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Entry the Six Hundred and Ninety Seventh09 June 2005 No News/Open Water/Plans The follow up for the neurologist was moved to the 27th because he was to be out of town this past weekend, so no word yet there. The testing is all done now, but no word yet on the results. I'm not terribly worried at this point, truth be told, but I would like to have it done and over with. Training has gone fairly well in the build up to the triathlon I'm doing a week from Sunday on the 19th down in Charlottesville. The club sponsored an open water swim last Saturday morning that I went down to, and I'm very glad I did. The first plunge into non-pool water, murky, icky stuff that didn't allow you to see anything past the reach of your hands, was a shocker. It's a whole other experience from pool swimming, and I'm glad I got the initial shock out of my system prior to the race itself. I can't even imagine not having hit open water prior to racing now - the panic that'd set in while you're already keyed up from it being a race would just be too much. It took some getting used to, but I did develop a rhythm to the stroke and breathing toward the end, so I'm pretty confident now that the race day will go okay. I'm not anticipating the smoothest swim I've ever done, but I'm more confident that I'll not make a total fool out of myself, either. There's a training tri this Saturday with the club, which'll mean I have to get up at o-dark-thirty and bike down to Hains Point to start the race at 7. Oy. At least I can get to bed early Friday evening and ensure I'm rested. Sunday is Gay Pride (I refuse to "de-gay-ify" it like the folks who are running "Capitol Pride" seem to have done), and I'll be out at GLAA's booth for a bit. I'm also planning on picking up a Utilikilt this year. I wanted to get one last year and for some reason I never popped in and got it, so this year's the be the time to get one. I'm still trying to identify an Olympic/International distance race to do this fall. There are a couple possibilities I've identified, but I'll wait to make a final decision after C'ville (and after I see how I do at this stuff!). Long term goal is still an Ironman race, preferably in 2007, but 2008 isn't out of the question, depending on training and what not. It's all going to take time to build up to, but I want this like I've wanted few things. Begun seeing a nice young man whom we'll call K. He's very sweet, and things seem to be going well there. I'm looking forward to seeing how that develops. Richard got back from Toronto late last night. I stayed up to greet him and ended up crashing hard and skipping work today. The extra sleep (until 12:47!) felt good, and I've enjoyed having a down day with nothing to do but rest. Took the time to do some needed maintenance on the bike (new bell, seat adjustment, etc), checking of other equipment prior to the race(s) coming up. Oh, and the caffeine-free thing lasted all of two days this time around. Archives |
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Entry the Six Hundred and Ninety Eighth11 June 2005 Training Tri/Wrist The training tri this morning with the club went really well. The swim came off without a hitch, the bike went very smoothly, and the run, with two walking breaks, was nice and steady. Transitions needed some help, and I learned several lessons from this event that I'll apply to my next race, which hopefully will still be the Charlottesville one next Sunday the 19th. Unfortunately, while biking home some nimrod decided not to look where he was going and pop out in front of me on his bike after coming around a blind curve and trying to pass two other cyclists. So I'm biking along, there are two bikes to my left and suddenly this twit appears right in front of me and instead of heading back into his lane, continues to cut across my front and to my right. I brake to keep from hitting any of the three and do a plant over the front of the bike. Unlike the last time I fell because of someone's else's stupidity, this time I did take the time to (verbally) ream the other cyclist a new asshole. There's no excuse for not looking where the hell you're going while out on a crowded path. Anyway, the injury list this time is a lovely bit of road rash right above the goatee line on my right chin, a very small bruise under my eye where the glasses hit my face, some soreness in my left index finger (feels like the tendon/ligament got pulled some in the landing), and a very sore right wrist (sore because it absorbed most of he impact from the fall). I've been icing the wrist, and keeping it in a bandage to keep it as immobile as possible, and will likely go in to see my doctor Monday morning to go see about having it X-rayed just in case (though the only treatment is to put it in a stronger brace than it's in now). It hurts to lift anything with the wrist, but there's no bruising as you'd typically find with a broken bone, so is hopefully just some soft tissue trauma that'll heal with some immobilization and lots of rest. I'll have to make the call by Thursday about the Sunday race so I can cancel the hotel reservation and let the new triathlete program folks know if I'm headed down or not. I'm just furious right now that months of training might be thrown out the window because of one moron who wasn't watching what the hell he was doing. Archives |
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Entry the Six Hundred and Ninety Ninth12 June 2005 Pics/Wrist Had a successful Pride weekend here in DC, accident aside. I did pic up a Utilikilt as The wrist continued to be sore today, though the left hand is back to normal now. Typing's a bit of a bitch, so I'm going to keep this brief and just note that I posted the pics up. Archives |
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Entry the Seven Hundredth20 June 2005 Race Report Charlottesville Tri, 6/19/2005: 1/3 Mile Swim, 15.5 Mile Bike, 3.1 Mile Run. High 60s, overcast, water temp 78. The alarm went off promptly at 5, as planned. I, on the other hand, did not get up promptly with the alarm. Instead, I smacked the snooze button a sufficient number of times to delay leaving the bed until around 5:30. I followed advice and had my normal breakfast (soy milk, cereal), got ready, got Richard up, and collected all the stuff for the race. The previous evening I’d set out the things I needed, recreating my transition area on the bed, going through my checklist, and making sure I had everything planned for and ready to go. After that, I’d packed it all, ensured that my numbers were properly set up and/or attached to the helmet and bicycle, and we carried the stuff down to the car. The drive itself was easy enough, and we parked around 6:45 or so, well within the time frame I wanted to get down there (the race was to start at 8, with a mandatory meeting at 7:45). I unpacked the bike, reattached the front tire, inflated both tires to the right pressure, and dragged my stuff down to the transition area. Once in, I found the rack where I was to set my stuff, racked the mountain bike, laid down my towel, set up the shoes and other stuff, and then over to get marked. Unlike other races I’ve seen, they marked both arms and the top of my right thigh with my race number (231) and then put my age on the back of my right calf. And let me just say that there were many folks of all ages and both sexes who were none too happy to have their ages on display like that. The Club members congregated under the tent and chatted, working out nervousness, reassuring each other that it would go well, and zipping back and forth between the tent and the transition area. Made last minute adjustments, got my goggles and cap, ditched the Tevas, and wandered barefoot down to the water. The swim was to begin in four minute waves by age group. Men under 30, then men 30-34, men 35-39, men 40 and up, then similar waves for the women. I was in the second wave, with a white cap, following the light blues and before the yellows. The first group was released, to the cheers of the crowd, and my wave moved through the chip mat and down into the water. Unlike the beach area where I’d dipped in a toe the previous day, the entry area was muddy, rocky and slimy. The water temperature itself was a perfect 78 degrees. Wetsuits were optional, but I’d not brought one, so it was out in the tri-shorts and team tank. The heart rate monitor I’d worn showed my nerves in the form of a higher than normal heart rate. We moved out, setting ourselves up and trying not to sink too deeply into the mud. The race director tried to banter with us as we squatted down in the mud, but unlike the men under 30, we weren’t having any of it. Eventually he started a countdown, set off the horn and we were off. I alternated between freestyle and breaststroke until we rounded the first buoy. There were three buoys, two at the “corners” of the course and one in the middle to help guide us to the third. After rounding the first buoy I just couldn’t seem to catch my breath well. In hindsight, I should have tried breathing just on one side. I would’ve gotten more air more often if I’d done that, but I was trying to swim like I do in the pool, breathing every three strokes to either side. That unnecessarily raised my heart rate, not a good thing, and I ended up switching to a sidestroke for a good part of the long leg of the swim in order to calm down some. Eventually I made it to a point where I could stand again, along with other men who were exiting, zipped out of the water, waved at Richard and Kristi and went up toward the transition gate. I glanced at my monitor and it had only been 14-15 minutes in the water (13:37 according to the race results), faster than I expected even without the breathing issue, which was a pleasant surprise. Looking back, there were several white caps still out there, and even a light blue one or two, and a couple yellows had made it out just before me. Jogged up the hill and through the gate to the bike. Rinsed my feet off (mud!), slipped into socks and shoes, threw the helmet & gloves on, unracked the bike, and jogged out of the transition area. Rode up the first hill out of transition, and noticed the front tire being a little rough. Passed Meg, who was cheering hard for us, gave her a good smile, a thumbs-up, and a thanks. Rode down the other side, back up the long hill to the front of the park and stopped to check the tire. It seemed fine, and got going again and turned onto the first road. The bike course itself was rough. Lots of ups and downs, sometimes with some pretty nasty turns. I stopped one other time relatively early on the bike course near the bottom of a long downhill, pulling off into a driveway to check the front tire again. Again, it was fine, so I got going once more, without stopping again. After the fourth turn, near the halfway mark, we had a relatively flat course to bike along. Grabbed a Clif shot out of my pocket, sucked that and some water down, and kept riding. Caught up to another mountain biker with whom I played tag for a bit until he pulled away. After the fifth turn we were riding back along the same course we’d come out on. There was one particular hill where I’d maxed the gears, couldn’t peddle any more. Got down, and could not believe how fast I was headed down the hill (32.8 mph, in hindsight – thank you HRM!). Then came the turn. Heading into it all I could do was pray and keep a good grip on the handlebars. There had been some cars on the road, and I hoped that none were coming around, nor were there any cyclists ahead of me. The front tire was letting me know that it wasn’t designed for speeds like that, but I made it through without falling. I considered this good incentive to get that road bike I’ve been planning on getting later this year. Rounded the next to the last curve, thanked the police and volunteers as I’d been doing all along the course, and up the hill toward the park. Once in the park, I caught up to a road biker and passed him on the downhill. The curve was much more manageable, but I wanted all the speed I could get before that last hill (my max speed for the race was on that hill – 36.2 mph, and I have to say it was much more enjoyable there than on the other hill I mentioned above). Got to the top of it, boggled over all the cars that had somehow showed up (I though they weren’t opening the park until 10?), passed Meg again (yay for cheers!), then down the hill toward transition. Halfway down I unclipped the shoes, shook out my legs, dismounted when they told me and zipped the bike back to the rack. Racked the bike, dumped the helmet and gloves, switched shoes (after taking quick stock of the socks to see if I needed to switch those), threw on the hat, and out the run transition gate (1:20:48, including transition time out of the swim). Passed Richard and Kristi again, ran up a nice paved driveway, and then they waved us into the woods and down a hill. A very steep, very rocky hill. Got down that, slowly, then up onto a clear, flat area where the water break was. Knew one was coming up, which was the sole reason I didn’t carry a water bottle with me. Grabbed water, walked through the area, tossed the cup and onto the next volunteer. There was a Y in the trail and the volunteer directed us to the right, and back into the woods. The trail itself was covered with roots and rocks, most natural, but some planned. We were running on a mountain bike trail (ironic?), and the parks department had “enhanced” the trail with some additional obstacles. About five minutes in, I tried to twist my foot. Much swearing ensued, and I walked for a brief bit before trying to see if I could run again. I could, so I kept going, running and walking, and letting people pass when they caught up. Right about then I also realized I’d forgotten to pin on my race number, but figured, since I wasn’t anywhere close to placing, that there wasn’t much else they could do to me. About ten minutes later I tried to wrench the ankle on the same side, at which point I got much, much more careful about where I looked and where I put my feet. Ran down one side of a creek, then back up to the Y. Ran out of the woods (wanted to give a good show to the volunteer!), then past the water station again. The trail ran the other way past the water station, on the other side of the creek where a couple other runners were visible. Lots of switchbacks as the trail climbed up the hill leading away from the water, but no problems with the foot. Got up and met some mountain bikers coming onto the trail. Let them pass me (“No, trust me, you’ll go faster than I am right now.”), and eventually made it to a small clearing. Could see the path out on the other side of the clearing, and slowly made my way over to it. Marshaled one last bit of energy with a short walk, then ran out of the woods onto the road. A volunteer was there to direct us downhill (as if we’d want to run in any other direction at that point!). She was calling out, “Almost there!” to which I replied, “Thank heavens!” Managed to run the rest of the way down the hill, and was pleasantly surprised to see a big finish line arch erected over the end of the road. As I approached the end a volunteer called out, “Turn your number around,” assuming I’d worn a race belt and it had slipped around back. All I could do was put my hands up, shrug, and yell back, “I forgot to put it on!” Ran down through the finish line, stopped short and helped the young lady take my chip off, then back to get some water and the congratulations line from Richard, Kristi and the other club members who had finished already (run time: 40:05, including transition time from the bike). The total time was 2:14:29, which was faster than I expected to finish the course, given the hills we were to experience on the bike and the run. Lessons learned:
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Entry the Seven Hundred and First29 June 2005 Switch/Broke/Well Switched my normal running routine around this morning. I ran, then instead of cooling down and then showering, I showered first, wandering around in my boxer-briefs to cool down before getting dressed. That seemed to work better than my usual shower-dress-run out the door routine in terms of not sweating through my dress shirt once I hit the outside air. Will have to consider a permanent change to the routine. Ran for the first time since the tri a week and a half ago. Only ran because I got cleared by my orthopedist to do so, despite the broken wrist. Oh, right, forgot to mention that I saw my GP Monday, got X-rayed, then to a orthopedist yesterday morning, who pronounced the persistent pain in my wrist to be a "chip fracture" and stuck me in a brace. Is much better with the brace than without, and he cleared me for running and stationary biking, so I can start exercising again. Felt much better for having gone out to run this morning, even just the short 2-miler I did. Missed that. I also saw my neurologist on Monday, finally getting in to hear the results of all the tests I had done. The verdict: perfectly normal and health. No sign of MS, stroke, or cancer. So we chalk up the eye incident to having an odd day, and do a follow up in a year just in case. Knew that was a possibility, but am glad to have it all check out. ... Date planned with K tonight. A simple dinner (Tuscan white beans over rice), then wandering around the memorials if the weather holds. I'm hoping it does, the memorials are spectacular at night, and he's not been to many of them, despite having lived in the area for almost a year now. I'm enjoying the time I'm spending with K. He's very sweet, and it's been fun getting to know him. This seems like it's growing into more than just casual dating, but I'm not pushing it. I want it to grow how it grows. ... Next month is one of the two "extra" paycheck months, and none too soon. I've kept up with the medical bills, but I want to make a tad more progress on the remaining small debt, and the med stuff has delayed that. With the wrist in its current condition I will likely wait until the late fall to do the bicycle shopping that I've planned for this year, and I'm merely waiting for a good sale at West Elm to get my other bedside table, both items on my uberlist for this year. I should do an update here of what I've completed from the list and which things are still outstanding as we approach the half-way point of the year. (side note: as usual, the folks in the aisle on the bus are idiots about moving back - there's room for several other people to stand, comfortably, in the rear, but the psychological barrier of the back door remains largely unbreached) Wrist aside, things have been going fairly well of late. Work's busy, but not overwhelmingly so. Richard's resetting some things in his life to handle some stressors better. I'm able to run. I'm enjoying the time with K. None of my friends seem to be going through any big mojo drama. All in all pretty good. Archives |
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Entry the Seven Hundred and Second30 June 2005 Scents/Interest
The hand's doing better in the brace than it was without it. There are some adjustments to be made in it, but I'm adjusting fairly well to having to do many things either lightly or left-handed. (side note: why would you ever allow yourself to stare vacantly, mouth open, while on public transit? It's so not attractive to look like a vapid mouth-breather) I've also noticed that since I've stopped wearing normal, scented deodorant (hooray for deodorant stones) I've become much more sensitive to other people who're wearing way too much scent (which seems like almost anyone these days). Some scent, lingering over the skin and teasing with the possibility of some mystery, can be quite tantalizing. But soaking yourself in it is just wrong. Which reminds me, there was a gentleman on the bus last night who just smelled really good. He'd obviously been working, and sweating, but was just slightly musky without crossing over to stink. It was quite distracting to be sitting near him; I kept wanting to play over his skin, licking my way around that pleasant musk. Brings shivers just thinking about it. ... 6/30/05 6:34 pm Oh, heavens, that was productive! I was looking through my calendar and noted a reminder I'd ignored earlier this month, to call the credit card company with the last big balance and see about another interest rate reduction. To my delight, not only did they take it down, but did so by a full four percentage points. Hooray! The attention paid to my credit and payment schedule has really paid off over the past year. The rate is still higher than I'd like it to be, but it's down out of what I consider the usurious range and back into tolerable ranges. And any downward adjustment in that rate means it'll take that much less time to pay off the balance. Hell, the last time they reduced it by the same amount and it meant about $20 less in interest each month. That adds up, quick. On a lark I called the other really big company whose cards I paid off last month to check on the available balances (to raise them above the 'high balances' reported on my credit report) and the interest rate. They didn't budge on the rates (unsurprising; it's been less than six months since the last time I called them), but they did up the available balances for me. Making that change should ultimately aid my FICO score, which will in turn help decrease the interest rates I'm offered, so I'm happy with what they did do. It's not like I'm keeping a balance on either card now, anyway, so the interest rate is largely a symbolic victory there. Anyway, a very happy beginning to my evening. Archives |
