Shaken not stirred.. December 31, 2006
Posted by anton in : Observations , add a commentHere we are on the cusp of 2007.
I remember being in primary school and thinking “I’ll be 46 in the year 2000!”
Tempus fugit..
Getting cranked up for running at Disney in 6 days and looking forward to it. All the training is done and I’m through it with no problems…Some years ago I wanted to do Disney after doing the JFK 50 miler in November. Someone flagged me off feeding me some crap about “Being too tired”…blah,blah,blah.
Did the JFK 42 days ago, and feel great…have put in some good runs (2.5 to 3 hours) since then. Good rides too as I build for next years Iron Shennanigans.
Swimming has been going well. Getting the form back and noticing I’m faster after a year of strength work.
Biking Is good…although I am chomping at the bit for LOOOONG rides but have to hold off till after The Goofy Challange.
Running…well,that always goes good.
Totals for the year:
Swim: 50 miles
Bike: 3,000 miles
Run: 1,500 miles
Strength: 71 hours.
Hours altogether:450…not much, but No Iron distance races this past year.
Why train for Ironman when you aren’t doing one?
Add in some hikes,rowing,canoeing climbing and other outdoor related stuff the total is up around 600 hours…
Also donated some bikes to Pedals for Progress, took some running shoes to a collection box for athletic programs over seas…and volunteered at some races.
Glad it was a laid back year…I plan on the next two being…bumping!
Happy New Year!
52 December 9, 2006
Posted by anton in : Observations , 3 commentsYours for free! What I have learned in 52 years.
(Caution: This post will invlove more than triathlon stuff.)
I’d like to say that in 52 years I haven’t learned a damn thing. Had lessons thrust upon me when I didn’t want them and didn’t ask…and other lessons were my own fault!
Many years ago…and I mean that…45 years ago that was a cartoon on TV and I’ll be damned if I can remember the name. The main character would spin through time and get into trouble and yell “Help Professor!” and he’d come back to the present. He would be admonished with:
“Be what you is, not what you is not. For them that is what they is, and not what they not, thems is the folks thats the happiest lot.”
It’s cold sitting on the front stoop in a baby carriage in December.
Having three older sisters was fun..and hard.
Part of me stayed in Ward 1 at Kernans Childrens Hospital ( I think about the others everyday.)
Parents make life difficult.
Parents make life wonderful.
The Nash Mteropolitian was perhaps the coolest car ever.
Going to church 6 days a week sucked.
Enjoy school, but remember, it only proves you are trainable and has no bearing on what kind of person you will be.
Let your freak flag fly. (Before it all falls out.)
Stick to your guns…but be flexible.
Specialization is for insects. (although that’s whay they are so successful)
If it jams…force it. If it breaks,it needed replacing anyway. (Applies to machinery AND life.)
When you choose teams…make sure you pick some of the unpopular people too.
Beautiful people are overrated.
Plain people are undervalued.
The love of your life shows up when you least expect it.
Remember your first race. Forever. (Allegany County X-C Champs. Dad watched. I puked.)
Push yourself…not everyday,but once in awhile. It will make you a better person.
Give to those who have less than you…but don’t brag about it.
Thank a WWII vet..before they are all gone.
Keep pets.
People die rock climbing no matter how much you try and stop the bleeding.
Death by mis-adventure is better than death by boredom.
You have 100 trillon bacteria on you and in you right now. I guess that makes them family.
Families are wonderful. Families are a pain.
Riding hard in the aero position gives you a skewed view of life. Ride the hoods and the drops. Ride with no hands.
Love early and often.
Every darkness passes.
A cold beer is better than warm wine… especially after you mow the grass.
Running IS a metaphor for life.
Being an orphan is just as hard at 47 as it probably is at an earlier age.
Learn to swim…NOW!
LIfe is good for this moment only. It might all go to hell in a handbasket 5 minutes from now.
Spend it now.
Life is short.
Be what you is.
Live.
Why I hate the pool. December 3, 2006
Posted by anton in : Training, Blogroll , add a commentI hate the pool. Pools have no character.You can walk into a pool anywhere in the world and it could be…anywhere in the world. I hat the pool because I have to go there to swim when I have a perfectly good lake 500 meters from the house. Going to the pool reminds me that I can’t go to the lake. Running trails around the lake reminds me I can’t swim there.
It’s a great lake…90 acres. Pretty clear. Flat. Gets white caps when the wind blows. You can canoe on it. Can’t swim in it.
It’s in a state park and the Department of Natural Resources says you can’t swim in it. No special reason. I asked.
Now, mind you, the lake does collect runnoff from the surrounding area which is mostly urban…Has a resident geese population and beavers for crying out loud…Can you spell E.coli?
I envision myself walking down to the shore wetsuit in one hand and towel in the other. Getting into the water and swimming about a mile one way and about one mile back..No turns, no chlorine, no lane lines,…peaceful and calm..getting out and going home…Nope. Not going to happen.
I schlep over to a pool that I have to pay for and swim in a lane I have to share with Moby Dick. Back and forth and forth and back dodging the Great White Whale as he can’t seem to stay on one side on the line painted on the bottom of the pool. Really, He bugs me, Moby does,… we chat a little. He has all the right to be there. He’s overweight…and just huge. 6′5″ maybe with arms the size of my thighs. He wants to do a tri one day. He askes about the IM tat and seems in awe. Just hard work and luck I tell him. We work on his swim stroke.He takes pointers to heart. He says he is sorry as he leaves, for taking up so much of the lane and making a pressure ridge as he swims by…we laugh. He is obviously uncomfortable about his size.
Moby Dick, the Great White Whale…hated because he is what he is…that’s all. I decide Moby is alright.
I hate the pool because it sometimes reminds me that I’m human and once in awhile prejudge people based on how they look and god I hate that. I should know better. The pool is a mirror really. It shows all your fitness faults and your technique problems…and sometimes it reminds you that even Moby Dick is human.