed happy with it and from my perspective it went well - we pulled a few people out of the race early with nerves/wetsuit issues but there were no major problems.
It is an exhausting process and the week prior to the race was very busy, trying to keep my day job as well as plan and execute everything around a 300 person event.
This Saturday I am racing in the FS 50 which is a 1 mile swim - 44 mile bike -5 mile run which I think is a great distance.
Below a few pictures from the swim:
And some post-race shenanigans:
Monday, April 29, 2013
April 2013 updates
I have been deficient in updating the blog this month, here is what I remember of April 2013.
Ran a 10k run with Junior while Bri ran and won the 5k.
Got 4th at a sprint triathlon while Bri and Junior cheered. No pictures.
Went to the beach to hang out with my Sis, Mom, Bro in law and their kids for 3 nights. Weather was not beach conducive but we had fun.
Did a fun group workout with our gang.
Rode the merry go round to finish the day!
Ran a 10k run with Junior while Bri ran and won the 5k.
Got 4th at a sprint triathlon while Bri and Junior cheered. No pictures.
Went to the beach to hang out with my Sis, Mom, Bro in law and their kids for 3 nights. Weather was not beach conducive but we had fun.
Did a fun group workout with our gang.
Rode the merry go round to finish the day!
Monday, April 8, 2013
3 generations
On Saturday, Dad and I went to a Masters swim meet at Triangle Aquatic Center. He and my Mom did the whole swim team parent thing when I was growing up. The last pool swim meet he saw me swim in was in 1990 or so during college. Memory lane.
I started out with the 100 yard butterfly. I don't practice starts, turns, or really much in the way of sprint swimming these days, but went for broke anyway. The last 15 yards were not very graceful but I hit the wall in 58.93, which earns me the dubious title of 100 yard fly Master state champion in the 40-44 age group. :)
After a lot of cooling down and then rewarming up, it was time for the 50 yard free. Not my strongest event, but it is fun because it is so short. 25.20, 2nd place in the age group.
I don't have much in the way of recent times to compare these times to - last year I did 59 something in the fly after swimming a couple events prior, and I almost never swim 50 free. My best were ~54.0 and 23.0 ish in 1989/1990. :P
So really, I am really happy with these times since I swim literally 10x less than I did then!
I was signed up for 2 more events, but decided to get home to help Bri prepare for our Masters swim team party. We would be awarding out the prestigious Pullup Challenge awards as well.
On Sunday, Junior, Senior and I went shopping and had a nice breakfast and then a nap while Bri earned her stripes down at the White Lake Sprint. The water was hysterically cold but she decided to tough it out.
Bri took 2nd overall by just 10 seconds to OSB athlete Mary R, who had her first overall win of her triathlon career. You can read Bri's 2013 White Lake Race Report here.
Mary for the win
Bri close behind
They actually hate each other
Sporting the latest in OSB athletic wear
now on sale at www.osbmultisport.com
Junior Awesome and I couldn't wait for Mom to get home.
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