Coast Pics

Just a series of pictures from our recent trip to the Northern CA coast! It was a whirlwind for me... but well worth the sleep deprivation! Take a look....








OH! Hey.... I was wondering. Do you think its hard to land your plane on a very thin landing strip? I just don't know about that... and its been buggin me. Hm.

Thanks for taking the time to look! Hope you're all happy and healthy!

Breathe...

Accountable to...

me alone. 

Or am I?  I'm talking about triathlon specifically of course.  Am I accountable to you guys?  Those that read my random ramblings and musings?  Am I accountable to Coach Liz?  Am I accountable to my friends?  My best friend?  My family?  Really?  The reality is that when it comes to training and competing in triathlon... I'm accountable to no one but myself.  

Why am I bringing this up?  Well, Saturday, while down on the Northern California coast with the family, I had a 3 hour ride to get done followed by a quick 20 min run.  I had to drive into Arcata to start my ride down on the tidal flats... about 20 min away.  Got there.  Suited up. Unloaded the bike.  Grabbed my PowerT.... oh CRAP!  I forgot my PowerTap!!!!!  My heart sank. Ok, what I really did was throw down some f-bombs!  Cathartic really.  Anywho.  So I started thinking, "CRAP!  Now I won't have the data!  I can't send it to Liz and she can't analyze it and get more perspective on where I am in my training!"  The data the data the data the data! Then it occurred to me... Judas PRIEST!  Gimme a break!  What the hell ever happened to perceived effort???  What ever happened to pushing till you feel like you're going to scream, cry, puke, poop, then pass out?  THAT is part of the reason I do all this crapolio!  To get to places physically that open up creaky/cracked/decayed doors in my head, look around, and go, "Sweet!".  Do you NEED a PowerTap to get there?  Sometimes its helpful... but mentally... don't you need to be able to get there without that tool?  Answer?  Yup.  Yup ya do.  Long story short. I had one of the best rides I've ever had in the last couple of years!

OH!  Sidenote!  The second hour of the ride was 8 X 8 minute hill climbs... overgeared.  Yum. So, did I mention that I did these hill-repeats really close to the Humboldt State University Campus?  Did I mention that Humboldt County is basically the pot capital of the nation?  Not to stereotype or anything... but there's a LOT of hippies in Humboldt.  So I'm cranking up this hill and there's this dude sitting on his porch... dreadlocks and all... just smiling at me.  He's like, "Nice riiiiiiide maaaaaaan."  I'm like, "Thaaaaaaanks bro.  You gonna keep me company? I've got 7 more to go."  He's like, "Maaaaaan.  That's hardcore bro."  For the next 7 repeats... he gave me little hippy encouragement every time I passed him... up AND down that hill.  I think we both made each other's day.  Only when you're out training right?  I mean, stuff like that just doesn't happen if you're on the couch.

Anyone wanna play catch?

So... I head into this week pretty spent.  I'll be retesting in all 3 sports throughout the week... to get a grasp on where I am with my training.  Good stuff.

Hope you're all happy and healthy.  Thanks for taking the time to read.

Breathe...

I realized the other day...

that I hadn't posted any art from JD Casten in a REALLY long time. SO... here's a recent piece of his. Look closely at "Idiosyncratic Symbolism?".

This past Saturday I went out on a 2 1/2 hour ride with Erich. About half-way through the ride, I started to think about when I was a kid. See, believe it or not, I was a skinny little guy. Ok, skinny is putting it lightly. I was the tallest, lankiest, most wussy-lookin kid you could possibly imagine. I was always "athletic", but MAN... I did NOT look the part. As a result, I got targeted. Mostly by guys that looked like Bigun. Sorry big dude... but its true. As a result, I fought. I fought a LOT. If you looked at me oddly. If you happened to pass me... maybe bumped into me. If you did anything that even resembled an insult to me... you got hit... and hit hard. I got my ass handed to me many times... but I won a few too. Pretty soon... no one bugged me.

How does this all relate back to my ride with Erich? Well, there I was, riding along, watching Erich barely break a sweat, (I don't care if he IS 22) , and I'm thinkin, "I'm that skinny kid again." No... I didn't pull up alongside Erich and punch him in the neck... I couldn't catch him. But what I DID do was laugh. Yes, out loud. I realized that being that skinny guy... is a good thing. I LIKE being that skinny guy. There's always someone to catch and everyone underestimates you. I LOVE that. SCSB!!!!!

So training has been going well. After my last workout on Sunday evening... I wanted more. I was tired and beaten down and I KNEW I needed the next day off... but my head wanted more. That's pretty much the way its been working lately. That's a good sign. OH! Take a look at the poll on the right! Any thoughts or opinions?

I'll be headed down to the Northern California coast for a long weekend of hangin with the family and some good training. Anyone remember this picture from last year? PDW? Same deal. Fingers crossed for the weather. The plan is to get in a couple of open-water swims in Big Lagoon and a couple long rides and runs in the Redwoods. Anyone feel like coming along?

"There's no need to complicate. Our time is short."

Hope you're all happy and healthy.

Breathe...

My ASS...

... is on FIRE!!!!

Do you remember a while back... as in MONTHS ago... in the beginning of the season... even before the Eugene Half Marathon? Do you remember me saying something along the lines of, "I'm committed to getting in the gym, lifting weights, and strengthening my core at LEAST twice a week." Do you remember that? You probably don't... but I certainly do. See, when I commit to something, and don't follow-through... I don't forget. I also tend to pontificate ad-nauseum within my own head about what a looser I am for not upholding that particular commitment. I mean really, why even say it out loud... let alone post it on your blog... so that its in print... for all to see. I mean really! If you're going to flake... keep it to yourself right? So, from this day forward, I am NOT committed to doing strength and core twice a week! Period. The end. (Just kidding Liz)

Yesterday was my first day back in the gym to do strength training in well over 3 months or so. This, in addition to 3400m in the pool made Robby tired. And hungry. Hungry as in: 1 humus plate, 2 grilled chicken breasts over a massive salad of mixed greens, spinach, walnuts and dried cranberries, 1 grilled Steele head fillet over steamed mixed veggies with a side of gnocchi, and 2 big glasses of milk! I LOVE milk! Anyone else love milk? Yeahhhhh... rock solid. I was also SORE. Particularly my boo-tocks. Lunges? Geesh... put the HURT on my fanny! We like to pretend that lunges might make us better on the bike... stronger on the run. But in reality... I just want a cute fanny. Is that so wrong?

Hope you're all happy and healthy!

Breathe...

Back At It!

<--- I dunno. I just thought it was funny.

Week 1 has come and gone and it's felt really good to get back into a routine. Nothing too intense this week. As a matter of fact... I won't be doing anything overly intense for the rest of the month. August is the time where Liz has me ramping the volume back up and getting me ready to start hitting it hard starting in September leading to Clearwater.

Here's a re-cap of the week:

Tues: 2000m swim and 40 min run

Wed: 1 hour bike

Thurs: 50 min run

Fri: 3200m swim

Sat: 2 hour ride/15 min run

Sun: 45 min on the trainer and 2000m swim

See what I mean? MELLOW! Liz specifically told me to be patient... and guess what? That's TOTALLY not in my nature! Go figure. BUT... I'm being a good boy and doing as I'm told. THAT is a miracle! I will say that I just looked at next week's schedule... and apparently... things are kicking up a notch. Good news! I'm ready.

All of the logistics for Clearwater are coming together nicely... honestly... I can't believe I'm really going. Buying the plane tickets and working out the travel to and fro turned out to be a bit complicated... although... I will say... a layover in someplace like Minneapolis would have been pretty fun!

Did you know that it binds soluble AND trans-membrane bound TNF? Well? Did ya? It does.

Randomness. I know.

Hope your all happy, healthy, whole, and NOT lighting your hair on fire.

Breathe...

It's ON!

YES!  Today was my first day back at it!  Serious stuff.  That's RIGHT!  I had my CAPE, my RACE SUIT, my GOOGLES, AND my son Tom's HELMET!  BRING IT!

Tomorrow... I'm takin Sally! for a ride!!!!!

Breathe...

The Definition Of...

... enamored is: to cause to feel strong or excessive interest or fascination in. To inflame with love.

Anyone ever feel like that? I'm sure that after seeing this picture... many of you will feel that exact emotion. It's ok... just go with it.

Breathe...