I forgot....

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!!!!

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....

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...

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...

... 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....

... 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...