There have been enough comments on yesterday's unbelievable tragedy in Connecticut that no one needs mine.
Everyone is talking about what someone else should do about gun violence...and regardless of whether you are pro or anti gun, sure...something needs to be done.
In protest of the recent spate of senseless violence and killings (and I mean all of them....everywhere around the world), I'm fighting back with peace. I pledge to go out of my way every day for the next 30 days to introduce some kindness to someone else's life. I'm sure I do some kind things already, but I'm challenging myself to find something more every single day for 30 days.
Maybe I won't change the world....but maybe I will?
Will you join me?
ambassador
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
There Is No Utopia.....
As I was running today....down the hill and away from my house I came upon a plastic cigar tube broken and dirty....against the curb. It was a Philly Blunt cigar.....and even though I'm no drug guy, I know these are what kids use to fill with pot and smoke. My immediate thought was "how sad"....that some middle class kid is doing this for fun.
In my Utopia people wouldn't do drugs. They wouldn't drink to excess. They would respect each other, and respect the rules of society. Although they might not be friends with everyone, they'd treat everyone as if they would treat a friend. Parents would be responsible for their kids upbringing, and their actions. People wouldn't drive and text at the same time. You wouldn't have to lock your door or load your gun because no one would ever think about taking something that didn't belong to them. People would always walk their dog on a leash so a runner didn't have to try to figure out if they were about to get sniffed, or about to get bitten. Kids wouldn't necessarily agree with their elders, but they'd respect them. Girls wouldn't get pregnant at 14. There wouldn't be 30,000 separate and distinct religious denominations around the world all believing that they were the ones that had the true word of God as their guide. Rich people would pay taxes but no one would look at being rich as being evil. Poor people would pay taxes too....because everyone should contribute something. Kids would have the opportunity for a decent education anywhere in the country, and we'd pay teachers more than lawyers to guarantee that. Cops would walk a beat like they used to and people would look at them as allies, not enemies. You'd be free to listen to any music you wanted to, but not so loud in your car that you shook the windows on other cars. Facebook wouldn't change their terms of service and privacy settings every other day. Money wouldn't be the root of all evil, but the start of many things that were good.
In short, my Utopia would be perfect for me.
But as I ran along today I realized that if everyone conformed to my Utopia, I would be the only one living in a perfect world. Everyone has their own definition of Utopia...and many people have a vastly different version than I do. The guy smoking the Philly Blunt, dropping a 30 brick of Bud, and lying on the couch cursing his favorite NFL team is living the dream...his dream.
The guy running for an hour before having lunch with his son, preparing for the next week of work, and trying to figure out how to be a better husband and dad is living the dream....my dream.
I'm kind of sad right now....because this world will never get closer to my vision of perfection. Based upon current events we're getting farther from it every day. We're more insular, less tolerant, and more ready to step on anyone else's rights to preserve our own.
Maybe it's because I'm getting older....and that perfect vision of a society in which people truly want to belong is ingrained from my childhood memories....but I long for more simplicity in life. I suppose in the end the best you can do is create your own Utopian environment and let the rest of the chips fall where they may.
I often wonder what other people envision as their dream life.....and if I'd even want to step foot in it if invited?
In my Utopia people wouldn't do drugs. They wouldn't drink to excess. They would respect each other, and respect the rules of society. Although they might not be friends with everyone, they'd treat everyone as if they would treat a friend. Parents would be responsible for their kids upbringing, and their actions. People wouldn't drive and text at the same time. You wouldn't have to lock your door or load your gun because no one would ever think about taking something that didn't belong to them. People would always walk their dog on a leash so a runner didn't have to try to figure out if they were about to get sniffed, or about to get bitten. Kids wouldn't necessarily agree with their elders, but they'd respect them. Girls wouldn't get pregnant at 14. There wouldn't be 30,000 separate and distinct religious denominations around the world all believing that they were the ones that had the true word of God as their guide. Rich people would pay taxes but no one would look at being rich as being evil. Poor people would pay taxes too....because everyone should contribute something. Kids would have the opportunity for a decent education anywhere in the country, and we'd pay teachers more than lawyers to guarantee that. Cops would walk a beat like they used to and people would look at them as allies, not enemies. You'd be free to listen to any music you wanted to, but not so loud in your car that you shook the windows on other cars. Facebook wouldn't change their terms of service and privacy settings every other day. Money wouldn't be the root of all evil, but the start of many things that were good.
In short, my Utopia would be perfect for me.
But as I ran along today I realized that if everyone conformed to my Utopia, I would be the only one living in a perfect world. Everyone has their own definition of Utopia...and many people have a vastly different version than I do. The guy smoking the Philly Blunt, dropping a 30 brick of Bud, and lying on the couch cursing his favorite NFL team is living the dream...his dream.
The guy running for an hour before having lunch with his son, preparing for the next week of work, and trying to figure out how to be a better husband and dad is living the dream....my dream.
I'm kind of sad right now....because this world will never get closer to my vision of perfection. Based upon current events we're getting farther from it every day. We're more insular, less tolerant, and more ready to step on anyone else's rights to preserve our own.
Maybe it's because I'm getting older....and that perfect vision of a society in which people truly want to belong is ingrained from my childhood memories....but I long for more simplicity in life. I suppose in the end the best you can do is create your own Utopian environment and let the rest of the chips fall where they may.
I often wonder what other people envision as their dream life.....and if I'd even want to step foot in it if invited?
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Doors Are Wide Open
So...you wanted to race Ironman Texas?
Well, forget it for next year....cause it's sold out. I can't really say I was on the verge of signing up....but I was strongly considering it....and BOOM, it was gone.
See, next year was a non IM year for me.....but that lasts only up until people start talking about Ironman racing....then the wheels turn and....well, you know how it goes. Now, for the most part, the IM races I would consider doing are closed....except Louisville and Cozumel. It's not likely I'll go back to L'ville again and Cozumel sounds like a pain in the ass to get to and manage your diet (since a ton of people got food poisoning right after this year's race). So what's left?
Well, my annual race calendar looks full....right now I've got Texas 70.3 and SOMA as definites on there.....and Buffalo Springs with a bit of a question mark. If you add in the local races, new open water series events in NM and the Tough Mudder, it looks solid. But my plan other than that is pretty simple.
Keep my fitness level high....high enough that if I decide to jump into a longer race, I can do it with minimal changes to my training. I'll see how the year goes, how work goes, how my family times goes....and if I spot a race that looks tempting I'll consider doing it.
What races? Well, hell...there are a ton now. OK City Redman, Beach 2 Battleship, Louisville, Cozumel, the Rev 3 full race....all IM distances.
As I'm writing this I'm pretty sure I won't do that....but it will be nice to have the option. In case you missed it, BTW...it cost about $725 to register for IM AZ with the processing fee.....that's insane. But...triathletes are insane anyway.
In other news....I must be getting either older, smarter, or both. I've had 3 bit chances to JUMP into making snap decisions like I did all my life. I carefully considered IMAZ and IMTX and waited too long on both. Michi and I are discussing a new puppy to join our household and I'm putting careful thought to that too. I'm not used to this.......is this the way the rest of the world lives?
Well, forget it for next year....cause it's sold out. I can't really say I was on the verge of signing up....but I was strongly considering it....and BOOM, it was gone.
See, next year was a non IM year for me.....but that lasts only up until people start talking about Ironman racing....then the wheels turn and....well, you know how it goes. Now, for the most part, the IM races I would consider doing are closed....except Louisville and Cozumel. It's not likely I'll go back to L'ville again and Cozumel sounds like a pain in the ass to get to and manage your diet (since a ton of people got food poisoning right after this year's race). So what's left?
Well, my annual race calendar looks full....right now I've got Texas 70.3 and SOMA as definites on there.....and Buffalo Springs with a bit of a question mark. If you add in the local races, new open water series events in NM and the Tough Mudder, it looks solid. But my plan other than that is pretty simple.
Keep my fitness level high....high enough that if I decide to jump into a longer race, I can do it with minimal changes to my training. I'll see how the year goes, how work goes, how my family times goes....and if I spot a race that looks tempting I'll consider doing it.
What races? Well, hell...there are a ton now. OK City Redman, Beach 2 Battleship, Louisville, Cozumel, the Rev 3 full race....all IM distances.
As I'm writing this I'm pretty sure I won't do that....but it will be nice to have the option. In case you missed it, BTW...it cost about $725 to register for IM AZ with the processing fee.....that's insane. But...triathletes are insane anyway.
In other news....I must be getting either older, smarter, or both. I've had 3 bit chances to JUMP into making snap decisions like I did all my life. I carefully considered IMAZ and IMTX and waited too long on both. Michi and I are discussing a new puppy to join our household and I'm putting careful thought to that too. I'm not used to this.......is this the way the rest of the world lives?
Sunday, December 2, 2012
2012 - Je Sui Finis
Well....if the Mayans were right and we're in end of days....at least I went out with a bang.
I competed in the 2012 Polar Bear Triathlon at White Sands Missile Range yesterday.....this is the traditional season ender in New Mexico (although there is now an Albuquerque race that takes place next weekend). I won my age group in this event last year and placed 5th overall....albeit in a small field of about 50 people.
When I showed up at the race site yesterday things were different.....there were a lot more cars than I expected....when I went into packet pickup I saw the registration list and it looked like about 150 people signed up (included teams). There were 5 guys in my age group and the only guy I was familiar with was me.....I couldn't even pick the others out if I bumped into them. I told myself "Top 3 age group finish...no matter what". It's kind of tough to tell yourself you're going to win when you don't even know who you're racing. With packet pickup done I set up the rest of my gear, took a short run and ride....and took two hits off my Albuterol inhaler in the dry desert air.
Just about the only person I knew in the field was my old buddy Josh Sanders from Las Cruces. Josh was a member of our first team Tri Team SW....many years ago. This is the same Josh Sanders that blew past me on the bike early this year at the MVT Triathlon....and when I tried to go with him...I couldn't. Josh and I exchanged pleasantries and lined up for the start.
I seeded myself in the first 30 or so runners....not wanting to get bogged down in passing a lot of people. After the initial sorting I figured I was in about the top 30 or so athletes on the run. I picked off about 5 people on the 5K course. For some reason the run seemed longer than usual and it was a different course than I'm used to....but nevertheless I stayed on it and finished in 24 minutes. That was slower than I expected and seemed to portend a less than stellar day....but next up was the bike.
My plan on the 30K out and back bike course was simple...break their hearts on the way out....break their legs on the way back. I planned on going full tilt right from the start and made a deal with myself that once I passed someone, they would stay passed. I would go by with authority and break their will, showing them they had no chance to go with me. That's exactly what I did. I kept my head down and churned a monstrous gear for the first 4 miles that goes slightly downhill. I passed people fairly continuously.....and stayed on the hard gears as the road leveled out then went up a bit. Every time I went by someone I ticked up the watts a bit so they knew there was no chance they would even think they could come back.
As we neared the turnaround I decided to count the riders coming the other way....to see what place I was in. In a bigger field I didn't think a top 10 overall was possible...but I told myself that I must get in the top 20. Then I cursed myself for being weak "Screw you....top 20? Top 15...minimum" I told myself.
I started seeing the leaders heading back.....and counted off until I saw the turn up ahead. At the turn I was in 15th place overall....time to do some leg breaking.
I knew there were some real hammers behind me....and if I let off the gas I was going to let them come up on me.....so at the turn I increased my effort and pushed even harder. I immediately passed one guy....putting me in 14th. I spied Josh Sanders not far behind me.....and probably gaining. Every time I was tempted to push an easier gear and spin I asked myself "can I still push THIS gear?"...and every time the answer was yes. When I did shift down on some uphills I asked myself "can I push one more gear?"...and the answer was yes...so I did.
About 3 miles after the turn I passed another guy in one of those fancy aero helmets and sat 13th overall......and looked up the road.
There wasn't anyone left to target. I could barely make out a couple of cyclists in the distance but with less than 6 miles to go it didn't appear I was going to catch them. "Wait for the uphill MG.....they'll suffer on the hill".....so I kept driving...waiting for that 3 mile uphill stretch. When I hit it, I was all alone...no one behind me...and sure enough my 2 carrots started to come back to me. Again and shifted down to a bigger gear and stayed in the cups....trying to work my way closer to the top 10. I couldn't get them....although I entered transition within a 100 yards of them.
I quickly ditched everything but my shorts, grabbed my goggles and ran to the pool. This race uses a 25M pool with 8 lanes. You swim up and back in one lane...then duck under the lane line and keep going for all 8 lanes....for a 400M swim. As I put my goggles on, there was a tall, lean guy in front of me just getting in the water. As we got in he swam away pretty quickly. I didn't take the time to look in the pool and determine if I could catch anyone....I just got in. The water felt like it was boiling....I couldn't believe how hot it was...but off I went. At 100M I caught some guy who seemed to be cramping badly in the warm water.....but by this time Josh was in the pool and I was concentrating on seeing if he was gaining on me. At 50M back I felt like I'd hold him off if I kept my pace. At 250M I passed another guy who was starting to struggle....but since you have swimmers going in both direction in the same lane...I wound up in a scrum with two guys heading the other way. We tangled arms for a bit but I made it thru and moved up another spot. In the final 75M the tall guy's feet appeared in front of me. He was suffering so I stayed on him until we turned for the final 50....then I went for it. Pass completed I glided in to the finish. At the time I had no idea where I'd finished overall or in my AG....but knew I'd had a very strong race.
In the end I won my AG by 11 minutes....and finished 10th overall in one of my best ever races. Realize, I started this sport (at this very race) as an almost last place finisher....and on most days am a solid threat to finish in the middle of the pack....but I realize that if I keep working, I can keep improving. Yesterday felt great.....some vindication after a less than stellar Ironman Louisville.
I'll retire from my AG at this race as the 2 time champion. Although I'll be 49 at next year's race (If I do it), this race will kick off the 2014 SW Challenge Series so my series age would put me in the 50-54 AG.
As an added bonus, they had a raffle after the event and I won a free race entry to any of WSMR's events next year! Good deal...
I don't get many days like this.....so I'm going to enjoy this one for awhile.....
How does this affect the rest of my race planning for 2013? I've got very mixed emotions about that.....maybe another day.
Out.
I competed in the 2012 Polar Bear Triathlon at White Sands Missile Range yesterday.....this is the traditional season ender in New Mexico (although there is now an Albuquerque race that takes place next weekend). I won my age group in this event last year and placed 5th overall....albeit in a small field of about 50 people.
When I showed up at the race site yesterday things were different.....there were a lot more cars than I expected....when I went into packet pickup I saw the registration list and it looked like about 150 people signed up (included teams). There were 5 guys in my age group and the only guy I was familiar with was me.....I couldn't even pick the others out if I bumped into them. I told myself "Top 3 age group finish...no matter what". It's kind of tough to tell yourself you're going to win when you don't even know who you're racing. With packet pickup done I set up the rest of my gear, took a short run and ride....and took two hits off my Albuterol inhaler in the dry desert air.
Just about the only person I knew in the field was my old buddy Josh Sanders from Las Cruces. Josh was a member of our first team Tri Team SW....many years ago. This is the same Josh Sanders that blew past me on the bike early this year at the MVT Triathlon....and when I tried to go with him...I couldn't. Josh and I exchanged pleasantries and lined up for the start.
I seeded myself in the first 30 or so runners....not wanting to get bogged down in passing a lot of people. After the initial sorting I figured I was in about the top 30 or so athletes on the run. I picked off about 5 people on the 5K course. For some reason the run seemed longer than usual and it was a different course than I'm used to....but nevertheless I stayed on it and finished in 24 minutes. That was slower than I expected and seemed to portend a less than stellar day....but next up was the bike.
My plan on the 30K out and back bike course was simple...break their hearts on the way out....break their legs on the way back. I planned on going full tilt right from the start and made a deal with myself that once I passed someone, they would stay passed. I would go by with authority and break their will, showing them they had no chance to go with me. That's exactly what I did. I kept my head down and churned a monstrous gear for the first 4 miles that goes slightly downhill. I passed people fairly continuously.....and stayed on the hard gears as the road leveled out then went up a bit. Every time I went by someone I ticked up the watts a bit so they knew there was no chance they would even think they could come back.
As we neared the turnaround I decided to count the riders coming the other way....to see what place I was in. In a bigger field I didn't think a top 10 overall was possible...but I told myself that I must get in the top 20. Then I cursed myself for being weak "Screw you....top 20? Top 15...minimum" I told myself.
I started seeing the leaders heading back.....and counted off until I saw the turn up ahead. At the turn I was in 15th place overall....time to do some leg breaking.
I knew there were some real hammers behind me....and if I let off the gas I was going to let them come up on me.....so at the turn I increased my effort and pushed even harder. I immediately passed one guy....putting me in 14th. I spied Josh Sanders not far behind me.....and probably gaining. Every time I was tempted to push an easier gear and spin I asked myself "can I still push THIS gear?"...and every time the answer was yes. When I did shift down on some uphills I asked myself "can I push one more gear?"...and the answer was yes...so I did.
About 3 miles after the turn I passed another guy in one of those fancy aero helmets and sat 13th overall......and looked up the road.
There wasn't anyone left to target. I could barely make out a couple of cyclists in the distance but with less than 6 miles to go it didn't appear I was going to catch them. "Wait for the uphill MG.....they'll suffer on the hill".....so I kept driving...waiting for that 3 mile uphill stretch. When I hit it, I was all alone...no one behind me...and sure enough my 2 carrots started to come back to me. Again and shifted down to a bigger gear and stayed in the cups....trying to work my way closer to the top 10. I couldn't get them....although I entered transition within a 100 yards of them.
I quickly ditched everything but my shorts, grabbed my goggles and ran to the pool. This race uses a 25M pool with 8 lanes. You swim up and back in one lane...then duck under the lane line and keep going for all 8 lanes....for a 400M swim. As I put my goggles on, there was a tall, lean guy in front of me just getting in the water. As we got in he swam away pretty quickly. I didn't take the time to look in the pool and determine if I could catch anyone....I just got in. The water felt like it was boiling....I couldn't believe how hot it was...but off I went. At 100M I caught some guy who seemed to be cramping badly in the warm water.....but by this time Josh was in the pool and I was concentrating on seeing if he was gaining on me. At 50M back I felt like I'd hold him off if I kept my pace. At 250M I passed another guy who was starting to struggle....but since you have swimmers going in both direction in the same lane...I wound up in a scrum with two guys heading the other way. We tangled arms for a bit but I made it thru and moved up another spot. In the final 75M the tall guy's feet appeared in front of me. He was suffering so I stayed on him until we turned for the final 50....then I went for it. Pass completed I glided in to the finish. At the time I had no idea where I'd finished overall or in my AG....but knew I'd had a very strong race.
In the end I won my AG by 11 minutes....and finished 10th overall in one of my best ever races. Realize, I started this sport (at this very race) as an almost last place finisher....and on most days am a solid threat to finish in the middle of the pack....but I realize that if I keep working, I can keep improving. Yesterday felt great.....some vindication after a less than stellar Ironman Louisville.
I'll retire from my AG at this race as the 2 time champion. Although I'll be 49 at next year's race (If I do it), this race will kick off the 2014 SW Challenge Series so my series age would put me in the 50-54 AG.
As an added bonus, they had a raffle after the event and I won a free race entry to any of WSMR's events next year! Good deal...
I don't get many days like this.....so I'm going to enjoy this one for awhile.....
How does this affect the rest of my race planning for 2013? I've got very mixed emotions about that.....maybe another day.
Out.
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