edge cyclesports review, revisited

my lbs is better than your lbs.

so, i've blogged about my local bike shop, edge cyclesports and the amazing service that they, and in particular, hugh, have given me over the last few months. well, this last weekend topped the cake. i would be remiss in my duties if i did not mention the continued amazing service that they've provided and do my best to drive as much traffic their way as this humble site can manage.

last weekend, rudi was in town and was hoping to get a long ride in while in the area. i had suggested renting a bike and riding somewhere along the pacific coast highway near long beach (where they were staying). i did some calling around and none of the bike shops in the long beach area were offering a demo or rental program, and the single shop that did wanted to charge the entire price of a trek madone to the credit card and then refund the difference. no thanks.

so, i thought i'd check out what edge cyclesports could do, or at least find out if they knew where the best local place to go would be. i stopped by on monday and chatted with hugh, who said that they'd be able to hook rudi up with a bike and made a suggestion on a different route that would be much more scenic and safe than the section of pch up near long beach/huntington/etc. after figuring out rudi's measurements, it was determined that rudi is all legs and they didn't have a demo in the shop that would be able to fit him. and that's when hugh really stepped up the service. he was willing to have his personal bike adjusted so that it would fit rudi and get him through the ride.

when rudi came through town on saturday, we met up at the shop and hugh had rudi's pedals put on the bike. rudi took it out for a spin and although it had him upright a little more than he normally rode, the bike fit well. so, hugh took a cc number, in the event that something happened to the bike, and sent us on our way. no charge.

okay, let me ask this...who of you, if you owned a $7,500+ seven road bike, would let a complete stranger borrow it for the weekend, for free? i don't think i've ever come across that sort of selflessness in the service industry. i am absolutely floored at the generosity and trust that hugh and edge cyclesports showed. can i brag about my lbs? you bet i can. should i brag about my lbs? you bet i should.

on a side note, when i went to return the bike yesterday, smsmh made a whole pan of her world famous lasagna to take to hugh as a token of gratitude. smsmh rocks for putting together the dish. while there i was introduced to amber neben who is sponsored by the shop and just happened to be there hanging out after her recent second win on the tour de l'aude. i guess i'm going to have to start following women's cycling, too!

dissin' lance

so, smsmh and i IM back and forth on occasion and between a married couple, the conversation can get pretty interesting at times. let's just say that i hope work doesn't audit that history log. anyway, smsmh IM'ed me yesterday to let me know that lance armstrong was going to be on several morning shows. i was curious as to why he'd be making the rounds and i figured it had something to do either with his announcement to run the new york marathon or a lead up to the tour de france. so, through the conversation smsmh and i began discussing lance's potential at ny and the conversation went something like this:

supermodelsexymommahead: Def Leppard is giong to be on Kelly & Regis this morning
aginghipster: maybe i should come home to watch
supermodelsexymommahead: you should. i just saw Lance Armstrong on Good Morning America too
supermodelsexymommahead: He's going to be on the View later
aginghipster: just googling to find out what the interview was about
aginghipster: can't find anything yet
aginghipster: it'll probably be on velonews later today
supermodelsexymommahead: He is hosting the ESPE's and is awarding the best come back athlete
aginghipster: ah...no wonder
aginghipster: i'd forgoten about that
aginghipster: that's why he won't be with johan in the discovery team car
supermodelsexymommahead: oh
aginghipster: yeah, he's got too many commitments in the US to go to the tour this year
aginghipster: funny, huh?
aginghipster: it was always the other way around
supermodelsexymommahead: yeah. I thought he'd be on to another sport by now
aginghipster: he's training for the new york marathon
supermodelsexymommahead: really?
aginghipster: yup
supermodelsexymommahead: you goin?
aginghipster: haha...it's too late now
supermodelsexymommahead: when?
aginghipster: it's in october, i think
aginghipster: but it fills up fast
aginghipster: you either qualifiy or get in via loto
supermodelsexymommahead: oh. we're going to be in the area around that time anyway
supermodelsexymommahead: you could run unofficially
aginghipster: hah...you want me to run the new york marathon so i can run with lance?
aginghipster: can you imagine the croud that will be around him?
supermodelsexymommahead: right next to Lance so you could encourage hime the whole way
aginghipster: my guess is that he'll run a 2:30-2:45
aginghipster: hahaha
supermodelsexymommahead: really?
aginghipster: 'you can do it, lance! don't give up!'
aginghipster: hahahaha
supermodelsexymommahead: you think he's that fast?
aginghipster: absolutely
supermodelsexymommahead: why not run Boston then?
aginghipster: he announced that he was going to run a marathon in march. no time to train for boston
supermodelsexymommahead: He has until April
aginghipster: yup
aginghipster: i may get to see him after all
aginghipster: if he's slow, like around 3hrs
aginghipster: and he ends up running boston...
supermodelsexymommahead: that would be good
aginghipster: i'll try to run it with him...haha
aginghipster: but i think he's going to be very fast
supermodelsexymommahead: Kristin should run it too and beat him!
aginghipster: that would be CLASSIC
supermodelsexymommahead: that would be excellent
aginghipster: "IN YOUR FACE, BIKE BOY! this is MY sport!"
aginghipster: haha
supermodelsexymommahead: yeah. who stings like the "yellow" bee now
aginghipster: ROFL
aginghipster: you made me snort

not lollygagging

i haven't blogged much about training lately, so you might be lulled into the sense that i'm just pokin' around and not really focusing on anything. i haven't talked about specific races or goals or whatnot (yes, i do have some!) but even without them, i'd still be busting my rump and having a blast of a time. have i mentioned how much i enjoy having the boston monkey off my back? it has really freed me to do some fantastic things with fantastic people. it feels wonderful to step back into that role of supporter.

that said, there's still that bit of me that wants to excel. i've had a look at that sexy mistress, the triathlon, and i think i'm hooked. the humbling experience of the group swim, the exhilaration of the transitions, the high of hammering across the finish feeling strong...i can't get it out of my head!

so, i've been mixing it up quite a bit lately. determined to get through the swim better, i rented a wet suit from a local tri shop to get a feel for what it's like to swim in one. i've headed to lake mission viejo a couple times now and put in some lengthy open water swims to get a feel for it (both on the front end of swim/run bricks). i also hit up my sister-in-law's boyfriend, who used to be a swim instructor, and got some private stroke instruction. so, i've got all the tools in place to do well on the next swim.

on the cycling front, i've been continuing with the commute to work at least once a week and have been trying to get in a long ride on the weekend. this past week, a friend of flipperheads (hey, if you haven't started calling her this yet or refering to her as flipperhead on your own blog, what's taking you so long?), rudi was in town from dc, so i organized a bike for him to borrow (stand by for another AMAZING post about the lbs) and we headed out for a 50+ mile bike ride through the local orange county coastal hills and out along the ocean. rudi was amazing and really helped me through my longest ride on the felt to date. when we turned around at camp pendleton, we were heading back into a nasty headwind and rudi let me draft so that i could hang with him. i really dig on this whole intrawebs thing. it really makes meeting groovy folks easy. i think it'll catch on at some point.

and running is still trucking along, with the coach giving me solid weeks in the 35-50 mile range, with ever challenging speedwork and long runs. it's funny how i look at the training i'm doing. i kind of went into the whole marathon thing blind several years ago and had no idea how to train properly, but i feel like i've got it pretty nailed now. now with the triathlon thing, i feel like i'm back in the same place. making up workouts and getting creative...maybe in this arena it'll serve me better, maybe i'll fall woefully short when it comes to a big race this fall. regardless, i'm enjoying the ride and learning oodles in the process.

and, really, isn't that the point?

sabotage, pt ii

so the last sabotage post was specifically about training and how we damage our efforts to be better athletes. but there's another aspect of sabotage and training that i touched on lightly but i think warrants it's own post. i think we all desire to be better athletes, or to at least find out what we're capable of, and we dream big. reading other blogs and watching sporting events can only inspire us to explore the realm of possibilities.

but how often do those lofty goals conflict with reality? do we not need to balance our athletic pursuits with the other aspects of our life? does setting that sub four hour marathon goal require you to cut into family time? and does cutting into family time sabotage family and your training as well?

that last sabotage post was challenging us to examine our training and what we're doing to derail it, but i think it is equally important to set realistic goals. i may want to run a sub 3 hour marathon, but i know the intense training that it would require. do i go ahead and set that as a goal and end up sabotaging my training because of higher priority items in my life, or do i take a good look at the balance that needs to be struck in my life and back off and focus on a more realistic time or distance?

i think it is easy for us to get carried away with the enthusiasm of others and jump on bandwagons, when in reality we need to find our own harmonious training ground. you may have plenty of time and flexibility to train for a full ironman, or you may have an insanely busy schedule that only allows for running a handful of 5k's a year. if the latter is the case, then setting that goal of a marathon finish might just negatively impact family/work/volunteering/etc which in turn throws that wrench into the marathon training.

so, train smart, train with focus and train with passion, but train for goals that have been well thought out and that don't put that training in jeopardy from the start.

sabotage

seems like this is a topic that comes up every so often. sabotage. what are you doing to sabotage your training? everything from setting unrealistic goals to fueling your body improperly can count as sabotage. guilty pleasures that sidetrack your focus, lack of sleep resulting in scratched workouts, the emotional fallout of unreached, unrealistic goals, each of these things are our enemies insurgents.

sure, a large bulk of a successful battle plan is the training. the maneuvers, repetitive motion, getting the body to function as a finely oiled machine. flexible, strong and focused. but there's the side of the battle plan that is often forgotten, and that's our counter intelligence. our mental vigilance against those guerrillas. the would be terrorists seeking to destroy and derail our training.

what in your training is acting as the seditionist? take a good, long look at it. is it overindulgence in a specific food? not downing enough good fluids during the day? is it staying up late to watch craig ferguson crack wise in his scottish accent? or is it something more nebulous, like trying to balance family, work and training and fighting a loosing battle with one or more areas?

take a good, hard look at your battle plan and don't forget to add some resources to devote to surveillance and counter-espionage. declare war against those detractors and infiltrators, and only then will you successfully seize your objectives.

i, triathlete

i really want to get this race report written before i head off to take a nap, so, with heavy eyelids, you'll excuse me if i miss something or if the grammar is horrible. today was my first triathlon, the la tri championship series at bonelli park. why i chose an olympic distance as my first race? i'm not sure, but that's what i was in for.

so, starting at the beginning, i rolled out of bed at 4am, ate my oatmeal, grabbed my gear and was out the door by 5am. the park was supposed to be opening at 6am, and i wanted to get there early so i could check out the all the other athletes and how they were setting up their transitions. i rolled into the park right at 6am and there were only a handful of folks there, so i had plenty of time to check things out. i grabbed my race gear and bike and picked a primo spot right near the bike exit.

no one else seemed to have their shoes clipped to the pedals, so i nixed that idea and just staged them on the ground. although, i think i may revisit that at some point. my shoes have the newer clips and they're more difficult to walk/run on than the older style. i fiddled with my gear for a bit, eyed other racer's layouts, but didn't really see anything that made me change my plans. so, i headed to the restrooms and waited for my folks to show up.

mom & dad arrived close to 7am so i chatted with them for a bit, hung out down by the water and then headed over to the start. the water was quite warm and since i don't own a wetsuit, just decided to go with what i know and wear my tri top and shorts. the whole group swim had me a little spooked at first, but after getting some advice from fellow rbf'ers, flipperhead and trizilla, i was ready to tackle it. i was in the first wave, which also had me a little freaked out, but if anything, i've learned to take the race you're dealt. the national anthem played and at 8:30, the start was sounded.

i quickly waded into the water, dove in and started swimming. the mass of flailing arms and legs was quite overwhelming, and even though i'd been toward the back of the wave, there were guys crawling all over me. what a madhouse. i couldn't get my head down into the water to swim my normal stroke and breathe normally, and within 100m my heart rate was through the roof. i wasn't so much panicking as i was hyperventilating. i remembered what flipperhead had said about switching to breast stroke when you need to regulate your breathing, so i did. a couple minutes went by and i was still feeling like i couldn't breathe and, well, like a fish out of water. the thought went through my head that if i didn't get my hr under control and get my breathing to normal, i was going to end up with a dnf, hanging onto one of the lifeguards surf boards. i switched between sidestroke and breast and eventually was able to get my face back in the water and start into my slow, steady stroke.

at the same time i got my hr under control, the second wave launched and within minutes i was being overtaken by the faster masters athletes. at least this time, though, they'd already spread out a bit and i was able to keep my steady stroke and not feel too out of control. by the time i hit the first buoy, the women had been launched and the elite gals had caught me. as i was sighting, i noticed that i was one of the last guys in the first wave. oh well, i just wanted to get through the swim without a dnf.

i rounded the last buoy and was beginning to feel 'on' and began doing my best to hold my place and overtake some of my fellow wave-mates that were near me. unfortunately, i needed to void and that slowed me down a tad, but by the time the shore was within sight i was back to holding my own. i remembered what warren had said about kicking hard to get some blood into the legs before hitting the shore, so i combined my finishing push stroke with a powerful kick and was able to pass at least one other swimmer. hurrah for me!

a little dizzy, i jogged into t1, toweled lightly, wiped off the feet, and grabbed my gear and bike and was off. it felt so good to be flying along and able to breathe easily. i checked the hr monitor, and i was sitting right at a comfortable 152. the bike course was a 3x hilly loop around the lake with a couple short, challenging climbs. shortly into the first loop, the elite guys started passing me on their second loop. i'm pretty confident that i wasn't passed by anyone that exited the swim after i did, or if they did, they sure did have expensive bikes and were moving pretty fast. i powered up all the hills, but rode by hr and tried to keep it below 160. i began reeling other riders in, and it felt good to be moving back up through the ranks, rather than getting creamed. on the last loop, i pushed pretty hard and hammered up the hills, passing quite a few folks. on the big downhill, i hit a top speed of 40mph. i don't think i've ever gone that fast on a bike before. it was scary and exciting.

i cruised into t2, feeling really good. i'd taken a gu at the start of the bike and during the 3rd loop and realized that i'd better take a third during the run or i'd run the risk of bonking. fortunately, i had a couple extras, so i grabbed one, threw on the shoes and was off for the run. the trail wound tightly around the lake, through some really rough single track and onto access roads. i began reeling in runners quickly. it seemed that everyone i passed was struggling through the run, or at least they weren't pushing at all. i took a gu at the second water station and by what i think was mile 2, i was feeling fresh and ready to finish strong. i continued to fly along, passing runner after runner and when all was said and done, i'd passed probably in the range of 30-40 people, and wasn't passed myself.

there were no mile markers, so i wasn't quite sure what my pace was, so again, i ran by hr and tried to keep from going into the 170's. i was amazed at how good i felt and kicked strong when the finish line came into sight. based on the mini training tri that i'd done last friday, i figured that i'd roll in somewhere right at 3 hours, and that finishing time felt like a decent effort for my first exploration of the sport. i was excited to see my watch sitting at 2:49 when i crossed the finish line, and i was excited too, that the legs had plenty of juice left in them. i really felt like i'd just warmed up on the run and was ready to put in some serious distance.

i cooled down, ate some boy scout bbq chow, chatted with my folks and then headed home. i really think i'm hooked on this. this is such a challenging sport and that swim has me really riled. i want to conquer that thing and get to where i'm able to get through the start without feeling out of my element. also, i know i'm slow in the water, so some effort in form and speed should pay big dividends. what a great day and a great race it was. so, the first thing i did when i got home was to pull out the usat sticker that comes with the annual membership and put it on the back window of the car. yeah, it's showy, but dangit if i'm not excited to be able to call myself a triathlete now.

a tri-ing week

well, it's been an interesting week so far. talk about not being able to focus...work was challenging. i just couldn't give consistent attention to projects. i felt like i had add and i was back in elementary school. wednesday was the viewing, so i scooted from work and headed up to forest lawn in the hollywood hills and arrived after sitting in traffic for nearly three hours. when i got there, i couldn't reach anyone on their cell phones and the party that was standing next what i thought was the entrance was NOT my family. i was not really in any mood to socialize with a bunch of folks i didn't know, so i said a short prayer for my uncle and then headed home. what took me three hours to cover only took me an hour on the return. i swear, that mini is an evil temptress...she likes to go fast.

thursday was the funeral service and graveside. the whole day had a really odd feeling to it. it was heavily overcast most of the day and the grey really seemed to be appropriate. the service was wonderful and in the church that he had served for the last 30+ years. it was really neat to be able to talk to people who knew my uncle from a social perspective and to hear stories about him that i never knew. the man was even more amazing than i knew. from his work on the apollo-soyuz test mission to his missions work at the juvenile facilities in los angeles, he was a humble, amazingly talented and passionate man.

today was my first friday off back at the old job. it's good to be back on the 9/80 program. i spent the day shopping for running gear (new pair of saucony hurricane 8's) and prepping everything for tomorrow. i just came in from testing out the best way to transition onto the bike. i wasn't sure if i'd run out of the transition area with my biking shoes in hand, put them on and then clip in, or leave them clipped and just step into them. after a couple trial runs, i think i'll leave them clipped, which will work fine as long as the pedals are even and the shoes don't drag.

i'm all set, although still a little uneasy about the group swim. thanks to flipperhead and trizilla, i've got some good pointers about it and i think i'll be fine once i get going. i'll post a race report as soon as i can upon my return, and hopefully the folks will send me some cool photos of the race. wish me luck!

rbf marathon weekend, photos

just a couple photos of the groovy folks that showed up to the rbf lunch and one shot of karen and i at the finish. i didn't pull out the camera until after laura and eric had already scooted and the other blogger that i didn't get to meet was out of frame. more candid than posed, so i'm sure anne, susan and a.maria will be pleased with their shots. but seriously, is that not the rockin'-est photo of a.maria? i think it captures her personality perfectly. enjoy.

rbf marathon weekend, part three

my first impression of yesterday's san diego rock n' roll was very different from the one four years ago. this was my first marathon back in 2002 and it was marked by being the most nightmarishly awful start ever. not a local to san diego, i didn't know the back ways to the start and diligently followed the course directions for runner drop-off, only to sit on the offramp of the freeway for almost an hour and a half. my start in 2002 was 10+ minutes after the gun had fired. i jumped into the queue and began my run, crossing the start with the walkers. yesterday, though, it was different. we were packed pretty tight and although we were quickly on pace, it was a challenge to maneuver as a duo.

aa and i motored along pretty consistently and depending on the crowds, incline or decline, we bounced around from 8:55-9:15. i had to make a pit stop as we passed by the far side of balboa park, but aside from that, the first 10k went by with little fanfare. while the marine layer was still present and the sun hadn't yet made itself known, it was in the mid 60's and as near 100% humidity as you can get. i was completely soaked, head to toe, by the 10k mark. messy, squishy and salty. hydration was going to have to be my focus today.

i kept us on pace as we climbed the 163 out of downtown. at one point, my feet were so wet that i had to pit stop again, take off the shoe, wring out the sock and put it back on. who picked june as a good time to run in san diego?! aa did amazing on the long hill out of downtown and we crested right around mile 10 without losing any time off of our pace. her friend was right there at the 10 mile marker with aa's bag of gummies and pretzels, a welcome treat at this point. knowing that aa is notoriously bad about hydrating and eating, i was making sure that she was grabbing water and powerade at each stop. we cruised down the freeway to the turn back on to surface streets. again i had to pit stop and wring out the other sock. re-tied and comfortable again, i zipped back up the course to catch aa. we turned in a couple fast miles on the downhill, which easily made up some of the time we'd lost during a pit stop aa needed to make and the crowded first mile of the race.

once off the freeway, the crowds thinned out a bit and aa and i began getting a little chattier. i started telling stories of the memories of my uncle. ranging from childhood memories, to his character and the emotions tied up in who this great man was...at several points during the race, too, i would get a strange adrenaline rush and feel like he really could see me, like he really was watching.

aa and i trotted across the half way mark at 2 hours and some change, right on pace for a four hour marathon. the miles quickly ticked by. the weather continued to be cool, and the humidity had dropped off a little bit. i had dried out somewhat and a cool breeze came off the ocean to keep the temperatures down. and that blessed marine layer continued to hold the sun at bay. at some point around mile 16, i started telling aa the story of the spelling bee from last thursday. i can't believe how much detail from the event, and how much enthusiasm i was generating about this story. donald, you've ruined me. i will forever be a bee junkie. anyway, a guy seemed to be pacing right along aa on her far side, and i could tell that he was listening to the conversation. his profile looked exactly like the lt. winters character from band of brothers. after the next water station, he caught back up to us and continued pacing off to aa's left. i introduced myself and our new companion, trevor, joined in our journey to the finish.

at mile 18, we spotted the big "GO RBF!" sign that smsmh was waving and grabbed aa's next set of gummies and pretzels. after a quick kiss and a word of encouragement, we were off. around this point, or maybe just before, aa mentioned that she was fine if we just cruised the rest of the race, not trying to hit the four hour goal time. she was beginning to fade a bit, but i was hoping that her snacks would give her a little boost and pull her around. i started grabbing water and powerade for her from the water stations, so she wouldn't have to stop or negotiate the other runners. trevor continued to pace with us and found out that he worked for road runner sports and that i had actually talked to him when i had placed an order for my beloved saucony's a couple years back.

when we hit 19, aa decided that a 4:10:20 would be sufficient for the day, since it would give her a full minute pr over hartford. we crossed 19 at 2:57, so averaging a 10 minute mile would get us there right on target for that pr. i made a point of check with aa every so often to make sure that we were running at a pace that was comfortable for her. be began to tick off 9:50's and then slowly headed into the 10's. aa was looking strong, but at the same time, i could tell she was in the 'just get through the pain' zone. trevor continued to hang with us and we chatted lightly, joking ever so often and the miles continued to tick by. by the early 20's we were slowing down into the 11 minute range, so i changed focus from pace to keeping aa from walking. i knew from experience that it was harder to start running after walking than it was to keep running.

when we hit 25, trevor decided to kick the last mile, so he took off. shortly afterward we entered mcrd and amazingly, aa's pace picked up. she straightened up, squared her shoulders and was soon running what felt like a 9 minute pace again. i commented on the pace and she was honest in her response, saying that all the marines got her motivated. at least this time she didn't trip! the ending of the course is somewhat deceptive, so i made sure she didn't kick too soon and end up burning out. but she seemed to have a wealth of energy left, so we continued to push the pace, tearing through each successive turn getting faster and faster. we passed trevor, who had lost his steam right around the 26 mile marker. as we came through the finishing stands, i was surprised at how quiet the crowd was. as we sped our way to the finish line, i started pumping my arms, challenging the crowd and yelling at them to "make some noise!". i think i was yelling louder than the folks in the stands. silly californian spectators. they need to take a cue from the folks in boston. maybe spend a semester in wellesley.

with a great finishing kick, i followed aa across the line in 4:12:14. we had done it! aa had pulled through some rough last miles to complete her second marathon and i had finished a tribute race and had a neet opportunity to reflect on my uncle's memory.

we met up with flipperhead in the finishers area, and were able to catch up with most of the other rbf'ers as they made their way through the finishing area. there were some good races and some disappointing ones, too. karen ended up having to pull out at the half because of her knee injury and nic had a really tough second half, but fortunately for anne and susan, they found eachother at mile 18 and smsmh and were able to support eachother to the finish. i hung around at the finish, waiting for smsmh and karen's mom to get to the finisher's area and then, just before we headed out, a.maria showed up, having pulled off a great pr. congratulations to all you runners...san diego is a challenging course.

so, now it's monday morning. i've taken smsmh to the airport already early this morning for a week long trip in texas with her mom. i thought that the race would have worked out most of the emotion, and i thought that being at work would take my mind off of things, but i'm still finding it hard to not get emotional about bill. while the legs feel 100% today, ready for my tri next weekend, it seems my heart still needs a period of recovery.

rbf marathon weekend, part two

earlier in the day on saturday, i'd called flipperhead to let her know that smsmh and i were going to be running late and found out the bad news that flipper had been sick the entire previous night. her race was in question at this point and it was looking like she wouldn't even start on sunday morning. knowing that aa had relied on flipperhead for all of her pacing and support during tier training for san diego, i decided to ask aa if she would mind me running with her on sunday morning. that way, i'd be encouraged to take the run easy and at the same time, be able to support and pace aa.

my request came as a shock to her and she was a little panicked at first, thinking that she wouldn't have us as support along the course. smsmh assured her that she'd be able to crew for her and we quickly shifted our plans and had smsmh plan to be at mile 18 to support the rbf runners. after registering and finally checked into the hotel, flipperhead gave me a ring to let me know that the pasta dinner at her hosts house was off, since she was still sick and wasn't going to be running the following morning.

smsmh and i headed out for dinner, at some good grub and then stopped by target on the way back to the hotel for some oatmeal and poster board. i set the alarm for 4pm and was in bed and asleep somewhere around 9:30pm. at 12:45 my phone rang and woke us both. smsmh answered it and it was my mom with news that my uncle had died at 12:15. so, it was official. i'd be running in memory of bill.

up early the next morning, i geared up and smsmh and i headed to the start to meet up with aa and for lori to hook up with karen's mom. karen's mom was going to help smsmh crew the race, so their plan was to head to mile 18, wait for the last rbf'ers to pass and then head to the finish, where i'd be waiting for her. we hit the start with no problems and before we left the car to head to the rendezvous, i had smsmh write "4 bill" down both of my arms.

we quickly found aa and karen and her mom and chatted a bit while we waited for the corals to open up. a.maria and susan stopped by on their way to their corals. everyone was in good spirits, excited for the race and glad that we were experiencing cloud cover. the race official sounded the opening of the corals, so i jumped in a toilet line, quickly did my business and joined aa in coral eight.

it was quite surreal to be standing there in the race queue, not having trained for the race, not having planned to run and preparing to support aa through the course. i was somewhat numb, but at the same time, felt up to the task. aa was planning on a four hour finish, and i knew if i kept us right at a 9:00-9:15 pace for the length of the race, she'd come in right on target and i wouldn't be too wiped out from the effort to get her there. the minutes ticked away and right at 6:30, the starter's pistol sounded. we were off...

rbf marathon weekend, part one

so, the weekend got of to an AMAZING start with my friday afternoon mini-tri.

i hit the ymca right after work and set up all my transition gear in the car and headed to the pool to get started. i jumped in and went to town, starting off with a 1000 yard swim. i took it easy, pacing myself well and cruised along, happy as a pig in poop. i pulled myself out of the pool with a time of 22 minutes, slow but steady (that wins the race, right?). i quickly toweled off in the locker room and jogged barefoot out to the car where i pulled out the bike, put on the front tire, put on the helmet and grabbed my shoes. i pretended like the parking lot was a transition area and ran barefoot to the exit of the parking lot (making sure i had the helmet on, lest i be disqualified!). i popped on the shoes, clipped in and was off. it felt wonderful to be cycling after the swim. the heart rate was already elevated and i really felt alive!

i knocked out a quick 20k ride, averaging 20mph on the way out and about 17mph on the return into the wind. the quads were a little toast by the time i got back to the ymca, but not so bad that i thought the run would be tough. i dismounted at the entrance and jogged barefoot again to the car where i threw on the running shoes. with the bike stored, i headed off on the quick 5k run, knocking that out in 22 minutes, too. the legs loosened up by about the end of the first mile and i was still feeling fabulous. i cruised along thinking, "wow, this really is a great time! i can't wait to race this!" i again, was in hog heaven. all told, with the transitions, i completed a sprint distance in 1:35. i don't know if that's a decent time or not, but it was a blast doing it. i had successfully linked all the sports together and worked through how best to do the transitions. i think i'm all set for next weekend.

so, riding on that high, i headed home. after unloading the car and taking care of all my gear, i was eager to tell smsmh all about my exciting workout. but she beat me to the punch with the following statement, "your sister called and your uncle bill is in the hospital. the doctors don't think he'll make it through the night." i was in complete shock. this is my grandfather's brother, in his 80's. he'd been in an accident earlier in the week and had suffered some brain hemorrhaging, but we were just finding out about it. this uncle was one that i have some of my fondest childhood memories of. road trips to colorado playing the mary poppins soundtrack over and over, silver dollars on christmas eve, the kind of stuff that makes you LOVE your family.

after a couple phone calls to family to find out what the deal was, it was confirmed that the doctors didn't think he'd make it until saturday. i went to sleep in a bizarre funk and when the alarm went off in the morning to get up for my 16 miler, i turned it off and went back to sleep, wanting nothing to do with running. when smsmh returned later from spending the morning with her mom, we packed up and headed down to san diego for the rbf meet up and support. on the drive down, around 1pm, my mom called and said that they were going to take my uncle off of life support at 2pm and they didn't expect him to last much longer than that. i was either crying or choked up most of the drive down and didn't know how i'd be able to manage being the cheery amazing hip that all the rbf'ers expected. i began to think about sunday's race and how i would support aa and flipperhead. since i had missed my long run, i decided that i'd just go ahead and hook up with the two of them at the 13 mile point where smsmh and i were planning on crewing. and then another thought came into my head. since i couldn't be with my uncle in his last moments, maybe i could run the entire race in his honor, knowing that he'd be able to see me and know just how much i cared for him.

once in san diego, we headed to sammy's for lunch with the crew and i noted as we walked in the door of the restaurant that it was 2pm. my heart sank, but i was able to put on a smile as we found the table. we caught up with karen, anne, susan, april anne, a.maria, nic and laura (and another blogger was there, but didn't get to meet her). smsmh and i hung out for a while chatting with anne and nic after the rest of the bloggers headed out and during those final moments, i made up my mind. as we left sammy's at 3:45, we made a detour on the way to our hotel. i had smsmh drop me at the expo where i hustled in before they closed the doors and registered for the race...

just say no to garden hos

well, thursdays continue to be my big calorie burning days, what with a pre-dawn cycle into work, an hour and a half run to the in-laws after work and an hour of playing with the olive crest kids. again, thursdays are quickly becoming my favorite day of the week. i love the challenge and the excitement. this week was no different, although yesterday held a nasty little surprise.

it was quite warm during the run yesterday and i pushed a little hard to get to the house early so smsmh and i could set up a volleyball net for the kids at the park before they showed up. smsmh is usually already at the house, so rather than head inside and drip sweat everywhere, i'll just pull a bottle of water from her car. yesterday, though, i beat her there, so rather than make a mess in the house, i decided to drink from the hose. as i was gulping away, my mouth and throat started burning, so i immediately stopped and tried to spit out everything i'd been drinking. the pain and nasty taste intensified and i thought i was going to be sick. fortunately, the taste and discomfort faded in about 30 minutes, but it still freaked me out a little bit. i thought i had swallowed pesticide or fertilizer or something, but it turns out that hoses will leach chemicals into their water if left in the sun. apparently garden hoses carry warnings that they're not for drinking these days. i used to drink out of them on a daily basis as a kid. when did something as benign as a garden hose become so dangerous. sheesh!

on a good note, today starts a weekend of fun training and running. today after work, i'm going to do a mini tri over at the ymca to get a feel for transitions and chaining all the sports together. i'll start out with a 1000 yard swim, then jog into the parking lot where i'll have my bike staged in the car, head out for a 15-20k ride, return and throw on the shoes and then head out for a 5k run. it should be fun!

tomorrow, smsmh and i head down to sandy eggo to meet up with and support the rbf'ers running the rock n' roll marathon. so far the following bloggers have confirmed for a lunch meet up near the expo. head over to their sites and wish them luck for sunday!

flipperhead running chick in the orange hat
laura my beautiful life
susan runner susan
a.maria little miss runner pants
nic phase five
aa it's a beautiful life
ncmunckin winning by losing
anne run dmz

and finally, donald has been pimping the national spelling bee that was on television last night. he really got me excited to watch it, so i tuned in last night. smsmh thought i was silly for wanting to see it, but as soon as it started, we were both hooked. from early on, i was rooting for katherine to win and as she watched her competitors stumble on german origin words, she couldn't believe her surprise when she was handed the win with 'ursprache', a word that she was familiar with and new how to spell. exciting stuff!