The majority of the Nation's Tri Team went to Freeport, TX to compete in the Summertime Blues Triathlon today. This is a small race that I have never competed in and it seemed to be run well. We had several folks that were completing there very first event and overall everyone did real well. The Nation's Team has from the first practice impressed me.
We did have four people that placed in their age group. Kevin, Lindsay, Audree and Charlie all placed in their age group. Congats dudes!
On a final note, I had the great honor of being team photographer for the event. This is not a role that I see myself doing on a regular basis but it was fine for today. I do have to give Norma props for being the photographer on most of my races. Its tuff work trying to run all over the race trying to get everyone's pictures.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Memorial Park
I meant to write the beginning part of this entry yesterday but I didn't get around to it. I thought I might calm down if I waited but as you will see I didn't. Enjoy!
Saturday morning I went to Memorial Park to get a 8 mile run in prior to my practice with the Nation's Tri Team. Since moving to Houston in 2006 I have for the most part enjoyed running and riding my bike at Memorial. One thing that I do have to keep in mind is that there are a lot of people in this city that use the park for the same thing at all hours of the day and night. Saturday was one of those days when everyone was out at 5 am including several running groups. Now I have nothing against running groups. As a matter of fact I think they are great and I even considered joining one once. With that said I must say that the majority of the running groups at Memorial yesterday were filled with freakin idiots. Is it so hard to not run five wide? Is it? Is it so hard to run on the right side and pass on the left? It
doesn't seem that hard to me and I'll admit I'm not the smartest guy out there. There are even signs posted on the trail to remind you if you forget. USAFit and TNT, thank you for following the rules. You other groups including the as***e with the "Survivor" logos on his car who parked on the trail please go somewhere else. Believe it or not you are not the only people on the planet. Other people would love to utilize the public park as well. Now I know those people that are reading this are saying to themselves this guy is nuts and he definitely has an anger management problem. OK, I'll give you that. I have a major anger management problem and I'm sure you could find more than one doctor to certify me a crazy man. Here is the thing, I like to run, bike, swim and lift weights so I can keep myself happy and stress free. Its my Zen time. All I want is to get in my runs in without having to dive off into the bushes or onto the street or navigate a maze of people who can't follow the rules of the road or the trail. So for those people who are in one of these groups or if you are just one of those people who can't seem to follow the trail rules please for goodness sake run somewhere else. You may be saving my sanity.
Saturday morning I went to Memorial Park to get a 8 mile run in prior to my practice with the Nation's Tri Team. Since moving to Houston in 2006 I have for the most part enjoyed running and riding my bike at Memorial. One thing that I do have to keep in mind is that there are a lot of people in this city that use the park for the same thing at all hours of the day and night. Saturday was one of those days when everyone was out at 5 am including several running groups. Now I have nothing against running groups. As a matter of fact I think they are great and I even considered joining one once. With that said I must say that the majority of the running groups at Memorial yesterday were filled with freakin idiots. Is it so hard to not run five wide? Is it? Is it so hard to run on the right side and pass on the left? It
doesn't seem that hard to me and I'll admit I'm not the smartest guy out there. There are even signs posted on the trail to remind you if you forget. USAFit and TNT, thank you for following the rules. You other groups including the as***e with the "Survivor" logos on his car who parked on the trail please go somewhere else. Believe it or not you are not the only people on the planet. Other people would love to utilize the public park as well. Now I know those people that are reading this are saying to themselves this guy is nuts and he definitely has an anger management problem. OK, I'll give you that. I have a major anger management problem and I'm sure you could find more than one doctor to certify me a crazy man. Here is the thing, I like to run, bike, swim and lift weights so I can keep myself happy and stress free. Its my Zen time. All I want is to get in my runs in without having to dive off into the bushes or onto the street or navigate a maze of people who can't follow the rules of the road or the trail. So for those people who are in one of these groups or if you are just one of those people who can't seem to follow the trail rules please for goodness sake run somewhere else. You may be saving my sanity.Friday, August 29, 2008
Zube Park and Platelets
The last week has been pretty good as far as my training goes. I have had several long runs, rides and swims. I was going to try and sign up for the Austin Triathlon but the registration closed. That is probably a blessing as I have been pushing myself pretty hard. I did a 40 mile ride at Zube Park yesterday which was supposed to be followed by a 8 mile run but the heat got the better of me. I only got 4 miles of my run in and it was a painful 4 miles. I still feel good about my upcoming races and this was just a blip.
Monday afternoon I went to the Gulf Coast Blood Center to donate platelets, plasma and red blood cells to Johnny Romano. I have never done this before so I was a little nervous. What I didn't realize is you can't donate these all at the same time. So I decided to donate platelets. Initially they told me it would take 45 minutes to an hour to donate platelets. Unfortunately it took 87 minutes for some reason. It was a painless process and they had TVs for me to watch so it wasn't so bad. The most important thing is that my donation will go to help a little boy who really needs it.
Monday afternoon I went to the Gulf Coast Blood Center to donate platelets, plasma and red blood cells to Johnny Romano. I have never done this before so I was a little nervous. What I didn't realize is you can't donate these all at the same time. So I decided to donate platelets. Initially they told me it would take 45 minutes to an hour to donate platelets. Unfortunately it took 87 minutes for some reason. It was a painless process and they had TVs for me to watch so it wasn't so bad. The most important thing is that my donation will go to help a little boy who really needs it.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Clear Lake International Triathlon and Johnny Romano
I have been very concerned about my training over the past few months and for good reason. It seems that work, family, injuries and personal problems seem to get in the way of my training. My training is very important to me. I am always to trying to improve myself physically, mentally, spiritually and professionally. I want to be good at everything I do. As Saturday approached I must say that I was very nervous about my race.
For the race itself I have to say I was very surprised at my performance. The race was a 1000 meter swim, 30K bike and a 10K run. I finished with a time of 2:07. I had planned on finishing somewhere around the 2:30 mark. Imagine my surprise when I came in at 2:07. This was a good race and I think with a few adjustments the race director could make it great. There were two challenging parts of the race. First, the swim course was not marked very well. The course needed a few more buoys. I had a decent swim working but at one point I started sighting off the wrong buoy and I swam an extra 150 meters.
If I had been breathing out of my left side I might have seen the the correct buoy to sight off of. There is something to be said for breathing on both sides. Apparently several athletes had a similar issue with the swim course. Second, the bike and run courses were very narrow. At one point of the race there were runners in both directions and cyclists in one lane. It was manageable but you definitely had to pay attention. All in all I will say it was a good race and I was happy and encouraged by my performance. I'm looking forward to my remaining 2008 races.
On Sunday instead of taking the day off I decided to do a run in the Clear Lake area in support of Johnny Romano. Johnny is the Honored
Teammate for the Lonestar Half-Ironman Team that I am coaching starting in September. I was a little tired from Saturday but I put in another 6 mile run and must say it was one of the nicest runs I have done in a long time. The park we ran at was quiet and peaceful, unlike Memorial Park. While I was running there was beware sign for the Alligator and Snake Habitat that you were running through but that didn't bother me. I ran all the way to the bay. The view was beautiful. When I finished my run and I met back with the runners and we took a photo for Johnny's family. As I conclude this entry in my Blog it makes me think of a few things. First, I am very blessed to have two very healthy very special kids. I don't know what I would do without them. Second, there are a lot of people who are not so fortunate. Johnny is a real sick boy and he and his family need help. I hope anyone who reads this Blog will go to Johnny's Blog to check on how he is doing and to see how you can help. To view Johnny's Blog go to http://j-grom.blogspot.com/.
For the race itself I have to say I was very surprised at my performance. The race was a 1000 meter swim, 30K bike and a 10K run. I finished with a time of 2:07. I had planned on finishing somewhere around the 2:30 mark. Imagine my surprise when I came in at 2:07. This was a good race and I think with a few adjustments the race director could make it great. There were two challenging parts of the race. First, the swim course was not marked very well. The course needed a few more buoys. I had a decent swim working but at one point I started sighting off the wrong buoy and I swam an extra 150 meters.
If I had been breathing out of my left side I might have seen the the correct buoy to sight off of. There is something to be said for breathing on both sides. Apparently several athletes had a similar issue with the swim course. Second, the bike and run courses were very narrow. At one point of the race there were runners in both directions and cyclists in one lane. It was manageable but you definitely had to pay attention. All in all I will say it was a good race and I was happy and encouraged by my performance. I'm looking forward to my remaining 2008 races.On Sunday instead of taking the day off I decided to do a run in the Clear Lake area in support of Johnny Romano. Johnny is the Honored
Teammate for the Lonestar Half-Ironman Team that I am coaching starting in September. I was a little tired from Saturday but I put in another 6 mile run and must say it was one of the nicest runs I have done in a long time. The park we ran at was quiet and peaceful, unlike Memorial Park. While I was running there was beware sign for the Alligator and Snake Habitat that you were running through but that didn't bother me. I ran all the way to the bay. The view was beautiful. When I finished my run and I met back with the runners and we took a photo for Johnny's family. As I conclude this entry in my Blog it makes me think of a few things. First, I am very blessed to have two very healthy very special kids. I don't know what I would do without them. Second, there are a lot of people who are not so fortunate. Johnny is a real sick boy and he and his family need help. I hope anyone who reads this Blog will go to Johnny's Blog to check on how he is doing and to see how you can help. To view Johnny's Blog go to http://j-grom.blogspot.com/.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Olympics, Karaoke and My Car
I have had a very interesting week. My training has been so-so. I am still hurting but I am feeling better. I did a six mile run yesterday and I felt OK. I am a little over a week away from my next triathlon and I feel like I will be ready. It's a shorter distance one so I feel confident that I'm good to go.
Now for the bad part. My car was broken into on Monday night. Without getting into too much detail they took stuff out of my car. It has been a big inconvenience for me. I am trying to be a nice on this post but I am very very angry.
Now for the fun part. I have never done Karaoke or ever had a desire to do so. For those people that were at the fund-raiser on Saturday I'm sure they would not believe that. I must say it was pretty fun. I must have sung 20 songs. I know that I can't sing but it was a really neat experience. Erin (Nation's Triathlon Mentor) said I had a rock n' roll voice. (I did not pay her to say that) The funniest part was when my fellow Nation's Tri Coach Jay and I did an Eminem song. I now know why I am not a rapper.
Now for the inspiring part. The Olympics are always very special for me. I take a lot of pride in our country and how they perform at these games. With that said, there are two things that have stood out during these games. First, Phelps and all these Gold Medals and World Records is so freaking cool. What an amazing accomplishment. Second, and most important, I LOVED the pimp slap that the Americans put on those trash talking Frenchies in the 4X100 relay. (that's right I said pimp slap) You should always be careful about trash talking. It might just inspire your competition.
Now for the bad part. My car was broken into on Monday night. Without getting into too much detail they took stuff out of my car. It has been a big inconvenience for me. I am trying to be a nice on this post but I am very very angry.
Now for the fun part. I have never done Karaoke or ever had a desire to do so. For those people that were at the fund-raiser on Saturday I'm sure they would not believe that. I must say it was pretty fun. I must have sung 20 songs. I know that I can't sing but it was a really neat experience. Erin (Nation's Triathlon Mentor) said I had a rock n' roll voice. (I did not pay her to say that) The funniest part was when my fellow Nation's Tri Coach Jay and I did an Eminem song. I now know why I am not a rapper.
Now for the inspiring part. The Olympics are always very special for me. I take a lot of pride in our country and how they perform at these games. With that said, there are two things that have stood out during these games. First, Phelps and all these Gold Medals and World Records is so freaking cool. What an amazing accomplishment. Second, and most important, I LOVED the pimp slap that the Americans put on those trash talking Frenchies in the 4X100 relay. (that's right I said pimp slap) You should always be careful about trash talking. It might just inspire your competition.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Man, I am Hurting
I have been training but definitely not from the distance standpoint. I have been having some recurring back, knee and hip pain. These have been chronic issues for me for several years starting back to when I weighed 235 pounds. I am hoping to do a long run and ride this weekend but it will depend on how I feel. I decided that I am going to listen to what my body is saying for once.
Saturday, I will be coaching my first practice with the Lonestar Half-Ironman Triathlon Team. I am pretty excited about this team. The one tough thing will be balancing this team with the Nation's Tri team and all the other activities I have. I'm sure it will all work out. =)
Saturday, I will be coaching my first practice with the Lonestar Half-Ironman Triathlon Team. I am pretty excited about this team. The one tough thing will be balancing this team with the Nation's Tri team and all the other activities I have. I'm sure it will all work out. =)
Friday, August 1, 2008
UltraMarathon Man
I went to see a documentary last night on Dean Karnazes called UltraMarathon Man. I was fortunate get an e-mail from my Tri Coach Liz Garcia on the movie and I must say it was worth the price of admission.
The documentary was about Dean Karnazes and his quest to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days. That is 1310 miles in 50 days. That is over double my personal run total for the last year. During the course of 50 days he participates in 8 actual marathons and then he has the race directors from 42 marathons help him recreate the others using the official course. Some of the runs were in the city, some in the country and some were on trails. The scenery in some of these places was magnificent to see and there are a couple of marathons that I now have on my personal to do list.
The movie was very inspiring and there were lots of funny and touching parts of his journey and quite frankly it makes you want to go out and run. The people that ran these races were very interesting as well. There were people that were cancer survivors, people that were running with one leg and there were lots of kids. You even saw a few Team In Training people out there as well.
I'm trying not to tell you all of the documentary but two things that I thought were very cool. His fastest marathon that he ran was his last one (New York City Marathon) and after he finishes the 50 marathons in 50 days he takes a couple days to do some interviews and then he decides to run another 1300 miles back to the start of his first marathon in Missouri. It is just insane. I recommend this checking it out!
The documentary was about Dean Karnazes and his quest to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days. That is 1310 miles in 50 days. That is over double my personal run total for the last year. During the course of 50 days he participates in 8 actual marathons and then he has the race directors from 42 marathons help him recreate the others using the official course. Some of the runs were in the city, some in the country and some were on trails. The scenery in some of these places was magnificent to see and there are a couple of marathons that I now have on my personal to do list.
The movie was very inspiring and there were lots of funny and touching parts of his journey and quite frankly it makes you want to go out and run. The people that ran these races were very interesting as well. There were people that were cancer survivors, people that were running with one leg and there were lots of kids. You even saw a few Team In Training people out there as well.
I'm trying not to tell you all of the documentary but two things that I thought were very cool. His fastest marathon that he ran was his last one (New York City Marathon) and after he finishes the 50 marathons in 50 days he takes a couple days to do some interviews and then he decides to run another 1300 miles back to the start of his first marathon in Missouri. It is just insane. I recommend this checking it out!
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