Olivia's 2nd day of school. Yesterday was just a hard day. Lots of tears and fears about starting school. That's all past now and she loves Renaissance Academy.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Sunday, August 27, 2006
#2261
That was my number. Yesterday was my first attempt at doing an Olympic triathlon. I chose to do the Jordanelle triathlon. I planned to wake up around 5:15 but because of the lovely wind here in Highland I was up at 4. I stayed in bed until just after 5 and then got up to make sure stuff in the backyard hadn't blown down the street. I was out the door around 6 with all my gear. Did I have everything? Did I have enough? I threw in a sweatshirt and some windbreaker clothes just in case the weather was yucky.
I got up to Francis just after 7 and found the parking lot. I pretty much followed those around me since I didn't have a clue. For this particular tri, you have to park about
3.5 miles from where the event takes place. So I threw my duffle bag on my back and rode down the hill. I checked in, picked up my packet and got body marked. 2261 on the hand, on the shoulder, and then a big O on the left calf (signifying that I was doing the Olympic race) and a big 39 on the right calf.
I found my area in the transition area and set things up. I pinned my number on my running shirt and put another number on my bike. I had plenty of time to walk around and relax. Soon, it was time to head down to the starting point. For this particular tri, the swim is about 1/2 mile away from the transition area. At 9 o'clock, the first wave started (which I was in). There were about 50 or so of us. I honestly couldn't tell. Maybe more. There were very few of us that were not in wetsuits. The water was not cold to me and I thought I would be fine. Well, more or less, the swim was my worst part. I'm usually about a 30-33 minute mile swimmer. Yesterday, for some reason, it took me almost 50 minutes. I'm not sure but it was a LONG freakin time. I wasn't tired, I just couldn't get it going. Maybe I wasn't psyched enough, who knows.
I got out of there, put on my shoes, and ran up to the transition area. I threw on my biking shorts, shirt, gloves, and shoes and headed out. I knew I had some time to make up. There were a number of girls that were a head of me and they went into the water about 10 minutes after I did. Well as bad as I did on the swim, I kicked some butt on the bike. I followed a pretty strong girl for the first 10 miles or so and then I opened it up. It really felt good on the bike. The road had just a slight grade (around 2%) and went for 12 miles or so before turning around. Coming back I was flying. I averaged about 26-27 mph and when I came down the steep hill I increased my top speed to just under 47 mph.
The second transition went pretty well as I stripped off my bike shoes and put on the running shoes. I had to change shirts and shorts. The run (6+ miles) was a combination of trail and road running. There was more hill than I had expected and I had to walk a couple of times on both laps. On the second time around I was just telling myself "hey, you're almost done!". I crossed the finish line in just under 3 hours. This is where I wanted to be. Had I not sucked so bad on the swim I would have had a decent first tri. I think I ended up 156th overall and 10th in my age group. I certainly have lots of room for improvement.
There were lots of fast bikes and well conditioned athletes. Lots of them take it pretty seriously. After the race I loaded up with fruit, drink, muffins, and more fruit. The ride back to the parking lot really sucked big time but it was better than waiting in the LONG line to take the bus. The family (along with Wolf and Grammy) stopped at Granny's in Heber for lunch including their famous shakes. The day finished off with football practice with Jake and then a Court of Honor up at Mutual Dell for JJ and Jake. What a day! I look forward to the next one.
I got up to Francis just after 7 and found the parking lot. I pretty much followed those around me since I didn't have a clue. For this particular tri, you have to park about
3.5 miles from where the event takes place. So I threw my duffle bag on my back and rode down the hill. I checked in, picked up my packet and got body marked. 2261 on the hand, on the shoulder, and then a big O on the left calf (signifying that I was doing the Olympic race) and a big 39 on the right calf.
I found my area in the transition area and set things up. I pinned my number on my running shirt and put another number on my bike. I had plenty of time to walk around and relax. Soon, it was time to head down to the starting point. For this particular tri, the swim is about 1/2 mile away from the transition area. At 9 o'clock, the first wave started (which I was in). There were about 50 or so of us. I honestly couldn't tell. Maybe more. There were very few of us that were not in wetsuits. The water was not cold to me and I thought I would be fine. Well, more or less, the swim was my worst part. I'm usually about a 30-33 minute mile swimmer. Yesterday, for some reason, it took me almost 50 minutes. I'm not sure but it was a LONG freakin time. I wasn't tired, I just couldn't get it going. Maybe I wasn't psyched enough, who knows.
I got out of there, put on my shoes, and ran up to the transition area. I threw on my biking shorts, shirt, gloves, and shoes and headed out. I knew I had some time to make up. There were a number of girls that were a head of me and they went into the water about 10 minutes after I did. Well as bad as I did on the swim, I kicked some butt on the bike. I followed a pretty strong girl for the first 10 miles or so and then I opened it up. It really felt good on the bike. The road had just a slight grade (around 2%) and went for 12 miles or so before turning around. Coming back I was flying. I averaged about 26-27 mph and when I came down the steep hill I increased my top speed to just under 47 mph.
The second transition went pretty well as I stripped off my bike shoes and put on the running shoes. I had to change shirts and shorts. The run (6+ miles) was a combination of trail and road running. There was more hill than I had expected and I had to walk a couple of times on both laps. On the second time around I was just telling myself "hey, you're almost done!". I crossed the finish line in just under 3 hours. This is where I wanted to be. Had I not sucked so bad on the swim I would have had a decent first tri. I think I ended up 156th overall and 10th in my age group. I certainly have lots of room for improvement.
There were lots of fast bikes and well conditioned athletes. Lots of them take it pretty seriously. After the race I loaded up with fruit, drink, muffins, and more fruit. The ride back to the parking lot really sucked big time but it was better than waiting in the LONG line to take the bus. The family (along with Wolf and Grammy) stopped at Granny's in Heber for lunch including their famous shakes. The day finished off with football practice with Jake and then a Court of Honor up at Mutual Dell for JJ and Jake. What a day! I look forward to the next one.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Timberline Drive
This is probably the last time we'll see this undisturbed piece of Highland. We will most likely start digging while Marcella and I are in Europe. We are so excited!!!!!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Mormons
A long time friend of mine, Andrzej sent me this e-mail this morning. He currently lives just outside of Perth, Australia. I wanted to post and remember it.
"I have a dear friend, who is becoming a consecrated catholic nun, her and a couple of other girls are living in a house, a catholic community, working part time and studying theology, personalism, family counselling, spirituality etc. Apparently they have neighbours who are Mormons, also living in a kind of community, and they spend much time together listening to each other. From what she said there is such a massive amount of respect from them the Mormons towards the catholic community, and in Clares exact words refering to the mormons " they are such beautiful spiritual people that I just listen to them and try learn from them". It made me think that in this world of divisions due to religion, with religion now being indistinguishable from terrorism and warmongering, its good to see an example of people who regard love of God and love of neighbour more important than anything else, and with their own individual form of spirituality, one a mormon another a catholic, each know what it is, that is more important."
"I have a dear friend, who is becoming a consecrated catholic nun, her and a couple of other girls are living in a house, a catholic community, working part time and studying theology, personalism, family counselling, spirituality etc. Apparently they have neighbours who are Mormons, also living in a kind of community, and they spend much time together listening to each other. From what she said there is such a massive amount of respect from them the Mormons towards the catholic community, and in Clares exact words refering to the mormons " they are such beautiful spiritual people that I just listen to them and try learn from them". It made me think that in this world of divisions due to religion, with religion now being indistinguishable from terrorism and warmongering, its good to see an example of people who regard love of God and love of neighbour more important than anything else, and with their own individual form of spirituality, one a mormon another a catholic, each know what it is, that is more important."
Monday, August 21, 2006
Sunday, August 20, 2006
ULCER 2006
Well, yesterday was the big ULCER ride. I've been looking forward to this ride for about a year. It was by far my longest ride ever and to put it mildly, IT WAS LONG. I picked up my packet a couple of days early and saw many of the other people that I would be riding with. For the most part, as it turned out, they were mostly posers.
I tried to get a a good night's rest so that I could get up by 6 and be there before 7. The ride started and finished at American Fork High School. Of course, it took me a few minutes and a call to 411 to get the address (even though I've been there a dozen times for Jr. Jazz games). I must have been a bit nervous.
As I was getting ready I ran in to a good friend, Jeff Thomas. He's been riding for a number of years. He introduced me to a bunch of his friends and invited me to ride with them. Cool.
I loaded up with Gatorade, a few gel packets, and energy bars and I was off. Since this wasn't really a race, you could start at your pleasure. We started about 7:30. It was pretty cool. There were hundreds of riders. For the first 50 miles or so, I don't believe I got passed. Jeff and his group were really cool and helped me with all of the proper etiquette. I followed closely in a paceline for the first time. I was amazed at the difference. We stopped at the 25 mile station and I had a banana, refilled my bottles with Gatorade, and was able to take a much needed pee.
I wasn't paying attention and lost the group after that first stop and tried to catch up. I ended up being only a few minutes behind them as I arrived at the second stop at the half way point. The major bummer about the entire ride was that my wireless bike computer was NOT working. I screwed around with it at the second stop and finally game up. Oh well. On to the next stop. I ended up stopping only about 8 miles ahead. I phoned Marcella and let her know how it was going. I told her that I would call her in Springville (with only 25 miles to go).
Well, I never ended up stopping. I followed a couple of different groups and ended up going the remaining 40+ miles without a stop. I did fine until about mile 85 or so. I didn't have any problems the first half but I'll tell you, 104 miles is a long way. At the start of the race, my friend Jeff and the other guys were talking about the LOTOJA ride. That is a 206 mile race from Logan to Jackson. I thought "Hey, that would be fun". But after finishing yesterday's ride, I'll have to do a bunch more riding before attempting something like that.
Anyhow, I thought it was quite the accomplishment. 100+ miles in about 5.5 hours. I didn't actually time it and I'm not sure if you're suppose to include rest stops and such. Back at the high school, I drank a bunch of Gatorade, had a sandwich, fruit, and a bunch of popsicles.
I went home and tried to nap but really didn't. I was tired, a bit sunburned but pretty dang happy to be done. I'm pretty sure that I'll do the ride next year and hopefully do a bit better.
I took my bike into the shop a few days ago for a tune up. They also suggested that I have a new chain put on. I really noticed the difference and the bike couldn't have performed much better. I wonder if I'll ever get a nice/lighter bike. I really like the one I have. I guess if I really want to be competitive and race, I'll have to consider getting a better bike. For now, I'm pretty happy.
Today I woke up, a bit sore on the bum but feeling pretty good. I have to take Jake to the Oval at 6:00 am tomorrow for a hockey/TV thing. I'm not sure what kind of training I should be doing this week but I should do a bit of running and biking to get ready for my first tri on Saturday. The main thing is I need to make sure that I get plenty of rest.
With that, I'm going to bed.
I tried to get a a good night's rest so that I could get up by 6 and be there before 7. The ride started and finished at American Fork High School. Of course, it took me a few minutes and a call to 411 to get the address (even though I've been there a dozen times for Jr. Jazz games). I must have been a bit nervous.
As I was getting ready I ran in to a good friend, Jeff Thomas. He's been riding for a number of years. He introduced me to a bunch of his friends and invited me to ride with them. Cool.
I loaded up with Gatorade, a few gel packets, and energy bars and I was off. Since this wasn't really a race, you could start at your pleasure. We started about 7:30. It was pretty cool. There were hundreds of riders. For the first 50 miles or so, I don't believe I got passed. Jeff and his group were really cool and helped me with all of the proper etiquette. I followed closely in a paceline for the first time. I was amazed at the difference. We stopped at the 25 mile station and I had a banana, refilled my bottles with Gatorade, and was able to take a much needed pee.
I wasn't paying attention and lost the group after that first stop and tried to catch up. I ended up being only a few minutes behind them as I arrived at the second stop at the half way point. The major bummer about the entire ride was that my wireless bike computer was NOT working. I screwed around with it at the second stop and finally game up. Oh well. On to the next stop. I ended up stopping only about 8 miles ahead. I phoned Marcella and let her know how it was going. I told her that I would call her in Springville (with only 25 miles to go).
Well, I never ended up stopping. I followed a couple of different groups and ended up going the remaining 40+ miles without a stop. I did fine until about mile 85 or so. I didn't have any problems the first half but I'll tell you, 104 miles is a long way. At the start of the race, my friend Jeff and the other guys were talking about the LOTOJA ride. That is a 206 mile race from Logan to Jackson. I thought "Hey, that would be fun". But after finishing yesterday's ride, I'll have to do a bunch more riding before attempting something like that.
Anyhow, I thought it was quite the accomplishment. 100+ miles in about 5.5 hours. I didn't actually time it and I'm not sure if you're suppose to include rest stops and such. Back at the high school, I drank a bunch of Gatorade, had a sandwich, fruit, and a bunch of popsicles.
I went home and tried to nap but really didn't. I was tired, a bit sunburned but pretty dang happy to be done. I'm pretty sure that I'll do the ride next year and hopefully do a bit better.
I took my bike into the shop a few days ago for a tune up. They also suggested that I have a new chain put on. I really noticed the difference and the bike couldn't have performed much better. I wonder if I'll ever get a nice/lighter bike. I really like the one I have. I guess if I really want to be competitive and race, I'll have to consider getting a better bike. For now, I'm pretty happy.
Today I woke up, a bit sore on the bum but feeling pretty good. I have to take Jake to the Oval at 6:00 am tomorrow for a hockey/TV thing. I'm not sure what kind of training I should be doing this week but I should do a bit of running and biking to get ready for my first tri on Saturday. The main thing is I need to make sure that I get plenty of rest.
With that, I'm going to bed.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Wednesday
Originally, I had titled this entry as "Today was a good day". It was a good day but there still is a disturbing issue. So here was the good part. This week I've been "filling in" as one of the assistant coaches for Jakey's football team. Although I played football in high school, I am CERTAINLY no football coach. In fact, with pretty much any sport, I don't have any formal coaching training. Nevertheless, I am quite enjoying it. Most of the time I've been working with the linemen. Teaching them (or at least pretending to teach) them proper hand and foot movements. Let me tell you, this isn't Texas or Florida but Northern Utah County takes its football pretty dang seriously. Today my post-practice comment, "There's no crying in football!".
Next, I had the opportunity to check my blood pressure today. 123 over 64 with a pulse of 51. Pretty darn good if you ask me. It would be cool to have my pulse under 50. I just had the thought about Lance Armstrong and found this:
What is your resting pulse rate? "I don't take it, but I guess it would be around 40. I have a little box on my handlebars that tells me time, speed, watts, heart rate, cadence, distance. I can measure everything in average mode, or maximum mode, and I can download it at the end of a run and send it to my coach. My highest-ever heart rate was 207 beats per minute, 15 years ago. Today I can hit the high 190s, but only hold it for a minute or so. My fastest-ever speed was 75mph, freewheeling down a hill in the Pyrenees."
That is simply incredible. I don't think my heart rate has ever been above 170. Speaking of which, I have my first century ride coming up this Saturday. It's called the ULCER 100. I picked up my registration packet this afternoon. I'll be wearing #120. Looking at the race map, it appears that this year the route will NOT go completely around Utah Lake. This year it goes along the east side down to Goshen and then back again. Hopefully, I'll be able to write about the race. Wish me good luck. I was able to get my bike into the local shop for a good tune up and cleaning. It sure got dirty up at Sandpoint.
Lastly, we had our first playoff game for summer hockey tonight. I took Jake so that he could free skate. The Oval ice has been down much of the summer but now it is open again. If you care to see how pathetic we've been this summer, you can check things out here. Anyhow, I decided to play at my original position (left defense). For the past couple of years I've been playing right wing and really enjoying it. It sure was fun playing a bit rougher being on defense. The best part was I had a nice slapshot from just inside the blue line and scored. Pretty nice! Did I mention I broke my right pinky toe on Sunday? It is all black and blue and it hurt being in the skate but I had a good time on the ice tonight.
So, like I said, a pretty good day. HOWEVER, Marcella and I are increasingly concerned about her migraines. We thought that she was getting better but the past couple of weeks have been a return to what she was going through back in February and March. She was pretty much in bed since yesterday. I was able to go to the pharmacy this morning and get her a variety of medicines. Earlier this week she saw yet another neurologist. This one seems to be pretty good. She now goes to see a cardiologist next week to see if she has a condition called PFO. I found a few good articles here, and here, and here and here. So the next step is to see if she qualifies for this study. I'll keep her progress updated here. So she has been in lots of pain and I really feel bad for her. Hopefully, we can figure this out and she can return to a more normal life.
Next, I had the opportunity to check my blood pressure today. 123 over 64 with a pulse of 51. Pretty darn good if you ask me. It would be cool to have my pulse under 50. I just had the thought about Lance Armstrong and found this:
What is your resting pulse rate? "I don't take it, but I guess it would be around 40. I have a little box on my handlebars that tells me time, speed, watts, heart rate, cadence, distance. I can measure everything in average mode, or maximum mode, and I can download it at the end of a run and send it to my coach. My highest-ever heart rate was 207 beats per minute, 15 years ago. Today I can hit the high 190s, but only hold it for a minute or so. My fastest-ever speed was 75mph, freewheeling down a hill in the Pyrenees."
That is simply incredible. I don't think my heart rate has ever been above 170. Speaking of which, I have my first century ride coming up this Saturday. It's called the ULCER 100. I picked up my registration packet this afternoon. I'll be wearing #120. Looking at the race map, it appears that this year the route will NOT go completely around Utah Lake. This year it goes along the east side down to Goshen and then back again. Hopefully, I'll be able to write about the race. Wish me good luck. I was able to get my bike into the local shop for a good tune up and cleaning. It sure got dirty up at Sandpoint.
Lastly, we had our first playoff game for summer hockey tonight. I took Jake so that he could free skate. The Oval ice has been down much of the summer but now it is open again. If you care to see how pathetic we've been this summer, you can check things out here. Anyhow, I decided to play at my original position (left defense). For the past couple of years I've been playing right wing and really enjoying it. It sure was fun playing a bit rougher being on defense. The best part was I had a nice slapshot from just inside the blue line and scored. Pretty nice! Did I mention I broke my right pinky toe on Sunday? It is all black and blue and it hurt being in the skate but I had a good time on the ice tonight.
So, like I said, a pretty good day. HOWEVER, Marcella and I are increasingly concerned about her migraines. We thought that she was getting better but the past couple of weeks have been a return to what she was going through back in February and March. She was pretty much in bed since yesterday. I was able to go to the pharmacy this morning and get her a variety of medicines. Earlier this week she saw yet another neurologist. This one seems to be pretty good. She now goes to see a cardiologist next week to see if she has a condition called PFO. I found a few good articles here, and here, and here and here. So the next step is to see if she qualifies for this study. I'll keep her progress updated here. So she has been in lots of pain and I really feel bad for her. Hopefully, we can figure this out and she can return to a more normal life.
Check your bra
Due to enhanced security measures there are new regulations that you must be aware of. My favorite: "We encourage everyone to pack gel-filled bras in their checked baggage." That means you, Dolly Parton".
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)