Tri-Rob's Tri Blog

Tuuuuuuurtle!

2012-01-29T08:35:00.000-08:00

I know that your "base" training is supposed to be slow... but come ON! Hard to be patient isn't it?

SO... I've entered my 3rd week of consistent training... and I have to say... MAN IT'S BORING! HA! Kidding... only kidding... but not really. I dunno... it's hard to start over isn't it? I mean, it really does feel as though I'm starting from square one. My longest "run" to date was yesterday.... a grand total of 40 minutes... 10 of which was spent walking for warmup and cool down. That's just where I am. Here's the thing... I know that if I don't do this right... my body will just collapse and I'll end up NOT being able to train. THAT would be a disaster. So the name of the game is slow, short, and patient.

Around February of last year, I started noticing that my hips would just NOT open up. I was stiff and in pain pretty much all the time. So... naturally I figured I'd rest and stretch and things would come around. Not so much. Then I started getting weekly, really deep massage... no dice. Finally... I went and saw a chiropractor and an orthopod... turns out I have some early signs of osteoarthritis in both my hips... primarily in my right. Both docs flat out said that I probably shouldn't be doing long distance stuff anymore... and to even consider finding another "hobby". I literally welled up with tears. How do you react to someone when they tell you that you can't do what you love? Well... I for one, gave them a big "F-YOU!"... in my head of course. So... for this... and various other reasons... I just didn't train. I mean... I stayed relatively fit... but I really laid off the running and just let my body rest.

So you can see why I'd be cautious as I enter into this year with high hopes. I think the rest has done my body good. In some ways... I feel more strong than I ever have. I have until the first of March to build my base... and then I'll start working with Coach Liz again! She's graciously allowed me to re-enter her fold... and I can't think of a better person to guide me through another great season. As of right now... I've got 5 races on the books... primarily Olympic distance stuff with one half-iron in July. Being who I am... I've put the half-iron world championships on the schedule... always the optimist!

Oh! Here's something that I've noticed since I started again... the entire family is more calm. Ya. Weird huh? I mean... I can understand why I might feel more calm... but it turns out... it has the same effect on my kiddos. Or maybe its not that... maybe its that I find them much less annoying because I'm meeting my own needs in addition to theirs. Does that make sense? I think parents fall into a trap. If you were to ask any parent what their first priority is... my guess is that up words of 90% of them would reply, "my kids"! While this may be true... I think it's a dangerous direction to head. I mean, that's what we're SUPPOSED to say as parents right? Anything else would be selfish and deluded. But here's the thing... if you're neglecting yourself... how can you possibly give your all to be the best parent you can possibly be? So I think it's a tie. If I were asked, "Who comes first in your life?" I would reply with a hearty, "US!" Meaning... my family... which, yes, includes me. I'm a better Dad when I'm training. I'm more patient and calm and full and able to give more easily without hesitation or resentment b/c my needs are being met too. So... YAY! Food for thought.

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

Breathe...

Psssst...

2012-01-15T17:26:00.001-08:00

I think I might be back.

It's been well over a year since I've competed in the sport. Without too much detail... it was just something that I thought I needed to do. I needed to refocus... clear my head... regroup. What I've found over the last year is that this is part of me... it's in me... I need it. Or maybe it isn't the sport itself... but rather what it breeds in me. I need to push. I need to challenge. I need a little physical adversity in my life to be whole. Over the last year I've been missing a part of myself. Honestly... it didn't really occur to me until this last week. I've just felt off... not myself. I realized what training and competition bring out in me. When training and racing... I feel clear. I feel possibility in myself and those around me. It fills a hole that hasn't ever really been filled by anything else. I'd like to tell you that simply being a good Dad... being a good friend... being a good employee "fullfills" me. Maybe I'd like to tell you that b/c that is what we learn we're supposed to be satisfied with as we grow up. That that is enough... and for many... maybe it is... and how GREAT! But I've never been one to be completely satisfied. To stand there... look around... and say, "HEY! This is awesome! I did it! I am now ok!" That's just not who I am... which in my opinion is equal parts annoying... and equal parts fantastic. I just want more. And I'm not talking about stuff. Stuff is easy. I'm talking about challenging oneself... in whatever way satisfies you... to go for more. To work, sweat, rage, cry, strive, fail and succeed. THAT... that's what I need. And I have to be okay with that. I have to accept who and what I am and be good with it. Some days I'm totally there... others I'm not. But that's all part of the ride.

I'm excited. Thanks for taking the time to read. I hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe...

Over Before...

2011-02-28T21:12:00.000-08:00

it really began.

Despite my greatest hopes for a fantastic season of training and racing... I've made the decision to put triathlon on the shelf for the foreseeable future. While this saddens me beyond measure... it is something that I need to do... not just for my family... but for myself as well. It feels right.

Having said that... I'm inspired by the possibilities of the coming months and what they may hold. Thank you for all of your kind and inspiring comments left here over the last few years... I'll miss them... and you.

Thank you for taking the time to read. Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

As always...

Breathe...

Rob

And so...

2011-02-07T14:58:00.001-08:00

it begins! Today was the first "official" day of training for the 2011 season! Or at least it's the first day that I actually looked at the training schedule my wonderful Coach Liz has painstakingly put together for me! YAY!

I was in San Diego last week at a very important and official sales meeting where we sat in rooms and talked about things and stuff related to overtly optimizing synergies while flawlessly executing prime objectives effectively ALL THE WHILE... thinking like a customer. WHAT? Ya. Exactly. Like a Boss. I swear to GOD! Meetings like these are the bane of my existence! I'm joking. Really... it's not that bad. I'm just trying to sound like those cool kids that complain about everything and hate their Dads. For realz... I usually come away from these meetings ready to get after it! Besides, its the one time each year that I get a solid week with a couple people that I really enjoy. This year, as a bonus... I got a virus! YAY! It was AWESOME! I threw up most of the night on Tuesday. So RAD! Nothin like gettin a core workout the old-fashioned way! The real bummer is that I had grandios plans to hook up with Beth, James, and Charissa for some running action... didn't happen... sorry guys!

So... training began today with an easy, sunny, gorgeous run on the river trail. I'm attempting to ignore the fact that about 35 min into the run... my legs were fatigued... ya... weird. It's almost like I'm starting all over again! But you know what? Isn't that AWESOME! From square one is a fun place to be! Stay tuned... it's gonna be fun!

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

Breathe...

Relaunch!

2011-01-20T17:18:00.000-08:00

HI!!!!!! How are ya??? It's ME... Rob! Remember? I'm BACK!

Following a very challenging year... I'm relaunching the blog! I actually feel like writing a bit... and with the tri season just around the corner... I actually have something interesting to write about! YAY! I'm excited!

So... after a VERY big break, (basically, I didn't do a whole lot after Lake Stevens in August), "structured" base training began in early January. With the addition of Multisport Advantage to Eugene... I'm getting more quality rides in than I ever have during this month. Basically, MSA is a gym that's geared specifically toward triathletes... with CompuTrainers, TRXs, a treadmill, some balance balls, and a couple of weights. LOVE this place! So far, its added a ton to my training and Cristina and Brett, (owners) are really a pleasure to be around!

I'll be working with Liz again this year, (YAY!), and I just established my 2011 race schedule. I have a feeling that this is going to be a HUGE year for me on a number of levels. I have a TON to learn about myself and who I am as an individual, a Daddy, an employee, and as a triathlete... and it's all gonna be RAD! (Yes... I'm still trying to bring "rad" back! Who's with me!?)

OH! Minor detail... I broke my arm. Yeah. You read that right... I broke my arm. Well... technically, I fractured the radial head of my right elbow. Somehow... saying "fracture" is less dramatic than saying, "break". How? Skateboarding. Yes. You heard me... skateboarding. Santa brought me a saWEET, custom long board made by a friend of mine! Apparently, I'm not in my early 20s anymore... nor am I Tony Hawk. I crashed hard. SO... 7 days in a splint and sling. Yeah... that's it. Now I'm out of both and have been told to "take it easy" but move it as much as possible. WHAT? Oh yeah... and don't take ibuprophen. HUH? Yeah... that's what I said. Seems kinda stewpid doesn't it? Uh huh. Well... I'm post 14 days accident and 7 days out of the splint and sling... and it's getting better every day. Despite the injury, I've been able to run and bike butt-loads... but no schwimmin! Which totally bums me out.... but apparently I'll be back in the pool by the end of the month. We'll see... but I'm pretty confident.

That's all for now. Happy to be back. Thank you for taking the time to read! Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

and...

Breathe...

You've just...

2010-10-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

gotta check out this blog! It's basically comprised of little words of wisdom from a 5 1/2 year old young man named Hayden. They're sometimes irreverent. Oftentimes off-color. And always, wildly hilarious. I've known Hayden for most of his little, brilliant life... and I know you'll love the little guy almost as much as I do!

http://littlehisms.blogspot.com/

Enjoy and...

Breathe...

Lake Stevens 70.3 RR (Part III)

2010-09-18T06:12:00.001-07:00

Ack! The final chapter! FINALLY. I had a meeting in Seattle week before last... which kinda sucked the life out of me to be honest. SO... here we go!

Race Day! 4:30 wake up... b/c I'm that anal. Does anyone else like to shower before a race? I do. Is that weird? I dunno... there's something about starting your day... and day where you're going to be covered in sweat and spit and goo and sports drink and urine and quite possibly.... poop... starting off completely clean. Yeah. Huh. ANYwho... so I showered, greased up with sunscreen and lubed bits n pieces then grabbed some grub. Colleen and Brian were up as well and there was that wonderful feeling of anticipation hovering over everything! SO cool.

Into transition... set stuff up... said "Hi" and chatted with Amanda, Matt, and Luke... wished them luck and headed down to the water.

Swim: 31:59

Is it bad to jump into the water feeling ambivalent? Probably. I don't know if that really describes how I was feeling. I just wasn't worked up about it. Then again... maybe I was. Maybe by saying that I was ambivalent... that gives me an excuse if I don't do well? It's a possibility right? Huh. The games our heads play.

Anywho... the gun goes off and I'm in the mix. Probably one of the roughest starts I've ever had. I think that b/c of the buoy line being visible... people struggle to remain on that line and fight for their position. Unfortunately... I threw some elbows to get out of the melee and cut to the inside of the buoy line. Once past the pack I cut back in and settle roughly 6 feet to the right of the line... still visible but not right on top of it. My swim was... fine. I think I need to learn how to swim hard in a race. I don't really know what's holding me back... but I have yet to really get after it in the swim. Then again... maybe that's the way to approach it... relaxed. My results aren't terrible... and I come out of the water ready for the bike... but it kind of irks me... I need to be under 30 min consistently... and I know that's well within my reach without killing myself. Out of the water feeling fine and making a point of smiling on exit.

T1: 1:33

I forced a smile out of the water after remembering my death-stare at Vineman.

Bike: 2:46:44

This is a great bike course. While its two loops... which isn't my favorite... the scenery is beautiful and its relatively challenging in terms of climbing. My plan was to cruise the first loop. Literally. I went without power, heart rate, speed, or time for that matter and just settled into a comfortable pace. I'm still blown away at the number of athletes that blatantly draft... particularly on a course like this where there really isn't any viable excuse to do so! I kid you not... I came upon fairly tight groups of 5 to 6 riders on four separate occasions. SO frustrating!!!! I was definitely "that guy" at least twice... you know the guy, the guy that's yelling because everyone else is a bunch of cheaters? Yeah. "You f****** CHEATS! What the F*** is WRONG with you people! Hope you're enjoying the rest you F****!" Yeah... that was me. I also had no problem asking the ref as he passed on his scooter if he had nailed them and handed out a wealth of penalties. Arg. So... after the first loop I picked up the pace but not drastically. I was pretty comfortable the entire time. Nutrition was fine

and for the first time... I think EVER... I didn't launch a bottle! YEAH!

Peeing is my issue guys. I have got to figure out how to effectively pee on the bike. I can't ever seem to relax enough to completely empty my bladder! As a result... I attempt to hold it for as long as I can and end up getting so cramped up that once I DO stop at the porta-john... it takes me 5 min... at a minimum to get it all out! SO frustrating. So there I was... about to begin the second loop... and having to stop and pee... all the while being passed by other riders! Came out of the can and got back after it. I picked up the pace significantly in the second loop... at least I think so... it's hard to tell without any data... but I definitely worked harder the second time around. Coming off the bike I was feeling a bit sluggish... tired... and I was determined to take that first mile of the run extremely easy to let my legs come around.

Looking at my results from '08 when I last did this race, I was surprised to find that my overall time was only two minutes slower this year. What surprised me about that was from what I remember... I SUFFERED during the bike in '08. I had nutrition problems, peeing issues (again), and just about killed myself in terms of effort. This year I cruised it. It felt easy. It's encouraging actually. I think that it can takes years to build your fitness... having a full year and a half between these two races made a difference... even if my training was spotty all during 2010. Good stuff.

T2: 1:30... to the guy that literally screamed at me like a complete psychopath to dismount... sorry that I didn't slow down to a complete crawl 50 m before the dismount line... thanks for volunteering... but f*** you. :-)

Run: 1:41:37

Out onto the run course... forcing myself to go easy! This is TOUGH b/c out of transition there are a TON of people going nutso... so its really hard to reign it in. Got a really nice, "GO ROBBY!" from Amanda and headed out. Was NOT feeling it folks. Just kinda felt like dog poo... and yes... I had to pee... AGAIN! I had a hard time on the first loop of this course last time... and it certainly wasn't any different this time. Another 5 - 7 minute pee break at mile one and I was off.

Let's fast forward a bit. I was heading up the hill toward the turn around... not feeling terribly spry... and I glanced up the hill about 50 m... there he was... my "arch nemesis". You'd think that would be good news to me... but he was heading DOWN the hill! Here's what went through my head:

"Are you KIDDING ME? He's got 2 miles on me!!!! How is that possible?! Holy crap he's running well. GAWD... I hate that dude with his pretty hair and muscles, and attitudinal swagger. I want to punch him in the neck! Alright. I gotta get him. I just gotta"

I was so dejected and pissed that I didn't even look up and say "HI!" as he went down the hill and past me. I was kinda surprised at how visceral a reaction I had to that. Guess I really don't like the dude and it was a DEFINITE shot to my ego to watch him handing me my ass in a race... he's never beaten me before... and this time... it looked like a definitely possibility. ACK!

At the turn-around I hit the throttle and headed back into town. My legs were beginning to feel good and I was finally finding my stride. The heat was coming on but I was actually feeling quite good. Back through town... and ANOTHER potty break at mile 7! Literally... another 5-7 min of pee time! INFURIATING! Out of the potty and there was Brian... as usual... HUGE smile on his face.... "Hey SKINNY ROB!!!!! Go buddy! Lookin good! Get after it!"... love the effects of a good cheer can have on you! Around mile 8 I got passed by Tyler Stewart, who I got to meet at Vineman this year... she's a nice gal and an intense competitor. "Holy CRAP Tyler! You look great! Go get her!"... she was in second and it's always fun to try and get a giggle out of the pros as they blow by you... no giggle... but a "thanks" and "good job". Back through town again and I started to head up the hill toward the turn-around. I was beginning to feel the effort I was putting in... but to be honest... I was still pretty darn comfortable. I looked up the hill and guess WHAT? There he WAS! Not coming down the hill.... but shuffling UP it! I was going to pass him... with ease! I couldn't believe it! In my head I was like a little school girl! "He broke! HA! I got him!" I came up just behind his left shoulder and hung there for a second... then eased forward... turned my head to the right... "OH! Hey man! Lookin good!"... then hit the accelerator again! BAH ha HA! What IS it with this guy that brings out the asshole in me??? I'm NEVER like that. But BOY was it awesome to pass him on the run! The rest is pretty uneventful. The last two miles I threw down pretty hard but was never overly uncomfortable. I crossed the line not knowing exactly where I had ended up time-wise but hoped to be under 5 hours.

Final: 5:03:20

Overall I'm happy with the race. The biggest thing that bothers me is the peeing. I peed 3 different times on this course... which probably isn't bad in terms of hydration etc. What really chaps my hide is that if you do the math... being conservative... I spent, at the very least, 12 minutes PEEING! In reality that number is probably closer to 15 min. SERIOUSLY??? I have GOT to figure this out folks. If I had shaved 10 minutes off my time... know where that would have put me? From 13th in my AG... into 4th and within easy striking distance of the podium. That's where I'd like to be. Oh well... live and learn

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

Breathe...

Lake Stevens RR (Part II)

2010-09-13T07:17:00.000-07:00

Ok! So check it out! Another post right on the heels of another! YeeHAW!

Saturday morning broke with an early-ish wake up followed by a quick n snappy bike/run to make sure the legs work ok and everything on the bike is firing properly. Col joined me and Brian had his weekly long run in preparation for the Portland Marathon in Oct. At this point... it still hadn't really dawned on me that I'd be racing the next day. I guess this is a tribute to my more relaxed attitude toward racing this year... kinda nice actually... although I'm not convinced that if you want to "go hard" that this is the way to approach it. After that, we showered up, threw Pip in the car and met Brian for a big, phat breakfast.

For the remainder of the day we got our transition bags packed, bikes set up, and just kind of layed around, feet up, water bottles in hand. It's funny... I felt SO sluggish for the rest of the day. I think you know you're getting ready to race when you feel like a fat, lazy slob the day before. Somehow... your body knows that the next day its on... so it almost forces you to relax. It's good to listen to your body... it just knows.

Late afternoon we threw our bikes on top of the car and headed out to the lake to check them in and get a quick swim in the lake. The weather couldn't have been better... tho there were mutterings about how HOT it was going to be on race day. It's a relatively short drive out to the lake and Col and I took the Mini... which also happened to have a sun roof. Word to the wise... if you're putting your bike up on the roof of your car... don't put your number on it till you've gotten to transition. As we're cruising along, I glance up at my bike and notice that there is a small tear in my number which is on my seat post... it gets bigger... and bigger... until finally, whoosh, there goes most of it!

Col and I set things up as best we could then took a dip in the lake. The water was warm and gorgeous and... as usual... visibility was great. For those of you that don't know... you can actually follow the buoy cable throughout the entire race... no sighting required if you choose that line of approach... literally. My body felt good... you know... rested... relaxed... happy body. YAY!Looks like a rat spent some time gnawing on it! Pretty funny actually and I enjoyed rolling into transition with a very ghetto lookin number on my bike.

Colleen and Bryan have some friends that live right ON the lake approximately 1 mile from the swim start! Talk about PERFECT! They generously opened up their home, fed us dinner, and entertained us with stories of their water skiing prowess. Skiing for them is like triathlon for us... they beam when they talk about it! There's this whole huge competitive water skiing community that I had NO idea about... pretty neato.

Full belly. Final check on gear and bags. Warm shower and early bed! I had just a hint of nerves as I laid there. Lake Stevens is where I earned my slot to the world championships in '08 and despite my best efforts... I had expectations going in. In the back of my mind, I was convinced that I could PR this course... even tho my training has been spotty this year. PLUS... my arch nemesis was racing as well... and I really wanted to hand him his ass on the course! LOL!! I drifted off... relaxed and ready...

Stay tuned... race day is comin! Thanks for taking the time to read!

Breathe...

Lake Stevens 70.3 RR (Part I)

2010-09-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

FINALLY huh? The problem is, once I have a minute to myself... kiddos in bed, house clean, dishes and laundry done... all I want to do is sit and enjoy a temporary catatonic state. Then when I don't have my little loves... I find other things to do like house projects. Sigh. Kinda puts the kabosh on the creative writing skills.

This is going to have to be done in stages I think. There's just too much for my little brain to spew in one post... so here it comes!

I got up to Seattle around noon on Friday and hooked up with my IM CdA pals Colleen and Bryan and their dog Pip! They generously offered me a place to stay for both Friday and Saturday... for FREE! I lllllllOVE free! It had been over a year since I'd seen either of them and we simply picked up where we left off... really great folks! Isn't that true of triathlon people? Some of the easiest people in the WORLD to make lasting friendships with. Of course... they're also kind of a pain in the ass aren't they? "I can't eat that... I'm training... It's 8:00, I have to go to bed... Pass the salt, I've been crampy... What do you mean my bright white compression socks do go with this dress?". Uh huh. We are a rare and wonderful breed.

After hooking up with Colleen, a we grabbed a bite to eat, (a big, fat, awesome, dirty dirty delicious GYRO!) and headed over to the very swanky Everett Holiday Inn for packet pickup. This is a MANDATORY race briefing and you're not allowed to pickup your packet until you've gotten your, "I'm a Good Boy and Know the Rules" stamp. After that 1/2 hour of my life that I'll never get back, we grabbed our packets, perused the ironman store for overpriced stuff that we really don't need, and took off. We spent the rest of day doing last minute bike tune-ups and hanging out. While we were at Mrcrampys, we ran into Blake... who just happens to be coached by Liz as well! Blake has a big bald head... which is funny... and just a great attitude about him! For the last event of the day we went to the velodrome to catch some of the racing before heading home and hittin the rack early.

There's day one... I know... thrilling. Stay tuned for more and thanks for taking the time to read!

Breathe...

Velodromin!

Me, Col, and Blake @ MrCrampys. Look at his MELON!

Me n Col... we're cool... just ask us.

Oh! I forgot!

2010-08-12T06:38:00.001-07:00

I'm racing Lake Stevens this coming Sunday!

I didn't really forget... its just that I finally woke up this morning excited! Odd huh? There's usually a whole lot of anticipation going on the week before a race... but that hasn't been my experience this time around... I just haven't felt it. It's so bad that it wasn't until yesterday evening at 5:00 that I realized I should probably take my bike into LifeCycle to get a race tune! Luckily, Jeff at the shop has taken amazing care of me and my bike since the shop opened. I walked in... he threw it on the stand... tuned her up... cleaned her up... and passed her back! THANKS JEFF!

So I'm heading out late this afternoon to get a portion of the drive out of the way. I'll be staying somewhere in Portland and hopefully seeing a couple of friends for dinner. Quick n snappy run then hittin the hay. The plan is to drive up to Seattle Friday and hook up with Colleen and Bryan... a couple of friends from IM CdA. Col and I will pick up our packets and possibly drive the course... then chill for the rest of the day. Saturday we'll get our swim, bike, run in and then go check in our bikes etc. We'll be staying at one of Col's friends house.... which is literally right on the lake! Ought to be a great time and I'm really looking forward to racing on Sunday.

As far as expectations go? Again... I expect to have some fun. That's it. I'm just going to give what I'm able to this race and be grateful that I'm a participant.

That's all for now. Hopefully I'll update as things play out. Thanks for taking the time to read. Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe...

Vineman 70.3 Race Report...

2010-08-07T07:11:00.001-07:00

First of all... what the HELL is going on with all the comments on my blog from those residing in the Pacific Rim??? No seriously... that's just weird. They should at least do us the courtesy of posting in something other than kanji.

Alright... onto the "race". With the exception of my first triathlon ever... I've never approached a race like I approached this one... without expectation. Well, I shouldn't say that... I actually did take the time to sit down and write out an actual plan... but the goals were conservative AND I didn't necessarily expect to meet them... they were just there. It was a very weird experience for me... in a good way though. Somewhat validating.

Pre-Race: I pulled into a balmy Guerneville Friday afternoon. It was odd coming to a race completely solo. It was just Sally and I. She's great company but there was a large contingent of triathletes from Tennessee that were staying at the same place... so there was never a dull moment and plenty of opportunity for hick jokes. There was also 2 couples from Texas that were freaking out about the size of the hills on the course. Pretty entertaining. I actually went to the welcome dinner and was treated to some overcooked pasta and vegetables. I did however get to sit down with Mirinda (drool... pitter pat) and chat for about an hour. I'm still trying to find one of them "fiber" bikes Rinny... I'll let ya know.

I'm just gonna fast-forward to race day so you don't fall asleep...

Race Morning:

Pre-Race: Oatmeal, bagel with peanut butter, banana, all set. I walked out the door and into the cool morning air down to T1 to set up my transition. My wave was set to go off at 0825... so, I had plenty of time and was completely relaxed and ready to go. I always love the atmosphere before races. There's this great mix of excitement and anxiety underlining everything... each person dealing with it in his or her own way... its just really interesting to see. I watched the pro's and a few other waves take off and then sauntered, (yes "sauntered"), over to don my wetsuit.

Swim: 31:08

I was in the 1st of two separate waves for my AG. For those of you that don't know... its a river swim... against the "current" on the way out... with it on the way in. So the idea was for me to go out hard initially and stay closer to the bank... minimizing the drag of the current.... then come back at the turn around more in the middle of the river using the current to my advantage. BAH! Whatever man! I just swam... and had a good time! It really did feel effortless. There was so brawl at the start and it was smooth sailing the entire time. I suppose I could have gone harder... actually, I know I could have... but... ehn... wasn't feelin it. The only interesting thing that happened was at the turn around.... people were actually standing up and WALKING a bit! Hilarious! I actually stood up and did a few duck dives to get out of the quagmire... but other than that it was an uneventful yet fun swim and I came out of the water feeling fresh. I do need to work on my "Water Exit Smile"... what the hell man? I look like I'm gonna kill someone!

T1: 2:34

Just call me Mr. Pokey-pants. I did have a nice conversation with a dude that was completely decked out from head to toe in KSwiss apparel. Seriously... not only was every item covering his person KSwiss... he also had 4 different KSwiss tattoos. Yeah. Overkill I think.

Bike: 2:44:23

In classic form... I launched my first bottle a mile into the ride. Yeah. WTF??? What IS it with me and loosing my nutrition. Here's the thing about having a relaxed attitude about my results tho... I giggled, (not like a little girl... more like a lumber jack), and just kept pedaling. If you've not done this race... I would HIGHLY recommend it just based off of the bike course alone! Seriously. It's technical, relatively hilly, and challenging but not overly so. 90% of it literally rolls through a BUNCH of different winery's! SO pretty! Anywho... the ride appeals to my bike skill set, (yes, I just used "skill set" in a sentence... ugh... someone punch me in the neck), in that I corner well and I have zero fear of fast downhill... which maybe isn't a good thing. I had a ball the entire ride! There were two unpleasant moments: 1) I had to pee so bad at one point that I thought I was going to burst. By the time I reached an aid station that didn't have a line for the porta potty's, I wasdesperate and cramped up! It took me 5 freaking min to relieve my overly full bladder... all the while I had an older lady pounding on the door of the john. Not helpful. 2) I had a huge moment of doubt. Let's face it, despite the outstanding training plan that Coach Liz has been working me through since Jan... I've been nothing but inconsistent. My training has suffered badly... a side-effect of the huge life changes. So I had a moment where I was like, "Wait... this ride... right here is the longest you've done all year... and then you're going to have to get off the bike and run.... the longest you've run all year! Ugh. I dunno Rob.". I'm serious. I had doubts. BUT... I just pushed it out of my mind for the moment... and figured whatever happened... simply happened. I rolled into T2 feeling remarkably good. I nailed my nutrition and was so conservative on the bike that I actually felt ready to run.

T2: 2:19

Yeah. I think I actually had to put effort into transitioning this slow. Actually... the initial entry into T2 was pretty narrow... and I got stuck behind old slow guy walking his bike. Ehn. Oh well.

Run: 1:39:27

Despite the pained look on my face in the picture at left...

I exited T2 feeling really good. I had one gel with me and a flask that was full of water with a heavy dose of Base salts. It was juuuuuuust beginning to heat up a bit and with the cramping problems I've had in the past I thought it a good idea to have the extra sodium. I felt great! I had told myself that I was going to force an overly conservative pace. I sorta did it... but you know how it goes when you feel that good. I yucked it up with people and just concentrated on having a good time. On the way out I saw Chris McCormack on his bike, "CHRIS! Run with me!"... he laughed... but didn't get off his bike to run... the bastard. Everything went along swimmingly until around mile 9 or 10... and I started hitting a wall. Hints of cramping and just reeeeeeeally low energy were affecting my pace severely. It occurred to me that maybe taking in more than one gel to this point would have been a good idea. The problem was... my stomach felt shloshy and I didn't think I could take anything in besides a bit of water at the aid stations and some of my salts... besides... I was almost done and figured I'd just get through it. I eventually did come around after drastically slowing my pace within miles 9 through 11... then I was able to suck it up, come around, and finish strong.

Total Time: 4:59:52

Overall I'm very pleased with this race. Considering the gaps in my training, life stress and whatnot, I did exactly what my body was prepared to do... no more, no less. Coming into the race with a relaxed attitude and no pressure was a breath of fresh air for me. It was also pretty validating. The reality is that I can enter a race, relax, and be confident that I can still put together something to be proud of. This is a long life we live... and I have more than enough time to "go hard"... when the timing is there. For now, I'm just tickled to be able to participate. I am blessed.

Thank you for taking the time to read. Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe....

Expectations....

2010-07-10T06:23:00.001-07:00

are a bitch to get rid of! Aren't they? Seriously.

The family I grew up in, particularly, has always had a problem with expectations... or maybe its every family... who knows. Anywho... when I was a kid, we would continually let ourselves down b/c we would have certain expectations about the way things "should be"... or the way someone "should" react or the way someone "should" understand our point of view because its so flippin clear in our heads! As a result, we spent a lot of time being sooooo disappointed and sad that our expectations were never met. Sick right? I can remember as a kid... I was probably 7? 8 ish? My parents had planned a trip to Hawaii for the family. Believe it or not... I had a pretty vivid imagination as a kid... yeah... I know... weird. I didn't know anything about Hawaii but I assumed it was a beautiful, wild, relatively uninhabited paradise. Key word here is "wild". I literally thought we would spear fish, eat coconut, and wear grass skirts.... maybe kill a wild pig for funsies. That was my expectation... which was developed simply out of my imagination right? I mean... I didn't open the Encyclopedia Britanica (that's a book... with pages that you turn... and words) and get a real picture of what it might be like.... I just made some assumptions and RAN with it! AWESOME right? So on the flight over, the pilot comes over the intercom and announces that on our right we'll just be passing over the big island. I politely, (I was such a good boy), asked the passengers next to me if I could lean over and get a peek... here's what happened in my head:

"Buildings? WHAT? There's got to be a mistake! That's not the way Hawaii is supposed to be! I don't even want to go now. This is stupid. Stupid buildings and cars and people and McDonalds. Stupiddummydumbdumbpoopcrudgoodfornothingnofun Hawaii. Sssssstyewwwwwpid."

I literally welled up I was so disappointed. Okay... we all know it doesn't take much to make me cry.... I'm kind of a pansy.... but you get my point. I was totally shattered! Instead of looking out the window of the plane and being THRILLED at the possibilities of what adventures lay ahead... I was completely let down. Now... don't worry... little Robby had a great time in Hawaii. Although I think it's telling that the above scenario is my most vivid memory of that trip, (read... Rob is a complete nut-job).

What's my POINT! I am having a HARD time letting go of my expectations for this race coming up next week! Even having all the facts in front of me... I keep setting pacing goals and split times. I thought, maybe if I wrote about this, it'd sink in. SO! Here are my expectations for Vineman 70.3:

Show up.
Toe the line.
Swim
Bike
Run
Smile
Laugh
Finish
Smile some more

That's it. That's all. Uh. That's it? That's all? Yes. That's my story and I'm stickin to it. Period.

Thanks for taking the time to read... and helping me process this stuff. Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe...

Gettin....

2010-07-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

air! Yeah. Can you imagine what's goin through this guys head??? Probably not, "This is SO cool!"

It's interesting... I've taken a big break from writing... I suppose it's because I haven't felt I have anything particularly clever or insightful to say. Things are constantly swirling around in my head, (which, believe me, is annoying), but the thought of making them semi-sort-of coherent, and typing has been repulsive to me. I'm not promising anything remotely brilliant here... but it feels good to write a bit.

Training continues. I've been pretty consistent through the entire year but there's been a big shift in my thinking regarding triathlon. I'll be honest here... it's kind of a pain in the ass isn't it? I mean really. Think about it. Think about all the time you spend planning training, packing for training, scheduling training, fretting about training, resting for training, executing training, recovering from training... maybe racing... on and on and on. It's pretty consuming. I've also noticed that it's isolating for me. I enjoy time on my own... I really do... that Rob guy in my head can be pretty fun... but at least in Eugene... I've found it really difficult to meld my schedule with anyone else's. Or maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm just lazy and don't want to go to the effort of seeking people out to train with. I know there's a bunch of triathletes here in this town... but the idea of having to coordinate schedules... which means even MORE planning... makes me want to hurl. Yeah. Lazy I suppose.

Don't get me wrong... I really love this sport. LOVE it. I also think that for a 40 year old guy, I have the potential to be pretty decent at it. I just think I'm evolving a bit. Not quite as obsessive. Maybe a bit more relaxed regarding results and schedules. A lot of this is out of necessity... new life direction and adjusting to a different flow of things. Whatever it is, it's happening, and I have to roll with it. Here's what I WILL say about this shift and new life direction: I haven't felt this calm or peaceful or relaxed or happy in a veeeeeeeeeery long time... even before I started triathlon 4 years ago. Like everyone, I have moments of sadness, despair, anxiety, and anger... but they're short-lived. I've always talked about "breathing"... something I adopted as my own from a dear college friend... but I finally, FINALLY feel like I actually am! I'm actually breathing. Whew.

Despite Coach Liz's best effort, I don't feel particularly ready for either of my upcoming races, Vineman 70.3, or Lake Stevens 70.3. That's b/c of me... not her. I can't imagine doing this triathlon thing without Liz's expertise. I don't feel race ready... but that's just the way it is. This is a big ego check for me... which is always good. Basically... I've had to throw all my expectations, based off of past performance, completely out the window. I'm just not as fit as I've been in the past. So... the goal for both of these races is to have fun. People do that all the time right? Have fun? Race for fun? Enjoy being out there among these happy fit people? Yep. Happens all the time... and I'm joinin in!

More soon... and in the meantime... thank you for reading. Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe...

Yup...

2010-06-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

I'm still around... and guess what? I'm "racing"! Who woulda thunk it? Number six hundred and something on the wait list and KaPLOW! I'm in! Giddy up.

More to follow... as I actually have something triathlon-related to write about now! Hope you all join me as the journey unfolds...

Breathe...

Uh....

2010-03-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

in case you're wondering... see the guy in the picture? The guy that's getting hit in the head with the bat? THAT is exactly how I've been feeling... like that guy.

It goes without saying that all of the important testing that was to be done didn't happen. Nor has there been ANY semblance of training done since... wait for it... WEDNESDAY BEFORE LAST! Seriously. Some might argue that this illness was brought on by a two day visit from my boss. Where I had to wear a suit. And a smile. And synergize optimal baseline customer demographics while executing flawlessly. I'm not sure about all that... but I do know that both Lila and I got nailed by this little bug! Lila got it SO bad that I had to take her to the doctor and witness my poor little darling get 2 HUGE shots of antibiotics in both legs followed by a 10 day course of oral antibiotics! Just as Lila missed an entire week of school... I missed a week and a half of training. Now THAT is sick! In the past I've made the mistake of training when not completely healthy... only to pay for it in the long run. With all the additional "life stress"... I, along with Coach Liz decided to stay on my butt, rest, eat, and get healthy. Here it is, Sunday, and I finally feel like I can get some training in this week! SO... I'm back on track starting tomorrow.

Spring is officially here! It's so nice to get a break from the rain here in Eugene... however temporary... and enjoy a little sun. Having this time off over the last week and a half has given me a bit of time to reflect on training and racing. It has made me take a hard look at this season

and what my expectations are... or rather should be. From the beginning, in this sport, I've sought to go hard and compete at a high level. I've had a degree of success... but I wonder at the cost. While training and racing has enriched my life to a degree that I never expected... I wonder what I've sacrificed during the process. Has focusing on training and racing taken away from other aspects of my life... my family... my friends... my work? This sport can be a selfish sonofabitch. But then again, I suppose anything that you're truly passionate about can be. Where is that line? There isn't an answer. Or maybe there is. At the end of the day, when you're lying bed and reflecting... checking each box... you're never, EVER, going to get 100% of it right if you're truly honest with yourself. You'll always fall short of your own... or someone else's, expectations in one or more areas. Is this a failure? Not necessarily... but it is human. Oftentimes the absolute best you can do is to be aware of your shortcomings and... simply try again the next day. Just keep coming back. I guess that's where I've landed. There are times when I will fail miserably... and there are times, little moments, where the successes I have will be measured not necessarily by accomplishment... but by the peace that washes over me when I know , without hesitation, that I tried to the best of my ability.

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

Breathe...

I Have Nothin...

2010-02-28T10:56:00.000-08:00

profound to say. Which is just fine! Geesh... I can get a bit long-winded and philosophical sometimes... right? Am I right? Uh. huh. I know... it can also be a quite nauseating.

So I just finished a Cer-AZY week! Here's a brief synopsis: I drove around the state like a maniac, worked my skinny, chicken-shit bastard ass off, and trained. Yesh. I told you it would be brief.

Base training continues and I'm feeling more and more fit as the days pass and my legs are coming around nicely. I'd kind of forgotten what it was like to go out and run hills for an hour... and smile about it. SO great to be back. I've got quite a ways to go before being "race ready"... but that will come... and I'm not even sure what that means exactly... at least for this season. I'm operating in some unknown territory in my personal life... so we'll just have to see what happens. I'm pretty confident that if anything... I might not be my fastest this year... but I sure do plan on having a ball! I just dropped the $$$ for Boise 70.3 and Lake Stevens 70.3. Giddyup.

If you didn't figure it out from the last post... Coach Liz and I will be working together again... starting tomorrow. As a welcome back... I have 3 tests this week. Not math... swim, bike, run. I have a love/hate relationship with these tests. I like having the data that they produce so that my training can be better tailored... but I don't particularly enjoy throwing up during or immediately after them. Eh. All in the name of self-improvement right?

Anywho.... I'll keep ya posted on how things go. Thanks for taking the time to read. Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

<---- notice the Ecstatic European Tourist face after my first OUTDOOR ride of the season!

Breathe...

Reunited....

2010-02-22T21:44:00.000-08:00

and it feeeeeels so goooooood! Yeah. She is Liz. She is my coach. Period. That pretty much sums it up.

Breathe...

I Felt Like...

2010-02-13T18:07:00.000-08:00

a triathlete this week! For the first time in a LONG time! Not a very GOOD triathlete... but a triathlete none-the-less! YAY! See the guy on the left? That's happy Rob. Happy Rob did the following this week:

Parented his kids with all the love and patience he could muster.
Laughed.
Managed the household, (i.e., cooked, cleaned, washed, folded, and put away stuff)
Played.
Did his "job" in the professional world to the best of his abilities thus bringing home the bacon.
Smiled.
Disciplined when necessary.
Spoke with friends.
Rested when he could.
Trained: (swim: 2 hrs, bike: 4 hrs, run: 2 hrs, strength: 1 hr)

I just tooted my own horn! (hee hee... "tooted"). The thing is... I'm entering a new, different, and very challenging chapter of my life. I honestly have questioned whether or not I would be able to continue in triathlon... seriously... I just didn't know. After coming through this week... handling all my bizniz... handling it well... AND training... I've got my confidence back! I might not be able to train exactly as I'd like... but I'll tell ya what... I'm going to train to the best of my ability... and compete in the same manner.

I feel like I can actually breathe again. I'm aware of the ebb and the flow... I'm aware that there are more "downs" to come... but you know what? It's gonna be okay. Actually... it's gonna be good. Really good.

Thank you for taking the time to read. Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe....

Hesitation

2010-02-07T07:45:00.001-08:00

In SH 21-6, the Army Ranger Handbook, it states that when reacting to a near ambush, (within hand grenade range):

"Soldiers in the kills zone return fire immediately, without order or signal, assume prone position, throw concussion or fragmentation and smoke grenades. Immediately after the explosion of the concussion or fragmentation grenades, soldiers in the kill zone return fire and assault through the ambush using fire and movement."

You might giggle a little bit at this... the language isn't exactly poetic... but what do you expect? Its Army doctrine! So what's my point?

There's no hesitation. There's only action. Sometimes we get stuck. I'm stuck right now. We wait, postpone... or hesitate, waiting for things to come together perfectly. We hope with all of our being for everything to pan out exactly as we wish. In the meantime... our lives stagnate b/c we're on hold. The thing is, there's a limited amount of time that we can wait before we realize, "Hold ON! I'm not living." It was recently pointed out to me by a very dear and close friend that oftentimes, the moment you stop waiting, hoping, hesitating... the moment that you launch yourself back into living your life... everything begins to fall into place. I don't know exactly why that is. Maybe its b/c you've put so much time and energy into hoping and praying and waiting... that it takes away from any effort to make something happen. That's not living. That's not what makes us happy and fulfilled... whole. I'd rather not hesitate anymore... I'd rather commit.

May: Eugene Half Marathon

June: Ironman 70.3 Boise

July: Deschutes Dash (Oly)

August: Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens

Sept: Something

Oct: Something again.

There's a start huh?

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole. Thank you for taking the time to read.

Breathe...

She's Growing...

2010-01-26T06:42:00.001-08:00

UP! Lila is maturing every minute right before my eyes! A fact that both thrills and saddens me at the exact same time!

Lila is turning 10 years old in a few days. She has been begging to have her ears pierced for roughly 4 years. We've held her off to this point... not because of some moral standard or belief that we hold... not because we think that girls that get their ears pierced at a younger age are somehow "trashy"... simply because Lila... ummm... how do I put this nicely... uhhhh... Lila is messy. Yes. Messy... we'll go with that. Despite her angelic appearance and unmatched beauty, Miss Lila is more apt to find a mud puddle and start rolling around in it than she is to brush her teeth without being prodded. I'm serious. Its not that she enjoys being filthy (or maybe it is)... its just that she's got better things to do with her time than wash her face. Lila is the girl that finishes her breakfast at the counter... grabs her backpack and heads out the door full tilt... without noticing or caring about the immense glob of oatmeal hanging from her chin. Uh huh. I'm serious. Don't get me wrong... I actually LOVE this aspect of her! I mean really... there ARE more important things to do than wipe oatmeal off your chin... who cares right? You can just eat it later. Apparently she did NOT inherit the gene from me that says, "Everyone is looking at you... pointing... and laughing b/c your shirt is wrinkly.". While this is charming and endearing in my Lila... it can also be annoying. I mean seriously... do I REALLY have to tell you that wiping your butt isn't optional? Seriously? Ugh.

Anywho. Lila has proven over the last couple of years that our requests for her to wash her hair, brush her teeth, wipe her butt... have not fallen on deaf ears. As a result, we agreed that it was time, on the advent of her 10th birthday, for her to enter the world of the "big girl", and have her ears pierced. We hustled over to the mall and the brightly lit, glowing neon paradise of girly bobbles and chotchkeys called Claire's. I swear to GOD... I could feel the testosterone draining from my body every second I spent in that place. I wanted to take her to the local piercing shop, High Priestess Piercing, but as it turns out... its slightly more expensive, like 3 times as much! But dangit! It would have really been cool to have the huge dude with metal ALL over his face and body covered in elaborate art, pierce my daughter's ears. This as opposed to the perky 21 year old who was obviously feeling the previous night's debauchery. So... Lila stepped up... closed her eyes... and got it done! You could see the pride and excitement in her eyes as she entered what she marked as a new stage in her life... and I couldn't have been more proud. Her friend Stella was there for the ride and was a great comfort and support... friends are important... they really are.

Here's what all this made me reflect on: Its a common thing to hear from parents. "Where has the time gone?" We look at our sons and daughters one moment as tiny little precious babies... and the next... they're grown up. We talk about how BUSY we are! Our busy lives... and the constant challenge of balancing daily life with simply paying attention to what's going on

around you... the important things. The problem is... you can't just stop ALL the time... there really are important things to do... things that have to get done... things that make us feel better about ourselves as people, parents, partners, friends. So then we start talking about balance. How do we balance all those things? You know what? Give me a freakin break ok?! We do our best at any given moment right? Sometimes we make poor choices... but others? Other times... we hit it out of the f'ing park! Right? Am I right? Its a pendulum people... it swings big to one side at one time... and then just as big to the other. Sometimes it swings small... sometimes not at all. My point is... if you're truly trying... and you're leading with your heart... people, your kids, your friends, your family, your partner... they'll see that... and they'll love you for it... and damnit! Sometimes that is just good enough! Perfection is an elusive sonofabitch.

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole. Thank you for taking the time to read.

Breathe...

Proper selection of which stud was key!

Nervous... but ready!

Here comes the stick! Stella is holding her hand for support! SO cute!

THERE! All done... BEAUTIFUL! (thank you Stella for the crossed eyes!)

Begin Again...

2010-01-02T14:17:00.001-08:00

Ok... I just had to put this picture first b/c he's so freakin handsome. That's Tom. Yeah. He's mah boy.

Anyway! YAY! No really... YAY! Last week was my first week back in the gym on a consistent basis. I've been in and out over the last 6 months but not on a terribly regular basis. You know what I've missed? The purposefulness or the whole thing... THAT is what I've missed. Wandering in to the gym... going through the motions... trying to be fit and healthy... really doesn't do it for me. I'm driven by goals... they keep me accountable, interested... so having a tentative racing schedule for 2010, (which is probably the BEST numbered year EVER... I mean look at it! Its just cool. And its even), really keeps me focused. I like that!

So basically I spent the last week re-introducing myself to the whole concept of swim, bike, run, core, strength. Guess what? I'm SORE! LOL! I love it! I ran 3 times, "biked" twice, swam once, and lifted 4 times. All in all it was a good week of base training while flawlessly executing my parental duties to include emotional nurturing! YAY me! I stayed exactly where I needed to be... slow and patient... and I'm ready to get into the next week. I've also started putting a little effort into finding people to train with. Last year... I trained with Erich a couple of times... maybe. That's it. Mostly... people annoy me during training... "Please shut the "f" up and do the work!". Erich didn't annoy me b/c he was too busy kicking my ass... which, believe it or not... isn't AS annoying as it may sound. Anywho, so I'm going to try training with some roadies on the bike this winter... gag. Open-mind... keeping an open mind!

It's going to be interesting for me to work without a coach for a bit. I'm not sure how that's going to go. Conceptually... building your own base after you've done it a couple of times should be pretty straight forward. Then again... I am Rob... and Rob likes to complicate things sometimes. Rob gets carried away. Rob needs to be reigned in... calmed down... reassured. Basically, Rob can be an insecure whiney little bitch on occasion... but Rob loves Rob anyway. Coach Liz also loves Rob... and knows what Rob needs. SO... the internal

debate with myselfness continues... coach myself through base training... or no? Hmmmm... gimme your thoughts people!

I took the kidoodles and Aggie up to the snow the other day for some sledding! SO much FUN! Here's some pics!

Aggie was in heaven! She is the best dog in the WORLD!

Tom went up n down about 4 million times! He's an animal!

Jack was a freakin maniac! No fear in that one... kinda freaked me out.

Mm hm. My Lila!

That's it for the moment... feels good to write. Thank you for taking the time to read. Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe...

Forward....

2009-12-29T05:51:00.000-08:00

It's little secret that I've not really "trained" since finishing Ironman CdA. We could attribute that to allllll sorts of things... but let's just leave it at, "I didn't feel like it", shall we? Ok. Good.

I haven't been COMPLETELY inactive. I've done quite a bit of yoga and core work plus a bit of running and a tidbit of swimming. I think I got on my bike once.... but I'm not entirely sure. Guess what's happened? No... I didn't turn into a fat lardo... I totally wasted away! Ok. That's a bit dramatic, but let me explain. I've always been a skinny bastard. I mean.... I've never been accused of being "chubby". Usually... if and when I'm not training, or if I'm training lightly... I'll weigh a comfy 162 to 165 lbs. That's probably still pretty light for a guy my height but its a weight that's healthy and strong. I weighed myself yesterday at the gym... and I'm a

WHOPPING 155 lbs... naked... dripping wet. That's NOT good. Basically what's happened is that all of the muscle I gained in my ass, shoulders, and chest during training has wasted away. Don't laugh... I know you're all going, "What ass... you never HAD an ass!". Well... I assure you... I did... and it was super cute. Anyway, I digress. So this is what happens to Rob when he doesn't train and is under a significant amount of stress.

What's the good news? The good news is that I'm heading into a new year with tons of potential!

Here's the thing... we all tell ourselves stories. In our own heads we carefully construct elaborate narratives about our lives going forward. More times than not, those stories aren't necessarily true. All you have is a general outline... and the story just happens as you move forward right? So you have a choice in the story you're telling yourself. Actually, you can choose to NOT tell yourself a story at all... you can choose to stay in the moment and let the story happen. WAY easier said than done. We're all kind of meticulous. We're planners. I'm not quite sure how it works... the whole "stay in the moment" thing... when you have all this stuff in front of you... that you have to think about... but you're not supposed to and if you spend too much time on what's ahead of you... then you miss what's in front of you... yeah... ok.... huh?what?

where was I? Oh! Yeah... stories. My story, going forward, has been F'ed up. I've grown tired of the story I've been telling myself for the last 2 years. It's old... tired... bogged down... tedious... pretty freakin sad, and to be blunt, bullshit. I'm changing that story.

2010 is going to be an interesting year. I've made tentative plans about training and racing. Base training has begun... as of yesterday... and I have the stiffness to prove it. I plan on going coach-less for a little while... rebuild my base on my own... then have the fine-tuning handled by a professional. Racing... I've got some ideas: Boise?, Vineman? (wait-listed), Calgary?, Lake Stevens? All or none of that might happen. I'll be taking a trip up to Coeur D'Alene and Canada to spectate and Wisconsin to spectate and very likely sign up to race in 2011... like I said, I have unfinished business with the full iron distance.

So there's my 2010 triathlon story outline! Pretty excited to get started! Rob does better while training.

Thanks for taking the time to read. I hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole. Enjoy the rest of the holidays!

Breathe...

Evolution.

2009-12-17T20:35:00.000-08:00

I looked up the actual definition of the word the other day. I kinda thought that I knew exactly what it meant... but it turns out that there are a number of definitions. I think I like this one the best tho:

"A motion incomplete in itself, but combining with coordinated motions to produce a single action."

What I like about this particular definition... is that it implies that there is no end... and its never alone. It takes OTHER motions to coordinate WITH it to produce something. In other words, you never stop evolving... and you don't do it by yourself! How great is THAT? I mean really... think about it. We all stagnate at times... it's inevitable... but while you may appear still on the outside... your brain can be chewing on something... working it out... mulling it over and over until you find a direction... and then? Zip... you're off... in motion... trying that heading out... seeing where it takes you... which is ultimately, onto the next thing... right? AND its always combined WITH something else... or someone else! It never stops. To some that might be unsettling. We're always trying to arrive somewhere. We have goals, destinations, decisions... but there's always the next step to take. Like a decision. "I have decided that I am going to do..." whatever. Well? Ok. Now what? See? The decision is NOT the endpoint... its the beginning. That is just SO cool.

Who's with me?

Thank you for taking the time to read. Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe...

I'm not...

2009-11-15T21:24:00.000-08:00

... a particularly religious guy... but I came across this passage in the Bible during the funeral of a very dear friend's Dad today:

"... not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance, and perseverance, proven character, and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint..." Romans 5:3-5

Just a little food for thought.

Thank you for taking the time to read. Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe...

Halloweenie!

2009-11-01T06:27:00.000-08:00

This is a "triathlon blog" right? Huh. That'sinteresting... anyway!

I like candy. No... scratch that... I LOVE me some candy... and guess WHAT? So do my kids! Halloween is right up there with Xmas in our family! Festivities, of course, began with the pumpkin patch at Johnson's Farm. Farmer Johnson has the craziest hay ride in the nation! There is no putt putting around with him. Basically, during this 20 minute excursion you haul ASS around the patch throwing gords and smaller pumpkins at scare crows that have been setup around the patch. SO fun! Halloween day was spent carving pumpkins, shuttling kids to soccer tournaments, a meal of "Bloody Mary Flank Steak" and vomit casserole, then, of course, trick or treating! It was a great day/night with the kids and Kathryn... but we missed Jack. Being 13 and all, he has started the inevitable process of finding his independence as a young teen. Yeah, (sob), he chose to forego trick or treating with the family to go to a Halloweenparty. We missed his presence but know that he had a grrrrrrrEAT time with his friends! Here's some pictures!

Master gutter!

Jack!

Duh punkins!

Sugar coma!

I didn't realize how TIGHT swim caps and wetsuits are until that night! Ugh!

In other, more fitness related news, I went up to Corvallis, Oregon last Sunday to race the Mac Forest 15k trail race. Not having truly, "trained", since IM CdA... I didn't have very high expectations other than to have some fun! This course is no joke. The elevation gain alone just about made me projectile vomit. Overall I ran well all things considered and ended up 37th out of 245 runners. Not bad but BOY did it hurt... in a good way! Check out the elevation map...

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

Breathe...

Lonliness

2009-10-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

I've always enjoyed being around me. Ya know what I mean? Seriously... I'm pretty good company.

I was thinking back on my Ironman training earlier this year. I can honestly say that I trained with others less-than 3 times. Seriously. That's kinda odd isn't it? I mean really... that's a LOT of hours to be by yourself. Towards the end... I was logging roughly 20 hours/week... completely solo. I've always seen this as a blessing. To be comfortable with one's self is a gift... isn't it?

Well? Maybe not. Maybe I'm completely full of shit. Here's the thing: While I may actually be comfortable being alone with my own thoughts, fears, demons, and joys... I also might only be THAT comfortable with all of them b/c I KNOW... beyond a doubt... that I have someone to come home to and share my experiences with. Maybe being comfortable while alone... is simply a function of having, (or needing), someone to share those thoughts and experiences with.

Huh. Interesting right?

Just a thought.

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

Breathe...

p.s. High FIVE!

Here's the thing...

2009-10-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

about football: The game itself, to a 6 year old boy, (at least MY 6 year old boy), is only as good as the soft pretzel, the "Sierra Mist", the donut, the Coke, the frozen lemonade, unshelled peanuts, AND the comfy stadium chair!

Let's just say that Tom had an outstanding time at the Oregon vs. Cal game last Saturday. I had a great time to... not because the Ducks stomped the CRAP outta Cal... but b/c I got to spend a little time with my little man... just us guys... doing supposed "guy things". Which is funny... b/c I'm MORE than willing to bet that the majority of women out there know more about football and stats and players than myself... which makes me wonder... is watching football REALLY a guy thing? Which brings me to yet ANOTHER question: Why the HELL go if you could truly give a crappolio about the sport!

Let's face it... despite what the picture in my last post might show... I'm a skinny bastard. Yeah... I know... GASP! But its TRUE! I've always been skinny! SHOCKING! I can remember being in middle school and looking in the full-length mirror and noticing that my "quads" were about as large and buff as my "biceps". I said to myself, "That ain't right." (Yes... I used "ain't" and was living in Oklahoma at the time), but there was literally nothing I could do about it. My point... this little skinny guy didn't pursue a career in football... and as a result... felt it a complete waste of time and energy watching something that held ZERO meaning to him. Therefore... I grew up knowing very little about the sport... nor caring about it. Don't get me wrong... if there was EVER a pick-up game in the neighborhood or even a game of "Smear the Queer", (how crude), I was right there slugging it out with the large-boned kids like Bigun and Ryan. As a matter of fact... I kinda liked throwing my wafer thin frame at those guys... ultimately injuring them with my bony

elbows! But WATCH a football game while sitting on the couch? On TV? Psssssh... hellz no! This has carried over into my adult life and really... the only football I'll watch is Duck football... and only from Autzen stadium. As a result... at corporate meetings for instance... I'm the handy-tard that stands there with the guys nodding his head, smiling, and pretending he understands what the hell the football-obsessed masses are talking about. I usually supplement the nodding and smiling with comments like, "Yeah." and, "Totally", and "Psshh! No kidding.". I don't really think it works... but it makes me feel better.

The truth is... football is all about the person sitting right next to me. So I'll continue to buy season tickets just like I have for the past 8 years... and I'll cheer with the best of them... but the reality is... I'll spend more time watching Tom enjoy his treat of the moment... than watching the game... and it's worth every penny.

Breathe...

Off-Season?

2009-09-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

Fat AND hairy! This was taken after a particularly excessive binge on pulled-pork. (hee hee... I said "pork").

It might be a bit early for most of you to be calling September "off-season"... but considering the fact that I've not raced since CdA... my "off-season" began early. Don't get me wrong... I'm still doing things... and stuff... but its extremely unstructured. I'm quite enjoying it actually. If I feel like running? I run. Biking? I bike. Swimming? I swim. It's that simple and it's actually quite fun. There are moments where I crave the structure... I crave the goals... but it passes. There will be time for that next year. Right now... I'm enjoying coaching Lila and Tom's soccer teams... "Flash FC" and "Ninja Ants" respectively... hangin with Jack and watching as he becomes a "real teenager"... and taking Aggie to the dog park as much as possible.

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole... and thank you for taking the time to read.

Breathe...

Fair Time!!!

2009-08-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

Every year, during the 3rd week of August, Eugene welcomes the Lane County Fair! The fair is something that we've gone to EVERY year as a family for the last 12 years... we LOVE the fair!The fair is our opportunity to spend ridiculous amounts of money, eat "dirty" food, ride questionably safe, rickety rides, and observe the local, cultured clientele with varying numbers of teeth! Yeah. We fit right in. The only difference between yesterday's fair fest and previous year's was that our money... well... it didn't go as far as it did last year. 8 tickets of a single ride???? That's just crazy talk! Anyway... we still managed to have a fantastic time... so enjoy a few pics of the fam!

Looks FUN huh? It was!

Training continues at a subdued level... which fits in just perfectly. My schedule for next year is beginning to solidify... and I'm truly looking forward to hitting it pretty hard starting in Jan of 2010.

Thank you for taking the time to read! Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe...

Trying to...

2009-08-17T20:08:00.001-07:00

keep it close to real.

Ya know... sometimes you just can't write from your heart... but you want to write anyway and you end up editing a whole bunch of CRAP. So here's the thing. This is my happy place. This is where I come to share my experiences in life as they relate to my chosen sport... and that is where it needs to stay. If you've noticed over the last year and a half... the quantity and, in my opinion, quality of my posts have faltered. Ya know... I love writing about what I learn of people, places, and things... as well as myself... while I'm out training and racing. SO... time to refocus!

Take today for example. Here I am trying to figure out how to train... while not really "training"! What the hell is THAT? I don't train to make myself healthy or pretty... I train so that I can race. I train so that I can peel the onion just one more layer. I train b/c I NEED TO! No really... I'm kind of messed up on a daily basis... but if I'm not training.... I'm REALLY messed up. So my quandary is... how do I stay focused if I'm not planning on racing for the remainder of the year? Answer? Next year. Right? I mean... I suppose I could drop all this knowledge my muscles have gained in the last 3 years of participating in this sport right? I could just start over early next year? Does that make ANY sense to anyone? I don't care what's going on in the rest of my life... I'm not starting over. SO... I'm focused on maintaining my base so that when I start into a new cycle early next year... I'll be ready to go. I will take about a month off from anything structured in either November or December... for "deep recovery" as Coach Liz calls it... but other than that... I'm just going to plug along and make it happen as close to 6 days a week as I can. Believe me... everyone will be happy about that.

So today I hit the pool and put in 2,600 meters of quality work. I'm really falling in love with my paddles and leg bands. When I pull with those things... I feel SUPER fast! I'm really enjoying the pool. Kind of like the "padpadpadpad" of my feet when I run... the outside world falls away with each stroke... its calm, fluid, rhythmic, strong, quietquietquietquiet. Ya know... its a common lesson in living meditation... only do exactly what you're doing in that moment. For instance... if you're doing the dishes... ONLY do the dishes. Don't think about what you're going to be doing the second you finish doing the dishes... just do the freakin dishes. So when I'm swimming, biking, or running... that's exactly what I do... I do the dishes. Uh. You know what I mean.

Plans are forming for next year. I'm putting Ironman in my back pocket until 2011. I'll be focusing on short-course in the early season to develop a little more speed. After that I'll have a couple of key 70.3s lined up for late July through August with the ultimate goal of reaching Worlds again... not dislocating my shoulder... and actually being able to truly race it! VERY excited about having a general outline of a plan! Stay tuned... I'll hopefully be traveling for all of this... MN, CA, WA, IL... the list goes on... and I WILL expect free places to stay. Don't worry... I'm skinny and don't take up much space.

That's it for now! Thanks for taking the time to read. Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe...

Nothing Deep!

2009-08-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

Holy CRAP! I just re-read yesterday's post! Heavy huh? Sorry about that. Sometimes you just don't know when its going to hit you... nor do you know exactly what's going to come out. Having said that... I apparently had the need to vent a bit and in the end... writing has helped me find a smidgen of clarity. I'm still not convinced that this was the appropriate forum to do it in... but screw it... its out there... and it is what it is.

ANYWHO! I'm on what one might call, a modified maintenance training regimen. I just made that up. Essentially... I do what I want when I feel like it. I swim, I bike, I run... for no particular reason other than the fact that I enjoy it.... AND... my head will freaking explode if I don't. Now, how long will THAT last? I have no clue... but it's working for me at the moment. Its no secret that working out for, "general health benefits", doesn't float my boat. I wish it did... it would probably simplify my life quite a bit... but its the competition that gets my juices flowing... that's just how I'm wired. SO... while I'm doing the "training"... my mind is racing with different ideas about how I'd like to structure next year's training and racing. LOTS of ideas swirling around in my head... ranging from full IM to 70.3 to focusing on AG nationals as a goal. The Lifetime Fitness series keeps popping into my head too... Mmm Hmm... yeah. I dunno... the possibilities are endless and its really fun for me to think about! Stay tuned...

Today was different. I just ran... empty headed. Had a good quality run! Hopped out of the car somewhere around Rice Valley, stripped down, threw on my shoes, and took off. It was roughly 82 degrees and sunny out... and it was just me... my breathing... and that sound. You know the one... "patpatpatpatpatpatpatpat".... your feet rhythmically tapping the hot asphalt. Nothing in my head... just the task at hand. I was running while I ran... that's all... and it was bliss.

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

Breathe...

Managing...

2009-08-09T18:34:00.001-07:00

change!

It's constant right? I mean really... the only thing that you can truly count on in this world is that things will continually adapt, adjust, convert, fluctuate, modulate, transfigure, transmute, vacillate, and metamorphose. (I think my favorite is "metamorphose").

Ok... so... change. You'd think that by the shear nature of its constancy we'd figure it out. You'd think that we'd accept it in its natural course and meet it with open arms. The problem is... not all change is good. Not all change is something that we believe is right. Not all change is right for you or for those around you. AND there are different opinions about what change is good and right and smart... which REALLY throws a hitch in the giddyup! Change is often-times REALLY FREAKIN HARD!!!! Which is why some people are so uncomfortable with it.

So? What do you do when you're met with unwanted change? What do you do when you really truly believe that a particular change is going to be devastating not only to yourself... but also to those that you love and hold closest. Welllllll.... according to that God guy and that Bible book... and a whole bunch of recovering alcoholics... you're supposed to say a prayer that goes a little something like this:

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

POOF! ALL better! Really... what you're doing is giving it up right? The control that you think you have... you're giving it over to God and asking him to grant you acceptance, courage, and wisdom. Asking him to reveal his will... not yours... HIS. Man... I wish it were as easy as saying that little prayer. A very close and dear friend told me the other day that it will reveal itself... with time.

Well... how bout now? No? Now? Nuh uh. Apparently later is better. So I sit, and I fret, and I breathe, and I get angry, and I get sad, and I laugh, and I cry, and I just ride this ride that I'm on attempting to be true to myself. It'll be clear at some point... just not right now. What I do know is that down the road... I'll be able to look back and reflect and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I have done everything that I could... and that I've handled my business with honor and integrity.

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

Breathe...

Back at it...

2009-07-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

but just a bit.

I was surprised to find that the Wednesday after Ironman CdA I felt the itch to train. Not a big itch... but rather a little annoying one... like the kind you get under a cast... that you can't scratch. I had kind of expected to fall into the Post Ironman Pit of Dispair immediately after. I mean... isn't that what's supposed to happen? Aparently not for me... at least yet. I just think that my thoughts and energies are directed toward bigger issues... and as a result I passed right over that, "Oh my GOD! What do I do NOW?" phase. I have been relishing in not having a set schedule... not being gone for an eight hour training day... having enough energy in the evening so that when Tom says, "Hey DAD! Wanna jump on the trampoline with me?" I say, "You bet your ass I do!" (ok... not really... I just say "sure pal").

Having discussed it with Liz... she advised me that I should not being doing any "hard efforts" for at least a month following Ironman. Apparently the damage done is pretty deep and though you might feel like you're ready to go... you're simply not. Especially for an old guy like me. SO... I've been running a bit... not more than 30 min at a time... and I've swum a bit... no more than 2 miles at a time... and I've done one ride... roughly 1:45. All in all everything is firing perfectly.

I'm not entirely sure what the rest of my season is going to look like. To be honest... I'd like to race. I need those goals... they're what push me forward and there's a number of smaller, shorter, local races that I'm looking at. I've also begun to tentatively plan for next year... although its all pretty much up in the air at this point... which is both frustrating AND un-nerving for me... but... it is what it is.

Hope you all had a great weekend! If you did something truly special for someone other than yourself... big or little... take a moment and pat yourself on the back... it'll come back to you... I promise.

Thanks for taking the time to read! Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole!

Breathe...

Who wants a marshmellow???

How can I put this?

2009-07-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to write a race report.

I have sat down countless times to write this "narrative". Every time I start... I get a couple of sentences in and I grind to a complete and utter halt... I just can't write about it. I feel like I'm trying to "create" a story... an experience. I feel like I'm making things up. The reality is... I don't remember a whole lot about the day. I remember bits and pieces:

Standing at the swim start, closing my eyes, holding an invisible hand and smiling.
Laughing with Earl in the changing tent about taint pain.
Passing Marit on the bike... then getting passed by her later... all the while laughing and smiling.
Seeing my best friend from high school on the run... and stopping to hug him and tell him I love him.
Begging my stomach to come around so that I can run to my ability.
Striking a pose at the finish... b/c Liz asked me to.

I remember moments... but I can't put the entire thing together. The bottom-line is this: I ran this race in ernest. I ran this race because I made a commitment a year ago and needed to see it through. I ran this race because I felt like this was one of the only things in my life that I had control over. I spent 6 months... January through June... training under conditions that should have folded me into the fetal position in the corner. There is no logical reason that I should have completed this race in the time I did other than out of the necessity to see the commitment through.

So here's the deal: I have unfinished business with Ironman. Don't get me wrong... I am thrilled that I was able to complete the race. I am ecstatic that I had the experience that I did. I feel so blessed that I'm healthy, and capable, and able to participate in this sport... but I am not done with this distance.

Stay tuned and...

Breathe...

THANK YOUS!!!!!

2009-06-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

Anyone that's ever gotten involved in this sport knows that the amount of time, energy, and resources required can oftentimes be overwhelming. This is a choice that we make... based off of whatever need we may have. There is a desire in all of us... on whatever level to, compete... to push ourselves... to overcome obstacles and be challenged in a very specific way. I can only truly speak for myself... but before I found triathlon... I was lost for about 10 years. I just kind of floundered around out there... being a husband and father and employee as best as I knew how. You would think that that would be enough. Aren't we told that our greatest purpose in life is to be a good spouse, parent, friend, citizen, patriot, etc.? While all that may be true... for me personally there was always a gap... there was something missing and triathlon filled it. I remember being a very young boy and watching my dad work his ass off and thinking,"Where's the freakin ADVENTURE? There's GOT to be more to it than THIS.". That thought as a little guy has really dictated a lot of the paths that I've chosen... right or wrong. Here's the point... my family came with me on this triathlon thing... not really by choice... I just kinda started and there they were. There hasn't been a single moment where my family hasn't completely supported me in this sport. Does that mean that they never said, "God... 8 hours? I wish you didn't have to be gone all day." Hellz no! They're human. I didn't really WANT to be away from them for 8 hours on the weekends either! They might not fully understand it... but they recognize that this is part of what makes Rob/Husband/Daddy tick... and they love me for it... and in turn... I love them back... and ultimately... this sport, or rather the journey that navigates through this sport... makes ME a better human being

So... from the top to the bottom of my heart... thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to my amazing family! Kathryn, Jack, Lila, Tom, and Aggie... I love you.

Then there's Liz. If you've read this blog... you know who Liz is. For you first-timers... Liz has been, is, and will be my coach. Although, it could be argued that she's much more than that. She is my friend and confidant. She is my psychologist and drill instructor. She is... well... Liz is Liz. I have cursed her in the past... particularly during races. "That f'ing B**** did NOT prepare me for this!!!!" Yeah... remember that? I certainly do. The thing is... she DID prepare me for everything you could possibly think of. I'm not sure that I can say much more than that... sometimes the extent to which one is grateful... just can't be properly expressed.

Liz? Thank you SO much!

Hmmmm... there are so many people that I want to thank... but then everyone would get PISSED b/c I'm not getting to my race report. I DO have to thank Sally... thank you Sally... I love you!

Thank you for taking the time to read. Thank you for all the kind support and well-wishes. Thank you for coming with me. I hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole. Stay tuned... the pole is clear... people like the loooooooong version.

Breathe...

In case you're wondering...

2009-06-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

yeah... I finished! YAY me! YAY Rob! I'm finally back home and soaking up the family and readjusting to "normal" life. Don't worry... all of the boring, long-winded, details WILL be forthcoming... I just need a few more days for processing.

OH! I need your opinion... take the poll that I put up on the right! Basically... I need to know if you all want the long, drawn-out, multiple DAY version of my race report... or if you'd rather that I get to the point and cover it in one post... your vote COUNTS... so do it!

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole! Thanks for visiting and taking the time to read!

Breathe...

#1055

2009-06-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

There's nothing left to do. Tonight I let go. Tomorrow... the only thing to do... is race... and that sounds like BLISS to me.

Thank you for your support and kind word of encouragement... I can't express how much they mean to me. See you after the race.

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe...

I'm Official!

2009-06-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

Yup. All checked in and numbered and labeled etc. YAY me!

Woke up this morning to BEAUTIFUL weather! Crystal clear skies with a few puffy/fluffy clouds... you know the type of day... it smiles at you and you simply smile back! Erich, Aggie and I jumped out of the rack, grabbed some grub, and headed out to get our swim in. On the way... we bombarded our coach with random nonsequiturs via text. Yeah. Good times. Our goal was to ensure that we were at the forefront of her mind AND that she got absolutely NO work done. Mission accomplished.

We arrived at the Gatorade swim to find the wind whipping over the water and creating quite a bit of chaos. Seriously big swells. The good news is that the water temp was an incredibly comfortable 63 degrees! Yeah... seriously. I didn't even use a swim cap.... ME! The skinny candy-ass that can't stand the cold! We put in around 700 meters... total. Just to get a feel for the water. No significant issues and we held around an extremely comfortable pace both out and back... good stuff.

We hung out for a while and then it was time to check in. I ran into Carol! Have I told you about Carol? Well... CAROL is single-handedly responsible for getting me back in the pool after my shoulder dislocation! That girl is neato! She happens to be racing as well and I'm positive she's going to kill it! Anyways... check in went off without a hitch and here I am... holding my bag... my eyes all big... and I'm just giddy. I'm can't hardly contain myself... like I'm standing there at the timing chip checker inner thingy and I'm doin the "I Gotta Go Potty Dance"... and here's all these other people... and I'm like, "Jesus dude! This is freakin AWESOME! We're RACIN on Sunday WOO WHOO!!!", all smiley and rookie... and not in the least bit cool. Eh. I just can't help myself.

Fast forward... or I'll never get to bed! Drove the course, quick bike ride, quick run off the bike, dinner, Colleen and Stephanie showed up at the house and there ya have it!

So... me and my carb-filled belly are now heading to bed. Tomorrow's agenda consists of... sitting on my ass with my feet up! Yup. Exciting stuff. My sole job tomorrow is to rest, eat, pee, eat, rest... not necessarily in that order... but you get the idea. Bryan is showing up at the house tomorrow as is Stephanie's husband to complete the crew! Aggie will also have a playmate tomorrow! Colleen's puppy Piper is coming up and Aggie is beside herself with excitement!

Ok... off to bed! Thanks for taking the time to read. Hope you're all happy healthy and whole and....

Breathe...

We Have Arrived!!!

2009-06-17T21:06:00.001-07:00

Uh huh. Its real. I'm here. WOW!

Ok... so Aggie and I piled into the car and started our drive up to Coeur D'Alene at 9 am this morning. We hooked up with Erich in Mosier, OR (which is actually where my wedding was held... at a little bed n breakfast... in a cherry orchard... with 200 of our closest friends... wine and beer were consumed in massive quantities... boy was THAT a long time ago!). You guys know Erich right? He's a young dork... but we love him. Anywho. The remainder of the drive was spent listening to music and podcasts, talking with a close friend that is ALMOST as excited as I am about the race... mmm hmmm... and sending random obnoxious texts to my beloved Coach Liz!

We arrived at our rental house around 6 ish and unloaded our copious amounts of crap. After that we cruised down to the race site, (about a mile away), found some grub, walked the race site, dipped our feet in the water, and went to the G store! See? Exciting huh? Aren't you GLAD to hear all of this?

I'm a little giddy at the moment. Difficult to contain myself actually. Its been SUCH a long road for me... and now I'm here... I'm really here. WHEW! Man. Robby tired. Robby need sleepy. Robby might need medicine to go sleepy.

Thanks for taking the time to read! Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole! If you're racing this weekend too... no matter what the distance... dig in... get ready... oooooooohhhhhh yeah.

Stay tuned ok? More tomorrow!

Breathe...

6 Days out...

2009-06-15T07:06:00.000-07:00

and I'm still here! Sorry I've been so absent. To tell the truth... I've been completely uninspired to write... anything. Or at least anything that's worthy of putting in a post. Sometimes... certain things are best kept to oneself... or a very select few individuals. No offense... but you wouldn't want the boring details anyway.

Where's my head? I'm calm. I'm quiet. I'm ready.

There's more... but that's it for now. I'll be doing a post a day running up to the race... stay tuned!

Thanks for reading! I hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole. If you get the chance... make a dance mix on your iPod... then dance your fanny off in the kitchen.

Breathe...

Building....

2009-05-11T06:11:00.001-07:00

toward my peak!

Ok... so its been a while since I've written... and it hasn't been from lack of trying! Two weeks ago I was in FL at a national meeting. These are bitter-sweet events b/c while its great to go someplace warm and sunny... perhaps get a few 15 minute breaks on the beach with a friend or two... the rest of it is spent trapped in meeting rooms and "learning" things and stuff. Late nights usually... which are GREAT considering some of the company... but really take it out of you over the course of a week. Training continued with everything but the bike and I was able to get in some good work!

Immediately following that week of bliss (no joke Sarry), I flew to St. Louis to meet my family and attend my youngest niece's First Communion. I can't tell ya how much I miss my sister, her husband and my 4 nieces and nephews! Every time I visit... it always makes me want to move to be closer to them. SO much fun and craziness! While I was there I also got in a 5000 yd swim and a 2.5 hour run.

I'm now into the last week of a pretty hefty build. Last week ended with a 6.75 hour ride followed by a 30 min run off the bike. Here's what I have to say about that: FUN! I covered WELL over the iron distance on the bike and came off the bike running my ironman marathon pace with legs that felt pretty darn close to funky funky fresssssssshhhhhh. Yeah. Seriously. I had no idea what to expect and was REALLY pleased!

Another build week and I'm launching into rest. I feel stronger than I've ever felt! BIG weekend... 2.75 hour run, 4800 yd swim, 6 hour ride followed by 50 min run off the bike.... so THIS is what Ironman training is like?! Niiiiiiiiice.

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

Breathe..

p.s. Enjoy some pics from St. Louis!

Nephew Sam, me, and nephew Jake!

My niece Sophie, Lila, and me!

Me and Lilly (the first communion girl!)

Look at my "little" girl!!! WOW!

Do ya think....

2009-04-24T07:02:00.000-07:00

they're yellow enough??? Yeah. These are my new racing flats! Supah fast lookin huh?!!! However... I don't think I'm racing CdA in these... cuz I just bought some Zoot Ultra TT 2.0's! Talk about flashy! Geesh!

Run test yesterday. Guess what? I'm fit. My coach told me so... and there ya have it.

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole. Thanks for taking the time to visit!

Breathe...

Recovery Week!

2009-04-22T06:50:00.000-07:00

Hi. My name is Rob and I'm in a recovery week.

Liz had me round out a three week build on Sunday with a 6 hour ride and a 40 min run off the bike. EXTREMELY early morning start to make sure I got back home for important things such as Skate World and soccer games! I about froze my skinny white ass off out there for the first hour and a half! BUT... the sun came out and my effort increased... so everything thawed just fine. Two GREAT things happened during this workout... I worked my race pace based off of wattage for 4 of the 6 hours of the ride... AND... I flew off the bike with what seemed like fresh legs, crushing my proposed IM pace... I had to dial it back 30 seconds/mile after the first mile! Turns out... I might be adjusting my marathon goal a bit. Oh yes. I'm happy.

Enjoying some recovery. Eating a ton. Enjoying the break from the rain. Two tests this week... one run... one bike. If I don't throw up in my mouth at least once during each test... I will be extremely disappointed. This is it. This is my last, (I think), test to fine-tune what I'll be doing in my first full Iron distance race... its time to go... go... fucking GO!

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole. Thank you for reading!

Breathe...

A Little Success!

2009-04-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me that my whine dial has been turned up... and then it broke off... and then I fixed it and was able to turn it down... if only a tad. Anyway my point being that I haven't taken the time to write about how WELL my training is going. Or maybe I have and I just don't remember. Anywho. I'm exiting the third week of a three week build. I have absolutely NAILED 90% of my workouts. (This is where I get some sort of smarty-pants comment from my wise coach to keep my ego in check). My perception is my own reality... so neener neener. Where was I? Oh yeah... things are going REALLY well.

The picture above is of a section of Lorane Highway. It's rolling to flat and wide open... which means ALL of the elements meet you and oftentimes kick you right in the nuts! But that's real right? That's what its like. You can't shelter yourself in training b/c there aint no shelter in the race. Right? Am I right? Uh huh. I am... just ask me! Anyway... there are also mile markers on this road which makes it perfect for figuring out things like saaaaaaaay, your Ironman marathon pace? Yup! Last Monday I had my longest run of the season thus far and it went down like this:

1 hour warm up. Just plodding along in zone 1. During that first hour the weather kicked me in the nuts numerous times... but I felt so relaxed... so calm. Quick stop at my car to throw on my new racing flats... they're BRIGHT OBNOXIOUS YELLOW!!!! I put those things on and took off heading into the wind. The next thing I know I'm ticking off miles well below my proposed IM pace and barely tapping into mid zone 2. Yeah... I KNOW! Isn't that cool! I felt like a complete rockstar!!! I did that for the next 45 minutes and then dropped the hammer and went into zone 3 for the next 20 min which would be crazy fast for me in a marathon at my ripe old age! Then cooled down in low zone 2 for the next 10 min. IT WAS SO FUN!

Here's the thing... every time I have a workout like this... it opens my eyes to possibilities. It also reminds me: I love the struggle and the fight and the tears and the pain and the dejection... but I ALSO love these small samplings of success.

Here's to possibilities.

Thank you for taking the time to read. I hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

High 5 Sistah Girlfriend!

Breathe...

Happy Sugar-Coma Day!!!!

2009-04-12T09:14:00.000-07:00

Yeah. It's alllllllll about Jesus. Such an ODD holiday isn't it? Talk about Hallmark running away with something! GEESH!

Quick training update! Since my epiphany the other day... I've been enjoying the suffering immensely. The last week of training culminated in a 5.5 hour ride with a 40 min run off the bike yesterday. Built into that ride was 2.5 hours of race-paced efforts and I covered more mileage that I ever have before. Liz keeps telling me that this is ALL new territory for me... and I'm loving the new challenges! I'm pleased to say that coming off the bike... my run was solid. It took me less than a half mile to find my stride and tick off the remaining miles at my race pace. Surprised and very happy about that!

Currently enjoying a rest day with the family... which, of course, includes pornographic amounts of sweets, coloring eggs, decorating cookies, and general delicious debauchery.

Thanks for taking the time to read! Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole! Training for me continues to build for another week before entering a recovery week. Yip Yip YEHAW!

Enjoy some pictures of the festivities and....

Breathe...

Jack catching up on some comics while waiting for the perfect tint.

I got the one egg that exploded!

That's my boy TOM!

I Found It.

2009-04-09T08:01:00.001-07:00

There's been something missing in my training. What I've noticed is that I've spent a lot of time coming to terms with the difficultly of what I'm doing. I mean, it's Ironman right? Honestly, I've never had much trouble with physical challenges. That's just the way its been all my life. Or perhaps its that I've chosen sports that I've known I could be successful at? I don't know. Regardless... I've never doubted myself physically my entire life. What's happened over the course of the last 6 months or longer, is that my confidence has been shattered in other aspects of my life... and, as a result, it has bled into the one area that I've NEVER been uncomfortable with... sport. This occurred to me on the trainer just yesterday. I'm pedaling along and it occurs to me... "Wait. I love this. I LOVE this. Oh. My. GOD! That's RIGHT... I forgot that I LOVE this... AND... I'm good at it." Yeah. Just like that. My smile came back. I used to constantly smile and giggle while training. Even through those tough spots where I was bawling like a freakin baby... I had a smile on my face because I LOVE this sport. I LOVE these challenges. I love that pain and the walls that we hit. I. LOVE. It. I am blessed and free and whole and happy and appreciative when I'm training and racing... and you know what? That is just SPLENDID!

Thanks for reading. I hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole. I'll be in Florida at the end of the month. If anyone wants to grab a burger while I'm there... I'd LOVE the company!

Breathe...

Its Moments Like this...

2009-03-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

that I REALLY love humanity!

I was just perusing some pictures from the Red River flood in Fargo, ND this morning. A friend of mine sent me a video... complete with sappy music... which, of COURSE, made me bawl like a freakin baby! Disasters oftentimes bring out the best in people. There is something about a shared struggle. A collective adversity. A battle that is seemingly unwinnable which tends to bring people together. They lean on each other. They talk. They smile and encourage and love each other... and that is just a beautiful thing. Maybe that's why the vast majority of the people out on an Ironman course are so pleasant to one another. Hm. Yup.

When you're out on your long training days this weekend... take a moment and think about those people in Fargo. If you pray... say a little one. I'm sure they'd appreciate it.

Breathe...

I'd like to...

2009-03-26T18:37:00.000-07:00

apologize for the whining. But DAMN... I'm pretty freakin GOOD at it huh? Yeah. I'm dah MAN!

HEY! Anyone out there like Daffodils? They are a COOL lookin flower no? Yes. The answer is yes... just ask me. PLUS... they are a sure sign of spring here in a Pacific Northwest... and I welcome them every year. As a matter of fact... about this time last year I took a very similar picture... uh huh. Yup. Hm. And no, I'm not pondering.

So where did that all the whining and doubt and self-hatred come from in the last post? Ok... there was no self-hatred. I like me. I'm my own best friend. I'm bright and shiny and I've got a funny face. What? Ok. Sorry. Back to the task at hand. I'm not entirely sure where it came from. What I do know is that due to some circumstances that are completely beyond my control... I've severely altered my goals in terms of my first Ironman distance race. That, and the fact that I had my longest ride EVER last Sunday... and whatdoyaknow! It wasn't a complete cake-walk! Bah ha HA! Look, here's the thing... I thought it was about one thing... and now I think its about another and I'm completely o.k. with that! I really am... and you know what? It feels really good.

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole. Enjoy some pics from Sunday's ride!

Breathe....

Allllll RIGHT!!!!!!

2009-03-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

I admit it! I made the mistake of assuming that this would be easy! I bamBOOZLED myself!!!! I got lost in my own EGO and convinced myself that this would be a piece of angel-cake with homemade frosting. I am a cocky, self-assured, self-absorbed IDIOT! Not only that...

I'm a big whiner-baby that's currently self-absorbed and in the fetal position sucking his thumb.

Breathe...

What IS it...

2009-03-20T07:01:00.001-07:00

that makes us fear the unknown? Why is it so scary? I mean really... if its unknown... what prevents us from looking at it with promise and hope? Why isn't initial reaction to the unknown generally, "Holy CRAP! This could be REALLY good!"??? Just a thought.

2 hour run today. Not unknown... not scared... very excited!

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe...

Everyone Needs...

2009-03-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

a quickie once in a while right? RIGHT? Uh huh. Admit it... it's allllllllll good.

Ok! Training is going REALLY well right now. I'm finding out that Ironman training aint no joke. I can fake a half-iron... but apparently NOT a full Ironman. Huh. Go figure. My challenge continues to be proper recovery... and I'm doing what I can but it's virtually impossible to eliminate additional stress right now. I know it sounds terribly "hippy" and wanna-be "Zen"... but the best I can do at points is sit still and breathe.

OH! My swim is coming along nicely. I'm VERY close to being where I was at the end of the season last year and I couldn't be more pleased with my progress! 2 miles in the lanes last night with ZERO problems. YAY!

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole! Spring break is coming up and for those of you in snow-covered states... I hope you get to hang someplace warm n sunny! You can get REALLY tan in as little as 3 days!

Breathe...

Catch UP!

2009-02-17T10:11:00.000-08:00

Where'd the time GO?

Sorry to have been SO remiss in my postings... I can feel you loosing interest as the days drift buy. Yeah. I hear you out there. "That Tri-Rob guy. He doesn't care. He doesn't love us.". Well, you're wrong. I do care... and yes... I DO love you. I really do. Hm. Yup. I might even go so far as to say that I "rub" you... but that might be taken in the wrong vein.

Anyway! ONWARD!

Training? Yeah. I've been training.... and guess WHAT??? I've been SWIMMING too! I was cleared to swim a week and a half ago by my PT. If you've ever taken a significant amount of time off from swimming... I'm sure you know what its like when you first jump back in. I was expecting to feel completely out of place. To be lost in the water and not remember a THING of what I'd learned over the last year. But I was greeted by... quite literally... the warm embrace of the water. Yeah... they had overheated the pool. Anywho... the first few strokes I took... it was like I had never been injured. It was like the last 3 months had never happened. No dislocation. No

sleepless nights b/c of the pain. No month of physical therapy twice a week and painful stretching and exercises. It was just me... rotate, reach, pull, finish, breathe. It was SO great! Then I made it to the end of the pool... a whopping 25 yds... and I was TIRED! Classic. Its great to be back in the pool! My shoulder isn't exactly TOTALLY normal... but its pretty durn close. I'm getting stronger every day and am completing shorter sets of 200 to 300 yds at a moderate pace topping out at 2,200 yds Monday. Of course... I immediately begged Liz to up my distances to at LEAST 3,000 yds by next week. Her response? "Patience". ARG! NonononononoNOOOOO Liz! Now! Are you listening to me? NOW! Yesterday! Post-haste! *Sigh* Ok... fine. I'll be patient. (said in a whiny disobedient kid voice).

I said it before... and I'll say it again... the time out of the pool was a blessing in disguise. My injury was such that it didn't hinder any of my other training in the least. As a result... my bike, my run, and my core strength have come along to a point that I'm EXTREMELY happy with!

Case in point: The bike test I had... the one where I threw up twice in my mouth? Yeah. That one. I worked hard and went after it but I wasn't that confident in the results... I left the number analysis to Liz. I wasn't expecting much b/c I had just come back from a big meeting. I come back from these things mentally and physically spent. As it turns out, my power output a month into my training this year... is exactly where it was last year... when I was at my PEAK. Uh huh. I'm a happy boy!

My run is coming along nicely. LOTS of running directly off the bike... which I LOVE! Liz had told me that we were going to be putting together a "killer bike to run combo"... and, as usual, she's been true to her word. Every single run off the bike this year has been strong... freakishly so. I'm not doing tons of distance off the bike right now. For instance... after my 3.5 hour ride on Sunday, I ran off the bike in zone 2 for 25 minutes. Training smart. For me, the key to running fast... is staying injury free. That's the bottom-line. If I can stay healthy... I can run fast. I have had to check myself and be totally honest in my feedback to Liz reference how I'm feeling mentally and physically. Every ache and pain... she hears about... and she adjusts if she feels we need to. If you haven't noticed... the athlete/coach relationship is going VERY well. You should PROBABLY HIRE HER! She's definitely the one that'll take you to wherever it is you want to go in this sport. I'm serious. Do it. Now. Pull the trigger. Times a wastin.

Let's seeeeee. Hmmmmm... what else. Not a whole heck of a lot. I'm having a ball. Work has suddenly become more challenging if not more fulfilling, the kids are all doing really well... even my pre-teen Jack is tolerable... most of the time. I dunno. During my more clear moments... I can sit back, look around, reflect, and come up realizing how incredibly blessed I am to have the life I do. Don't get me wrong... there are moments when the expletives come flying out of my mouth so fast you'd think I was suffering from Tourettes Syndrome... but honestly... most of the time... I'm solid. I'm good. I'm really happy. And that? That, my friends, is just... well. It's really nice.

Here's a few random pictures! Enjoy!

This is a hill that I like to make "My Bitch"... as Liz would say.

This is the backside of said bitch hill. Nice backside huh?

Aggie the Wonder Dog. Minus her cape.

"Herow? Sarry? Is dat yu?"

Ok! Thanks for visiting! Hope you're all happy, healthy and whole! Looking forward to being a little more frequent with my writing adventures! Big weekend coming up... and I can't WAIT!

Breathe...

Comin Back!

2009-02-01T17:23:00.000-08:00

WOW! Where did the time go!?

I spent the entire last week... from Sunday to Saturday in Arizona... and VERY little training got done. It was my company's annual meeting... which generally means long days, longer nights, and very little sleep. Not exactly a conducive environment for some good, quality training. I had every intension of getting SOMETHING done every day while I was there but ended up getting in one run and one bike. I even entertained the notion that I would hook up with MoMo and Bryan sometime during the week so that they could put me through the paces. Heck... I was even supposed to have my first run test of the season while I was there! NONE of that happened. Believe me... I'm not even remotely close to voicing a complaint. Rest is important right? I had different priorities while I was there and feel absolutely ZERO guilt or regret for how I spent my time. As a matter of fact... if I had to do it all over... I would have stayed a couple of extra days lying in the sun! Got to do that on the last day... and it was GREAT!

Coming home on Saturday I was able to get into Eugene just in time to attend my daughter's 9th birthday party!!!! Yeah... she's 9! NINE???!!! Seriously? Really? HOW!? How did this HAPPEN? My little girl. Nine is a big deal right? I mean... that means only 9 more years until she's up and out of the house. Don't even get me started... I'll tear up. That GIRL! I'm so proud of her I can hardly stand it.

Listent to THIS! Instead of accepting presents from her friends... Lila asked that everyone make a small donation to Jakobi Mulgrave's medical fund. You see, 2 weeks ago, Jakobi was the sole survivor of a drunk driving accident that killed his mother, 2 of his friends, and the mother of one of those friends. Jakobi is currently in critical condition in a Portland hospital. Lila doesn't know Jakobi but was so touched by the story that she wanted to take action... and this is what she came up with.

My Lila was able to raise $278.00 on her own to donate to Jakobi's fund. This girl. My Lila. She is growing up so fast and has such a good heart... I just love her so much... and couldn't be more proud of the young woman she is so quickly becoming.

WHEW! Ok! So... its back to training tomorrow. Well... I DID have a bike test today... and guess WHAT???? I only threw up TWICE in my mouth during it! YAY! Good times good times.

Thanks for reading. I hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe...

The Only Thing Missing...

2009-01-21T15:56:00.001-08:00

... is a red barn. There's just something about a wheat field. At sunset. In the Fall... that's just... whew.

So I'm in my physical therapist's office... and she's completely working me over and sort of giggling as I'm wincing in severe pain... but its good pain... the kind of pain that is getting us somewhere. Anyway, between nauseating waves... I glance over to my right... and there's a little sign on her closed door. It reads, "Live life like you mean it."... and I thought to myself, "Man. I freakin MEAN it. I really do." Sometimes things just really stink... most of the time its totally out of your control... but I'm IN... and I really, REALLY mean it.

Shoulder update! Things are progressing really well. My mobility is GREAT! My strength at this point is severely lacking. Don't ask me to pick up that peanut off the floor and raise it over my head... I might strain something. I have atrophied to the point where its a challenge for me to do VERY lightly weighted shoulder work of any sort without fatiguing extremely quickly. BUT... I. Don't. Stop. SO! Coach Liz and my PT are pow wowwing about the parameters of me heading back into the water the first week of February. Liz keeps reassuring me that this will be MORE than enough time to get my swim where it needs to be for CdA. FYI... and I'm not afraid to say it out loud... I'm doing that swim in an hour or less. There. Its out there. No hiding.

Running and biking are truckin along. I had my longest run of the season the other day... a whole 1 hour and 15 minutes. Long runs are relative right? I mean really... its only "long" in the sense that it is the longest run I've completed this season. I attempted to hook up with Drew to get it done... but alas... it wasn't meant to be. Oddly enough... work actually got in the way... which is just WIERD! Next time Iron Drew! I actually got to head out on the Cascade Cutoff for my run. Kind of out in the middle of nowhere... quiet... cold... sunny... beautiful. Just me, my feet, and my breath. Freakin BEAUTIFUL! I was reminded repeatedly to stay within the designated zones... annoying but necessary at this point in the season right? There's a method to the madness and all I have to do is listen and obey. Its not as hard as it sounds.

Hmmmmmm... what else? Uh. Geesh. that's all's I gots. Here are some pics from my run the other day.

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

SUNDAY!!!!!!!!

Breathe...

Bringin it back!

2009-01-13T18:55:00.000-08:00

My body and mind are beginning to remember what its like to work... and they both LOVE it! Liz is extremely talented at making all of my workouts purposeful. Think about that word for a second... purposeful. Doing something with purpose. I mean really... I don't have a lot of time to waste. I need things to count, and Liz understands that and applies that not only to me... but to any athlete she works with. I'm pretty good at doing what I'm told, some of the time. I just like to understand the path that I'm on... tell me why I'm doing this... and if it makes sense... I'm IN! Just like Sally... I'm IN! Liz has plans for me... and those plans match my goals... its symbiotic... which is nice.

Training is going really well. The challenge for me is remembering where I am within the season. I keep reminding myself that this is the 3rd WEEK of my 6 month training cycle leading to CdA. THEREFORE... things are slower... I'm building strength... I'm becoming "durable"... which is the reason for all of the funky running drills and crazy core exercises like, "The Scorpion"... yeah, I'm not making it up... and yes... it stings!
This afternoon I was able to take advantage of some REALLY unusually sunny and warm January weather here in Eugene! I headed over to the world famous Hayward Field where I proceeded to go through about 35 minutes of running drills. You can't HELP but feel super cool and fast at Hayward field. Then again, it's hard to feel fast as an almost middle-aged, skinny white guy when you're surrounded be running gods and goddesses! Oh... don't you worry. I gave them the business. Yeah. I unleashed some serious intimidation skillz out there on the track... and I only got laughed at once. Good times good times.

Ok. SO! I "fired" my PT. Not really fired... but made a semi-aggressive move to someone else in the practice that is a triathlete AND just HAPPENS to be doing IM CdA this year as well. And wouldn't ya know... my shoulder? Well... let's just say that I'm VERY confident that I will be in the pool in very short order. One session with this woman and I've already noticed a significant improvement in my strength and range of motion! YES!!!

That's about it for the moment. OH! I was thinking the other day. I do that. I think. Yeah. So I was thinking the other day about steps... and how many we take in a day. I was running and I thought, "This is so simple." Forward motion. One foot at a time. Padpadpadpadpadpadpad. That sound. That's all there really is in that moment right? Just the sound of your feet... and your breath... and if you can just quiet the rest of the crap down... just for a minute... or 20... or an hour... isn't it just simple. Yeah... I know. Cool huh?

Whew... that was random.

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole... and not freezing your fanny's off out there! Enjoy your base training ok? Don't fear a goal. Don't fear verbalizing a goal. Don't fear TALKING about your goal. I want your goals too... just for you.

WOW... random AGAIN! I'm on FIRE tonight!

Breathe...

It's Just Plain...

2009-01-04T15:33:00.000-08:00

Delicious!

I don't have a very good memory. Or at least I don't think I do... but then again... maybe I do and I just forgot. Anywho, I had forgotten in the last couple of months how much I enjoy a good brick. As always, Liz never disappoints with the workouts she sends me. She has a way of structuring workouts... even workouts on the trainer... that keep you engaged and challenged... making the time fly by. The challenge at the moment is that everything is "base" oriented. All good stuff... and more than necessary but we all like to go fast right?!

What I've noticed in the short time that I've been back on the training band-wagon is how strong I feel. Then it occurred to me that all I've been doing is RESTING! For the last two months I haven't done anything to stress my body... with the exception of massive amounts of food... mostly from the "sugar" food group. Speaking of which, I have a friend that basically made it through the entire holiday season withOUT sugar. Seriously. Is that NUTS or WHAT??? She's a total bad-ass in my book! So anyway, I feel really really strong right now. Give me a week though... I'll be a wreck and you can all laugh at me.

SO... yesterday consisted of an hour and a half on the trainer followed by a 15 min run off the bike. Nothing remotely taxing... but just getting my body back into training mode and used to the saddle a bit. Today... a killer core and strength routine that MIGHT actually result in me getting a bootay. Yeah... I'm serious.

That's ANOTHER thing about Liz... she's pretty much figured me out... slow and steady build. Keep me healthy. "Build a strong Rob". I constantly remind myself to trust Liz... and trust the process. She knows what she's doing and if I'm a good boy... and do as I'm told... and I'm honest with her about my aches and pains when they occur... she'll be able to get me where I want to be come June 21st.

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

OH! A note on injury... not that I'm an expert... but listen to your body. If something is screaming at you to stop... just stop. Go see the local expert on whatever is bothering you... and be patient. In the long run... getting on top of it will pay off. Think long-term... not short. Thanks for listening.

Breathe...

GIDDY!

2009-01-01T18:46:00.001-08:00

Yeah. See that look on my face? (The Gay European Tourist or "GET" coined by my brother Ted). You know why its there? Because I am BESIDE myself with excitement! I started my training cycle for IM CdA today!!!!! Good LORD it felt good to be out there with some purpose behind it! Don't get me wrong... working out for the benefits of one's health is great... but that alone simply does NOT squeeze my grapes. (I just made that up). If I was left to my own devices and was not working toward some sort of competitive goal... I am convinced that I would be the world's first morbidly obese skinny guy. Seriously.

So it was with extreme excitement... much to the annoyance of my entire family who had stayed up FAR too late last night... that I headed out the door and into the drenching rain and blustering wind for an extremely easy, read "slow", 50 minute run on the flats of the Willamette Valley! Ohhhhhhh... it was HEAVEN! I also got to try out my new Zoot Ultra Nanoshell Jacket. Super nice... and, more importantly, stylish... which as we ALL know... is the priority. The run itself couldn't have gone any better. This was a totally form-focus run, quick feet, calm torso, hips under my feet, slight lean forward, all done at a slower pace simply to wake my body up and get used to a consistent routine. Later in the evening I spun on the trainer for 30 min to flush the legs. YUM!

It's GREAT to be back! Come with me ok? It'll be fun! If I see you out there... don't be surprised if my eyes fill with tears of joy as I tackle you in a HUGE bear hug! HM.

Breathe...

It's Almost...

2008-12-28T16:40:00.001-08:00

TIME! The official end of the off-season starts at 12:01 a.m. on January 1st.

Mentally... I don't think I've ever been MORE ready to get to work. Its taken a LOT of self-discipline, a really messed-up shoulder, and the plague to keep me from training over the last two months. Having said that... I'm really glad to have had the adversity that has kept me from training. Honestly... it would have been a total mental and physical disaster had I jumped back into training 2 weeks after Clearwater.

Physically, I'm confident that my body will catch-up in good order after a relative 2 month deficit. Or at least that's what I've been told. This is where having a coach like Liz REALLY pays off. I know that I won't jump in and overdo it... simply b/c she won't let me. Which ultimately means that in the long-run... I'll be faster AND injury free! All good things. Swimming is being put on an indefinite hold. Turns out that I probably shouldn't have raced in Clearwater... did a little more damage that was prudent and now my recovery time is quite a bit longer. I'm doing all the right things... 2 different physical therapists with two different approaches... as well as resting and only doing specific exercises that'll get things ship-shape. Liz feels confident that I should be able to put the kind of swim together that I want at Coeur D'Alene despite getting a late start in the pool this year. Another "blessing" with not being able to swim immediately is that it will give me an opportunity to really focus and strengthen the two other disciplines!

I read something about fear this morning. "Anyone that stands at the edge of the unknown, fully in the present, without reference point, experiences groundlessness." Seriously, read that again.

So here's the connection: I'm standing at the edge of training for a full ironman in June. I have no personal reference point. I'm completely scared shitless. But here's the thing... I. Don't. Care. We usually think that bravery is based on being fearless. The reality is, those that are brave... are intimate with fear.

Let's be brave this season... shall we?

Breathe...

Gingerbread Houses are for....

2008-12-23T16:00:00.000-08:00

EATING!!!!

Right? RIIIIIIGHT??? I mean REALLY! What is the POINT of decorating a beautiful house MADE of things like gingerbread and frosting and gumdrops and whatever the hell ELSE ya wanna put on the dang thing if you're just going to LOOK at it??? No really. Answer me that.

I'm talkin to you.

Speak up.

Answer me.

Shush.

Be quiet when I'm talking to you.

OK! SO the point of a gingerbread house is to have FUN with your family while you're putting the thing together... THAT'S the point right? I guess for some it might be to get as anal retentive as possible, placing things just so.... and completely SUCKING the life out of the project... and that's... okay. Whatever floats your boat... but the point is... if it brings you together... and you have fun... then THAT'S the point!

Now THAT is a gingerbread HIZOUSE!

AND... we had a BALL!

I hope everyone is happy and healthy and getting ready to celebrate a fantastic holiday with friends and family! Do some fun stuff! Play Twister... bring your "A" game! Sing some Karaoke... from the top of your freakin lungs... b/c HEY! They're family... and they can't disown ya for that! Hm.

Breathe...

Snow Daze!

2008-12-19T07:05:00.000-08:00

Apparently, we Eugeneians don't know how to deal with a little smattering of snow! Once you get an accumulation of any significance... as in 3 inches... the entire city shuts down and calls it good. We are simply NOT prepared like you crazy people in states like... I dunno... MN... where a 13 degree day with freezing rain is "mild". However, Eugene is a city where, on any given cold, rainy day, you'll find 75.2% of the population wearing Birkenstocks with their wool socks. H2O in liquid form... we're solid... but once that stuff even remotely resembles snow... we freak out! As a result, we've had an inordinate amount of no school days! Now, I know that as a loving father I'm supposed to say, "I LOVE snow days! It's just a great opportunity to take time out with the kids, play in the snow, and drink hot cocoa!" This is ALL quite true. However, I have to say, the noise... yeah... the noise of the three adorable, wonderful, fantastic kiddos, who are EXTREMELY excited to NOT have school AND get to play in the snow can be overwhelming at times. I'm good for about 2 full days... then I need a BREAK! No such luck today. No school. Another beautiful layer of the fresh white stuff on the ground! Joy. Rapture. PLUS, starting at 9 am this morning... I enter the realm of single father for the weekend! No rest for the weary... but I think I'm up for it... I've done it a million times before... just not in the snow. This is a perfect opportunity for me to practice... breathing.

In other news, my shoulder is turning out to be a complete A-HOLE! That's RIGHT! That's what I said! Apparently, a dislocated shoulder doesn't simply heal on its own OR within a week after its been injured. I've tried reasoning with it, stretching, massaging, and drugging it into submission... all to no avail. Apparently, what it wants is rest... the little pansy. So that's what I'm giving it! Plus some witch doctor physical therapy that ends up hurting so bad it makes me curl into the fetal position, suck my thumb, and whine like a little baby! BUT, apparently its working... and things are getting better! SO... as my upper body wastes away... I'm doing my best to be patient and keep my legs in some kind of working order so that I wont DIE December 29th when I start my training cycle for IM CdA '09.

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole. If you have family coming in for the holidays... remember, they love you and their intentions are ALWAYS the best... even if they're SO annoying you'd rather punch them in the neck. Simply....

Breathe....

Tom! He's dah MAN!

Snow-covered homestead!

View from living room!

The Off Season!

2008-12-06T07:38:00.000-08:00

I posted this pic on my FB profile. You'd be surprised by the reaction I got. People actually made FUN of it! Really. I'm not kidding. Personally, I just don't think people understand how truly street I am.

Anywho. The off season continues. I took an entire 2 weeks completely off from any sort of physical activity following Clearwater. I wanted to give my body adequate time to recover from the race as well as make sure that things were kosher with my shoulder. I started back in the gym after that with some light weights and core work. I'm actually VERY hungry to train... but my shoulder is having none of that! I finally went in to see a PT and she worked me over pretty good. It's going to be a process. Hopefully one that doesn't last too long. I told her that I absolutely HAVE to be swimming by January 1st. I'm being a "good boy" and doing exactly as I'm told and trying to heal up as best I can. The hardest part is sleeping. I haven't had a truly good night's sleep since coming back from Florida and its really beginning to get to me. I just can't find a position that's comfortable and as a result, toss and turn and moan and groan all night long. NOT my idea of fun. BUT... it is what it is right? I'm doing everything I can possibly do to heal properly and in a timely manner. So... I'm breathing... and I'm attempting to be patient... and attempting to listen. I'm not perfect... but I'm trying. Here's the thing about patience though... everyone only has so much. Right? I mean, at some point, don't all of us need to blow a gasket. Throw a little fit?

Gee. I guess that's all I got. It's a beautiful, chilly, sunny Saturday morning. I am getting a workout today... just nothing involving my shoulder. Anyone want to come along? Could use the company...

OH! I forgot to tell you! If you want someone else's perspective on my Clearwater trip and all the chaos that ensued... please go visit Liz's blog HERE! Its a total riot! Liz writes really well... and to see it through another set of eyes is really fun!

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole. All you couples out there... get out with your partner. Get a sitter. Maybe even organize a standing Saturday night date. I don't care if you're tired... get out there. Have fun. Hm.

Breathe...

Clearwater Race Report... the finale!

2008-11-28T12:27:00.000-08:00

Ok. Try to imagine heading into a race with zero anxiety, zero expectations, and zero pressure. That is exactly how I felt when I toed the line in Clearwater. Let's face it. I was just lucky to be there.

BOOM! The cannon fires!

The night before, Liz and I had specifically discussed the swim start. We had decided that getting caught in the chaos wasn't the best plan considering my shoulder. So, when the cannon went off... I casually strolled behind the mass of 200 elbow-throwing 35 to 39 year olds and entered the water at an easy, high-kneed jog. Once the water was about mid-thigh, I dove in and took my first strokes. I was still in the pack but needed to break out and find some clear water. I accelerated as if nothing had ever happened to my shoulder. Yeah. I KNOW!

Can you believe it? I was all of a sudden clear of the pack and heading out on my own. Not in front... but just behind the really fast guys. I was actually smiling underwater! I hadn't hit my watch at the start... I didn't want to come out of the water looking at my watch and getting dejected... so I was just out there swimmin... comfortably. I exaggerated my reach and body rotation and just swam. As I came up on people... I'd hit the throttle and pass. I had ZERO issues in the water! SO FUN! I came out feeling completely fresh and ready to go to work on the bike.

T1 was actually enjoyable! Wet suit strippers and a little dude following me into the tent to take my stuff... probably the smoothest transition to the bike that I've ever had.

On the bike the plan was to get things warmed up a bit and not go crazy out of the gate. I have had a tendency to go too hard within the first 20 min... so I just took it easy and let people go. I had 4 gels taped to my top tube and a bottle of Gatorade Endurance and water in my bottle cages behind my seat. As I passed the 1 mile marker and was taking a left turn, I hit a pretty serious bump... and launched BOTH of my bottles! Yeah. Seriously? I just started laughing maniacally! I mean really... what ELSE could go wrong in this race? SO... on I pedaled until I reached the first aide station. I was able to grab a Gatorade and a water and get them back in the cages... only to launch my Gatorade 50 yards down the road. Uh huh. See... this is what I'm saying! Its a comedy of errors at this point! Luckily, on a whim I had grabbed some Endurolytes and shoved them in my race kit... I just sucked down a few of those plus some water and I was good to go until the next aide station.

Riding in this race is a LOT like riding your trainer... there's just no letting up. You hammer, hammer, hammer... and then you hammer some more. There's a point where you find a rhythm... and you just go. I was feeling really strong on the bike. I had decided to go without any data whatsoever. No speed. No cadence. No watts. No HR. Just me and my bike. To be honest, it was GREAT! All I had to look at was the road and the scenery and my fellow competitors. I wasn't constantly checking my wattage to make sure I was working hard enough... I was just GOIN! I LOVED it! Liz might say otherwise... but I'm pretty sure that from here on out... I won't be competing with data.

Anywho. The ride was going fine. I won't go into it in detail... but there are a TON of drafting cheater-pants out there! Totally infuriating. I saw some Austrians actually slapping high fives they were working so well together. At times, catching a draft was completely unavoidable. When you're barreling down a residential street 4 deep and you're boxed in both in the front AND the rear... what exactly are you going to do? I found early on that if you put forth the extra effort to surge over and over and over to get out of a group... you'd waste yourself. SO... I did the best I could staying out of the draft and staying legal... I can be confident that I rode the best legal ride that I could have.

Here's where it got interesting. Around mile 30ish of the bike... on a long, flat stretch of the road, I had a guy challenging me coming up on my left. I noticed him a little too late to respond so as soon as his front wheel crossed the plane of mine... I let up. As I backed off on the throttle a little bit, I looked up to see a red car turning directly in front of us. Yeah. Not kidding. At each intersection of this race... you had cones, police, and volunteers ensuring that no one gets in the way of the bikes. Well, this guy snuck through. He came from the opposite direction and took a left-hand turn... STOPPING right in front of us!!! Yeah. Stopping. So the guy on my left is able to squeeze around the backside of the car... me? I can't go left b/c that means taking him out. I can't go right b/c that puts me into the curb. I can't lay the bike down b/c that would definitely mean the end of the race for me. SO... at roughly 25 mph, I lead back and slam on my breaks. I run straight into the right-side passenger door, launch up and over my aero-bars, and slam my upper torso on the roof of the car! I slide back down and launch into the loudest, most profane string of expletives you could ever imagine. I spin my front wheel to make sure its not completely torqued, put my chain back on and take off like a bat outta hell! Pure adrenaline! I was bound and determined to catch the pack that had made it around the car! I might have paid for that surge... about 20 minutes later... the adrenaline abated... and I was TIRED! My attitude was still in tact though... and I actually laughed a little bit. Coming into T2, I knew it was going to be a painful run.

I rolled into T2, passed off my bike to one of the catchers, got my shoes on and sprinted to the porta potty! Yeah... I don't know about you... but I've never successfully peed on the bike in a race. SO... I spent the next 5 minutes trying to empty my very cramped bladder! LOL... I was cracking up in the porta potty... and got the oddest looks from the volunteers when I came out.

So, my plan for the run? I threw that thing out the window. Mentally and physically I was in survival mode. So much had happened and I just wanted to run as well as I could. The first mile clicked by and I nailed the pace... I was right on target... but that didn't last long. Apparently, when I had hit the car and launched up onto the roof, my left quad and my right knee had caught the aero bars on the way up... as a result... my quad was in a cramped state the entire run. I just couldn't hold the pace that I started with and and struggled to hold a 7:30/mile pace. I was cramping in my left quad, my right hamstring, and my right calf... and slowing down or walking didn't help in the least. I simply kept running and took in as much fluid as I could at each aide station. It was a hot day. According to Bigun it was in the low 80's. It FELT to me like it was in the 90s! Though I wasn't hammering the run as I had hoped... I was working as hard as I possibly could. Because its a two loop run... I got to see Liz out there workin hard... she even managed to grunt at me once. I also saw Mirinda... who didn't look terribly happy... but I told her she looked fabulous anyway. When I hit the final turn-around... I was kinda done. I did a little mental wrestling with myself. I knew I was on the home stretch. I also knew that I was having a crap run... so the question was, do I finish hard... with a push? Or do I just kinda glide in. I looked up and I saw a guy who's back I had looked at the entire race. His name was Jason. I wanted to beat Jason. So I pushed. As I passed the 12 mile marker... I got to see Tacboy and Bigun... though it was good to see them... I couldn't manage more than a grunt at that point. I caught Jason... he was fading. As I got on his shoulder, I paused there. He was cramping and not having a good time. "Come on Jason... let's go". THAT was a mistake! The little encouragement that I gave him made him take OFF! The bastard. I kept my eye on him and didn't drop my pace... catching him in the last quarter mile and passing him. We had a good laugh about it later.

I crossed the line... completely spent... and completely happy. I still had no true perspective on what my actual time was. Of course I wanted to know... but to be honest... just finishing this particular race was enough for me. Starting on Wednesday morning, everything seemed to be lining up against me... and I saw it through. That was a big deal. I didn't have my standard emotional reaction to finishing... I was just glad to have done it.

Turns out that I did ok. I PR'd the swim by 4 minutes and the bike by 12 minutes. Overall... I set a 17 minute PR at this distance with a total time of 4:40: n change. Yeah... you could say I was happy. But... just think what I could have done had I been healthy!!!!! *wink wink*

Hey! Thanks for reading! I know that my race reports can be long and drawn out... but that's how I am. I take my time. Its more enjoyable that way.

Here's to the off-season! I'm in the process of eating... and eating... and eating. Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe...

Clearwater Race Report Part II!!!

2008-11-27T09:07:00.000-08:00

Ok! So where were we? Oh.... yeah...

Bigun picked Erich and I up at the airport and proceeded to drive us to our hotel in Clearwater. Being the SNAG (Sensitive New-Age Guy) that he is, Bigun took care of everything including putting my bike together and forcing pain pills down my throat. I am forever indebted to the guy for all his help. After getting the bikes together we headed down to dinner where I proceeded to eat twice as much as the big dude. Yeah... I have eating skillz. And nunchuck skirrz. Don't let the emaciated body fool ya.

Needless to say, I was exhausted from the stress of the day. Forget that I had been awake since 2 o'clock in the morning... I'd been in pretty severe pain and riding an extreme emotional roller coaster the entire day. I was D.O.N.E. With a healthy dose of pain pills/muscle relaxants/ibuprophen/melatonin.... I was off to dream-land!

The next morning we headed down to the expo to get our bikes tuned up and check out the sights. I was also going to get a hold of some medical folks and see what the verdict was on my shoulder. Thanks to the miracle of modern pharmaceutical intervention... I had slept really well and in relative comfort. Waking up... the mobility in my shoulder hadn't gotten any worse... but I still thought it would be a good idea to get it checked! That's when it happened...

I ran into Mirinda!!! YES! It was HER! Looking as adorable as ever. No... I didn't scream like a little girl... nor did I faint... nor did I do the happy dance. I did my best to maintain my coolness... and failed miserably! I did however manage a semi-coherent sentence when she asked me what was up with my arm. *sigh... pitter-pat*

Ok. So! I find the massage tent and ask for the dude that REALLY knows what he's doing. So... in walks "Doctor Pete". Pete has a Ph.D. and is licensed in Clinical Sports Massage, Soft Tissue Injury Rehabilitation, Myofascial Therapy, AND Kinesiology. Yeah... that last big word? Remember the Olympics? Remember women's volleyball? Remember the funky tape on that one athlete's shoulder? Yeah. THAT'S Kinesio tape. Pete spent the next 45 minutes working on me. This hurt. This hurt a LOT.

It's funny. I guess its no secret that I'm uh... kind of... well... EMOTIONAL!!!! Its a blessing AND a curse. Anywho... I teared up while Pete was working on me. It wasn't the pain.... I liked that part. It was the fact that here I was at the world championships and I was NOT going to be even close to 100%. But that wasn't even it. I wasn't 100% before I even left with being sick and my crazy foot injury and my strained calf! LOL. It had more to do with the text messages and phone calls that I was getting. There are certain people that just plain "get it"... people that have wanted something so badly... more than anything in the world... and for a long time, had their hopes and dreams dashed over and over until everything played out. They've been through it... so they can relate in a way that no one else can.... and they let you lean on them... and they listen... and they say the exact right things... and THAT? That is what reveals the brilliance of these random "tragedies". If you just pay attention... you can learn so much about yourself and those that you're close to. Hm. WHEW! ANYWAYS... so I'm tearing up... and forgetting to breathe... which is ODD because I'm always talking about breathing and this other massage guy was like, "Hey maaaan... breathe into iiiiiiiit". So I relaxed and Pete was able to finish the job. He told me to spend the rest of the day keeping my arm as still as possible and then get in the water on Friday and try it out. At this point, I had resolved within myself that the worst-case scenario would be that I swim with only one arm. Game ON!

So for the remainder of the day I tried to stay as quiet as possible. Now THAT is just reDONKULOUS! Me? Quiet? Though you might not think it... I can actually be a pretty calm dude. At times... I might be considered stoic... yes... pensive even. However, is being at the world championships of ANYTHING the time to be quiet? Heck no. I ran around the expo and talked to vendors and got my bike all fixed up and ate and talked and ate and relaxed and got my stuff all ready and ate and took a picture with a lion and just kinda hung around. I got to say "Hi" to Bryan D. of Arizona fame, (Remember him, super-fast guy that I got to train with back in May?), I got to chat with Amanda Memphis Balding, in a Dorthy costume of all things, and the absolute BEST part of the day? I got to finally MEET my beloved coach LIZ! She gave me a ring and told me that she was down at the expo and to look for the tall, busty blond! Bah ha HA! I couldn't find her for the longest time... it was weird. Anyway... it was kinda like meeting a long lost friend and I followed her around like a little puppy for a while before heading out for an early dinner, (which Liz bought!). Along with Liz I got to meet Colleen and Bryan from Seattle. Colleen is another one of Liz's athletes and totally cool (its actually a requirement of being one of Liz's athletes... coolness). Bryan? He is just... ummm... he's just a dude. You know? He's one of those lovable guys that you meet and right away you wanna grab him in a bear-hug and yell, "I love you maaaaaan!" Yeah... that's Bryan in a nutshell.

Man! What is WRONG with me?! This is taking for-EVER!!! Sorry! Geesh!

Ok... fast-forward to Friday morning. Time to try the arm out in the water. Erich and I mosey down to the Gatorade swim, I struggle into my wet suit and walk down to the water. Wading in, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of apprehension. I'm human after all. I slid in and took a few strokes. The arm worked. I wasn't in excruciating pain, my range of motions was pretty good, and I was actually able to pull a little water. The weakest points of my stroke on the right side were the catch and the finish... but I could actually USE the arm! I was really happy. It was what it was... and I KNEW that I could at the very least swim a 35 minute swim. Coming out of the water, I felt... relief. I could race. I'd be slow. But I could race.

I went back and saw doctor Pete real quick. He stripped me of the current tape-job, worked on me for another 15 minutes, slapped on some MORE tape in a totally different configuration and told me good luck. There really wasn't any more that he could have done... and actually... I appreciated his considerable lack of dramatic and inspirational words of wisdom. Pete was a simple dude. I liked that.

So... transition bags packed. Bike dropped off. Well-fed. Early to bed. Calm. Focused. Ready to put together whatever I could early Saturday morning. I dropped off to sleep that night with absolutely zero race anxiety.

More soon... happy Thanksgiving. Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe...

Clearwater Race Report!

2008-11-23T14:24:00.000-08:00

FINALLY right? Here's the thing though... I'm NOT dragging this one out over 12 days! Maybe 10... but NOT 12. There's just TOO much good stuff to gloss-over... mostly before the race even begins. The unfortunate thing is that this whole story is best told with me standing in front of you animating the entire thing! But... you'll just have to settle on the written form.

Pre-Race:

Erich and I piled into the car at 3:00 am on Wednesday the 5th to head up to Portland. The flights were cheaper and more direct from there! Normally this is about an hour and a half drive... but for some reason... it took us a full 2 hours! As a result... we didn't pull into the economy lot until 5:00 am! With a flight leaving at 6 am... we were a bit... uh... pressed for time! Of course, we had the slowest shuttle driver on EARTH! We got to the counter just fine and got all checked in... by an extremely efficient agent I might add. SO... we were on our way!

I had to make a quick pit-stop before heading security. I set my boarding pass up on the little shelf, glanced down, and... WAIT! This isn't MY boarding pass!!!! This isn't MY destination!!! You can't even fathom what ran through my head at that moment. Luckily, I remembered to zip up and took off at a dead sprint to the ticket counter. Trying to remain as calm as possible, I shove my way to the counter and the "efficient" agent. Listen to this little exchange:

Me: "You gave me the wrong boarding pass... my bag AND bike are going to ATLANTA."

Agent: "Why didn't you check it while you were here at the counter?"

Me: (pregnant pause) Are you FREAKIN KIDDING ME!??? You need to get your fanny over there, get my bags, and get me on the right flight NOW!"

Luckily, she only blinked once and then sprang into action. She was able to stop my bike from heading to the wrong plane but my gear bag was nowhere in sight.

Me: (very quietly... close to her ear)... Find. My. Bag. Get. It. To. Tampa.

Agent: Ok... but you need to go catch your plane. I'll take care of it.

BAM! I'm gone! I am sprinting at full speed through the airport, heading toward security... wearing Crocs on my feet. Uh huh. Crocs. My shoulder bag, (yes, man-purse), is slung over my left shoulder and I notice that it's unzipped... my wallet, keys, iPod etc. are all in there so I twist my torso to the left and reach across my body to zip it up. As I'm doing this I take a sharp right turn... and my feet fly out from under me. I go down HARD... the entire weight of my body landing on my right shoulder... completely dislocating it. Yeah. You read right. White hot pain. Blinding light. Sweat immediately pouring down my face. I'm 15 feet away from security, on my knees, unable to stand. About a half-dozen TSA personel rush over, I can hear them calling for paramedics, one agent leans down and rubs my back, telling me everything is going to be ok.

Me: "Stop talking. Don't. Touch. Me"

All of a sudden, another voice, like an angel, "My husband is an orthopedic surgeon. He's right here. Can he help you?" Hell yes! The doctor asks me how he can help.

Me:"Reduce this. NOW!I'mracingintheIronmanWorldChampionship70.3onSaturdayandIhavetocatchmyplane."

He knows what he's doing but despite his best efforts, he can't get it back into the socket. I stand to give him a better angle and he gently guides it back into place. INSTANT relief!

Doctor: "You're not going to race on Saturday."

Me: "Uh. Yes I am."

I'm so jacked on adrenaline I don't feel a freakin thing. I thank the doctor, ask him for his card and grab the nearest TSA agent.

Me: "Get me through security NOW! My plane leaves in 10 minutes and I'm not missing it."

This nice lady, the same one I told to stop talking and not to touch me... helped me with my bag, my belt, my shoes and got me through security. I took off at another full sprint toward my gate. I threw my boarding pass at the ticket dude and continued my sprint down the ramp afraid of loosing momentum. Finding my seat, I see Erich, comfortably sitting in his seat, looking at me like a hog staring at a wristwatch. I'm cradling my right arm with my left, I'm deathly pale, and I'm soaked in sweat.

Me:"Dude!TheygavemethewrongboardingpassalmostsentmystufftoAtlantaIdislocatedmyshoulderithurtsI'mracing

anyway"

I shuffle to the rear of the aircraft and ask the flight attendants for ice and ibuprofen. We had to connect through Salt Lake City so for the next hour and a half I iced and drugged as best I could. I kept testing my shoulder's mobility... and was becoming increasingly dejected. Man. How could this happen? Can I race? If I do, will I injure myself further? How will this impact my next season? TOTAL flood of emotion. Barely holding it in check throughout the entire flight. In a word... it sucked ASS.

Once we landed I sent Liz a text, "I dislocated my shoulder but made my flight." and Bigun, "Bring a sling and some ice. I dislocated my shoulder". Then called my wife. Her reaction?"Huh? Wha? You did WHAT?" LOL! Classic. Called another friend who COMPLETELY said the exact right things and calmed me considerably. VERY thankful for that. Hm. I was able to grab some zip-lock bags from the security guys for ice and buy more iduprofen before jumping on the flight to Tampa. Believe it or not, I was relatively comfortable during the 4 hour flight. I kept ice on my shoulder 30 minutes out of every hour the entire way and worked my liver overtime with 1000 mg of ibuprofen. I was encouraged to find that about 2 hours into the flight I could raise my arm above my head without an excruciating amount of pain.

Finally landed in Tampa and Bigun met us at the gate... grabbing my bag, giving me a sling, and generally being a mother-hen. Sent another series of texts... the first to Liz, "Its ON! Bring the disk!". I was very optimistic at this point. I could move my arm, my bag AND my bike had arrived unscathed, and Bigun brought me pain medication. Things were lookin up!

Whew... that's all I got for the day. So much for not dragging this out. More tomorrow. In the meantime...

Breathe...

The Thank Yous!!!

2008-11-16T07:21:00.000-08:00

I can't seem to find the intestinal fortitude to actually complete my race report. I'm probably over-thinking it. SO... before I get into the race report... I really need to take a little time and thank some people that have been an integral part of what has been a VERY long 2nd season in triathlon.

You may recognize the people at left. Honestly, I don't even know where to begin. I started this whole triathlon thing 2 years ago b/c I saw a couple of my less-than in shape friends doing it and thought, "I can do that!". None of us realized the impact that first race would have on our lives. To say that my family has been "supportive" simply falls short. They've come along with me through the entire journey... sharing in my successes and failures. Particularly over this last year... we've had some challenges... and we've learned a LOT. This sport can truly consume you if you let it. I want to thank them specifically for reeling me back in and keeping me focused on the big picture... without pointing fingers, nagging, or judging. Thank you you guys. I love you.

Take a look at the chick on the right. No, not the tall skinny one. The short, cute one. You might have heard me mention her name a couple of times. Her name is Liz, and she's my coach. She started working with me at the beginning of the year. Let me say this, I would not have had the success that I did this year, without her patience, guidance, support, and expertise. She focused me, pushed me, challenged me, educated me, and talked me down from quite a few post-workout meltdowns. She put up with my annoying and random text messages and kindly answered ALL of my stupid questions in a MORE than timely manner. I am eternally grateful to ELF. She's like the smarter little sister that I never had, and I couldn't imagine launching into my 2009 season and meeting the challenges of IM Coeur D'Alene without her. THANK YOU LIZ!

Sally. I want to thank Sally. Couldn't have done it without you. Serious. THANK YOU SALLY! Hm.

LifeCycle and Gilad. Thanks for all your support you crazy little buff dude!

Very special thanks to the Bigun. For the sling. For the drugs. For puttin my bike together and forcing me to be still. For the rides. For the support. For the company. For understanding De Oppresso Liber and for just plain bein there. Love ya big dude.

Lastly, I want to thank all of you. If you're reading this right now... you can be confident that you played a part in my journey this year. Don't laugh... it true. Thanks for taking the time to read. Thank you for all the kind words of encouragement and support. Thank you for your wit and your ribbing! You helped to keep things light and real. Just... very simply...

Thank you.

Breathe....

And so...

2008-11-10T19:26:00.000-08:00

it goes.

Just wanted to let ya know.... I'm home... I'm happy... I'm whole. Here's a brief summary:

Dislocated my shoulder on Wednesday.
Tried NOT to drool on Mirinda Carfrae on Thursday morning.
Met and squeezed Liz Thursday afternoon.
Met Memphis on Friday.
Raced on Saturday.
Lost my hydration at mile 1.2 of the bike.
Ran into a car at roughly 25 mph at mile 30 of the bike.
Peed for a solid 5 minutes in T2
PR'd

Yeah. Good times. Details to follow.

Breathe...

My game face is...

2008-11-02T07:04:00.000-08:00

... ON!

Yeah. That's the one... the picture to the left... you know... my game face. Intimidating isn't it? That's the look that I'll be giving Frenchy as I pass him on the bike.

It's no real secret that I've been a bit... off, the last couple of months. I've run the gamut in terms of what could possibly go wrong. Crazy foot injury, strained/pulled calf that just won't heal, illness, PLUS some serious emotional uproar on the home-front! There have been moments... o.k. entire weeks... where I've questioned if I should even bother heading out to Florida to do this race. Hell, I've even questioned whether or not I should even be doing triathlon period. I mean really... WHY? Yeah... it's been that bad.

Here's the thing... all that stuff... is ME. ALL of it. Right now. Right this moment. The ick and the yum. Ya know? That's the way it is, has always been, and will continue to be. That's life. The ebb AND the flow. If I was to make black and white decisions based off of singular moments... I wouldn't be taking into account the possibilities of what comes next. Does this make any sense whatsoever? To anyone? Aren't the future possibilities worth the temporary discomfort of the present? You could apply that question to anything really... what would you miss out on? So. Here I am. Completely raw. Extremely uncomfortable. Throwing myself out there... and believing that whatever happens... is supposed to... and I'm present for it.

Liz had this to say: "Mentally these next few days, you need to decompress and relax. Resolve things as best you can, but once you board that plane, put those issues in a box, close the lid, and leave it in Oregon. When you show up in Florida, it is ROB TIME. 100% ROB. Rob needs to be mentally connected, plugged in, ready to DIG DEEP for this one. Because it will hurt. Oh yes. It will hurt good." THIS... is exactly why I need a coach. I know these things. Everything that Liz said above... I know. I've told myself the exact same things. Thanks Liz... I needed to hear it from someone else.

Here's the "why" for me: Every single time I push/hurt/dig/fight/thrash/tear, I'm given the opportunity to discover something in myself that's mine and mine alone. I love that. I. LOVE. THAT. That's the why.

So here's the deal. I'm racing on Saturday, the 8th of November at the Ironman World Championship 70.3. My wave hits the water at 7:25 am. I'm bib #688. I will be one of 1,999 other competitors... and I will have NOTHING left when I cross the line.

Sunday? I'll get up and have a big fat freakin cheese burger in bed. You know WHY? Because I can... and I have zero issues with eating in bed... zero... none whatsoever.

Remember this guy? Yeah. Me too. He's the one that'll be racing.

Thank you for all your support. Thank you for "getting me". Thank you for listening.

Breathe...

The Silence...

2008-11-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

... is deafening isn't it? I'm gettin ready. This time next Saturday... I'll be turning myself inside-out... and I can't wait.

More before I go. In the meantime... I hope you're enjoying a beautiful fall day and no one is throwing up on you. ;-)

Breathe...

I forgot....

2008-10-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

to post this video of TOM! Hilarious and pretty much sums up my little guy. This is on the fourth day of our trip. We'd been going hard the entire time and on Sunday we decided to leave the hotel at a leisurely pace and head over the California Adventure. That place has a completely different vibe than Disney Land and is less jam-packed with all of us annoying tourist families! Anywho. We had a GREAT day in the park and for those of you that DON'T know... which would shock the hell outta me if you didn't... there's a parade EVERY day at the Magic Kingdom! Yeah! Cool huh? I mean really... where ELSE can you see a parade every SINGLE day??? So we grab some concrete in the front row. Tom is SO excited he can hardly stand it! We're waiting for the parade and he's sitting in my lap. He turns to me with that devil-may-care grin of his... here's the brief conversation:

Tom: "Dad? Can I triafalon?"

Me: "Uh. What do you mean exactly?"

Tom: "Right now. Can I triafalon?"

Me: "You gotta help me out here buddy. A triafalon? You mean right now?"

Tom: "Yeah. Right now!"

Me: (Looking over at Jack with a look that says, what the hell is he talking about? Jack shrugs) "Uh. Ok. Sure. Go triafalon."

Without another word, Tom LEAPS out of my lap... and this is what happened!

Enjoy and...

Breathe...

Disney Hangover!!!!

2008-10-18T07:37:00.001-07:00

I'm BACK!

Yeah... and take a look at that freakin turkey leg! I must say, that is quite possibly the most handsome picture I've ever taken! Agreed?

We got back from our 5 day Disney extravaganza on Tuesday night. Then, Wednesday morning, I caught a 6 am flight to Seattle for an extremely important (HA!) quarterly business meeting only to return later that night... around 11 pm. Needless to say... I'm just now starting to catch my breath.

Disney was REALLY fun! I will say that as an adult, this is NOT a trip that you take for yourself. Or at least I don't. This is a kid trip... and if you head into it without your "kid hat" on... you're sunk. You might as well pack it back up and head home... b/c you're going to be miserable. Lucky for me... reverting to 6 years old has never been a problem for me. Training came to a screeching halt and I indulged in things like the turkey leg, multiple Mickey-shaped ice-cream sandwiches, big freakin lollipops, and yes... an occasional churro. While all that food indulgence was fun... the hangover has been BRUTAL and I've had to fight the sugar beast every day that I've been back! "Hi. My name is Rob... and I'm a sugar-aholic". Seriously fell off the wagon while down in LA... but I'm back on and suffering through it!

Training picked back up on Thursday and I must say... I think the time off might have done me some good. In addition to my foot feeling pretty close to 90%... my brain needed a break as well. The whole family needed the time together... collectively "getting out of Dodge" did all of us a lot of good. It was just really great to hang out, laugh, have fun, and hold hands!

Clearwater is just around the corner! I have a couple of weeks of good, hard training before my taper. It is what it is. I'm ready-ish... and looking forward to puttin the hurt on some foreigners! LOL! I am ready. I keep telling myself that. Coach Liz reminded me that I have an entire year's worth of training under my belt... so yes... I'm ready. I'm ready to finish. The problem is... I'm not overly interested in finishing... I wanna race... and race hard. Having said that, this IS about the time that "Crazy/Headcase Rob" starts to get out of bed. You know the guy... he likes to worry about stuff. He likes to plant seeds of doubt. Knowing this... I generally pay him a bit of attention... make him feel wanted and needed. Then... just like Mickey... I kick him in the nuts and tell him that he's a little whiny bitch. Luckily... as the past has demonstrated... I'm done with him at LEAST a week before I race!

Hey! Does anyone have a Blackberry Pearl? Anyone addicted to the game that comes on that phone? Brick Breaker is the black-hole of time-suckage! I won't even tell you my score b/c those of you that aspire to compete with me would be so dejected... you'd just give up right then and there. Yeah. I've got skirrz. Like nunchuck type skirrz. AND... if you happen to be around me while playing.... I will do my best to distract you from your game.... using any mean necessary. Fear me.

Ok... that was random.

That's it for now! Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole. Enjoy some pictures from the Magic Kingdom and...

Breathe...

I'd like you....

2008-10-08T11:48:00.000-07:00

to meet "Sally Too". Here's a couple of adjectives that might describe her:

Beautiful.

Intelligent.

Funny.

Full of life.

Empathetic.

Oftentimes selfless to a fault.

Cleaver.

Quick witted.

Aware.

In-tune/in-touch.

Talented.

Driven.

Focused.

Emotionally available.
Real.

Freakin sexy as all get-out.

That's just scratching the surface too. The fit is coming along. Just a couple of tweaks to make and then we'll mesh just right. Fit is everything... and I think we're pretty compatible. I'm REALLY looking forward to riding her in Florida on November 8th at World's! I just FEEL faster on this bike. The weight difference is amazing as is the smoothness of the ride... its just even, rhythmic, purposeful... simply a dream. I'm really pleased so far! Quite a fun little purchase!

That's it for a bit! The family and I have a date with Mickey and the gang. We're heading up to Portland to spend the night and we'll fly out first thing in the morning on Thursday! What's really cool is that we'll be in the park by noon and riding our little fannies off! We really need this trip! We just have to get outta dodge and go have some FUN! Ya know? I just found out that we'll be able to see one of my friends down there from my Comedy Sportz days! Just an amazing guy and HILARIOUS! He hasn't seen the kiddos in a couple of years and he and Jack have always had a special bond... he's kinda like an uncle to him! We're all REALLY excited! Don't worry... I'm not planning on jogging while waiting in line. Although... it would be kinda funny to wear a body suit and run around the park a bit! Imagine the odd looks! "Hey! Who's THAT character???"

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole... enjoying the Fall weather etc.

M U

Breathe...

It's Definitely...

2008-10-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

here. The rain. See, people in the great Pacific Northwest like to call it "liquid sunshine". Personally, I think that's a lot of hooey. Gimme the sunshine that causes skin cancer over this stuff ANY day! *Sigh*... well... it is what it is... and this is the place where we have chosen to live and raise our family... SO... there ya have it! Embrace the rain... b/c it certainly isn't going anywhere!

So the week has gone pretty well training-wise. I was finally able to get in to see a sports medicine doctor and guess WHAT? He has no idea what's going on with my foot. I guess the good news, or maybe its bad, is that he doesn't think I have a stress-fracture. So what the hell IS it?! To use his highly scientific language, "Seems like you strained something". Yeah... no freakin kidding right? Duh. So... he wrote me a prescription for a carbon-fiber insert for my shoes AND he referred me to a pediatrist to have my feet checked out. Apparently I have high arches... and you know what they say about guys with high arches. Aqua jogging? Not my favorite. Can somebody please tell me how Coach Liz can make something like aqua jogging painful? I mean seriously.

Went out on a rainy ride yesterday. Though it was wet... it was really mild out so I was able to get away with shorts! Not a terribly taxing ride. An hour and a half in zones 2-3 on a hillier course. What I've really been loving about these bike workouts is that they're really geared toward building leg and hip strength... pushing up those hills seated and often-times over-geared. I'm amazed at the progress that I've made over the last few months in terms of climbing strength. Hills that used to completely wipe me out are now an afterthought... as I'm heading down the backside. REALLY fun for me. This was a really peaceful ride... alone... out on the back roads and highways of the Willamette Valley... me and my thoughts, the cows, the deer, and an occasional redneck. SPEAKING of which... came across the friendliest redneck you ever could have imagined yesterday!

I'm truckin along on a flat section of the ride... literally cruisin at 24.2 mph... feeling just plain good, ya know? Like, "Wow... my life? Is SO good in SO many ways." I hear what could only be a big diesel pickup truck coming up on my left... it pulls up beside me... and just stays there. Uh oh... here we go. I put on my best, nice-guy, give em the benefit of the doubt smile and turn my head to the left. What I see is a rusty, mud-covered, chew-spit splattered hoosier mobile and two BIG dirty guys with matching John Deere hats and tobacco stained smiles. Here's the conversation:

Me: "Hey guys. What's up?" (just like "gay robot" of Adam Sandler fame)

Redneck #1: "That's a fuckin schweet biiike dewd" (in your best redneck Southern drawl)

Me: "Thanks man."

Redneck #2: "How fayast yu tayk dat thang?"

Me: "I dunno... depends on the day."

Redneck #1: "Sheeeeeit. Yur haulin riatch now! WoohOO!"

Me: "Ha Ha! Thanks!"

Redneck #2: "Welp, get to it dewd. Wartch yer back out here."

Me: "Later guys."

Is that the most BIZARRE encounter or WHAT? I swear to god... only in the Willamette Valley would you encounter bike-friendly rednecks!

THEN... a while later... I'm cooling down and this very slick bike-path... lots of families use this particular path so its ideal for a cool-down... it forces you to slow WAY down. Anyway, I'm truckin along and I see this little dude up ahead on his bike. He must have been about 6 years old and his eyes were locked onto me. As I approached, I got ready to wave and say a friendly "What's UP little man!"... I'm 10 feet away from this kid, 6 feet, 2 feet, he hopes off his bike, points right at me, and SCREAMS at the top of his lungs, "BIKE RACER GUY!!!!!!! BIKE! RACE. ER!!!!!". Scared the living CRAP outta me! Seriously. After I got control of myself... I erupted into a true psychotic fit of laughter... I almost crashed I was laughing so hard! You should have seen his little face when he screamed at me... it was a mixture of pure joy, excitement, and intense fear... it was SO bizarre! I'm VERY thankful for that little encounter... b/c the laughter continued for the remainder of the ride and sometimes... if you're not laughing... you're crying... and to be honest... I needed a laugh.

Did I mention that we're going to Disney Land??? Well we ARE! We leave on the 9th and come back on the 14th! It's the happiest place on earth right? Riiiiiiiiight? Right. We need to get outta dodge... go kick Mickey in the nuts... eat ice cream and then go on some rides! YEAH! That's what I'm talkin about!!!!! Needless to say... I'm not going to train a whole bunch while I'm down there. Priorities ya know. I will say however that K has suggested that I jog in place while standing in line wearing my fuel belt... yeah... she's hilarious.... and don't think for a second that I didn't seriously consider doing just that!

Man.
Whew.
I just...
It's so...
There are moments...
That simply...
Whoosh.
Hm.
I like cheese.

Ok... enough outta me! I truly hope that you are all happy, healthy, and whole. Go out. Enjoy. Have a date. Sometimes your just have to put the duvet on the davenport next to the credenza and go with it! Don't hold your tongue... let it OUT!

Breathe...

Can you say...

2008-09-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

... a bit overwhelmed?

Hi! Remember me? It's Rob... you know... the skinny chicken-shit bastard with the funny face. Yeah! Hi! How are ya?

Ok. Well... its been another week or so since my last post. Are you noticing a general theme? Yeah, I am too. Despite my best efforts... my heart just hasn't been in the writing. In addition to being overwhelmingly busy with coaching and "working", (right PDW?), and training and parenting and husbanding... things have been, well, they've been... a bit off for our family. We're having some growing pains. Yeah. Everyone, every family, every marriage goes through it... the test is, do you have the balls to stay in, endure the pain, get comfortable with being uncomfortable and experience the entire gamut of human emotion to get to the other side? Look at the statistics. Most don't have the balls. I, however, happen to have HUGE ones.

ONWARD!

Oh. Wait. You know what is a GREAT word? "Dolt". Look it up... its pretty cool.

Ok. SO! Training has been a bit off. Well, at least my run has been. To make an extremely long and boring story short... I have a stress-fracture in my left foot. Well... at least I think. The problem with stress-fractures is that you really can't confirm one until there are new calcium deposits forming on the fracture to show up on x-ray. These deposits take roughly 4 to 6 weeks to form. SO... I am now relegated to "aqua jogging" for the rest of the year! YAY! Look OUT old ladys! I'm TOTALLY going to dominate you in the pool! Just a quick note... the stress-fracture, if that's what it is, was NOT a result of overtraining! It was a result of my own stupidity... which I'm not going to share. All I'm saying is, if you're going to play paintball with 12 year-olds... wear supportive shoes. Coach Liz has effectively calmed me down and has assured me that if I'm disciplined in the pool... my run will not suffer.

Other than that... my training has been going really really well. Clearwater is less than 6 weeks away! Can you believe it? I can! I'm SO ready to go have some FUN at this race! Anyone out there going to surprise me by showing up at the finish line... with a HUGE smile... arms held wide to catch me? What a nice surprise that would be!

My swim is... well... its my swim. I'm not necessarily getting any faster... or maybe I am... I dunno. What I do know is that my endurance in the pool has improved quite a bit. My lats actually bulge. I'm confident that if things go well... I'll put together a 30 min swim and come out of the water ready to fight on the bike.

I'm REALLY happy with where my bike is right now. I went out on a ride this last Sunday that was easily on my top 10 list of most fun/satisfying rides of the year. It was one of those amazingly beautiful Fall afternoons in the Pacific Northwest. You know the ones... the light... the temp... everything was gorgeous. In the middle of this ride I had 2 back to back 20 min TT's with a 2 min spin in between. I decided that I was not going to look at my wattage after the first 5 min. I had a number that I wanted to hit... and maintain... but I was not going to obsessively check my wattage... I was going to ride... just f'ing go... ya know. The shortened version is that I was 36 watts above where I wanted to be in the first TT and I was 56 watts above where I wanted to be in the second. Yeah. It's ON!

A note on friendship and love: Those that you hold close to your heart. Those that you love and cherish and respect and adore and are completely enamored with. Those are the one's that, while they may be far from you in a physical sense, they are closer to you than you could ever imagine. Just remember. Don't forget that. That kind of love endures... always. Things may eb and flow... but that is the way life works...

Whew. Whoosh. Man.

Thanks for reading. I truly hope that you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe...

THIS....

2008-09-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

... was me last Sunday. Can you say SPENT!? DONE!? CRACKED!? Yeah. I certainly could. But can you also say BREAKTHROUGH!? Yeah. I can. I'm tellin ya, that last week on the schedule was absolutely brutal. The odd thing is, as with most of Coach Liz's workouts, is that you look at them on paper and you say, "Eh. That doesn't look too awful.". Then you head out, and everything goes well for the first little bit, like the warm-up, then, the main-set starts... and you end up getting spanked. As a matter of fact... I'll admit it... last Saturday's ride on the 13th actually made me cry! Yes... I'm a chick... and that is NOT meant as an insult. I was just so mentally and physically exhausted! My legs were completely on fire... like painful to the touch and I knew I still had to run off the bike UNDER my half-marathon race pace... AND.... and and and AND... I was so overwhelmingly, intensely, consumingly HAPPY! Yes. Happy. Everyone has their own reasons for getting into this sport. Everyone has different things that drive them and make them swim, bike, and run to the best of their ability. For me, one key reason is that I like to peel my own onion... get down in those layers and see what's around... whatever it is, painful or not... I just LOVE experiencing the intense, full-range of human emotion. If that means crying like a little bitch... so be it. If that means laughing hysterically in the middle of a tempo run... so be it. If it means being so consumed with rage at my coach for prescribing a given workout and having a Tourettes Syndrom moment while dropping F-bombs at the top of my lungs running down the road... so be it! Gimme. Now. 2 years ago. Here in Oregon, SD, or in Phoenix... wherever... I want it.

So that was the week of September 15th. Very challenging. Very good. I would even say delicious. This past week I entered a recovery week... which was equally delicious. More on that later.

In the meantime, please look around. Go outside. Look around. See how the sun is sitting in the sky? That light. That warm, Fall light. See the leaves beginning to turn? Don't you just love this time of year? Yeah. I do too.

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

Breathe...

Here....

2008-09-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

is a sunflower field in North Dakota.. in the Fall. Isn't it beautiful??? I'm hoping to drive through one someday. Ever notice how the flowers turn their faces to the sun? Like they're basking in it? Makes ya step back and think doesn't it?

Breathe...

Yes... I'm Alive...

2008-09-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

I got lined out by a certain Beth for not posting... so HERE! FINE! Here it IS! Are ya happy now!? Geesh!

LOL... I'm only offended and defensive b/c she's right! I tell ya what tho... having just survived the first week of school for all 3 kids, (yes, my baby Tom started Kindergarten), working, being super duper husband guy, coaching two soccer teams AND training like I mean it... my extra time has been limited! Something's gotta give right?

Ok... so... ONWARD! After my "easy" week of testing in all three sports... training has picked up again. To use Coach Liz's exact words, "Workouts are building strong Rob machine". Seriously... by the time she's done with me... I might actually have something that remotely looks like an ass! Yeah! I know! Cool huh?! Take yesterday's ride for instance... lots of intervals.... over-geared.... up big hills... no whining allowed. Good times! Here's the power data below:

Overgeared/low-cadence intervals on the flats and the low-cadence up what I would call... I big freakin hill. This might not seem terribly burly to someone like James... but I'm tellin ya... my boo-tocks tell ME that it was pretty brutalis! Yes... "brutalis" is a word... look it up! Just because its not in the dictionary doesn't mean that it doesn't make sense! Anywho! My point is... the training has been challenging yet not overly so... I feel exhausted but I'm ready to perform the next day at the level that I should. Couldn't do it without Liz... and that's a fact jack!

This morning was a 1:45 min run with a tempo finish. I covered 14.2 miles which works out to an average pace of 7:23/mile. Not overly fast but I was happy covering that ground the majority of the time in Zone 2. The last mile of the tempo portion of the workout clocked in at a 6:30... that on really tired legs. My fitness is really coming along and I LOVE it! Stronger every week! YAY!

Other... more important events? As mentioned above, all three of the kiddos started school last week! Jack entered the world of pre-teen angst that is middle school, Lila started 3rd grade, and Tom? Well... Mr. Tom started Kindergarten! I'm thrilled and proud and excited and sad all at the same time! They are all entering another stage of their lives where there is SO much potential for FANTASTIC things to happen... and I just can't WAIT!

OH! AND! In addition to THAT!? Tom got to go to his first University of Oregon football game! As you can see... he was completely decked out in his official Duck gear and had a GREAT time! Of course... it was less about the football and more about the snacks that Daddy will let him have at the game... but who CARES right!? Football is for idiots anyway... uh... um... did I just type that? Out loud? Oooops... my bad.

That's about IT in Tri-Rob land!

Before I go... I just wanted to wish someone that I'm extremely close with, a very happy anniversary! You two are very lucky to have one another... here's to, "The rest of my f'ing LIFE!!!" LOL Hm... PDW! YES!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by. Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole...

Breathe...

Take A Moment...

2008-09-01T08:06:00.001-07:00

today... to say "THANK YOU!!!!!"... for completely pointless days off! YES! America RULES!

As far as triathlon goes... things are trucking along swimmingly! No pun intended. This past week, I retested in every sport to see how things are progressing. I HATE... I know, strong word... but I really do hate testing. Why? I'm completely terrified of failure! LOL... isn't that hilarious?! I mean really... this is a hobby right? My paycheck doesn't depend on my fitness, nor does the love of my family and friends. I just want to "do good". Ya know? This is all self-imposed pressure... and to an extent... I believe it's necessary. SO... keep the testing coming. It keeps me engaged.

So here's an outline of the results:

Swim: About the same as the last test: 1:20/100 yds
Bike: My anaerobic threshold has come up about 6 beats/min.
Run: I dropped 21 seconds/mile averaging 6:09/mile while staying within the same HR zone.

Overall... really happy! I'd like to see the swim come down a bit more and know that that is within my reach. There's ALWAYS room for improvement on the Bike for me! So I'll keep plugging away at that. The run... well... I'm happy with that... but of course... I'd like to get faster (sub 6 min miles would be ideal).

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

If you happen to be on vacation right now... perhaps at the lake spending time with your family... have a great time... take a couple of minutes every day to look around appreciate all that you have. You are loved. Hm.

Breathe...

Coast Pics

2008-08-27T21:09:00.001-07:00

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...

2008-08-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-08-20T17:46:00.001-07:00

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...

2008-08-13T09:13:00.000-07:00

... 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!

2008-08-10T13:04:00.001-07:00

<--- 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!

2008-08-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-08-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

... 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...

Out of the...

2008-07-31T06:40:00.000-07:00

... TREES!

The tree house vacation easily ranks as the top family vacation we've had in the almost 13 years of marriage! Essentially, it's like living on a hippie compound without the hallucinogens! We stayed in the Swiss Family treehouse which had a lower deck with a rope bridge over to the kid's bunk room. Above that was the "suite" where K and I slept. Waking up in the morning, looking out the open windows through the branches of this magnificent oak tree was incredible! During the days... we just hung out! It was one of those places where you could just let the kids go and explore... with minimal supervision... and they could just play... just be out in nature and play! Imagine. Be kids. There were other families staying in other treehouses so there was no shortage of other rug-rats for them to hang with. So amazing! In addition to a lot of "hangout" time... there were also activities like horseback riding and zip-lining to be done! You guys should have seen Tom on those zip-lines! TOTALLY fearless! Really fun to watch him just go for it. Jack on the other hand was scared out of his WITS! That was a good bonding moment for he and I... we got him through some really tough spots together... and he did the ENTIRE course despite his sometimes overwhelming fear of heights! That's my BOY! Lila and Kathryn opted for the horseback riding... which didn't float my boat but they had an incredible time! SO... to sum it up... that time with my family was invaluable... and won't soon be forgotten. We'll be going back... I guarantee it.

Training-wise? I think I'm fat. Ba Ha HA! Isn't that laughable? Not so much in body... but mentally... I'm totally fat. Its really weird. I have acne, I feel ugly and fat, and I'm a bit cranky at times... yes... just like PMS. It's perfect timing for me to feel like that... because I also feel like starting to train again. I'm hungry. I emaild Liz the other night and my heart was literally racing... I'm excited to get going! So. Essentially, starting next Tuesday, I'll be entering a 3 month build to the World Championships 70.3 in November! I'm thrilled! Speaking of that race... is there anyone out there that wants to travel with me? Sally! is coming with me for SURE... if anyone else is interested... lemme know!

Enjoy some pictures from out treehouse extrazaganza!

Bah ha HA! Kathryn and Jack couldn't resist taking at least ONE "horses ass" picture!

Thanks for reading! Hope you're all happy and healthy! Stay tuned... train begins next Tuesday!

Breathe...

Tom's 1st...

2008-07-23T17:28:00.000-07:00

"business trip"!!!!!

Every summer I take at least one of the kiddos on an overnight business trip with me! This was Tom's first time and I couldn't have asked for a better travel partner! Now, I say business trip VERY lightly. Yes... I actually DO get a little work done while we're away... but mostly, the trip is about a little one on one time with whichever kiddo gets to come along. With three in the house, time with just one is limited... so its a really really special thing to get almost a full 2 days alone with any of them!

Our very busy work schedule included: the consumption of massive amounts of gum, root beer, hamburgers, candy, and "junky cereal". A couple of trips to the community pool as WELL as the hotel pool, breakfast in bed while watching cartoons, dinner in a "fancy" restaurant, burping and farting REALLY loud, more gum, romping at the river park and more burping. That's what happens when you travel with a workaholic like myself... MASSIVE amounts of work! We had a great time and I'm sure both of us will remember it for year's to come!

Training continues as normal... which means light and easy. I'm a bit uh... BORED! But I know that this is exactly what my family and I need right now

In the spirit of light training and family time... we'll all be taking off today to go hug MORE trees! Literally. We'll be living in a treehouse for the next 4 days! Isn't that COOL!? I'm SO excited!

Hope you're all happy and healthy! Thanks for reading!<

Breathe...

p.s. Is it just me, or does everyone occationally want to take a long road trip in a convertible along the coast while singing REALLY loud and smoking cigarettes? I'm just askin...

My Little Girl...

2008-07-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

is off to camp! For a week! Ok ok... not an ENTIRE week... but 2 nights and 3 days worth! Ugh! How the HELL did this happen? Jesus Christo!

I blinked... no... not you Blink... but I blinked and then she's standing there saying, "Daddy? Can you not dance when you're doing dishes? It's kind of embarrassing." Am I being dramatic? Yes. Yes I am. I guess "active recovery" for an entire month gives one time to reflect. I just love that girl.

On an entirely different note! Looks like Moonpie and CindyJo both conquered IMLP! Great JOB you two! It was fun watching your splits throughout the day!

Erich got 2nd in his AG down at Vineman! Bryan got 2nd in HIS AG! Beth? Well... I dunno yet but James emailed and said that she "killed it" The athlete tracking was down for this race... which absolutely made me CRAZY! But oh well! I'm also wondering how Ironmomjenny did! I guess I'll just have to wait.

Yet another week of light training for me. I'm planning on getting on the bike this week, I've been doing zone 1 runs in the heat for between 30 to 45 minutes, and my swims have been mellow and around 2,000 meters. All good things keeping my body active but definitely keeping it meeeeeellllllllooooooowwwwww. I'll be ready when next month comes around.

Oh! Speaking of the bike. Yes. She has been neglected since Lake Stevens. I've washed her and rubbed her... but I haven't yet taken her out of the road. I was thinking about her the other day, and I realized... I don't have a NAME for her! Holy CRAP! How disrespectful is THAT!? I've been with her almost 2 years and I've failed to name her! SO, I'd like it to be known to everyone out there... that my bike's name... is SALLY! Yup. The exclamation point IS included in the name... so don't forget it when referring to her. She's very very VERY special to me. We have a unique, once in a lifetime connection. It's pure. It's real. It will ALWAYS be there... regardless. I love that girl. Oh... did I mention that I thoroughly enjoy riding her? Yeah. I do.

Thanks for reading! Hope you're all happy and healthy!

Breathe...

Is It...

2008-07-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

... pictures like this that make my children think I'm weird? I'm guessing.... YES! Oh well. It's good for them.

Breathe...

This...

2008-07-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

... is the color blue. It is the favorite color of many people. But, in my opinion, very few can wear it successfully. I happen to know someone that can. So neener neener neener. Hm.

Ok! SO! I'm still in full recovery... mostly from that tragically LONG race report! Hee hee. I'm also taking the month of July completely OFF from structured training. Yup. That's right. NO SCHEDULE! I'm essentially swimming, biking, and running when and where and however long I feel like it. What I noticed after about a week of VERY little activity immediately following Lake Stevens, was that I turn into a bit MORE of a head-case. I know, I know... hard to believe but it's true. Kathryn actually said to me, "Can't you call Liz and tell her that you've made a mistake? That taking an unstructured month was a bad idea?" Hilarious... sort of.

July also happens to be a month FULL of family fun and festivities! We just got back from a little jaunt into the Oregon woods at Silver Falls. We hugged pretty much every tree we could and powered through what we like to refer to as, "The Batan Death Hike"... covering 10 miles of wooded trails and viewing no less than 7 of the 10 gorJESUS falls! Guess what? I only had to carry Tom, the 5 year old, for a mile and quarter of that hike! What an ANIMAL he is! Anywho... enjoy some pics from the trip.

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and learning something new!

Thanks for reading!

Breathe...

Lake Stevens 70.3...

2008-07-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

... part III... the run!

Do you ever just want to look pretty on the run? You know what I mean... good form, nice poetic stride, relaxed face. Let me tell ya... I looked PRETTY coming out of T2 and passing through the cheering crowd! I was pretty for a quarter mile. Then guess what? CRAMP! I'm not talking not about a little side-stitch... I'm talking about a full-blown seizure of my right hamstring! I went from beauty queen to troll in a fraction of a second! My mind was SCREAMING! "NO! NononononoNO! Not so early. Not yet. NO!". I changed my stride up and slowed way down. I closed my eyes for a second and concentrated on relaxing, breathing, rhythm. While my eyes were closed... I felt and heard people passing me. As I opened my eyes, I scanned left calves for ages... yep... TONS of people had made it past me. "Don't PANIC! This WILL resolve". Was I dehydrated? Was my bike fit THAT off? Did Coach Liz really do such a horrible job of preparing me? Do you notice a common theme surrounding Liz? I did a LOT of blaming! Its SO easy to point the finger isn't it?!

OH! Wait. ADD moment. Is anyone doing the LifeTime Fitness Series next year? In Minnesota perhaps? Lemme know. I'm considering it... seriously. Good times... ok... back to the race ramble.

I reached the fist aid station and slowed to a walk. I took in 1 gel, 2 cups of gatorade, 1 cup of water and started to put together some semblance of a jog. Up ahead I saw a guy with an orange singlet and a big 36 on his left calf. "You're mine dude. Game ON." Despite my best efforts... he drifted away. I was completely dejected. I couldn't believe this was happening to me... on the RUN of all freakin things! I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and trying to find a pace and stride that would keep the cramp in my hammie at bay. The next aid station came up and I took in 1 gatorade and 1 water while trotting by. I was beginning to pick-up some speed but nowhere NEAR where I had planned to be. I lost track of my splits but I truly believe that the first 4 to 5 miles clicked by at an 8 min to 8:30/mile pace. I'm not joking. Around mile 5 1/2, I was desperate to lay blame on someone. I was in a LOT of pain. I was really suffering and I felt weak. Weak physically yes... but more mentally dejected. I was being passed consistently and I just couldn't hold on... to anyone.

In real-life, I'm pretty freakin good at self-analysis and I'm definitely less likely to point the finger at someone else than I am to point it back at myself. This was NOT the case at this point in the race. Here's a brief synopsis of the rant that was taking place in my head: (please excuse the language), "Are you fucking KIDDING me? I KNEW I wasn't prepared to do the race that I wanted to do! Liz didn't have me do enough! I have done EVERYTHING she's asked me to do and its NOT good enough! If she had trained me properly this wouldn't be happening! I wouldn't be in a TON of pain and making an ASS out of myself! FUCK! I'm totally firing her ass as soon as this race is over!" Now, just typing that was really hard for me. I'm actually quite embarrassed. That's a cheap, chicken-shit way out... blaming someone else... but I did it... and I did it with a vengeance.

The aid station came up at mile 6, I took in 1 cup of gatorade... and something clicked. My head cleared. I looked to my right and I saw the lake. I looked up ahead of me, and I saw and heard the tremendous crowd. I passed through the throng of cheering people and I heard, "He looks rough." I'm serious. I heard that... I looked over... and it was like someone had slapped me across the face. "Liz never said you would be comfortable. You're not supposed to be comfortable Rob. This is your race. Liz prepared you. She did an outstanding job. If you want it... it's YOUR FUCKING RESPONSIBILITY. Its your race. You have to make it your's." I headed out onto the second loop and I was a new guy. My pace came down... way down... I was running in the 6's. I saw two guys in my AG up ahead just approaching the one hill before mile 7... I caught them... I moved slightly in front of them to make sure they saw my calf... then I broke them. I kicked sand in their face. I was smiling again. I could hear their labored breathing... hear their cadence increase... and then they would fade. I did this at LEAST 8 more times before I saw him, 36 year old orange singlet guy. "There you are."

I smiled. I saw him immediately after passing through the crowd again and started heading up the steady incline out of town. I had my eyes on the back of his head... nothing else. Mile 9 approached and... my right hamstring seized up. I heard myself yell, "NOT NOW!!!!!" which got some odd looks from those around me. I dropped pace, lengthened my stride, kept my eyes on orange singlet guy. As I reached the top of the hill... the cramp subsided. I tentatively pushed the pace. It held. I reached the turn-around at the top of the hill, grabbed some gatorade, and hit it.

Form, slobber, loud-breathing, gutteral noises coming from my diaphram... I didn't give a flying fahooie! I was either going to blow up and blow up big or I was going to have a spectacular finish. Forget about time. Forget about place. Forget about holding yourself in check. Go. Freakin GO! I FLEW by 3 more guys and at mile 12... I caught and DESTROYED orange singlet guy. Nothing personal.

I don't remember the last mile. All I remember is turning the corner into the shoot... checking over my shoulder... and slowing to a slow jog. I saw the clock... and didn't care. I was smiling, laughing, yelling to the crowd, tearing up a bit... by far... in my short tenure in this sport... that was the most satisfying finish I've ever had. I broke a mental barrier out there... and that simple flip of the switch just after mile 6... made the entire day.

Let me just say something about my Coach, Elizabeth Fedofsky. I love that girl. She knows what she's doing. She knew exactly what I needed to put together a good race. She prepared me without injuring me, overtaxing me, and making things tough on my family. She is an OUTSTANDING coach... and if you're in the market... without thought or hesitation I would HIGHLY recommend her! I'm sorry I was being such a bitch during the race Liz... and THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP THIS SEASON SO FAR!

Here's the times:

Swim: 32:45

T1: 1:21

Bike: 2:44:26

T2: 1:36

Run: 1:37:50

Total Time: 4:57:55

Overall: 88 of 881 finishers

Div: 13/111

So this brings me to the World Championships 70.3. I struggled with this. There were 7 slots available. I had mixed feelings about taking a roll-down slot. Then I thought, when do you EVER get to go to the world champs of ANYTHING and compete??? I took it and I'm happy I did!

Thanks for taking the time to read through my blabber.... I really appreciate it.

Breathe...

Lake Steven 70.3...

2008-07-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

part II... the bike!

I know you all REALLY dislike the multiple-chapter race report... but too freakin bad! There is only so much rambling I can do in one day!

The Bike:

Coming out of T1 I knew I was in for it. Coach Liz and I had talked about my approach to the bike... and I knew I was in for pain. Not only is this a very challenging course, but Liz wanted me to go after it... take a risk... and accept whatever would come next. "Don't let people just blow by you... go with them." Uh. Ok. If you say so. I knew I could go hard on the bike... but what would that mean for my run? Have I mentioned that it's hard for me to let go and have faith in what those that know more than me tell me to do? Well it is... VERY hard for me... but that's exactly what I did... I surrendered to the plan.

The first 15 minutes I just settled in. I was passed by one of "those guys" with the bitchin bikes and mean face in transition... and went with him, holding on without much effort. I then started munching on half a Power Bar. Ok. Yes, they're yummy... but it took me a full 5 minutes to get the muther hubber down! Irritating! My power was holding steady and at the upper-end of my limit for the race. I felt strong so I just went with it. Then I was passed by, "clanky bike hairy leg sorta chubby guy", or "CBHLSCG". Yeah. Him. My ego SCREAMED! "HEY! What the HELL!? I shave my legs! He can't be stronger than ME!" Bah ha HA! Seriously... that's what I said in my head! I actually giggled... out loud... at myself. I'm a dork. Anyway, despite VERY hairy legs... he pulled away only to be seen again late in the 2nd loop.

A note on nutrition: I was planning on 1/2 a Power Bar at 15 min in plus one gel at :45, 1:15, 1:45, and 2:15 drinking one 24oz bottle of CarboPro + Nuun every hour. After the Power Bar... I began to hurp... yes, "hurp". I dunno what the technical term is... but I was burping up a LOT of whatever I took in. Not really puking... but burping up enough stuff that I had to spit it out. I just felt FULL! Not comfortable... but I knew that if I had a prayer at a decent run... I had to get the stuff in... so I did. I'd like to formally apologize to the dude with the fancy bike, wheels, n helmet that caught the majority of what came out of my nose during one particular hurp... sorry dude.

This course is HILLY. People say that about all sorts of courses... but when Luke Bell comes out and says that its perhaps the toughest bike course at this distance in the United States... that pretty much solidifies it for me. My bike and me... we do really well on flats and downhills. Uphill? Different story on this day. People would come around me... I'd try to hang... they'd pull away... I'd blow by them on the subsequent downhill and flats... giggle some and smile... then they'd come around me again on the next hill! Couldn't do anything about it... so I just rolled with it. The first loop came to an end and as I was heading out again... I thought, "Uh oh. I'm tired." Which is about the exact time I started to blame Coach Liz. More on that later.

The second loop began and I looked at my power. Despite my best efforts, I saw the average begin to drop... not by much... but just enough to make me concerned. "Hold ON Rob... don't be a fucking pussy!" (please excuse the expletives). Don't you just LOVE the mental games you play with yourself in these races? To make matters worse, I caught up to a 26 year old kid that would NOT stop talking smack and I could NOT shake him... for the rest of the bike! ARG! I wanted to punch that guy in the neck... but I didn't... and I just played leapfrog with him and tried to drop him every chance I got. In retrospect, I'm glad he was there. Without him I probably would have lost focus and actually listened to the voice in my head that was saying, "You suck Rob. What the hell are you doing out here? You think you're sooooooo cool! Now look... you're floundering on this bike and your run is going to suck ASS!" SO... thank you annoying, smack-talking young guy! I love you.

At mile 52 I was totally done with the stupid bike! There was a left turn with a sign that said, "To Transition"... and I was SO happy to see it! However... the next 4 miles were hellishly long and included a couple of fairly steep climbs. I also got to see and pass "CBHLSCG"... which was the only bright spot of the last 4 miles. I cursed a bit. I resented Coach Liz. I tried to stay positive and think about what was happening in that particular moment... rather than thinking too far forward. Within that particular moment, I was tired. My legs felt like jelly. My belly was so full of sports drink and gels that I felt like a bulemic ready to burst. I wasn't having fun... I was beginning to really suffer... which made me MORE mad at Liz. How DARE she not prepare me to do this bike course fast AND comfortable! The NERVE of that woman! The unmitigated GAUL!

Look at the picture. Do I look comfortable? Do I look like I'm having fun? Do I look like a happy boy? Nope. None of the above. Suffering... but that is what I was supposed to do right? That was the plan. Mission accomplished!

Finally, I begin to hear the crowd about a 1/2 mile out... what a relief! The crowd's energy completely snapped me out of my pitty pot! I felt good! I was ready to run my skinny chicken-shit bastard ass off! I slid my feet out of my shoes and came in hot to the dismount line... off the bike... sprint to my rack... NO BIKES THERE! YAY! Rack bike, helmet off, shoes on, grab visor and gels and I'm heading out through that amazing crowd on the hot corner!

Bike Split: 2:44;26

I was in the zone baby. The crowd disappeared. The only noise I heard was the "patpatpatpat" of my feet on the blacktop. Short, snappy strides, settle in, find your running legs... and...

Breathe...

Lake Stevens 70.3...

2008-07-08T21:21:00.000-07:00

... race report. Despite my best efforts... I'm sure this'll be long and drawn-out... so bear with me here while I ramble through pre-race and swim!

Pre-Race:

Scott, Erich and I got up to the host hotel in the early evening of the 4th and got to bed early! Sparing you the details... we got our packets the next morning and headed out to the race site for a quick preview of the swim, the bike, and the run courses.

The water was a balmy 72.5 degrees and was clean and clear. So clear in fact that you could see the buoy line for the entire length of the swim... more on that later. Swam for 15 min at the most and did a couple of race-pace efforts... felt delicious!

We hopped on our bikes and spun through the two loop run course. This was really helpful. I am just a whole heck of a lot more comfortable and confident if I know all the nooks n crannies of the course. We got some good perspective on the more challenging parts of the course.. specifically a rather long climb on the out and back section of the run. "I see you hill". Legs felt fresh and ready to go!

We then headed out in the car to drive the bike course. The odd thing is that the hills never really interpret well when you're in a car. You know what I mean? You're so out of touch with the road and the environment that you can't get the proper perspective on what the climbs are actually like. Better than having no perspective at all right? I had heard that this was a difficult/hilly bike course... and yeah... it was. Good enough! We dropped our bikes in transition, ate some dinner and headed back to the hotel.

I'm trying to think back to exactly what was going on in my head that day... and really... there wasn't a whole lot there. I can remember getting excited at points throughout the day... but I never felt nervous or anxious... not once. THAT is why I'm such a big freak the week before a race... so I don't have to deal with any of those feelings the day before. Works for me I guess.

Race Day!

As usual, I got up at the ass-crack of dawn. 3:15 am might seem ridiculous to you guys but to me... its perfect! I got up, showered, shaved, threw a bagel with peanut butter, some oatmeal, a banana, a Cliff Bar, and some sports drink down my gullet and was ready to go!

We got to transition at about 4:50... MORE than enough time to double check our bikes and get all our nutrition together. I don't like being rushed... so extra time is always a good thing. Plus, its fun to watch others come in to set up. There were some VERY serious faces there that morning... and what's really odd is that they really don't know how to respond when I smile and say a sincere, friendly "Hello". It REALLY throws most of them for a loop... particularly the guys. You know those guys... the one's with the perpetual glare that says, "I'm super fast and I'm going to kick your ass"... yeah... those guys. The one's with the fancy bikes that you pass and say "Hi" to on the second loop of the bike course. FUN!

Anywho, I donned my wetsuit and walked down to the water, hopped in, and warmed up. This was a wave start and my wave was set to go at 6:41 am. I felt good. Confident. Settled. Happy.

On a side note: You women out there... if you see a necklace or some earrings that you think would look good on ya... just freakin BUY the damn things ok? That's rock solid... and you deserve it!

<---- THIS is a GOOD look!

The Swim:

I sauntered out onto the dock then jumped in the water. I ended up talking to a guy that I had raced earlier in the season at the Duck Bill Thrill Olympic... small world. I lined up at the front left and had a surprising amount of room... why weren't these guys jockeying for position. Huh. OK. Whatever. Out of the blue, the horn blasted and we were off! Coach Liz and I had discussed the plan for the swim and I was going to do everything I could to stick to it. To sum it up... I was NOT to go balls-out. The plan was NOT to surge at the beginning but to ease into the swim, find some feet, and stick with them. I've NEVER been able to find feet... let alone stick with them but I was bound and determined to this time. Contrary to other people's experience with this swim start... I had ZERO issues! As a matter of fact... I remember thinking, "Hey! Why aren't I getting pummeled?" I immediately found feet just to the left of the buoy-line and hung on... I felt like they weren't moving quickly enough so I went around and found more feet. Then it donned on me: "This is a race. This is a 70.3! HEY! I'm racing in a 70.3! This is freakin COOL!" Isn't that odd? I was just so relaxed... maybe too relaxed? I dunno. I only sighted 5 times the entire swim. I was on the buoy line the entire time... concentrating on my pull and rotation... finding feet... leaving feet... passing people with different color caps. I never once felt taxed or overworked... even when I'd surge to get around someone... I was just comfortable. Not having to look up at ALL basically, didn't hurt a bit. At the water exit I waited until my hands dug into the bank before I stood up and then took off at a relative sprint. Looking around heading into T1 there were a TON of bikes left on my rack. Considering I was racked next to all the rest of my AG competitors I thought this was a good sign.

Swim Time: 32:45

Overall I'm happy-ish with this swim. The thing I'm MOST happy about is gaining experience in drafting as well as pacing. Everything was even-keel from beginning to end. I would like to see that time get down to 30 flat or below... and I know that's well within my reach.

T1:

Wetsuit off, number belt on, glasses on, helmet on GO! Shoes were clipped in already so I hit the mount line and started to go to work...

Until tomorrow...

Breathe..