35 and Dry

The week that felt like a month

2008-06-15T20:33:00.004-05:00

So here I am, 9:34 p.m. on Sunday June 15th (Happy Father's Day, Nate!) reveling in the week that was ... or the 10 days that felt like a month. We just returned from a few days in New England, specifically in Boston for the B2B ride (sponsored by Harpoon Brewery) where we accomplished what I didn't even think possible. Ride 148 miles from Boston to Vermont (brewery to brewery, hence the name) in one day, keeping above a 16 mph average. Well, we did it in about 9:30 hrs, maintaining a 16.2 mph and I felt great for the first 93 miles, if you can imagine that. If we were to do it again, I'd certainly get friendly with more riders to form a pace group since after the first 50 miles, we were sort of on our own except for a few miles here and there where we'd manage to take advantage of a group already formed. My hands and feet are sore (tingling in my left pinky and ring finger...hoping it will go away) but other than the expected exhaustion that would go hand in hand with an endeavor like that, no worse for the wear.

As usual, I got distracted...and have now done my race report and posted it to the DC Tri Club site as well as the chicksonbikes site (http://chicksonbikes.wordpress.com)

The other thing we've accomplished is participating in the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon in San Francisco (held exactly a week ago today). Check me out with the Golden Gate behind me!!

Loads more going on...just flaked out on my 30 min swim for no good reason and will be making it up tomorrow.

National Marathon and Cherry Blossoms

2008-03-31T14:27:00.002-05:00

So its the last day of March, the Kroll/McCarthy contingent was here in DC to run the National half Marathon and see the peak of the Cherry Blossoms...and do some touristy things besides run.

We managed to get a table at the hugely popular Dr. Granville Moore's on H Street [yes, you read that right, there is an at capacity restaurant with a wait list of up to an hour for food on H Street NE]. But the mules and frittes were worth the wait. Besides, we got to hang out in The Pug next door and have an appetizer of cheez balls before hand...

Molly took some fantastic photos of cherry blossoms and we tried to not be so annoyed at stupid tourists who violate and vandalize the trees!!

Oh, back to the race, we started out at RFK at 7 a.m. right on time, ran down East Cap and saw Meagan on the corner of 13th and East Cap [yeaaa!!] and then chugged around the park, down Cap Hill on Independence, in front of the Capitol on 3rd Street and then down along Constitution Ave, right past the Kite Festival, and then turned up 18th Street [where a convoy of black SUVs rudely drove across the line of runners] and into Dupont Circle and Adam's Morgan, through Capitol Heights [and the new Target store] by Howard University and Children's Hospital, down North Capitol Street, along K, 4th Street NE, and then H Street [my neighborhood] and then back down to North Carolina via 13th Street and back to the Stadium...where the announcer was touting the sponsors as runners were finishing...what?? No "hey, Mary X, you've finished your 1/2 marathon in 2 hrs!!" Phoey...oh well, time to go find Meghan and Molly and head home for dry clothes, good food, and some rest.

Made it back to our house in time to shower, prepare brunch for 18 and eat 'till I thought I'd burst...only thing I didn't remember to do was stretch and take ibuprofen before I started to stiffen up [and now I'm having trouble walking down stairs].

Went to visit the blossoms again on our way to drop Molly at National Airport for her flight back to Chi-town and Meghan and I went for a short swim to work out the kinks [well, my kinks].

Side note here [in case Chris p Chicken is reading]: I ran [literally] into one of Chris' former band-mates, Barb Haney, during the run [she was doing the entire marathon] and I ran with her for about 5 miles, during which time she told me that Chris had gotten a dream job with the Montreal Symphony and would be moving to Canada soon....congrats Chris!!

Anyway, I'm starting to wander with the story but suffice it to say that a good time was had by all, PRs were set, blossoms were seen, and food was consumed!! All within the confines of a very packed weekend!

Can't wait for the next adventure!

Things just keep on happenin

2008-02-13T22:48:00.002-05:00

Not to be outdone (at least on the blogging end) I had to give the update from the midwest.

I do not have a crazy schedule like C or MK. I do not have a job (nor does Jan!) - thanks Macy's. and we do not have a baby....... well not yet. We are just a few weeks or days or hours from baby.

Macy's announced last week that they are closing our corporate offices here in stl so jan and I have jobs until May 2nd and then ??? I am looking for jobs but things are a bit difficult considering we have to stay here in stl. There is a small chance I could stay with macys in one of the few jobs that will remain here but a better bet is I will be changing career paths...

Baby is not here but he/she is due in the next two weeks. Baby room and the new bathroom (both started in October) have just been finished this week. Both look amazing (if we don't say so ourselves!!) Noah is super excited to be a big brother (he thinks it is a girl) and I think I am almost ready to be a daddy again...

This does not mean I have become a slacker. I have a pseudo schedule although nothing like Iron Kroll or Crazy Cory.. I am running my first stand alone half marathon in april here in stl. If baby allows, I will be running the st paddys day 8K. AND... if things don't change, I will make another try at the Spirit of Racine half iron in July. I have been swimming better than ever and running is the best since I moved to stl but my bike is a bit dusty....

I will send or post baby pictures as soon as they are available... and meghan, keep up that iron blog as I need motivation... and c, all running plans look difficult just so us coaches have a reason for being.

it has indeed been a while

2008-02-02T19:57:00.000-05:00

And owing to that fact and the hiccup that means that I still can't comment on the damn blog despite being a contributor (ah, the lasting joys of the google login switchover!) I am sitting down to update everyone on what's been going on with me...

Summer was an awfully busy time for us. I moved into Alden's townhouse and continued full-time at the university, finishing up a paper with my adivsor at the end of the summer. My year-long leave-of-absence from the doctoral program began on September 15th. Alden and I both lost our paternal grandmothers at the end of the summer which was difficult, but reinforced the importance of family to me and the incredible journey Alden and I were starting together.

Fall was an amazing time with the wedding and all the festivities. Pictures are here. Cory made the trek out and was uberhelpful with the preparations. She even crashed the ceremony itself owing to a liberal interpretation of "immediate" which I will let her 'fess up to... One of my favorite pics of the weekend is of the "wedding crashers" on the early ferry over to the farm.

Alden and I had a lovely honeymoon drive down the coast and ended up in Lake Tahoe for a 3-day tri associated with the Lake Tahoe Marathon. It was crazy disorganized, but mellow and fun once we settled in. Alden had a fabulous race and cycled around the entire lake in 3:17:58.63- w00t! For my part, I won my division of the 3-day tri. It was a great destination and time.

Once back at home, I settled into contract work at Highline|West Seattle Mental Health (where I'd be consulting for almost a year). That quickly turned into full-time employment and I've been enjoying the community side of work. We've submitted some really exciting grant applications and the work is stimulating, rewarding and lots of fun. Good stuff!

Alden literally broke his Cyclocross bike back in November and had to make a quick turn-around purchase of a new one which took us over to a great bike shop in Redmond called Sammamish Valley Cycle. Whilst he was scoping out his options online, he stumbled across an XS Scott carbon frame tri bike way on sale since it was an 06. I hadn't thought about buying a new bike so soon, but knew I wanted to upgrade and had a good idea about what I wanted. The shop was fabulous in terms of talking me through the process and making sure it worked for me. Hence, my first major purchase after receiving my first paycheck in over 2 years was an awesome Scott tri bike. It's only been out once due to the o-so-cruddy Seattle winter weather, but I am looking forward to really breaking it in once spring arrives. I'll be out on my bike quite a bit in the next six months since...

I signed up for an Ironman next summer! After a failed attempt to get into IMMOO with some friends, Cory helped me to find a summer Iron I could do- Vineman down in Northern California. Recently, I learned that she and John will make it out to race as well (John in the full and Cory in the half on the same day). Should be a great time!

I officially started my Ironman training on February 1st and have started a blog to communicate with my coach and anyone else interested in keeping up with what's going on for me. Thanks to the 35 and dryers for the inspiration to get 'er done! Please check it out and comment often.

In preparation for Vineman, I have my racing schedule pretty well set for 08. Not nearly as adventurous as Ms. Churches, but ambitious nonetheless! Here it is:

National Half with Cory and Meagan (and Molly flying in from Chicago- woo hoo!) on March 29th.
Vancouver Half with my run club crew on May 4th.
Victoria Half Iron on June 22nd.
And the big one- Vineman on August 2nd.
I'll also probably do some centuries as well-supported training rides and for the confidence they'll instill.
The end of the summer will be spent with the Family Kroll on our next adventure (a la Croatia) which will be piloting our own boat around canals in Germany. Hey, it's not racing, but it is adventurous!

My winter has been full of consolidation- catching up from the frenetic pace of the past couple of years. I feel like I'm finally getting to a place where I can breathe and sit again which is an amazing gift. I'm looking forward to using my renewed energy to grow and train and give back in these next few months both personally and professionally. Hoping you all are finding space for reflection in the midst of all that you do.

Peace out-
Iron McKroll

The 2008 season has begun!!!

2008-01-16T12:16:00.000-05:00

So, slackers unite [or is that untie??]

I've been in hibernation mode for waaaaayyy too long...and the clothes are shrinking [ha ha ha]. John and I just registered for this: http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/index.cfm?pid=28553
The route goes from Boston to VT for 143 miles in one day, includes 2 rest stops and a bus ride back to the start.

The 600 person ride sold out in less than 20 minutes.

Other races on the agenda include:

March 29th: Nations Half Marathon
June 8th: Escape from Alcatraz (if I manage to get in via lottery in Feb)
June 14th: Harpoon Brewery to Brewery ride (143 miles)
July 13th: Muddy Buddy in Richmond http://www.muddybuddy.com/events.php?id=4
August 2nd: Vineman 1/2 Ironman (Barb's race)
Sept 7th: The Survival of the Shawangunks race in New Paltz, NY (www.ulster.net/~sosnyta/)

That seems like a full calendar to me. Somewhere in there I might do a "normal" triathlon that doesn't require massive travel or storing your shoes in a dry bag.

Time to get cracking on the run training if I want to be able to keep up with Meghan and Molly!!

Over and Out!

Cory

Its been Waaaayyy too long since we've posted here....

2007-12-10T09:24:00.000-05:00

So, I know there's significant news out there amongst all y'all former 35 and Dry-ers...but rather than spoil everyone else's news, I'll just focus on my own...

Since August and the house sale, things have been relatively quiet and we've been adjusting to co-habitation with all that entails. I gave my Honda to my mom and bought John's dad's Toyota 4 Runner [I feel somewhat guilty for having an SUV that gets at best 19 mpg...but I don't drive it that often so does that help??]. We've registered for the SOS race, put our names in for the lottery for the Escape from Alcatraz race in SF in June, are talking about doing the B2B bike ride (http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/b2b) with Harpoon Brewery where you ride 136 miles from one brewery to the other and then drink beer...not a race, just a ride. Haven't actually considered any "traditional" races yet and have gotten shut out of Columbia due to my lack of attention...you snooze, you lose, right?

We've also discussed doing the Vineman Iron distance race [he would do the IM, I would do the women's only 1/2 on the same day] but those discussions are still ongoing. There's also talk of doing the Disney Challenge [1/2 marathon one day and a full marathon the next] in 2009. I would only do the half to keep from feeling totally like a slug...speaking of slug, that's exactly how I feel now...hibernating, not exercising, and eating like its going out of style...[an all time low point currently].

I've thought about training for at least the 1/2 marathon for The Nations Marathon at the end of March...maybe the marathon but in my current sloth-like state, even 5 miles seems like too much. We're doing the Celtic Solstice 5-miler this coming Saturday and then my nephew and I are going to see Spamalot at the National Theater. The Celtic run is up from 400 when I first ran the race in 2002 to 2,400 this year....craziness.

Oh, in September, I went out to Seattle for Meghan's wedding which was fantastic!! Besides being my first trip to Seattle, it was just great to experience the Kroll wedding and see everyone up close and personal...

Am officially "retiring" from the DC Tri Club board and handing the reigns off to a new group of youthful energetic and enthusiastic members who will take the club off to bigger and better things. They organized and executed the first DC Tri Club swim meet yesterday and had 45 people show up for all sorts of fun and prizes. $5 got you into 5 different events...sounds like fun but 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning isn't something I see very often any more...Heck, I don't see 5:30 a.m. during the week at all and since I've stopped setting an alarm, I'm more likely to see 7 a.m. than 6...geeze, now I just feel old and lazy...

Okay, so there's a newer post, jump in if you have significant news [and I know some of you do]. Hope to see some of you soon ... Meagan...wanna go for a run?? Reebok is sponsoring a 1/2 marathon training program at Gotta Run in Pentagon Row ... for free...Sat a.m. runs from the shop....sounds good to me!!

Happy Hanukkah, Xmas, and Merry New Year!

Cory

House sale is complete on August 30!!

2007-08-21T07:26:00.000-05:00

FYI all, The sale of the house is complete on August 30th and there closes out my 5 year plan...almost to the day. I purchased the house, closed on it August 31, 2002 and I will close again on August 30 5 years later.

Didn't get my asking price but I'm still able to walk away satisfying my goals of debt relief, new car, and some investment $$.

The cohabitation is going well, and since its been raining over the past two days, we've been experiencing some leaky roof issues. Gotta love homeownership...

I will be racing this weekend at the Northeast Triathlon, first time since Eagleman and I think I've been able to shed the maliase and burnout. I've been base building for the past 3 weeks and trying to slim down at the same time. We were in Luray, VA this past weekend and rode on the picturesque country roads with several grinder hills.

Not much other news to report, no new job, and no "bling" on the left hand [he he he...].

Cheers all!

Cory

a long slow half iron

2007-07-27T18:14:00.000-05:00

as you might know, to make myself train for something, I registered for the Spirit of Racine Half Triathlon 6 months ago. I picked it because it was about 30 minutes away from Jan's mom and stepdad's house so we would have a reason to visit them as well as a base of operations. I also read that the bike and the run were fairly flat and although this was not an M Dot race, it was super well organized.

Training went o kay. I never got rolling on any really long rides and definitely not any long runs but I did way more swimming that I had ever done (as many know, that is not saying much!). I did 5 swims of 1 mile, I did a bunch of bike rides of 45-50 miles and I did a lot of runs in the 45-60 minute range. I knew I was in shape to finish and I hoped the extra swimming would start me off well.

I have to thank Jan and Andrew for pushing me in the training I did do. Jan did most of the running with me and some of the cycling and made sure I got to the pool. Andrew did the hardest rides with me and motivated my by being in better shape all spring.

Well the lead up to the race was crazy with Reillyfest the weekend before and my parents and grandmother here the whole week. They left Friday morning for home while we took off for the Grace house in Lake Villa, Illinois. We got there Friday night in time for some yummy dinner and then tried to get some sleep.

Saturday we went up to Racine (30 min drive) and checked in and left the bike in the transition area. By now I know that the weather is going to be great as it is in the 70s most of the day. We check out a little of the course and head back to Illinois to catch a movie.

The next morning, Jan and I drove up to Racine and she dropped me off 50 min before my start but only 20 minutes before transition closed. I pumped up tires, set out all my stuff, got my chip, got marked and then took my wetsuit and swim stuff and started the mile walk to the swim start. The swim is set up to go out about 200 meters and then turn and go parallel to the beach and back in so you have have walk to the swim start. I was in wave 12 of 13 so I could watch everyone else swim.

My wave is off. I start walking and then I am about to swim and BAMM, i cannot breathe, I cannot swim, I cannot do anything. I try just treading water to get my breathe back, I unhook the neck on my wetsuit, I try elementary backstroke. Nothing works for about 10 minutes as I contemplate quitting. If Jan and Noah and Jan's parents weren't waiting for me, I might have. I finally start to calm down and realize that I have start swimming. By the second buoy of twelve, I am finally doing what I practiced and getting somewhere. I do notice that I am one of only a handful of people in the water. The buoy's come slow but they are at least coming now. I make the turn towards the beach and I am out of the water. After all that, I finish in about the same time as Eagleman. Kind of a bummer since I put so much more work into it this time. I NEED to do some open water swims next time.... I am on the bike in under an hour. Slower than I hoped but my goal for the day was 1 hour swim, 3 hour bike, 2 hour run. So far, so good.

The bike starts off with a little hill and then starts what I thought would be a flat course. It starts off flat but then becomes rolling rolling rolling hills. Since I started in one of the last waves and I was the slowest swimmer, I am pretty much alone on the bike. I start passing some people by mile 5 but there are not that many people to pass. My back bothers me a little but my new bike fitting helps me stay in the aerobars way more than I ever have. I never really get into a long groove but not a bad ride. Average just under 19 miles an hour. Just over 3 hours. Still kind of on pace. As I am finishing the ride, I realize that my real goal today is to finish and not feel dead afterward. That means that the run is going to be pretty slow.

I start the run as Jan tells me she ran the run loop ( it is two loops of the same loop) and it is flat. After about a 1/4 mile, I hit a hill and I start realizing that this is going to be a run/walk. I know now that I can finish. I know I could probably run about 2 hours and make my time goal but I will be hurting for days if I do that. I choose to be a little humble (not easy for me) and do a lot more walking than running and not worry at all about time. I run about 50% of the first loop and then see Jan at the end of the loop and ask her if she will join me for the second loop. No pacing is allowed but no one will care about us back of the packers... We walk about 80% of the second loop and finish. About 1/2 mile from the finish she runs ahead so she can get Noah ready to run with me across the finish line. When I get close to the finish, she tells me that Noah is in the bathroom, do I want to wait?? I say no as I do want to stop moving. As I cross the line, I hear the announcer saying "he is going to outkick his dad!!". It turns out Noah comes out of the bathroom just as I passed and takes off and tries to catch me. He doesn't catch me but he passes a guy I had been running with and gets to me just in time to take my medal. He is super happy and I realize why I decided to not push it and be normal at the finish line.

Total finish time = 6:43:51

Swim - 55:22 almost drowned
Transition - 3:26
Bike - 3:02:57 18.4 mph
Transition - 3:01
Run - 2:39:06 12:09 pace!!

Everyone was super supportive. Jan even talked about doing one herself. Not sure if that is going to happen but I definitely will not rule out me doing another one.

ps. the other day I got a plaque in the mail. it seems it is good to be big. I finished 5th in the xl3 division (over 225 lbs.). my new goal, never to be allowed in that division

cool way to track where you've been

2007-06-25T19:57:00.000-05:00

All moved in, no offers on the house but not yet concerned; average time on the market for houses in my price range is about 3-4 months.

Is it only June??

2007-06-06T19:17:00.000-05:00

So although the date at the top of the post says June 6, I actually didn't post this 'till June 12...sorry for the lag time.

It seems like forever since I've sat down to do a posting to the blog. The lowdown in brief is this:

April -- Completed the Big Sur marathon...had a fantastic time and it was an experience of a lifetime.

May -- Put the house on the market and had an open house the same weekend as Columbia triathlon, where I took about 12 min off my time from last year by improving my run time [thanks to marathon training].

June -- Living in the "stepford" house while on the market, making plans to make the big move to 1024 G Street, and oh yea, completing Eagleman for the 2nd time. Took about 11 min off my time from the previous year due in part to a better swim [better conditions] and run.

So, here I am early Tuesday morning, June 12, taking stock of what's past and what's to come. I'm still slightly brain dead from Sunday which was a grueling [but not as bad as 2 yrs ago] day. The house looks amazing, and I booked movers yesterday so the drop dead date for wrapping things up and embarking on co-habitation is June 22, 9 a.m. Plenty to do between now and then. Had to make sure that the moving company could hoist things out a window since that's how the majority of my furniture made it up stairs in the first place. I've also been interviewing people who will keep the new house clean ... as allergen free as possible and keep the dog hair to a minimum.

Brief race report from Eagleman:[edit; I discovered today that while I placed 4th in the Athena category with my finish time, they gave awards down the the top 5...so I got an award and wasn't there to revel in the glory!!! Oh well, I now will have confirmation that I am indeed a goddess].

Was hoping for a decent day with low wind, no jellyfish, and overcast conditions. Well, I got most of my wish; no jellyfish, lower wind, and half overcast, half sun. Conditions were great, the swim was fast because the current was in our favor on the way back, not too many waves and fairly easy to sight; the pros came out of the water in about 21 min. I personally took a bit longer; 44 min.

Transition was a little different than in the past; the entrance was on the side, closer to the swim start. So the run from the swim exit to transition was longer and it took me longer to get the wet suit off, and get into gear for the bike. Forgot to reapply sunscreen but I had it on from prior to the swim....some protection is better than none, right? Head out on to the bike. I haven't been biking as much as I have in the past and therefore my butt and back weren't as accustomed to the 3 hr ride in the wind and flat conditions. The first half was fairly easy, keeping to about a 20 mph average which I could have pushed if I really wanted to explode on the back half of the course. Really really wanted to keep my average from last year and just had a tough time staying focused or mentally engaged; last year it seemed easier since I knew there were several folks out there I could catch up to...this year, not so much. Coming back along Egypt Road was hard [stiff headwind] and I got distracted on Rt 334 looking at the runners along the course, looking for John on the run. Got back to the park, racked my bike, did as quick of a transition as I could muster [still slow] and took off running; total bike time: 3:06:51

Run was decent, but while I was faster this year on average, last year I was more comfortable. Which is better? Comfort or speed?? Still not sure about that one. Nevertheless, I got to see John on his way back from his stellar run [he finished overall in less than 5:30] and he told me that "the first 15 miles are fun" which is what I said about the marathon. The woman running with me at the time wondered what race he was doing...she was only going to run 13.1 miles. I had an idea that I'd pick up the pace between water stops thereby allowing me to walk a portion of the stops without loosing too much time. That worked until about mile 8 when I just felt deflated and tired. I walked from mile marker 9 to the end of the water stop [probably at least .2 miles]. After that, I vowed to slowly regain my pace and at mile 10 pick it up steadily and then at mile 12, go all out maxing out my heart rate 'till the end. This worked; hit mile 11 feeling pretty good, visualized mile 12 and once I hit that, I turned on the gas and kept my HR above 175, maxed out at 188 and ran my fastest mile of the day [sub 10 min mile] and finished at 6:20:20.

So there, my recent actions for the past few months, house is still in "show" condition [yea, can't believe it either...where does the clutter go?] and am now going to focus on a more base training mode [is that backwards? Run a marathon and 1/2 Ironman and THEN focus on base building?]. I'm starting a beginner running group on Tuesday nights to force myself to do some sprint workouts on a regular basis and will keep up with the swimming and longer runs; also making an effort to bring biking back into the fold as I think this year I slacked thinking that as my strongest leg, I didn't need to be so focused on it. Wrong!! Also thinking of not signing up for any big races next year and just lay low...feeling some of the effects of burnout overall.

Hope to see you all soon!!!

Cory

nate and jan are married

2007-05-13T20:23:00.000-05:00

On May 2nd, 2007 we did it. We went to the courthouse and got married. Well, actually you have to plan ahead for these things so we went the friday before, got a marriage license and then went on wednesday and got married.

We had already planned to go to Portland, Oregon for a 6 day vacation so when we moved the wedding up, it became our honeymoon. I did have to work on wednesday in Portland but that still gave us 5 days to enjoy an area that we were both super excited about visiting.

We flew in saturday morning and arrived in Portland at noon or so. This was the first time either of us had ever been to the Northwest so we wanted to do so many things. Our original plan for saturday was to eat some lunch at Burgerville and then walk around Portland and find someplace to celebrate cinco de mayo. After finding out there were no Burgervilles downtown, Jan made the first executive decision to go visit some wineries. It was already 2:30 by now so i was not sure how much we would see. The short version is that we go to 3 wineries, did tastings at all three and filled up a case with wine to bring home with us.

We were able to make it back to the hotel safely and then did what everyone would do after three wineries, we went in search of a brewpub. We found Bridgeport Brewery and Bakery.

The Next morning we woke up and headed for the hills...

Exercise #2 of the day was at ?? falls. A quick jump out of the car became a 3 mile hike to the top of the falls.

After 20 + miles of hiking and running, it was time for food.

then we headed for the ocean

the happy couple

in seattle

we get to hang out with meghan and her soon to be husband, Alden

the space needle.....

and pike place market....

and the first starbucks....

and off to the mountain...

snow.....

more of the mountain.... and THE hike

Back to the waterfalls....

The Carbo Loading starts now

2007-04-26T20:08:00.000-05:00

So its Thursday evening, we leave tomorrow morning for Oakland via Baltimore and then drive to Monterey for the big race on Sunday. Couldn't think of what else to eat for dinner so I'm having pasta...Have made the decision to leave the laptop at home and enjoy a total vacation away from email and drama [don't ask me how the DC Tri Club board is going..you don't want to know].

I've been on the verge of tears for the past few days not because I'm blue or sad, but because I think I'm overwhelmed with the marathon, traveling, selling the house, moving, oh, yea, two more races in May and June...whew...when is it over? Here's the most sad example of how easily I could cry; we were watching "The Deadliest Catch" on Discovery Channel the other night and there was a man thrown overboard from another boat and the crew from the boat "we" were watching rescued him...it was emotional. These big tough fishermen were crying so why not me too.

The house is now painted inside [something I should have done years ago], the new windows go in on Thursday next week, the paperwork to list the property has been signed, list price of $385k, new roof [less than 3 yrs old], kitchen updated less than 6 mos ago, bamboo floors, 3 br, 1 1/2 ba, off street parking, quiet street near the Atlas District. [How does that sound for sales??]. Oh yea, security system pre-installed, and no, Toby is not "conveying" with the house.

So back to the big race; I'm hoping to finish in under 5 hrs, here's a link to the course, with the elevation and the race is Rural and low tech...no way to track me on the way. I'll let you know when I'm done whether I actually crossed the finish line or not. The marathon web site is http://www.bsim.org and since the race is one way, we'll be taking a bus from Monterey at 4:15 a.m. to the race start, which isn't 'till 6:45, it only takes about 1 hr to drive to the start...so we'll be hanging around waiting to begin for at least 1 1/2 hrs. hmmmm...what to do what to do....

I'll take photos, not during the race although that thought did cross my mind. I started to freak out about not having a pocket in the outfit I've decided to wear so I bought a wrist band that has a zipper pocket in it...still not sure what I'm going to PUT in the pocket but it comforts me to HAVE a pocket.

For those of you out there who have done a marathon [and you know who you are], and advice on how to minimize post race pain would be helpful. I intend to take a 10 min ice bath post race, eat my way from one end of Carmel to Seaside and back, and sleep a great deal. We'll be headed to SF on Monday for two days of limping around the worst walking city post marathon. I've sworn to buy myself a Paul Frank t-shirt as a reward if I finish. And if not, I may still get it to drown my sorrows.

Essentially the running goals have been achieved; 10 is the new 6 and hills ARE my friends...John says I'm much better than when we started but its hard for me to tell. I'm sure I am but it still isn't as much fun as biking. I've learned valuable lessons about the value of having a good massuse, the need to stretch often and don't skimp on the painkillers/anti-inflamitories. Advil IS your friend.

More post race but hope all is well with you and yours!!

Cory

Time to move to West Seattle

2007-04-12T08:14:00.000-05:00

So it’s been an eventful time since my last post in January! Lots to tell so I guess I’ll start in the beginning... Alden and I had a wonderful time on his company-sponsored cruise in February. It was great to get out in the sun and away from the Seattle gray for a time. We didn’t get as much adventuring in as we might have hoped for, but the 24 hour buffet with its all-you-can-eat-tray-o-bacon distracted us enough so we didn’t even mind. It was a great opportunity to meet Alden’s co-workers and get to know their families. It was also a lesson in really good HR. They know how to treat their employees! My favorite picture of the cruise was taken by a co-worker while we were snorkeling in Belize. I’ve attached the link since I can’t figure out how to grab the pic itself to post it.

We returned to the beginnings of spring here in Seattle which basically means intermittant windows of really nice weather (like Friday when we set a record high of 79 degrees) punctuating the normal wind, cold and rain. Good thing we had plenty of furniture shopping to do in malls to keep us out of the elements! Happily, the last major pieces of furniture were delivered a couple of weeks ago. We’ve even painted the office a fabulous wasabi green. It is beginning to feel like home... which is good since (drumroll, please) Alden and I are getting married!

We’ve been talking about our future and are so excited to be moving into a more committed space together and celebrating with family and friends. Alden proposed on a cliff overlooking Puget Sound after a Starbucks-coffee-infused walk in the woods. It couldn’t have been more beautiful. I’m honored to be wearing a ring that pays homage to our maternal grandmothers (who share a name) and therefore to our families together. We shared the news with my parents bookending the Easter Vigil and were able to tell Alden’s immediate family all at once as we hosted our first Kroll family function: Easter breakfast. It was a little touch-and-go there for a while with the hash browns, but the fabulous bacon saved the day! After breakfast, we called the Boston clan (Molly was even there) to share the joy and introduce Alden to Eastah, McCarthy style replite with dropped r’s & hoots in the background as the phone was passed around. It’s been an incredible experience so far and I’m so honored to have come this far and have so much to look forward to with Alden at my side.

The next steps for us including basking in the glow of our engagement while moving me, Fern and my accoutrements to West Seattle. We’ll entertain Nate and Jan as our first houseguests at the beginning of May on their visit to the Pacific Northwest. In the interim, I’ll run the Vancouver half marathon again this year and am hoping to break my pr from last May. Ms. Churches, however, has me beat with her upcoming marathon and its tough training time (18 miles this last weekend- yikes!) so I’m looking forward to that race report.

Wishing you all well!

Time to move on

2007-04-03T20:13:00.000-05:00

So, I've decided that its time to get out of the home ownership business .... and John has graciously invited me to move into his house; somehow I feel that I coerced an invitation but what's done is done and I'm moving ahead with getting the house in order to sell.

What this entails is painting [I'm paying for the house to be painted inside], new windows, sprucing up the front area with flowers, taking photos, etc...its an ordeal.

So on top of running, biking and swimming 11 hrs per week, working close to 40 [cause we all know I'm an underemployed government worker], taking care of a dog and cat, and other sorts of things, I'm getting stuff in order to move out of the house.

The target list date is the Thursday before Mother's day, hopefully will be nice weather and will have an open house that weekend.

Currently, though, everything is in upheaval, bed is stacked in the middle bedroom while the actual bedroom is being painted, the smell of paint is overwhelming and I can barely find enough clothes to actually get dressed to go to work.

However, I did discover the amazing power of Craigslist and managed to sell two pieces of furniture already. Will be selling a bunch more stuff, believe you me....

The Cherry Blossoms are in full bloom, the tourists have emerged in droves, and the weather has been amazing. Wish you all were here [well, I see Meagan and Scott every so often] and I really miss the bike rides in the A.M.

Hope y'all are doing your thing in your space and hope to hear more details soon!

Oh, yea, and I'm counting down the days 'till April 29....

Mardi Gras in New Orleans!!

2007-02-16T07:39:00.000-05:00

So, my first trip back to the Big Easy since the Big Blow [as my aunt calls it] and while there is still a great deal of rebuilding to be done. We managed to catch some of the parades as well as take a few runs down St. Charles Ave through Audubon Park and along the Mississippi. We ran just under 10 miles and then ate our way through the city [where no one skips a meal].

I used to go to New Orleans every 6 mos to visit my grandmother [my mom's mother] but since the hurricane I've been reluctant to go 'cause I just didn't want to face the tragedy of the hurricane and its direct and permanent blow to the city I've come to love. We did visit a number of my favorite places, such as Guy's PoBoys on Magazine street where you should have a shrimp poboy dressed. The French Quarter is still as funky as ever and amazingly clean. We walked down Royal Street and happened upon a parade forming in the quarter; some sort of wine theme since each costume we saw had wine corks incorporated. We went to Central Grocery but didn't have one of their famous muffelettas since it was so close to when we'd had breakfast [but as Danny Devito says in "Other People's Money", does it taste any better when you're hungry?]

My grandmother is doing well considering the turmoil she's been through; evacuation to Houston, evacuation from Houston to Plano, back to Houston, back to New Orleans, and a broken hip somewhere in there. She is less aware of herself and those around her than she was the last time I saw her but we bonded nonetheless.

John and I also managed to spend some time with friends of his he met through Habitat for Humanity. Dan and Ray are probably two of John's closest friends and it was fun to hang out with them.

Ray had one of the best costumes...see below. We also commissioned a piece of art [I like to say that 'cause it makes me seem like a patron of the arts.]The photo is of a piece of art as an example of Simon's work. He's a folk artist, French, former chef/restaurateur and totally absorbed in the New Orleans art community. His work is all over the place in most of the funky neighborhood shops and restaurants. And we went by his gallery and looked through some of the examples of his work and picked out something we liked....we may see it shipped sometime in October....at which point, I'll pay for it...very strange way to do business....wait to pay 'till you get the item in question. But that's New Orleans. One of the funniest things about the photo of the piece of art is that we know a Michael Anderson and a David Brown...funny.

Anyway, we ate boiled crawfish, ate more seafood than I could fathom and spent time in the French Quarter as much as possible.

Back to reality, to 18 degree temps and a wind chill that makes it seem like zero. Tough to motivate to go run outside in this. But run I must since the Big Sur marathon is quickly approaching. Been researching places to stay there [its tough because the course is one way from Big Sur to Monterey....so where to stay?].

Hope everyone is well, warm and staying out of trouble; I know Ms. McCarthy is on her way to a cruise [here's a pic of a pirate bar we passed in the French Quarter].

Silence is Golden

2007-01-24T20:07:00.000-05:00

Or just an indication of not much news. So, what's new in DC on 14th Place?? I redid the kitchen [see photos] with new appliances, new floor [stone], new counters [laminant]new back splash [limestone] and new sink/fixture and my favorite thing, a garbage disposal...never have owned one myself. I pestered Meagan re: colors and materials and didn't pick the cheezy vinyl tile or the spiffy stainless steel tiles for the back splash...although I really wanted them. Tough to clean. Still need to pick out a paint color...home ownership is all about the next project.

This is all in preparation for the potential sale of my house in April/May/June [aparently the best time to sell a house].

On the athletic side, I'm running more, still training for a marathon [Big Sur in April] and trying to get a decent running base; still swimming 2x per week but haven't been on my bike for awhile. Shame shame, I know. Its not been all that cold but without external motivation, its hard to pry my butt out of bed when its dark out there...and I have to put more and more layers on. My race schedule includes [April 29] Big Sur, [May 20] Columbia, [June 10] Eagleman, [July 15] Muddy Buddy, [August 26] Northeast Triathlon [club championships].

This is my final month as Prez of the DC Tri Club and it will feel very good to relinquish the gavel [although I never did get a gavel so it will be hard to give it up...].

Oh, and I bought a laptop and after much research and testing out, I got a MacBook and so far so good. Still learning my way around it and how to download and install applications like Adobe Acrobat and such. But its certainly fun and totally addictive.

of trees, visitors and homes

2007-01-14T17:53:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a great couple of months out here in Seattle. The holidays started out with my first Kroll Thanksgiving. Alden's family has a Christmas tree farm out on the Kitsap Peninsula. The season kicked off Thanksgiving day and everyone pitched in for a couple of days of hard work culminating in Thanksgiving dinner for 23 on Friday after sundown. I learned about kinds of trees, how to chop them down and, most importantly, where and how to stand when they are falling! It was a wonderful way for me to get to know more of his family better and feel like I was contributing to the family business.

Finals came and went for school and I felt like it was best quarter I've had in the doctoral program in terms of productivity and manageability of workload. That was such a relief and got me in a good groove which continues into this quarter.

Molly accepted a new job in Chicago which meant that she had a holiday season of transition. She finished up work in Boston at the beginning of December and had her triumphant return to Chi-town at the beginning of January. She took some time off in-between and made it out for a wonderful visit to Seattle. We went to the Pike Place Market, worked out with the run club crew, rode the ferry, visited the Christmas tree farm and, of course, drank lots of coffee! It was wonderful for her to see my place and meet many of the people who have become so important in my life over the past year. We both then returned to Michigan where we spent a week and a half at home with our Mom and Dad. It's been a long time since I've had so much downtime with my nuclear family and I'll carry the affirmation and restful sense of purpose with me for some time.

Back home in Seattle, Alden has been in the process of buying a house for the past six weeks or so. He invited me to be a part of the adventure and it has been really fun! He closed Wednesday on a beautiful 3-bedroom + flex space (aka, bike room) townhouse in West Seattle. The weather has been very un-Seattle-like lately (more like Michigan, in fact) so we've been trading road time for furniture/house accouterment shopping. I did make it out for a ride last Friday despite it being 33 and wet, but ended up shivering & swearing whilst changing a rear flat about halfway through. On the bright side, it was the first time I'd successfully changed a flat out on the road on my own without having to call in reinforcements. I'm learning!

Looking forward, I'm still pondering my training/racing calendar for next season. I think I'm almost entirely talked into IMMOO in 08 if the timing of my friends' baby making/having can accommodate the training. However, I'm at a bit off a loss for 07... I'm thinking about swimming at Masters swimming Nationals in May since they will be held locally. My run club crew is growing in numbers and they are tossing around the idea of doing the Vancouver 1/2 marathon again in May. But that's all the racing I'm considering for the moment. I'd love to improve my biking stamina, which means that I may try the Seattle to Portland ride in July. I'd also like to get in a couple of olys and a 1/2 IM as well, although I don't know when or where. Any suggestions?

I've heard talk of remodeled kitchens (informed by two of the 35 & dry crew) and possible wedding sites like Belgium & Paris for our St. Louis representative. I was also wondering during the Ford funeral if a certain member of our group had something to do with the arrangement of the somber version of "Hail to the Victors" played there. What's the scoop?

Missing you all!

a november to remember

2006-11-27T23:47:00.000-05:00

what a month. well it really started in october as we closed on the house on october 24th. after 10 counteroffers and lot of BS, we finally got our house. It is not a big house and it does not have a garage and it is on kind of a busy street but it has three bedrooms and a full bath upstairs, a living room with fireplace, a dining room, an incredible eat-in kitchen and an addition off the back which is the family room that everyone wants (all windows, plenty of space and a door to the patio). The basement has plenty of storage and a guest room and full bath. There is a former carriage room/garage in the basement that has glass sliding doors to the outside which is perfect for bikes.... Big enough backyard for fun and not too big to care for..

well, after enlisting all my new friends to help us move, we finally had everything we own in the house. maybe not the best idea. why you ask?? well, we decided that our house should have more than one room with overhead lighting and the wood floors upstairs needed refinishing and the kitchen countertop should not be purple...... need i say more. We have some kind of work going on in every room which means i have been sleeping in a sleeping bag in the family room for 15 days. this week is the flooring day which means everything had to be out of the second floor, the doors had to be taken off and all the quarter round moulding had to be removed... I will not continue. suffice to say, we are nuts. Did I mention we are hosting Christmas for both families??? 35 people on the 23rd... all are invited.

that brings us to nov 12th. the day it was finally nice enough for us to go to turtle park for a new picture of jan and and the little man. they took a picture at the park last year in november that I have on my desk. they also gave one to all the grandmas and such... I said I wanted a new one and there was finally a beautiful day. after about 30 minutes of pictures, little n was playing on a giant stone turtle egg while I told jan I wanted to take a few pictures of her. I kept getting closer and then took a few from my knees and then asked her. I felt it made sense to be outside since that is where we like to be and I also felt that little n had to be there. the ring - i think it is incredible but that it probably because I had it made. I will try to get a good picture of it here soon. wedding is in 2007 - not sure of where, when or how....

this past week, we took little n on his first plane trip that he will remember (he flew a bunch of time when he was 1). we flew from stl to norfolk VA and then drove down to my brothers house at the beach. we flew in tuesday night and stayed until early early early saturday morning. little n was great on the plane. I would rather travel with him now than most people I travel with for work. it rained most of the time we were there but it was still fun. we got to go up in the currituck lighthouse and watch the nor'easter tear apart the beach.... the food was great and it is always fun times with the family.

this whole training thing has pretty much been backburner so I had promised myself that december will be the time to get in a groove. there will be so much going on that i will need it for my sanity.. i can see spin classes and the pool in my future...

Thanksgiving in Excess

2006-11-27T13:06:00.000-05:00

So this year, I was not local for Thanksgiving, no traditional eating but loads of fun, friends and wine. John and I, along with three other [married] couples ventured off to Sonoma Valley/Healdsburg, CA for the week. We left DC on Saturday the 18th and flew into Oakland, CA to begin our adventure. We were to drive up to our house [rented a nice 4 br house on the Russian River] on Sunday and hit a few wineries along the way [why not?]. So we go first to the Dry Creek General Store, very cute, quaint place with great sandwiches, a wide selection of bottled exotic sodas [Verners Gingerbeer] and other tasty tidbits.

Sunday Our first destination is Preston of Dry Creek which is an organic family vineyard and they only sell their jug wine on Sundays [see the man on the jug] and did our first tasting...yummm. They have very good whites and reds [loved the Madame Preston, the Carignane, and the L. Preston]. Apparently I still don't like the Barbera, I think its too strong for my taste. We then moved on to a small, family owned winery David Coffaro Vineyard & Winery
and did a tasting there, that included tasting the futures, or barrel tasting. I highly recommend their wines and they're only available through the web site or at the winery. Great reds. We then moved onto the Dry Creek Vineyard and made it just in time for a tasting. They were closing for the day but we got to sample their wares and purchase a few bottles for future consumption. All in all it was just the beginning of a roaring great 4 days. Dinner, breakfast, wineries, lunch, dinner, sleep, breakfast, wineries, lunch, repeat....you get the idea.

Monday
This was Napa, Calistoga, St. Helena day. We subsequently visited V. Sattui in Napa Valley, Heitz Cellars and Summers Winery and Vineyards where we had a rousing game of "women vs men" Bocce Ball. We also got to see the famous Old Faithful Geyser of California...one of three "old faithfuls" in the world.

Tuesday
We had to be respectable this day since we were visiting more "snooty" upscale places, like J Wineries, Merry Edwards and Alderbrook. See photo below of the group at J Winery. From Left to Right, Cory [me], Dave Shove-Brown, Dave Tracz, Kim Sullivan [married couple], John Murray [my sweetie], Sharon and Todd Friedlander, and Maureenn Shove-Brown.

Wednesday
The group spilt up in the morning, all the women but me going for spa treatments and the boys off to more wineries. This was our last day in the Russian River/Dry Creek area so we made the best of it. We went to Ferrari-Carano Winery not for a tasting but to purchase Black Muscat, then to Bella Vineyards, where the tasting room is in a manmade cave and the Estate wines are to die for. For fun we went to Francis Ford Coppola's new vineyard as yet to be named. Lunch was our next stop and then off to our final vineyard of the visit, Ledson Winery and Vineyards, where we certainly got our money's worth. Maureen challenged our host to find a wine that pleased her pallet and he went to great lengths to do so. We left with happy tastebuds. On to San Francisco, a burger and a beer...enough wine for one week.

Thursday
We thought it might be tough to find a place for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning but were pleasantly surprised to find World Famous Sears Fine Food serving yummy silver dollar pancakes, eggs, bacon, and a broiled grapefruit. Back to the fabulous hotel [oh, yea, great Priceline score of the day, Hyatt Regency San Francisco on the Embarcadero for less than $100 per night...sweet!]. Change for the evening festivities and off to Todd and Sharon's for dinner in Oakland. Suffice it to say that food, wine and fun were had by all [some more than others] and there are videos out there somewhere of dancing...check out YouTube for a posting sometime. Menu consisted of yummy butternut squash soup [I think], stuffing, turkey done on the grill, green beans with bacon and shallots, carrots with beets, and spur of the moment gravy [my first]. I think nearly every dish had bacon of some sort in it [the gravy started with bacon grease] so you all would fully appreciate that.

Friday [our last full day]

After a trip to Haight-Ashbury to go to the Kid Robot store [indulge the kid in me, and John's gotten me hooked] we headed up the coast to Tomales Bay Oyster Company for oysters by the bay [tasty and when grilled, a spectator sport] and then went to Point Reyes to experience the harsh wind of the beach and the corresponding light house.

Here we are at the observation deck at Point Reyes, where the original lighthouse used to be:

All in all, it was a fabulous time, good food, fun things to see, more than enough memories and photos, and new friends.

What Kind of Doughnut Are YOU?!?!?!?

2006-10-31T14:01:00.000-05:00

Because we've all wondered...here's a simple way to finally have an answer....This is my answer [after fiddling around with the answers some].

You Are a Powdered Devil's Food Donut

A total sweetheart on the outside, you love to fool people with your innocent image.

On the inside you're a little darker, richer, and more complex.

You're a hedonist who demands more than one pleasure at a time.

Decadent and daring, you test the limits of human indulgence.

What Donut Are You?

And on a totally separate note, I've not quite signed the contract in blood but I think I've jumped on the Marathon bandwagon [despite what I've always said that I'd be bored runing 26.2 miles] and will be training with Ms. Jancy through the winter to attempt/complete the Charlottesville Marathon on April 21, 2007.

Black Diamond Oly Race Report

2006-10-28T13:54:00.000-05:00

I have not been able to sit down and get my race report from a good month ago out of my head and into cyberspace despite fairly constant needling by Ms. Churches over im, but am here on this foggy Seattle Saturday afternoon to rectify the situation so here goes...

After a good 3 weeks off training for my Croatian adventure, I decided to go with the shorter of the options for my last race of the season. The Black Diamond was actually a whole weekend of events (dubbed a "festival") including a 1/2 IM on Saturday and an Oly & sprint tris + du and 1/2 marathon events. Alden and I went out to check out the venue a couple of weeks before the race. He took off after one loop of an approximation of the course (less-than-helpful cue sheets) to ride the 60 or so miles back to Seattle. I managed to get myself even more discombobulated on the second lap which caused me to ride quite a bit further than I had intended. Coupled with a big accident on I-5, the delay meant that Alden beat me home (without keys). Craziness. Fortunately, the course was marked and marshaled much better on race day so there was no repeat confusion with which to reckon.

The weekend of the race arrived and I was a bit concerned about the logistics given some flip-flopping on the race's website about parking/shuttling to the park. We decided to arrive early just in case they hadn't resolved things by race day. We planned to carpool down to the race with the two other run clubbers doing the race. After a nice panicky wake-up race morning (due to my own ineptitude at effectively setting the alarm), we still managed to make it to our rendezvous points on time. Tim was there on schedule, but we couldn't find or get a hold of Chris so we ended up leaving without him. Despite these initial logistic/timing snafus, our arrival, parking, registration and set-up went well. The race got started a bit late and that wouldn't have been awful except that Alden was sans wetsuit and the morning was chilly. We moved our position on the beach to try and stay as much in the full exposure to the rising sun as possible. Chris found us there and it was good to know that we hadn't connected because he had been waiting on the other side of the West Seattle bridge and not because he was still at home in bed sleeping through his first tri. The sprint race went off first so I was able to see Alden swim and get out of the water (1st without a wetsuit- woo hoo!) before I got in. The water was cold and I was glad for my full wetsuit! I ended up the 2nd out of the water despite the ice cream headache and slow time...

T1 went off without a hitch and I actually remembered to stay standing up until I had my wetsuit entirely off which I think was especially good as my manual dexterity was suffering from the chilly conditions.

My bike was good, although I spent most of the time thinking that I really, really need to work on my bike training this winter. I missed Alden on his way back in, but did see Tim changing a flat (doh!) out there. The bike was a sort-of lollipop course with a couple of little out-and-back sections in the middle to add mileage. That meant there was a fair bit of slowing down to corner. Watching people crash and doubting my own ability to avoid them also helped to convince me that this winter is a good time to work on those bike handling skills.

T2 was good and I took off on the run feeling great. The run course was a bit strange and I'll try to describe it here although a picture would be better. We ran out of the park, and then turned off to do a bit of a T-shaped loopy. We headed down a heavily-potholed dirt road (from the bottom of the T going up) where we had to go single-file to avoid the pothole/puddles. At this point, the 1/2 marathon course joined us so there were lots of differently-paced folks in the same space which was a bit problematic. We then came to the top of the T where there was a water station and lots of stuff going on! We turned left (counterintuitively) and went out to a turnaround, then back in to the intersection where we crossed to complete another turnaround (the top right part of the T). The whole passing by the intersection 3 times thing was a bit crazy and there was a lot of shouting, gesturing and sometimes swearing as folks tried to figure out where to go... Around this point, Chris passed me and I was glad to see that he was in good shape and on track to finish strong. We headed back into the park for a loop on the trail around the lake where the swim took place. At this point, I heard and saw Alden cheering so I knew that he had finished already which was great. My trip around the lake was good and I finished up strong knowing that I was going to PR- yippee!

So we all finished and felt good about our experiences. During the post-race noshing I found out that this was a particularly spectacular feat for Alden as it was not only his first tri, but he had a double whammy of falling during his bike dismount and being stung by a bee in the mouth (OUCH!) during T2. I think I would have sat down and cried, but he in his amazing way made it through. The race results weren't posted until after the awards ceremony so we found out from the announcer that Alden got second in his age group in his inaugural tri and I won mine in what was confirmed to be my best oly time. Overall, a spectacular showing for us if I do say so myself!

And here are my stats:

                                  BIKE              RUN   OVERALL
OVERALL       DIV   SWIM          TRAN  BIKE        TRAN  PL AFTER  RUN
PLACE   TIME  PLACE TIME   PLACE  TIME  TIME  PLACE TIME  BIKE      TIME PLACE

6   2:34:16   1    0:22:52   12   3:05 1:16:34  139  1:14  55     0:50:30 99

So that brings me to the end of my 2006 season looking to 2007... I'm considering a winter 1/2 marathon that I can hopefully coordinate with Molly. And I think that the Vineman 1/2 could be a good goal for the 35 & dry crew next season- whaddya say?

Rumor has it.......

2006-10-27T12:04:00.000-05:00

So the rumor mill is at high capacity and it is spewing out all kinds of things but the latest and greatest is that Cory has been training for an Ironman. Is it true?

The inaugural Nations Tri [or the first duathlon in Rock Creek]

2006-09-21T16:18:00.000-05:00

Hey all, With all the posting going on, I thought I'd chime in and let you know that on a whim, I participated in the Nations Triathlon. I'd intended to play a fully supportive role in this race [packet pick up on Friday and a water stop on Saturday] but by mid morning on Friday, I got jealous and wanted to do the race. Partly because it is home turf and partly because my dopey boyfriend pointed out that I wouldn't be able to say that I had done all the occurrences of the Nations Triathlon if I didn't do the first. The race founder, Chuck Brodsky, had his parents working the entire weekend...packet pick up, race finish. I'd been helping out most of the morning and Mrs. Brodsky (Chuck's mother) told me that she'd asked Chuck if I could race (since I had said it out loud at one point) and he had agreed to let me register the day before the race...nice to know the folks who coordinate these things. I'd helped to gather DC Tri club folks for volunteer positions and had kept in contact along the way to smooth the path for the race.

This race was by no means ideal merely because it was just declared to be open for registration in mid-August and the course distances changed at least once. The swim was officially cancelled on Tuesday so a 3k run was substituted for the swim. I haven't been on my bike for more than a month and running hasn't been exactly my favorite thing but I've been doing it nonetheless. So Friday afternoon, I inflated my tires, found my bike shoes and one glove (luckily I have a spare pair), got my run stuff together, found my jersey, and tucked it all away in my transition bag all ready for Sat morning bright and early for a 6 a.m. arrival. Amazing how much time is saved when you don't have to prepare for a swim...no wet suit, no goggles, no swim cap...and forget about running/biking wet. This duathlon thing is something to consider. I decided to drive down and park at Hains Point near the tennis courts and ride my bike over...should have really just ridden my bike down from home. Next year! Arrived in plenty of time to be body marked, set up my stuff, just across from the newly elected democratic candidate for DC Mayor, Mr. Adriane Fenty and his dad, Phil. A few minor DC celebrities. This race certainly had the "hometown" feel since many of the volunteers and participants were club members. It was like a training tri with official support...oh, and there were close to 400 people instead of the usual 65. I think about 303 men raced and less than 100 women.

The run was set off in waves similar to how the swim would have been. Women [all women] were in the 4th wave. We did a short jaunt up Rock Creek to turn around at Q street and back to transition to get the bike. The first leg of the run was uneventful [17:33] with a really slow transition to the bike [2:00]. I made up some time on the bike, averaging about 19mph and passing a bunch of people. The bike was fun...two loops that took you through downtown, and up Rock Creek. The worst part was the pavement along the Potomac near the Watergate [the stairs] but it was a great out and back loop course that allowed for some great vistas and ability to see the folks ahead and behind you. Bike time 1:07:19 Second run really got me since by this time I was tired...lack of training will do that to you. I went out trying to be at a comfortable pace but without the aid of mile markers it was tough to tell what pace I was doing and subsequently when I got to mile 4 [corner of 15th and Constitution] I just wanted to be done.

Run time 1:09:38. Oh, and the run course was slightly long. I paced along with Angie Farinas for the last mile or so and we sprinted for the finish together. At one point along the course, a volunteer taunted me by saying that D.F. was gaining and was about to pass me. Overall time: 2:37:27 7th in my age group [of 14] total mid-pack. Check out the photos here .

Oh, and since I started this posting wayyyy long ago, here's new news. I have a new bike courtesy of my boyfriend John. He bought me a fixed gear bike and we've modified it with sawed off handlebars and pink handlebar tape...and I'm trying out names. If you have suggestions, let me know.... this morning, it was Veronique but I think it needs a male name ... but what self respecting male would wear bright yellow and pink combined. I'm practicing using just the legs to slow down and stop; the break is for emergencies only. So far its fun to hop on and just go...the Roubaix requires so much gear [shoes, shorts, shirt, helmet, gloves, glasses, etc.]

1500 miles in the new car

2006-09-16T08:55:00.000-05:00

OK, so it is not the Dalmation Coast nor were we in a kayak but my big trip of the summer was our labor day trek to the family compound in Pennsylvania. We bought a Civic Hybrid a week before the trip (actually ordered it two months before) and although they tell you not to take long trips for the first couple thousand miles, we left for our journey on the first tank of gas.

I had always thought about a hybrid and this $3.00 gas thing drove us to do it. Bluish Gray Honda Civic hybrid. advertised mileage - 50. Expected real mileage - 40.

We left STL friday at about 1 in the afternoon expecting a 12 hour trip. J and I taking turns driving with hopefully little N doing as much sleeping as possible in his car seat in the back. Things went great - little N's new music CDs were fun for all of us and he did take a good 3 hour nap in mid afternoon. This trip coincided with the launch of the new Macy's and we were driving the entire region of our macy's. We went through middle illinois ( not much there ), straight through the middle of indiana (stilll not much there except some traffic in Indianapolis) and on into Ohio. We planned on dinner at Culver's outside of Columbus and luckily J's preplanning had us at a dinner place we all like right at 7 PM. (Culver's is a slightly better than fast food burger and custard place in the midwest - good food and clean bathrooms - our necessities when travelling with a 3 year old!!)

Then the rain started. It rained nonstop from Columbus all the way to the family compound (where we arrived at 3 AM - damn you Eastern Standard Time!@!!). There is nothing like driving a small unfamiliar car on windy roads at 2 AM in the pouring rain after downing 5 monster energies!!!!!!

We made it. We spent the next three days with my parents (now known as Grandma and Grandpa) and my grandma (Nana) who turned 90 while we were there. There really was nothing better than little n waking up before us and going and finding a grandma he has never met and treating her like he has know her all of his 3 year long life. It rained all day saturday but then was perfect on sunday and monday. We went to the firehouse where my dad is a volunteer and little n got to play on 5 fire trucks and two ambulances. We went up to the new house and checked it out and then went to the garden and picked pumpkins, cukes, and tomatoes!! Little n drove the tractor and then drove the really big tractor. We picked apples - another excuse for little n to drive the tractor. When we had to pick apples from the tall branches, my dad put me and little N in the bucket of the tractor and raised us up. We made apple cider from the fresh picked apples. We saw cows, horses, turtles, little lizards (which little n picked up!!), sheep, elk, and lots of hawks!!! We went to an incredible breakfast place owned by a maple syrup company. We went to an auction and bought all sorts of pies, and jellies, and other stuff...

It was finally time to go on tuesday morning and we headed our for another long drive. This one would be shorter as we were heading to Chicago to stay a night with her mom and stepdad. We planned on a 9 hour drive but realized we were making really good time and we had that time change working with us this time so we looked for a good stop. WE FOUND ONE> The New York Central railroad museum in Elkhart, Indiana. It is a big train graveyard next to a working train yard. You can go in lots of old trains, plus into a train museum, plus see lots of new working trains go by. ("useful engines" for anyone who has not read thomas the tank engine 1,538 times.). It was a great stop for all of us.

After that is was just a few hour drive to Chicago (well, 30 minutes north of chicago - or as I like to call it - WIsconsin!). We pulled in, quickly changed and went out to dinner. Came home, put little n to bed and then spent a few hours talking. Woke up the next morning, walked round the neighborhood and then went to lunch and got back on the road.

The drive back to STL was the only boring drive. I think we did not want the trip to be over. This trip could have been miserable with all the driving but it was so great, we are definitely doing it again next year. My first new tradition.

The stats

1500 miles.
45.4 miles per gallon.
8 species of animals seen.
3 grandmas.
2 grandpas.
more trains than you can count.
9 monster energies.
14 times listening to the song "jambo sana"
1 fabulous long weekend.

falling into fall

2006-09-12T21:57:00.000-05:00

Well, it's a time of transition and anniversaries. I've been out here in Seattle for a year now and am trying to settle back into life post-Croatian Adventure. School starts again in a couple of weeks and the unintended masters team swim practice 6-week hiatus will be ending on Monday. All good news as I'm feeling (and yes, I know this is hard to believe) a bit at loose ends about what to do with myself. Some routines and more structured time will be good for me. It's taken the whole summer to recover from the craziness of my first year in the doctoral program and I'm finally feeling like I can string together a decent series of thoughts again. Amazing!

I think there's no substitute for getting way, way, way out of your element for a long time like a kayaking trip along the Dalmatian Coast. I mean, I know y'all know I'm a thinker, so having to focus on things like getting provisions for lunch, packing my boat, finding a campground, setting up the tent and what freeze-dried meal to have for dinner helped to quell the storm of thoughts in my head. Getting to spend so much time with Alden and seeing him both with and through the eyes of his family were incredible ways to learn even more about what an amazing person he is and how honored I am he chooses to invite me to be a part of his life. Overall, it was a fabulous trip that I smile about every time I think of it!

My parents came out from Michigan at the end of August ostensibly to visit me, but their timing just so happened to coincide with a Red Sox road trip to Seattle. Hmm.... I didn't have the heart to ask which was a stronger motivator for buying those plane tickets. ;) But seriously, it was a good way to benchmark what all I've done in the past year. My Mom remarked that it really seems like I know where I'm going when I drive and my Dad mentioned a couple of times how many people he saw who were "like me" and by that, I think he meant bikers, runners, outdoorsy types, etc.

I left Seattle at the beginning of August in the best cycling shape of my life and found out that sitting your butt in a kayak for two weeks can't really be considered "cross-training" like I was hoping it could. I'm finally starting to get it back, just in time for my last race of the season (the oly at Black Diamond) on the 24th of September. A couple of my run club compatriots will be racing and I'm especially happy to say that Alden will be out there completing his first ever tri- woo hoo for him! He'll be competing in the sprint weighing in at a 750 yard swim, 11 mile bike and 3 mile run. Too bad I'll be out on the course because I'd love to see him crush everyone in the swim and then see if he can widen his lead on the bike enough to keep the runners from catching him on the last leg!

Overall, I'm feeling good about my crazy summer of nothingness and adventuring, but looking forward to fall with its promise of return to routines and a comfortably busy life. That's all the news from the left coast representative of the 35 and dry crew. I've gotten bits and pieces of updates from everyone, like I know from checking Alex's blog that Meagan's been flying; Cory reported that Chris was promoted; and the Macy's ads everywhere let me know that Nate's work is chugging along. So I'll pose two questions to y'all: What was your favorite adventure of the summer? And, what are you looking forward to this fall? You should be able to divine my answers from this post and I'll look forward to hearing yours!

salt lake city and famous people

2006-08-16T20:54:00.000-05:00

Last week, work paid for me to fly to Salt Lake City, Utah to attend the Outdoor Retailers Show. Now, I really do not work for an "outdoor" retailer but I do deal with a few vendors who show there and I wanted to learn how I can maybe bring a little of that business to our stores.

The show is basically a huge convention hall filled with all of the coolest camping, hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, biking, mountaineering, etc equipment, clothing and anything else you may or may not need for those activities. There were about 1000 vendors. This is the main purchasing time for all of the mom and pop outdoors stores as well as a big show for the big box places we all shop. i did get to play with a lot of cool stuff although I did not take advantage of the climbing wall or the giant pool where you could test kayaks. Now, why might you ask am I posting anything about this show?? Cuz of two reasons.

1. I scheduled three days for the show but really only needed two. On the third day I "tested product". In other words, I rented a mountain bike and rode up into the mountains above salt lake city. I have never ridden hills so big. mountains really. I have never ridden at altitude. I have not ridden on hardcore mountain trails in a long time. This all made for a really tough but awesome ride. I wish I had my camera to take pictures.

2. I saw lots of famous people. Well, most were only famous in the outdoors world. I do not have the energy tonight to go throw all of the stories but here is the abridged version. People I saw

Bob Roll - I went to watch the Tour of Utah on Friday night. He was there watching and commentating. We both sat on the curb and ate a burrito. He is wackier in person that on TV!!!

Conrad Anker - mountain climber extraordinaire. He was at the North Face party. Cool regular guy who just happens to climb Everest every once in a while.

David Beckham - just so happens the Real Madrid was playing an exhibition against Real Salt Lake. Him and the other dudes from Real Madrid were hanging out at the mall.

I can remember his name but the dude who had to cut off his own arm to survive when a rock landed on his arm. He was promoting locator beacons.

Scott Jurek - Brooks athlete and winner of almost every ultramarathon around.

Brian Leech (?) - cool mountain bike trials specialist.

I swear there were a few more but I cannot remember right now.

Salt Lake City is probably a good place to go ski and hike and mountain bike but other than that, I have no need to go back..

N

A Hot Lazy Summer

2006-08-08T12:25:00.000-05:00

So, apparently no one has been up to much since Meghan ran her race in mid July...I know that's not true since I just finished the Pittsburgh race and I hear via email that Chris has been promoted [had a huge blow out party this past weekend] and is getting a dog...wonder how he's doing on his quest to swim 10,000 meters by the end of summer.

Here's my brief race report for Pitt:

A reluctant participant in the first place, had to wade through the presidential decisions about how to compensate members for their effort to get to and from Pitt, a 4+ hr drive without traffic, and then hassle with making sure my aging car [218k miles on the Accord Wagon] would make the drive. Finally left for the race at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning with Emily Jacobs [on several occasions called her "Jen" totally by accident] and had an uneventful drive up. Stopped at Sheets in Frederick for gas and an MTO meatball sub. Not something you can eat while driving. Arrived in Pitt at about 4 p.m. and did packet pick up and bike safety check [these guys were pretty thorough] without a hassle, and went over to the pre race meal, pasta, cream sauce and maranara sauce, bread, cafateria salad and drinks...no water. They ran out of food.

Heard from other club members that the bike course was on an HOV lane of a nearby freeway...how fun...and that it was about a 6 mi up hill. Two laps of this insanity and then the run crossed the Alleghaney River 2x. The swim was up stream for a short bit and then with the current down to the Heinz stadum. The distance between the swim exit and transition entry was several hundred yards.

Em and I went to the hotel after the lack luster dinner and checked in, got situated [numbers on helmet and bike, number on race belt] and then went down to the bar area for one beer and lots of water. We sat apart from the crowd of DC Tri folk [them thinking we were aloof or snooty] for the sake of sanity and sipped our Yuenglings.

Placed a 4:30 a.m. wake up call with the front desk, determined to leave the hotel for the race venue by 5:15 a.m. Watched a bit of "Legally Blonde" and went to bed by 10 p.m.

Woke up and had breakfast [Kashi Go-Lean, nf plain yogurt and unsweetened apple sauce] and a bit of coffee and headed down to get the car, pack up and head out. Due to our short sightedness, we valet parked and didn't realize they didn't open until 5:30 a.m....so we waited a bit for the car. Still made it to the race site with plenty of time and beat the rush [Meghan would have been proud]. Set up transition, realizing I'd forgotten a towel [thanks to Em for the towel and hair tie, and to Rebecca for the extra goggles] but improvised with a plastic bag...meandered around, trying to stay calm, remembered that I was supposed to be nervous before a race but dreaded the swim start.

It was great to see the swarm of DC Tri Club participants both in the race and spectating. Had to stop spotting competitors and focus on racing during the bike...on the run, I saw more people headed back in that I cheered on...since I was towards the back of the pack.

The Swim: The start of the swim was with ALL the women in one wave and the race director on the shore shouting through a rolled up piece of paper "GO"....we swam up stream to a bridge, took a right at the first yellow buoy and another right at the next one and then downstream to the Heinz field exit. Tough to sight...not really into the whole thing so I had mental gremlins floating around in there...thought I couldn't really DNF as president so I kept going. Swim time: 41:11 due in part to the long transition and the fact that the timing matt was closer to the transition area than to the water.

The bike: Dropped my chain the minute I was able to mount my bike so got frustrated and greasy. Long up hill [with a tail wind] with a devil a la Tour de France by the side of the road. Slow on the up hill, fast on the downhill, HOV lanes of a freeway...there's a first. First lap was in about 42 min [not my best]. Total time: 1:29:15 avg 16.7mph

The run: One more thing to do before I can collapse into a sweaty heap...go run. Saw Dave Mills [the hey dave] in transition about the same time as me and told him I was going to catch him, which I did. We paced each other in our quest to finish and managed to push each other along to reach the finish line. Run time: 1:05:03 pace: 10:28

Total time: 3:20:20 not my best time but not my worst either...

So its off to run for me tonight to try to get an improvement on the run....

Lake Stevens 1/4 IM race report

2006-07-24T11:43:00.000-05:00

SWIM TRANS BIKE TRANS RUN FINISH

13:50 1:32 1:31:22 0:57 52:31 2:40:11

Well, I signed up for this one recently, inspired by Cory and Nate and their post-eman racing. It was advertised as an Olympic distance race (frankly and un-pc-ly the ugly stepsister of a 70.3 series race), but it became clear to me as I was treading water waiting for the race to begin that it would actually be a 1/4 IM robbing me of my strength, the proportionally longer swim portion of the race- drat!

But, let's start at the beginning. So it's been hot here. And when I say hot, I mean DC hot. My apartment is like an oven in the afternoons. After suffering through Friday night attempting to sleep sans fan or air conditioning, I did manage to get a 9" baby fan at Target (their only available model) on Saturday morning. That did help me to sleep better the night before the race, but I still woke up without an alarm (well, if you don't count Fern) at 3:45 a.m. Now, the race was one hour away per google maps, packet pickup opened at 5 a.m. and the race began at 7. You all would be proud to know that I was able to contain my jitters enough to allow us to leave at a decent hour arriving in Lake Stevens around 5:25 a.m.

Packet pickup and transition setup went well with only one small hiccup. It seems I lost a handlebar plug somewhere along the way and so was deemed unfit to race until I got it squared away. A resourceful race organizer guy named Matt was a lifesaver with his fanny pack of wonders (which was a veritable cornucopia of plug options) and helped me to come into compliance with plenty of time to finish setting up and get out of the transition area before it closed.

I was a bit nervous as evidenced by the fact that I kept losing Alden pre-race (and he’s hard to miss)! We checked out the ins/outs of transition as well as the finish line and found a spot to stretch and hang out until my wave (the last behind all the half ironpeople) began.

The swim was, of course, too short for my taste. The water was calm and clear in Lake Stevens. We headed out a bit behind the other waves so I encountered no traffic on the way out and was able to keep track of the others in my wave. When we made the turn back towards the shore everything changed! I then merged into the thick of ½ Ironfolks and had the sun on the horizon to complicate sighting. My sighting of Alden, however, did improve and I managed to find him on the pier snapping pictures. T1 was a bit complicated by my new-found habit of sitting down to take off my wetsuit. I definitely need to re-train myself to do that standing. After cursing my way out of the wetsuit and noting the only person to beat me out of the water, I headed out on the bike leg.

I hadn’t even driven the course before so this was an adventure! I did know that the times last year were slower than I expected for an oly and noted the terrain on the way into town so I was prepared for it to be hilly. That was indeed the case. The screaming hills alternated with good climbs making the 28 miles fly by. I managed to get up to 35 mph in my aerobars (a bit much for my thrill tolerance) and 44 with my hands on the brakes with an overall average of 19.6 mph. I was frustrated by being passed by a ton of folks despite cranking as hard as I could which has strengthened my resolve improve my cycling this winter.

I headed out on the run noting how much warmer it was once I was out of the shade. The run course was mostly sunny and flat with one good hill at mile 4. The last 3 miles or so were out-and-back giving me a chance to check out the leader in a fabu cowboy hat and count the number of women in front of me (6 by the end). I surprised myself with how well I did averaging just over 8 minute miles.

It was hot, hot, hot post-race and they didn’t open the transition area up for bike removal for a while to allow ½ Ironpeople unfettered access. That meant that we had some downtime punctuated by the stage performance of a really memorable, terribly unfunny sounds effects guy moderated by yummy pork fried rice from the town festival going on around the finish line.

It was great to have Alden’s support throughout the race and I think he enjoyed himself despite the heat. He’s even talking about doing his first tri in the fall! For my part, I’m putting my training and my next race of the season on the back shelf to focus on getting ready our kayaking adventure to Croatia- yippee!

Boy the Tour has taken its toll

2006-07-20T13:28:00.000-05:00

After 17 stages and a roller coaster of an Alpine few days, I'm thoroughly exhausted. Been managing to listen to bits and pieces at work or read the coverage or on a rare day, watch the stage but this is what cycling is all about.

Our friendly 6-some has been keeping track and currently doing pretty well [no spoilers and this is just luck, really] but as with the Tour itself, its not over until Paris. [can we go to Paris??]

Anyone have suggestions on prizes for the top 3 winners?? We've been considering gift certificates to coffee places or doughnut shops...or maybe funny tour memorabilia.

Hope you are all well and just as Tour crazed as I am.

You know its bad when across 3 time zones you get a message just after the stage finishes wanting to talk about the stage...under the assumption that you [me] have already heard the news.

Two goals; improve run, drop the extra weight

2006-07-10T09:41:00.000-05:00

Maybe they're one in the same but its demoralizing but not surprising that after this weekend's Colonial Beach tri I ran slower than last year and my time showed it. Considering that I've not run since Eagleman, its no shock ...

Here are my official results:
There were 14 finishers in the Female 35 to 39 age group and 210 finishers
in the Age Group Division.

Your overall finish place was 177, your age group finish place was 8 and
your gender finish place was 44.
Your time was 2:51:48.85.

Your Swim time was 25:14.55, Overall place 179, Gender place 49
Your Bike time was 1:18:20.00, Overall Place 146, Gender place 28, Speed 19.0m.
Your Run time was 1:03:20.65, Overall place 191, Run Pace 10:33

This just makes me feel slow....slowwwwww....

Post E-man watching plans

2006-06-25T19:58:00.000-05:00

OK so I felt like a chump watching eagleman and came back to st louis ready to start training harder. Two weeks of travel in NYC and my foot giving me trouble again slowed me down a little but things are starting to feel good. I have decided on two definite races coming up. First up is the donut race. It is a 32 mile road race (yes, on a bike) with two mandatory rest stops. At each stop, you can eat donuts and for every donut you eat, you get a 5 minute time bonus at the end. This race is in two weeks. I was not sure I was ready to really push as my biking has been just ok but the last two weekends have changed that. Here is why.

As Jan and I went to go ride two weeks ago, we noticed her piece of junk mountain bike had been stolen. That is the bad news. The good news is that is was right next to my road bike and my mountain bike and they were both there. Stupid thief. This meant that we had to do buy a bike. We had planned on getting her a good road bike anyway but now we thought we would have to replace the mountain bike and get a road bike since we do a good bit of riding on the Katy trail which is like the c&o canal trail. Well, they convinced us at the bike shop - Maplewood Cycles (which is way better than any bike shop I have even been in to) - that we should just get a road bike and put some heavier tires on for riding the katy trail.

We found a bike that seemed perfect - the Trek Pilot. It is a road bike with a little more upright position although not really that much. It has carbon fiber in the rear triangle and the fork and the seatpost. They let her test ride it for a week (see if Capitol hill will let you do that!!) and she loved it. We have ridden a couple of 30-40 mile rides plus one yesterday with me dragging NOah around in the trailer....

I am starting to feel like a cyclist again. I have always been ready to eat donuts.

The next race will be a sprint up in illinois with the swim in lake michigan. It is not until august but I guess that is now right around the corner.

Thanks for the motivation.....

n

A left-coaster's eman rr with doctoral exam addendum

2006-06-21T10:39:00.000-05:00

For posterity, this is the rr I sent out a couple of weeks ago. Scroll down to And now that a week has passed... to get to the new stuff!

E^2 (Eagleman/Exams) 2006 Race Report

Since I'm sending this out to folks with varying levels of triathlon experience ranging from Ironpeople through those well-versed in one of the three sports to others who just shake their heads at me when I talk about how I spend my free time, I'll take a moment to explain what this is all about: I completed a 1/2 Ironman triathlon this weekend called Eagleman on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. It consisted of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run. There is a tradition in triathlon of writing a race report detailing your experiences and that is what you are reading now. If you are interested in variations on this theme, check out the DC Tri Club website race reports forum here. And here is the quick and dirty version of my results if you are pressed for time. Otherwise, grab a cup of joe or a microbrew and settle in for a story!

I went back through my gmail and found the date where the smack talking (or at least the current round of it) that got me into this mess began: 9.11.05, when Eagleman registration opened. By the 12th, I was signed up and committed to a cross-country journey to race in June with 3 others in the 5:30 Capitol Hill riding crew including Cory, a 1/2 IM virgin. Over the next couple of months, my doctoral program decided most inconveniently to schedule our comprehensive exams the very week of the race. After some soul-searching about the craziness of stacking what arguably could be the two biggest events in my life this year into the span of 6 days, I decided to stick with it and race in June.

Training in Seattle was certainly different than putting in the miles in DC last year. I can count on one hand the number of times this year when I've been able to ride without full-finger gloves. That situation worried me a bit as I was preparing for a race where I had to line my hat with ice last year on the run to keep my core temperature low enough to avoid serious brain damage. And did I mention the rain?

Despite these meteorological obstacles and the mounting workload as my exams approached, I managed to get myself into what was probably the best tri shape of my life. Helping me along in this endeavor was a great Husky Masters swimming and running crew. The constant blogging/texting/iming of the smack-talkin' crew from B'more, the Hill in DC and the Arch also kept me honest and on track. The Smurfs and other School of Social Work affiliates were sometimes puzzled, but generally supportive. Commiserating with Jen and Meg about their IM CDA preparations was certainly helpful. I don't even have words for what the constant support of Alden, my parents & sister meant through all the long days of training and studying. It was such a strange journey to go through the tandem process of exam and Eagleman prep and I'm still trying to make sense of it all. So it is that I left on Friday intellectually spent, but with my body feeling rarr, rarr, rarrin' to go!

After a small reunion for the racing and non-racing members of the 5:30 a.m. crew on Friday evening at the local Hill watering hole, I headed to bed to rest up for the day of standing in line (aka, registration, bike check and racking). Got up on Saturday, put the bike together and headed out to Cambridge. Racked my bike and headed back to Easton for a yummy & relaxing early dinner and then to assemble the gear for the morning at the hotel.

Got to the race early (gasp! I know) and set up my transition area. Heard an announcement interspersed with the cheesy inspirational music blasting over the loudspeaker that the winds were expected to be gusting to 25-35 mph. Despite that news, I was still reveling in the relatively cool temps which never did become an issue throughout the day.

Was able to clear transition in plenty of time and find a spot near the swim exit chute to watch the pros come in. I felt surprisingly calm this year, especially as compared to last year. I knew I was prepared physically, the weather was cooperating (relatively) and a surprise 4:15 a.m. PST good luck phone call from Seattle confirmed that it would be a fabulous race!

Swim 31:23 (68th overall, 1st in my age group and exactly 1 minute ahead of World Champion Natascha Badmann- woo hoo!)

After some confusion amongst my wave-mates about where exactly the swim start was, I settled into a good pace heading out along the orange buoys towards the boat. Lost most of the maroon caps and started to swim through blue caps. Hit the turn and wham! with it 2-3 foot swells that would continue until the end. Now, I 'm a fairly strong swimmer so I wasn't that worried about the chop, but I knew that it did not bode well for the biking to come. Almost lost my chip at a couple of points with how crazy the water was and made a note to invest in my very own anklet for the next race that would stay securely fastened even in the worst conditions. Was feeling isolated, confused and frustrated, but noticed that I was swimming through yellow caps and even managed to reel in some silver caps at the very end which helped me to relax knowing that it was a rough day for everyone out in the water.

T1 3:00

No problems in T1 for me- one of the advantages of getting the rack all to yourself!

Bike 3:05:05 18.2 average (658th overall, 37th in my age group and 46 minutes and 23 seconds slower than World Champion Natascha Badmann- ouch!)

Eagleman is a lollipop course so I had the opportunity to see the lead men coming in again this year and wow, they can move! The wind was indeed an issue and each turn brought with it the possibility of cruising along at 26 mph if it was at my back or sloggin' through at 14 mph if it was going the other way. I changed my nutrition strategy after heading out on the run hungry last year and ate a ton which really helped out later on. Saw a pretty horrific crash at a bottle exchange, but managed to stay on my bike the entire ride. The fabulous bikes going by me provided yummy eye candy and even better was when I was blowing by them on my little Giant. I turned into a particularly tough head wind around mile 40 and was discouraged to see my speed reduced to about 12 mph. When I looked up from my computer, I saw an eagle out playing in the wind above me and vowed to try and enjoy the wind as much as she was. Spun through the last few miles despite my computer being persnickety and not showing my cadence (just thought like Lance and not Jan) to prep my legs for the run.

T2 2:26 (Yeah, I know it's slow- but I changed my socks and bodyglided my feet as I thought it was better to be a bit behind now so as to avoid having to hobble my way across the line later.)

My transition area was a mess with wetsuits everywhere (including one on my bike spot on the rack) and someone's wet cap and goggles sitting right on top of my supposedly dry socks- yuck!

Run 1:55:18 8:49 average (609th overall, 29th in my age group and 28 minutes and 48 seconds slower than World Champion Natascha Badmann- I know, I know, I'll keep my day job!)

Headed out on the run feeling strong. I'd managed a brick every week in May so the transition off the bike was the best I've ever had. Had heard Yvonne yelling coming in off the bike and managed to see her and Nate on my way out. Stopped for a potty break at mile 3 and was bummed to have to stand in line while my time marched on, but used the opportunity to stretch a bit and knew that the stop meant my nutrition strategy was working well. I lost a GU pack along the way so improvised with some chocolate chip cookies around mile 7- mmm, Chips Ahoy never tasted so good! One of the benefits of an out-and-back course is that looking for people you know distracts you and I managed to play that game well enough to spot Cory for a high five along the way. I generally felt great and started to push it on the way back. I knew I was going to set a PR and was reveling in the whole experience. When I saw Nate around mile 13 and he jeeringly asked me the same question he did last year, "Are you going to finish this thing, or what?!" I had my response at the ready, "Hells, yeah!" as I turned to head down across the finish line!

Total time 5:37:10 (616th overall, 26th in my age group and I won't even tell you about mon amie, Natascha)

Found Yvonne and Nate and asked them to carry my medal (Yes, it is that freakin' heavy!) as we headed back out on the course to cheer Cory on home. She was salty, smiling and looking strong! After loading all the gear back in the car, we stopped at Harris Crab House just shy of the bridge for crabs and a chipwich to end the day.

Monday was full of visiting old haunts on the Hill and catching up with friends. Cory and I headed out for a couple of slow laps around Hains Point on Tuesday morning for old times' sake even though neither of us could muster the energy to chase down the breakaways nor play with the traffic furniture. In fact, I spent most of the time wondering why the cadence function on my computer had suddenly decided to work and trying to unstick myself from the Gatorade Endurance Formula-caked Giant. Afterwards, I packed up my bike, had one last salad at Cosi and headed up to the airport for the trip home to Seattle.

All in all, it was a fabulous race and a great weekend. Mahalo to all of you who have supported me through the craziness of Eagleman & exams and read this far through my race report. I'll see you in the pool, out on the road, in the pit or online soon!

And now that a week has passed...

As you all know, I finished up my written comprehensive exams the day before heading back to DC for the race and was awaiting my results (expected the Friday after I got back) to prep for my orals. A couple of former co-workers from Michigan came out to distract me and keep me sane as I got my results back. It was touch and go there for a bit, but we all passed and I have this photo of my cohort partying to prove it- woo hoo!

And now that 2 weeks have passed...
Alden and I headed up to Lopez Island in the San Juans for a long weekend to punctuate the end of all this craziness. We camped, hiked, read, napped, ate tons of fabu food, and went a good 48 hours without knowing what time it was! We even managed a bike ride up to the top of Mt. Constitution (about 2,400 feet) to partake in what is touted as the best view in all of Puget Sound. My taper/exam/FedEx routing of the steed was definitely apparent and Alden was amazing at singing silly songs and telling stories to keep me distracted from the pain in my legs. The view was indeed incredible as you'll see if you can get beyond my sweaty delirium in the pic here. It gives me an even better appreciation of what I'd have to do to earn that polka dot jersey in the Tour...

That's all from me now- thanks for stickin' around for the longest rr ever!

EAGLEMAN DONE!!! Whoopie!!

2006-06-15T08:11:00.000-05:00

It was a successful day because of the cool t-shirts, the amazing weather [had pleaded with the weather spirits all week and they delivered on 2 of 3 counts; no heat, humidity, or wind...not bad]

As some of you may have already read my race report on the club site, this might be redundant but I'll repeat myself to be thorough.

Set my sights on Eagleman last year in response to a challenge I couldn't accept the previous year from my biking clan. They suffered through the temps and conditions last year while I was race support, cheering at mile 37 [blister from the cowbell] and chalk messages along the bike course. So this year was my turn.

I had a plan in place but never really seem to have good execution of a plan. Suffice it to say that I felt poorly prepared for the run portion of the race given that I hadn't run more than 10 miles since April and had been dealing with some foot pain and just wanted to finish comfortably. Mission accomplished but read on to see how....

I had a tremendous support group [family, friends, and not least of all, John] in addition to Club support, which was everywhere. I freaked myself out at 3 a.m. thinking that I hadn't prepared enough, wasn't getting up early enough, bla bla bla...the night before I freaked out about not having my usual breakfast so John went to find me oatmeal and yogurt .... what a great guy!! I got up early and started to load weird stuff into the car and managed to catch Nate and Meghan on their way out....Great quote "Checking out is for losers" so I just didn't worry about that, hung out with them and absorbed great mellowing vibes from them and got hugs before they headed off to transition. I was hoping to be in transition very soon after them.

Morning wake up, got prepared, left the hotel intending to be at transition at 6 a.m. with plenty of time to set up. Well, we hit the usual traffic and at Summerset, I hopped out of the car with my stuff and set off to transition, leaving John to go park and meet me. Got into transition, had enough time to rearrange my set up so that I had space to sit down [something I never do...but thought I might] and could gear up and just roll out with the bike in the right direction. Saw Jen in all her disheveled mess...having spoken with her the day before and her 'missing' front wheel story...knew she wasn't having a great day.

During packet pickup I heard someone ask Chris Legh about his intended strategy for battling a head wind and he responded that he would gear down and spin through it...sounded like good advice so I tucked that away for future use.

Once I'd set up, I went to the tent, stashed some post race gear, laughed at Jen a bit [it was tough not to], saw a bunch of club folks, gave Wayne my cow bell, and headed off to wait my entry into the water. Just prior to entering the water, I went to zip up my wet suit and managed to get my jersey caught in the zipper and thanks to Nate [and I think Jen] I avoided a really frustrating T1...they unjammed my zipper and hooked me up.

The Swim
Getting into the water, we [I was with the Athenas and 16-29 yr olds] joked around, noted who were 1st timers, there was a pregnant woman with us [under 5 mo preg, I think] and off we went. As you've all read earlier, going out wasn't too bad and I avoided getting kicked and runover and managed to merely "exist" with my fellow swimmers. The trouble came at the turn at the boat. Swells, stings, sighting problems, all were factors in my misery. Turning back to the shore, it only got worse, more stings, tough time breathing [which I solved with a weird "bounce" stroke I invented] and I eventually gave up trying to see the yellow triangles [which I saw lifted right out of the water by the stiff wind] and sighted instead on the huge red and white radio tower which was exactly where I needed to be. Goal time for the swim was 45 min; actual time: 51:41. Best thing shouted at me as I exited the swim "Lets go ride bikes!" by John. Saw Nate at the swim exit too...he shouted words of encouragement which I can't specifically remember now.
T1
I remember John telling me that at Columbia a woman stripped off her wet suit prior to entering transition so I thought it would be a great idea; I got hosed off [no beard for me] and then stood at the transition entry for what felt like forever stripping off the suit and carried it to my area which was really close to the bike out. Good call overall. Jen came in just behind me and we 'raced' to get out on the bike; she had an advantage of no socks to put on. T1 time: 4:21

Bike
My best leg of this sport by far and I've been working at this and have a new carbon Specialized Roubaix to make me go faster. I have also been practicing the "pill" delivery since several people recommended Enduralites and Naproxin on the bike in addition to water, Gatorade, and nutrition. I've never been able to use my bento box with success but Sunday was my exception. I had 2 servings of Cliff Blocks, two GUs, 4 Endurolites and 2 Naproxin, and 4 bottles of hydration while on the bike. I was indeed the really annoying happy smiley, chatty competitor. The kind you want to punch when you're having a crappy bike. But I was having a great time, and executed my race day strategy like a pro...use the wind when you can, leave some for the last 10 miles, spin through the wind, eat every hr, drink every 15 min, try to maintain 18mph average. At times I was going 25mph and others 14mph but I averaged 18.2 mph and felt great. I saw Natasha Badman on her way back in on Davidsonville as I was headed out...pretty cool. I think I passed more people than passed me. Sang "We all live in a yellow submarine" to amuse myself, steered clear of the club of competitors who seemed to be drafting in front of me, managed to avoid any flat tires, accidents, or bottle exchange issues. Made it through the bike without a "potty" break. Saw Meg Toy and clan, Brent, Tom, and David at all sorts of places. Read with amusement the chalk messages from Tom to HVS. Tried to stay focused as I passed the runners on my way back in...I am still competing and while I had to keep my head down and focus, it was tough not to cheer for a DC Tri Club jersey. Had hoped to break below a 3hr bike but just didn't get there. Bike time: 3:03:51 (18.28 mph )

Came off the bike and saw my Dad, John and the DC Tri Club cheering squad.

T2

Now just the run to complete; Helmet, gloves, shoes off, socks off, socks on, shoes on, hat, shades, GU, race belt and we're off. Stopped to dump the trash from the back pocket of my jersey since I'd eaten all my nutrition and stuffed the wrappers there to keep from littering. Saw John on my way out on the run, and many more along the chute out. Felt great and just wanted to keep an even pace to finish well. Time: 2:27

Run

Since I just wanted to finish, I wasn't pushing myself too hard on the run and sort of relaxed into a comfortable pace. Did the first 2 miles at 10 min mile pace but knew I'd not be able to sustain that so I just chilled, enjoyed the sudden overcast conditions and thanked all the volunteers along the way. On the way out, I saw Brent [again] and one of the most amusing moments of the race was Ian Weinstock running backwards in front of me chatting with me...with two flags sticking out of his visor. I saw Meghan coming back in from her amazing run around my mile 5. She looked great!! Passed Melissa Merson around mile 4 and cheered her on, got passed by lots of people and just before mile 6.5, got a nice boost from a fellow competitor who said I looked comfortable like I could sustain my pace forever; actually, this was one of my most comfortable runs ever...and I hate the run. Heather passed me just after the turnaround and was annoyed because I wasn't in her age group...haven't been for some time, my dear but more power to you...I just needed to stay on track and I could maybe finish this thing in 6:30 rather than my hopeful 6:00. Ate 2 GU, a few cookies, water, Gatorade, and poured water on my face since the salt was stinging my eyes and really making me uncomfortable. Saw Rebecca on her way to the turnaround and gave her a hug...she seemed to be in some pain...wished I had some Advil but I'd left it on the bike. Kept chugging along...like the energizer bunny. Saw Bruce on his way out and urged him along...he keeps going and going and going Yea Bruce!! By the time I hit mile 11, I felt okay but was really tired...not sore, not mentally popped but tired. I needed a nap. If I hadn't walked through the water stop at mile 12, I would have made the 6:30 goal but as it was, I came back along the river, turned left [after some traffic jam that just irked me...there's people trying to RACE here...have some consideration...grrr] I saw Meghan, Nate and Yvonne at the end of the stretch, sprinted with this woman next to me --- she smoked me, and then picked up the pace a bit as I turned the corner into the home stretch. Saw my mom and John and asked where my finishers beer was.....smiling the whole time.

Heard my name and crossed the finish line!! Whoopie!! Done and I didn't feel like an overused dish rag and I had my wits about me, felt great and would do it again!!

Run time: 2:29:08 11:23/mile

Total time: 6:31:28

All in all, it was much more fun than I expected, I'd do it again and this time I'm working on my run. Thanks to all who came out to spectate, support, and generally provide a tremendous atmosphere in which to compete.

Meghan and I spent the next day eating, walking funny, and just generally reveling in our Eaglmandom...It was a whirlwind weekend, filled with friends, family, and food, not to mention loads of physical activity. I might actually want to do this race again next year and am considering the Vineman in Sonoma next July...can we say ROAD TRIP?!?!?? I'll try to post some photos...unless Meghan took a pic of the two of us with medals [which I don't remember] we missed the opportunity to get the finishers on film!

6 Days and Counting!!

2006-06-05T16:20:00.000-05:00

The plane reservations are made, the plans are in place, all we need now are the "Players" and they'll be here on Friday!! Are we ready to race?? Who cares??!@?? We'll be sporting new t-shirts [thanks to Meagan] and a new bike [yea for my tax return] and hoping for cooler, no windy weather. In a weird confluence of interplanetary alignment, all sorts of out of town folks are gathering in the area this weekend/week.

My dad will be here on Wednesday and will be bouncing back and forth between Baltimore (my sister's family) and DC; my best friend from elementary school who does circus stuff will be in on the 12th; Nate arrives on Friday, leaves Sunday; Meghan arrives Friday, leaves Tuesday; oh and a good friend of John's will be in town between Wed and Fri...as if we didn't have enough to do already. I'm excited for the race, more excited to see you all catch up, have Meghan and Meagan meet John, and generally catch up with you all.

All that's left to do is check and re check the bike, pack all the pre race, race, and post race gear...loads of body glide, hat, sunscreen, and oh, yea, the cowbell for anyone who wants to ring it...

looking forward to seeing you all soon!!

Nate is OUT

2006-05-28T20:24:00.000-05:00

OK so no that kind of out. Out of Eagleman. Too many things have added up to me not being ready and my body is not ready to do something it is not ready for. I have tried to cram in some key workouts lately to jumpstart my readiness but those workouts left me feeling dead so I know I am not ready to do the whole thing. I am still coming so now Meghan and Cory have a huge support crew.

I was hoping the training would help me get through all the changes in my life but it seems the changes in my life have overwhelmed the training. I am starting to get in a groove with training and if this race was in three months, I think I would be more than ready but I can see a really bad day of racing sending my whole world crashing down... I am excited to see everyone and I think I will be much better company without the issues of being overly stressed....

nate

Columbia Race report or how I managed to finish the bike with a flat tire

2006-05-23T08:13:00.000-05:00

I had something to prove this year at Columbia since I DNFd last year because of a 'user error' in fixing a flat tire at mile 6 on the bike. Bound and determined to not let that happen again.

Lets say that pre-race I managed to keep calm cool and collected. Didn't get into my wet suit too early but when I did, had to squeeze my fat a#$ into the neoprene and try to keep from choaking 'cause it was so tight around my neck. Suffered some chaffing just above my armpits [never had that before] from the swim but otherwise, no race induced discomfort. Limited to a slow run from foot pain [going to get diagnosed this afternoon] and post race still had fuel in the tank but felt pretty good. Got my finishers medal and that's what counts, right?

SWIM: 33:48
T1 4:14
BIKE: 1:32:30
T2: 1:53
RUN: 1:11:10
FINISH 3:23:33

My race went something like this:

Check in on Saturday went extremely smoothly as usual...for having 1,600 competitors I expected a line but I breezed in and out without a hassle. Checked in my bike and then did a short walk around the transition area and swim start to get the excitement going.

Race day:

5:15 am departure from Capitol Hill and arrived in plenty of time to set up and get body marked. I've been experiencing some serious foot pain in the past week probably due to poorly positioned cleats on my bike shoes [now corrected] but it made walking and running very painful so my goal for the race was to finish [prior to the foot pain, it had been to stay at or under 3 hrs].

My swim wave didn't start until 8:08 so I had a good long time to sit and wait my turn. Didn't put the wet suit on too early [not like last year] and managed to stay calm and focused once we got into the water. I didn't plan for the bright sun but I just sort of focused on keeping an eye on the "blue heads" in front of me and spotting one buoy at a time. Didn't body glide myself far enough up the arm and wound up with rash...lesson learned. You can never use too much "grease". Exited the water at 33:48 which is more than 2 min faster than 2005.

T1: Seemed to take forever to put my junk on after exiting my wet suit [which was 1/2 off before I got to transition] 4:14...what was I doing?? I'll chalk it up to the run I did to get to my spot [3 rows from the bike exit] and trying to pull on my race jersey over wet skin.

Bike:
It took me 1/2 way through the bike to find my groove. It was windier than I'd experienced during my training rides and I kept playing leap frog with a number of people. As I passed the 1/2 way point somehow I kicked into gear and just kept going. 5 miles from the finish, I developed a flat front tire but was too stuborn to stop and fix it. I knew I was risking a seriously damaged rim [luckily it wasn't] but I didn't want to waste the time to pull over and fuss with it so I kept going. 1:32:30

T2
Of all the segments of the race, this was my fastest so Yea!! on the bike/run transition. Bike in, shoes off, shoes on, grab hat and number, run out...pretty simple. 1:53

Run:
This is where the pain kicked in and running has never been my strong point to begin with. I was determined to just finish the race no matter the time but wanted to keep it below 3:30. I walked more than I wanted to but as I ran up the last small hill prior to the finish line, I set my mind on finishing strong and kicked into a higher gear to the finish line. 1:11:10

Total time: 3:23:33

Looking forward to Eagleman and hoping I can rid myself of this pain in the next 3 weeks. The goal now is to race pain free and get it done. Can't wait to see y'all in some shape or form. My dad and mom are coming out for the race as is John [I hope] so it should be a grand affair!!

Post Eagleman course ride report

2006-05-15T08:16:00.000-05:00

So, John and I went to the Eastern Shore this past Saturday and rode the course along with several other folks [10 of us in total going at different paces]. With the new steed and not much cross wind, we managed 18.2 mph average and I did a 15 min run afterward...feeling pretty good. It was a great confidence builder and if I can manage to get someone to just ride next to me the whole way during the race, maybe I'll do just as well race day. I haven't felt sore but I was throughly exhausted on Saturday afternoon [didn't manage a nap post ride] and I didn't really do much in the way of exercise yesterday unless you consider getting a manicure/pedicure exercise...most don't.

Racing at Columbia this weekend and somehow its tough to remember that this was my A race last year and now is sort of a precursor to my A race this year; Eagleman. I'm hoping that I'm not being overly confident but I think I'll be okay for E-man...but things can change come race day.

I think if my dad can make arrangements, he and my stepmother Nancy will be there on race day too. Which brings up the question, who's in to race, to spectate and to come over on Saturday and spend the night for the early morning wake up? I know Meaghan, Scott and Alex are planning to come over on race day [be aware that its also the Bay swim that day so the bridge might be more crowded than usual]. Chris, are you planning to come down to spectate?

Chris has apparently turned into part fish...heard via text message that he's aiming to swim 10,000 yds by the end of summer. I asked if this attempt was all in one fell swoop but didn't hear back.

All in all a decent weekend of training and mother's day...I've got orange [day glow] toenails now and maybe they'll last for Columbia...might have to paint them bright blue for Eagleman...

A visitor from DC and my Vancouver 1/2 marathon race report

2006-05-08T22:42:00.000-05:00

First order of business: I want to acknowledge my first DC visitor to the Seattle 'hood: Yvonne! She arrived on a beautiful & sunny Friday, stayed through an abysmal Saturday and tuckered herself out kayaking on Sunday before boarding the red eye back to her life on the Hill. We had good food, laughed, walked a ton and generally caught up. It was great to have her here!

Once Yvonne headed out, I undertook my heaviest training week to date which meant that I logged 120+ miles on the bike, 17 poundin’ the pavement and 7 or so in the water. It was a great non-taper for my Eagleman warm-up 1/2 marathon in Vancouver on Sunday! My run club group (i.e., swimmers who run once in a while as an excuse to gather for yummy pastries, breakfast sandwiches and fabulous coffee) had mustered about 15 folks for the trek up to Vancouver including lab partners, significant others and friends of friends from high school. We’ve gotten to be quite the tight group in the last few months training together so the experience was a whole lot of fun!

Some folks headed up on Friday and others on Saturday. I stuck around until Saturday a.m. to allow myself to get in a long ride and Alden to make swim practice on Friday evening. The ride up was beautiful and pleasantly uneventful for my first foray into British Columbia. We arrived under cloudy skies and they opened up every couple of hours to remind us that yes, we do indeed live in a temperate rain forest! I saw photos of the beautiful mountains surrounding Vancouver in the guide books, but unfortunately did not have the chance to see them with my own eyes until we were headed out of town. But I’m getting ahead of myself with the story, which I know Nate detests so I’ll focus: We hit breakfast around noon with some friends (mmm, bacon) and then headed down to the Expo. No good deals from the vendors, but decent free loot. We shopped a bit, relaxed at the hotel and then had a great group dinner before heading back to prepare ourselves for the race in the morning. Now, we had some newbies among us, so serious time was spent discussing bag check protocols, timing your potty breaks, chip-shoe-attachment techniques, the benefits of wearing bright colors and how to transform a trash bag into a waterproof poncho... fun times! We headed off to bed early, hoping that the weather forecast would be wrong.

No such luck when I woke up around 4:30 a.m. It had been steadily raining sideways for several hours and the TV temp said 5 degrees Celsius- brrr! Revised my clothing plan to wear tights and a heavier top (since I don’t get to hang in the elite tent pre-race) to hopefully stave off the chills a bit. The start organization was the smoothest I’ve ever experienced which helped me to feel better as the combination of my anxiety (me, anxious before a race?! no way!) and the coordination of such a large group was a bit much for me to handle. We made it to the starting line just in time.

I ran with two fellow run clubbers, Nina and Greg, for most of the race. It was a first half for both of them and we were quite used to running together on Saturday mornings. Saw Alden at mile 5 or actually, he saw me and cheered as I was discombobulated navigating the water stop (see photo). The three of us plowed through the hill at mile 8 and I was still feeling great around 11 so decided to really open it up for the last couple of miles. It rained on and off for the whole race and my feet were fairly soaked, but otherwise I felt awesome! I had forgotten my watch at home which I think turned out to be a good thing as I just went with how I was feeling instead of focusing so much on the time. If I’d had the watch, I may have been tempted to slow down and instead posted a PR which beats my only other time in the half marathon by almost 15 minutes!

There was great post-race food including cold milk and yummy doughnuts. We all managed to find each other after the half, procure some hot liquid at Starbucks to fortify ourselves and wait for our sole representative to finish the marathon. Once he came in, we hobbled back to the hotel, showered and I had my first dim sum- mmm! While we were eating, the sun came out making for a beautiful afternoon which helped to neutralize my feelings about the lines at customs that kept us idling in no-man’s-land for about an hour before gaining entry back into the good ol’ USA. All in all, it was a fabulous weekend: a great city, good company for socializing, running & eating, loads of time with Alden and a PR- what more could I ask for?

Here’s a link to the photos (Alden’s are the only ones up at the moment, but he’ll add in more as they come in) if you want to check them out: http://www.huskymasters.org/photos/2006_05-May_Marathon/

And here are my official stats for those of you keeping score:

FINAL Place Place
Place in SEX in DIVISION PACE /MILE NO. COMPETITOR TIME
1121 354/4345 F 79/753 F3034 8:41 9033 Meghan McCarthy 1:51:48

This should be another good week of training for me. Alden is off to Swimming Nationals on Thursday so that will make for a lonely weekend, but hopefully his fabulous swimming will inspire me to train hard and his absence will leave me with time to get lots of work done as well. Wish I could make the Eagleman course brick with Cory on Saturday (mostly for the prospect of pizza afterwards, of course!), but will have to be content with being there in spririt. Happy training, y’all and thanks for reading!

Whew...thankfully its Monday. I can rest now.

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

Well my government slacker flex schedule every other Friday off just makes me jam more stuff into a 3 day weekend. Swam on Friday, got the bike fixed [rear derailur was wacked and flight deck wasn't working properly], Home Depot, Trader Joes, etc and two happy hours; Saturday I did a brick of the Columbia course [the race is May 21 and I've got something to prove since last year I got that dreaded flat tire], went to REI's anniversary sale and then the Nats Pirates game [11 innings later the Nats lost]. Sunday I swam, went to book club and then had Thai pot luck dinner at a friend's house [I made Mango sticky rice...yummmm]...oh and in between then, watched the first stage of the Giro d'Italia [Yea Robby McEwen].

Its been a crazy training weekend but all is well, I feel pretty good, the weather has been cooperating [nice and dry until yesterday] and not too warm. Perfect race conditions. We'll see if that holds for the next two weeks. I've got my sights on June 11 rather than May 21 although I can't completely discount Columbia. Will be riding the Eagleman course this coming Saturday morning with a group and there's a promise of Pizza Hut post ride. How can I refuse?

Anyone have any tapering tips?? I have never done it successfully and wonder if there really is a benefit [and do I deserve one since I haven't really been packing on the training hours].

Otherwise, its another day in DC; more political muck swirling about, and I'm trying to tiptoe through it all.

Sheesh...19mph is much faster than 16mph [duh]

2006-05-04T08:51:00.000-05:00

So the current iteration of the 5:30 a.m. riding group has some very fast people in it and I'm not [currently] one of them. Tuesday we did intervals [30 sec on, 90 off] and I held my own. Today, we just rode, around and around, and around. My flight deck computer on the new steed is missing the magnet that tells me my speed so I hadn't a clue...I just knew I was lagging behind kdog [Kirsten Emory] and Chad [Chad] and felt really slow. That is until I asked what speed we were going...19-20 mph average. 5 laps went much faster ... when you're going faster. So maybe the trick to getting faster is to (a) not know how fast you're going and (b) ride with people who are fast. Seems pretty easy, right? My legs were burning slightly and I was putting in all the effort just to keep contact. It was nice and calm this morning [if there'd been even the slightest wind, I'd be toast] so it was just a matter of pushing a bit harder than usual.

Ran 2x this week but can't really say I went for distance or speed. Just to say "I ran 2x this week". Will be doing the Columbia brick this weekend and then a swim on Sunday morning.

Still wondering if I'm crazy for attempting to do Eagleman [we all are in our own ways, right?] but I'll be riding the course next Saturday with company and the lure of pizza [Pizza Hut] afterward will be a good way to motivate me through 56 miles and a short run afterwards.

It is very tough to keep focused on training when my man is off going to Nats games, going out for birthday parties, etc. Of course I want it all...play, train, work (well, maybe not the work thing but it pays for the play and train part of life) and travel. I will just reconcile that triathlon is merely one aspect of my very full life and it doesn't matter whether I beat xyz person in my age/weight group; it only matters that I'm pleased with my performance and I know I put everything into training and racing. Or that I did my best ... I feel as though there should be a relevent Sesame Street episode to correspond to my "triathlon" lesson.

Can't wait to see you all [those who are in time zones other than EDT]!

buuuuuurrrrrp

2006-05-02T11:48:00.000-05:00

grettings sesame street fans!
just thought i would say hello. with eagleman a few weeks off, i'm quite sure that you all are drinking lots of beer, eating lots of pizza and chowing down on miles of sausages at your respective baseball stadiums! ;-) with that in mind, i wish you all good luck in your last few weeks of training before the big race. can't wait to get together and catch up!
-chris

I'm so screwed...and out of shape

2006-05-01T08:46:00.000-05:00

I biked the Columbia course this past weekend and did my first brick...I'm in big trouble. I did 33 miles on the bike and ran about 23 minutes [less than 3 miles] and was DONE. I don't think there's enough time for me to feel even remotely comfortable with the necessary distances for Eagleman but I will continue to try to make up the deficit! Doesn't help that I took off for 10 days during prime training time and didn't do a lick of training while I was gone -- I was on vacation, fer cryin out loud... No more trips until after Eagleman...even if it kills me. I plan to do a brick next weekend and a long swim on Sunday...then the Eagleman course ride the next weekend, then Columbia race, and more Eagleman training...might get a long ride [30 miles] and a longer run [7-8] in a brick Memorial day weekend...Its tough to juggle training and a new love [all I really want to do on the weekends is sleep late and go to breakfast at 11 a.m. -- not so good for training]. Italy and Ireland were fantastic. We had an unexpected stop over in Goose Bay Canada [small electrical fire on the plane] and we missed a day in Dublin. However, we still managed to see the important things; the Jameson tour [and tasting] and the Guinness Storehouse [again, tasting]. Had Nepalese food for the first time in Dublin and then it was off to Rome. I've never been to Italy and neither had John so it was a first for both of us. We were instantly overwhelmed but it was an amazing trip. We took a short [less than 24 hrs] side trip to Florence and puttered around there for a bit. Saw an AS Roma game [no score...disapointing] and had real Cappucino every day. The trip back was long [3 planes, 4 airports, had to claim our bags at each plane change] and this time uneventful. Here we are at the Colosseum:

We've got a bunch of the "self portrait" photos from the digital camera. I'm so happy that I invested in the little thing; best investment I've made since I bought my house. Since we've been back, I've biked 2x, swam 2x and run once. Really must get better about the running thing...its my weakest sport and I don't do myself any favors by ignoring it. Will try to motivate to run tonight even if its only intervals for 1/2 hr. Otherwise, things are good, the weather in DC is fantastic if a bit chilly. Its been dry and about 65 - 70 degrees and that's just fine by me. I'll be cleaning the house this weekend trying to get the guest room in shape for Meghan's upcoming stay. I'll be forwarding you all the hotel info so you've got it [for Eagleman] and we should figure out who's staying overnight and how many rooms we need...we've got 5 currently [Me, Nate, Chris, Meghan, Rebecca] and I'm not sure how many bodies will be occupying those beds...we'll figure it out before June 11, I hope. So, for Sesame characters, we've got Nate = Ernie [right?], Meagan = Animal, Chris = Oscar, Meghan = Cookie Monster, and Cory = Big Bird. How's that?? The t-shirts are coming together...

Finally, a good training weekend!

2006-04-24T15:06:00.000-05:00

Managed my first 50+ mile ride of the season yesterday in fabulous sunshine, little wind and temps hovering around 60. Very unSeattle-like April weather, but I'll take it. I am proud to say that I managed my nutrition/hydration much better this weekend and am feeling tired, but not worn out or exhausted on my rest day today. Still getting psyched for my 1/2 marathon in Vancouver as I ran a strong 11 with that crew on Saturday. Alden is beginning his taper for Nationals (May 11-14) and so is limiting his cross-training. He'll still make the trek to Vancouver to spectate which I really appreciate especially as I will be supporting from afar when he is in Florida. Just can't leave the school/training craziness (although I've still found myself checking out the last-minute plane fares wishing I had bought a ticket). His tales of swimming fast will inspire me to train hard that weekend, I hope! Speaking of training, will try to get in a bunch early this week so I can play when Yvonne is here. Cory or Meagan, are you planning to stow away in Yvonne's bags for a quick trip to the west coast? Anyone else on training? And how was Ireland/Italy, noeplz?

54 days

2006-04-18T11:12:00.000-05:00

less than two months!! 5 mile run this morning and 800 yards of swimming. I am starting to feel better swimming and biking that I am running.

I bought plane tixx so I am definitely coming to eagleman. I arrive on friday night and fly out sunday night. I will fly into bwi and rent a car. Now I have to figure out how to travel with the bike.....

what are the rest of you crazies doing??

60 days til the reunion

2006-04-11T12:20:00.000-05:00

What a flurry of posts as Chris and Meagan rejoin the fold. I can understand where they are both coming from as I do have to plan my schedule around a little person and I am working hard to get back in shape. If we were training for an olympic distance tri, I would be excited because I have been able to get in lots of workouts but nothing very long. I am pretty happy with my last week though as I have had two days where I ran at the gym and then went right into the pool for a swim. I have been getting in some good 1-2 hour bike rides and just got my road bike back from the shop so it nice and shiny and quiet. Tonight I pick up the chariot bike trailer so noah can be the caboose when I ride this weekend. I might not get in the long rides but it has to help that I am towing a trailer!!!!

I am going to buy my tickets for eagleman this week. It sounds like we will all be there so we need to find a good place for a long relaxing dinner the night before or we could do the same as last year.

I'm Back!

2006-04-10T20:31:00.000-05:00

As I too am not a contender for Eagleman (sorry to hear that you won't be racing Chris, but it sounds like you are loving life a little bit more without that hanging over your head!) I am looking forward to seeing you all compete in Cambridge. Scott, Alex and I are hoping to make the trip and have the little man experience his first triathlon. He was at his first bike race two weeks ago and he was so excited he slept the whole time!

I am happy to let you all know that I have started "working out" again. It is surely a lame workout compared to all the efforts of y'all. I have run now, twice and I am hoping to get on my bike this weekend. With all this nice weather I have been getting out for some long walks and it is amazing how challenging it can be to push an extra 30 pounds (A-Man and stroller combined) up the Capitol hill while dodging wacky tourists. Cory watch out, I may be ready for your running pace in the not so distant future. If you are looking to do a recovery run sometime, give me a call.

This past weekend we baptized Alex along with his cousin Will. I have attached the link to Alex's blog so you can check him out. Hope all is well with everyone.

http://alexjancy.blogspot.com/

2006-04-10T15:38:00.000-05:00

greetings friends,
first of all let me say that I MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH!! these past few months have been particularly hectic for me, not that they weren't for you all too, however, due to the increased travelling and some additional responsibilities at work, i have officially withdrawn (i.e. bailed, backed out, jumped ship, wimped out, crapped out, wussed out, etc...) on eagleman. i'm sorry nate, i truly appreciate the sentiment in your email, but i can't do it. plus, i already have deposited my refund check from tri-columbia. so i will "tri" again next year.
trust me when i say to you that no one is more disappointed than ME, that i cannot be out there again - sweating, cursing, and crying it out with my friends. i am disappointed. unfortunately the training had become too much with everything else that was going on and was becoming a really negative force in my life. once i finally decided to (gracefully) back out, the clouds lifted and i have once again been enjoying my workouts. i realized then that i had made the right decision.
i am running... alot! and for those interested, the tour baby (which turned into the "cajun baby" after my new orleans trip) is, sadly, no longer with us. i have lost 10 pounds since january with still more to go. i am still planning on doing a half-ironman in late summer. wish me luck.
i wish you all the best of luck in these next few weeks leading up to eagleman! i am planning on being in cambridge to give you all of my support. know that i will be jealous that i am not out there with you! happy training, and i am looking forward to seeing you in june!
oh yeah, cory... my bike will be at work with me this week, so keep an eye out for me some morning.
take care!
-chris

Cherry Blossom 10 miler

2006-04-03T08:11:00.000-05:00

For the first time in recent memory, the weather [and the blossoms] were in perfect form for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler yesterday. It was my first time running in that race and its JAMMED with people and tough to get into a rhythm. I've been suffering with allergies for the past two weeks so while I trained for this one, my endurance was seriously reduced and it shows in my time [1:42:37, 10.38 pace]. I also decided to take a late afternoon bike ride with John on Saturday out to the palisades to see the lovely cherry blossoms. It was a great ride except for the times I thought I was going to die...first time riding on the road on Rock Creek...an experience to say the least. I can do me some urban riding but heck...I like my face the way it is [un scathed by road rash for the moment], thank you very much. All turned out well and I convinced John to take the GW path on the way home to avoid the car traffic...we compromised; roads [no peds] on the way out and path [no cars] on the way back.

An easy 20 mile ride, testing out the new aerobars and seat!! The seat is like a glove for my butt [sorry for the graphic reference but its that good] ... and the aerobars need a bit of adjusting but they're pretty spiffy. I hit my knees on them when I get out of the saddle to go up a hill.

On Sunday, after the race, we went to the Capitol Hill Bikes Expo where John was a model. Like last year, everyone got something [I got a mini tool and some socks, John got a Specialized mt. bike saddle and a t-shirt -- sweet Bianchi shirt] and then went to see "Inside Man" -- really good Spike Lee/Clive Owen/Denzel Washington movie. So here it is, Monday morning and I'm still tired from yesterday.

Training is back on and will post updates as I progress through my plan!

10 weeks to go and it is beautiful outside

2006-03-31T14:48:00.000-05:00

Right now I am sitting in my corner window office wondering why I am inside when it is 80 degrees outside. I have had a pretty good week, 3 runs and a swim and I am planning on a 3-4 hour ride in the morning. Hope the weather is gorgeous for everyone else and you get outside this weekend. Cory, I know that you always get what we get a day later so be ready for incredible weather tomorrow and sunday. Good luck at Cherry Blossom.

Since I can't just bring him along to meet everyone outside the pool at 5:30 a.m.

2006-03-28T09:27:00.000-05:00

or to 1/2 price burger night at Whitlow's, I guess I'll have to settle for introducing y'all to my boy, Alden, through the wonderful world of the internet. Apologies to Cory and Nate as they already know some of this, but here we go:

Alden is a swimmer & biker and a general adventurous guy who I met through my Masters swim team out here. We spent some time together this fall riding, running and kayaking, but didn't start dating until after the holidays. It's been a fabulous couple of months and, if you couldn't tell already, I'm totally smitten! :-)

What else should I share? He is a graphic designer who works for a gaming company called Valve over in Bellevue. He also owns his own company with a couple of buddies from school. He's a native Seattlite who has taught me most all of what I know about biking routes around here.

We complement each other well in many ways: he uses his front brake more than his rear, is super early in arrival time (one of the minor axes, Nate!), quotes lines from The Blues Brothers, makes me do sprints when we go on long rides and is always up for an adventure! His activity level frankly makes me look like I sit around and eat bon bons all day which has been fabulous for helping me remember the importance of good, physical activity especially during all the stress of last quarter. In fact, I'd say that my desire to keep up with him has been a major factor in the intensity of my Eagleman training of late!

Did I mention that he's kind, thoughtful, smart & beautiful to boot? I've never felt this way about anyone before and if you weren't already convinced that I've totally gone over the edge, read on! Maybe part of that is how much we already had in common in terms of shared interests, interaction style and activity level pre-dating. Maybe getting to know each other this fall helped, too. It just feels right, like we fit together and this is how its supposed to be. So it is that I spend a fairly good hunk of my time smiling and staring off into space! There- I'm done gushing. I think you all would enjoy his company both on and off the bike and I'll look forward to introducing you all to him in person someday soon!

please help my blogging skills

2006-03-27T13:12:00.000-05:00

OK so I did not mean to have a post that had nothing to do with us but I cannot figure out some blogging issues. first issue is that on my home computer I logged into this and other blogs as 35anddry.blogspot.com without the www at the beginning. If I post or comment, you can only see that comment if you log in that way. If you log in with www, then it looks like I have stopped posting!!! Then this morning, I made a comment on meghan's post about the surprise visit but even though the comment is there, it says zero comments on the front page!!@ What am I doing wrong?? Am I crazy?? SHould I be working instead of blogging?? SHould I be swimming instead of working??

a surprise 35 and dry reunion!

2006-03-24T09:17:00.000-05:00

Imagine my shock when I walked into Logan airport last Saturday morning under the auspices of picking up my sister's boyfriend's luggage and found instead Ms. Cory Churches with a half of dozen donuts! It took a few minutes for me to figure out that Molly was in on it and that Cory flew in to see me! Once I did, we headed down the Cape for a fabulous weekend.

We drank good coffee, shopped 'til we dropped, rode the ferry to Martha's Vineyard, partook of fabulous local seafood served by the best waiter ever and even managed a 9-mile run to prep Cory for the Cherry Blossom run next weekend! Kudos to both Cory and Molly for their coordination and for keeping such a big secret from me! The surprise was complete and a wonderful beginning to my spring break.

all hail the prez

2006-03-16T13:40:00.000-05:00

OK so C really has been the prez all along, now she justs gets credit for it. I als think it should give her a 10 minute bonus at Eagleman. Congrats C although being prez does not mean you have to do all the work, now you tell EVERYONE else what to do.

Training for me has gotten a little better. After 10 days of pseudo rest with an ear infection, I ran two days in a row (tues and wed), took today off and will run tomorrow. I have found a group to ride with although I am not sure what they are like. The buyer over the cube wall is a cyclist so he invited me. we will see on saturday. I am a little wary about getting back in the pool but I will do that tomorrow after my run.

13 weeks and counting

2006-03-08T13:59:00.000-05:00

I've done two major things today:

1. decided to sell my trusty LeMond now that I have a spiffy new Roubaix. Check it out here. To me its like selling my first born but it wasn't until I realized that (a) its taking up space in my small house, (b) I could use the $$ to defray the cost of the new one and (c) someone else new to the sport could be getting some use from it and the realistic chance of me putting my butt back on the seat anytime soon is just silly.

2. charted out the lesser task of the "13 Weeks to 1/2 Ironman" from Gail Bernhardt's "Training plans for Multisport Athletes". You might remember that I attempted [and failed] to get on the 25 weeks to 1/2 Ironman in October where she had us [me?] doing double 2x per week...in the off season that's just silly.

Still trying to get back on track for normal life; I'm three days back from the Bahamas where I quickly adopted "Island Time"...get up sometime after 9, shower, put on bathing suit, sarong, tank top, go find breakfast and then hang out on the beach until further notice; during beach time, order fruffu rum drinks and occasionally get off your lazy butt and get into the crystal clear blue salt water [makes you more bouant]...marvel at the huge cruise ships that pull into port.

It was bliss:

Trip was fun, and I'm sunburned in March!! not that I enjoy being sunburned but I've never had a tan this early in the year...I'll get skin cancer any way I can...

So I'm geared up for the warmer weather but still expecting cold. I like this light earlier and staying light later business. I might even resurect the Tues/Thurs biking group but at 6 a.m. rather than 5:30 for the time being...

Meagan, thanks for the 4 week Alex phots..he's getting so big!!

I'll check in later to let you know if I'm able to stick to the plan or not!!

Cory

I am not even ready for a sprint triathlon

2006-02-25T21:25:00.000-05:00

I am in sad sad shape. Between Chicago last weekend, Las Vegas during the week and now Noah being sick all weekend, I have not been working out. Tomorrow starts the beginning of a new mini camp. I need to have two great weeks to jump start things or I might as well give up. Tomorrow will be running and biking. Maybe not a lot of it but running and biking nonetheless.

Another cycling tour...and you thought the Olympics were the only thing to watch

2006-02-21T17:20:00.000-05:00

The Amgen Tour of California is in its second stage and competing with the winter Olympics for attention. Levi Leipheimer is in the lead with Bobby Julich and George Hincapie right behind him.

You could win a Felt F80 if you go to the site...bet you they don't have Bob Roll or Bob in the Buff. I know they don't have the announcers from the Tour. I saw Phil [or was it Paul?] at the Cross Country ski segment in Italy for the Olympics. I actually rode my new Roubaix yesterday around and around Hains Point with Jen [Jacobs]...it was a dream!! Took less work and felt like I was riding a cloud...whoopie!!

In other non-related training notes, I managed to go out for a friend's bachelorette party on Saturday and stayed out [and sort of awake] until 5 a.m....party like a rock star. Shots, silly 80s dancing at the Black Cat and breakfast at some restaurant on 17th street.

Otherwise, life in DC is nearly normal, crazy winter weather, in need of new biking partners to keep me motivated to press onward toward the ultimate goal of Eagleman.

st louis and nate is swimming

2006-02-15T15:25:00.000-05:00

ok, so i have not gone swimming yet, but i will tomorrow morning. my new gym has a pool!! i did not do much of any working out for 5 days while i was moving but i have run 2 of the past 3 days and i will run AND swim in the morning. goping to chicago for the weekend so I am not sure what the weather will be like but i will get a good long run in. next week: VEGAS!!! for work of course.

I've Lost Count and its cold outside

2006-02-13T10:39:00.000-05:00

Hey all,

With Nate gone and winter finally here, I'm losing my motivation for a race in June...or maybe the Cherry Blossom 10 miler should be my more immediate goal [April 2] ...

Anyone watching the Olympics?? I can't keep track of what's on when and without the souped up TV and TiVo, it just seems pointless...tell me when and what to watch and I will comply. Heard we [the U.S.] might be able to medal in curling...those wacky Minnesotians.

I'll be jetting off to the Bahamas in early March for a wedding and possibly Italy for the last week in April...so getting training in now is imperative.

I've been running at least 2x per week but didn't do a blessed athletic thing over the weekend, unless you count frolicking in the snow with the dog as exercise...some do.

Went to the gym this morning to do Gail Bernhart's weight routine [am on the ME portion where you lift unGodly amounts of weight for short reps...280 lbs on a squat 6 times] and will attempt to run in the morning...possibly doing intervals and sprints.

Will post pictures of the snow as well as the new Roubaix when they're available...

Chris, where are you?? Have you fallen down the laundry chute and can't reach a phone??

cycling world updates

2006-02-10T09:49:00.000-05:00

So I had to watch the Grammys last night to learn this gossip, but here it is:

Los Angeles, (AFP) - Seven-time Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong and Grammy-winning rocker Sheryl Crow announced they were separating Friday five months after getting engaged.

"After much thought and consideration we have made a very tough decision to split up. We both have a deep love and respect for each other and we ask that everyone respect our privacy during this very difficult time." they said in a joint statement.

Together for more than two years, Armstrong, 34, and Crow, 43, announced their engagement last September two months after the Texas cyclist scored his record seventh triumph in the Tour, road-biking's most famous event.

Singer Crow is the winner of numerous Grammy awards, including record of the year in 1994 for "All I Wanna Do."

She is nominated this year for the best pop vocal album Grammy for her "Wildflower."

Armstrong has three children from an earlier marriage. "Rumors of trouble began surfacing around Christmas, but the couple insisted there was no truth to them and that they were moving forward with wedding plans for this spring," People magazine reported on its website.

The couple, who met at a charity event in October 2003 and began dating a short time later had "shared a ranch in Austin, Texas, and were said to be planning to live there together after their wedding," People added.

And our first taste of the 2007 Tour, found whilst poking around on velonews to get the skinny on Sheryl and Lance:

London landmarks for 2007 prologue
The 2007 Tour de France will start by weaving its way past London's best known landmarks, then travel to the historic city of Canterbury, The Associated Press reported Thursday.

Organizers announced Thursday that after the opening ceremony July 6, the prologue will be held the next day and will feature commemorations to mark the second anniversary of the London bombings, where four suicide bombers killed 52 commuters on three subway trains and a bus.

"The 2007 tour will be a modern tale of two cities ... and plans to cement the friendship between our two great capitals," said Christian Prudhomme, the tour's director of cycling.

This will be the first time the Tour has started in England, and the third time it has passed through the country. The Tour had a stage in Plymouth in 1974. In 1994, the race had stages between Dover and Brighton and to and from Portsmouth.

In 1994, the British stages provided the greatest number of spectators than any other stage on that year's tour, Prudhomme said.

Previously, the Tour's "Grand Depart" has been launched from numerous cities and towns outside France, including Liege, Belgium, (2004), Luxembourg (2002, 1989), Dublin, Ireland, (1998), Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, (1996) and Berlin (1987).

London bid unsuccessfully to host the opening of this year's Tour, which will start in Strasbourg in eastern France.

The 5-mile prologue will start at Trafalgar Square and pass the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. It will then go through Hyde Park before finishing in front of Buckingham Palace on The Mall.

The 130-mile first stage will include three bonus sprints and three king of the mountain hills. Starting on The Mall, it will travel past St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London, go across Tower Bridge, through Greenwich then south through the county of Kent to Canterbury.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone said the event would attract 2 million spectators and raise $122 million. He added that discussions had begun on the best way to remember the July 7, 2005, bombings.

"Having the Grand Depart on July 7 will broadcast to the world that terrorism does not win, it does not change a city, it does not shake our faith," Livingstone said. "There will be no better way of celebrating the unity of humanity than this great sporting event in this city on that day."By The Associated Press

Texted with Nate tonight en route: after fueling up at Sheetz, Nate and his Dad traversed Pennsylvania and Ohio and arrived with the two Schwinns safely in the truck at their hotel outside Indy. They'll finish up the last five hours tomorrow a.m. For my part, I'll be getting out on my bike again tomorrow to enjoy the continuing un-Seattle-like fabulous weather.

Baby Jancy has Arrived!

2006-02-10T08:30:00.000-05:00

Alexander Atkins Jancy
Born on February 5, 2006 at 3:37 pm
8 pounds 13 ounces and 22 inches long

As Scott will tell you, he is long and lean and built like a cycling machine. The guys should be happy they never have to experience a contraction as they are the most painful thing I have ever experienced. All I can say is that drugs are amazing! I think that after giving birth I have a new perspective on doing half iron and iron distance tris. We are all doing really well and I am looking forward to getting outside with Alex once the weather warms up a bit! Hope all is well with everyone.

124 Days and I am moving...

2006-02-07T08:52:00.000-05:00

Had a great run this morning - 48 minutes and yesterday was 43 minutes so I am feeling pretty good. Getting the workouts in early this week is important since i will be driving 15 hours in a moving truck on thursday and friday. I have a job in st louis. I am very sad to be leaving DC. I will be back for Eagleman and more so no need for goodbyes.

125 Days...and we're back on track

2006-02-06T15:22:00.000-05:00

Hey all,

Its Monday, its not raining for a change, and I'm getting a sweet new ride...check it out My new Roubaix

I tested it out yesterday at Hains Point in the wind...no computer but the speed is undeniable but on hills, its still the strength of the engine...

Went for a longer run on Saturday [probably 6.5 miles...Lincoln Park to the WWII memorial and back just before it rained]

Today was to be my gym day, weights, light cardio, but it ended up being a rest day instead. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

Meghan, sorry about the Seahawks; they were robbed...thought they both played badly but couldn't decide which team played worse than the other.

By far, the best ads were Emerald Nuts, the Ameriquest Mortgage [don't judge too early] and the Bud Light [secret fridge] ... if you missed them you can watch them here http://www.ifilm.com/superbowl

Great news from Meghan re: being able to make it East for Eagleman...I'm assuming we're still on baby Jancy watch??

Otherwise, things in DC are business as usual...as much as that can be true.

Emerald Nuts: Machetes and Druids

128 Days and the weekend is here!!!

2006-02-03T09:36:00.000-05:00

Easy 4 miles this morning (running that is). Looking forward to long run tomorrow and then long ride on sunday. Gonna spend the weekend working on the house in DC to get it ready to sell.

Thought about buying a new bike yesterday. Bikesdirect.com has some ridiculous deals right now. You won't get the brand you want but still great bikes. For now I think I need to get in shape instead of spending money on a bike.

129 Days and I am still fat...

2006-02-02T09:08:00.000-05:00

NO workout gonna happen today. Did not get up this morning and going to happy hour tonight. Maybe I could get on the bike trainer tonight but I won't promise anything. I did ride my mountain bike a little last night so I have two runs and kindof two bikes this week so far.

8 days until the OLYMPICS. If there was ever anything motivating out there, it has to be the olympics, even this wintery version. The real question is, how much figure skating will I have to watch....

130 Days and I ate too much last night.

2006-02-01T09:19:00.000-05:00

So no workout whatsoever yesterday but I did go to Acadiana which is a new restaurant in DC near the convention center. New Orleans seafood is their thing and it was GOOOOOOD. Had to have two desserts. Check it out...

Ran 6 miles this morning and felt like a slug but I still did it. Hoping to get on the bike trainer tonight for a little spin.... or do I wait til morning and hope it is nice enough to ride the point???

so far this week - 29 miles bike, 14 miles run.

Meghan has best workout of week with that 10 miler!!

131 Days and it feels like Seattle!?!

2006-01-31T08:58:00.000-05:00

No workout yet today but I did get in 6.5 miles last night before meeting for 1/2 price burgers at 8:30 with Cory. Did she run first? NO!! something about work and phone calls. I hope she ran this morning but last night was 55 and beautiful and this morning was 45 and rainy!!

Meghan, did you buy that trainer yet?? Why not??
Chris, do you exist??
Meagan, is there a little one yet??

132 days ...... get the point yet??

2006-01-30T09:58:00.000-05:00

OK so tell me when this gets annoying. I am going to keep us honest by posting EVERY day. No, I have not worked out yet BUT I did make plans to have dinner with Cory and I told her I cannot meet until after I run. Since when do I put off dinner for a run??

On another note, I just signed up for another triathlon in July in Wakegan, Illinois. A sprint tri but looks fun.

133 Days....

2006-01-29T14:23:00.000-05:00

Where is everyone? Actually I know where. I just rode 29 miles in the rain with Cory (well, she did 21 because she is afraid of the hills!!) Meghan is trying to pick a boy and well, Chris, he is on some weeklong trip thingy...

19 weeks people. 19 weeks. 1.2 mile swim. 56 mile bike. 13.1 mile run. in the heat. and wind. are you ready??

I am going to make sure I run 5 days a week, ride 2 days a week and swim two days a week. (well, the swimming will have to wait til I get to st louis...). What are you guys doing??

134 days and counting

2006-01-28T13:30:00.000-05:00

There are now 134 days until Eagleman 06. We all talked about all this training we were going to do and as I talk or text to each of you, I realize we have been very very bad.

I am going to start the official workout trash talking. My week of training sucked but today I ran 9.5 miles in the morning on the trails in 1:16 and then did 20 miles on the bike in just over an hour. What did you do today?? Let's start listing some good workouts. We are probably not going to get to do many workouts together but at least we can motivate each other.

Did I mention 134 days???

representin' the mitten

2006-01-01T17:07:00.000-05:00

The Michigander contingent of the 5:30 am crew met up this holiday season far from our current abodes in a brew pub about equidistant from our respective hometowns. Good beer was consumed (note the brewing accouterments in the background of the photo) while catching up. And really, you'll have to schedule a time at Tunnicliff's to hear the saga of Chris's latest laundry-related injury. I'm beginning to think we may have to invest in valet service for him if we want him to remain healthy enough to train and race in 2006...

It's New Year's Day and instead of doing laps around Hains Point with you all ad nauseum like last year, I went polar bearing in Lake Washington to ring in the new year. Any triathlon-related resolutions from anyone? While drinking last night I committed to a Half Marathon in Vancouver this May, but that's the extent of my craziness so far in 2006. Wishing you all a very happy new year!

End of 2005 Begining of 2006...reflections??

2005-12-22T10:17:00.000-05:00

So, I've been unusually quiet on this space...I know, am I sick? Trapped under a large boulder?? Distracted by some man...there, that's the one...[see photo at left...post Celtic Solstice 5 miler]

More on that topic in a moment...I'd like to take a moment right now to reflect on the months behind us and project forward a bit...

Normally I take time off from work at the end of the year to clear out the house of collected crap, attempt to stick to a resolution to be less of a clutter bug and more house keeping oriented...thus far I've failed every year. Maybe 2006 is the year that I'll stick to this resolution. I have a bit more motivation this time.

My 2005 was a good one...came back from knee surgery, did about 4 races including my longest running race thus far [1/2 marathon] and resolved to attack and conquer a 1/2 IM in 2006...though it looks like through various injuries and education commitments, my merry band of fellow Eagleman participants might be casualities...but I persist.

One big news item for me is that I've been swept off my feet by a great guy [most of you locals have met him] and I'm feeling my way through how this is all supposed to go...trying not to wig out and forging ahead with the same commitment and determination that I approach triathlons...its fun, its supposed to be fun but sometimes its hard work....

Nate and Chris have had the pleasure to meet said 'man' ... and according to reliable sources, Nate's comment was "he's a keeper" ... and yes, your opinion does count even though you're a 'guy' friend.

I won't go into intimate details here since the web isn't always as secure of a place as we imagine it to be...and I'd like to protect the innocent...However, I've been trying to introduce him to the vast network of friends and he's been great about being willing to meet everyone...

I also went to Meagan's baby shower on Saturday [she's due on Feb 6] and she looks fantastic!! I got her a plethora of baby stuff in yellow duck theme from Meghan and me but we [the clan] could do something a little more personal like make a kid sized t-shirt that has Triathalete in training or something a bit more personalized on it...apparently Scott is anti toy and expects that the kid will be constantly by his/her parents. The consenses among the folks at the shower is that the baby will be a boy..which would be nice since Meagan's sister, Amy, has a 3 mo old boy and they live on the Hill as well....

There's probably more news to tell....oh, the soiree at my Casa went swimmingly and all matter of alcohol was consumed and food was eaten....see debaucherous photos.

[ see John trying to avoid the crazy drunk triathletes.]

[see how Angie has cleared the couch of all male presence...she kicked John off the couch...]

Thanksgiving musings

2005-11-26T22:11:00.000-05:00

Where to begin with a post? Tis the season and I’m far away from friends and family. Spent Thanksgiving morning biking though, with a stellar view of Mt. Rainier as a backdrop. Thought of all of you as it was in that neverland of temperature between 35 and 40 when we set out and I was forced to explain to my riding companion the strange reasoning why we were allowed to ride 25 miles, but could not do the planned 40 miles. She nodded and smiled probably thinking to herself how crazy I was, but I think she came around to my point of view when we arrived back home a quarter century later teetering on the precipice of freezing without falling over the edge.

Life has been good to me in Seattle. I’ve learned to appreciate great coffee and discovered scones. The good news for you Capitol Hillers is that in retrospect, Murky Coffee does a fabulous job, at least with the former. I’ve had to learn some new vocabulary as baristas here don’t recognize skim as a modifier for one kind of milk in your drink. You have to use the west coast nonfat or you end up with some frankendrink concocted from several different kinds of milk as I’ve unhappily discovered.

My cohort of fellow PhD students has become a fabulous island of safety in the strange new world of academia socialization extraordinaire. We have even adopted a mascot (Dr. Smurf) who is guiding us in our studies. They are great people and I’m honored to be working with them. Here is our photo from orientation:
(l to r, back row: Jen, Ramona, Carl, front row: Peris, me, Bill, Gita).

I’ve become quite the swimmer again and am running with a subset of the Husky Masters crew in a weekly Run for the Bun which fuels the aforementioned scone obsession. All that running cumulated in my 1st half marathon finish (well, the first one not after swimming 1.2 miles and biking 56) with my sister in San Francisco last month. There was even a hot model dressed in a tuxedo the end who handed me a Tiffany box before I partook of all the Luna bars and Jamba Juice I could and got my free massage. Nike did a fabulous job with the marketing and set up, but could have used some logistics help from the military folks at the Army Ten Miler on crowd control points like getting our gear bags and our dryfit finishers shirts.

I’ve found new places in Seattle to partake in old vices like a good diner down the street for bacon and other breakfast basics & a doughnut shop (http://www.toppotdoughnuts.com/) whose specialty is cake doughnuts which provides a nice counterpoint to Krispy Kreme’s raised doughnuts. Mmmm, doughnuts. The beer is varied in flavor and copious in quantity as expected and I have five different varieties left over in my fridge from a small Ironman Hawaii party hosted to approximate the gathering at the Arlington Cinema Drafthouse. Although the beer exceeds expectations, where, o where, is the cider love?! I had not realized the ignorance about this fine form of alcoholic beverage on the left coast until my arrival. I’ve taken it on as a duty as an east coast ambassador to proselytize whenever and wherever I can to bring more Seattlites into the fold. I’m considering trying to get Woodchuck to sponsor me (aka, buy me a riding kit) to share the love. What do you all think?

On a related note, as I’ve bemoaned to you in several forms of communication, I am missing our rides. The bike trails and routes are fabulous here, but I lack your steady company to get me up and out there on a regular basis. Yes, there appear to be many good riders about with tons of cool gear I’ve never seen before. There are things like removable fenders (useful for making sure it isn’t raining in two directions onto you as it drizzles), two distinct species of commuter bags and more flashing lights than you could shake a stick at. Breaking into one of these groups may require investing in this type of paraphernalia to blend in with the locals, so to speak. Sigh, you know how I hate getting more gear. ;-) On the other hand, I have made some progress in learning a couple of routes and how to negotiate a traffic tool they use copiously here and can be quite a hazard to bikers: turtles. They are plastic, reflective bumps put on the road to keep drivers in line. I’m not sure if Phil Liggett would consider them worthy to be called traffic furniture, but they sure are tricky especially when wet and best avoided in any case whilst on a bike if you intend to stay upright.

Learning to get around here has been a bit of a challenge. Contending with water and bridges everywhere can be tricky. I’m learning to read maps in three dimensions. With the hills, you can sometimes be exactly where you want to be to “cross” a street you want to get on, but that cross-street can be five stories above you. Drivers are a bit crazy here, I miss the savvy skills of DC commuters. Yes, they are crazy and impatient, but predictably so. Seattlites drive slow in the fast lane and meander about in a way that leaves me very little confidence that they have a clue what is going on.

I’ll end my musings on Seattle here and wax a bit philosophical as I feel like map-reading is a good metaphor for the past couple of months for me. I’m learning the new world of academics and the new place of Seattle. But I realize in writing all this down in the context of the holiday weekend that I’m also practicing thanksgiving for you in my life and the experiences that brought me to this time and place. Happy thanksgiving, my friends!

[Insert sound of crickets]

2005-11-15T10:07:00.000-05:00

Hellooooo....anyone out there??

I know I've seen/talked to 2/3 of you [Nate, Meghan and Meagan] and I hear through the grapevine that Chris is doing well on tour, and should be back next week or so....

Meghan has been a busy bee with her 1/2 marathon in San Francisco and a swim meet, nevermind her settling into Seattle...but where o where is the blog love??

Nate is trying to become a runner again so I suppose that means he can't be a blogger...not that he's been all that active here in the first place...but I digress....

Saw Scott -- Mr. Meagan -- running this morning so maybe he's really standing in for Meagan now...doing her biking and running...is he swimming also??

Miss you all...hope you watched the IM Hawaii stuff so we would all have been at least connected via the wonders of NBC...Nate and I were at the Arlington Cinema N Drafthouse...nice to see it all unfold on the big screen...

My First 1/2 Marathon or why I still prefer triathons over running

2005-10-17T10:37:00.000-05:00

So I'm repurposing this race report which most of you have already seen...in your e-mail boxes but I'm preserving it on the blog...for posterity. Thanks to you all who have seen me through my progression from a 6 mile max runner to the 13 miler I did on Saturday....the taunting and cajoling did the trick.

I'll start this off by saying that I missed doing all three sports and there are way too many people who do running events. Total participation on Saturday in Baltimore (between the marathon, 1/2 marath, 5k and kids run) was 10,000. Incredible but a HUGE field of competitors.

My stats wound up in the Overall Male division...that's what I get for having an ambiguous name and not checking my registration carefully.

Stats: 2:06:06 (Goal was 2:15)
Pace: 9:42
Gender Place: 427/1900
Age Place: 68/299

I did this race to prove that yes, I can run 13.1 miles before I attempt to do a 1/2 Ironman next year. Figured if I couldn't do the run, it would be a tough race overall. As it turned out, I confirmed that I indeed hate to run but I will endure it to finish a race.

I chose Baltimore so that my mom could come spectate as well as having a chance to cruise around a city I haven't really taken a close look at since I moved a way more than 10 years ago.
In preparation for this race, I made several friends drag me out on longer runs (Jen, Kristi, Meghan, Lisa) and getting over the mental hump of the barrier of 6 miles did a lot for my confidence. I still wouldn't consider it 'fun' but its always easier to endure with good company. I was racing this one alone and that's what made me most uneasy...no running partner on this one.

Friday came and I was mentally/physically prepared and started collecting gear. It's strange to only have to run as opposed to all three sports and I felt as though I was forgetting a bunch of things. List consisted of: Shoes, good socks, comfortable shorts, high vis shirt (to be seen by mom), body glide, hat, sunglasses, water bottle, iPod.

The 1/2 marathon didn't start until 1:45 past the marathon so I didn't have to be at the start until 9:45...what a luxury. I took the light rail in from my mom's house...great not to have to fight traffic and worry about parking. Hop on, hop off...walk 3 blocks to the start of the race [by the Science Center at mile 13 for the marathon]. So different from a triathlon...

I made a last minute decision to take my iPod with me and run with the music in my head for motivation. I know its against the "rules" but I was going for a goal time of 2:15 and just wanted to get through it comfortably. The weather was a bit warmer than I expected but dry, sunny, and breezy. Still much better than running in the rain and cold or the humid heat.

As we're waiting for the start of the race, the marathoners (head of the pack) passed us and it was great to see the diversity of runners.

Finally it was time to start running. I'd been warned to keep miles 1 and 2 slow and when the gun went off, I tried to heed the warning. At mile 1 I had done a 9:12 [not where I'd trained] and thought...hey, somehow I'm going to have to slow down...but I was comfortable so I just ran my own race. We headed down Fayette to Broadway on our way to Fells Point [between miles 1 and 2] and I took a look to my right as we crossed Fayette and saw the mass of people behind me...what a boost. I was mentally composing my race report thinking of all the people who got me to this point (Nate, Meghan, Lisa, Jen, and countless others) and just keeping my eye on the finish line...with many hills to come.

Highlights of the run included running all the hills, enjoying the flair and colorful folks in the neighborhoods of Baltimore who all came out to support the runners (the Eye of the Tiger folks, the Balmore Huns, and all those who stood out and made us smile) and I now have my first finishers medal and its got a fabulous blue crab on it (you have to be from Maryland to get the significance).

As the race came Eutaw Street past Lexington Market, I was ready to be done...

Running into the area behind Camden Yards made me want to finish that much more...there were crowds on both sides, it was shaded and I knew I had exceeded my time goal and still felt okay. A few hundred yards from the finish, I decided to sprint to the end and 'raced' a woman next to me to cross the line and at that moment, I heard my mom...but was too focused to really look for her.

I finished, waded through the mass of bodies and their shiny metal 'blankets' and got my medal!! [which I wore for the rest of the day]. I'd had a GU 1 hr into the race, and some gummy bears, water and gatorade but was feeling the onset of dehydration...so post race I had loads of water, 2 bananas, and crab soup.

It was done, over, finished, mission accomplished!! After stretching and walking a bit, we headed home, back on the Lightrail. Post race, I set about replenishing my caloric deficit, which I'm sure I did 2x over [the best crab cakes in the world from G&Ms in North Linthicum, home made ice cream for my chocolate banana malted milkshake...the list goes on].

So one challenge down, next in line is a 1/2 Ironman...which somehow doesn't seem so daunting now.

Thanks for reading, this was much longer than I expected...

Cory

Nuthin' New...just got the blog urge

2005-10-12T15:59:00.000-05:00

Hey all....Its getting colder, staying dark longer, is just a hint of what's to come...Rode on Tuesday alone in the dark and rain...sounds like the start of a country western song...pathetic.

Trying to determine if I really want to buy a tri bike...well, let me rephrase that...of course I WANT a tri bike...but do I want to spend the dough to get it?? Thinkin of going bike shopping this week and next...Bonzai having a 2005 model in stock clearance sale.

Also considering doing the Eagleman loop for the 'fun' of it before it gets too cold/dark/rainy out. It would be good to at least have one pre-winter ride of the course down before having to deal with Spring wacky weather.

Home repair this month is the fence in the back -- finally!! Although I do have to make more of an effort to get the paint OUT of the can and ONTO the wall...in some organized manner.

Meghan has been my drunk dial lately...and without a proper 'filter' she's getting a whole different side of Cory....the uninhibited say what you mean, spill the beans of the sub-conscious kind of Cory. It doesn't happen often but if you want in, all you have to do is move to a time zone 3 hrs away and answer your cell phone when its 11:30 p.m. on the East Coast. Simple.

I'll post really crappy photos from Big Lick and from Cape Henlopen although I didn't race, Kristi Smith did ... went to be supportive.

So this weekend marks my foray into my first 1/2 Marathon...Baltimore looms ahead and maybe its just me but I'm not really nervous...should I be?? Its just running....13 miles...without planning to run WITH anyone...but it will all be good. I think. If you think otherwise, don't bother to tell me until after the race.

There's my update in a nutshell...how about you all?? Nate, lets post a random facial feature each week and make everyone guess who's it is....naaa...maybe not.

Fun with Fancy Camera Fones or How I spent my Sunday evening

2005-10-03T16:35:00.000-05:00

Hey all,

In a rare alignment of planets and stars, 3 of the 5 original members of the "35 and Dry" were seen imbibing in margaritas and mexican food at La Lomita on Capitol Hill last night. We have photographic evidence... but best of all we have a close up of a nose...to be used to build a franken face at a later date. As usuall all topics were on the table to be discussed, hashed out, poked, prodded, and made fun of. At last check, we left Nate, Hillary, Chris and Cory to toddle off in their respective directions, hoping they made it home safe and sound to get up bright and early and either exercise (run in Nate's case, swim in Cory's) or get their butts on a bus to start the "President's Own" Marine Corp Band tour (what Chris and Hillary did). We hope that Chris will be diligent in sending updates along the way so we can track his progress across this great land. Tell us of all the highlights of middle America. We plan to rendevous again at Hooters in Chinatown the Wednesday before Thanksgiving; who's in??

Hope to see you then if not sooner!!

Outback Big Lick Race Report

2005-09-26T11:14:00.000-05:00

It was TOTALLY worth the drive!! 5 hrs each way but afterward who can beat a steak and bbq chicken for post race food??

Pros: Great race support, no port-a-pots...real bathrooms and warm showers, small number of competitors (capped at 550), picturesque, rolling hills.

Cons: 5 hr drive from DC, Saturday race, recommended hotel was 45 min from race.

Stats: Oly distance (1.5 k swim, 40k bike, 10k run)
bike and run course, hilly (Smith MOUNTAIN)

Results:
swim: 37:50 T1 2:39 bike: 1:22:23 ( avg 17.78 mph) t2: 1:31 Run: 58:39 ( pace 9:45 min mi) Total: 3:03:00

Good enough to give me top Athena honors (out of a field of 7 ... I'll take it)

Went down to the race on Friday morning with Kristi, Lisa, and Dennis (Ramos)...I'll give Dennis credit for tagging along with a gaggle of women...and he's a youngster too -- caught up with Rob Sokol and Dave Mills (don't worry, you don't know them) along the way. Baring some bad directions around Lynchburg, drive was fine (but long).

Got to race site, checked in, scanned the swim (cleanest water I've been in all year), thanks to Rob's guided tour, we scoped out the transition area, learned where the tough spots were, drove the bike and run course (tricky hills) and then went off to find our hotel (45 min away...more time in the car) and then to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant (good food).

The race didn't start until 9 a.m. so we were saved the crack of dawn alarm but only slightly. Up by 6 a.m. [told everyone that I was glad they weren't Meghan...needed my extra sleep and the size of the race didn't warrent too early of a departure] to the park by 7:30 with plenty of time to set up, get timing chip and scope out the swim. By 8 a.m. the water temp was 80 degrees and not wet suit legal if you wanted points or to be eligible for awards. Made the decision that since my division was so small I might actually have a chance to place and I'd be annoyed if I'd blown it by wearing the wet suit. So I went without.

Had a Red Bull about 1/2 hr prior to getting into the water...thanks Nate for the habit I've now developed...lookin for a sponsor to get me into rehab.

There were 6 swim waves and I was in the 4th. Beach start to the swim (new for me) and the swim went well except toward the end, the shore seemed to be getting further away rather than closer...lost my concentration and started to get frustrated. But I finally made it to the beach in less time than I assumed. [37 min and change]

Would have been a faster transition (didn't have to fuss with the wet suit) but I made the grand decision to put my helmet on before I put my DC Tri Club jersey...bad mistake...finally 'dressed' and ran the bike through transition out to the 'hill' and up to where I could actually get onto the bike without falling over.

Bike course was well marked, every 5 miles, and the day was overcast and fairly cool (75 degrees??) so made for a good ride. I felt great so I just kept pushing it on the bike. I caught up to Kristi at about mile 18 and just kept hammering waiting to feel the tell tale over exertion but it never happened. I could have gone harder but I'm fine with the result.

Great bike ride and now just have to face the run. Decent transition and I felt pretty good going out so I figured I would continue to push the limit as long as I could. Ran for a while next to a very enthusiastic college competitor who just kept everyone's spirits up while she ran. Saw Dennis and Rob before they headed back into the park on the last mile (they both looked good) Ran the entire thing, walked only when drinking (its tough to to both well) and finished strong. Missed the announcer calling my name and saying I'm from Washington, North Carolina...

Hung around for the awards...no certificate or plexiglas brick...insulated lunch bag with the race logo on it...yippie!! I wanted a plack that said I'm a goddess...

Great post race food, great volunteers, great race all the way around. Couldn't have made the drive home without that Red Bull.

Valor Brass Recital

2005-09-21T19:27:00.000-05:00

hey,
just wanted to "personally" invite you all to our brass quintet recital on friday, september 30 at 8pm. we're playing at the bethesda united methodist church on old georgetown road in bethesda. it's fairly easy to get to and if you are interested you can check out www.concertsonthecorner.net for either an exact address and or directions. there are some decent pictures on the site as well. (no jokes please) we're going out afterward to rock bottom brewery in bethesda (nate, since no car, it's right near the metro).
we're playing at the church, but it's not at all a church thing. if you have any questions please feel free to email or call me. i hope to see you soon!
-cpc
p.s. meghan you better be there! :-)

Kirkland Triathlon Race Report

2005-09-21T12:47:00.000-05:00

OVL PLACE & TIME DIVPL SWIM T&PL T1 BIKE T&PL T2 RUN T&PL
280/791 1:29:39 14/62 0:12:26 55 2:22 0:46:29 491 1:26 0:26:55 487

I signed up for this race to keep myself motivated to train (at least a bit) through my transition to Seattle. This race was a sprint distance (.5 mile swim, 12 mile bike and 5k run) and I was looking forward to the shorter distances. Went to packet pickup the day before the race since I am still at the point here that I have to put everything into google maps to see where I’m going. The race took place in what they call “East Seattle” which means on the other side of Lake Washington from where I live, near Microsoft. It only took me about 15 minutes to get there with most of my driving time on two bridges crossing parts of the lake. Things looked good (even a decent t-shirt) and I walked the transition area to get a feel for the venue. It was a good-sized race with about 1200 race numbers out on the racks. Went home, organized my gear and got to sleep early.

Sunday morning came and I headed over to the race site. I was impressively on time, not even getting out of bed until two hours before the race began! I don’t know how many of you have spent time out here in the fall before, but let me explain for those of you who haven’t that it is COLD here already. Air temps were in the mid-40s overnight on Saturday and the dew was thick on the grass which made for a wet and chilly gear setup. There were no lights, but the sky was clear and we had a full moon so it was easy to see. Met a couple of fellow Carleton alums (sporting my alma mater’s name on my sweatshirt) which was cool. The sun came up about 6:30 and with it came the fog. I was in the 2nd wave (of 12) slated to go off at 7:05 a.m. so I headed down to the water about 6:45 as they were closing the transition area. At 7:00 a.m. sharp they announced that there would be a 1/2 hour delay for the fog to burn off. I headed back into transition to put some socks on my cold toes. I didn’t regret having on my full wetsuit on pre-delay as it kept me warm...

My wave went off as scheduled at 7:35 a.m. with an obvious dearth of pushing and shoving and I started thinking that maybe there are some benefits to the laid-back west coast attitude... I felt great in the water probably because I’ve swum more in the past couple of weeks here than I did the whole rest of the summer! Got out of the water and headed into transition. Hit my first technical snafu here- could not for the life of me disentangle my right leg from my wetsuit. Think I sat down too soon and therefore could not make it work! Finally got out and onto the bike course with a SLOW transition time.

Almost ran over a squirrel right out of the gates (I mean, like I closed my eyes and waited for the clunk kind of close) which amused a guy passing me but freaked me out a bit. The course was listed on the race’s website as “moderately hilly.” Now, it’s not that I don’t believe them, but it’s just that I think that I define that term differently than a native Seattlite who is used to constant hills. It was a tough ride for me, although only 12 miles long. The worst part was coming around a corner to the biggest hill of the race, shifting down into my granny gear and having the chain fall off- dooh! I had to stop, clip out entirely, get my hands all greasy putting the chain back on and then tackle the hill from a dead-stop. Fun times. I’m looking forward to improving my climbing and descending skills as I train more around here. Came into transition feeling good after a long descent although I was almost taken out in a crazy domino game of falling cyclists as we dismounted to go into T2.

Grabbed my race belt and headed off for the run. After trying to clip it for several minutes I realized that one end of the clip had fallen off so I ended up tying it around my waist. Funny how sometimes the stuff that’s supposed to save you time ends up biting you in the butt- isn’t it? The run was great. They had a mat to run over a couple hundred yards from the finish so they could announce each competitor’s name as he/she finished. I ended up running my fastest 5k time ever which bodes well for my 1st 1/2 marathon adventure next month!

Since the racers were so spread out with the multiple waves, there were plenty of folks coming in after me as well as heading out on the run as I picked up my gear. I wanted to stick around and try to meet some people, but the cold was getting to me and I ended up forgoing the social event to get home for a hot shower and some tea.

Except for the string of strange technical difficulties, encounters with wildlife and the body marking that still lingers on Wednesday (is this stuff permanent? will the 31 turn to 32 next August or will I be frozen here forever? and yes, I have tried to scrub it off) it was a great race. Full results here: http://results.racecenter.com/2005/kt05.htm Will post a link to the photos once I’ve got it so you can see me representin’ with the DC Tri Club jersey all the way out here on the left coast.

CCCCCCChanges

2005-09-21T10:46:00.000-05:00

OK. Meagan has a baby growing inside her, Meghan lives 3000 miles away, Chris is trying the BMore thing, and Cory is just starting rumors so I felt I needed to do something.

1. I now live in Arlington. I have left DC and moved into a small apartment within walking distance of work. Right now it consists of my bed, a table, two chairs, my clothes and the schwinn. Over the next few days, hopefully more will move over with me. Phone number will be my cell as I felt no need for a landline. I won't post the address for fear of stalkers....

2. The powers that be in the new company I work for announced that the offices I now live near will be closing in March and I will be jobless. Since I last looked for a job in 1995, this will be fun. They are going to come around and interview us all for possible positions in other locations. OOO boy..

3. I am not dropping this triathlon thing but I am going to concentrate this winter on becoming a runner again. Just so I put it out there somewhere, I am training to run under 33 minutes for 10K before Eagleman. I will still be riding 2-3 days a week and swimming 1 day a week (starting the swimming in November) but it will all be about running. I still think this will help me do a much faster Eagleman if for any reason that I will hopefully be about 15 pounds lighter....

Nate

Baby Jancy!

2005-09-19T16:28:00.000-05:00

Thought you all might be interested in seeing the progress of Baby J. I had my 20-week ultrasound this morning and they took a couple of pictures. All is going well so far and the baby appears to be healthy.

"Hey, check me out, I'm sucking my thumb"

Note the amazing length of the fingers. We are considering naming the baby ET (j/k).

In this photo you can really see the facial profile- eyes, nose, lips and chin.

Hope everyone is doing well and had a great weekend.

i think this is working now...

2005-09-15T16:14:00.000-05:00

greetings capitol hill triathletes... i think i'm finally able to figure out this blog sign-in thing and am now able to post. i suppose you guys don't really care about that, but i'm hoping to get back in the loop eventhough i live in baltimore and will soon be out of town for 2 months. anyway, let me know if this is working. talk to you all soon. dinner monday or tuesday???
-chris

Eagleman, Part II

2005-09-13T14:38:00.000-05:00

So the registration for Columbia and Eagleman have opened...the check's in the mail for me (I'm anti-credit card over the internet for the moment).... so here we go again. This time, I will be on the course in full race gear rather than in cheer leader mode...no chalk...only endless packets of GU and gatorade... Oddly, Meghan wanted to know if all the smack talk about registering for and doing Ironman Wisconsin 2006 was for real or just that...smack. I balked and said, eventually, I might do a 3/4 Ironman but they'd have to invent it first...maybe this winter, we could figure out a way to do an indoor 1/2 Ironman...need a pool, a bike, and a treadmill...we'll start working on that now...

Life goes on without Meghan, Meagan and sometimes Chris (he still surfaces on occasion) ... Just me and Nate and we're doing a rousing job of starting viscous rumors...being seen together in public...not riding bikes...all sorts of things to whisper about. My last race (maybe) will be the Smith Mountain, Outback Big Lick Olympic distance race on the 24th of Sept...should be fun...who can pass up a lake swim with a steak or chicken dinner for post race food...and just to sport a t-shirt that says Outback Big Lick...will be fun. What's new with y'all??

Its Meghan's Birthday!!

2005-08-29T10:34:00.000-05:00

Call her to wish her a happy birthday and safe journey across the country to Seattle. She and her mom left this morning for the drive...hopes to be in WA by Friday!! We expect a detailed account of the trip...

Chris comes for a guest ride

2005-08-25T16:03:00.000-05:00

Hey all,

Since Meghan last posted, there's not been a whole heck of a lot going on...I've been too busy being plugged into my new iPod toy to really pay much attention to anything other than how much battery life I have left.

Chris came down this morning to bless us with his presence (thanks Chris) and since he's had his bike fitted, no knee pain (cross our fingers).

Meagan has sent her husband, Scott to represent her on the rides...nice to still maintain the Jancy connection if only via the 'better half'....just kidding.

Today's ride was uncharacteristically more men than women: Andy, Scott, Nate, Chris, Jen Jacobs, Elizabeth and me...nice neat little pack.

It was chilly, at 65 degrees...could have used an arm warmer or two...but it was fantastic compared to the 90 degrees and humid we've had in the past.

I'm getting ready to go to Cleveland for a wedding next weekend and will most likely be visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Brewing company (on Chris' recommendation) in my 'down' time. Can't decide whether to risk taking the PA turnpike and all its drama or go out via 68 to Cumberland and cut up north...

Due to a grant from Kaiser Permanente, the DC Public pools are now free of charge to DC Residents...yea!! no excuse for not going to the pool and no more need to have 3 singles...

Its been a totally unproductive day at work today but going to a funeral in the morning can really curse the rest of your day....so, hope y'all are having a great Thursday!!

Lansing Legislator Race Report

2005-08-15T14:19:00.000-05:00

Normally, this is where I would post my times, but that won’t be happening here and there’s a story behind why not...

I decided to do this event a few months ago when looking for a race to facilitate my cross-country transition. It seemed perfect- close to my parents’ house so they could come and see me race, commemorative biking jersey with the name of my hometown on it instead of another cotton t-shirt, and a good Oly distance to keep me motivated to train while moving. I signed up excitedly and a couple of weeks ago the e-mails started coming. Now, I don’t want to say that I have high expectations, let’s just say that I’m a bit structured about things. So there were some red flags in the e-mails. The race organizer was referring to the distances in the race and they kept changing- by the time race day arrived they were 1.5 k swim, 31 mile bike, 6.5 mile run. By the way, the website says 35.4 miles total- don’t know how any of these numbers add up. They also were running a 1/2 IM and a duathlon as well.

Went to check in the day before and no jerseys were to be found. They mentioned something about them coming in from overseas and not arriving on time. Hmmm, I was suspicious. 52 people were signed up for the short course, about 120 for the 1/2 IM and 30 or so for the duathlon. Drove the bike course, but didn’t see a lot of good markings for the turnarounds, etc. so I was glad that I drove it instead of riding. Got home and to bed early hoping that the forecast for rain wouldn’t be right.

The morning came with overcast skies, low humidity and temps in the mid-70s. Arrived in plenty of time (no comments here please!). Set up my transition area, racking next to two Giants which I thought was a good sign. Realized that I still haven’t found my watch since the move. It’s been nice running without it for the past week, but it would have been great to have race day. It was a nice, mellow group of people and the pre-race went well once they got folks squared away on the two courses for the swim. The water temp was 77 so it was just wetsuit legal. I decided to wear mine since I had it with me, but was a bit concerned about overheating. The 1/2 athletes and duathletes went off about 10 minutes late and I got in the water to warm up a bit since we were going 30 minutes later. Earned my OBX t-shirt (if you don’t get this reference then you don’t want to know) and got ready to go.

Mellow start and I took off. It was good that I paid attention when they were going over the course because I ended up all by myself for most of the swim. Had some trouble sighting on the way back as the sun was on the horizon directly in front of me. Think I exited the water 4th (not that I was counting!) despite having only swum twice since Colonial Beach and feeling like it. Easy transition to the bike and I was off!

Now this is where the story gets interesting. I felt great on the bike, but noticed that no one was passing me from my race. I was catching and being passed by some folks from the 1/2 and the du. I knew that I was having a good day, but couldn’t imagine that no one was with me. It was a strange course (http://www.3disciplines.com/legisltr_maps.html) with some portions where you could see other folks and I noticed that I recognized some people from my race coming back that I didn’t remember passing me. Here’s where I started to worry a bit. Am I on the right course? What is going on? Am I doing a second loop so I’ll end up going 56 miles instead? About ten miles from the finish I started passing what looked like the back of the packers from my race. How did this happen?!

Turned into the park to finish and rode by the 3 mile mark on the run seeing lots and lots of folks out there. Damn, how could this have happened? Came into the transition area at almost 33 miles by my computer. Saw a woman I rode with last week (who I hadn’t seen at all out on the course) totally lost next to the transition area trying to read a map of the course with a volunteer and find where she was supposed to go. Most all the bikes were already in and took off on the run after hearing my dad cheering. Ran with a woman for a bit who mentioned that the bike course was screwed up and people went lots of different distances. I felt less crazy at that point, but it didn’t help the fact that I was almost dead last in the race. Picked some slower runners off (this felt good despite the fact I knew that I was in the wrong place and that was the only reason it was happening). The run course was deserted and poorly marked. I think that it would have been better if I had other racers around, but I saw perhaps a total of a half a dozen people during the whole run. I even had to stop and consider which way to go at one point because there was no marking on the road- just call me Bob Frost ;-) Felt good on the run, but had no idea where I was going and felt really alone out there considering what the hell happened.

Finished strong at about 3:15 for the whole race. It was explained to me immediately that some people in the short tri did 22 miles instead of the 32 I did on the bike. There was apparently a sheriff misdirecting at an intersection so some racers missed the first 10 miles of the bike course which would explain my utter confusion and how everyone got ahead of me. They were asking folks who had computers on their bikes to report the distance they rode and they were going to try and sort out the results from there- good luck! Also, lots of people were confused about the run since we were all so spread out and the course was so poorly marked. My dad gave away his map of the course to a competitor and both my mom and dad stationed themselves in places where they could direct runners since everyone seemed lost. BTW- as I crossed the finish line, the announcer was already offering 1/2 off next year’s race due to all the confusion...

Checked on the thread on the slowtwitch forum today () and they’ve got some thoughts about the race (although most of the posters did the 1/2 IM so their distances weren’t messed up). Posters did report that the bike course was a couple of miles long and some short-course finishers in the transition area told me that they thought the run was more like 7 miles instead of 6. No e-mail yet from the race director or info on the website about the whole debacle. So, how did I feel about the day? Strange for me. It was great for my parents to be able to see me race. But in a time in my life where I’m already discombobulated with transitions, this was a bit much for me. Shouldn’t everyone in the same race do the same distance? Why isn’t 31 miles just 31 miles instead of 32.6 or 22?! Onward to the Crim Ten Miler in a couple of weeks and I’ll post an update once the race director posts an explanation and I get my official times...

Eagleman.... or the real reason we stuck together

2005-08-13T15:48:00.000-05:00

So...... as I have not yet added anything major to this blog craziness, I started to think why we have gotten to the point we needed a blog. one word: Eagleman. Ok so not all of us did it, BUT we really did.

Not sure when it all really began but sometime last fall, we were all talking (drinking maybe) and I think I was the one who threw out the challenge that we could do a half ironman. Chris and Meghan thought about it, Cory thought it was crazy and Meagan started her long stage of disappearing... There was a long pause and then on a ride one morning, the gauntlet was thrown out again. This time, Meghan, Chris and I said we were in. Cory was making plans for knee surgery so she said she would be our support crew.

There was more talk for the next few months..... Chris went off to play his horn on the west coast.....Meghan and I coined the term 35 and dry......Cory got the knee fixed.....Meagan helped push us on some rides, even dragging her husband along a few times........but things were not definite yet. Then came December. Registration was about to open for Eagleman. Would we really register?? Would just two of us register and the other not??? The day registration opened, all three of us charged $175.00 and then checked to make sure the others did the same. Things had gotten a little more serious.

So why was this the thing that kept us together?? Well, as the following race reports will show, there was no way we could have trained for this thing alone. There was no way I was getting up at 5 AM on a sunday morning when it was 40 degrees out and saying "sure I think riding 60 miles is a great idea!!" We made sure that we pushed each other. At the same time, when you are out in the cold for 4 hours together, you start to tell stories and discuss issues and open up and fix flats and talk of bacon and push each other and hear each others deep darkest secrets........

I won't go on anymore. Hopefully we can all somehow post of Eagleman race reports here. Cory and Meagan did not "finish" the race, but you will see from the race reports, that none of us would have "finished" the race without them.

I guess what I am saying is.......see you all at the finish line of Eagleman 2006. Hopefully someone will say to me "are you gonig to finish this thing???."

iPod, Fully Loaded!!

2005-08-10T10:30:00.000-05:00

If I wasn't already a complete and total geek, this recent purchase of an iPod (30GB, color, stores photos) pushed me over the edge.... I received it yesterday, plugged it in immediately, listened to the 'sample' which was Beethoven's 9th symphony (only a portion) and it never sounded sooo good. I have now configured my PC, downloaded over 500 songs from my hardrive and photos (you all are in my iPod now...) Whoopie!! now starts the chore of creating my very own CD archive on my iPod...

Some reflections on my transition

2005-08-09T11:26:00.000-05:00

Leaving DC:

The last few weeks have been resplendent with metaphor, significance, action (and no, I don’t mean just that kind of action) and solidified some wonderful relationships that I'll carry forward with me. There are watershed events and times in our lives and (geesh, this is getting melodramatic) this is feeling like one for me. I think it goes without saying (but I’m going to verbalize it anyway) that this has become about more than just long bike rides. There are few people in this world who I feel like really see me when they look- and you all have become part of that small circle. Thanks for the discussion, perspective, support and general presence in my life. Keep it coming by e-mail, text messaging (now that I have the unlimited plan), blogging, calling and certainly visiting. And remember, STP is only 11 short months away!

On returning to a place I called home for so much of my life:

There’s something very comforting about this house and this topography for me. My parents bought 1925 Tahoe Circle in 1978. I know it like the back of my hand, and it provides a touchstone for me as I orbit about in the world and then come back here to check in, refuel and move on.

Being here helps provide a yardstick for where I’ve been and where I’m going which can be alternately comforting, suffocating, affirming and confusing (or all those things at the same time). Here are reflections on some of those moments in the past week:

Going back to the pool where the thought was first born that I could be a good swimmer. Then looking for Nate’s college coach in the parking lot so I can yell: “You’re fuckin’ joggin’!” at a complete stranger.

Watching Regis & Kelly, What Not to Wear, Larry King Live, local news ad nauseum and Days of our Lives with my mom. There is a lot of TV out there to watch, folks!

The serendipity of a Monster Energy truck going by as I am writing at the coffee shop.

Having my mom tear up in the waiting room of the Toyota dealership when I mention, quite by accident, that I may never have children given my age, current relationship status, blah, blah, blah- how did we get into this discussion anyway?!

How damn quiet it is here- I’ve got to put my earplugs in to sleep. Was it always this quiet and slow here? I’m used to so much more action and find myself craving it.

Installing a wireless network and noticing how addicted/dependent I am on the technology. It’s interesting, because it’s actually about connecting with people- it’s comforting to get a text message from a friend at 5 a.m. when she is trying to go to bed and I’m trying to go back to sleep after waking up and realizing that I won’t make it out in front of the Eastern Market pool this morning.

Having my mother’s friends comment to her that I’ve turned out to be such a lovely young woman- the oppositional teenager in me wants to say: as opposed to what?! Being here reminds me how outside the mainstream I am- the exercise, pursuing a PhD, the fact that I’m not married with two kids.

Almost tripping over a bump in the pavement on a long run and realizing that it is where I fell when I was six and cut my right knee (you can still see the fabulous scar). Then walking there the next day and hearing my mom tell the same story about the bump.

In the Beginning...

2005-08-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

in a place called Capitol Hill, on a forum for triathletes, there was a lone post

(Feb 27, 2004) no-e-plz (but at the time it was still noeplz)

Big Grin Okay, since I suggested this, I'll start the first string. In the past, there's been great interest in locating training partners but its been difficult to sort through the endurance levels, schedules, and intensity of training to find a suitable match.

The idea is to briefly state your goals/objectives, your pace in each sport, whether you train in the AM or PM and where you do most of your training (i.e. geographic location).

Here goes:

Goals: 2 Olympic distance tris (Aug and Sept); 2 Sprint distance (June, Aug)
Pace: Run 9-10 min miles, Bike 14-15 mph (road bike), Swim 2.5-3 min/100 yds (yes, that's slow)

I prefer to train in the morning and am in search of running motivation as well as encouragement on the bike. I am work/home located near Cap Hill.

'nuf said. I know a few people at last night's happy hour are in a similar situation and I'm willing to be flexible on location....I normally bike along the Rock Creek loop, W&OD, GW Parkway to Mt. Vernon, and Poolsville.

Couple weeks go by....response post (Mar 11, 2004) Meghan

I just moved to Capitol Hill and have similar training goals (a couple of sprint race in June/July and an Olympic Distance race towards the end of the summer). I was a competitive swimmer in a former life so the swimming won't work out, but I would definitely be interested in talking about running/biking in the mornings and on weekends.

Then it was a virtual 'flood' of interest (Mar 12 2004) meaganjancy

I also live on Capitol Hill and would be interested in meeting up for some training. I am doing a sprint April 24 in NC and then the next would be the Spud in June. I swim at night at the Capitol East Natatorium- even if we swim different paces, we could still come up with a good work-out. I run and bike in the ams. my days are flexible. I would definitely love to have someone to ride with on some long rides on weekends. I am also interested in some new routes. Let me know. Big Grin

Then the first guy jumped on...(Apr 1, 2004) bignate

To any of the three of the hill triathletes, I would love to meet some mornings to ride. I am a runner that is planning on some duathlons again this summer and just need to get out there on my bike. Speed is secondary to just getting up and out in the morning. The earlier the better in the morning. Let me know if anyone is interested.

After a few fits and starts of trying to meet for coffee, beer, riding, we somehow managed to get it together, even through getting Chris' e-mail wrong; who can forget the "Homail" debacle? The Meghan/Meagan both on Giant bikes (that are really pretty small), and my absence for first few months, Nate and his Schwinn. The point is, we managed to form a consistent, frequently silly, unorganized, fun group and personally, I got more than just improved biking skills out of this. Others may have wanted to join the crew but essentially, they were just 'along for the ride'.

I'm sad today as Meghan has her car packed, her bike on her car, her kayak next to it, has her route to MI planned out to hit the maximum number of Sheetz, and while she'll be 3 time zones and many miles away, will always be a 35 and dry member. The "Donuts + Bacon > 5:00 a.m" T-shirts are great, we now need a new one with the "35 and Dry" and the whole list of quotables on the back...[maybe in Meagan and my case, its 40 and dry]. While I'm sad now, I'm hopeful that we can stay connected (if Nate and I don't drive each other nutz) still ride when we can, 'hang out' with Chris when he calls drunk on the phone on his way from Balt, and generally share in one another's crazy lives.

We'll have photos of the 'drunken' Tuesday night soon, and frankly, the photo of the 5 of us looks damned good...it might have to go on the t-shirt...

An end of an era but a new beginning as well...Bon Voyage Meghan, safe travels and we'll miss you!!

An Evening of Drunken Debauchery

2005-08-03T10:22:00.000-05:00

Last night was quite and evening and I figured I was the only non-hung over one to start this entry. The evening started at the wonderful Cafe Saint-Ex, where in the past year, Meghan et al have enjoyed evenings similar to last night. It was my first time there, but what an experience.

Nate was in true instigating form - I really think 2 women is enough. Chris was trying hard to prove his manhood and Cory, well she was just loud! As Meghan enjoyed her last few beers (way more than she is capable of normally drinking!) there were quite a few quotes that I thought should be remembered. I won't name who said them but just try and remember if you can and it will definitely bring a smile to your face.

Here we go -- Quotable Quotes, August 2, 2005:

- The tag was as big as the swiss flag. You could see it from space!
- Fuckin' representn' the mitten!
- When it's in your mouth, you must swallow!
- Hands above the waist people!

I'm sure there are plenty of other things said that are definitely quote worthy, so please add them. I had a really great time and Meghan you will definitely be missed.

So did anything happen at Finn MAC Cool's that I should know? Was there any smokin' and drinkin' 15 year old liquor involoved? Photos?????

A "Moving" weekend

2005-08-01T09:46:00.000-05:00

You may or may not notice the addition of "Sheetz" to the links but its there...just above the dictionary.com link...how appropriate.

This weekend was Meghan's moving weekend and we somehow were able to clear out her house and pack her life into a Pod (Nate's just good with puzzles).

Toby is enjoying an additional person in the house and will soon become accustomed to her habits (and will pester her for affection) just as he has with me.

Fern, hopefully, is ensconced in her two room penthouse, safe from the wiley orange troublemaker (aka Tom kitty).

Oh, and I loved this post-Tour article: Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood: Life after Lance. Since when does John Stewart get away with calling Lance a quitter and they review the best and worst of the ads.

Mileage for run routes

2005-07-27T12:49:00.000-05:00

Hey, someone on the DC Tri club forum posted this link as a great tool to gauge your mileage for running routes: Check it out

And I mapped our run from last Friday; more like 8.3 miles not the 9 I was thinking...but longer than I'd done before: Long loop to Arlington cemetery

mmmmm...........Doughnuts

2005-07-26T09:53:00.000-05:00

Here are the lovely graphics used for the t-shirts created by the lovely Cory.

More on Maine later.

To close out an era

2005-07-25T14:20:00.000-05:00

Most people go to the beach to be on the BEACH; no, we go and watch two days of the final tour for Lance. Thought this was a great photo...

Get ready for the Lance-fest onslaught for the next few weeks. OLN isn't done yet; exclusive interview in August with Lance...

I like this one of the 4 jerseys in a row...nice photography...I checked the Discovery site and you can purchase the team jersey with one yellow sleeve...for $110 wile they last.

Too many energy drinks, not enough sleep

2005-07-25T10:47:00.000-05:00

For having very little sleep for the past 2-3 days, I feel not nearly as old as I really am. Must be all that taruine in the Monster Energy drinks I consumed between Friday and Sunday. It's a hangover of a totally different color. I've become Nate's unknowing guinea pig and protege when it comes to sampling the variety of energy drinks out there. I'm craving a Red Bull right now. I don't think I can handle the triple serving in one can...too much temptation to drink them all at once.

The details of the drive down will remain locked in the "Element"... but the subsequent biking and beach time are open to all....

So, for those who could not accompany us on our epic beach Metric Century ride between Kill Devil Hills and the lighthouse at Cape Hatteras, here's a brief [its all relative] synopis and a map:

After arriving at the beach house after 12:30 a.m., we stumbled to bed by 1, with a 6:30 wake up call to be on the bike by 7 a.m. for what was touted as our 100 mile ride (a first for all of us). Sleep, precious sleep. Mind you that Meghan and I had run 9 miles that same morning (my longest run thus far). Awake by 6:15, to drizzle and rain--which, as the blog says, is contrary to the rules of riding...must be dry. After a bit of debate and passing the buck since nobody wants to be the 'wimp' and say they don't want to ride, we decide to go (or I think that was me, since no one else wanted the responsibility).

Roads were slightly wet which wasn't bad unless you were riding close behind someone (Nate's got a cool all purpose tire on the back that minimizes 'splashing'). After a brief 7-11 stop for caffeine and breakfast, it was off to the long open road and the "bridge". I was in the lead and really dislike close car traffic while I'm on a bridge with no where to escape to if trouble hits. So I virtually sprinted across the bridge, sticking to the small strip of pavement between the white line and the curb at the edge of the road. My anxiety was apparently quite obvious to Nate and Meghan....who, unbeknownst to me, were taking up a bit more bitumen [there's a great joke] than I was.

Along the way, we spotted a variety of road kill, to the point that I thought about making a game of it...you have to make the sound of the animal you've just seen smooshed by the side of the road. Tough to do when it's a snake. Suffice it to say that we saw a number of birds, mammals, and some that were thoroughly unidentifiable. The scenery was amazing, and when were weren't being honked at or shouted at [I'm sensitive...], it was a great ride.At mile 40, I needed a stretch and a break, so we pulled off and did just that, decided we needed more water and we reconsidered our total distance we hoped to accomplish that day. We rode on, Nate called Mary (savior) and she drove down to meet us at the Lighthouse at Cape Hatteras (which I thought was another 17 miles from where we were....not.) We ended the ride with a photo (that Meghan has trapped on her digital camera) and a drive back to show and change to go watch the Tour at the Outer Banks Brewing Station. Crab cake and two beers for me and I was feeling every ounce of alcohol. Mmmmm.....peach cobbler for dessert....never tasted so good.

The rest of the day (since it was only about 5 p.m. when the Tour was done...grueling day for Rassmussen) we spent naping and then to dinner at Tortugas Lie eating scrumptious dinner and watching Endless Summer II before we went off to see Fighting Gravity at The Pit Surf Shop.

Again, to bed late (past 2 a.m.??) and up again at 6:30 to get showered, and out to Bob's Grill where the motto is "Eat & Get The Hell Out." Bacon served to order (extra crispy or soft), pancakes larger than your head and no biscuits. An experience, to say the least. Off to Chris' house (who bakes muffins and cookies for a living) to watch the tour. Nibbled on scrumptious cookies and tried to stay awake...woke up long enough to see Vinokorov win the stage [Krazy Kazak].

I think we ate and rode our way from one end of the Outer Banks to the other and by the time we left on Sunday, I was craving fresh veggies and fruit...nothing like too much 'training' food and energy drink to push you over the edge.

I'm blogged out for the moment...this is all very fun but takes a toll on my 'real' job...

Looking Forward

2005-07-21T09:35:00.000-05:00

So, in getting too involved with this sport of triathlon, I'm already thinking of goals for next season. I've already told most of you that if I can do a 1/2 marathon this fall comfortably, I'll sign up for Eagleman next spring. In which case, I'll be doing Columbia (late May), Eagleman (mid June), if we all decide to head West to do the Seattle-to-Portland ride with Meghan, that's mid July, [jeeze--I'm tired just thinking about all of this], and then potentially a fall race but that's it...

Why do I get the feeling that Meghan, Meagan and I will be the only true contributors to this bloggy thing?? Lets see; because Nate is internet excluded at work and dial up is not all that fast, and Chris is too busy hurting himself folding laundry so he can't reach his computer.

Going Head to Head--Stage 16

2005-07-19T09:19:00.000-05:00

This one looks like a great stage to watch!!

Le Tour

2005-07-18T16:03:00.000-05:00

Didn't know if ya'll knew about this or not, and I'm not sure how useful it is since the tour is more than halfway over, but if you can stream the internet at work, you can listen to the tour live at www.eurosport.com!

FYI.....Hincapie is the man!

the essentials:

2005-07-18T13:23:00.000-05:00

http://www.krispykreme.com/

http://www.bobinthebuff.com/