Tarabay

Couples Triathlon

2008-07-14T15:57:00.003-05:00

I know what your thinking, this is another picture of me, a 30 something, wanna be triathlete, that illustrates his blog with pictures thus to prove his relationship to the sport.... WRONG!!!

Notice the great "O Face" captured just over my right shoulder. Anybody that has seen the movie Office Space knows what I mean. Since were on the subject of TPS reports, the mindless paperwork is thick today... and... Bill Lumbergh is a bitch... PinkGuruGal... Thank you for the great photo... Its nice to show up to a race and actually talk to other triathlete/ (Jane Kangsta, and PinkGuruGal) bloggers about none tri specific topics, like Cock Houses, Tattoo Removal, and the hot subject of pregnancy. Of which I am an expert, just ask my wife. I'm actually thinking of writing an instructional manual for men illustrating the do and dont's of pregnancy.. Such as...

Do shy away form nude Establishments.. Its only nine months, you cant do it. If you cant just email me, I can fwd more porn than Joe Francis in a weekend than he can film in a year.

Don't go without your wife to Costa Rica.... You'll be accused of cheating, I can promise you that... Actually, don't go to anywhere south of Corpus Christi just to be safe. Then again divorce isn't permitted when pregnant here in Texas. So if you do go and you live in Texas just lie about it and talk sweet to your wife for the duration of the pregnancy. There is a chance she'll forget about it, just dont admit to ANYTHING!!!

Would this fall under Self Help or Educational Reading at the book store???

I digress.... Moving on...

Last weekend My brother and I represented The Axis of Evil at the Couples Tri in Austin TX... Although we came in second in the relatives 61-70 AG there was a mix up with our swim caps. So we started with the wrong group resulting in blah.. We missed our moment on the podium, our great bonding experience is down the toilet. The RD is supposed to fix things, but he cant replace our disappointment, unless he offers free entries to next years race.. Maybe by then my brother and I can finish hand in hand... hahaha... we can be the sibling version of kissing cousins... oh-no.. I just threw up on the floor...

I do admit, Austin is the perfect place for triathlons. Decker Lake and its surroundings were made by GOD in respect to swimming, biking, and running... Too bad Lake Jackson wasn't... our lake is gross stagnant water infested with alligators... Biking is impossible but interesting if your like me and don't mind dropping f'bombs and middle fingers to passing motorists. I've found when challenged they drive off, or could it be my prison like tattoo's that scare them away... Running, is compared to Richard Gere running the gauntlet in The First Night. Ever try running on unlevel sidewalks, covered by low limbs, while dodging cars at every intersection? Its great for multi sport training.

Pace Less, Hammer More....

I was at Yankee Stadium one time at 5 a.m., but that was to buy angel dust. Artie Lange

Ok, on with the show.

Running On Empty

2008-07-11T09:22:00.004-05:00

TGIF!!!!

Let me start of by saying that I fabricated the conversation between my wife and I in the last post. She has never talked to me like that and as a result of my sad attempt at humor someones feeling got hurt. In my defence, I explained that no one reads this nonsense anyway, she didn't seem to care... SO... to mend the busted fence I gave her the contents my wallet anyway!!!

Lets rewind...

East side Triathlon, June 29... 1st Clyde... but would have been 1st in AG also, this has never happened. Feels good to be getting faster. Still need more work on the bike. Look I have two thumbs..

Firecracker 4, July 4th... 3 in AG... 4 miles. 29:00... took 1:30 off my time from last year. First mile 6:40 something, after that I dropped 15 to 17 seconds per mile. Not what I had hoped to do but I'm happy with this considering that speed work is nonexistent in my run training right now, nor has it ever been. The right knee stays sore and "pops" all the time, speed work could set me back a few months. So until joint replacement is an option, no speed work. This being my second time to do this race its probably one of my favorites. Its local so there's lots of familiar faces and it takes place only a few blocks from the house.

Lets fast forward..

This Sunday, Couples Triathlon in Austin... My brother and I will be representing, "The Axis of Evil" futures flights could be compromised due to this name. However its fitting considering our Lebanese background, besides ITS JUST A JOKE!!!. Team Tarabay isn't as fun... Team Brown eyes is suitable but not very nice. We actually put some thought into the team name, don't ask why... Looking forward to seeing Jane and Pink again, we seem to have the same race schedule going this year.

July 20th.. There is a Du in Webster depending on how I feel next week Team McLovin could be making an appearance...

Have a good weekend...

States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger. They could provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the means to match their hatred. They could attack our allies or attempt to blackmail the United States. In any of these cases, the price of indifference would be catastrophic.

George Bush

Life the Tumbleweed...

2008-06-27T15:35:00.004-05:00

Life is hectic right now...

Training is steady but everything is negotiated with my wife as she has started running again to lose the baby weight. So it goes like this...

As he walks through the door after a hard day at work.
Mr. Tarabay: Hi Honey I'm home.. Can I train today, Please.. Love You?

Mrs. Tarabay: Yeah yeah... who cares?? Give me your wallet!! Now!

Mr. Tarabay: But you already have my manhood in that silly purse of yours.

She reaches out as though she's going to offer a kiss to her loving husband, then laughs like the wicked witch of the West and says.

Mrs. Tarabay: Shut the F__K up and give and give me your wallet before I slap you...

She takes the wallet, gives feeding instructions for the 5 week old kiddo and says..

Mrs. Tarabay: I only have 1 nerve and your getting on it.. B1tch!!! I'm going out! And when I get back the kids better be clean and in bed or you'll be sorry!!!

She mumbles under her breath as she walks towards the door, flashes a few gang signs then slams the door, I'm left quivering in the corner...

However she did "allow" me to get a new bike on Fathers day, along with new cycling shoes.

Racing another sprint this weekend in Baytown Tx. Although my runs seldom exceed 30 minutes (so as to not injure the knee), my fitness level is high. My weight is down. Cycling abilities are up. Swim hasn't gotten any better since the new baby, as swim time is only maintenance 2000 yards 3 to 4 times a week. Race report and pictures to follow after the race...

VD in the Eye

2008-06-11T15:06:00.003-05:00

About 2am this morning my eye woke me up.. Red, Swollen, and calling me names... Could I have caught some of that VD bacteria at the race last weekend?? I wonder if anyone else that was at that race has the same symptoms??

So I went to work this AM but couldn't hang, made it to the Dr for some eye drops, then home to catch a nap with the little guy... Notice the sunglasses.. Even the low lighting irritates it...

Pace Less Hammer More....

The ability to quote is a serviceable substitute for wit. -Somerset Maugham

Lets Review My first triathlon

2008-06-10T16:25:00.003-05:00

My First Tri...

March 17, 2007

St Patty's Triathlon

Keller, Texas

Swim 5:18 1:37

T1 1:55

Bike 45:49 15.7mph (ouch)

t2 0:54

run 27:32 8:53 per mile

overall 1:21:26

18th place out of 27 Clydesdale's

Almost 20min behind 1st Clyde

My weight at the time 235lbs or so...

The swim wasn't that bad as it was in a pool and I had a background in swimming. But....

That 3 mile run was long distance at the time! And...

I was a bit disappointed with my 15.7mph bike pace as I was on a road bike and was getting passed by mountain bikes.

Being competitive in nature, I HATED being passed and not even being middle of the pack. Thus my journey began...

Today, I'm hanging around 215 lbs enjoying my lifestyle and looking forward to my next "appearance" at the Eastside Triathlon in Baytown Tx in 3 weeks...

Pace Less Hammer More....

On Lennox Lewis
"Lennox Lewis, I'm coming for you man. My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable, and I'm just ferocious. I want your heart. I want to eat his children. Praise be to Allah!" Mike Tyson

Post Race Hoopla...

2008-06-08T21:29:00.003-05:00

I have to say... Racing again felt great... nothing measures progress like competition. Long race reports are a drag so I'll keep it short...

Prerace... got to meet some fellow bloggers.. Pink Guru Gal and Kathleen... Great to finally meet you guys.. Kinda weird.. never truly met, but I know a few details of their lives and them mine.. Hopefully one day we can get together for drinks or foolishness without aerobars or goggles...

On with the show..

The swim.. my heat was huge.. Clydes, Athens, u19, and relays.. it sucked.. The first 10 seconds went well then someone turned on the washing machine, and I got beat all to hell. After the initial beating, I got a little pissed.. recovered, however the damage was done. my goal of first out of the water was a pipe dream.. ended up 5th clyde on the swim...

T1... went well... 1:33... a relay swimmer stopped directly in front of me to take off his chip and I was moving too fast to stop... I hollered, got my body around his, picked up the bike but the rear tire didn't quite clear his head... oh well, when the train is coming through get the fu*k out of the way... Riiiight?

The bike.. flat and fast... got passed by one clyde in the first 2 minutes. However I didn't let him out of my view... avg 20.6, still need to work on this... 5th in Clyde on the bike..

T2... :37 seconds.. I had a bad spot for t2 in the transition area, could have been a bit faster, but not much...

The run... had the fastest Clyde run avg 7:40 mile... Each Clyde that got ran down, I made sure when I passed them ( and they saw the "C" on my left calf) I was giving it all I had, so they wouldn't chase. At the finish line there was nothing left.. Despite my best effort I knew in my head there would be no need for waiting for the results. But I did... and... BLAM!!!

I know... its just a sprint, but its my first... 1st place... great reward for my efforts.. Now I want more...

More training... less pacing... more hammering... Maybe, I'll look into moving to Florida to train with Ryan (Mr.Caught on the Run) as he would have put me in my place...

New Objective, Train hard on the bike... Go hard on the bike... I HATE getting passed!!

Maybe lose another 5lbs???

Pace Less Hammer More...

Pre Race Morning

2008-06-08T04:01:00.002-05:00

Today, I popped out of bed at 3:45 am feeling great and ready to race. Yesterday, at the same time I drug my ass out of bed for "baby duty" questioning our reasoning for reproduction...

Pre race rituals are interesting... Some eat a baked potato the night before, some people relax and mentally prepare themselves by getting extra sleep, and some stay up till 1am drinking Bloody Mary's and emailing blog peeps... hummm, I might need to try the Bloody Mary thing... :)

Pace Less Hammer More....

I'm still here...

2008-06-06T11:39:00.002-05:00

Its Friday!!! Thank goodness... these last few weeks are flying by collectively... but each day I'm getting more and more behind... New baby, New job, New Schedule, Tri Training, Sleep, Life... My blog posts are hurting, not that they were all that great to begin with. Not that anyone cares or even reads this abyss of foolishness...

My training has been reduced to darkness. Most days I have two training sessions... 5am to 6:15am, then again after the 18month old goes to bed (whatever time that is)..

Racing a sprint this weekend in Sugar Land, TX. First tri this year; due to my knee taking a dump on me after the marathon...

Also, My brother signed me up for the couples triathlon in Austin next month. Team name... The Axis of Evil... hahaha... future flights will require more time after this race... It was that or Brown Eyes (My wife suggested that one)...

Pace Less Hammer More.

The "Axis of Evil" was - and is - very real, as the tyrants of Iran, Iraq, and North Korea knew full well.

Michael Ledeen

Who's Yo Daddy???

2008-05-22T22:21:00.002-05:00

As I turn the page once again on the book of life, I look to reflect on what once was, what is, and what will be. But like hitting a brick wall my thought process comes to a screeching halt as I have a premonition while running in the dark just a few minutes ago. Running in the dark is one of the most relaxing things for me as for once my big ass in invisible to the world, well kind of.. Thus I'm able to think through what ever insanity is ailing me at the moment, as it seems to change by the minute...

So as I finish up my run, things are prioritized in my head, which basically means the really dumb things are forgotten and the logical and less dumb are numbered 1 and 2... Most everything this week revolves around the new addition. When I look at him I hope for great things, I tear up a bit at times. Then while running I had this thought...

This is me and my boy.. Notice the features have similarities. Big hands, big feet, for Gods sake his head is almost the same size as mine and he's only 18 month old... I'd like to think its pretty obvious that he's my kid. Now look at the picture below, and compare it to the first picture of the newborn above...

No one in my family has blond hair!!! My wife's blond hair, isn't really blond.. So who's kid is this?? She always said that Owen Wilson was her type... Humm.. and doesn't he live in Austin?? Well, she did spend a few night in Austin last September for a bachelorette party...

Honestly, I don't mind... Anyone know what child support is paying if the kid belongs to an A-list celebrity???

Just a thought.. maybe I should have doubled my run???

Retraction, Yes Please...

2008-05-20T17:05:00.007-05:00

So, my last blog was posted May 17 and in it I said:

"Tomorrow is the infamous "due date" which is never really the case so I could have registered for the Silverlake Triathlon, but I didn't. Let me rephrase that, I wasn't allowed!!! All hail as the pregnant lady enters the room and blesses the masses with her presence. Then demands that thou not race on the "due date" as it is against GOD... "

Well, I was wrong.. Your saying to yourself, Mike is never wrong! but it happens from time to time... My wife got me up at 3:45am on the 18 (the due date) to tell me she was calling the hospital because her contractions were only 6 minutes apart. Since the hospital is an hour away, we were on the road by 4am. This is my second time to make that drive, and it is on my top ten list of exciting things. It makes me feel so grateful for everything I have.

As we approached the Pearland exit (where Silverlake is), and in between contractions my wife notified me that she had seen what I had posted just a few hours earlier and thought an apology was in order.

I'll skip all the details... Adrian Michael Tarabay was born on his due date. May 18th 2008. 11:52am... A beautiful baby boy weighing 9 lbs 12 Oz's, 21 1/4" long..

Falling Behind...

2008-05-17T22:33:00.004-05:00

These last few weeks have been a bit hectic and as a result I've fallen behind on my blogging. I also understand that no one reads this and so I'll be posting my bank account and routing number at the end of this post to prove it.

Tomorrow is the infamous "due date" which is never really the case so I could have registered for the Silverlake Triathlon, but I didn't. Let me rephrase that, I wasn't allowed!!! All hail as the pregnant lady enters the room and blesses the masses with her presence. Then demands that thou not race on the "due date" as it is against GOD...

Last week I was transferred out of my worry free environment that consisted of long lunches and watching bootleg movies online into a war zone... of course there is good and bad to this... Lets start with the good.. I now have a 20 mile commute each way as opposed to 60 miles, more $$$, and exposure. Now the bad, On my first day I was a month behind!! To me this is torture because I know me, as I am never late, never miss a deadline, and if I rush there will be mistakes. I would prefer to star in a skat video than be rushed and forced to present something that wasn't given 100%... Poor me! right?? hahah... I'm told it should last 8 months then I'll be back watching bootlegs and training on my lunch breaks...

Anyway, training is going well.. Lots of yards on the pool, lots of time in the saddle, and quality running miles...

Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. -- Dale Carnegie

Nostalgia

2008-05-07T23:08:00.004-05:00

The other day, I came across a "picture box" my wife put together for me and started digging. There is no order to the box, and this is the way she found them. Seemed I never got around to making photo albums, so everything ended up in a shoe box. Now that I'm the refined adult standing before you today, my photos are stored in a "photo box"... Meaning, still the same mess, just in a box that was never used for shoes...

Picture #1 Age 13 or 14???
Summer Swim Team.. What an awkward age huh? My body is out of proportion, and that haircut must have been free.... I started swimming the summer after 5th grade. The first lap I did was doggie paddle, my older brother picked it up a lot quicker than I did. If my memory serves me right, my last summer of swimming was the summer before I went into high school. In which I was only a fraction of a second away from qualifying for the state swim meet in the 100 IM. I didn't swim competitively again until years later when I swam for the same summer league as an adult thinking it would be a good was to meet girls and get in shape. In that order... Unfortunately, there were no girls, and my shape was round....

Picture #2

Taken sometime while in college. Its blurry, so if you cant tell, I'm the one who's mouth and eyes aren't taped shut... This was actually one of our better "moves" most times the unfortunate drunkard would wake up with a bald spot or missing an eyebrow. By the end of the night this guy was duct taped to that couch....

Picture #3

This has nothing to do with the topic of nostalgia or triathlon, I just thought it was cute... This is Elias showing us his food is all gone... Mostly on the floor...

Picture #4

Age 21 or so... This is my Eminem/Slim Shady/WTF was I thinking phase... That was a while back but I assure you my parents were quite proud of me at the time...

Whenever someone dies everyone says, I love that guy, except for Jeffrey Dahmer. Pauly Shore

Nothing Significant

2008-05-05T02:41:00.006-05:00

So.. While training I sometimes have these great ideas for blog topics. Then of course I forget mostly because my memory is that of a 4 year old with severe ADD... But then I remind myself that no one reads my moronic thoughts anyway...

Speaking of weird thoughts... I have never been to a therapy session, although it may not be that bad of an idea. Deep thinking is not one of my strong points as I just started walking upright a few years ago, but I had a thought about therapists that treat a patient for multiple years. Do you think a therapist has ever responded poorly to a patient? Now, I'm not thinking of the guy that was abused by his parents, or rape victims, or any other person that was effected as a child by a tragic event. Could it be that when asked "Dr. I don't know why I'm this way" that the therapist responds with "maybe your just an asshole?" Could it be that a person is just as asshole? No reasoning required, no blame for behavior just the shocking truth that some people are just assholes... hum.. this kid below is obviously an asshole.... Jane can you help with this one??

Here's another strange thought. In most cases I prefer to stay away from religion and politics for obvious reasons. Mostly because everyone is wrong and I am always right... Just kidding. But GOD has got to have a sense of humor because of "Pregnancy Snoring"... Looking back at my high school days in a boarding school, college dorms, fraternity house, and countless roommates NEVER, ABSOLUTELY NEVER have I witnessed snoring that compares to my beautiful wife's "songs of sleep!!!" OK you caught me.. I'm up at 3am because of it. Don't worry it has been documented on a number of occasions with our video camera. The visual is piss poor because its dark (obviously), but the audio will rattle the windows if played on a good surround sound!!!

Only a couple more weeks until the little guy gets here....

This week I'm getting transferred out of my cocoon at the home office into the field. I'm being assigned to a construction site only 20 minutes from my house, much nicer than the 60 mile commute each way I'm struggling with now. I spent 10 years in the field before I ever made it to an office desk, of course it also took me ten years to finish college, hello Van Wilder! But that's mostly nights and a few unemployed summers... I never claimed to be brilliant... This assignment will last 8 months to a year, it will be a welcomed change... Although the next step after this will bring me overseas for an extended duration, which has its ups and downs... Up, money!!! Down, being away from the family for 3 months at a time... I'll save my explanation of Lego King for my next blog, thus what I'm being paid for...

Van Wilder: [while standing pantless next to the freshman] But you know what I've learned in my seven years here at Coolidge... Timmy? I've learned that you can't treat every situation as a life-and-death matter because you'll die a lot of times. Write that down.

Suicidal Freshman: I don't have a pen.

Van Wilder: Well remember that then. And you know something, Timmy? I think you've got the balls to make it here. Call me nuts, but I believe in you.

Kristy Gough

2008-04-29T12:21:00.002-05:00

"It's not that I'm afraid to die; I just don't want to be there when it happens."-Woddy Allen

Friday...

2008-04-25T14:38:00.002-05:00

The forcast shows for rain this weekend... I'm with you Johnny....

New Swim Workouts

2008-04-19T20:51:00.002-05:00

Since my none running a$$ is still training for something although its a bit down the road I've tried to come up with some new swims to keep it interesting. Here a couple examples...

1. I like to call this my "sweet goodness" because when I'm done with it my flatulence is nothing but sweet goodness... Only kidding its just the opposite... Does anyone else ever get crazy gas after a hard swim??

800 warm up. swimmers choice.. stay consistent, get the heart rate up...
7x 100 IM on 2:05, you gotta earn your rest. and only 2 dolphin kicks after each turn...
5x100 free on :48, again the faster you go the more rest you can put in your pocket....
5x100 pull alternating 50 kick. concentrate on form not speed...
8x50 all out sprints... this is where the gas starts to kick in...
400 warm down.. nice and easy... dry off.. fart for hours...

2. I call this one "Thugged Out" because to the dress code. If the life guards didn't already know me they might question my morality if small children are in the water.

Find the baggiest heaviest "thugged out" pair of swimming trunks. I've been rocking some mock cargo/swimming trunks that are XXL with huge pockets that I got from Ross for $5 bones... Ok, so I still warm up with my normal speedo's 800 or so... then I slip on the gangsta shorts while still in the water.

I have my interval time set for my goal 50 speed which is about :43 sec if I'm doing 500 or more. So I'll add a few seconds to that :48 is what I used the last time. So the goal is to keep you stroke, body position, and kick still presentable, yet don't fall behind!!! And BE CAREFUL to not damage your shoulders by over pulling which is something I did my first stab at this. Ok, so now race the clock and don't let the interval timer lap you, if the swimmer does fall behind stop take off the baggy shorts, (and hope that people realize that your not skinny dipping) repeat with typical swimwear and copy the same distance, you'll feel like your flying... once finished, put the baggy shorts back on and race the timer again... I'll do this for about 1500 or until my shoulders start to talk to me. When finished "thugging it", I like to warm down with a 400.. nice and easy...

Ok, so this is more doltish babbling... Pace Less Hammer More...

Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell, no! John Belushi

Running Hiatus and Vegetarianism

2008-04-17T10:41:00.002-05:00

Trying new things has never been something I particularly enjoyed. Typically a change in routine was up there with the wiping of the behind, as its not something that anyone really enjoys but its is most definitely needed. As with every rule there is an exception, a colostomy bag for example would suit this case. Anyway, on with the show...

This month a decision was made for myself not to eat meat... Yes, Vegetarianism hear me roar.. Actually, I'm finding this easier that I had predicted. Now, although there is good reasons for not eating meat such as the obvious, cruelty to animals and the processing of them for consumption. This is not my concern, honestly... I'm doing this for personal reasons, weight loss... For those of you who really get into the Slowtwitch forums, there is a possibility your come across Slowman's Motto

"The trick is to keep losing weight until your friends and family ask you if you've been sick. then you know you're within 10 pounds. if they start whispering to each other, wondering if you've got cancer or aids, you're within 5. when they actually do an intervention, you're at race weight" -

So, high fiber and low fat will continue until, well... I don't know... and since no one reads this I doubt that any bets will be placed on the over/under if I were to set a goal.

Off the subject....

"Next person in line!" how many times a day do we hear this?? anywhere and everywhere!! This is a major pet peeve of mine... If I were the owner or manager of a store/ restaurant/ bank/ gym/ airport facility/ gas station/ etc... and one of my employees didn't make the effort to make eye contact and personally say Ma'am/Sir/whatever "can I help you" I would lose my freaking mind!!! This is what I would like to add to the flag burning addition to the constitution that is trying to get passed... Lets bring back the guillotine (made famous by the sarcastic Marie-Antoinette) or quartering w/ horses for every numbnut that says in a rude, mumbling, mush mouth voice "next person in line" while staring down at their shoes or scratching there unmentionables!!!!

I digress...

Where was I, ah yes.. Since I was diagnosed with a deteriorating knee my running has been substituted with extra cycling and swimming. This will continue until May 1st, or longer if need be. Although, I'm not forgoing Wednesday night softball in the beer league, but I seriously doubt that running a few bases would be considered as "running" in any triathletes dictionary. Besides, is slow pitch softball even a sport?? Humm, excessive drinking is done between inning and although smoking isn't allowed while playing, it can be done. So this in my book constitutes an activity not a sport...

Long story short... No meat this month, no running this month.... 12 more days till freedom...

Baby count down 4 weeks...

I made an effort to attach some pictures of a colostomy bag, a guillotine, and yours truly in a thong, but technical difficulties took over... sorry...

Pace Less Hammer More...

When I black out, it's the happiest time of my life.

Artie Lange

Nice Weather, Dogs, and WIld Flowers

2008-04-09T14:11:00.005-05:00

Last weekend my saddle time was well spent in Austin.. The cycling awareness in Austin is 100 times more than what it is in Lake Jackson/small town USA, this makes training so much more fun. Not to mention that its impossible to go more 5 min without seeing another cyclist. Already looking for another opportunity for another Austin training weekend... Also looking at job opportunities in the area, so if anyone knows of an opportunity for employment of a sleepy redneck, Holla Atcha Boy!

So besides the riding... my old friend Cooter has a step brother to play with now.

And the Blue Bonnets are everywhere.... Sorry about the "junk" in the pictures, driving while taking pictures doesn't lend itself to the best quality shots..

Gotta love the scenery....

Watcha Gonna do with ALL that Junk?????

Pace Less Hammer More!!!!

Training Weekend

2008-04-03T12:55:00.006-05:00

The best part of triathlon and feeding the training addiction is how quickly it infects those around you. So just as I am a slave to improving my PR my older brother is getting started and is fully infected with the tri virus.

So, my weekend starts at 4:00 today as I will leave work to deliver the dog (that bit my sons face) that has been a friend of mine since Aug 99'; to my brothers house in Austin. Where he will reside until death or until my brother has children, then at that point we might have to rethink the situation. He has been a great friend to me and I truly hate to see him go. He doesn't understand the ride in the police car, or the night at the SPCA, or the 10 days of quarantine he was released from last night. There isn't a mean bone in his body, I should know, he's been my wing man since he was 6 weeks old. Getting rid of him is an easy decision to make, because we wont take the risk of another bite even if its only in jest. Any permanent damage to the child beyond this point would be negligent. If I was the child, that would be something unforgivable, after all there was a puncture less than an inch from his eye, that could have blinded him in one eye. So my good friend Cooter Brown I wish you a long happy life in Austin, hopefully you be able to befriend my brother as you have done me over the last 8 years.... Insallah Habbab...

On a brighter note: The riding this weekend will be intense, gotta love those Austin hills.. So the bike is staged accordingly on the roof of the car just waiting to be put in the game. "Put me in Coach, I'm ready, I'm ready" it whispers with no expression. "Be patient, your time will come" I reply...

Fridays ride will be spent on the Longhorn 70.3 route

Saturday will be the ATC ride. Read about it below, sounds really cool... Then in the evening LT swim sets.

http://www.austin360.com/news/content/recreation/guides/visit/cyclist.html

Sunday is still up in the air. Most likely it will be spent doing hill repeats. This next month will be spent mostly on the bike and in the pool as my knee is still healing. Running will not become a part of my training again until May 1. I've now been to 2 doctors both say the heavy mile weeks before the marathon is what did me in, because I didn't let it recover properly after the marathon.

The plan is to cycle and swim and not race until June 8th, at the Tejas Tri. Assuming it heals properly.

Even though no one reads this crap that post for the world to see, I wish everyone a wonderful weekend. Happy Training, Good Eats, and may you win the lotto if you have a ticket.. Adieu..

I'm waiting for someone to say this to me about this moronic blog of mine...

“Mr. Madison, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”[Billy Madison]

Aquabike... Huh??

2008-03-31T15:39:00.014-05:00

So this was my first attempt that remotely resembles a triathlon in 2008... Lonestar Triathlon, Uh, except it wasn't a tri.. Whatever it was, who cares, right! No one is reading this stuff anyway. Anyway, I didn't want my entry to serve as just a donation to Keith Jordan (RD) and his crew. I emailed him last week telling him that my knee wasn't letting me run (about 6:30am) and within 10 minutes send replied telling me I was all set for the aquabike.

Its better than nothing so I mentally prepared my simple mind (it didn't take long) for a 2-athlon..

Now, In the pool I'm swimming 1.2 miles in under 30 min.. So I was expecting maybe 32 or 33 in open water... Nope.. there I go thinking again... 38:00 min for the swim... That's still 38 seconds better than my last 1/2 IM swim, but I was not happy to see that on my wrist!!! Don't bother adjusting your screen this picture was taken by my lovely wife (she's got skillz) and NO I wasn't wearing a pink cap. My heat was the last in the water (red caps, thank you very much) although I was in the front of my heat, I was swimming through a sea of pink caps. After the turn at the last buoy it was like the start of the swim all over again. Everyone hitting each other, fighting for position, and I'm a gentleman so if I knocked any of the gals in the head please except my deepest apology... I wasn't having "swim rage" ....

Anyway, I got my act together, made it through T1 (or T-0nly1) and it was off to the races... Yeah right... Was it me or was that crosswind kicking every ones @SS??? I did my best to stay aero because every time I sat up the stretch my 220lb frame was like a sail catching wind. So despite the conditions I was still able to finish in 2:53:31 still better than my 3:02:35 that I did in Austin last year... So I guess I PR'd.. who knows?? It's really kinda weird getting in from the bike, chucking the bike on the rack and calling it quits...

I'm told that I shouldn't be so hard on myself, but I'm thinking that's what makes me faster..

Also, getting schooled by Simon Lessing was actually pretty cool. He passed me (doing the 1/4 iron) and dropped me, all I heard was that cool hum from his rear disk...

Besides all the pro's that showed for the race I heard that the drunk elf that visited us last year during Christmas was also in attendance... See picture below... However his identity wasn't known at first glance... Here he is drunk once again spouting some gibberish about wanting juice.. That's what he calls his sizz-urp... completely unaware of his surroundings and up to no good I'm sure..

In the picture below he is telling my wife about some sob story, every 5 minutes or so he utters "I love you man" and laughs.. Notice the black eye, I don't think he even remembers what the Deal-e-o Yo...

Actually, Easter weekend my old friend Cooter Brown took a shot at the kiddo. It was a lesson to us, dogs will be dogs... Anyway long story short, I was in the 25th mile of my long ride when I got the call that the ER was in the near future. Nothing major, but it was a close call because it was so close to his eye. With the new baby coming in less than 2 months Cooter Brown will be going to live in Austin with my bro. He's been my dog for almost 9 years, I hate to see him go but at least he's still in the family.

Man Down!!!

2008-03-14T21:36:00.003-05:00

Painful pills to swallow... Beware... Not my usual goofy/moronic post.. Not that anyone is actually reading this...

Only about 2 weeks until lonestar 1/2 ironman and I'm in a 9 line bind. I've been fighting a popping, shifting, loose right knee and I think its finally gone completely. I visited a Dr. in Angleton (small town) not long after the Longhorn 1/2 IM when this all started. He said I had runners knee, and maybe I did because it went away. The marathon came and went with no pain. Then came the track workouts and a new kind of pain started. The pain that's similar to the first injury when I was 17. Went to the Dr. again this time he calls it arthritis (his solution is to stop running) and gives me an anti-inflammatory.

While in Canada I did a few 1 hour hill runs on the treadmill with no pain. OK, I'm happy now, thinking it gone again. Last Wednesday night at the softball game (after I was hit in the back with a line drive) I was up to bat again, made a little blooper past the short stop, when the right foot landed on first base I felt a "pop".... First thought, "Game over"... limped home that night..

Hoping for the best, I took it easy yesterday (AM & PM) changing my PM bike session to a swim. "No flutter kick for you" the Kick Nazi screams... while in the water I try to water run.. Nope, that dog ain't gonna hunt.. nothing is supposed to hurt in the water, I'm pulling my hair out in frustration... this blows....

So today, I have a late morning meeting on a job site close to my house so I sleep in a bit. The knee is done I know it, walking with a limp is unavoidable. Bending my knee with weight on it shoots pain through my body. Walking up stairs on the job site was difficult...

Well, next week I have another appt with a different Dr. I will bring him my x-rays and MRI hopefully if damage occurred after the MRI there will be some previous sign of it so I don't have to take another...

This carries such an empty feeling with it. Choices are limited this weekend and the weather is supposed to be great. I was planning another bike ride to Manvel for a swim then riding home. Walking up stairs is a challenge thus no riding/swimming/running this weekend...

Man down... Man Down...

No Pacing more, No Hammering more... Just sit and watch others Hammer... uhhhhggggg!!

“To the question whether I am a pessimist or an optimist, I answer that my knowledge is pessimistic, but my willing and hoping are optimistic”

Albert Schweitzer...

Taking One For The Team

2008-03-13T08:22:00.005-05:00

Taking one for the team takes on a different meaning as a person gets older. Last night in the local softball (beer league) your truly took one for the team. First a little bit of background, I have mentioned The Hometown Heroes before in a previous blog, but since I'm the only one reading this and there is time to spare today, I'll mention it again.

The Hometown Heroes is made up of Lake Jackson natives and refugees of all sorts. Although it started off as a group of early 20's ex-jock, college flunkies, and community college goers and me (the elder and possibly one of the least mature of the group). Our theme song was "I wanna Rock" and our mission statement " To wreck homes, family's, good driving records, and GPA's; not as individuals but as a collective group of young men" of which none related to me of course..

Over the past few years some of the faces have changed but there are a few constants we stick with. Like "Fight Club" it's somewhat anonymous. So, Constant #1 no real names are used. Thus, I'm "The Doug" as most nicknames don't stick, this one somehow did. Constant #2 although we obviously have a couple superstars on the team everyone is equal, therefor we're all number one. Constant #3, Even though excessive beer drinking isn't required, it is preferred. Partaking of the sauce isn't my thing, although from time to time its done in protest.

Please excuse the freckles. Last night I took one for the team. Let me set the stage, considering my long ball skills, Doug (batting last in the order) popped a little base hit to center and was sitting on first. So, the Hero's lead off with a lefty who hits a line drive directly at my (Doug's) manhood. So a quick on my toes move put me in the fetal position. Doug's manhood was safe, the ball stayed fair, and little birds and stars were scene moving in a clockwise motion about Doug's noggin... Somehow, Doug got to second fell on the ground and whined like a newborn. Once in the laughter slowed, the shooter on the grassy knoll was nice enough to sign the wound, pat me on the bottom, and let me know that "The Doug"took one for the team like a man...

I slept well knowing the boys weren't let down last night... woo-sah...

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf." -

Tug McGraw, asked whether he preferred grass or Astroturf

Aero vs. Professionalism

2008-03-12T07:18:00.004-05:00

So the question came up; Is being aero still professional? Is aero a lifestyle choice? Or is it just an excuse to have a bad haircut??

I'm going with the latter. Only kidding, for me personally it fits an aero lifestyle, and its super cheap, kinda like me. Actually the shirt I'm wearing today I've hand since high school, seniors 95' in the house...

My day starts at 3:50am, pack the car with clothes, towels, blah.. Make the coffee, hit the road. I'm at 24hr fitness by 5:00am. I have one hour so I make it count. If I'm feeling froggy I can squeeze in 1:07 min of training, but that's pushing it. Get cleaned up, drive downtown, park, and get to my desk by 6:30am... I don't have an extra 5 min to spend on my hair. So my official stance on the age old conflict is that its a lifestyle choice.

Besides, I'm married w/ child (2nd kid due May 19th) and lets face the truth, who am I trying to impress with a haircut. The fact of the matter is that I'm not all that professional anyway. I know you didn't expect that coming, but its true.

How do women deal with the pressures of hair? Its beyond my feeble mind!!! I'll stick to important topics like Brittney Spears acting career and Midget conflicts on Howard Stern. Mental capacity these days is limited, I have to leave room for recalling my PR's and my race schedule at a moments notice.

Speaking of mental limitations vs. the swimming human body. I set my watch for 1:30 interval to pace myself (and help me keep count) then after a short warm up I got it on... Monday I was able to hang on for a full 2100 yards, and always a second or 2 ahead of the clock. It hurt, but nothing is better than racing the clock. Tuesday, not a swim day but I somehow managed to have an extra 25 min of pool time left after a stationary bike workout. So no warm up, I was pretty warm already. Only time for a quick and dirty 1100. I finished the swim with 27 seconds left on the clock. The swim is going well, now if I could just have a couple new knees I'd be golden...

“Men don’t care what’s on TV. They only care what else is on TV.”[Jerry Seinfeld]

Picture Blog, Texas style...

2008-03-11T15:13:00.012-05:00

Taking pictures while driving, probably not the safest thing... Sunny day with snow on the ground looks good to a Texan.

I guess snow is fun if you only see it once in a blue moon. Really, I gladly shoveled driveways and dug people out and pushed cars... Its fun to a Texan...

Sometime I have fun on my own terms, alcohol isn't needed for this Texan.

OK, even the second and third time a moronic Texan was "Balls to the Wall" with the shovel!

Brrrr.. Don't know if my Texan body has ever been in weather like this.

Nothing is better than a dumb Texan "Roboting" in the snow... Anyone feel the need for a dance off?

Uh... the only time a drunk can drive like a drunk and get away with it...

Obviously a Canadian, I don't know where he gets it from...

Hello Walls....

Priceless... Convincing a bride still in wedding dress to put her finger up her nose for a picture... hahahaha... I'm still laughing about this one...

Pace Less Hammer More...

Robin: "Boy! That was our closest call ever! I have to admit that I was pretty scared!"

Batman: "I wasn't scared in the least."

Robin: "Not at all?"

Batman: "Haven't you noticed how we always escape the vicious ensnarement's of our enemies?"

Robin: "Yeah, because we're smarter than they are!"

Batman: "I like to think it's because our hearts are pure."

long story... short...

2008-03-10T09:50:00.004-05:00

So, I bloggage has slowed down a bit these last few week, but I'm back.. Back to normal, as if I was ever normal... The objective right now is to run through the facts only to be backed up with pictures tomorrow. See, my current location is at the Detroit airport and my cable for the camera is in Lake Jackson, Tx... ok lets back track....

a week from today, last Monday I went to the Ortho Dr only to find that my wounding knee troubles are arthritis and his diagnosis is to "stop running" WTF!!! I'm in the best shape of my life, heather and happier than ever and he tells me to break up the Beatles?? nope. so he gives me an anti-inflammatory and tells me of some new methods that have helped others but that aren't approved by the FDA.. HUH.. Confusion set in.. its all good.. I refuse to "mail it in" I'll be doing the 1/2 Iron distance in Galveston the end of the month, NO EXCUSES... 5:30!!!!

Tuesday, business as usual, train hard.. Morning bike, Mid-day run, evening swim....

Wed AM... Flew to Detroit (snow everywhere and cold), drove to Lemington, Ontario for my beloved cousins wedding. She is a cousin technically, but I love her like a sister, were separated by a good distance, but I wouldn't have missed the wedding for anything. Because its the time of year for standardized testing, my wife (and kid) stayed home. She is marring the guy that my wife blames personally for my triathlon addiction (he did Ironman UK last year). This year he will be doing Ironman Louisville, and by the way he trains he isnt "mailing in" anything. We got in a good treadmill run Wed PM and I got to meet his fellow Canadian IM buddies...

Thursday.. Visited relatives.. got in two workouts with my soon to be cousin, a Bike session in the AM and a Hill Run in the PM.. it hurt so good...

Friday.. AM Run, and we were forced to skip the afternoon swim to help with last minute wedding plans... More visiting with relatives in the PM... It started snowing after dark, I like the snow probably because I dont see it much.

Saturday.. AM snow everywhere.. Got to shovel snow for the first time.. I did it as fast as possible, took about an hour and since the wedding was that evening there was no time for training, so my shoveling experience had to do for a workout. Wedding was in the evening, my job was to escort the bride and since it was still snowing she was late to her own wedding.. Sorry Jules... :(

Sunday.. Woke up in Windsor Ontario, at another cousins house, had lunch as was headed back to detroit for my 5pm flight. Yeah Right... it took me over 3 hrs to get back to the airport. Normally, only 35 min.. I missed my flight. I miss my family. Got a hotel closeby... no training today:(

Monday.. juggling my destroyed secedule. going to miss work today as my flight doesnt leave until noon... ahh.. I miss my family.. everytime I speak to my wife I can hear the little guy talking in the background. These days being gone for a few days means I miss something new...

Ok so less than 3 weeks until my 1/2 IM... I CAN NOT miss anymore training.. My swim is better than ever, my bike is stronger that ever, my run is hurting because of the knee stuff. I have 2 weeks to fix that, hopefully without injury.. No excuses, no "mailed in" performances allowed....

Pace less Hammer more!!!

“It’s not pollution that is hurting the environment, it’s the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.”[Dan Quayle]

Much Ado About Nothing

2008-02-22T22:03:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to document a monumental milestone in my training.

Because of my knee issues, I have run very little these last two weeks. That doesn't mean my training has gone away. My swims are longer and my cycling consists of longer intervals. Hopefully, my running will pick up where it left off next week. I'll be rocking a 5k tomorrow in West Columbia, time to rock out with my C%^# out... Not really, I kid I kid..

Anyway last year at the local relay triathlon in which I placed myself on team ME. I swam 1100 yards in 16:15 or so. My goal was to bring that down 30 seconds this year. So this morning I went for an 1.5 hour bike and short swim. Now, going back the last 2 months my shortest swim has been no less than 2500 yards. Today I wanted to see what kind of speed I had. 1st 500 @ 7:14, 2nd 7:07, 3rd 7:14.... So I was pumped, this is a milestone for me.

A year and a half ago I was near death doing a 200 in 4:00... Now I'm on my way to doing a 1100 in 15:00. I have a little background in swimming, learned at a young age and in middle school I can remember swimming with the high school students in the summer time. Of course, swimming wasn't as cool as basketball, soccer, or football. So swimming got dropped, now if I could go back that is something I would change. I ruined my knee my senior year of high school football (2nd game), missed my senior year of basketball because my ACL was jacked. So it was all for nothing, but this is my redemption song (Bob Marley) my new goal in the pool, 1100 yards in sub 15:00.... I might get dropped in the run, but I will be first in AG out of the water....

Pace less ... Hammer More...

"Go fuck yourself." —Vice President Dick Cheney to Sen. Patrick Leahy, during an angry exchange on the Senate floor about profiteering by Halliburton

Random Babbling

2008-02-19T07:17:00.013-06:00

This past weekend I was given the opportunity to give to a cause and feed the competitive monkey on my back. This was my 1st 5K, it was close to the house, and I wanted to see how well I could perform on a short course like this.

The course was CHS's Cross County route, so over the hills (not really hills, but the ditches were crazy steep) and through the woods, we went. Being self-programmed to run on sidewalks, streets, and Memorial Park type places, I REALLY enjoyed the change. I knew it was going to be fast and I wanted a fork to be in me by the finish, so I mentally prepared myself by listening to Howard Stern on the radio before the race. Nothing says "hammer more" like an interview with Jenna Jameson. Only kidding, I just wanted to throw in some doltish laughs... I know, porn star humor is probably not funny to most.

Therefore, the gun went off and so did my heart rate. Controlled breathing yeah right, I felt like a chained smoked a pack of "reds" for the first mile. By the time, I hit the halfway point I was feeling better, but the pace was excessively fast for me. The quads were screaming for Calgon, my lungs wanted oxygen, but the 15 year old in front of me kept me in there without saying a word. I was on his tail for the duration. It went fast, what a rush! At the end I wanted to puke, I could hardly walk without a limp (not good), this meant I had a fork in me, I was happy. My time? I couldn’t believe this was accurate, is it possible I did a 20:46 (the picture below is 2 sec's off, because that’s how I live my life, off)?? No way, can’t be... Once I caught my breath, and blood was pumped back into my brain, I asked the HS kids that organized the run about the accuracy; they said it is exactly the same run that the CC team races on. So hey, it must be true...

So after the race I talked with some of the other runners that told me that there is another 5K in the area the following weekend (Race for the Cure). This will give me the opportunity to check my time with an encore performance, I'm pumped. This fast stuff is nice, other than the fact that my knee with the ACL damage is not as thrilled about it as I am. I attempted to run a bit later, it hurt, so I shut it down and went swimming.

Speaking of water, the weather was horrible Saturday afternoon, the wifey wanted to do some painting so "The Kid" and I went on a field trip. Sea Center Texas, only a few minutes from the house and it’s free! Thinking that because of the bad weather there would be more people around, we were surprised to see that we were there keeping the volunteers company.

This is the best part of being a daddy, field trips!!! He loved it. Normally his attention span is on average less than 10 seconds, but Saturday he wasn’t distracted by anything. I just sat and watched his amazement. There are about a half dozen large aquariums with native fish for our area. In addition, an area for kids to get their hands wet while touching crabs, muscles, turtles and other sea creatures. Good Stuff...

So, Sunday, rolled out of bed ouch, the knee wasn’t liking me. Tried to run, NO WAY JOSE!!! It only hurts when I run, and the pain is excruciating (Going to the Dr. Thursday). Sorry Mr. Gump your running on your own today! Later on in the day was my first attempt for open water swimming at Twin Lakes in Manvel Tx. The weather was awesome, but my manhood is still a bit skittish due to the water temp. My first reaction was to scream like a girl, and I did. It took a while to warm up, much more than usual, but it ended up being a good day.

We all know what happens after a good swim.... hunger pains... Ouch... If you were looking for the beef, I found it!!!!

And with all that said, I must go... Pace Less Hammer More....

"He dribbles a lot and the opposition don't like it - you can see it all over their faces." - Ron Atkinson

Nothing to Brag About

2008-02-05T21:38:00.000-06:00

Its been about a week since my last post and nothing extraordinary has moved me or knocked me on my ass. So, I guess an uneventful few weeks is nice for a change. I've stepped up my training and it feels great. Running 3 times a week for 22 miles on avg and gradually adding to it. Swimming between 9000 and 12000 yards a week, adding only speed and faster intervals in the upcoming weeks. Cycling, (once again not meeting my goals) I've mounted "The Dude" only twice in the last few weeks, although I’ve been hitting the stationary hard in the morning workouts.I have a long weekend coming up so I'll try to get in a couple rides with some hill repeats. The knee has been giving me a bit of discomfort so I'll take it easy on the running, it could just be the temperamental weather and the barometric changes that come with it. Enough of that mess, no one cares, I know...

Last weekend we took a little road trip to Lafayette, to see some friends and take the kid to his first Mardi Gras Parade.

Mardi Gras in Lafayette is nothing like the big show in New Orleans. Its family oriented, the drunks are polite and the flashing doesn’t exist. The cops are in abundance to see that a family friendly celebration runs smoothly.

Before the trip, I found myself checking out mapmyrun.com to plan a few runs. Its official, I'm a slave to training. Sunday, didn’t offer me an opportunity to do anything as we spent the morning visiting with our dear friends that we only get to see about twice a year. The afternoon was spent on the road, as captive to Interstate 10 it gave the opportunity to catch up on some magazines that have been piling up. Then we got home just in time to make it to a Super Bowl Party, what a game huh? After the game I was a bit tipsy and it wouldn’t have been wise to attempt a run in that state of inebriation. Therefore, Sunday was a dud, and the guilt piled up on me for getting nothing done, thus the assumption of a tri-slave. Ah Tri-Slave, could it be the blog name I have been looking for?

Something came up the over the weekend with a tri-friend, he/she was going into detail about the swimming drills that made up the workout they were doing. Drills? Drills? This person has difficulty swimming 150 yards w/o stopping and they want to do drills (one arm, catch-up, pulling? I listen and I keep my mouth shut (in protest of course) not wanting to be that guy who offers advise without reasoning. I'm not a coach it its not a goal of mine to be one, but should I offer my opinion to this person that they should forget out the drills and build some endurance before working on technique? Or should I just shut up and blow him/her out of the water at the next race? You make the call...

Robin: "Holy molars! Am I ever glad I take good care of my teeth!"
Batman: "True. You owe your life to dental hygiene."

2008 Hero....

2008-01-26T21:37:00.000-06:00

Fellow blogger Ryan ( http://caughtontherun.blogspot.com/) (Someone please help me with this link thing....) got me thinking about a motivational hero for 2008. A person that when thought of inspires me to train harder or better. I so looked around and Faris Al Sultan seemed interesting to me. I found a podcast interview in which he seemed really cool and laid back, and he still rocked the speedo's. He talked about his fathers nationality and being Muslim and how it mixed with triathlon. I can relate to the Arab background and this was cool to me, its always compelling to hear about 2nd generation success stories. If someone would have described to my father 35 years ago the family he has today he would have told them they were out of their mind. OK, I'm off topic sorry...

So, I slept on that thought of "is this guy capable of being a hero" the answer is no.. Not to me, Faris (translates to Knight) is a natural athlete, he still has to work hard but not as hard as lets say Matt Reed... Now Matt Reed is a big dude, 6'5" Nickname "Boom Boom" again I can relate to his disadvantage.. But he's not inspiring to me, Impressive yes very much so, but Boom Boom isn't getting me out of bed at 4am to train.

My inspiration comes from the local newspaper that highlights the accomplishments of young high school students. The most recent phenom is Lauren Smith, http://www.thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=3a3b3b3ffcc30b19 at 16 years old shes doing great things. Breaking records and with dreams of being in the Olympics, whats more inspiring than that? Or think of Steve Prefontaine his story (although it has holes in it) will lend a hand to the eye of the tiger.

I need to end this post, unfortunately I don't have an answer for Mr Caught on the Run. I've come up with a few possible answers...

1. I've driven by those with whom I race with and email daily speaking Language O' triathlon.

2 The fact that most of my training sessions are at the expense of my preggers wife's time/sanity and I want to make the best of it.

3. Most of all I think its the fact that until I met triathlon my life was job, job, job. My friends were work related, activities, social events, etc.... Could it be selfishness, or could it be me wanting to crank up the competitive creature inside. Like when I was that teenager with huge dreams wanting to see the moon!!!!

OK, Enough of the seriousness.... this isn't me... is anyone reading this, am I talking to myself???

Pace Less Hammer More!

Europeans don't seem to have the groupie mentality. Kid Rock

Triathlon Imagery

2008-01-23T13:48:00.000-06:00

Triathlon imagery! What a wonderful thing, I guess? However, my mind is simple, almost Neanderthal like. It processes information slowly and without much reaction. Therefore, over the last few months, concepts like imagery and thought control have passed through it but as usual, no light bulb turned on. I’ve been waiting for this chain reaction similar to that of a grand finally at a 4th of July firework display.

I’m kidding it’s not that bad. I’ve heard about imagery before and how the best athletes are able to train and perform while blocking out negative thoughts. Concentration is difficult when waking up early to get in a workout then putting in a full day at work and trying to juggle a family, routine duties, and more training in the evening, day after day…. How about the thoughts of pain and boredom on those long swims? Or a conflict at work that replays in your head on a long run? All of which are taking away from the training session and the future performance. Ok, so what’s the solution? A higher confidence level? A life without tension, anger, depression, or chaos? A better job? Excessive amounts of descressionary cash? Who knows??? Maybe there is someone out there with a some back ground on the subject who can “learn” me something (Jane)(Oh wait, no one is reading this). Until then I will just hope that finding pleasure in training and racing will be all the motivation I need. As soon as my wife suggests that I need to see a therapist will be the day I go pro, LexaPro that is… Deep thinking isn’t my specialty (because I have no specialty, or the mental capacity to have a deep thought) I’m exhausted at this sad attempt to achieve a meaningful thought. HUH... once again I dont think that makes any sense..

Now, As I mentioned in my last post, we (Diet Coke and I) BROKE up. I was shackled to the wonderful silver can and now I’ve been freed from the Dungeness hells of aspartame! This leads me into my next battle dealing with a horrible accusation someone (Ryan) made about me in the comments of my last post. Although I have set some weight loss goals that are achievable anything further would require the amputation of both of my legs and arms. Remember the Black Knight? "Tis mearly a flesh wound" !

Never trust spiritual leader who cannot dance. ~
Mr. Miyagi

Last Day for Recovery...

2008-01-18T08:36:00.000-06:00

So, today marks the end of marathon training/recovery, and honestly its easy to tuck that phase away in the bottom drawer and forget about it. Not to be redundant, but strictly running isn't my dealeo yo...

The digital camera took a dump last week so the camera phone will help illustrate my thoughts, mainly because my creative writing skills are that of that 3rd grader. Sometimes it amazes me how I managed to make it through college.

Typically work is slow this time of year so I've come up with a training plan based on my studies, (mostly during my down time at the office). My goal is a 5:30hr half Ironman on March 30 in Galveston .

So today will be my final day of Diet Coke, oh my beloved Diet Coke! We have been friends for many years "it's not you.... it's me" Diet Coke has been there for me when I was in need the most. It comforted me when I was feeling insecure, it stimulated my mind when I couldn't focus, and now I'm a slave to it!!!! Well not any more! I'm stronger than the pretty silver can of goodness! And like a garage door, I'm closing this chapter of my life!!!!
Next topic of discussion and also the main purpose for dropping Diet Coke, My Weight. If you'll notice below I'm the big goofy guy in the white shirt with a red hat. I have gained a few pounds over the last few month even while training for the marathon. Is it the love of food or the feeling of a full belly that I cant resist, maybe both.

So over the course of the next 10 weeks I'll make an effort to note what I put in my mouth so as to drop the lbs. I haven't seen 210 on the scale in at least 10 years, so that will be my goal. As most achievements deserve an award I will treat myself to a Diet Coke when that day comes.

Even though my focus will be on speed and increasing my VO2 max I'm sure my kiddo will be getting a few more trips in his g-ride, foshizzle.... Really, I got this jogging stroller for $5.00.... That's it 5 bucks on ebay, no shipping, what a deal. Not to mention the kid loves it but Nicole seems to think he should be wearing a helmet, so I do the "yes, dear" and leave asap, then I just say "oops I forgot" when she catches me later.

This picture has no bearing on anything, I just like the pictures of sleeping kids in car seats. What a life huh...

So if you've made it this far may God bless you for wading through the muck of my blog. This is not one of my best efforts as it is Friday so I'll be starting my weekend in less than an hour. Not that my mind was ever really in the right place its definitely somewhere else right now. I'll start my 1st day of training with a 6 mile run and 3200 yards in the pool while The Crystal Method bangs in my ears (Its the name of the game) and I mumble out of breath... Pace Less, Hammer More....

Have a good weekend....

"It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it."-Sam Levenson

Houston Marathon

2008-01-15T07:51:00.000-06:00

Oh the pain!!! My 1st marathon finish 4:12:59. Really I was shooting for sub 4 hours, but whats 13 min. really?? I'm not really a runner although the more I do it and the less painful it gets I enjoy it more and more. Could it be the solitude? Could it be the soreness in the legs after a good run? Could it be that I burn more calories running thus justifying a big meal? It could be all the above... The more enjoyable it becomes the more I find myself zoning out while running, and this is a good thing.

Here's my quick race review. I started the race feeling good, it was a bit cold but not miserable. The first 10k went fast (53:24), Chris my training partner helped me along as he is by far a much better runner than yours truly. Now the sun is out, were warm, sweating a little, the trash bags are off, enjoying the scenery. Chris carried me up to the half way point (1:53:49), when he so politely bid me adieu, gave me the obligatory high five, chunked the deuce, and said "I'll be waiting for you at the finish, gangsta!" This is where my ability started to fade, I was able to hang with him a few more miles, but my heart rate was getting a bit high so I backed off. At the 30k I clocked a 2:48:55. My hips and quads were screaming "stop running you fat phuck" so I did a few times, but then I would have the hardest time getting loose again, and I use the term "loose" lightly. Loose at that point was basically anything over a 2' stride. OK blah blah blah mile 20 was the wall, that damn bastard wall... I was enjoying the cheering sections although I had my volume turned up to max as I couldn't stand to hear "almost" from anyone else. The people-watching was however, my saving grace as there were lots of beautiful people on the sidelines. The last 1.5 to 2 miles I was able to pick up the pace and finish strong, 4:12:59.. Good enough for my lazy natured body. As I finished and was getting weighed Chris approached me with a Banana (in a very NON-Gay kinda way) as he had finished only 15 min or so before me and decided to wait on a brotha...

OK enough of that... Did anyone see the Middle Eastern Dance Club or whatever they called themselves??? They were on Woodway right before 610... Holy Crap!!! Being someone well anointed with the Arab culture, I was embarrassed for these people. I'm not typically a rude guy in person or in the blog world, but WTF!!! Honestly, they looked like a band of miscreants in their little belly outfits and those creepy looking guys that were beating the drums should be investigated for child pornography... OK sorry, I don't mean to hate, but I really find it difficult to congratulate. I can appreciate the support, but it would be like me and my redneck buddies starting a club to celebrate Indonesian Cultural Heritage. OK sorry that's my spare change...

Pace Less Hammer More...

Batman: "That's life, Robin, full of ups and downs. It ill befits any of us to become to confident."

My Epiphany...

2008-01-10T06:50:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I posted a copy of "You Know your a Triathlete When " somewhere on the list it says something about long workouts and good conversations with yourself. Last night on the stationary bike an hour felt like 10 minutes. Deep thinking is not something normally associated with McLovin, but I had an epiphany. I'll make this quick, for two reasons. 1. Its dumb 2. No ones reads my doltish narrations anyway...

So there I am pedaling away (aero position of course) thinking about my wife's due date, (May 19) and how much I love the feeling of being a father. With another kid in the house I'll be blessed with twice the love. Then like a sucker punch in the dark it hit me!!! WHAT HAVE WE DONE??? HOW COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN??? WHERE WAS THE VOICE OF REASON LAST SUMMER?? 2 kids 18 months apart this means a drastic change. All though I call myself a dolt, I'm not stupid. (HUH? That makes no sense at all but anyway.) Were fully aware of the sacrifices parents make especially in the first few years of a child's life. Our schedules will ultimately stay the same, but the bulk of the burden will fall upon my wife. Leaving the house at 4am doesn't leave much room to help out in the morning. As I went through all the scenarios in my feeble head all I could think was WTF!!! Then being the selfish ingrate that writes this blog I begin to think about my triathlon season. By the end of my self meeting I'm able to relate my life to triathlon. In the beginning I was overwhelmed even with a sprint distance and the training that went along with it. Not to mention a 70.3 distance was as attainable as winning the lotto, and so on.

So I came up with the analogy that having two kids 19 months apart, its like the start of an open water swim. Before it starts, its fun, everyone is laughing cutting up bragging about their own fitness, whatever. Then you get in the water and its cold, things start to suck. The gun goes off and the race begins the first 10 yards are great you feel good, then WHAM! your kicked in the head and your goggles fill with water. You try to fix them and you catch an elbow on your back. Now you try to swim and your out of breath, you cant find your stroke, you want to quit, its so tough, the water is still cold, you see a 60 year old passing you, your legs are heavy, IT SUCKS... Then something happens and you suddenly get it together. Ah, yes! now the current is helping you along, you found the perfect person to draft off of, your passing people again, feeling great about it, your a trained machine!!! Best of all the bad start is out of your mind and your focused on T1...

At least that's what I'm hoping life is like the.... GOD knows I've been wrong before...

So I guess I lied, sorry, its not as short as I had planned. OK, so to all those running in the marathon this weekend, best of luck to all! May the weather be on our side and the wind at our back...

Pace Less Hammer More....

When I black out, it's the happiest time of my life.

Artie Lange

New Motto

2008-01-04T08:14:00.000-06:00

New Motto for 2008 taken from a conversation from with a friend.

"Pace less and Hammer more"

This is meant in the best and cleanest meaning of all words...

As the days dwindle to the marathon start, part of me just wants it to be over, the other part of me is hoping for a blizzard and a few more weeks of training. Considering that in Texas our winters are very mild the chances of even a wintry mix is slim to none, I'll start my taper after a long run today.

Most blogs this time of year are full of resolutions and goals, this should be inspiring to me, others good spirits are like an air born virus most of the time. They stream on the Internet and plant themselves into the surfers blood stream like a string of meningitis. Unfortunately for me I'm not feeling it. This year will be a year for contentment as my goals are to stay satisfied without feeling stagnate. With another child only 5 months away insurance issues enter into the picture for a financial savings. Also, as the engineering/constructablity needs grow and opportunity's open, then close in front of me because of wanting to be home with the family. The growing trend for people with my background is to go overseas and return only a few times a year for brief visits. Destinations such as Iraq, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Algeria, Indonesia, Kosovo, Sudan, the list goes on. None of these are vacation destinations, and that is compensated with excessive amounts of money. But does the compensation equal to the milestones I'll be missing? After being involved in the same relative discipline since graduating high school, working from the lowest level of field production to my current status. Now finding that limitations and being established because of my age, this is understandable but at the same time hard to swallow. It seems my resume needs to be presented and reviewed before every discussion so my thoughts will be validated. I'm viewed as a "kid" even in my early 30's because my counterparts are minimum 20 years older, creating a scar on my bottom lip for having to bite down so f'ing hard when hearing about prehistoric methods within the field.

How boring is this? Oh well, no one reads this crap anyway. OK, so back to my new motto, sorry for the boring rant of a dolt, ie. ME...

OK, so I've somewhat planned my race schedule for the year, my next step will be to devise a workout plan. My longest races will be 70.3 so I was given the advice to "pace less and hammer more". As my fitness increases the races seem to get shorter, the workouts are longer and more intense. This is the part I enjoy talking/thinking about! A year ago I ran a 10K with the goal of not walking, afterwords I was so drained I could hardly walk. Now a 10K is warm up. The first time my wife drug me into the pool after not swimming competitive for almost 15 years my body was almost in cardiac arrest after a simple 50 yards... Now 500 is my typical warm up.

Hope every ones new year is off to a great start. Now I'm off for a run where I will be going against my motto, but the spirit of "hammering" will be echoing in my hollow head...

Au revoir

I have a very highly developed sense of denial. Gwyneth Paltrow

2007

2007-12-28T21:01:00.000-06:00

Overall this has been a great year for me and my family.

We really have nothing to complain about. I've given this last blog on the year a little more thought, but then I remembered that no reads this dumb blog of mine.

OK, here it is...

This year I changed jobs in January, realized I hated my new job, and somehow got my old job back. Thus learning a lesson in patience, contentment, and ambition. It worked out for the best.

We went to a few weddings, birthday parties, anniversaries, and traveled a bit as a family. This includes our Cancun trip we took without our little guy who was only 8 months old! Nicole promised to not call home more than once a day to check in, when it was all said and done I think she tripled that. We learned a lesson there too. Cancun is much more fun when acting like a reckless 20 something not a 1st time parent. I think after the 2nd day she was ready to come home....

Nonetheless, we did some how make it out to Mr Frogs one night. I don't even know this guy!!!

I made a new friend, training partner, and fellow fan of McLovin. I've found for me there is no better motivator than some friendly competition.

So now as we enter 2008, things are getting smaller; such as our house, our bank account, and my window of opportunity for long training days.

2008 tri goals...

I'd like loose a few more lbs, but I'd also like to keep my Clydesdale status.

I'd like to come in under 5:30 in a half Ironman Distance Tri.

hummm.. what else... you know what??? who cares?? I think the best thing is that I stay healthy and hopefully tri's will stay fun, right now I'm really loving the energy is gives me. I don't think I'm a slave to it yet, it could happen in the near future.

Overall a good year and I'm looking forward to what 2008 can dish out.... Have a great New Year, go nuts!!!

It feels like I could go outside with a bikini thong on right now. Puff Daddy

Its all about me..

2007-12-23T07:45:00.000-06:00

Sunday morning everyone is still sleeping, its too cold to do anything outside, and my coffee is just too good right now. Isn’t it funny how sometimes coffee just tastes like a Porterhouse cooked just the way you like it, and other times its just something to stimulate your mind and ease the caffeine headaches???

Do I need a nickname? As I surf through the blog world I see that everyone has nicknames. My last name has been my call letters for years, (its has also been modified into derogatory comments) but what if someone wants to stalk my family and me? Call me naive but until a Trojan horse arrives on my lawn and we’re berated with harassing phone calls which I sometimes enjoy, its not going to worry me..

Training? Despite the occasional acts of gluttony I’ve experienced this December training is going better than expected. Gearing up for the marathon has kept me out of trouble, long runs are still torture but I’ve fallen in love with the soreness in my legs that follows. My Javelin hasn’t seen the light of day since Thanksgiving but I’ve made the stationary bike part of my plan. Of course my workout plan is only in my head and I’m sure if I were to tell someone who really knows how to train they would kindly let me know that what I’m doing is all wrong.

Well, the kiddo is waking up and I’m going to let momma sleep a bit longer so I’m going to cut it short. Its not like anyone cares since no one reads my stupid ramblings… Happy Sunday to all…

I found there was only one way to look thin, hang out with fat people. Rodney Dangerfield

I got tagged

2007-12-18T15:54:00.000-06:00

I'm not too sure what that means Jane, but I'll play along... 5 things that people don't know about me.

1. I can play Backgammon for hours at a time.

2. I think Mike Jones is a marketing genius

3. I love CiCi's Pizza....

4. I have 2 Fantasy Football teams this year and they both suck.

Superbad 7-6

Hometown Heros 1-12

5. I won a dance contest on a cruise a few years ago for doing the "robot"

People blame me because these water mains break, but I ask you, if the water mains didn't break, would it be my responsibility to fix them then? Marion Berry

Marathon countdown 27 days??

2007-12-17T09:40:00.000-06:00

27 days?? WTF!!! I'm beginning to think I made a mistake, maybe my eyes are bigger than my tummy kind of thing... At 220lbs do I have any business running 26 mi., 385 yds at one time? Nevertheless, I'm committed, Jan 13th I'll be out there and I'll do it and no complaining... When I see these guys and gals who not only run the marathon but do it will all the grace and form of a ballet dancer, I turn green with envy. Its so impressive to see a body so well conditioned to not only run the distance but hold a constant pace and finish as strong as they started... I applaud all runners and especially those who lap me. Has anyone seen this? Does anyone read this stupid blog of mine?? Too bad this movie wont be showing before the Houston Marathon, maybe it would motivate me to run/train harder for something I don't enjoy without swimming or running, http://www.marathonmovie.com/home.html....

So along with Marathon Training and Daddy duties, I was able to tackle the mess we call a garage. Someone explain to me how it is possible to accumulate so much cr@p in a short amount of time. A little over a year ago we were able to fit both cars comfortably in the garage, today one car. A year from now at the rate were going we'll be lucky to walk thru the conglomerate of stuff known as a garage. Anyway, I spent a cold morning sorting, organizing, and riding our garage of junk. I had a friend who showed up to help me out, but he just sat there and watched me work, then I caught him digging thru the trash so I asked him to leave...

Now for the good news... Friday, we got out best Christmas gift for the the year... My wife had her 18 week ultrasound which made me the happiest man alive! ANOTHER BOY!!! With all the technology today were told were having a healthy baby with a 4 chambered heart, a developed spine, and a growing body... As we look forward to having 2 boys only 18 months different in age and double the dirty diapers we can also celebrate the gift of life this Christmas... We can also celebrate the over opinionated elders we have in our family that see entirely too much meaning in a name. I still like McLovin...
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
Romeo and Juliet Act II, Scene 2

Christmas List...

2007-12-13T13:57:00.000-06:00

I was asked to provide a Christmas list, a serious list... I figure I'd share...

Cookies (soft)
Hot wings

Rolex watch
white t-shirts
Cycling socks

Air freshener
Framed picture of wife and kid
Skittles
SLR McLaren
Hair Spray
Dress Socks
backgammon board

Lap Band Procedure
Arm warmers for cycling or running

Think I missed anything??? Its not too much, is it??

Poor Me...

2007-12-12T15:47:00.000-06:00

I havent felt well since the Chili Cheese Nacho's at the Texans game last Sunday....

Also, lacking inspiration, could it be caused by the nachos????

Sugar Land Lakes at Williams Ranch 30K

2007-12-10T15:38:00.000-06:00

I don't know what too say about this one... Needless to say its was not my best performance that's for sure. My intentions were to have a good time on this run for a couple reasons. 1st off my brother was in town from Austin, 2nd one of my wife's good friends was running in it also, 3rd (most important) I HATE running anything longer than 13 miles.... I also got to meet a fellow blogger (Jane) who had a great run, and finished before my brother... Nice Job... I ran the first hour with my Bro and Friend thinking I could change gears and get right back into my normal pace... WRONG... oh well... I learned something new... Also, learned not to schedule a Texans game right after a 30K... I was hungry and ate everything in site...

Now, I don't want to throw anyone under the bus, but I have to let people know that I'm not afraid to black male if needed.. I have some knowledge of pre-race needs that a certain person might be a bit embarrassed about. So, Santa better be good to me this year..... or else....

Speaking of Santa we had some strange activity at our house Saturday night... The dogs wouldn't sit still, the electricity was flickering on and off, and Nicole's cooking was really good for a change... hahaha... I walked outside only to find a run away elf....

He was going house to house unplugging Christmas lights and lighting dog poop on fire then placing it on random doorsteps.. Nicole and I promptly confronted him, he said he's a Special Operations Elf sent to Lake Jackson on special orders from Santa.

At first he seemed harmless except for the belly protruding from his shirt, but the more we questioned him the more combative he became. In the picture below he was demonstrating some ancient form of Ju-Jit-Su. It didn't take long to realize this was just another drunk elf that was exiled from the North Pole for sipping on the sauce...

So, I distracted him then Nicole grabbed the drunk elf.. It took him a few minutes, but he settled down so we didn't have to call the cops... Were good people (we think), so we let him stay the night to sleep it off... In the morning when we got up he was gone, his bed was made, there were fresh cookies in the kitchen and my freaking wallet was gone....

If you spot this elf, beware he should be considered armed and dangerous.....

“If your parents never had children, chances are you won’t either.”
Dick Cavett

You know your a Triathlete when:

2007-12-04T08:46:00.000-06:00

This is old but it seems every time I read it I can relate a little more...

You know you're a triathlete when:

you have a lifetime supply of water bottles, safety pins, and t-shirts.

you have trouble keeping lunch under 2000 calories.

you usually wake up at 4:00 in the morning but don't get to work until way after 9:00.

you have a $4000 bike strapped on top of your $2000 car.

you're always wet .... sweat, pool, lake, sea water, shower, bath, or rain.

your car has at least one energy bar wrapper and water bottle on the floor

your kids idea of playing is a race and awards ceremony.

you depart in morning with swim bag, bike, and running shoes in case you can get away at lunch for a workout.

you take triathlon junkets instead of vacations

you have far more shoes than your wife

your kitchen cupboards are organized into "protein", "carbs" and "etc"

you bring bottled water to a party so that you're properly hydrated for the next morning's long run.

everyone else at the party also brought their own bottled water because you don't have a social life outside of triathlon.

Oh yeah, and they all showed up by 7pm and left by 10pm.

your 8 year old comes home with the school record for the mile and says, he took it out in a nice pace he could hold.....everyone else died.

you ask your wife, girlfriend, or sister for leg shaving advice.

you mention a race and somebody responds "running or biking" and you are again forced to explain....

you wear your bathing suit under your work clothes to make a fast transition from work to swim on your lunch hour.

you name your two new puppies Kona and Hawi

your spouse wants dinner out and a movie, so you agree, but fall asleep during the previews.

you show up at the neighbourhood pool on your bike in a Speedo and embarrass your teenage daughters.

you've spent more on bikes in the last 10 years than you have on clothes for the past 50

somebody hands you a cup of water and you have to restrain yourself from pouring it over your head.

you forget that talking about daily LSD and speed weirds some people out.

you feel like you took the day off because all you did was swim 3000 yards.

Cars pass you on the road when you're driving and you either drop back to get out of draft zone or speed up to attack!

your bed-time reading on your night stand consists of a pile of: DeSoto catalogs; InsideTri; Triathlete, VeloNews, USMA Swim, etc.

you haven't bought work clothes in two years, yet you own bike shorts made by every manufacturer under the sun and can recite the merits of CoolMax, Supplex, etc. in your sleep!

you know you could make a killing at Jeopardy if only the categories were: - Past winners of Hawaii Ironman - Legs shaving techniques - 40-30-30 diet - Aerodynamics racing wheels - Gastrointestinal problems and long runs - How to justify a 4000$ bike

When asked, how old you are you answer 35-39.

Your training is more limited by available time then how far you can run.

Nobody believes you when you say 'Never again'.

You take part in the corporate challenge to improve your base speed.

In the summer your legs are smoother then your girlfriend's.

You need a picture for a job application and you only have race pictures.

You use running T-shirts to clean your bike.

You think there are only two seasons during the year, racing and off.

when you see some lady watering her flowers and ask her if you can borrow the hose for a minute so you can fill up your water bottles.

You clean your bike more often than your car

When asked to mow the lawn in 90 degree heat, you say that its too hot to do that (and you mean it) and then an hour later you go on a century ride because its so nice out.

you mow your legs more often than your lawn.

You tell your co-workers that you are going to "do a long brick" on Saturday and just expect that they know what you are talking about.

You are convinced that if you rest more than one day, your muscles will a trophy, your ultra-fit body will turn into a pile of goo and everyone in your age group will beat you.

Nothing really...

2007-12-02T05:05:00.000-06:00

So... I'm up at 5am on Sunday morning, I don't know why. In the past I suffered from insomnia due to anxiety, usual stuff, changing jobs, new baby, moving out of state, selling a house, tax audit (oops)... However right now I'm content with everything for once in my life.

Only two weeks until we find out if were having a boy or a girl, I'm pumped. It's an emotional event, so much fun. From that point on were able to identify with the unborn, call him/her by name, paint the room, get clothes, fun stuff... Jonah for a boy Sadie for a girl... I wanted McLovin for a boy, and Prudence for a girl.. She wasn't having that... once again I lose... :)

Yesterday I got the Christmas lights put up Clark Griswold style, well, I did it in protest. My wife is the Christmas light Nazi, "no lights for you!!" she's out of control... Pictures to follow... Along with kilowatt per hour breakdowns... Were setting electricity consumption records this year.

I cant believe this, I forgot about the Ironman Special on NBC yesterday.. WTF... I've been all over it like a fat kid on a cupcake, reminders on outlook, emailing myself, tied a string around my finger.... damn.. will there be a repeat??? I looked, but I couldn't find anything...

Who am I kidding?? No one is reading this... more coffee...

Went to a birthday party for a 3 year old yesterday. Until I became a father, I didn't understand, didn't care, whats the point?? Got to see my college friends again, always so great to see everyone and how they have grown. In college I was always surrounded by lots of people, I lived in the fraternity house, I was active in uh.... fraternity stuff, alcohol consumption mostly, hence the ugly tattoos... I blame cheap beer and Jägermeister for my misguided adolescence... I really enjoy seeing how we all grew up and started making better decisions. I sincerely hope we can all keep in touch.

Oh, interesting news.... actually, its dumb... I presented to my wife a great idea, its dumb, she thinks, I'm dumb.. but funny to me.. I'm going to be rocking a mo-hawk at the Lonestar Triathlon. I've never had one, and I figure its an easy fix so if I don't do it now I never will... I told you, its dumb... I'll hawk-it Thursday night after work and "fix" it Sunday night when we get home.. Although it would be funny to show up to my dorky engineer work environment with a mo-hawk.... uuuhhhh Nah, I'm at least 20 years younger than the next youngest in my office, so I get no respect already, this would only compound the matter.. but it would be funny... :)

OK enough babbling.. Happy NFL Sunday... May all the games with money on them meet the spread..

More coffee!!!

The laws in this city are clearly racist. All laws are racist. The law of gravity is racist.
Marion Berry

This week....

2007-11-30T09:44:00.000-06:00

This blog stuff can be difficult. I want to sound interesting, but the truth is I'm not as fun as I used to be. My life pretty much revolves about work and family or family and work, whatever... Triathlon training is the preventative measure I take so I don't become my parents. I'm not ready to be simple, ordinary, "normal"... As few as 5 years ago I was into all kinds of stuff, that would have been an interesting blog worth reading. Now all I have is my tattoos to remind me of those days. Even though I'd like to have them removed they do represent something, I don't know what exactly what, but they do mean something.

On Wednesday nights (my easy training day) I play softball for the Hometown Heroes in the local Lake Jackson Beer League. I'm 10 years older than most of the guys, but somehow I fall right into place with them. They are me, I am them, we are one... only kidding, that's weird.. What I mean is that we all grew up in the same small town, went to the same schools, and did all the same things I did 10 years ago... Its fun to look and listen to them talk about the local community college, girls, weekend activities, and bad decisions. Does anyone remember those years of discovering alcohol and life... What a blast... Who am I kidding no one is reading this thing...

I signed up for the Sugar Land Lakes of Williams Ranch 30K next weekend‏, should be a good warm up for the Marathon..

Enough of that mess... I'm done with my half day of work today, and since I'm in town I'll hit up Memorial park for 12 miles before I head home... Everyone have a good weekend...

I went to see my doctor. "Doctor, every morning when I get up and look in the mirror, I feel like throwing up. What's wrong with me?" He said "I don't know but your eyesight is perfect." Rodney Dangerfield

Conjunctivitis

2007-11-27T08:59:00.000-06:00

AHHH.. I got crap in my eye and it wont go away!!!! So, being the domesticated redneck that I am I look up everything on-line, as does 90% of the American population I'm sure... I came across this...

Causes of Pinkeye
Pinkeye can be caused by many of the bacteria and viruses responsible for colds and other infections, — including ear infections, sinus infections, and sore throats — and by the same types of bacteria that cause the sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) chlamydia and gonorrhea.
How gross is that??? I essentially have "VD" in my eye!!! Unbeknownced (is that a word?) to me my eye apparently has a bit of a problem and will be receiving STD preventative training as soon as the moxifloxacin hydrochloride ophthalmic solution runs its course. Blah Blah Blah... How will that talk go?

Me: OK look here Eye, you need to wrap it up
Eye: give me my privacy!
Me: no, because when you get VD it makes people think I'm smoking crack because my eyes look like their bleeding.
Eye: I think we need space.
Me: Space? Space? Your stuck to my head, your like a freaking parasite! and you want space..
Eye: its not you, (long pause) its me!!!

Cut to commercial...

This could be a good thing. I'm forced to stay out of the pool (where I probably contracted the eye STD) and really start focusing on my long runs. I have 7 weeks to the marathon, I'll do a long run of 12 miles this week and add a couple miles to it every week. If I just had 2 more hours a day, training would be easy. From the time I get up at 4ish everything is a race. I race to get to the gym to get in a short work out. I race to get to the office... After work I'm racing home to beat the traffic... Oh, I'm complaining now... and no one wants to hear whining excuses, but then no one reads this stupid blog about my eye VD anyway...

Until yesterday the word salacious was not part of my vocabulary.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-23T16:46:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving was great! The food was great, the people were great, and the nap on a fully belly rocked!!!

I ran the Turkey Trot to justify my gluttony. Due to my knee injury I hadn't been running all that hard, I've been concentrating more on my swimming, biking and strength training. Previous to yesterday my PR had been 53:31 for a 10K, but that was in Austin and had some pretty good hills to go with it. None-the-less... I ran a 48:34... I was pumped more about the fact that I had no pain in my knee than about the new PR. Seeing that I can only focus on goals, I'll shoot for a sub 45:00 min the next race. That might be a stretch, but still doable..

Looking back on Thanksgiving pictures I found this one from last year. I was every bit of 250lbs. I was rocking the fat pants w/ the elastic in the waist band hidden by my fat belt. I was the Arab American version of Fat Bastard... Get in my belly!!!

This is me today, just as ugly only thinner, happier, and no more fat pants!!! but I'm still screaming.. Get in my belly!!!!

It's a bit chilly out today so, I'm off to the gym.. I know, I'm talking to myself because no one in there right mind would read this far. However I don't care, here's another dumb quote.

"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure." - Dan Quayle

Bling Bling

2007-11-21T07:43:00.000-06:00

Sorry, its been 7 days since my last pitiful post about the Techno Viking (but really if you haven't seen it do a search on youtube its hysterical). Then again no one reads these things anyway so it doesn't really matter. OK maybe a few people do read, the "Tri Commune" in Houston will do Maverick flyby occasionally...

Maverick, you just did an incredibly brave thing. What you should have done was land your plane! you don't own that plane, the tax payers do! Son, your ego is writing checks your body can't cash. You've been busted, you lost your qualifications as section leader three times, put in hack twice by me, with a history of high speed passes over five air control towers, and one admiral's daughter!

Penny Benjaman was her name... Anyhow, enough Top Gun...

Last week I was able to take a mini vacation to the beautifully overcast Southern California. What an amazing place to live.

Unfortunately, we all know the cost of housing there. It takes a lot of bling to enjoy that weather all year...

I was able to get in a few good runs while I was there. It's refreshing to run without a stopwatch or clocking the distance. I was running in a Forrest Gump fashion, running just to run and enjoy my surroundings.

Memorial Park is nice, Rice University is a good running/training place as well. However If I had a view like this with perfect weather and NO bugs, I'd be much more inclined to get out there and put in some miles.

Some days training seems like its just habit or I feel an obligation to the financial commitments I've made to this lifestyle. Other days I cant wait for the feeling after a hard workout. When you meet your goal for a run, or knock out an awesome 3000 yd swim, or your legs are dead from going all out the last few miles of a long bike, that's the good stuff. Other times the training is the only normal part of the day on those days when work sucks, traffic blows, or you get a letter from the IRS informing you that you screwed up royally on your Turbo Tax last year.. oops..

So, As I run a turkey trot tomorrow, I'll be thankful for my health and lifestyle that gets me out of bed before everyone else to take a 2 hr run, then to stop at the Surfin' Donuts and bring a little warm breakfast to those that slept in.

Now, I probably wont ever drive $300K "Lambo" on the Pacific Coast Highway. But I do have a lot to be thankful for this year, and in the years to come....
However, if this kid can develop some speed off that 3 point stance and can turn it into a 7 figure salary. I'll settle for a big house with pool and early retirement... Maybe a used Ferrari too... :)

Even though no one reads this far, I'll still end in a quote... Happy Thanksgiving!!

“I would like to live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were ever supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever.”[Miss Alabama 1994]

Techno Viking

2007-11-13T13:42:00.000-06:00

Lexapro wouldn't do a thing for this guy he has all the confidence in the world!!!

Just wanted to add some comic relief.... :)

I dont get it!!!

2007-11-09T09:13:00.000-06:00

No soap box here, just somethings that I don't understand. Smoking!!!! Who does this anymore?? Could it be the fact that I've concerned myself with my health and achieving new Pr's for every aspect of life? Smoking doesn't fit into my plan nor does it interest me? Honestly, its a pretty common thing these days to see the lack of popularity of those that smoke. The dangers are well known and we are inundated with all the negatives on a daily basis.

OK, so I know that no one reads these things, but I still wont get too personal with it. I work for one of these huge construction companies that does work all over the world. These days the safety factor can make or break a budget. In the old days there was a formula that basically came to one death per million dollars spent on construction. In today's world safety is scrutinized so that the chances of a finger prick is minimized by taking time to inform and educate the labor force on the importance of job site safety so everyone can get home safely.

My next point, in order for any company to be successful its imperative that only the best are hired and trained to enforce the policies of a company. 20 years ago the title "safety man" didn't exist, if it did it was a token job given to someone that was injured on the job. Unfortunately there was no training at the time and it was a job that required only observations and paperwork after an accident has taken place. In today's construction world college degrees and years or experience are required to become a "safety man," a light duty injury wouldn't qualify someone for this position. These "safety people" are required to inform and lecture almost like a clergyman to a congregation. The one major point that I has been beaten into me since I started digging ditches when I was 18 years old, is that safety on the job is as important as safety at home. The techniques are the same thus should the policies even at home.

Now, with all that said. Why do I walk out of the gym every morning and get hit in the face with a fast ball of cigarette smoke!!! And who's smoking these cigarettes, take a guess??? The same people who lecture me about my personal safety...

As Triathletes we can all appreciate the feeling we get after a good workout. Our endorphins are going crazy, blood is pumping, and were on top of the world. The last thing we want to do is walk through a wall of smoke built by a group of people that are "qualified" in personal safety and health....

Honestly, I don't care if people smoke, and I don't care about the tobacco companies. I could careless about smokers getting cancer, they know the dangers. I'm just annoyed by morons with ego's and the do as I say not as I do policy. Smoke all you want, just please go down wind. Just as I don't want to smell your fart I don't want to smell your smoke!!!

"Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life." - Brooke Shields, during an interview to become spokesperson for a federal anti-smoking campaign.

Maybe it was a soap box after all....

Stop looking at me Swan!

2007-11-05T21:10:00.000-06:00

OK please ignore the title. I know nobody reads these things, but I feel a bad quote from a silly movie is in order.

This past week has been good and bad for my training. About a month ago I started sticking with some swim workouts I got online, and from some other reading material. Its true, I would never have believed this! but if there is a smart person that is willing to pass on good information it will benefit me.. What an amazing concept! I should listen to others more often. All that time when I was out playing games and not studying my parents told me I needed to study and not act like a moron. I THOUGHT they were kidding!!!! Then I find out that most people finish college in like 4 or maybe even 5 years.. Humm, Here I was thinking there were all gifted! Why didn't someone tell me that good advice is truly that, good advice!!! Now I know!! Thanks a lot Mom.. Long story short, Next year Clydesdale's beware!!! If you see what appears to be a sinking elephant, don't worry its only me.

And somehow that was the good! The bad is a reality that I'm possible too big and goofy for the long course races. It has now been a month since the half, I'm still limited to running about 3 miles before the pain in my knee sets in. The time is counting down to get back into running before the marathon. I'll give it a few more weeks then I'll consider the half marathon, if its not better by December, I'll post my bib on Craigslist.. Reality is starting to set in that I'm not the 21 year old that I see in the mirror. Not that I really want be him anymore... :) (I'm not 21 in that pic, but its the oldest one I have)

This little guy is forcing me to grow up and feel like an adult. I know that doesn't mean that I cant be athletic, and compete in Tri's, but it does tell me that I need to use a bit more thought when it comes to planning my workouts and my seasons. So I can make it to the next season without injury...

I see that most people close with a deep quote that requires some thought to process, but since no one reads these, I'll quote Tupac

“I don't mean to sound sleazy but tease me I don't want it if it's that easy.”

I'm not sure that what means, might require some self interpretation???

Later,

Mike

Life as an Adult

2007-10-29T11:25:00.000-05:00

Last week I turned 31, Happy Birthday to me. Looking back on the last few years, my life has changed dramatically. Birthdays were celebrated for 7 to 10 days by consuming as much alcohol as humanly possible,(surrounded by everyone from school, work, fraternity, college, etc) and still somehow maintaining a job. A cake with candles was unheard of, but chips, salsa and a margarita to start the night off was mandatory.

Now, Birthdays are celebrated with "the little guy" as the center on attention, even though his birthday isn't until November.

The venue is dictated by the style and cleanliness of high chairs. The invitation list is parents, siblings, and in laws.

Best of all, if the birthday falls in the middle of the week, major honey-do's are NOT overlooked for the following weekend.

Such as re-texturing the walls in the kitchen, or building a privacy fence.

I think its even required that the feeding of the dogs is still mandatory on your birthday.

I know no one reads these things.... Understand that I'm only kidding, I love the way my birthdays are celebrated. Each year I get older my age isn't as important to me as the ages of those that I love. Besides, come next years race season I'll be dragging the family to all my Tri Junket's..

Clydesdale

2007-10-24T09:45:00.001-05:00

Top ten warning signs you've entered a race for real Clydesdales...

10. Competitors are loaded into stalls before the start.

9. Hay in the transition area.

8. Event sponsors are Budweiser and Quaker Oats.

7. The race T-shirt comes in one size: XXXXXXXXXXXL and has FOUR arm holes.

6. A beer truck follows you on the bike and run.

5. Race numbers are applied with hot iron instead of magic marker .

4. Bike helmets are optional but blinders are not.

3. Someone offers to help you put on your footwear and he is holding a hammer and nails.

2. There is a guy on your back and he starts hitting you with a crop during the last half mile.

And the number one warning sing that you've entered a race for realClydesdales...

1. The competitor next to you falls, breaks their leg, and is immediately shot in the head.

Saturday Evening

2007-10-20T21:36:00.000-05:00

This has been an interesting week. Seems some weeks fly by because were so busy and some just fly by so quickly that there is only a small rec election in our minds what actually happened. At work I try to make notes so as to jog my memory if someone asks me 3 weeks from now what I was working on Oct 18th. However, I don't do this for my personal life. Here are a few things, not important to anyone but me, in no significant order of course. Random thoughts...

Early in the week I got an email from our previous real estate agent in Lafayette, letting us know that our house was for sale again a little over a year since we sold it, with 16% tacked onto it. Because of the hurricanes we were able to make 25% with putting very little into it. Hard to believe that a little 1200sq ft cottage built in the 20's and used as a post office could have a 40% growth in only a few years.

Friday, I had the day off and decided to finish the privacy fence in the backyard. After sleeping in till 8:30 I took the little guy to our sitter and my father-in-law came by to help. I had put in the posts and nailers over a month ago and got busy. Training from Triathlons seems to take the fun out of building stuff. So, within a few hours the privacy fence was complete and we were indulging in jalapeno burgers from one of out many mom and pop burger joints in Lake Jackson.

Work was slow, finished a big project midweek, thus freeing up sometime to file a few things and catch lunch at the original Ninfa's on Navigation just East of Downtown Houston... Ah Ninfa's cant be beat...

Started working on building my inner quad per Dr's recommendation. I still haven't had a good hard run yet. It's funny how its possible to get hooked on training. In lue of running and biking I've been in the pool, this has to be a new record for me, logging over 9000 yards in a week is outstanding compared my usual routine.

Its possible to feed the monkey on your back with substitution. Typically, I'm at the gym at my office by 5:30am, which means I'm out the door at 4:30 am. I have 62.7 miles of cruse control and Howard Stern, beating the traffic and catching a workout before most people are out of the shower is my motivation. Hoping to smash every PR by 10% next year. That's 3o min off my Half IM, I'll do it.

My older bro (today is his b-day) in Austin picked up his first road bike, a Felt. I'm glad he's getting into this. It will be nice to spend more time with him. Seems like the only time we see each other is when we have an event and its convenient for me to stay with him or him with me. To bad for him we'll be racing in the same AG, and I'll only wait for him at the finish line!

Spoke to Kenny with HRTC, I'll be taking over next year as the coordinator for the Lake Sharks that meet in Manvel on Friday's. Kenny mentioned trying a few different things to mix things up. So the gerbil in my head and helped me out a bit. We could work on our T1 transitions and open water starts, maybe pacing and drafting in the water. Seems before it was very social and I hope it stays that way. Maybe I could introduce some new drills to some of the not so strong swimmers... I'm really looking forward to this... But its not till May so I have time to put something together.

May will be a busy month for me as I will be a Daddy again.... I'm glad Nicole (my wife) is supportive of me. She loved me when I smoked and ate too much and weighed 40lbs more.. She's loves me more now even though there is less to love... She also loves getting up at 4am on race days...

Dr. Visit

2007-10-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, so here's what I learned from the Dr. I have Patellofemoral Syndrome. In a nut shell this means that my knee cap is moving around too much when I push with my quads from up hill running and uphill cycling. So, the solution is to build my inner quad by 20%, without strengthening my entire quad. I don't know how easy this will be but I do know that this problem is common. I guess this means for the next few weeks I'll spend a bit more time in the gym and not running the roads. No worries, I still have over 2 months until the marathon... Bo-ya-ka-shaw...

possible knee injury

2007-10-16T21:32:00.000-05:00

So, I wasn't able to finish strong in the Half Ironman because of some knee issues from a 10 year old problem on my right leg. I tried running with the baby on Sunday, no luck... I made it about a half mile before the pain was too much... I walked it in, however he doesnt care how fast we go as long as he can watch the wheels turn on the jogging stroller...

So then Monday morning at the gym at work I tried the elliptical for the 1st time ever and I wasn't terribly thrill with it.. My HR never got about 140, even after 30 min... anyway, I felt good, so on the treadmill... no luck.. only 1/4 mile before the pain kicked in..

Well, tomorrow is D-day, I'm going to visit an orthopedic Dr.. I'm think it will result in first an MRI then 2nd, a scope of the knee.. Best case I'll be doing none impact for the next month.. which will still give me over 2 month to train for the marathon... This really stinks, because of a football injury in 94' I'm still paying the price.. But, I can still swim with no pain (3200yards Mon, 1400 Tues) (I have some pretty good long workouts if anyone is interested) and keep up with none impact workouts. I haven't tried biking, could be painful. Also, I think I have my brother hooked as he's in the market for a tri-bike. This could give him time to catch up so I don't totally annihilate him in his first race.. Were brothers, we compete.. That's what we do best together...

Back to normal

2007-10-12T07:03:00.000-05:00

This past week I have felt horrible! I was a mixture of a few different things. Anyone thing by itself wouldn't have been a big deal, but all mixed together is disaster.

1. My 6:02 Half Ironman finish, I wanted it to be around 5:48.. No biggie, but next time I'll be shooting for 5:45. I know now what I did wrong, not to mention I'll be gearing up for better finishes in the off season..

2. Traveling to Kosovo to do testing for crane operators and taking sleep meds while I was there. My wife pointed this out to me yesterday, I'm such and Idiot!!! If you take sleep meds from 7 time zone away even if its only for 5 nights your doing damage. So 2 days after I got back here I really felt bad, tired, groggy, slow... I thought it was from the race, nope its because I'm an idiot.. well, back to normal today, Tues night I got 12 hrs of sleep and Thurs I got 10. My wife is such a saint to let me sleep like that with a 11 month old in the house, I needed it though.. I need to make it up to her..

3. Being gone from work for a week right now really put me behind. So with today being Friday I'm done playing catch-up.

I'll be putting together my marathon training schedule hopefully within the next day or so... By Sunday I'll be back in training mode and with a new set of goals.

2007-10-09T13:31:00.000-05:00

Ok, so two days after I completed my first Half Ironman Distance Triathlon I’m feeling like a arthritic 90 year old that has had a very hard life. The really weird thing is that it’s not only my body that’s sore but my recall and retention is suffering too. I’ve had sore muscles plenty of times, and I’ve been mentally drained a few times as well, but never like this. Nonetheless, I can’t wait for the next one! This off season I’ll be focusing on strengthen some of the weaker lengths of my Tri chain. First off my swim, it’s not bad but I can’t seem to go any great distance without doing breast stroke. I’ll be increasing my swim workouts and really focus on eliminating breast stroke from my montage on backups. I know I’m a good swimmer, but I’m a lazy swimmer, this has to stop. Second, the bike. I don’t know where to start! After the first 25 or so miles of the HIM my back starting hurting. After 35 miles it went numb, and I’m glad it did because I almost stopped the bike to stretch it out. The run, oh the run… This is what makes my existence as a Clydesdale exciting, in a lot of cases, big boys cant run. I get passed on the bike by everyone, and I do mean everyone! On the run I reel them in as I did last Sunday. Like normal I hit the ground running and started sucking up everyone the first 6 miles of the run. Even my training buddy, whom I can never catch except on the swim. I was running down everyone! Until that is I found the illusive “wall” that so many people run into. At mile 8 the pain started! My quads and my knees had enough and were screaming at me to stop. I yelled back, but they don’t seem to listen. I couldn’t even run the last mile without walking. I was happy to finish 8th out of the Clydesdales, but I was disappointed that I didn’t finish strong… I

I’m going to take a week or so off from training to take care of a few things around the house that I’ve been neglecting. Then it will be time to dive back in training for the Houston Marathon and next years tri season…

2007-10-02T12:47:00.000-05:00

So, I have 2 serious addictions at the moment, and maybe a few dozen problems. I’ll only discuss my addictions because I’m sure no one is interested in hearing about my problems with my Bloodhound (Sanford) that enjoys chewing on 2x4’s… Number 1 addiction, DIET COKE also known to me as liquid crack, as I can’t seem to get away from the stuff. Number 2 addiction, Triathlon… One year ago I was 40lbs heavier, I couldn’t run a 10 minute mile and 50 yards in the pool was pure torture! Today, I can’t force myself to properly taper my workouts before my Half Ironman this weekend.. This past Saturday I started my traveling to Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo. This is truly an amazing place. For the last 2 nights I’ve watched soldiers running the hills of the camp, and I couldn’t resist the temptation to run with the herd, even though I’m supposed to be tapering. So, as I was getting back to my room/container I see them starting their run. I did the superman phone booth thing, within 3 min I was on their tail. I didn’t stretch, I didn’t get a drink of water, and if I didn’t have elastic shoe laces I wouldn’t have tied my shoes. The route is a little over 3 miles per lap, similar to memorial park, only without the monster hills. It was a beautiful afternoon giving a great view of the hills and mountains that surround the camp not to mention the small villages that border the camp. This has been such a cool experience to run in this environment, so much to look at, before I knew it I had run over 6 miles in under 50 min. Maybe to a pro this would be a taper workout, but to me that’s “doing work”….

1st blog

2007-09-28T08:21:00.000-05:00

No one reads these things anyway and I have some time this morning so I figured I'd give it a try. Depending on my mood and the time of day, the intensity of what I type will vary quite a bit. I have been known to rattle of some strange emails once the ambien kicks in, so just stick with me on this... I guess I will be documenting my the parts of my life that can me made public. This will include my Family, My wife Nicole, My beautiful son Elias, brother, sister, in-laws. I'll include other activities such as my Triathlon's and softball, maybe some training stuff too. Work I'll might mention now and again as it is what pays the bills and gets me out of bed in the morning. Oh, and I'll be adding photo's as I get them from everything mentioned. Again, I know no one reads these things so I guess I can announce to no one that we have another baby on the way, due May 18th 2008... We cant wait!!!