Hey everyone!
Here is my first blog post from Sunny California! San Diego has been amazing so far, between the sunny skies, great view from the apartment and seeing the Pacific Ocean for the first time, it has been a great week.
A recap of the highlights:
Monday began with saying goodbye to Washington, D.C. for two months. I'll miss everyone there, and I will be back shortly. The cab came and got me around 10:00 a.m. and took me to DCA. I'm always surprised flying out of there, no wait to check in, and fly right through check in. After sitting in the terminal for about an hour and a half I got on the plane to O'Hare. Flight was fairly uneventful. I was disappointed that the government associate did not think that I would want a window seat, or at least a row that was not over the wing. Neither happened so the only view I had was to look up and down the isle.
After landing at O'Hare without a problem, I walk to the next plane. Can anyone guess what happened there? Anyone that has traveled through this airport know, DELAY. Now I was happy it was only a thirty minute delay, BUT still added time to the trip. AT this point I thought I would get some food but nothing sounded appetizing, I figured there would be something available on the plane. Of coarse, nothing except for a drink. Seriously flying across the country, tack on a few extra bucks on the ticket and just give everyone food. Not that hard.
I have to also say that anyone who is thinking that they will take their young child on a plane. DON'T. They have to sit there, not go anywhere, and don't like the change in pressure. LEAVE THEM HOME.
After landing at the airport, getting the bags and car, getting to the hotel was easy, checked in and got to the room. After sitting I realized I had not eaten and did not have food. I was too tired to go anywhere and just gave up. It bothered me the next morning to see that there was a McDonald's right across the street and food just everywhere.
Checking into the base was another issue. Apparently no one told me/my home base that we needed to do some other work that my internship didn't tell us. So I finally got in and started to learn the system that I would be helping convert (why I'm out here in the first place).
Friday (post work)
This was the first time I felt I could go out and enjoy myself a little without having to worry about work, sleep, workouts, etc. So I went to where co-worker (Christin) suggested. A restaurant in Olde Town called "Olde Town Mexican Cafe". I went here to try the recommended margaritas. Christin was correct, great margaritas. Anyone who is in the San Diego area should check this out. order an 1800 margarita. Just delicious, a little strong on the tequila but grand marnier makes it very smooth. I also got Chicken Fajitas, which were also delicious with about half a green bell pepper, some red and yellow peppers, onions, guacamole, and re-fried beans. Very tasty and filling.
Saturday (pictures here http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=hYL7bWZ7phw )
After having a good (wait great it's included so it is great) complementary, I went and got my ticket on base then drive to the ship. Parking right next to the ship was $10 for 10 hours! Seriously how could you be parking anywhere else!
I walked around the ship for 4 hours seeing a bunch of planes, areas of a ship, and listening to some interesting people with great insight to the intricacies of the ship. Follow the link to check out the pictures that I took.
After walking around the ship and checking out the flight deck, I realized that I only had breakfast before I went to the ship. I decided that I'd better go get dinner, so after getting a few things at the gift shop I headed to a place that was visible from the ship. The place is called "The Fish Market". This place had some of the best views, right on the water, and great food.
The meals I've had here have been at a bar since it is just me no need to waste a booth or table. I'm a fan though, I get the food really fast, and random conversations. I ordered Spicy Tuna Sushi which was good (especially with all the wasabi I added to it) for an appetizer. For dinner I ordered rainbow trout with steamed rice and vegetables. All very good, especially with the home brew Pale Ale.
Sorry for this being so long but I wanted to get the whole week out. I'm gonna most likely head to a beach or do some other site seeing tomorrow so I'll try to just blog about tomorrow in one blog.
Later
Aug 9, 2009
Jul 21, 2009
Finally An Answer!
Yesterday I finally got the results of an MRI I had on my lumbar (lower) spine. The Doctor I went to on the 13th wanted the MRI done after X-rays and hip evaluation ruled out any hip problems.
The result of the MRI was that I have a L5-S1 Disc Herniation; this has been causing the pain and numbness in my leg because of the pressure being put on my nerves. As of right now they want me to see a spinal doctor within their group. They have said that for right now the best thing for me is to continue with the Anti-inflammatory pills. The next step will be a localized cortisone-like injection to the area affected.
The benefit right now with this result of the MRI is that I know it’s not a leg injury. Since I have had the news I have started to slowly workout on my indoor bike trainer and tried arc trainer (similar to the elliptical). The self evaluation of the post-workouts is good with day after pain and soreness at a minimum. The soreness will come with added workload, but since this injury has occurred I’m taking the build up to working out slowly.
Biking is going to be the beginning of the working out, but soon I will add swimming. Since the angle and motion of the back while freestyle swimming isn’t very comfortable at the moment I will ease into the working out with stretches and exercises provided by Trainer Ali. If anyone else is having back troubles, after consulting a doctor, there are websites online that have great suggestions for stretches.
So that’s all that is going on now, but I’ll keep posting on the road to recovery, and in two weeks I’ll continue to blog about my trip and experiences in sunny San Diego, California.
The result of the MRI was that I have a L5-S1 Disc Herniation; this has been causing the pain and numbness in my leg because of the pressure being put on my nerves. As of right now they want me to see a spinal doctor within their group. They have said that for right now the best thing for me is to continue with the Anti-inflammatory pills. The next step will be a localized cortisone-like injection to the area affected.
The benefit right now with this result of the MRI is that I know it’s not a leg injury. Since I have had the news I have started to slowly workout on my indoor bike trainer and tried arc trainer (similar to the elliptical). The self evaluation of the post-workouts is good with day after pain and soreness at a minimum. The soreness will come with added workload, but since this injury has occurred I’m taking the build up to working out slowly.
Biking is going to be the beginning of the working out, but soon I will add swimming. Since the angle and motion of the back while freestyle swimming isn’t very comfortable at the moment I will ease into the working out with stretches and exercises provided by Trainer Ali. If anyone else is having back troubles, after consulting a doctor, there are websites online that have great suggestions for stretches.
So that’s all that is going on now, but I’ll keep posting on the road to recovery, and in two weeks I’ll continue to blog about my trip and experiences in sunny San Diego, California.
Jul 13, 2009
Injury Update
Hey readers!
this isn't going to be an exciting post or anything, just keeping everyone in the loop.
I had x-rays on my hip this morning, and it came back negative. I don't have any broken bones, or anything like that. The hip specialist (the part of the body, not that he was overly cool or anything like that) said that there was nothing wrong with the hip, and he was concerned with it being a problem with my lower back.
I now have an MRI scheduled for Wednesday where hopefully they will be able to definitely diagnose the problem and fix it in time.
this isn't going to be an exciting post or anything, just keeping everyone in the loop.
I had x-rays on my hip this morning, and it came back negative. I don't have any broken bones, or anything like that. The hip specialist (the part of the body, not that he was overly cool or anything like that) said that there was nothing wrong with the hip, and he was concerned with it being a problem with my lower back.
I now have an MRI scheduled for Wednesday where hopefully they will be able to definitely diagnose the problem and fix it in time.
Jun 15, 2009
One of the few things I hate to do....
I have been finally convinced that I needed to do something that I hate doing. That is, resting/not working out.
Back in January I was gearing up for two separate events, the Kinetic Half Ironman and rowing season. I was pulling consistent double schedules which consisted of a morning workout and an afternoon workout, in between was an eight to nine hour day of office work for the Navy.
Morning workouts typically consisted of a cardio workout, dominated by treadmill runs since running in freezing temperatures is not always the best decision, especially at 5 a.m. The afternoon workout would either be upper body weights and a treadmill speed interval, or an indoor trainer session for cycling.
The speed interval on the treadmill is one of the hardest workouts that I have done. A lady, who won Ironman Canada for her age group of 35-40 years old, explained the workout to me in between some minor coaching for my swimming technique in an Arlington, VA community pool. On the treadmill, run a mile as fast as possible, then take a slow jog for 30 (thirty) seconds, then repeat. My current best for this is 3.5 miles. And if done correctly, this will whoop your butt.
At some point in January, I did something to my left leg that caused mild discomfort when I wasn’t working out, but zero pain when I was working out. As the months progressed the pain got worse and started to affect my workouts. I, being a stupid stubborn athlete, felt that the pain was going to go away and I just needed to keep training to reach my goals. In my mind I was figuring that if I go to a doctor before my events that they would not want/allow me to race for risk of further injury.
Fast forward to my half Ironman distance, I completed the race and then the pain started to get exponentially more painful. Everyone who saw me said that I started to look like a 60 year old man, since I was beginning to have a lean forward because of the pain. My parents were the ones who especially were concerned. I was happy to hear that my dad would have not gone to the doctor because of the same reasons that I didn’t go to the doctor.
Finally after the triathlon, Preakness, and a few weeks, I got to the doctor, this is about five and a half to six months after the initial injury. She decided that I didn’t need an x-ray, MRI, or even medication for inflammation or the pain. I did get a referral to the physical therapist, who said that it was most likely a strain of the hamstring and hip flexor. The best cure for this would be ice, ibuprofen, and time off. The first two were not the problem but after getting the definite answer that the long run it would be best to not row at least for a week.
Currently I am in that rest week and I will be going to the physical therapist to see what the next steps are going to be. A few good things about the week turned out pretty good, a Captain friend of mine said, hey you could still do upper body, so I started lifting so it was nice to be in the gym and do some working out, and I enjoyed a few nights out at some bars which I haven’t been able to do with training, racing, and other events.
This past weekend I was able to go out to a very nice restaurant and have some foods I probably would never have tried if not for going with the group I was with. Also going to one of the nicest clubs in the Washington, D.C. area, “Josephine’s” to celebrate my girlfriend’s birthday.
Hopefully the physical therapist will give me a certain time frame to start getting back into workout out. My guess is at the earliest a week from today, Monday; I’ll be back on the water at 5:20 a.m. training like I always am. If I am really lucky I’ll be healed up enough to go out and enjoy the great weather recently in the area on my bike. At the least, I want to be healed up enough so when I head out to San Diego (59 days stationed there for my job) I can bring my bike. My goal is to ride some of the mountains that were in the Tour of California, more specifically, Palomar Mountain which is 11+ miles long at about a 7.7% gradient.
Lessons learned:
1.) Go to the doctor if there is pain for more than a week.
2.) Time off is not a bad thing, your body does need time to de-train/heal.
3.) ____________________________
Leave your own personal comment for me having read what has happened.
So now you’re up to date, I’ll be loading some recent rowing and triathlon pictures soon.
Back in January I was gearing up for two separate events, the Kinetic Half Ironman and rowing season. I was pulling consistent double schedules which consisted of a morning workout and an afternoon workout, in between was an eight to nine hour day of office work for the Navy.
Morning workouts typically consisted of a cardio workout, dominated by treadmill runs since running in freezing temperatures is not always the best decision, especially at 5 a.m. The afternoon workout would either be upper body weights and a treadmill speed interval, or an indoor trainer session for cycling.
The speed interval on the treadmill is one of the hardest workouts that I have done. A lady, who won Ironman Canada for her age group of 35-40 years old, explained the workout to me in between some minor coaching for my swimming technique in an Arlington, VA community pool. On the treadmill, run a mile as fast as possible, then take a slow jog for 30 (thirty) seconds, then repeat. My current best for this is 3.5 miles. And if done correctly, this will whoop your butt.
At some point in January, I did something to my left leg that caused mild discomfort when I wasn’t working out, but zero pain when I was working out. As the months progressed the pain got worse and started to affect my workouts. I, being a stupid stubborn athlete, felt that the pain was going to go away and I just needed to keep training to reach my goals. In my mind I was figuring that if I go to a doctor before my events that they would not want/allow me to race for risk of further injury.
Fast forward to my half Ironman distance, I completed the race and then the pain started to get exponentially more painful. Everyone who saw me said that I started to look like a 60 year old man, since I was beginning to have a lean forward because of the pain. My parents were the ones who especially were concerned. I was happy to hear that my dad would have not gone to the doctor because of the same reasons that I didn’t go to the doctor.
Finally after the triathlon, Preakness, and a few weeks, I got to the doctor, this is about five and a half to six months after the initial injury. She decided that I didn’t need an x-ray, MRI, or even medication for inflammation or the pain. I did get a referral to the physical therapist, who said that it was most likely a strain of the hamstring and hip flexor. The best cure for this would be ice, ibuprofen, and time off. The first two were not the problem but after getting the definite answer that the long run it would be best to not row at least for a week.
Currently I am in that rest week and I will be going to the physical therapist to see what the next steps are going to be. A few good things about the week turned out pretty good, a Captain friend of mine said, hey you could still do upper body, so I started lifting so it was nice to be in the gym and do some working out, and I enjoyed a few nights out at some bars which I haven’t been able to do with training, racing, and other events.
This past weekend I was able to go out to a very nice restaurant and have some foods I probably would never have tried if not for going with the group I was with. Also going to one of the nicest clubs in the Washington, D.C. area, “Josephine’s” to celebrate my girlfriend’s birthday.
Hopefully the physical therapist will give me a certain time frame to start getting back into workout out. My guess is at the earliest a week from today, Monday; I’ll be back on the water at 5:20 a.m. training like I always am. If I am really lucky I’ll be healed up enough to go out and enjoy the great weather recently in the area on my bike. At the least, I want to be healed up enough so when I head out to San Diego (59 days stationed there for my job) I can bring my bike. My goal is to ride some of the mountains that were in the Tour of California, more specifically, Palomar Mountain which is 11+ miles long at about a 7.7% gradient.
Lessons learned:
1.) Go to the doctor if there is pain for more than a week.
2.) Time off is not a bad thing, your body does need time to de-train/heal.
3.) ____________________________
Leave your own personal comment for me having read what has happened.
So now you’re up to date, I’ll be loading some recent rowing and triathlon pictures soon.
May 17, 2009
Preakness/Family Weekend
Well it is now Sunday after Preakness and man it was a great weekend!
Preakness weekend is something everyone should experience. I have been to Preakness now I believe 4 times, and this was my first time sitting in the Grand Stands. After sitting in the stands it is the best way to watch the races.
On a side note, the infield has lost it's excitement from previous years because Pimlico has decided to ban outside alcohol being brought into the infield. Everyone I have talked to has agreed that this was the worst decision they could have made. Not only was attendance in the infield down (some of it might have to do with the economy), but they tried to substitute an all day drinking event with cheap alcohol with $5 pint Budweiser, and a concert with Buckcherry and Z.Z. Top as the bands. Both of the groups are good but Buckcherry hasn't had a whole lot of hits and Z.Z. hasn't had major hits in a few decades. But I digress...
The group that went was myself, Paparazzi Melissa, my mom and dad (from Cincy), my aunt and uncle from Long Island, and a bunch of my dad's friends he use to work with. We had great seats right on the back stretch of the track. Most of the starts, and the better part of the finishes we were able to see.
On the trip up Paparazzi Melissa and I were trading papers and picking our horses. She would read the blurbs on the horses and I was doing the number analysis first, then we would switch. I would say my top three and then P. Melissa would call her horse, I would then cross that off my top three and pick my own. Apparently though I should have just bet with her. She won I believe 50% of the races she bet, and walked away up for the day.
The other winners of the day were me, winning two races where each of them was a payout on a $2 dollar bet, winning of a whopping $2.40. Dad won I believe the Preakness race, winning around $5 dollars on his $2 dollar bet. Everyone else I believe wasn't that lucky.
Throughout the day we all enjoyed souvenir glasses of Black Eyed Susan's. If anyone wants to experience this drink here is a recipe:
1 - 1/4 cup vodka
4 cups orange juice
1 - 1/4 cup light rum
ice ring
3/4 cup triple sec
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
4 cups pineapple juice
For the most part the drinks were alright, but the one's Paparazzi Melissa and I had were a little watered down from the ice melting. Uncle Karl was there though to save the day with his "special" water a.k.a. Grey Goose! Made the Susan much better.
Post race was a great time at Tom Drum's house where there was delicious food and good laughs. Scary thoughts that Paparazzi Melissa and I were complaining about the same parts of our jobs as the guys that are in their 50s. We are definately the oldest 24 and almost 24 year old's we know.
I'm going to stop here so this blog isn't as big as the novel I wrote for the first one. Pictures from my new Nikon camera that I bought at Costco are up on Facebook. Eventually I'll have to get my own Paparazzi tutorial on how to upload pictures directly to this blog.
here is the link to my pictures :
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=588817022/a=667222022_667222022/
Preakness weekend is something everyone should experience. I have been to Preakness now I believe 4 times, and this was my first time sitting in the Grand Stands. After sitting in the stands it is the best way to watch the races.
On a side note, the infield has lost it's excitement from previous years because Pimlico has decided to ban outside alcohol being brought into the infield. Everyone I have talked to has agreed that this was the worst decision they could have made. Not only was attendance in the infield down (some of it might have to do with the economy), but they tried to substitute an all day drinking event with cheap alcohol with $5 pint Budweiser, and a concert with Buckcherry and Z.Z. Top as the bands. Both of the groups are good but Buckcherry hasn't had a whole lot of hits and Z.Z. hasn't had major hits in a few decades. But I digress...
The group that went was myself, Paparazzi Melissa, my mom and dad (from Cincy), my aunt and uncle from Long Island, and a bunch of my dad's friends he use to work with. We had great seats right on the back stretch of the track. Most of the starts, and the better part of the finishes we were able to see.
On the trip up Paparazzi Melissa and I were trading papers and picking our horses. She would read the blurbs on the horses and I was doing the number analysis first, then we would switch. I would say my top three and then P. Melissa would call her horse, I would then cross that off my top three and pick my own. Apparently though I should have just bet with her. She won I believe 50% of the races she bet, and walked away up for the day.
The other winners of the day were me, winning two races where each of them was a payout on a $2 dollar bet, winning of a whopping $2.40. Dad won I believe the Preakness race, winning around $5 dollars on his $2 dollar bet. Everyone else I believe wasn't that lucky.
Throughout the day we all enjoyed souvenir glasses of Black Eyed Susan's. If anyone wants to experience this drink here is a recipe:
1 - 1/4 cup vodka
4 cups orange juice
1 - 1/4 cup light rum
ice ring
3/4 cup triple sec
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
4 cups pineapple juice
For the most part the drinks were alright, but the one's Paparazzi Melissa and I had were a little watered down from the ice melting. Uncle Karl was there though to save the day with his "special" water a.k.a. Grey Goose! Made the Susan much better.
Post race was a great time at Tom Drum's house where there was delicious food and good laughs. Scary thoughts that Paparazzi Melissa and I were complaining about the same parts of our jobs as the guys that are in their 50s. We are definately the oldest 24 and almost 24 year old's we know.
I'm going to stop here so this blog isn't as big as the novel I wrote for the first one. Pictures from my new Nikon camera that I bought at Costco are up on Facebook. Eventually I'll have to get my own Paparazzi tutorial on how to upload pictures directly to this blog.
here is the link to my pictures :
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=588817022/a=667222022_667222022/
May 13, 2009
Starting the blog with some back stories
Hello all! Welcome to my new blog! I thought that I would start writing a blog keeping people up to date on my training for rowing as well as triathlons. Also I hope to keep posts about trips/vacations that I am going on and include pictures.
I, as most of you know, currently live in Bethesda, Maryland. I am living with my engaged friends James and Kristine (wedding in September!) who put up with all my craziness. By craziness I’ll say the 9 p.m. bedtime, 4 a.m. wake up alarms, two and sometimes three workouts in a day, and the list goes on and on. I do want to point out that the 9 p.m. is earlier than my parents go to sleep, and possibly earlier than some of you put your kids to sleep (assuming you have kids).
My current schedule also includes a job working for the United States Navy, as a civilian. My job title is Financial Management Analyst, and I am currently in an internship. Some of you might not understand this so let me explain (like you have a choice). This internship is a full-time paid program, to make it simple I am an employee of the Federal Government but not. Confusing I know but I do get all the benefits of working for the Fed. The program lasts for three years, and is more of an apprenticeship. I get on the job experience while getting paid (YES!).
I’ll now go into a dream sequence of how I got to D.C., and into rowing and triathlons. ***Insert Wayne’s World “dellyu”***
I went to Ithaca College expecting to try out for and make the college baseball team. In the fall of my freshman year I was competing for a position on the team, and made it through the first batch of cuts. The second batch I wasn’t so lucky. This was truly a blessing in disguise. I decided that I would need to get in better shape to make the team, and started going to the gym six times a week.
While at the gym I saw this strange machine that vaguely looked like something that I could gain cardio fitness on for baseball. While working out on this machine a few times a week and getting a decent distance (in my mind) for 20 minute pieces I started to wonder how I was doing. I needed a baseline to compare my time/distance.
I was talking to my dad one night and he said, “E-mail the crew coach.” That to me seemed a little intimidating at first, but then I realized not to be such a wuss (actually called myself something else but we’ll keep this at least PG… for now). I email the coach and he to my surprise replied. I seemed to be doing alright in comparison to some people and then I started getting confident. My next email asked if I could train with the team to get ready for baseball, and if I didn’t make the team, I would join for crew.
The Coach replied with a “sure” sort of reply, and in January I started rowing with the team. After a few erg (that strange machine that I mentioned before) workouts, and five thousand (5k) pieces, I realized that I was better at this sport than baseball. So after breaking 18 minutes for a 5k I gave up on baseball and focused on rowing.
***end sequence one***
***begin sequence two – moving to Washington, D.C. ***
Through college I also met a good friend Steff. She led me to my current career working for the Navy. Steff also went to Ithaca, and rowed. She also had a dad who worked for the Navy, he use to work for a department that procured one of the many ships in the Navy.
Moving back home to Cincinnati, Ohio for a really crappy “job” after graduation stunk. This company’s name starts with a number that is only divisible by itself and one evenly, combined with the end of America. I was essentially out of work, except for part time work at an ice cream shop, Graeter’s ice cream.
Steff was hearing me struggle with my job search in the Cincinnati area, and mentioned that I might be able to get a job working for the Navy. One catch would be that if I did get the job I would row with the club her dad rowed with, Capital Rowing Club. How could I say no to that?!
Unlike many people, I was willing to move to where I needed to for the job. After finally being offered a position, I packed up a rental truck, my car, and my parents’ minivan. I drove the 500 miles or so from Cincinnati, through the better part of Ohio, a little Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia to reach the D.C. area. My parents were on their way to start my dad’s dream of hitting all 30 baseball stadiums in one summer, and they were able to help me on the start of their first part of the trip.
***end sequence two***
***triathlons***
I started getting interested in triathlons some point in college. I’ve wanted to push my body as hard as it can go to see when I would reach some sort of breaking point. Rowing provided a short term sort of stepping stone to the breaking point.
Triathlons seemed to be that option that would be endless. I could start with the shorter of the options (ended up being Olympic Distance), then work up to the big ones… IRONMAN.
Also there was a clip that many people have seen, and if not Google and watch it right now! There is a father and son duo, Dick and Rick Hoyt, Rick created a video clip of them completing Ironman for his father. This (http://www.teamhoyt.com/history.shtml) is their story. After reading their story, and seeing the video clip, I felt that if this man can do this while carrying his son, I should be able to do it to. It’s a very inspirational clip that could make someone believe they could do anything.
***end***
Triathlon Events
My first triathlon experience was in August of 2007, at the Great Buckeye challenge just north of Cincinnati. This was what is considered Olympic or Mini distance, which is 1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run (0.9mi, 24.8mi, and 6.2mi respectively). I was lucky enough to convince my friend Kevin to do the race too. More power to him since he only trained for 2 week before this event. Go Kevin!
I went through the race feeling nervous and excited trying to do my best while not dying. The swim went alright, had a minor panic attack/over excitement half way through and couldn’t actually use my “technique” for swimming. I ended up having to keep my head out of the water for the second half so I would be able to continue. Apparently from my fan base of my parents, Kevin’s parents, and “trainer” Ali, I was one of the first people out of the swim course from my wave (noted by my lovely sky blue swim cap).
Bike was probably the best for me averaging a little over 20 miles per hour. Lesson learned from this was the need for scouting the bike course (note turns and major hills), and that bikes aren’t the absolute key for going fast. I was beating men that were riding bikes that were much more expensive than mine.
The run was definitely what needed to be improved the most. Even though I had one of my better runs at this distance, I was slow. I finished the run in 58 minutes, crossing the line at 2 hours 39 minutes. This gave me third place in the group of four.
After the race was a celebration! Kevin and I both crossed the finish line. Feeling bad for convincing him to do this I bought the first round at Hofbrauhaus that night.
Half Ironman
After a little more than a year after my first dip into the triathlon pool, I was able to register for a half ironman distance triathlon, these distances are 1.9km swim, 90km bike, 21.09km run (1.2mi, 56mi, 13.1mi respectively). This was my second ever swim in open water, and my first even in a wetsuit. Official water temp for the day was 69 degrees Fahrenheit. The swim started just like the Olympic distance, had some sort of overexcitement and had trouble breathing. After the first quarter of the swim I was able to get my breathing under control and get back to my swimming rhythm.
Heading to the transition was the first time I stripped off the wetsuit in a racing situation. As I was leaving the water, I turned to my Paparazzi for the day Melissa and gave her what she coined as “the death stare” (pictures when I figure out how to do that). I kept moving and got to the bike, apparently too fast since Melissa wasn’t able to get a good shot of me leaving transition or riding on the bike.
The bike was an interesting two loop ride. They called these hills “rolling” but some of them were definitely not rolling, more like mini Rocky Mountains! The down hills were amazing, getting up to almost 40mph tucked in my aerodynamic position. For those that haven’t seen this, it is a feeling of being a little nervous.
The first lap felt great, I was able to fuel, ride hard and have little wind to contend with. For the second lap, God decided that it was time for a headwind. Somehow this headwind on a loop course never changed to a crosswind or tailwind. When the wind gusted it was an event that brought my mph from about 21mph to around 13 or 14mph.
My Paparazzi was waiting for me at the transition area, and was able to finish a practice C.F.A. test while I was riding! Cheering me on and taking a few pictures, seeing me on my way to the run. A minor lesson learned from this part of the event is to have two sets of insoles for shoes. One set for the bike clip in shoes, and one for the running shoes. Also Yanks! Laces are amazing and worth the four dollars (free if you spend a bunch of money at some decent triathlon shops).
The run had some “rolling” hills, more like roll my eyes these are rolling hills. The first hill that was in the run portion was like climbing up a wall, the second was a long steady incline, and the third was a short little uphill. The worst part was that the hills were not just one and done. After the first lap there were still two more laps of the same hills.
Preparing for this event I read many articles by professionals as well as coaches. The helpful tip for the run portion was to run between aide stations (on this coarse about ever 1.3 miles) and walk at the aide stations to hydrate. My first aide station was also the first time I had the opportunity to pee.
Using the restroom (“relief”) is one part of triathlon races that I have not been able to find information on. Relief on the swim is next to impossible; the constant motion has all the body muscles tense and moving constricting the relief muscles. The bike is hard to relieve yourself as well. This is more to the fact of not wanting to lose time, stage fright while cars are driving by, not being able to pull up the spandex or unzip the three-quarter zip on my tri-suit that “trainer” Ali got for me. The run is the only option currently, so after 4 hours and 30 minutes or so I was able to finally clear my bladder of all the hydrating I had been doing. At this point I also realized that I didn’t hydrate enough.
Mile 12 and 13 of the run were probably the longest to run as well as the happiest. At this point of the run I knew I was going to complete the event for sure. There was no way I was going to fall apart and not finish in the last miles. It was at this point that I did not have a focus of continuing, or hydrating. This was a time that I got chills in 80 degree temperature, and started to smile.
Crossing the finish line was an amazing feeling. Paparazzi Melissa was able to get the progression of approaching the finish to just after the line when my body was absolutely spent.
After finishing the race, I was excited to find more events to compete it. Currently I do not have more triathlons this year, but I will be on the look out. I will continue to ride and train in hopes of finding another triathlon that fits into a weekend that I do not have a regatta.
Parents are coming into town on their next retirement excursion. This summer is the Triple Crown of horse racing. This next weekend is Preakness near Baltimore, Maryland. Dad was nice enough to have two extra seats for myself and Paparazzi Melissa. Rowing this season is starting on May 30th in Washington, D.C. with the Stonewall regatta. In between these events is Memorial Day Weekend hopefully getting to grill out, even out my triathlon tan lines, and relax.
I haven't been able to upload photos on here yet so until then they are available on my facebook page.
I, as most of you know, currently live in Bethesda, Maryland. I am living with my engaged friends James and Kristine (wedding in September!) who put up with all my craziness. By craziness I’ll say the 9 p.m. bedtime, 4 a.m. wake up alarms, two and sometimes three workouts in a day, and the list goes on and on. I do want to point out that the 9 p.m. is earlier than my parents go to sleep, and possibly earlier than some of you put your kids to sleep (assuming you have kids).
My current schedule also includes a job working for the United States Navy, as a civilian. My job title is Financial Management Analyst, and I am currently in an internship. Some of you might not understand this so let me explain (like you have a choice). This internship is a full-time paid program, to make it simple I am an employee of the Federal Government but not. Confusing I know but I do get all the benefits of working for the Fed. The program lasts for three years, and is more of an apprenticeship. I get on the job experience while getting paid (YES!).
I’ll now go into a dream sequence of how I got to D.C., and into rowing and triathlons. ***Insert Wayne’s World “dellyu”***
I went to Ithaca College expecting to try out for and make the college baseball team. In the fall of my freshman year I was competing for a position on the team, and made it through the first batch of cuts. The second batch I wasn’t so lucky. This was truly a blessing in disguise. I decided that I would need to get in better shape to make the team, and started going to the gym six times a week.
While at the gym I saw this strange machine that vaguely looked like something that I could gain cardio fitness on for baseball. While working out on this machine a few times a week and getting a decent distance (in my mind) for 20 minute pieces I started to wonder how I was doing. I needed a baseline to compare my time/distance.
I was talking to my dad one night and he said, “E-mail the crew coach.” That to me seemed a little intimidating at first, but then I realized not to be such a wuss (actually called myself something else but we’ll keep this at least PG… for now). I email the coach and he to my surprise replied. I seemed to be doing alright in comparison to some people and then I started getting confident. My next email asked if I could train with the team to get ready for baseball, and if I didn’t make the team, I would join for crew.
The Coach replied with a “sure” sort of reply, and in January I started rowing with the team. After a few erg (that strange machine that I mentioned before) workouts, and five thousand (5k) pieces, I realized that I was better at this sport than baseball. So after breaking 18 minutes for a 5k I gave up on baseball and focused on rowing.
***end sequence one***
***begin sequence two – moving to Washington, D.C. ***
Through college I also met a good friend Steff. She led me to my current career working for the Navy. Steff also went to Ithaca, and rowed. She also had a dad who worked for the Navy, he use to work for a department that procured one of the many ships in the Navy.
Moving back home to Cincinnati, Ohio for a really crappy “job” after graduation stunk. This company’s name starts with a number that is only divisible by itself and one evenly, combined with the end of America. I was essentially out of work, except for part time work at an ice cream shop, Graeter’s ice cream.
Steff was hearing me struggle with my job search in the Cincinnati area, and mentioned that I might be able to get a job working for the Navy. One catch would be that if I did get the job I would row with the club her dad rowed with, Capital Rowing Club. How could I say no to that?!
Unlike many people, I was willing to move to where I needed to for the job. After finally being offered a position, I packed up a rental truck, my car, and my parents’ minivan. I drove the 500 miles or so from Cincinnati, through the better part of Ohio, a little Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia to reach the D.C. area. My parents were on their way to start my dad’s dream of hitting all 30 baseball stadiums in one summer, and they were able to help me on the start of their first part of the trip.
***end sequence two***
***triathlons***
I started getting interested in triathlons some point in college. I’ve wanted to push my body as hard as it can go to see when I would reach some sort of breaking point. Rowing provided a short term sort of stepping stone to the breaking point.
Triathlons seemed to be that option that would be endless. I could start with the shorter of the options (ended up being Olympic Distance), then work up to the big ones… IRONMAN.
Also there was a clip that many people have seen, and if not Google and watch it right now! There is a father and son duo, Dick and Rick Hoyt, Rick created a video clip of them completing Ironman for his father. This (http://www.teamhoyt.com/history.shtml) is their story. After reading their story, and seeing the video clip, I felt that if this man can do this while carrying his son, I should be able to do it to. It’s a very inspirational clip that could make someone believe they could do anything.
***end***
Triathlon Events
My first triathlon experience was in August of 2007, at the Great Buckeye challenge just north of Cincinnati. This was what is considered Olympic or Mini distance, which is 1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run (0.9mi, 24.8mi, and 6.2mi respectively). I was lucky enough to convince my friend Kevin to do the race too. More power to him since he only trained for 2 week before this event. Go Kevin!
I went through the race feeling nervous and excited trying to do my best while not dying. The swim went alright, had a minor panic attack/over excitement half way through and couldn’t actually use my “technique” for swimming. I ended up having to keep my head out of the water for the second half so I would be able to continue. Apparently from my fan base of my parents, Kevin’s parents, and “trainer” Ali, I was one of the first people out of the swim course from my wave (noted by my lovely sky blue swim cap).
Bike was probably the best for me averaging a little over 20 miles per hour. Lesson learned from this was the need for scouting the bike course (note turns and major hills), and that bikes aren’t the absolute key for going fast. I was beating men that were riding bikes that were much more expensive than mine.
The run was definitely what needed to be improved the most. Even though I had one of my better runs at this distance, I was slow. I finished the run in 58 minutes, crossing the line at 2 hours 39 minutes. This gave me third place in the group of four.
After the race was a celebration! Kevin and I both crossed the finish line. Feeling bad for convincing him to do this I bought the first round at Hofbrauhaus that night.
Half Ironman
After a little more than a year after my first dip into the triathlon pool, I was able to register for a half ironman distance triathlon, these distances are 1.9km swim, 90km bike, 21.09km run (1.2mi, 56mi, 13.1mi respectively). This was my second ever swim in open water, and my first even in a wetsuit. Official water temp for the day was 69 degrees Fahrenheit. The swim started just like the Olympic distance, had some sort of overexcitement and had trouble breathing. After the first quarter of the swim I was able to get my breathing under control and get back to my swimming rhythm.
Heading to the transition was the first time I stripped off the wetsuit in a racing situation. As I was leaving the water, I turned to my Paparazzi for the day Melissa and gave her what she coined as “the death stare” (pictures when I figure out how to do that). I kept moving and got to the bike, apparently too fast since Melissa wasn’t able to get a good shot of me leaving transition or riding on the bike.
The bike was an interesting two loop ride. They called these hills “rolling” but some of them were definitely not rolling, more like mini Rocky Mountains! The down hills were amazing, getting up to almost 40mph tucked in my aerodynamic position. For those that haven’t seen this, it is a feeling of being a little nervous.
The first lap felt great, I was able to fuel, ride hard and have little wind to contend with. For the second lap, God decided that it was time for a headwind. Somehow this headwind on a loop course never changed to a crosswind or tailwind. When the wind gusted it was an event that brought my mph from about 21mph to around 13 or 14mph.
My Paparazzi was waiting for me at the transition area, and was able to finish a practice C.F.A. test while I was riding! Cheering me on and taking a few pictures, seeing me on my way to the run. A minor lesson learned from this part of the event is to have two sets of insoles for shoes. One set for the bike clip in shoes, and one for the running shoes. Also Yanks! Laces are amazing and worth the four dollars (free if you spend a bunch of money at some decent triathlon shops).
The run had some “rolling” hills, more like roll my eyes these are rolling hills. The first hill that was in the run portion was like climbing up a wall, the second was a long steady incline, and the third was a short little uphill. The worst part was that the hills were not just one and done. After the first lap there were still two more laps of the same hills.
Preparing for this event I read many articles by professionals as well as coaches. The helpful tip for the run portion was to run between aide stations (on this coarse about ever 1.3 miles) and walk at the aide stations to hydrate. My first aide station was also the first time I had the opportunity to pee.
Using the restroom (“relief”) is one part of triathlon races that I have not been able to find information on. Relief on the swim is next to impossible; the constant motion has all the body muscles tense and moving constricting the relief muscles. The bike is hard to relieve yourself as well. This is more to the fact of not wanting to lose time, stage fright while cars are driving by, not being able to pull up the spandex or unzip the three-quarter zip on my tri-suit that “trainer” Ali got for me. The run is the only option currently, so after 4 hours and 30 minutes or so I was able to finally clear my bladder of all the hydrating I had been doing. At this point I also realized that I didn’t hydrate enough.
Mile 12 and 13 of the run were probably the longest to run as well as the happiest. At this point of the run I knew I was going to complete the event for sure. There was no way I was going to fall apart and not finish in the last miles. It was at this point that I did not have a focus of continuing, or hydrating. This was a time that I got chills in 80 degree temperature, and started to smile.
Crossing the finish line was an amazing feeling. Paparazzi Melissa was able to get the progression of approaching the finish to just after the line when my body was absolutely spent.
After finishing the race, I was excited to find more events to compete it. Currently I do not have more triathlons this year, but I will be on the look out. I will continue to ride and train in hopes of finding another triathlon that fits into a weekend that I do not have a regatta.
Parents are coming into town on their next retirement excursion. This summer is the Triple Crown of horse racing. This next weekend is Preakness near Baltimore, Maryland. Dad was nice enough to have two extra seats for myself and Paparazzi Melissa. Rowing this season is starting on May 30th in Washington, D.C. with the Stonewall regatta. In between these events is Memorial Day Weekend hopefully getting to grill out, even out my triathlon tan lines, and relax.
I haven't been able to upload photos on here yet so until then they are available on my facebook page.
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