Have you ever woke up in the morning and seen yourself in a mirror and have been disgusted with what you see? Well that is the way I feel everyday of my life. It has been like that my whole adult life and I am not sure what to do about it. If I am small and in shape I feel the same way as I do when I am bigger and out of shape. So why should I be motivated to work out and lose weight?
So last week I said that I was weighing in at 250 pounds. Well when I weighed in this week I weighed 248 pounds. I guess 2 pounds is OK but I really like to see bigger numbers. I really did not work out too much this week but I have been watching what I have been eating. I did the elliptical 2 times and I lifted weight 2 times. I did not even run last week, maybe I will get to that this week.
Well I hope you have a great week!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Let's do this!
I have decided to make today the day I start living a healthier lifestyle. If you are with me great, if not bummer!
I plan on updating this more often and letting you all know what is on the Verg!
Peace
I plan on updating this more often and letting you all know what is on the Verg!
Peace
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Xterra USA "Race" Report
Pre Race:
It all started the Saturday before I was suppose to leave for Lake Tahoe to participate in the Xterra National Championship race. I was going to meet my friend Chad out at Fountainhead regional park to do one last mountain bike/run brick. Well the ride started out pretty uneventful until Chad got a flat tire. We stopped and changed his flat tire and we were off. Not but two second later he flatted again and that is when he learned he needs to check the tire for debris when you flat. There was a staple in his tire which caused the flat the first time, so he changed the tire and we were off again. We were going along the single track and it felt like my crank arms were crooked and I knew something was not right. I got off my bike and wiggled things around and could not find what was causing the weirdness. I started pedaling again and again it felt weird and this time I knew something was really wrong. I got off my bike and this is when I found that my frame was cracked. It cracked right at a weld point and my heart just sunk. I decided it was not safe to ride and we walked back to the cars. The only thought that was going through my head is what am I going to ride in Tahoe. I started calling around and my friend Frank Prior (mechanic at Bonzai) loaned me his brand new Felt Virtue II with some really nice modifications. When I say it was new, I mean it is new! This bike had never touched dirt and I was going to be the first one to ride it. The next day I met my friends Eric, Frank, Stacey and Chip at Wakefield to run the Accotink trail. The run went well and I was feeling really good. I also brought the new bike with me and gave it a whirl for a couple of hours. I tried to ride it hard and see if I was going to feel comfortable on it and even though it was not my bike I felt comfortable on it. I spent the rest of the week getting ready for the big race, and making sure that I was ready.
My flight left from Dulles on Friday morning at 6:00 am and I happened to be on the same flight as my friends Frank and Stacey. It was good to see familiar faces and I knew that the trip would go well. Frank told me that the only rule was that if his eyes were closed that I could not "Do Talk" and I knew that Stacey would sleep on the entire flight. The flight was pretty uneventful and we arrived in Reno on time. While we were waiting at the airport to get our baggage including my bike there seamed to be quite a few athletes getting there for the race, it was kind of a neat atmosphere. We made a few stops in Reno and made our way up to the house in Lake Tahoe that Frank had set up. What a beautiful drive and what a beautiful area, I recommend it to anybody that has never been.
The rest of Friday and Saturday was spent picking up friends from the airport (Eric Sorenson and Jenn Brown) and running errands to make sure we had everything we needed for the race on Sunday. We also got a run in and a nice pre-ride of part of the bike course. We went to may bike shops to buy warmer riding gear, rent bikes for Frank and Stacey and get the rest of the gear needed for the ride ahead. Saturday night was spent with the ODC (Old Dirty Core Group) -Stacey (she was not feeling well) at the pre-race meal at the host hotel. This was a fun event and it was a great evening spent with friends.
Race Morning:
Sunday morning rolled around early (not real early, it is an Xterra!). I woke up at 6:30 am and started getting ready for the race. I had decided that I would wear arm warmers and knee warmers under my wetsuit and once I got to T1 I would put on a bike jersey over my tri jersey for warmth. I packed my transition bag with what I needed and made my way downstairs. Once all five of us were ready, we took our gear and our bikes and made our way to the transition area. It was cold, I mean really cold and it made it hard to feel real comfortable getting ready for the race. Once we got body marked and our transition area set up Jenn, Stacey and I decide to go for a run to get warmed up. We went for a nice 10 minute run and I felt great. It was now time to body glide myself and put the wetsuit on and walk down to the swim start. Once we got down to the water, I put my two swim caps on and my goggles and jumped in the water to warm up. I would swim for a minute out and a minute back and I felt great. The water was really cold, but I thought I would be ok. They national anthem was played and it was time for the race to start.
Swim:
What can I say about the swim? The water was cold, the air was thin, there was excitement in the air, and I was nervous. This was the first time I had ever been able to say I had qualified for something and I wanted to have a good race. The gun went off and instantly I could not breathe. Every time I put my head in the water I could not breathe and I would get worried. I started breast stroking to catch my breathe and that was not working. I tried to float on my back and that did not work at all either. I was running out of ideas on how to finish this swim so I could get on my bike. As I was doggie paddling towards the first buoy, I came across my good friend Jenn and she did not look any happier than I was. It broke my heart because I know she had worked her ass off to have a good race in Tahoe and I wanted to see her succeed. I told her we would make it to the first buoy together and hopefully it would get easier. The thought had crossed my mind that I was going to die in this frigid lake in Nevada with nobody around me. Once we made it to the first buoy Jenn was able to start swimming and I had enough and I had no idea what to do. It was the hardest decision I had to make in my life, but I decided to quit. It hurt because I trained so hard for this, but I did not know how I was going to get through the swim. I looked at the police officer on the jet ski and told him to bring me to shore. I got back to shore, they took my number down and told me my day was done. That was the most expensive 300 meters I had ever swum. I later found out Jenn did not finish the swim and she would become my support for the rest of the day. I do not wish this to happen to anybody but if I had to share this experience with someone I am glad it was Jenn.
Bike: N/A
Run: N/A
Post Race:
I made my way back to the transition area with my good friend Jenn and packed up my gear. We made the decision to stick around and cheer for our friends to make sure they had great support. This is probably the time that I doubted myself the most I ever have in my life. I was starting to believe the people that told me I was not ready for this race or that I did not belong there. Maybe I had not lost enough weight or spent enough time on nutrition. Maybe triathlon is not for me and I am a boy in a man's sport. I did not know what to do or think and it was hard to not cry. This quite honestly could be the most devastating event since I have started doing this in 2005. Jenn was great support but I just wanted to be by myself to think things through. I am still not sure what to think about it except to use it for motivation for next year.
On Monday I woke up early and went for an hour long run so I could think about what had happened the day before. The run was fun and went well and it was good to just be by myself. The rest of Monday was spent with friends hiking in the mountains around the lake and I had a great time.
Special thanks to Eric, Jenn, Frank and Stacey for putting up with my shitty attitude and for helping me through this rough time. If there was one lesson that I learned it is no matter how much we train with friends, triathlon is an individual sport and there is nobody out there to help you except yourself!
I know it is long but thanks for reading.
It all started the Saturday before I was suppose to leave for Lake Tahoe to participate in the Xterra National Championship race. I was going to meet my friend Chad out at Fountainhead regional park to do one last mountain bike/run brick. Well the ride started out pretty uneventful until Chad got a flat tire. We stopped and changed his flat tire and we were off. Not but two second later he flatted again and that is when he learned he needs to check the tire for debris when you flat. There was a staple in his tire which caused the flat the first time, so he changed the tire and we were off again. We were going along the single track and it felt like my crank arms were crooked and I knew something was not right. I got off my bike and wiggled things around and could not find what was causing the weirdness. I started pedaling again and again it felt weird and this time I knew something was really wrong. I got off my bike and this is when I found that my frame was cracked. It cracked right at a weld point and my heart just sunk. I decided it was not safe to ride and we walked back to the cars. The only thought that was going through my head is what am I going to ride in Tahoe. I started calling around and my friend Frank Prior (mechanic at Bonzai) loaned me his brand new Felt Virtue II with some really nice modifications. When I say it was new, I mean it is new! This bike had never touched dirt and I was going to be the first one to ride it. The next day I met my friends Eric, Frank, Stacey and Chip at Wakefield to run the Accotink trail. The run went well and I was feeling really good. I also brought the new bike with me and gave it a whirl for a couple of hours. I tried to ride it hard and see if I was going to feel comfortable on it and even though it was not my bike I felt comfortable on it. I spent the rest of the week getting ready for the big race, and making sure that I was ready.
My flight left from Dulles on Friday morning at 6:00 am and I happened to be on the same flight as my friends Frank and Stacey. It was good to see familiar faces and I knew that the trip would go well. Frank told me that the only rule was that if his eyes were closed that I could not "Do Talk" and I knew that Stacey would sleep on the entire flight. The flight was pretty uneventful and we arrived in Reno on time. While we were waiting at the airport to get our baggage including my bike there seamed to be quite a few athletes getting there for the race, it was kind of a neat atmosphere. We made a few stops in Reno and made our way up to the house in Lake Tahoe that Frank had set up. What a beautiful drive and what a beautiful area, I recommend it to anybody that has never been.
The rest of Friday and Saturday was spent picking up friends from the airport (Eric Sorenson and Jenn Brown) and running errands to make sure we had everything we needed for the race on Sunday. We also got a run in and a nice pre-ride of part of the bike course. We went to may bike shops to buy warmer riding gear, rent bikes for Frank and Stacey and get the rest of the gear needed for the ride ahead. Saturday night was spent with the ODC (Old Dirty Core Group) -Stacey (she was not feeling well) at the pre-race meal at the host hotel. This was a fun event and it was a great evening spent with friends.
Race Morning:
Sunday morning rolled around early (not real early, it is an Xterra!). I woke up at 6:30 am and started getting ready for the race. I had decided that I would wear arm warmers and knee warmers under my wetsuit and once I got to T1 I would put on a bike jersey over my tri jersey for warmth. I packed my transition bag with what I needed and made my way downstairs. Once all five of us were ready, we took our gear and our bikes and made our way to the transition area. It was cold, I mean really cold and it made it hard to feel real comfortable getting ready for the race. Once we got body marked and our transition area set up Jenn, Stacey and I decide to go for a run to get warmed up. We went for a nice 10 minute run and I felt great. It was now time to body glide myself and put the wetsuit on and walk down to the swim start. Once we got down to the water, I put my two swim caps on and my goggles and jumped in the water to warm up. I would swim for a minute out and a minute back and I felt great. The water was really cold, but I thought I would be ok. They national anthem was played and it was time for the race to start.
Swim:
What can I say about the swim? The water was cold, the air was thin, there was excitement in the air, and I was nervous. This was the first time I had ever been able to say I had qualified for something and I wanted to have a good race. The gun went off and instantly I could not breathe. Every time I put my head in the water I could not breathe and I would get worried. I started breast stroking to catch my breathe and that was not working. I tried to float on my back and that did not work at all either. I was running out of ideas on how to finish this swim so I could get on my bike. As I was doggie paddling towards the first buoy, I came across my good friend Jenn and she did not look any happier than I was. It broke my heart because I know she had worked her ass off to have a good race in Tahoe and I wanted to see her succeed. I told her we would make it to the first buoy together and hopefully it would get easier. The thought had crossed my mind that I was going to die in this frigid lake in Nevada with nobody around me. Once we made it to the first buoy Jenn was able to start swimming and I had enough and I had no idea what to do. It was the hardest decision I had to make in my life, but I decided to quit. It hurt because I trained so hard for this, but I did not know how I was going to get through the swim. I looked at the police officer on the jet ski and told him to bring me to shore. I got back to shore, they took my number down and told me my day was done. That was the most expensive 300 meters I had ever swum. I later found out Jenn did not finish the swim and she would become my support for the rest of the day. I do not wish this to happen to anybody but if I had to share this experience with someone I am glad it was Jenn.
Bike: N/A
Run: N/A
Post Race:
I made my way back to the transition area with my good friend Jenn and packed up my gear. We made the decision to stick around and cheer for our friends to make sure they had great support. This is probably the time that I doubted myself the most I ever have in my life. I was starting to believe the people that told me I was not ready for this race or that I did not belong there. Maybe I had not lost enough weight or spent enough time on nutrition. Maybe triathlon is not for me and I am a boy in a man's sport. I did not know what to do or think and it was hard to not cry. This quite honestly could be the most devastating event since I have started doing this in 2005. Jenn was great support but I just wanted to be by myself to think things through. I am still not sure what to think about it except to use it for motivation for next year.
On Monday I woke up early and went for an hour long run so I could think about what had happened the day before. The run was fun and went well and it was good to just be by myself. The rest of Monday was spent with friends hiking in the mountains around the lake and I had a great time.
Special thanks to Eric, Jenn, Frank and Stacey for putting up with my shitty attitude and for helping me through this rough time. If there was one lesson that I learned it is no matter how much we train with friends, triathlon is an individual sport and there is nobody out there to help you except yourself!
I know it is long but thanks for reading.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Annapolis Triathlon
Pre-Pre-Race:
The weeks leading up to the Annapolis Triathlon I was not a very happy person. I felt tired all of the time and I was making poor choices as far as my diet and nutrition go. That does not seem like that big of a deal but anybody that knows me, knows that my nutrition and the weight gain/loss that is associated with it effects my mood (even though I know it should not). It might have had something to do with racing the back to back weekends, but I am not sure. The weekend before the race, a group of my friends were going to go ride the course as a preview and I was not sure if I even wanted to go. I ended up going and having a great pre-ride but I was still not very happy overall as a person. I thought that I would have an ok race, but I was not sure.
Pre-Race:
Saturday afternoon my friend Laura B. stopped by my house and picked me up because we had decided to carpool to the race. We got to Annapolis with plenty of time to spare. I picked up my packet at the stadium in Annapolis and ran into a bunch of friends and spent some time talking to them. I then got my bike inspected by the fine folks from the bike doctor, and it passed. At the same time I got my friend Jenn's bike inspected and put it back in Eric's manly van that it was being stored in. I rode my bike down to the transition area where it needed to be racked and took the bus back to the stadium. I then rode Jenn's bike down to the transition area. Let me tell you what, I need a sweet bike like that with a wheel set-up like that because it felt fast.
That evening Eric, Jenn, Laura and myself all went to dinner at the Red Robin. They, being the good friends that they are, put a 2 story limit on me for dinner time (I like to "Do Talk"). I had to choose wisely but I think my stories that I did get to tell were good ones. Jenn, Laura and myself got settled in at my bosses house (or in the girl's case my bosses boat). Race day came early the next morning.
Race:
Swim (27:38):
The swim was a 1.5k swim in the Severn River in Annapolis, Maryland. I was in the 6th wave and it started at 7:25am. As I was standing on the dock getting ready to jump in the brackish water my boss Bill was in a kayak cheering for me and my friend Dharma was also in a Kayak cheering for me, so I felt like a star! The swim was pretty uneventful for me. I did not start in the back like I typically do, so it was a little rough in spots but I felt strong.
T1 (2:14):
This race is a little different than most triathlons I have done since your first transition and your second transition are in different places. So when I finished the swim, I had to put my wetsuit and swim gear in a trash bag and make sure it was tied shut so I could get my stuff back later. I suck at transitions and I need to practice, but I felt fast during the first transition.
Bike (1:01:47):
Fast! From when I got on the bike until when I got off the bike I felt fast. I have completely fallen in love with my big ring and I am starting to realize what my potential on the bike is. I spent the whole ride passing people and it felt awesome. I passed one girl and she passed me back and we played leap frog for part of the ride and I told her "that I had spent less time with girls on a date than I had with her" and we both got a good laugh. On part of the course, the marshal patrolling the course passed me and I yelled at her to give the guy in front of me a penalty because you could see his ass through his bike shorts. Overall a great ride and hopefully I can keep it up!
T2 (1:50):
I have nothing else to say except "I SUCK!" How hard can it be to take your shoes off and put your running shoes on? Thanks for Mary and anybody else cheering at this point, the energy you gave me was very needed at this point.
Run (57:44):
Completely stoked! This was my first time in a triathlon of any distance that I ran under 10 minute miles. It was getting hot out there, but I was determined to just keep going. I walked through all the aid stations to make sure I was staying hydrated, but otherwise I was keeping a pace I was comfortable with. At mile 3 my friend Cheryl caught up with me, she started 5 minutes behind me, and she said I was looking strong and she thought I could push the pace a little. I tried to push a little harder for a little bit but ultimately I settled back into a zone I was comfortable with. At one point on the run my friend Dharma was cheering for me and the guy next me said "man you must be a rock star" and at that point I felt like one. I eventually saw the stadium that we were finishing in and I pushed until I was home.
Total: 2:31:11.65
* I am glad that I am starting to see results from all of my hard training!
The weeks leading up to the Annapolis Triathlon I was not a very happy person. I felt tired all of the time and I was making poor choices as far as my diet and nutrition go. That does not seem like that big of a deal but anybody that knows me, knows that my nutrition and the weight gain/loss that is associated with it effects my mood (even though I know it should not). It might have had something to do with racing the back to back weekends, but I am not sure. The weekend before the race, a group of my friends were going to go ride the course as a preview and I was not sure if I even wanted to go. I ended up going and having a great pre-ride but I was still not very happy overall as a person. I thought that I would have an ok race, but I was not sure.
Pre-Race:
Saturday afternoon my friend Laura B. stopped by my house and picked me up because we had decided to carpool to the race. We got to Annapolis with plenty of time to spare. I picked up my packet at the stadium in Annapolis and ran into a bunch of friends and spent some time talking to them. I then got my bike inspected by the fine folks from the bike doctor, and it passed. At the same time I got my friend Jenn's bike inspected and put it back in Eric's manly van that it was being stored in. I rode my bike down to the transition area where it needed to be racked and took the bus back to the stadium. I then rode Jenn's bike down to the transition area. Let me tell you what, I need a sweet bike like that with a wheel set-up like that because it felt fast.
That evening Eric, Jenn, Laura and myself all went to dinner at the Red Robin. They, being the good friends that they are, put a 2 story limit on me for dinner time (I like to "Do Talk"). I had to choose wisely but I think my stories that I did get to tell were good ones. Jenn, Laura and myself got settled in at my bosses house (or in the girl's case my bosses boat). Race day came early the next morning.
Race:
Swim (27:38):
The swim was a 1.5k swim in the Severn River in Annapolis, Maryland. I was in the 6th wave and it started at 7:25am. As I was standing on the dock getting ready to jump in the brackish water my boss Bill was in a kayak cheering for me and my friend Dharma was also in a Kayak cheering for me, so I felt like a star! The swim was pretty uneventful for me. I did not start in the back like I typically do, so it was a little rough in spots but I felt strong.
T1 (2:14):
This race is a little different than most triathlons I have done since your first transition and your second transition are in different places. So when I finished the swim, I had to put my wetsuit and swim gear in a trash bag and make sure it was tied shut so I could get my stuff back later. I suck at transitions and I need to practice, but I felt fast during the first transition.
Bike (1:01:47):
Fast! From when I got on the bike until when I got off the bike I felt fast. I have completely fallen in love with my big ring and I am starting to realize what my potential on the bike is. I spent the whole ride passing people and it felt awesome. I passed one girl and she passed me back and we played leap frog for part of the ride and I told her "that I had spent less time with girls on a date than I had with her" and we both got a good laugh. On part of the course, the marshal patrolling the course passed me and I yelled at her to give the guy in front of me a penalty because you could see his ass through his bike shorts. Overall a great ride and hopefully I can keep it up!
T2 (1:50):
I have nothing else to say except "I SUCK!" How hard can it be to take your shoes off and put your running shoes on? Thanks for Mary and anybody else cheering at this point, the energy you gave me was very needed at this point.
Run (57:44):
Completely stoked! This was my first time in a triathlon of any distance that I ran under 10 minute miles. It was getting hot out there, but I was determined to just keep going. I walked through all the aid stations to make sure I was staying hydrated, but otherwise I was keeping a pace I was comfortable with. At mile 3 my friend Cheryl caught up with me, she started 5 minutes behind me, and she said I was looking strong and she thought I could push the pace a little. I tried to push a little harder for a little bit but ultimately I settled back into a zone I was comfortable with. At one point on the run my friend Dharma was cheering for me and the guy next me said "man you must be a rock star" and at that point I felt like one. I eventually saw the stadium that we were finishing in and I pushed until I was home.
Total: 2:31:11.65
* I am glad that I am starting to see results from all of my hard training!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Why not go to Long Island?
So it all started Wednesday evening August 22, 2007. I walked into Evolution Health and Fitness like I normally do to sit at the desk and talk to people as they come in, when Eric told me he had something to show me on the computer. He then continued to tell me that with my 8th place finish at Charlottesville (I actually got 9th place points) that if I went to do Schiff Scout Xterra on Long Island and finished relatively well that I could get enough points to qualify for the championship race in Lake Tahoe at the end of September. Our friends Frank and Stacey were already going to go do the race and another friend Mike was thinking about it because he needed points to secure his spot. So Thursday after track practice I decided to go do this race, hang it all out on the line and see what happens.
Saturday morning at 6:30 Mike and I roll out on our way to Long Island. The drive went well and the main thing I found out on the trip is that I like to talk a lot and Mike does not like to talk as much. We got to the race site around 12:30 pm and got all checked into the race. So for the pre-ride it was Frank, Stacey, Mike, Frank's sister Gina, and myself. The bike course was not real technical as far as rocks and logs go, but it was twisty and sandy in places. There were not but a handful of hills to mention, and I knew that the bike course was going to be fast. Frank, Mike and myself decided to ride the run course, and boy was that a treat. There were log piles, steep descents, and huge climbs on the run course not to mention a 25 meter section of water that was waist high that you had to run through. Overall it was a great course preview and I had a great time hanging out with friends.
Sunday morning rolled around pretty early, but I think I was ready to go!
Swim:
Frank warned me that people from New York swim rough in open water and that definitely was not a lie. I got out front with the lead swimmers because for some reason I thought I was a fast swimmer. There were times that I thought they would have to send a kayak out to break us up, because I was going to have to teach some guy from New York who Vergil Arbuckle is. All in all the swim went well and I have been very pleased with how I have been swimming.
Bike:
The bike was a 2 loop 10 mile bike course, and was relatively flat. I never changed my gears out of the big ring on the first loop and I felt very fast, in fact I felt too fast and I felt like if I continued at that pace I might not be able to run like I wanted. So the second loop I put it in my middle ring and paced off a guy in front of me, and it worked wonders. I finished the bike well under an hour and that was my goal, so I was stoked.
Run:
What can I say. I am not good at running, but I am getting better I guess. The run was hard, but I made my way through it and finished with a smile on my face.
My goal was to finish in 1:45 and I finished in 1:43:xx, so all was well. I finished 5th in my age group giving me enough points to move up to 9th in my age group in the region and the top 10 go to Tahoe. Either way I was happy with my accomplishment and whatever happens, happens because I did what I could.
Frank finished 5th overall, Mike finished 5th or 6th in his age group, Stacey finished 3rd in her age group and it was a great weekend!
Saturday morning at 6:30 Mike and I roll out on our way to Long Island. The drive went well and the main thing I found out on the trip is that I like to talk a lot and Mike does not like to talk as much. We got to the race site around 12:30 pm and got all checked into the race. So for the pre-ride it was Frank, Stacey, Mike, Frank's sister Gina, and myself. The bike course was not real technical as far as rocks and logs go, but it was twisty and sandy in places. There were not but a handful of hills to mention, and I knew that the bike course was going to be fast. Frank, Mike and myself decided to ride the run course, and boy was that a treat. There were log piles, steep descents, and huge climbs on the run course not to mention a 25 meter section of water that was waist high that you had to run through. Overall it was a great course preview and I had a great time hanging out with friends.
Sunday morning rolled around pretty early, but I think I was ready to go!
Swim:
Frank warned me that people from New York swim rough in open water and that definitely was not a lie. I got out front with the lead swimmers because for some reason I thought I was a fast swimmer. There were times that I thought they would have to send a kayak out to break us up, because I was going to have to teach some guy from New York who Vergil Arbuckle is. All in all the swim went well and I have been very pleased with how I have been swimming.
Bike:
The bike was a 2 loop 10 mile bike course, and was relatively flat. I never changed my gears out of the big ring on the first loop and I felt very fast, in fact I felt too fast and I felt like if I continued at that pace I might not be able to run like I wanted. So the second loop I put it in my middle ring and paced off a guy in front of me, and it worked wonders. I finished the bike well under an hour and that was my goal, so I was stoked.
Run:
What can I say. I am not good at running, but I am getting better I guess. The run was hard, but I made my way through it and finished with a smile on my face.
My goal was to finish in 1:45 and I finished in 1:43:xx, so all was well. I finished 5th in my age group giving me enough points to move up to 9th in my age group in the region and the top 10 go to Tahoe. Either way I was happy with my accomplishment and whatever happens, happens because I did what I could.
Frank finished 5th overall, Mike finished 5th or 6th in his age group, Stacey finished 3rd in her age group and it was a great weekend!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Smile - It Will Make You Feel Better!!
It all started Saturday morning August 18, 2007. I was going to meet my friends Eric, Frank and Stacey at Eric's house in Falls Church at 7:00 am. We were going to caravan to Charlottesville for our Xterra race we had on Sunday morning. Well, when I woke up it was 6:57 am and I kind of freaked out. I have always been the person that thinks being early is on time and being on time is late and I was going to be neither, I was just going to be flat out late! I told myself to smile that it would make me feel better (it was going to be a theme for the weekend). I was thinking what a great way to start a weekend, I am going to be late and just get off on the wrong foot. So I called Eric and got no answer so I sent him a text message to let him know and off I went. Luckily I had packed the night before and all I had to do was roll out the door. I got to his house 20 minutes past 7:00am, packed the cars and off we went.
We arrived at the race site pulling in behind Frank and Stacey. We pulled up to a park guard shack and Frank talked to the person and he was allowed to go in without paying. So Eric thought it was a good idea to pull up and tell the guy on duty "whatever he said" and he let us in without paying as well. It was pretty funny! We put our gear together for a pre-ride and used the restrooms and off we went.
It was decided that Eric and Frank would pre-ride together and Stacey and myself would pre-ride together. Eric and Frank are real fast and Stacey and I are comparable in speed and ability so it would work out well. The first part of the 11.5 mile course is not real technical, but it had its challenges. There were a few climbs that were tricky and Stacey and I would go back and try those again just to make sure that we were ready for the race the next day. So we got to the road where it felt like we had been riding forever but the "fun" had yet to begin. The next part of the trail was a mixture of rocks, roots, steep climbs, sustained climbs, and anything else you wanted to throw in there we probably experienced. Stacey is a trooper and is willing to try anything, she was riding really well. There were a few climbs we walked and a few things we did not try again, but overall so far it was successful. The last significant climb on the course I was standing to pedal and the next thing I remember was laying on the ground next to my bike. I guess I hit my head on a low branch and it knocked me right off my bike. My neck and head hurt, but I needed to get back to the car, so we decided to start back towards the car. At this point Eric and Frank were making there way back to check on us. When all was said and done it took us 2.5 hours to pre-ride a bike course where my time goal for the whole race was 3 hours. I told everybody back at the car that I had to rethink my time goal because I was not real confident about my bike handling skills. Smile-It will make you feel better
Saturday evening consisted of dinner at the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville. If you have never been here, I would recommend checking this place out it was a total trip. If you want to eat it you can probably find it there, if you want to watch it, you can probably find it there as well. We had pizza and sat and people watched for a while, it was actually really relaxing. It was time to make it back to the camp site, have some smores and get ready for the next morning.
Sunday morning cam sooner than I wanted it to. I woke up, had a red bull and a cliff bar and it was time to be on our way. We had packed the night before so it made it easier to get rolling when we did. As soon as we got to the race site I realized that I had left my camelback at the campsite and again I thought I was trying to ruin my own race. I decided that the other camelback I had in Eric's car would do the job after some persuasion from Eric. It actually turned out to be enough fluids and all went well. I set up transition, and went out for a warm up run. The run felt good but I was not convinced I was ready for what was about to happen. Next, I went down to the water and got in and warmed up. The guy giving the pre-race speech looked like he had a doobie or two in his day and was very relaxed about the whole thing.
Actual Race:
Swim-
The swim start was kind of crazy. I ended up having to swim under to lane line (yes like the ones in the pool) on the way to the first buoy. It was a two lap swim with 4 minutes between waves. I started in the first wave and things were going well. I saw Tucker Jones in the water and I also saw Eric passing me on the start of the second lap (he started 4 minutes behind me), I guess I still need to go to swim practice. Overall I was happy with the swim and I was 1-2 minutes faster than I was at rocky gap.
Bike-
I started off on the bike already nervous from the pre-ride the day before and I just told myself to Smile-it will make you feel better. Right from the beginning I started to pass people, I thought I might be going to hard, but then I remembered a conversation I had with Eric the night before. I told him I was going to lay it on the line the next day and see what happens. So I decided to keep pushing that pace. I was real comfortable on the bike and things that goofed me up the day before I was riding like I knew what I was doing. Things were going along great and then I dropped my chain. I had to get off my bike and fix it and off I went. I caught up to a guy that had passed me and I was right on his wheel. He asked me if I was going to push that pace the whole race and I told him yes so he let me pass. The rest of the bike was pretty uneventful. I fully expected to see Eric and Frank done with the race when I came into T2 but they had not finished yet so I knew I was doing OK. I ended up riding the course in about 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Run-
This is typically the point in the race where I get destroyed and everybody in my age group passes me. I knew I was having a good race when the few people that did pass me did not say "it is okay man, you are almost there." The run was pretty uneventful, and then I looked at my watch. I was definitely going to make my 3 hour goal, but then I was wondering where I would actually finish. I got back to the road, which meant there was 1 mile left, and decided to smile, bear down and see what happened if I pushed harder. I knew that when I saw the finish line I was not only going to beat the 3 hour goal, but I was going to do it with time to spare. I crossed the finish line at 2:35:54, I was stoked!
Post race we ate some food, socialized with friends, and off for home we went. What a great weekend. For those of you that were there, thanks for sharing in that experience with me, and for those that were not, I missed you and thought about you out on the race course.
Thanks for reading.- Vergil
We arrived at the race site pulling in behind Frank and Stacey. We pulled up to a park guard shack and Frank talked to the person and he was allowed to go in without paying. So Eric thought it was a good idea to pull up and tell the guy on duty "whatever he said" and he let us in without paying as well. It was pretty funny! We put our gear together for a pre-ride and used the restrooms and off we went.
It was decided that Eric and Frank would pre-ride together and Stacey and myself would pre-ride together. Eric and Frank are real fast and Stacey and I are comparable in speed and ability so it would work out well. The first part of the 11.5 mile course is not real technical, but it had its challenges. There were a few climbs that were tricky and Stacey and I would go back and try those again just to make sure that we were ready for the race the next day. So we got to the road where it felt like we had been riding forever but the "fun" had yet to begin. The next part of the trail was a mixture of rocks, roots, steep climbs, sustained climbs, and anything else you wanted to throw in there we probably experienced. Stacey is a trooper and is willing to try anything, she was riding really well. There were a few climbs we walked and a few things we did not try again, but overall so far it was successful. The last significant climb on the course I was standing to pedal and the next thing I remember was laying on the ground next to my bike. I guess I hit my head on a low branch and it knocked me right off my bike. My neck and head hurt, but I needed to get back to the car, so we decided to start back towards the car. At this point Eric and Frank were making there way back to check on us. When all was said and done it took us 2.5 hours to pre-ride a bike course where my time goal for the whole race was 3 hours. I told everybody back at the car that I had to rethink my time goal because I was not real confident about my bike handling skills. Smile-It will make you feel better
Saturday evening consisted of dinner at the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville. If you have never been here, I would recommend checking this place out it was a total trip. If you want to eat it you can probably find it there, if you want to watch it, you can probably find it there as well. We had pizza and sat and people watched for a while, it was actually really relaxing. It was time to make it back to the camp site, have some smores and get ready for the next morning.
Sunday morning cam sooner than I wanted it to. I woke up, had a red bull and a cliff bar and it was time to be on our way. We had packed the night before so it made it easier to get rolling when we did. As soon as we got to the race site I realized that I had left my camelback at the campsite and again I thought I was trying to ruin my own race. I decided that the other camelback I had in Eric's car would do the job after some persuasion from Eric. It actually turned out to be enough fluids and all went well. I set up transition, and went out for a warm up run. The run felt good but I was not convinced I was ready for what was about to happen. Next, I went down to the water and got in and warmed up. The guy giving the pre-race speech looked like he had a doobie or two in his day and was very relaxed about the whole thing.
Actual Race:
Swim-
The swim start was kind of crazy. I ended up having to swim under to lane line (yes like the ones in the pool) on the way to the first buoy. It was a two lap swim with 4 minutes between waves. I started in the first wave and things were going well. I saw Tucker Jones in the water and I also saw Eric passing me on the start of the second lap (he started 4 minutes behind me), I guess I still need to go to swim practice. Overall I was happy with the swim and I was 1-2 minutes faster than I was at rocky gap.
Bike-
I started off on the bike already nervous from the pre-ride the day before and I just told myself to Smile-it will make you feel better. Right from the beginning I started to pass people, I thought I might be going to hard, but then I remembered a conversation I had with Eric the night before. I told him I was going to lay it on the line the next day and see what happens. So I decided to keep pushing that pace. I was real comfortable on the bike and things that goofed me up the day before I was riding like I knew what I was doing. Things were going along great and then I dropped my chain. I had to get off my bike and fix it and off I went. I caught up to a guy that had passed me and I was right on his wheel. He asked me if I was going to push that pace the whole race and I told him yes so he let me pass. The rest of the bike was pretty uneventful. I fully expected to see Eric and Frank done with the race when I came into T2 but they had not finished yet so I knew I was doing OK. I ended up riding the course in about 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Run-
This is typically the point in the race where I get destroyed and everybody in my age group passes me. I knew I was having a good race when the few people that did pass me did not say "it is okay man, you are almost there." The run was pretty uneventful, and then I looked at my watch. I was definitely going to make my 3 hour goal, but then I was wondering where I would actually finish. I got back to the road, which meant there was 1 mile left, and decided to smile, bear down and see what happened if I pushed harder. I knew that when I saw the finish line I was not only going to beat the 3 hour goal, but I was going to do it with time to spare. I crossed the finish line at 2:35:54, I was stoked!
Post race we ate some food, socialized with friends, and off for home we went. What a great weekend. For those of you that were there, thanks for sharing in that experience with me, and for those that were not, I missed you and thought about you out on the race course.
Thanks for reading.- Vergil
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Built for Comfort not for Speed!
As I was volunteering at the kids triathlon that my friends Eric and Jenn were putting on, I asked myself "if I were a bike, what type of bike would I be?" So I got to thinking about it and I think I have attributes of multiple different types of bike. I am like a road bike sometimes because I can clean up nice and go fast when necessary. I can also be like a mountain bike because I like to get dirty and if I hit a bump in life I get up and keep going. So I guess my final conclusion is that if I was a bike I would be a hybrid. If I need to go fast I can but at the same time I can get dirty with the best of them!
That's it for now.
That's it for now.
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