Has it only been 3 years?! It’s feels like it was yesterday that I was at a Info meeting in Palo Alto deciding that yes, that I was going to do a triathlon and that I was going to do an Olympic distance race! Today was our kickoff meeting and the more things change the more they stay the same indeed. It was so cool seeing all the familiar faces and giving those hugs that I thought I would never give again… there is always the sadness of the people you don’t see. When I heard the honored hero speak I couldn’t help but remembering and missing Jim Delaney tremendously. Yes, life goes on but the world is a little sadder and a little more lonely because of him having left us. I have a lot of goals and objectives but I’ll just open with two because the season is [Read Full Post]
(originally titled The expected, the half expected and the fuck-if-I-expected-this) Time to regroup again. IM (Vineman or otherwise), STP and any other endurance events are out for 2012 as well (see the end of the previous post as to the reason why this happened). So the question, once again, is now what? Unless things change i’m scheduled to get my leg cut open on January 6th (Update: Got the surgery moved ahead to December 22nd) which leaves me without putting weight on it until late February and who the hell knows how long will i be in PT and strengthening my whole body but particularly my legs before I can even consider doing another triathlon much less an Ironman. I’m just getting to the point where I can accept a 2012 without endurance sports. The stubborn me says that I still have time to train for Pac Grove Olympic if [Read Full Post]
It’s been about a month since I came out from surgery with the pump still attached to my stomach and about 3 weeks since I’ve been able to exercise again. It’s felt like forever and a couple weeks. I started working out as soon as I felt it was safe (and my mom would let me) after the surgery and I’m almost to the point where I feel I’m back on the saddle. I’ve learned the benefits of patience as I get back onto the team’s dynamics and distance. In the old days I would have pushed as hard as possible maybe even before I was ready physically and emotionally. I almost dropped out of the team because I didn’t think I could do it…. I wanted the reassurance that I wasn’t going to die on the road in Tempe come November. Both Mike and Mary reassured me that I [Read Full Post]
Scout Basett has always been an inspiration. Not only as an athlete but as a person as well. It would have been so easy to give up and to just say look and pity me. I lost a leg and lived in an orphanage for years in a country where little girls are looked as a burden but look at where she is now… UCLA student and triathlete.
Just as we set up baselines for our training I’m working on setting up baselines for where I’m at so I can better decide where I need to go. OMG, I’m under 220lbs for the first time in who the hell knows how long!!! Goal is now to get it between 190 and 200 before the end of the year The baseline that I hope to accomplish by the end of July are Swim: 3000 yards Bike: 40 miles Run: 8 to 10 miles Some concrete goals for the end of the year: By the end of August: Swim: 4000 yards Bike: 60 to 70 miles Run: 10 to 12 miles End of September Ironman 70.3 Augusta (again)
I’ve been back and forth as to whether I want to stay with the team or drop out now and concentrate on moving back to California. I’m pretty sure I’m getting old; before it would have been an non-issue, just push back through pain and through discomfort and get back to doing what you’re certain is the best thing to do; Now I’m struggling with a decision that shouldn’t be even a thought. I know why I decided to do this when we started in January and I know that, one way or another, I’ll see this through the end, whether as a participant or as spectator supporting my friends, that remains to be seen. There are things that are more important than pain, there are people who deserve your continuing to push yourself even when you think you can’t go any further. It doesn’t mean be stupid and reckless [Read Full Post]
We did Rev3 Knoxville on Sunday and all I can say is damn! It was all I could hope for and the some. It wasn’t an easy course but I still managed a very descent PR. The swim felt like it took forever but it was only 30 minutes. More than once I had to stop because I kept being punched, swam over or kicked by the people swimming the Half Iron distance swim… Whoever said that swimming wasn’t a full contact sport never swam a triathlon! The swim felt a lot more sluggish than the time indicated but I’m starting to get used to the feeling. It was 30 minutes even and, considering all the times I had to slow down or stop because I was hit, I was damn pleased with it (30 minutes for 1.5k). The bike was a whole new experience. It’s the first race that [Read Full Post]
The butterflies are doing a number on my stomach. It’s getting to that time before a race where I either go into this really careful planning mode or just say screw it and push as hard as I can on the swim and the bike so I can struggle peacefully during the run.
I used to not be happy with my swimming, that is changing, a whole fn lot. A couple weeks before the accidents we did a 30 minute benchmark swim and I did an average of 1:53 per 100 yards. I’m going ‘hell yeah, that was awesome swim. The crash (I refuse to call it accident) put me down for almost 3 weeks and I’ve been more than a little hesitant to go back to training full bore. But I did last week and the running feels better and the swim on Monday was awesome…. but nothing compared to Wednesday. I ripped my prior best 100 yard time by about 8 seconds per 100 yard… almost a full minute on 700 yards! I was floored. Coach had given me 2 minutes per 100 yards and I cut about 15 seconds per 100 on the time that I was given and about [Read Full Post]
“You have to wonder at times what you’re doing out there. Over the years, I’ve given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.” – Steve Prefontaine I think I just passed one of the worst scares of my life. It has only been 2 weeks but it has helped me define a lot of what I want in terms of training and which caused the last two posts I wrote. It started about 3 weekends ago when I woke up at the local hospital without a clue as to how the hell did I get there. I was still wearing my tri shorts and a hospital gown. I hate hospitals and Not remembering what happened made it a hunded times worst. It took me a couple hours to figure out what [Read Full Post]
