Here are some observations from my first few days as a single-handed southpaw:
Things that are close to impossible using only my left hand:
1. Tying back my hair
2. Opening a bottle of wine (a corked bottle – not a screwtop)
3. Cutting steak
4. Taking notes quickly during a phone interview
5. Opening a boxed vase of flowers ;-)
Things that are easier (surprisingly) than I would have thought with only my non-dominant hand
1. Eating sushi with chopsticks (at least no one has to cut anything for me!)
2. Writing legibly… not fast enough to take notes though
3. Shaving my legs (less cuts than usual… go figure)
4. Opening jars and bottles… though the insides of my knees are getting bruised from being used to grips things
5. Changing the side of the bed that I sleep on in order to prop up my broken wing… (okay, this is not dexterity related but it’s a big deal… side of the bed can be a relationship dealbreaker!)
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
spiral fracture of the 4th metacarpal in my right hand
yup... i broke my hand while riding, well, falling from my bike yesterday. sux, but could have been worse, i guess. i see the hand surgeon manana and will know more thereafter. hopefully i can run and ride my bike?
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Guy Q
This month’s “Men’s Fitness” magazine has an article, a questionnaire really, called “Guy Q”. According to the magazine a guy can have “the looks, the body, the moves, and the style – but if [he] doesn’t have the right Guy Q, the rest won’t matter”. But what is *Guy Q*? Apparently, it’s the thing a guy has that “makes a girl feel like a girl”. It’s the sense that “guys can protect and defend women, even when they don’t really need it”, which is why it is so desirable. The task-oriented questionnaire includes things such as installing a ceiling fan, slapping together a bedroom set from Ikea, catching a baseball in a mitt. Hardly life-saving… but decidedly masculine. Below are a few more of my favorites from the *quiz*:
- Remove a cork from a wine bottle in one piece, without getting chunks in the bottle (or just pushing the damn thing in).
- Drive a stick shift as well as an automatic – and lay rubber at will.
- Get your girl a drink in a crowded bar – in less than 5 minutes.
- Perform at least three pull-ups without your arms shaking.
- Um, spell – words like their and there or you’re and your do not serve the same purpose.
- Perform a basic slow dance (nothing too fancy – you just need to blend in with the other dancers on the floor).
- Split wood with an ax.
- Parallel park on a busy street on the first try.
- Play poker well enough to consistently win money.
- Open a beer bottle without an opener.
It also got me thinking about what the equivalent “Gal Q” questionnaire would look like. Nothing immediately leapt to mind. Well, a few things did come to mind (e.g. perform a blow job on demand) but they seemed to betray the tone of the article. I thought a little more and got a few more suggestions from Jen and Halee. It's actually kind of scary that I don't know the "little things a woman does that make her a woman" and that "make a man feel like a man." Maybe that's part of my problem!
- Tying her man's tie.
- Wear heels through impossible-looking terrain.
- Pick perfect birthday and holiday presents for her own family *and* your family.
- Clinch a dinner reservation at the hottest new restaurant.
- Prepare a delicious meal… and clean the kitchen while doing so.
- Iron a dress shirt in less than two minutes.
- Remember birthdays and other important dates, seemingly without effort.
- Arrange flowers tastefully in a vase and keep them alive for more than a day.
- Get red wine (or beer) stains out of your man’s favorite shirt.
- Soothe a crying baby, even if it’s not hers.
Btw, I scored 36/65 in the Guy Q questionnaire – good enough to sneak me into the “pass muster – barely” category. To be honest, I’m not sure than many of my San Francisco guy friends would score much better than me on this test… if they complete the test honestly, hand on heart! I know that I’d rather date the guy that is impressed that I can change a tire, set up a home theater system, swim (and not like a dog)… even though I’d probably let him do it. Haha. Let’s face it, as old-fashioned as it sounds, the guys that *provide, fix and participate in a variety of sporting events* are incredibly attractive.
- Remove a cork from a wine bottle in one piece, without getting chunks in the bottle (or just pushing the damn thing in).
- Drive a stick shift as well as an automatic – and lay rubber at will.
- Get your girl a drink in a crowded bar – in less than 5 minutes.
- Perform at least three pull-ups without your arms shaking.
- Um, spell – words like their and there or you’re and your do not serve the same purpose.
- Perform a basic slow dance (nothing too fancy – you just need to blend in with the other dancers on the floor).
- Split wood with an ax.
- Parallel park on a busy street on the first try.
- Play poker well enough to consistently win money.
- Open a beer bottle without an opener.
It also got me thinking about what the equivalent “Gal Q” questionnaire would look like. Nothing immediately leapt to mind. Well, a few things did come to mind (e.g. perform a blow job on demand) but they seemed to betray the tone of the article. I thought a little more and got a few more suggestions from Jen and Halee. It's actually kind of scary that I don't know the "little things a woman does that make her a woman" and that "make a man feel like a man." Maybe that's part of my problem!
- Tying her man's tie.
- Wear heels through impossible-looking terrain.
- Pick perfect birthday and holiday presents for her own family *and* your family.
- Clinch a dinner reservation at the hottest new restaurant.
- Prepare a delicious meal… and clean the kitchen while doing so.
- Iron a dress shirt in less than two minutes.
- Remember birthdays and other important dates, seemingly without effort.
- Arrange flowers tastefully in a vase and keep them alive for more than a day.
- Get red wine (or beer) stains out of your man’s favorite shirt.
- Soothe a crying baby, even if it’s not hers.
Btw, I scored 36/65 in the Guy Q questionnaire – good enough to sneak me into the “pass muster – barely” category. To be honest, I’m not sure than many of my San Francisco guy friends would score much better than me on this test… if they complete the test honestly, hand on heart! I know that I’d rather date the guy that is impressed that I can change a tire, set up a home theater system, swim (and not like a dog)… even though I’d probably let him do it. Haha. Let’s face it, as old-fashioned as it sounds, the guys that *provide, fix and participate in a variety of sporting events* are incredibly attractive.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
racing... why do i do this?
it seems trite for me to write much about my honu half-ironman race while a friend and training buddy is fighting for his life in a honolulu hospital... it's been a weird few days.
the water was really choppy and the sun position made for some difficult sighting... even the pros got off track allowing my coach, chris hauth, to be second out of the water. okay, he's an olympic swimmer but he's a self-confessed drafting whore in the swim so he's rarely out of the water among the first two or three. my swim time sucked. 38min and change... 2mins slower than last year! grrr...
the bike started pretty well. i soon caught and passed one of my training buddies but the climb to hawi seemed slow-going. however, it was not nearly as hot as last year. we even rode through a small rain shower. right before the turnaround i saw a guy, spread-eagled on the ground. a volunteer was attending to him so i continued on my way and was psyched to have a little recovery on the return to the Mauna Lani. about 5mi from the hotel, i passed a couple of girls in my AG... i wondered if i had reached the *pointy end* of my AG race? but i had no real clue what position i was in. as i turned into mauna lani drive i was disappointed to see 2:4X on my SRM. i was hoping for 2:3X. oh well. time to run.
mile 1 of the run is uphill and it felt less than great but i soon found my feet, running 8-8:10min/mi. i felt reasonable, taking the course a mile at a time, and thankful that it was not as hot as the prior year. the course is very undulating with varied terrain, sand, grass, concrete and tarmac but the multitude of out and back sections do allow you to get a sense for placing... alas, my *sense* was that i was in no better than 4th place or so in my age group. a trip to the bathroom at mile 9 allowed about three girls to pass me (too much coke?) but i did recatch one girl and crossed the line in 5:19 and 6th place in my age group. no kona slot for me! damn w35-39 age-group. i'd have qualified in w30-34... c'est la vie.
Katie & Sandy on the W30-34 podium
however, the post-race situation quickly diverted my attention away from the race. a close friend and training partner, dirk, had suffered some sort of brain hemorrhage during the race. that's *the guy* that i had seen on the side of the road. ugh! he was transported by helicopter to a neuro ICU at Queen's hospital in Honolulu... any disappointment i might have felt about the race quickly evaporated as i helped friends pack and travel to be by his side. currently his condition is improving but he's still in critical condition. life is fragile. dirk's as healthy as can be... but a congenital brain condition does not care how much you exercise or how healthy you are at mealtime... life is not fair.
the water was really choppy and the sun position made for some difficult sighting... even the pros got off track allowing my coach, chris hauth, to be second out of the water. okay, he's an olympic swimmer but he's a self-confessed drafting whore in the swim so he's rarely out of the water among the first two or three. my swim time sucked. 38min and change... 2mins slower than last year! grrr...
the bike started pretty well. i soon caught and passed one of my training buddies but the climb to hawi seemed slow-going. however, it was not nearly as hot as last year. we even rode through a small rain shower. right before the turnaround i saw a guy, spread-eagled on the ground. a volunteer was attending to him so i continued on my way and was psyched to have a little recovery on the return to the Mauna Lani. about 5mi from the hotel, i passed a couple of girls in my AG... i wondered if i had reached the *pointy end* of my AG race? but i had no real clue what position i was in. as i turned into mauna lani drive i was disappointed to see 2:4X on my SRM. i was hoping for 2:3X. oh well. time to run.
mile 1 of the run is uphill and it felt less than great but i soon found my feet, running 8-8:10min/mi. i felt reasonable, taking the course a mile at a time, and thankful that it was not as hot as the prior year. the course is very undulating with varied terrain, sand, grass, concrete and tarmac but the multitude of out and back sections do allow you to get a sense for placing... alas, my *sense* was that i was in no better than 4th place or so in my age group. a trip to the bathroom at mile 9 allowed about three girls to pass me (too much coke?) but i did recatch one girl and crossed the line in 5:19 and 6th place in my age group. no kona slot for me! damn w35-39 age-group. i'd have qualified in w30-34... c'est la vie.
Katie & Sandy on the W30-34 podium
however, the post-race situation quickly diverted my attention away from the race. a close friend and training partner, dirk, had suffered some sort of brain hemorrhage during the race. that's *the guy* that i had seen on the side of the road. ugh! he was transported by helicopter to a neuro ICU at Queen's hospital in Honolulu... any disappointment i might have felt about the race quickly evaporated as i helped friends pack and travel to be by his side. currently his condition is improving but he's still in critical condition. life is fragile. dirk's as healthy as can be... but a congenital brain condition does not care how much you exercise or how healthy you are at mealtime... life is not fair.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
honu - hawaiian for turtle
This morning was another swim… and yet more turtles! The ocean was flat and the water was even more crystal clear than yesterday… which for most people would present excellent conditions for snorkeling and checking out the fish and ocean life… but for the four dorky triathletes (me + 3 boys), the clear ocean blue-green waters translated to perfect draft positioning and sighting practice! So, I put my head down and swam hard for 20 or so minutes, but then I backed off to *smell the proverbial roses* on the way back to shore and spied a turtle or two, a ray and a bounty of colorful fish.
Then I threw on my sneakers for a 6mi hard run… as you can imagine it’s hoT here and while I get used to it while riding/running… when I stop it takes me forEVer to cool down! I was still sweating (sorry, perspiring) while taking a cold (outdoor) shower.
I could just about see the outline of Mauna Kea through the morning sunshine haze… but no snow. It’s summertime and I don’t think there’s any snow up there right now… but I could be wrong. The Big Island and the Four Season is quite the home away from home for the monied class of SF ;-^) For a self-professed mountain chick that does not care much for sun, sand and beaches, I’ve been to Hawaii far too many times in recent years… of course, with the exception of a spring break trip to Kauai, each trip has been triathlon related, so I’ve hardly sat on the beach and drank mai-tais all day… just at sunset! Though, I’m slowly getting accustomed to the lazy days… perhaps that’s my age catching up with me ;-)
Then I threw on my sneakers for a 6mi hard run… as you can imagine it’s hoT here and while I get used to it while riding/running… when I stop it takes me forEVer to cool down! I was still sweating (sorry, perspiring) while taking a cold (outdoor) shower.
I could just about see the outline of Mauna Kea through the morning sunshine haze… but no snow. It’s summertime and I don’t think there’s any snow up there right now… but I could be wrong. The Big Island and the Four Season is quite the home away from home for the monied class of SF ;-^) For a self-professed mountain chick that does not care much for sun, sand and beaches, I’ve been to Hawaii far too many times in recent years… of course, with the exception of a spring break trip to Kauai, each trip has been triathlon related, so I’ve hardly sat on the beach and drank mai-tais all day… just at sunset! Though, I’m slowly getting accustomed to the lazy days… perhaps that’s my age catching up with me ;-)
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Hualalai
Well, Hawaii is relaxing... I have no agenda for the week – nada - except the odd swim (which was more like turtle-viewing this morning), bike and run to keep me *limber* pre-race. Mark’s house is ridiculously nice. The layout, design and architecture of the house is thoughtful and luxurious without being ostentatious - very accommodating… I appreciate the designer’s taste… I think a lot of the design pieces were brought in from Bali (‘cause Indonesia is so close to Hawaii, eh?) – but it’s subtle and calming, and incorporates the outdoors. I can just imagine the architect’s design notes: “a seamless transition from the interior to the traditional lanai allows the cooling breeze and fresh Hawaiian air to permeate your surroundings and draw your attention towards the conjoined hot-tub and infinity pool and beyond to the pacific ocean…”
Yeah, it’s not so shabby here. I have my own (‘til Sandy arrives on Wednesday) little guest complex with a 2 shower bathroom… and I’m not talking a double-headed shower (though that would be a nice touch). No, I have two showers for myself - one indoor and the other one is outdoors in my own little, private walled garden ;-) and on the other side of my *complex* is my own, semi-private lanai, where I’m currently sitting, reading and emailing (wireless network, d’oh!). I remember the days where there was crappy cell reception and my blackberry didn’t work on the Big Island.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Friday, May 19, 2006
giro d'italia fanaticism
why do i love watching cycling? there's a lot of downtime, repetition, hum-drumness to the sport... i sit, watch in eager anticipation of an unexpected or even predictable attack? i even watched the highlights of yesterday's TT? who does that? there's no action in the TT? what am i trying to find? contrast der kaiser's cadence with basso's? gain some insight into how deep they are digging?
i *invoked* images of my cycling heroes while riding my hill repeats yesterday. ouch! the hill repeats hurt. while doing them i recalled zabriskie's description of time-trialling as "scraping the bottom of the [pain] barrel as quickly as possible and staying there". i also thought of ullrich pushing his big gears at 32mph in the giro TT and how hard he was probably working. i also told myself that this [the pain] is for honu. i'm excited and scared for the race. two more weeks!
i rode ~70mi and ran 3mi today. i thought that i'd be weak after yesterday's LT intervals. i did not feel great, but i was riding pretty strong. it reminded me even more of the sensations i felt at the wildflower race... the fitness is there (tapered or not), it just does not feel easy. i also realized that i like the *fitness feeling of having extra gears*... that is, after a winter of nurturing my diesel engine, the intensity training is adding a little extra torque to my fitness. okay, that's probably a mechanically incorrect auto analogy!
well, back to the giro... needless to say i'm psyched for the last week of the giro. wednesday's "plan de corones" stage should be epic. i've been wearing my white team csc hat all week. what a dork!
i *invoked* images of my cycling heroes while riding my hill repeats yesterday. ouch! the hill repeats hurt. while doing them i recalled zabriskie's description of time-trialling as "scraping the bottom of the [pain] barrel as quickly as possible and staying there". i also thought of ullrich pushing his big gears at 32mph in the giro TT and how hard he was probably working. i also told myself that this [the pain] is for honu. i'm excited and scared for the race. two more weeks!
i rode ~70mi and ran 3mi today. i thought that i'd be weak after yesterday's LT intervals. i did not feel great, but i was riding pretty strong. it reminded me even more of the sensations i felt at the wildflower race... the fitness is there (tapered or not), it just does not feel easy. i also realized that i like the *fitness feeling of having extra gears*... that is, after a winter of nurturing my diesel engine, the intensity training is adding a little extra torque to my fitness. okay, that's probably a mechanically incorrect auto analogy!
well, back to the giro... needless to say i'm psyched for the last week of the giro. wednesday's "plan de corones" stage should be epic. i've been wearing my white team csc hat all week. what a dork!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Taper Interrupted
Wildflower Long Course Triathlon '06
I finished 5th (AGAIN - 3rd year in a row) in my AG and recorded a personal best by a mere 35 seconds... what's that? A couple of hundred yards?
Most coaches recommend a 3-10 day taper for an event as long as a half-ironman. Since this was not a key race, my coach recommended that I go into the race completely untapered... I did not skip a single workout, hard session in the week prior to the race.
How did this change my race?
I don’t think the hard Thursday bike intervals or easy run on Friday hurt my bike power but it made me feel like I was “working” the entire way. The non-taper probably impacted my run performance the most… my legs never quite got going, even during my favorite section from mile 7-10, which is net downhill and I usually feel like I’m flying. I was about a minute slower on the run compared to last year. I got off the bike in second place and was passed in the first 4 miles by two women in my AG and by a third woman in the last, downhill mile… there was no way (recovery purposes) that I was going to hammer down that last hill!
The non-taper thing is interesting and Chris and I discussed several things. He thinks the body acts weirdly when you give it rest so the “Taper Interrupted” strategy can still lead to an effective race result.
A couple of other things happened in the race that struck me as interesting. I passed the *ultimate* winner of my AG at mile 37 or so on the bike. I went by like a freight train, a very clean pass… but she jumped on my wheel and followed me back to T2. Basically, I paced her back. She was not drafting. She then proceeded to run very solidly so she deserved the win. Kudos for her running skills.
The other pacing thing came up with a team-mate. Laura Lyster (F20-24) went off several waves ahead of me. I caught her at mile 28 or so and she told me afterwards that my going by was a *wake-up call* and after I passed she tried to hold my wheel for as long as she could. It helped her to a sub 3 hour bike split.
I finished 5th (AGAIN - 3rd year in a row) in my AG and recorded a personal best by a mere 35 seconds... what's that? A couple of hundred yards?
Most coaches recommend a 3-10 day taper for an event as long as a half-ironman. Since this was not a key race, my coach recommended that I go into the race completely untapered... I did not skip a single workout, hard session in the week prior to the race.
How did this change my race?
I don’t think the hard Thursday bike intervals or easy run on Friday hurt my bike power but it made me feel like I was “working” the entire way. The non-taper probably impacted my run performance the most… my legs never quite got going, even during my favorite section from mile 7-10, which is net downhill and I usually feel like I’m flying. I was about a minute slower on the run compared to last year. I got off the bike in second place and was passed in the first 4 miles by two women in my AG and by a third woman in the last, downhill mile… there was no way (recovery purposes) that I was going to hammer down that last hill!
The non-taper thing is interesting and Chris and I discussed several things. He thinks the body acts weirdly when you give it rest so the “Taper Interrupted” strategy can still lead to an effective race result.
A couple of other things happened in the race that struck me as interesting. I passed the *ultimate* winner of my AG at mile 37 or so on the bike. I went by like a freight train, a very clean pass… but she jumped on my wheel and followed me back to T2. Basically, I paced her back. She was not drafting. She then proceeded to run very solidly so she deserved the win. Kudos for her running skills.
The other pacing thing came up with a team-mate. Laura Lyster (F20-24) went off several waves ahead of me. I caught her at mile 28 or so and she told me afterwards that my going by was a *wake-up call* and after I passed she tried to hold my wheel for as long as she could. It helped her to a sub 3 hour bike split.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Things I don't like to do
I am organized, timely (too timely for my friends' liking ;-)), disciplined, independent, highly-motivated and generally have an upbeat, positive demeanor. However, there are a few things in life that I will procrastinate about until the last possible moment or change *my* plans to avoid something. You might assume that a list of things I don't like to do might wind up being a list of chores - don't get me wrong, household and other chores figure prominently - but my list also includes things that I like to do! Does that make sense?
10. I don't like going to the movies on my own... even if I really want to see a movie and no one else does, chances are that I won't go.
9. Cleaning my bathroom... who does?
8. Riding my bike across the Golden Gate Bridge - the views are stunning, but the wind, the tourists and other cyclists are too unpredictable for my liking
7. Getting a bikini wax. This is a chick *necessary evil*. It's the weirdest personal service out there. Not much talking, weird positions, embarassment... need I say more?
6. Cleaning my bike - it's real pretty and all, and deserves to be squeaky clean but...
5. Going on blind dates. They are 100% of the time a disaster. I've never had a good one!
4. Vacuuming - I don't procrastinate on this, it's more a question of it not really occurring to me to vacuum on a regular basis
3. Getting a massage. These used to be relaxing treats... ironman training has rendered them painful necessities!
2. Starting a new book. I find it stressful to begin reading a new book... I fear that I will not be able to get involved with the topic or the characters. It's also a fear of failure... I don't like "not finishing a book"!
1. Swimming - I'm not very good and I get bored staring at the bottom of the pool.
10. I don't like going to the movies on my own... even if I really want to see a movie and no one else does, chances are that I won't go.
9. Cleaning my bathroom... who does?
8. Riding my bike across the Golden Gate Bridge - the views are stunning, but the wind, the tourists and other cyclists are too unpredictable for my liking
7. Getting a bikini wax. This is a chick *necessary evil*. It's the weirdest personal service out there. Not much talking, weird positions, embarassment... need I say more?
6. Cleaning my bike - it's real pretty and all, and deserves to be squeaky clean but...
5. Going on blind dates. They are 100% of the time a disaster. I've never had a good one!
4. Vacuuming - I don't procrastinate on this, it's more a question of it not really occurring to me to vacuum on a regular basis
3. Getting a massage. These used to be relaxing treats... ironman training has rendered them painful necessities!
2. Starting a new book. I find it stressful to begin reading a new book... I fear that I will not be able to get involved with the topic or the characters. It's also a fear of failure... I don't like "not finishing a book"!
1. Swimming - I'm not very good and I get bored staring at the bottom of the pool.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
idiosyncrasy
id·i·o·syn·cra·sy ( id eo s ng kr se )
n. pl. id·i·o·syn·cra·sies
1. A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group.
2. A physiological or temperamental peculiarity.
3. An unusual individual reaction to food or a drug.
A friend recently asked me what my “idiosyncrasies” are. Nothing sprung immediately to mind. At any point in time, I probably have a few “odd habits”, but are any of these behavioral characteristics? Besides, my habits morph over time, so is it truly an idiosyncrasy?
Definitions aside, I figured a daily or weekly log, might reveal certain behavioral patterns that I could, for the time being, label an idiosyncrasy. I’ve made a note over the last week of a few “things I do”.
Here goes:
1. I sleep on the right hand side of the bed (left if you’re looking from the foot of the bed!)
2. I eat a jar of almond butter a week – it tastes best smothered directly on a banana.
3. Practically the first thing I do when I get into my apartment is check my email.
4. I clip out my right cleat when stopped on my bike – I know that’s a Fred thing to do!
5. When purchasing bulk items (e.g. mixed nuts, yoghurt-covered almonds, raisins) at Wholefoods, I usually eat a couple of pieces before tying the bag.
6. I carry my purse on my left shoulder (unusual for a right-handed person).
7. I don’t cook.
8. My room-mate tells me that I run the dishwasher when it’s half-full.
9. I weigh myself every day.
10. I need a glass of water and lip balm by my bed at night.
Are any of these truly idiosyncrasies? If I were to repeat this exercise in a year’s time, how many items on the list would be different?
n. pl. id·i·o·syn·cra·sies
1. A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group.
2. A physiological or temperamental peculiarity.
3. An unusual individual reaction to food or a drug.
A friend recently asked me what my “idiosyncrasies” are. Nothing sprung immediately to mind. At any point in time, I probably have a few “odd habits”, but are any of these behavioral characteristics? Besides, my habits morph over time, so is it truly an idiosyncrasy?
Definitions aside, I figured a daily or weekly log, might reveal certain behavioral patterns that I could, for the time being, label an idiosyncrasy. I’ve made a note over the last week of a few “things I do”.
Here goes:
1. I sleep on the right hand side of the bed (left if you’re looking from the foot of the bed!)
2. I eat a jar of almond butter a week – it tastes best smothered directly on a banana.
3. Practically the first thing I do when I get into my apartment is check my email.
4. I clip out my right cleat when stopped on my bike – I know that’s a Fred thing to do!
5. When purchasing bulk items (e.g. mixed nuts, yoghurt-covered almonds, raisins) at Wholefoods, I usually eat a couple of pieces before tying the bag.
6. I carry my purse on my left shoulder (unusual for a right-handed person).
7. I don’t cook.
8. My room-mate tells me that I run the dishwasher when it’s half-full.
9. I weigh myself every day.
10. I need a glass of water and lip balm by my bed at night.
Are any of these truly idiosyncrasies? If I were to repeat this exercise in a year’s time, how many items on the list would be different?
Monday, April 10, 2006
Fortitudine vincimus
In the few days leading up to Ironman Arizona I read the book "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing. The book recounts the astonishing tale of survival of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his 27 men for over a year in the ice-bound Antarctic seas after their ship "Endurance" was crushed in the South Atlantic's ice pack in January 1915.
Fortitudine vincimus - "By endurance, we conquer" - is the Shackleton family motto. The book turned out to be a thrilling, suspenseful read and remarkably apt and motivating ahead of an Ironman race!
The swim was a single loop in the temperate but brackish waters of Tempe town lake, a dammed river, in downtown Tempe. I chose an inside line and this route was, for the most part, collision-free. The swim to the turnaround passed quickly but the return trip seemed to be very slow-going. Was there a current? Was I tiring? I didn't take a mid-point split but I reached the swim exit steps after a mind-numbing 1:19.
The bike is usually my sanctuary in an Ironman. My favorite and strongest discipline... I don't mind suffering on two wheels! However, my bike preparation for IMAZ had not gone as well as I would have liked. I can't pinpoint the reason but it was some combination of a very wet winter in San Francisco, a bike crash in late February and a lot of mental distractions and missed workouts. I tried to put that out of mind on Sunday and attempted to push the watts I wanted to ride (rather than the watts my current training told me I should ride). So I hammered my way to a 5:23:16 bike split (10th fastest bike split of the day for all female pros/AG'ers) and I entered T2 in 4th place in my age-group.
But the race does not end in T2, there was still a 26.2mi footrace to be completed! I set off feeling less than stellar but the legs came around quickly and I was running 8:30/8:45 pace each mile. I was passed at mile 2 by a woman in my age-group but besides her and being lapped by Michael Lovato, Spencer Smith and Tim DeBoom (top 3 pro men), I spent most of my time navigating the *walkers* on the 3 lap run course. It was a sunny, hot day (92 degrees) in Tempe and the weather clearly took its toll on many people. I received many comments about my solid pace... but my overall time was swollen by my incredible slowness through aid stations. For the last few miles, I was running scared in the fear that the *runners* were catching me but I managed to hang on to my 5th place and finished the run in 4:12:52 for a total time of 11:06:10. An Ironman personal best.
The highlight of the day was probably a very cute, blonde cyclist (wearing a kit that looked like old Alessio gear?) who was spectating on the run course... I saw him at practically every turn... I thought/hoped he might have been following me :-)
The lowlight of the day was hearing about my team-mate, Sandy Liaw's, crash on the bike. She collided with a cyclist on the Beeline Highway turnaround (mile 56mi) and cut her face badly. She still completed the bike and ran 6miles before being persuaded to stop. She'll be back. Studette.
Hawaii-Five-O... Unfortunately, 5th place was not quite good enough for a Kona slot. There were just 4 slots. It's bittersweet... at least I don't have to race another Ironman in 2006... it hurt!
Fortitudine vincimus - "By endurance, we conquer" - is the Shackleton family motto. The book turned out to be a thrilling, suspenseful read and remarkably apt and motivating ahead of an Ironman race!
The swim was a single loop in the temperate but brackish waters of Tempe town lake, a dammed river, in downtown Tempe. I chose an inside line and this route was, for the most part, collision-free. The swim to the turnaround passed quickly but the return trip seemed to be very slow-going. Was there a current? Was I tiring? I didn't take a mid-point split but I reached the swim exit steps after a mind-numbing 1:19.
The bike is usually my sanctuary in an Ironman. My favorite and strongest discipline... I don't mind suffering on two wheels! However, my bike preparation for IMAZ had not gone as well as I would have liked. I can't pinpoint the reason but it was some combination of a very wet winter in San Francisco, a bike crash in late February and a lot of mental distractions and missed workouts. I tried to put that out of mind on Sunday and attempted to push the watts I wanted to ride (rather than the watts my current training told me I should ride). So I hammered my way to a 5:23:16 bike split (10th fastest bike split of the day for all female pros/AG'ers) and I entered T2 in 4th place in my age-group.
But the race does not end in T2, there was still a 26.2mi footrace to be completed! I set off feeling less than stellar but the legs came around quickly and I was running 8:30/8:45 pace each mile. I was passed at mile 2 by a woman in my age-group but besides her and being lapped by Michael Lovato, Spencer Smith and Tim DeBoom (top 3 pro men), I spent most of my time navigating the *walkers* on the 3 lap run course. It was a sunny, hot day (92 degrees) in Tempe and the weather clearly took its toll on many people. I received many comments about my solid pace... but my overall time was swollen by my incredible slowness through aid stations. For the last few miles, I was running scared in the fear that the *runners* were catching me but I managed to hang on to my 5th place and finished the run in 4:12:52 for a total time of 11:06:10. An Ironman personal best.
The highlight of the day was probably a very cute, blonde cyclist (wearing a kit that looked like old Alessio gear?) who was spectating on the run course... I saw him at practically every turn... I thought/hoped he might have been following me :-)
The lowlight of the day was hearing about my team-mate, Sandy Liaw's, crash on the bike. She collided with a cyclist on the Beeline Highway turnaround (mile 56mi) and cut her face badly. She still completed the bike and ran 6miles before being persuaded to stop. She'll be back. Studette.
Hawaii-Five-O... Unfortunately, 5th place was not quite good enough for a Kona slot. There were just 4 slots. It's bittersweet... at least I don't have to race another Ironman in 2006... it hurt!
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Penalty, ref!
Football (a.k.a. soccer) is the national sport of England, my homeland, and receiving a penalty is usually a wonderful thing since the penalty kick taker has a great chance of scoring a goal, and unlike American sports, goals/points do not come easily in football!
In fact, USA Today ranked "saving a penalty kick" No. 9 on its Top Ten list of hardest things to do in sport! Penalty Kick
Though, once you read the rest of the "Top Ten", this source of information can be largely discredited ... c'mon, hitting a baseball is harder than the Tour de France? Ten Hardest Things in Sport. Perhaps I am biased because I run marathons and ride my bike ~10,000mi/year rather than hang out in batting cages. Also, after the Turin Winter Olympics, perhaps "landing a quad" should be downgraded?
Anyway, I bring up the topic of penalties since I received my first ever penalty in a triathlon this past weekend. It is not a positive thing... you are stopped mid-race while the referee marks a red slash on your race number and tells you that once back in T2 you will have to find the sin-bin and hang out there for 4 minutes before proceeding to rack your bike! Despite some notable recent examples of "how to receive a drafting penalty" (Nina Kraft and Natasha Badmann at Ironman Hawaii 2004 and 2005 respectively), I did not remain as cool as I should have done and spent far too much time and energy getting flustered and trying to protest that I was waiting for the guy to pull over so I could continue passing the field ahead of me... lessons learned - yell at the dude I'm trying to pass to pull over earlier and don't waste time contesting a penalty!
One other notable thing from the California 70.3 race:
At registration a young marine asked me my race number. I replied, "Number 2004". His reply: "that's the year I graduated high school". That's young!
In fact, USA Today ranked "saving a penalty kick" No. 9 on its Top Ten list of hardest things to do in sport! Penalty Kick
Though, once you read the rest of the "Top Ten", this source of information can be largely discredited ... c'mon, hitting a baseball is harder than the Tour de France? Ten Hardest Things in Sport. Perhaps I am biased because I run marathons and ride my bike ~10,000mi/year rather than hang out in batting cages. Also, after the Turin Winter Olympics, perhaps "landing a quad" should be downgraded?
Anyway, I bring up the topic of penalties since I received my first ever penalty in a triathlon this past weekend. It is not a positive thing... you are stopped mid-race while the referee marks a red slash on your race number and tells you that once back in T2 you will have to find the sin-bin and hang out there for 4 minutes before proceeding to rack your bike! Despite some notable recent examples of "how to receive a drafting penalty" (Nina Kraft and Natasha Badmann at Ironman Hawaii 2004 and 2005 respectively), I did not remain as cool as I should have done and spent far too much time and energy getting flustered and trying to protest that I was waiting for the guy to pull over so I could continue passing the field ahead of me... lessons learned - yell at the dude I'm trying to pass to pull over earlier and don't waste time contesting a penalty!
One other notable thing from the California 70.3 race:
At registration a young marine asked me my race number. I replied, "Number 2004". His reply: "that's the year I graduated high school". That's young!
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Ready to race?
I just spent a week in Southern California to watch the Tour of California and to do a little riding down in Ojai. While loitering around the start area before the beginning of Stage 7, I introduced myself and chatted with Fabian Wegmann of Team Gerolsteiner. In typical cycling groupie fashion, Fab became my latest crush... more because he squeezed me so darn tight for about 2 minutes while we were taking the picture above! Who knew that cyclists had upper body strength!The training did not go well (partly because I crashed my bike on day 1) but watching the bike race got me psyched to start the race season in 2006. Since returning to San Francisco I've been working on my mental preparations for Ironman Arizona. I’ve been practicing the Haka and singing Ka Mate in the comfort of my bedroom (wall-to-wall mirrors) the last few nights. This will be my signature pre-race, energizing dance ritual to be performed prior to the gun going off at each race this year :-) It does need face paint, but I have not gone there yet.
I slap my hands against my thighs, puff out my chest, bend the knees, bend my hips, and then stamp my feet as hard as I can while chanting the following.
Ka mate! Ka mate! Ka ora! Ka ora!
Ka mate! Ka mate! Ka ora! Ka ora!
Tenei te tangata puhuru huru
Nan nei I tiki mai
Whakawhiti t era
A upa… ne! ka upa… ne!
A upane kaupane whiti te ra!
Hi!!
Monday, February 20, 2006
The curse of a Stanford MBA
I keep being told that I'm over-qualified for jobs and roles that I would like to do... Grrr. A friend recently asked me if all my career choices consisted of roles where there was the constant pressure for upward mobility and continuous career progession. Isn't that what is expected of a Stanford MBA? Wouldn't I be bored if it was any other way? What if I got my kicks and stimuli from other aspects of my life... could I survive with a more humdrum job?
Monday, January 23, 2006
You know you're a 24 addict when... top ten reasons
10. You refer to the bedroom as "Division" and the bathroom as “District”.
9. When ordering pizza and they give you the delivery time, you scream back "Dammit, that's not enough time, I'll have to do it myself!"
8. Every call you get at home, you let the caller know you are putting them on speaker phone.
7. You tell the guy fixing the copy machine in your office to “do a manual reboot of Hub 5” when he is done.
6. Schematics is now a word you use everyday.
5. While adjusting the thermostat in your apartment, you wonder if someone is in possession of the override.
4. You become the self-proclaimed “Acting Director of Field Ops” in your office.
3. While on the phone with Allstate Insurance, you pray that the operator says “Please hold for President Palmer.”
2. When caught helping yourself to your assistant’s secret stash of candy, you request a “Presidential pardon in exchange for Marwan’s location.”
1. When given a project at work that you don’t want to do… you tell your boss: “I’m not doing it. I’m not CTU.”
9. When ordering pizza and they give you the delivery time, you scream back "Dammit, that's not enough time, I'll have to do it myself!"
8. Every call you get at home, you let the caller know you are putting them on speaker phone.
7. You tell the guy fixing the copy machine in your office to “do a manual reboot of Hub 5” when he is done.
6. Schematics is now a word you use everyday.
5. While adjusting the thermostat in your apartment, you wonder if someone is in possession of the override.
4. You become the self-proclaimed “Acting Director of Field Ops” in your office.
3. While on the phone with Allstate Insurance, you pray that the operator says “Please hold for President Palmer.”
2. When caught helping yourself to your assistant’s secret stash of candy, you request a “Presidential pardon in exchange for Marwan’s location.”
1. When given a project at work that you don’t want to do… you tell your boss: “I’m not doing it. I’m not CTU.”
Monday, January 09, 2006
My life. My card.
American Express is running ads that ask *celebrities* to complete the following questionnaire... for giggles, here are my *10 second responses*...
My name... JC
childhood ambition... British diplomat
fondest memory... travel has provided too many memories/tales to list
soundtrack... cleats clipping into bicycle pedals
retreat... riding my bike along Hwy 1
wildest dream... to sit down at a piano and play/sing!
proudest moment... graduating from Stanford
biggest challenge... writing my own obituary
alarm clock... Mack/Tommy texting me before a dawn patrol ride!
perfect day... running on Mount Tam followed by brunch at the Dipsea Cafe
first job... picking potatoes
indulgence... Haagen Dazs dulece de leche and choc peanut butter ice cream
last purchase... baby shower gifts
favorite movie... Shawshank Redemption, Top Gun
inspiration... my friends - they all push and challenge me in different ways
My life... is hard to encapsulate in a single phrase
My card... Visa... oops!
My name... JC
childhood ambition... British diplomat
fondest memory... travel has provided too many memories/tales to list
soundtrack... cleats clipping into bicycle pedals
retreat... riding my bike along Hwy 1
wildest dream... to sit down at a piano and play/sing!
proudest moment... graduating from Stanford
biggest challenge... writing my own obituary
alarm clock... Mack/Tommy texting me before a dawn patrol ride!
perfect day... running on Mount Tam followed by brunch at the Dipsea Cafe
first job... picking potatoes
indulgence... Haagen Dazs dulece de leche and choc peanut butter ice cream
last purchase... baby shower gifts
favorite movie... Shawshank Redemption, Top Gun
inspiration... my friends - they all push and challenge me in different ways
My life... is hard to encapsulate in a single phrase
My card... Visa... oops!
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Happy New Year
On New Year's Eve I did an awesome 1:45 run on Mount Tam, with Chris Hauth and about 8 others. We started ~ 10am, the morning after a huge storm - though the weather was still stormy, we had some rain breaks and the trails were fairly sheltered from the wind. We ran Matt Davis trail from Mountain Home Inn to Pantoll ranger station, then Dipsea trail to Steep Ravine trail. We traversed overflowing streams, rivers, clambored over felled trees and even negotiated a landslide. Epic! Combination of fun and insane. A couple of times we had to stop and help one another crawl up and over landslides where the trail was completely eroded. The New Year's Day plan was 100mi ride to Pt. Reyes lighthouse... but after 20miles of riding I was chilled to the bone and soaking wet. Mike and I had ridden from Tam High to Nicasio, through the mud-slicked streets of San Anselmo which had been closed to traffic due to flooding. The Northern California storms were the #1 news story of January 1, 2006!
Here's a view of the bike path in Marin... Tymoff, that guy rides on water!
Here's a view of the bike path in Marin... Tymoff, that guy rides on water!
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Drext and Drail?
I’ve come up with some new words for my bad habits…
drext (drekst)
v, n : abbreviation of drunk text
1.A system for sending and receiving messages electronically over a cell phone, after imbibing substantial quantities of liquor.
2. A message or messages sent or received by such a system.
See also drail
drail (drail)
v, n : abbreviation of drunk email
1. A system for sending and receiving messages electronically over a computer network, after imbibing substantial quantities of liquor.
2. A message or messages sent or received by such a system.
I got wonderful feedback from Morgan... friends don't let friends drunk dial, text or email!
drext (drekst)
v, n : abbreviation of drunk text
1.A system for sending and receiving messages electronically over a cell phone, after imbibing substantial quantities of liquor.
2. A message or messages sent or received by such a system.
See also drail
drail (drail)
v, n : abbreviation of drunk email
1. A system for sending and receiving messages electronically over a computer network, after imbibing substantial quantities of liquor.
2. A message or messages sent or received by such a system.
I got wonderful feedback from Morgan... friends don't let friends drunk dial, text or email!
Saturday, December 17, 2005
He just doesn't bug me
An acquaintance recently asked me what my deal-breakers are for a guy that I would date. Strange that I've made it to the ripe age of 34 and never once considered writing out a list of what the deal-breakers might be. I don't even know what my *must-haves* and *nice-to-haves* would be?
It got me to thinking if I do have any specific must-haves... or deal-breakers, for that matter. The latter is easier than the former. Also, perhaps it's my lack of depth, but when I consider what the character traits of the ideal guy might be... I seem to get stuck on superficial characteristics.
Must-have: >5'10", self-confident, college graduate, athlete, ambitious, brainiac, good kisser, holds his date's hand
Nice-to-have: Ivy league college graduate, blonde, >6'2", loves kids, well-travelled, american, shaves his legs, good grammar
Deal-breakers: G.U. (geographically undesirable), arrogant, married, smoker, parties past midnight frequently
Pretty superficial, huh? In fact, half of the list above is just a label for something deeper... which of course, I won't let myself voice?!?!? Naturally, I'm not at all convinced that this is my list... college graduate is a social mnemonic for rigorous thinking or strong work ethic. Shaves legs clearly marks the dude out as a cyclist ;-)
This personal insight is probably what keeps me away from online dating sites such as match.com. Despite the creative, truthful blurb that each guy writes, I read an online profile and boil down that guy into a series of superficialities and labels so I can pigeon-hole him into a comprehensible *box* in my mind. Ironically, in person I'm attracted to the guys that I can't *pigeon-hole*, guys that possess a set of juxta-posing traits that I can't nail down but which makes them all the more irresistible!
Upon further thought I remembered a quote from a friend of a friend that was recently married. When asked why she thought that this guy was *the one*, her response was: "he just doesn't bug me". Is that enough of a reason to marry someone? A lot of guys that I've dated in the past have bugged me for one reason or another...? Is she on to something?
Over Thanksgiving, I hung out with a guy for 4 straight days... and he didn't bug me for a second. I didn't even question any choices he made, things he did, we just hung out and had fun. Yeah, 4 days is not a long time for someone you barely know. It's all very new and exciting. I brought up the topic with a girlfriend and she quoted her *must-have* as a "guy that wants to be with me" and then suggested I download Nikka Costa's song, "I gotta know".
The achingly-sung chorus lyrics are as follows: "Because I've been so strong for so long, never needed anyone but my strength is wearing out my heart, so I'm letting my guard down because I feel like I finally found somebody... that I gotta know"
It couldn't be further from how I behave in relationships. I let my guard down and get hurt every time! I clearly need to come up with a better "screen" for relationship material than "he just doesn't bug me". Where should I set the bar? This will continue to be a work in progress...
Halee emailed me this quote the day after I wrote the above blog: "Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will stay awake just to watch you sleep. Wait for the guy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in your sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends. Wait for the one who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares about you and how lucky he is to have you. Wait for the one who turns to his friends and says, "...that's her."
It got me to thinking if I do have any specific must-haves... or deal-breakers, for that matter. The latter is easier than the former. Also, perhaps it's my lack of depth, but when I consider what the character traits of the ideal guy might be... I seem to get stuck on superficial characteristics.
Must-have: >5'10", self-confident, college graduate, athlete, ambitious, brainiac, good kisser, holds his date's hand
Nice-to-have: Ivy league college graduate, blonde, >6'2", loves kids, well-travelled, american, shaves his legs, good grammar
Deal-breakers: G.U. (geographically undesirable), arrogant, married, smoker, parties past midnight frequently
Pretty superficial, huh? In fact, half of the list above is just a label for something deeper... which of course, I won't let myself voice?!?!? Naturally, I'm not at all convinced that this is my list... college graduate is a social mnemonic for rigorous thinking or strong work ethic. Shaves legs clearly marks the dude out as a cyclist ;-)
This personal insight is probably what keeps me away from online dating sites such as match.com. Despite the creative, truthful blurb that each guy writes, I read an online profile and boil down that guy into a series of superficialities and labels so I can pigeon-hole him into a comprehensible *box* in my mind. Ironically, in person I'm attracted to the guys that I can't *pigeon-hole*, guys that possess a set of juxta-posing traits that I can't nail down but which makes them all the more irresistible!
Upon further thought I remembered a quote from a friend of a friend that was recently married. When asked why she thought that this guy was *the one*, her response was: "he just doesn't bug me". Is that enough of a reason to marry someone? A lot of guys that I've dated in the past have bugged me for one reason or another...? Is she on to something?
Over Thanksgiving, I hung out with a guy for 4 straight days... and he didn't bug me for a second. I didn't even question any choices he made, things he did, we just hung out and had fun. Yeah, 4 days is not a long time for someone you barely know. It's all very new and exciting. I brought up the topic with a girlfriend and she quoted her *must-have* as a "guy that wants to be with me" and then suggested I download Nikka Costa's song, "I gotta know".
The achingly-sung chorus lyrics are as follows: "Because I've been so strong for so long, never needed anyone but my strength is wearing out my heart, so I'm letting my guard down because I feel like I finally found somebody... that I gotta know"
It couldn't be further from how I behave in relationships. I let my guard down and get hurt every time! I clearly need to come up with a better "screen" for relationship material than "he just doesn't bug me". Where should I set the bar? This will continue to be a work in progress...
Halee emailed me this quote the day after I wrote the above blog: "Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will stay awake just to watch you sleep. Wait for the guy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in your sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends. Wait for the one who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares about you and how lucky he is to have you. Wait for the one who turns to his friends and says, "...that's her."
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