Update: Past 6 months!

After several months of abuse, I was reading back through all my old blog posts today.  I hadn’t realized my lack of attention to my personal blog until that point – it’s been almost 6 months since my last update…that’s a lot of racing!

I wish I was as good as Mario Minelli in keeping my blog up to date with race results and stories, but I’m just not.  As such, I’m going to just hit the highlights of the mid and late year race season and leave out some of the lesser interesting details.  Where to start…

After returning from India in June, I elected not to compete at Du at the Dam.  It just wasn’t in my best interest, racing the day after my return home.  My stomach was a mess and my body clock needed a few days to re-start.  Just the same, I would find out later in the year that I’d eventually beat the winner of that race at ParkTool.  It made me wonder how I would have fared had I went up and raced.  Most likely not so well…

Turtleman Duathlon

I digress.  My next memorable race of the season was the Turtleman Duathlon.  This was a race formerly run as a triathlon but they were forced to take a year off including the swim portion because of issues with the lake.  This was a fantastic event – probably my favorite of the year.  It featured a 3k R1, 28 mile bike and 8k R2.  The race started with the elites (~10 of them) and then featured a time trial start on R1 in order of your bib.  I didn’t necessarily care for this format given your bib number was meaningless with respect to age group or ability.

Given it was a 3k R1, I elected to aggressively start, go hard on the bike and cross my fingers on R2 with a longer, nearly ~5 mile run finish.  A few highlights for this race:

-         I ran my fastest R1 for the year – approximately a 5:50/mile pace (give or take, I don’t have the exact numbers in front of me).

-         The bike course was a FAST, FLAT route that I splitted nicely on.  However, this was the first and only race this year I got passed on the bike.  I think the guy’s name was Guy or something like that.  Super nice guy and very humble.  I told him he was the only dude who had passed me all year and he thought that was hilarious.  The guy was really talented but thought he wasn’t. 

-         My R2 was respectable as well.  Overall, I came in in 13^th place and won my age group by several minutes.  It was a really competitive field, given it was one of the races in the state championship series.

-         This was my first and only race this year where I beat Charlie Roach.  He had some trouble on the bike, then dehydrated/cramped on R2.  I beat him by a minute or so.

Race results here:  http://www.pigmantri.com/jmsracing/results11/turtle11b.html

Minneapolis Duathlon

This is the landmark event for me each year, even though technically it’s not the most competitive.  Yeah, there are some good athletes there, but the really good ones for one reason or another avoid this one.  Perhaps it conflicts with another big tri somewhere.  Despite that fact, this is the first race I ever did and is close to my heart in getting my career started.  It’s also the largest race I do all year, so my numbers look more impressive.  J

The course for Minneapolis was the same as last year, so I felt I knew where I was going and felt good about it.  Upon arrival, I didn’t see anyone I recognized as elite, but have learned to not make any assumptions before starting.  This race turned out to be one of the more interesting ones for me this year the way it unfolded.  A few highlights:

-         Off the start (R1 is a 5k), this little dude absolutely took off.  I mean he threw up dust and left us wondering what the hell happened.  I’d noticed him talking to a bigger guy at the start and made an early assumption that he might be on a relay.  The kid turned out to run low 5’s both R1/R2 (ridiculous) and was indeed part of the relay.  However, he would play a role in this race for me later.

-         I didn’t feel my R1 was the best of the year.  My first mile was solid, then I settled in at a slower pace than normal.  I was chicked twice – the second one was carrying a full conversation with the guy she was running with.  But as is usually the case, my bike split saved me…

-         Coming out of R1, I was around 10^th place or so.  Within the first 3-4 miles (18 mile bike), I had passed all but three, at least that’s what I thought.

-         When arriving back at T2, my wife was going nuts.  As I flew past her into transition, she yelled that I was in second.  Second?  I thought I was 4^th (possibly 3^rd if the speedy kid was part of a relay).  I presumed he was the one ahead of me.

-         When I started R2, I had a hunch that perhaps I was actually winning but didn’t know for absolute sure.  The guy I’d criss crossed on the bike wasn’t the speedy kid, he was a thick guy.  I thought he was the speedy kid’s partner.  However, I didn’t remember passing two other guys who I knew were ahead of me.  Where were they?  I thought maybe Kathy was wrong.

-         About mile 2.1, a guy passed me.  He was one of the guys I hadn’t remembered passing.  About 3/10ths later, another guy flew past me.  Okay, what place am I in now??

-         Turns out I had been in first coming off the bike – the other guy was indeed a relay.  The two guys passing me took 1^st and 2^nd (in a landmark sprint to the finish – one second apart).  I took third by < 30 seconds.

It was a good effort but dang.  I almost WON Minneapolis.  What a crazy deal that would have been.  Regardless, I did win my age group.  Not too bad for a big venue.

Race results here:  http://www.mtecresults.com/race/show/458

ParkTool (Fall Classic) Duathlon

This turned out to be my best and most exciting effort of the year.  This is the same course as Oakdale (took 7^th this year).  I’d raced ParkTool last year and flatted after moving up very nicely in the race.  A few highlights:

-         This was a chilly race – one of the coolest ones this year (minus maybe Falls in April).  It was a tough clothing choice.  I also made some wardrobe errors and really rookie type mistakes.  However, it worked out.

-         R1 was one of my better efforts.  I came in second off R1 by less than a minute.  My bike split was practically the same as Oakdale this spring.  I passed the #1 guy at about mile 3 (of 14).  I got him on the one big hill coming out of the park and never saw him again until transition.

-         Taking the first hard left out of the transition (heading out of the park), I nearly crashed.  I was so keyed up knowing how well I was doing, I didn’t brake hard enough on the corner.  I started to realize about mid turn I wasn’t going to make the corner without wiping out.  I straightened up and went straight into the ditch.  I quickly recovered, went back up the ditch bank and kept going.  Seriously, Heneke.

-         I came in off the bike in first by over a minute.  The guy who I saw in second as I ran out of transition was a younger guy I knew I’d out run in R1.  I also assumed he was going to have a good bike split because I noticed he had some sort of a junior cycling team logo on his bike.

-         R2 was a game of cat and mouse.  I knew I was ahead of the guy who had beat me in on R1 by probably 2 minutes.  I had no idea what he’d have left or how fast I could go.  It was one of those crazy/scary/exciting times where you’re constantly looking back over your shoulder.  I could swear I heard footsteps the whole time.

-         As I ran back into the parking lot (where transition was), I kept looking back.  No one.  I rounded the final corner and saw the finish.  A looked back – no one.  I saw Kathy and realized I was going to win this race.  It was one of the most thrilling feelings I’ve ever had.  I brought it home the last 100 meters and felt completely elated.  I’d just won my first major event.

First place overall!

Race results here:  http://www.frontrunnerusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/parktool2011results.txt

MTN Recognition:  http://www.minnesotatrinews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=921:fall-classic-stuff&catid=42:latest-race-coverage&Itemid=55

Monster Dash – 10 miler

At the end of October, I did the Monster 10 for the second year in a row.  Maybe someday I’ll do the half, but I just love getting to 10 and being done.  Unlike last year, I built up my miles pretty drastically until the week before the race (max 50 miles that final week).  I felt great.  I also knew the course was pretty easy elevation wise and felt confident.

Coach Jason had suggested I not “race” this time and plan on a 6:40 pace for most of the 10 miles, picking it up around mile 8 to the end.  My personal goal was to hold an average 6:30.  The race started out like most I do – too fast to start.  I slowed way down and think I hit a 6:11 first mile.  I continued to hold mostly 6:20-6:30 miles for the first 5.  At about mile 6, I started to feel rough.  Legs were wasted.  I had a couple of rough miles but pulled it together around mile 8.5 or 9.  When I got about a quarter of a mile from the end, I saw the finish and went for it.  I was able to pass three people the last 20 yards, including the top woman.  At last check, I came in 21^st out of 2100+.  Not a bad effort.

I wish I liked long distance running more.  It’s painful and I have a hard time keeping my mind off the agony.  But I’m pretty good at it too for just being a beginner.  Maybe I’ll figure out how to deal with the pain…

Race results here:  http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?rid=888&race=561

Band on the Run 5k

Kathy and I decided to do a 5k down in Marion in earlier October since the Iowa City Duathlon was cancelled (boo!).  I wanted to race for my dad who had never seen me race before.  It was a small venue – first year for the event.  That said, there were maybe 40-50 participants.

I raced this one like a rookie – really foolishly.  I got way too caught up in being in the lead early and allowed the only other competitive guy drive me toward puking on mile 1.  I got to the first mile split and hit about a 5:30.  Oh no.  I had no choice but to slow down and hope the other guy had done the same thing. 

He had.  My 2^nd and 3^rd miles were considerably slower, but I beat him by a solid 45 seconds.  My first 5k victory.

Race results here:  http://www.spandainc.com/pdf/race_results.pdf

Nightbeat 5k

I raced the Nightbeat this year, but didn’t put an all out effort into it.  I just didn’t have the competitive spirit in me that night, but enjoyed the training run and talking with Mario (who took 3^rd overall, first in his age group).  I came in behind him in 4^th (minute or so later) and also won my age group.  The pizza afterwards was incredible as always.

St. Jude Half Marathon – Memphis

This past weekend, I ran the St. Jude Half with Jason Mott.  He found me a race bib (I think my name was Allison) and we ran together.  This was a leisurely run for me, but what a great time.  We ran a 2:12 time but the time was insignificant.  It was just plain fun.  The city of Memphis put on a well run, supported and enthusiastic event.  We got to run through St. Jude’s campus and the Ronald McDonald House area.  The finish was into a very full Memphis Redbirds baseball stadium with the crowd cheering.  I had just a great time!

Gamehaven TRUE Cross Country Race

The final race I’ll briefly discuss is Gamehaven.  I race this race with Shaun Stevens, who recently lost his young son.  Jason (Shaun’s son) had run this race last year – it’s a very popular cross country race for high school kids.  It was a fun time and truly a CC event.  Rivers, sand, mud, leaves, hills, branches, hay bales – lots of obstacles.  I had a good time and it felt good to run with my friend.

Final Race Thoughts

This was a great rookie season for me…a true breakout year.  Of all the races I ran, I placed first in my age group in every one, except for Cinco du Mayo where I took 2^nd in my age (though technically the 1^st place guy is elite I think).  I won two duathlons, one that I would consider a significant event.  I also won my first 5k.  I’m pleased with my progress and look forward to taking some time off racing and working hard this off season.

The early off season has had its ups and downs.  I believe I suffered an ankle injury at Gamehaven – I will know more very soon.  I’m hopeful it’s nothing and that I can get back into serious training soon.  On the positive side, I’ve continued to keep up my biking and have started to learn how to swim.  My longest lap effort thus far has been 1250 yards, well beyond the length required to do a sprint tri next year.  I feel good about how quickly I’ve reconnected to my swimming.

I’m very hopeful that next year will be even better.  I’m going to be a little more selective in my race selection and probably eliminate some of the lesser competitive events, focusing on those events where I can really go head to head with some great athletes.  I will likely not do Gear West next year – I just don’t think races with trail running are my thing…plus, I’m not really trained to run trails.  I’m trying to decide where my first triathlon will be.  Perhaps it will end up being Rochester.

Other Happenings

In a few SHORT weeks, Kathy and I will be off to Australia for the trip of our lifetime.  Now that the time is close and we are starting to consider things we’ll do, we’re both super excited for it.  It seems like months ago we booked this thing – now it’s here!  I simply can’t wait.  It makes winter seem a little more bearable.

Right now, I’m on my flight home from Memphis, where I visited Jason and Kristen Mott for the weekend.  I got to meet Carter, their baby son.  What a cute kid.  He’s just a little peanut and doing really well.  I had a great time with them this weekend – we just don’t see each other enough.

In March, I’ll get back into the classroom.  I can’t wait.  I’m teaching Forensic Auditing and Accounting at St. Mary’s for the 4^th time.  I’m also picking up a budgeting class through RCTC (online).  It will be a hectic early spring teaching two courses at once but I’m excited about the opportunity. 

I’m also getting the itch to get back into the classroom in some capacity as a student.  I haven’t decided yet if that’s my best idea.  Kathy doesn’t think so.  J  I just miss it – we shall see. 

Otherwise, life is good.  Hoping to get good news this week on the injury and start to ramp up winter miles again. 

Until next time, race on!

Final India Thoughts, First Career Win @ Cardinal Man Duathlon

Well, I've been home for a few weeks now and have had time to adjust back to normal US life.  It's been an interesting adjustment for sure and I've probably learned just as much after coming home as I did when I was over there.  A few final, concluding thoughts/experiences....

- I was able to come home on time Thursday, June 23.  My colleague was asked to stay an extra couple of days.  I surprised myself on how anxious I was to wrap things up and get back.  When considering the fact that he was staying extra time, it made me glad I wasn't also staying.  Odd.

- My flight home was pretty uneventful.  I ended up at the Hyderabad airport way too early.  Other than that, everything went about as flawlessly as it could.  I arrived in Chicago early and made it to my gate 20 minutes before departure.  Back in Rochester!  My only issue was at RST - no baggage and a dead truck battery.  Just the fact that I was home made them both seem pretty easy to manage.

- It was interesting how long it took my stomach to re-adjust back to US food.  If anything, I figured I'd not feel well when over in India, not upon returning home.  Quite the opposite occurred.  Enough details on that!

- There are so many little things that one takes for granted and you forget about until you're gone for awhile.  The biggest thing I probably missed was driving myself around and not seeing so much traffic.  It seems  minor, but the traffic situation both in the US as well as in this part of the Midwest is nothing by comparison. 

- It's been great being in my home, eating what I want (including fruits and vegetables - two things I didn't expect to miss), riding my bike, and being in somewhat of a moderate temperature (well, not this week, but most). 

Overall, I'm not sure I'd go back to India purely for pleasure.  While I respect the culture, history and everything India offers, I've perhaps spoiled myself with Western culture and nicities.  Perhaps I'm a pompeous American.  I guess I'll be okay with that.  This is the only time in my life where I've been really ready to go home.  I don't get homesick.  I don't miss my dog.  This time, I really did.


And now back to the American life...and racing.  Yesterday, I participated in the Cardinal Man Duathlon in LeRoy, MN.  I knew going in this would be a small, local and likely not the most competitive race, given it was only the second year for the tri and first year for the duathlon.  Plus, there were many competing races in the area.  Either way, I figured it was a nice tune up mid-year race and there weren't any other duathlons I'd found.  So...off to LeRoy we went!

Rain threatened the beginning of the race.  In fact, I was up at 4 AM (asleep about 6 PM the night before) and looked at the radar.  Uh oh.  The night before had seen heavy rain and thunderstorms.  I wondered what the running route might look like!  On the flip side, every race I'd done this year had been threatened by rain - what was one more?

We got to the race course around 6:30 after a short drive.  We decided to quick drive the run route so I didn't venture off course again.  I read through the race information and knew the bike route was a bike trail, so no driving that!  The run course was pretty easy and not many turns, though it was a half mile or so of gravel.  When we got to the transition area, it was pratically empty.  Hmmm....

I picked up my race information and looked around.  Very small transition.  Only a handful of people there....and not a lot of impressive looking bikes.  Okay....that's cool.

I went through my normal race routine, getting ready.  I had my pick of the spots to rack my bike and chose the area closest to the bike out route.  I figured I should run out on the bike route to see where I was going.

Oh man - gravel?!  I hit about 100 yards of pure gravel - no way to avoid it.  I hated to even ride over it as a warm up.  I got past it and hit the next obstacle - a fallen tree right in the middle of the path!!  All right - time to head back and let someone know....

They had no idea the tree was down and wouldn't have discovered it pre-race.  I perform my good semaratan act #1 and took off to warm up on the run.  I got back just as they were announcing the pre-race items.

We started walking to the start line and I took a chance to look over all the bikes.  Only 1 or 2 other tri bikes there, mostly road bikes but even some mountain bikes.  I looked over the field - hmmm.  Only a couple guys I recognized and relatively few doing the duathlon (indicated by a bracelet). 

Starting gun!  I decided I was going to play this race conservatively and slow to begin.  Even with that in mind, I was immediately in the lead.  I've never been in the lead before - it was odd.  I wasn't sure how to pace when I was in front!  I could hear footsteps but decided to just run my pace and see what happened.  As we started up a hill, I could only hear one set of footsteps anywhere near me.  I turned right onto a gravel road and a young kid went right by.  He looked like he was barely trying.  I glanced quick at his wrist - no bracelet.  All right.

The youngster took off past me and locked in about 30 yards ahead.  He kept looking back but never broke any faster.  As we turned right off the gravel road, I shot a look back over my shoulder.  The third place guy was pretty far back.  The youngster and I coasted into T1 about the same distance apart that he'd put between us on the gravel, at about a 6:30 pace for me (6:10 first mile, 6:40 second).  I felt pretty good I could catch him, even though I thought he was doing the tri.  I just wasn't sure enough to let him go.

I got into T1 and quickly transitioned out.  I had a horrible time getting clipped in but got there.  By just shy of mile 1, I could already see the kid on the bike.  I thought to myself, "All right, let's go get him."  The trail we were on was pretty high risk.  It was still wet from the night before, had some muddy patches, was winding, pretty narrow and full of sticks.  I just wasn't comfortable enough to sit in aero too long, especially on corners.  There were a few straight aways where I really cooked it.

I kept sneaking up on the lead kid when he blundered.  As we hit the short gravel patch, he misread the sign and kept following it around to the left instead of getting back on the path.  I couldn't let him go the wrong way and started yelling.  I got onto the path but he didn't hear me.  I kept shouting.  I yelled out one last time before I rounded a corner to the right and he heard me, turning around.  I yelled that he needed to get back on the path.  He looked annoyed for missing his turn as I turned and kept going.  I was now in the lead!

I got out to the turnaround at mile 5 and seemed to surprise the guys standing there....they weren't ready.  I turned around and came back.  It was awhile before I passed anyone else - probably a good half mile or so.  It was a little tougher coming back because you had to watch for others coming back at you.  I yelled on every corner and got back into transition without blowing a tire.  Yes!

I couldn't be sure how far ahead I was but figured it was pretty significant.  I hustled to transition out and started the run.  The first quarter mile was rough - I was breathing funny and a little more winded than normal.  I finished the first mile in 6:40 but was working fairly hard and starting to really feel the humidity.  I kept looking back seeing no one around.  I got up to the turnaround at 1.25 and still no one.  I came back down the hill and finally saw a couple guys at the 1.75 mile mark (or a full mile ahead).  Okay, that's a good distance.

It was at this point where the humidity really kicked my tush.  I started to feel every step and get a tad light headed.  I realized that this was a really poor time to kick it in for a strong finish.  Given how far ahead I was, I figured I had two choices:  slow down, finish and win or keep the pace/go faster, pass out, and DNF.  Hmmm, tough decision.

I dropped into second gear and ran a 7:09 second mile.  A half mile and I was done.  At one point, I really felt faint.  I took about 20 seconds to walk it off, no longer concerned about my time.  I only had a half mile to go...let's get this done.  I finished the race at just over 1:05, about a 7:00 pace on the second run and over 10 and a half minutes ahead of the second place guy.  Overall, a descent effort.

It was a good first career victory.  I felt a little undermatched but that is going to happen occasionally I suppose.  Overall, it was a good day and fun time!

More humbling experiences....

I decided to do a slightly different run today - leaving from my apartment and running to the jungle (about 2.5 miles) then run inside and back to the apartment again.  I've become accustomed to having some coconut water directly from the coconuts cut up in front of me each time after running.  I really needed it today to get back, so I stopped at a vendor.  They charge 10 rupies (about 20 cents USD) per coconut.  Instead of giving him 20 rupies for two coconuts, I gave him 30.  He was most thankful for this extra little bit of money.

I started to walk away from the vendor and saw a very old man with his hand out.  It was clear he couldn't see very well nor really walk.  I pulled 100 rupies out of my pocket against better judgment - I'd been told not to do this.  I handed him the bill and walked away.  You'd have thought I just bought him a new house.  100 rupies is just over $2 USD.

As I started my Garmin watch back up, I looked at it a few extra seconds.  This watch cost me about $400 a few months ago.  I thought for a second about how much money $400 would be to these people.  Most likely, that's as much as some people make in an entire year.  I thought further about the $400 camera I carried around yesterday.  These are items I went to the store and bought without much thought...yet these would cost most people in Hyderabad an entire year's wages.  It makes you stop and think.....

Sunday Happenings and Further Observations

Today we spent a good portion of the day navigating Hyderabad.  This will likely be our final opportunity to do much outside of working long days again.  Dhiraj picked us up mid-morning and we headed to the Golconda Fort.  It was the fort originally built by the king 400+ years ago.  Now admittedly, history and architecture aren't always the most interesting to me, but this place was NEAT.  I'll have many pictures to share when I get home.  We did tons of walking and climbing stairs - which is good - it makes me feel just a touch less guilty about not running today.  Dhiraj also found us an English speaking tour guide to tell us some of the stories of the fort.  The place is massive - I believe he said the outside wall is about 7km.  It's amazing how meticulous the thing was built.  They built in security features, wind flow (equivalent to modern day air conditioning) and communication via sound.  You could literally clap at a point at one end of the fort and hear the claps clear up the hill at the other end.  It was super impressive.

After the fort, we visited the tomb of past kings, wives, servants, etc.  Another neat place, though not nearly as cool as the fort.

Dhiraj took us through the "IT City" where we had lunch and drove around.  I never would have guessed this part of the city existed.  IT City is where all the huge IT companies have started building offices in Hyderabad - very similar to what you'd see in a place like Silicon Valley.  Microsoft, IBM, Dell all have huge offices here...and I probably don't need to tell you the buildings are big, expensive and beautiful.  It was like a completely different city seeing this.  Wealth, power and riches loomed large.

Other happenings and observations

One of my friends asked me a few days ago if I'd been "rockstarred."  I wasn't sure what that meant, but assumed I would know when it happened.  Today, I was rockstarred.

As has been true the whole time I've been here, people really stared at me through the day.  White people definitely stand out - 6'4" white people seem to be like a cute little puppy that everyone wants see and play with.  I noticed lots of stares at the fort today though - more than I see even running in the city.  We were about half way up to the top of the fort when I came across these two younger boys - maybe high school age.  It seemed like wherever I was they were there too.  At one point, one of them came over and stood next to me, though my back was partially turned.  I noticed the other was taking a picture with his cell phone.  Not wanting to be in the way, I stepped aside so he could take a picture w/o me in the background.  He put down the camera and the other kid walked over to where I was.  Again, I stepped out of the picture.  This went on for awhile and I was starting to get the impression they wanted me in the picture, even though I had my back turned.  Finally, one of them worked up enough courage to say in broken English, "One photo?"  So I proceeded to pose for a picture with both of them individually.  They shook my hand and that was that.  Later, the same two guys wanted another picture.  Okay, I'm good now.

Later on up at the top of the fort, there was a larger group of college kids.  They were posing for a picture and our tour guide was snapping shots.  I thought it was a neat picture, so I took one with my camera.  All of a sudden, these two giggling girls come walking over and asked for a picture.  They were making a pretty big deal out of it - apparently 'star struck' in some fashion.  It was clear they found me okay to look at the way they were acting.  All of a sudden I'm surrounded by this group of students, all wanting to stand next to me in this huge group photo.  Yes, I have evidence.  I'll post picture when I get home.  After the photo session, all of the gentlemen had to shake my hand and asked me my name.  You'd have thought I had just won the political election or something.  All of the girls just giggled.

After this point, I became a bit more aware of what was going on around me.  I seemed to be some sort of novelty act to people - I'd see people snapping pictures as if I were some movie star.  Twice more before we left, people asked me to stop and take a picture with them.

At one point when we were at the fort, a small group of younger boys, maybe 12 or so years old noticed me walk by.  They just stared in amazement.  Eventually, one of the kids worked up enough courage and said (to Dhiraj), "How tall is that guy?"  "6'4" Dhiraj said.  In very clear English, the kid goes, "What exactly are you eating, sir?"  Too funny.

Male Bonding

I forgot to mention in past posts the way that men and boys interact with each other here - it's interesting and a bit uncomfortable to Westerners.  Being gay in this area is not widely recognized or accepted, yet you'd think there were lots of gay men here.  Why?  Men and boys who are friends very commonly hold hands or walk with their arms around each other to signal their close friendship.  It took awhile to get used to this, but I saw it much more today.  It's just something the males do in this culture.  I'm glad I was forewarned of this before seeing it myself or it may have been a little creepy.

Electrical Conservation

India is big into energy conservation, though as my colleague pointed out, it's probably due more to cost than anything.  The minute we walk out of our apartment in the morning, the staff come scurrying in to turn off all lights and the air conditioning.  Even when working at CATT, they turn off the AC in the conference room the second we exit for the day.  Energy conservation and lack of concern for garbage and the look of the infrastructure seem a bit in conflict to me.  It's a puzzle I'm trying yet to solve.

Poverty

I probably saw more poverty today than I had most of the other days.  It seems like there are beggars everywhere in this city.  We saw a poor boy at the tomb who couldn't have been more than 10 years old with some very messed up legs.  He could walk but was obviously crippled.  This is tough to see in such young kids.  The other thing you see is tons of women with small children or babies walking around and begging.  There was a woman at the fort who had a baby and was trying hard to get money from us.  She got pretty angry when we drove away and made some sort of gesture most likely the equivalent of the middle finger!  It's sad and eye-opening how much poverty there is.

Coming back from the IT City, we drove through a small village that was mostly agricultural and quite poor.  The people here lived in a sort of tent looking thing covered in what appeared to be cloth.  I'm sure they were worthless in rain and heat (most good tents are worthless in those conditions).  These people know nothing different either.  That to me is humbling.

I suppose after awhile you becoming conditioned to seeing these types of things day in and day out.  It's a tough thing to see coming from the Midwest where most people are doing okay if not really well for themselves.  In a small way you can't help but want to aid others in some way, but where does one start?

Playing Chicken with Indians, Dillip the Driver and Other India Adventures

The past few days in Hyderabad have truly been a whirl.  We've been so busy with things that I'm sad to say, I've forgotten a lot of the details of my week.  However, I've been trying to take notes of small things I've observed, witnessed or thought about as I've been out and about.  So here goes....

Playing Chicken with Indians

There's one thing I know about the Indian culture - they don't share the road well.  That is true whether you're in a vehicle or on a path.  The past several mornings, Dhiraj has picked me up at 6:15 and taken me to the "jungle" or more accurately the state park in the middle of the city.  Each morning has given me an opportunity to observe new things and reflect a little.  However, I quickly found that the others out there exercising (most everyone walks, not runs) don't have a great sense of their surroundings.  I frequently come upon rows of men walking on the small rock trail and they appear to have no sense of others around them.  I'm constantly weaving in and out, even occasionally knocking elbows to pass by.  I'm sure they think I'm rude in not slowing down, but I also think they're a bit absent-minded not paying more attention.  So...I say we call it even.  :)  It's common that I come face to face with an Indian and we play this face paced game of chicken - which one of us will weave off our path first?  It appears I win about half the time, likely because I'm a huge dude compared to these guys.  There are other times where I just weave out of their way because there's no way they're going to look up and react in time.  I figure a hospital bill here isn't worth it!

The park we go to is a really neat place.  It's not really that much different than a state park back home, but there are some quirky things inside that set it apart.  For example, when you enter the park, there is a sanctuary area where men stop to pray before proceeding.  There are scented candles, lights and a replica of a god sitting there.  Once you enter, you see people all around doing various things, including yoga, core exercises and meditation.  This is true all around the park.  The paths are well maintained, although small, loose rock, as I've mentioned.  It's a little tough for traction but as I said, most people are walking.  There is likely wildlife around too, but about all you see are peacocks.  The other morning, I also saw a class of young kids doing karate.

One morning I asked Dhiraj what the street vendors had on their carts.  There was this large green football looking fruit attached to branches.  He said they were coconuts - they looked much different than the coconuts back home.  When we came back out, Dhiraj asked if I wanted to try one.  I had no idea what it was I was trying, but I agreed.  The vendor has this huge sharp knife and they start hacking away at the coconut.  They eventually pop off the top, stick in a straw and hand it to you.  Then you drink the juice inside.  After a run, it's really refreshing....and I don't even like coconut.

I appreciate that Dhiraj is willing to take me to this park each morning.  He's a very busy man and enjoys playing tennis with his friends in the mornings.  Later today (Sunday), I plan to see how far a run it is to the park and may do a run inside again before coming back.

Dillip the Driver

We consistently have the same driver taking us around the city and between our apartment and office.  His name is Dillip.  He's probably about 19 or 20 years old and just learning how to drive.  He's definitely young maturity wise but has a heart of gold.  Dillip is just learning how to speak English, so he like to try out his speech with us when we're driving. 

Dillip is a pretty crazy driver.  He's definitely of the younger generation in that he's more aggressive and honks his horn A LOT.  I find it really funny how every time we turn the corner by CATT he starts honking his horn immediately.  This is his signal that everyone needs to get out of his way and let him park right next to the door.  He just lays on the horn and people stare at him (I know how that feels!).  It's hilarious.

The other day, I had a few Starburst in my pocket and was eating them as we left the apartment.  I decided to give Dillip a few pieces as I suspected he'd never had them before.  He immediately turned to my colleagues and tried to gift them.  We all had to explain that the candy was for him and no one else.  It was a true insight into his character that he thought of others before himself.  What a nice kid.  I've got a couple packages of chocolate left that I haven't yet given to any of my CATT colleagues and think he'll be getting one.  They love American chocolate here.

Other India Adventures

The week was extraordinarily busy.  Our days consisted of getting into the office about noon, but not before most of us had worked 2-3 hours in the morning.  We generally don't leave much before 9 PM, sometimes 10 PM or later.  Dhiraj always wants to take us to dinner at that time, which of course we're not used to.  By the time we head out, we're completely wiped but agree most nights to dinner to be polite.  The restaurants Dhiraj takes us to are all amazing food.  We usually have a beer or whiskey (which often makes me even more tired) and a progressive style meal.  You walk out stuffed and then head to bed when you get home...never a good combination.  Plus, you don't go to one of these resturants for a quick meal - they are all well over an hour, sometimes two.  A 5:30 wake-up to meet Dhiraj comes pretty early!  Thus the reason I'm usually dying out there when I run....a few hours of sleep with the previous night's meal still sitting heavy in my stomach.  Back to the apartment, maybe lay down for an hour before I'm back up, showering and back to work.  Whirlwind!

Yesterday (Saturday) was a shorter day for us.  We "only" worked until about 5:30....so only about 8 or 9 hours.  :)  The three of us (Jay, Bruce and myself) decided that ordering some Domino's and having some beer (King Fisher of course) would be a great idea.  We did so, but after one beer, I was down for the count!  Today (Sunday), we're going to visit a fort in the city - it's supposed to be a neat place.  This will be our final day of no work (I say that term loosely because we'll probably do some work tonight) before a few more intense days and then flying home.

I know I mention how intense the work is here.  It's hard to explain why that is.  I think it's primarily because you get into such excruciating detail in building software.  Not only considering where everything must be placed on a specific page, but then talking through all your data sources, what clicking this button will do and how it should look, and so on.  One wouldn't think this would be all that difficult - I certainly didn't before doing this project.  But it truly is a ton of work.  Next week will be interesting as we've built out all our screens and start to discuss functional specs.  Deep, deep detail.

I think I'm starting to become more accustomed to how things work in this city/country.  Still, I can't help but be overwhelmed every time we leave the apartment.  There is so much to take in that your eyes and brain can't keep up.  It's the definition of being overly mentally and visually stimulated at all times.  I can't describe how many people there are here...and they all appear to be going somewhere and doing something.  Even the simple things you see cause you to stop and stare a little - something as simple as a child selling fruit on the street.  When you're in a car, you see flashes of what's going on, but only a small fraction of the full picture.  It would be interesting to just get out and walk - observe, talk to people, ask them what they're doing and why - but as "rich" white people, we would be mauled in most circumstances.  I also think it would be interesting to walk through Old Hyderabad where the street vendors are.  There are just hundreds of store and carts set up all over, even right in the middle of the street.  Everyone is struggling for survival - peddling their goods.  Again, it's probably not the most safe for us to be walking in these areas but it would be interesting.  Unfortunately, we usually have to stick to the malls and larger chain stores unless we're accompanied to a specific place.

A lot of what people think about India is true but only to a certain extent.  Yes, it is a poorer country.  Yes, people urinate in the street right out in the open.  Yes, there are lots of beggars who walk up to your car window.  On the flip side, there are many misconceptions or exaggerations that Americans make that are untrue and unfair.  I know people get frustrated when they call a customer service line and get an Indian.  They're hard to understand don't appear to grasp your issue.  But I can tell you that they care.  They want you to be satisfied with your interaction and they want to solve your problem.  I can see now why companies use Indian labor.  Yes, it's cheap but it's also high quality.  That's not something most Americans believe. 

Time to sign off for now...but more to come....

Sunday & Monday in Hyderabad

Early Sunday morning (6:30 AM) I went for another run.  This time, I studied my Garmin data and elected to do a loop - same route as the previous day but I wouldn't turn around but rather do a full rectangle.  This was about an hour and a half earlier than my Saturday morning run.  It turned out to be much less congested and a bit cooler.

One of the major problems in running in Hyderabad is that the streets aren't marked - at all.  No signs indicating where you are.  I got to an intersection I wasn't sure about - I knew I needed to take a right eventually but from what I recalled of the map, it was at a T-intersection.  I went straight through the intersection.  I ended up in a very poor neighborhood.  When I say poor, it's a relative term.  Most of the neighborhoods look poor.  Yet this neighborhood was worse - people sleeping on the streets, hanging out of windows, it was quite a scene.  I wasn't sure where exactly I was, but I kept going a half mile or so into this area.  Again, I didn't feel threatened in any way - people weren't coming up to me and begging - yet I did feel uneasy.  The highlight of this little detour was when a truck went by me with three small children in the back.  Their eyes popped out of their heads seeing me - they couldn't look away.  I smiled at them and waved.  All three of them got huge smiles and waved back.  It was a cool moment.

I finally got myself back on course, but as I made turns on my route, I could never tell if I was going the right way.  As I got past the 5 mile mark, it was getting very hot and I was worried I was lost.  I had 500 rupees (about $10) in my pocket if I needed to take a cab back.  Just about the time I thought I might have to find someone who spoke English and help me out, I saw the apartment.  Whew!

My co-workers hadn't woken up yet, so I decided to go up to the roof and check out the gym.  I soon realized this was going to be an adventure.  The "gym" is located in a room with no air conditioning.  Imagine working out in that.  I did a short jog on the treadmill then decided to roll the "bike" outside and ride it.  I adjusted the seat to the top level, got on and started to pedal.  Ever ridden a horse before?  That's what this was like - the seat and handlebars both bobbed up and down as I peddled.  I could only do it 10 minutes.  :)

Sunday was our day off of work (likely the only one during the trip) so we asked someone from CATT to take us around to a few local spots.  I have to admit, this was the portion of the day where I felt really humbled.  As we drove around and through the city, you saw all of the hard working people sitting in their booths, selling items and trying to make a living.  There were massive numbers of people and cars out and about wandering.  It was amazing seeing all the men, women and children trying to sell their goods.  I couldn't help but feel a little spoiled as I rode around in the car with my driver.  In a way, it felt wrong. 

Our first stop was at a local castle.  They used to have hundreds of castles in Hyderabad but most have been destroyed or can't be viewed publicly.  It was neat to see all the royal stuff in the castle.  One was enough though - I sort of think if you've seen one, you've seen them all.  Our next stop was at a local jeweler.  This is where I probably felt the most "rich" as we pulled down a side street and parked.  There were gobs of people all over.  Obviously, we were the only white people around.  People could definitely tell we were high class.  Again, it felt kind of wrong.  We spent quite a bit of time at the jewelry store.  They have super cheap pearls, sapphires, rubies, etc.  It was sort of like having a progressive meal - he kept pulling things out and showing us items.  I'm not really a jewelry shopper, so it was quite educational.  When we were in the jewelry store, people kept walking by, stopping and watching.  At one point, these two little girls stood outside the door and watched us.  Whenever I'd look over, they'd both smile and wave.  I'd wave back and they'd giggle.  This went on for quite awhile - somehow I think they'd have stood there all day and kept doing this.

Afterwards, we went to a restaurant called Palace Heights - it was ten or so floors up overlooking Hyderabad.  Our tour guide, Naveed, ordered everything for us because again, we couldn't understand much of what was on the menu.  The food was excellent!  He kept it less spicy for the amateurs which was great.  We also had a King Fisher beer - really tasty!  Overall, the meal was wonderful.

That evening the owner of CATT, Dhiraj Jaiswal, took us to a very nice dinner at a local hotel.  Similar to our lunch meal (which was at 3 PM - very usual for people living here), Dhiraj ordered everything for us.  Again, the food was amazing.  Probably my favorite was the lentil soup, which you scooped with a type of soft bread.  The bread is really good here - it's sort of like a tortilla shape, slightly thicker, with what I'm assuming is butter on the outside.  Yum!  The lentil soup is very similar consistency to chili.  Man it's tasty.

On Monday morning, Dhiraj agreed to pick us up early (6 AM) to go to a local "jungle."  This is an area and time of the day that most Indians exercise.  He had warned us that we might see local wildlife and maybe snakes.  Now when I think of jungles, I picture the rain forests of South America.  You know, water dripping off the trees, snakes abundant, maybe a zebra running across the path....

This place was basically the equivalent of a state park in the city.  It was beautiful, don't get me wrong, but not a jungle.  The paths were made of a small pebble rock and dirt.  Dhiraj told me how to navigate the trail so that it would be a 5k run.  I took off.

I ended up short-cutting the route on my first loop as it was only about 1.7 miles.  However, the second loop I took was indeed a 5k and man was it hard!  It was up and down up and down, very steep hills with a steep downhill.  You couldn't fly down the other side because you'd for sure kill yourself.  Two or three areas were uphill and stairs!  I flashed back to my brief football career doing steps over and over at the stadium.  I looked at my Garmin data afterwards - I'd killed my watch for almost 9 minutes during the run to recover.  Intense.  The people in the park were obviously richer.  Most of the gentlemen wore polo shirts on their walks.  I even saw a few other runners - not many - but it was the first I'd seen other runners all week.  Most of them were creeping along pretty slow, but it was nice to see it.  I even saw a couple of women runners.

Monday afternoon/evening we spent our first day with the CATT folks talking through the products they are developing for us.  It was a productive day and enjoyable.  About 9 PM, we headed back to our room for the night.  We were starved in returning and stopped at a local restaurant across the street -- some of you might recognize it.  McDonald's.  I'm not a fan of eating at a place like this while traveling, but was intrigued to see what the menu was.  As expected, no beef.  Everything was chicken or fish.  I had a spicy chicken sandwich (no lettuce) just for the heck of it.  I'd never get that back home, but figured what the hey.  It wasn't too bad, though it had a mayonnaise sauce on it that I wonder if I'll regret later.  The fries and ketchup tasted different than back home - hard to describe.

The next few days should be much of the same - wake up late, go into CATT in the afternoon, work into the night, eat a late dinner, up early to run.  It will take some getting used to working on this schedule.  They definitely have a different work ethic here.

Some of my observations so far in the week:

- I've mentioned before how accommodating people are here.  They literally jump to serve you which takes some getting used to.  Every little thing is service - opening doors, removing garbage items, everything.  When we walk down the hall of our apartment, the guys at the front desk stand at attention.  As an American, we aren't used to this.  In a way, I feel bad about it at times.  But it's the way they do things here.

- There are very, very few white people here.  We saw one the other night at dinner and were excited.  I always found it odd how minority people got excited when they saw someone of their race back home - now I get it.  As a white person, I'm treated a lot differently than an Indian person.  When I say different, I mean better.  Little things like walking through security (guards are very nice, don't question us, etc) or being asked to go ahead in line are ways we're treated better.  It's so strange - we wouldn't treat someone of a different race better in America.

- Indian people have an incredible work ethic.  I'm not sure if it's because there are so few good jobs or what, but they work long hours and weeks.  They were saying yesterday that most employees at CATT work 3 or so days a week of 16-18 hours/day.  That doesn't mean they only work 3 days total, most work 6 or 7 days.  The drive to get ahead here is amazing.

- There is such a disparate difference levels of class.  When we drove back from the "jungle" yesterday, Dhiraj took us through the upscale part of town.  Wow.  The homes were amazing.  Then you could go two blocks and see people living in beat up, worn down homes with no windows.  There is nothing in the middle.  You're either rich or dirt broke.

- Architecturally, buildings are in rough shape.  It looks as if they are constantly doing construction projects, yet nothing seems finished.  There are rock and dirt piles on the roads with no one doing work.  Windows, roofs, fronts of buildings, everything is falling apart.  When you see a nice building kept up it's sort of a shock.  It's really sad - I can't tell if it bothers people here or not.  The other thing that's odd is all the trash.  They really value having things clean.  You see women all over the city sweep with these makeshift brooms.  Constantly sweeping and cleaning....yet there is garbage everywhere that no one seems to care about.  You walk by dumpsters over heaping with garbage and piles all around where people have dug through them.  It doesn't seem like that matters.  It's very odd.

Okay, that's it for now....another update in a couple days or so!

Flight and First 36 Hours in Hyderabad

My blogs over the next couple of weeks will focus on my time in Hyderabad, India.  As my body continues to heal from my bike crash a few weeks ago, I've begun ramping up my training again in anticipation of the Du at the Dam race taking place on June 25.  Incidently, I'm returning to the States June 24, so the next day race should be a very interesting one!  Can you say jet lag???

My colleague and I left for Hyderabad on Thursday morning.  The journey was relatively uneventful, though I did receive a rather panicked call at 9 AM that morning informing me our flight had been cancelled out of Rochester.  I was told to get to the airport immediately as they were still holding the 7 AM flight and leaving on a moment's notice.  We were about an hour late arriving in Chicago, but managed to make it to our gate with a little time to spare.

I wasn't particularly looking forward to the 15 hours to Delhi.  To be quite honest, after boarding, I wasn't looking forward to it any more.  The plane was absolutely packed - every seat full.  There were tons of kids and I think we were practically the only two white dudes on there.  Now I know what it's like to be in the minority.

Before we boarded, I'd taken a couple of Tylenol PM to try and sleep part/most of the way and get my body used to the time zone change.  The plan worked beautifully as I was asleep before they even closed the cabin door.  I don't remember any of the take off or much of the first 5-6 hours.  The flight turned out to not be so bad - I was able to move around a little when I needed and had plenty of shows to watch. In all honesty, I've taken domestic flights that seemed worse.

We arrived in Delhi, got through some checkpoints and back to our new gate to leave for Hyderabad.  The flight was about an hour late departing but we made it.  Our check through customs was a little tricky in that we hadn't brought the address for the company we were visiting.  After some work, we finally got it and they let us through.  Then the craziness started....

Upon exiting the airport, it was madness.  People all over the place yelling and greeting other passengers.  The best way I could describe the feeling was like being in a cattle yard.  You literally walk out the door to the outside with a fence all around you.  There are people all standing along the fence talking and yelling to people they know.  Of course, we are the only two white guys in the whole group.  We were able to find our host and driver...off we went to the city.

Driving here is nuts.  They have lines painted on the streets but no one uses them.  Drivers communicate by honking - it's the way they let others know they are close and waving someone into a merge or turn.  When you're out on the streets, it's really loud with all the honking.  People aren't doing it because they're mad like in the US, it's just how they talk to one another.  The drivers also go really fast and there are motorcycles whizzing in and out of lanes all around you.  People are also crossing right through the lanes of traffic.  Some of the younger people are doing a kind of frogger move not to get hit while the older men/women simply hold out their hand and everyone stops.  It's really kind of neat.

We made it to our service apartment in one piece, though we did almost hit a cow.  By the way, if you hit a cow in India, you're better off to flee the scene.  Apparently, you can get beaten up or killed by passer-bye's if they see it....

Fortunately, with the way we'd timed our sleeping on the flight, the first night wasn't too bad.  By 1 AM local time, we were ready to sleep.  I was up pretty early (around 7 AM) and couldn't sleep anymore.  I decided to go for a run in the area (I'd been convinced it was safe).

Man, was that an experience!  The sidewalks are limited here, but everyone just walks on the streets anyway.  I think I got about 50 feet from our apartment before I realized I wasn't in Kansas anymore.  People weren't just looking at me, they were staring.  I wish just for a moment I could read their minds.  Everyone was very polite - some would stare then smile, some would just stare like they'd never seen a white person before. I never felt threatened or fearful - most were just plain shocked.  I ran along a stretch of road parallel to our hotel.  I had to play frogger quite a bit with traffic, people walking, potholes, water, etc.  It was actually a pretty wicked workout trying to avoid everything.  And to put it in perspective, this was Saturday morning at 7 AM - not a peak time of the day for traffic and people. 

The run was really interesting.  Their upscale here is very different than ours.  I ran through what I'm told is a fairly upscale part of town, yet saw lots of poverty, people without arms/legs, beggars, street vendors, etc.  There was one area with a half block of street vendors with flowers.  They were absolutely beautiful fresh cut flower arrangements.  Amazing.  All along the way, people just stared in amazement.  Again, not threatening, not yelling, not saying a word, just watching curiously.

Eventually, I turned a corner into a more populated and what I'm guessing lower scale area.  The only reason I believe it was lower scale was based on the architecture and quite frankly, the smell.  If you've ever been to New Orleans, it smells like Bourbon Street at 8 AM the next day.  About this time, my stomach started to complain a little.  I'm unsure if it was something I ate on the flight, the smells around me or the humidity (it's super humid here), but I knew it was probably time to turn around.

I ran back with the flow of traffic (people walk all directions and even through traffic, so there are no rules).  It was interesting how much right of way people walking (or me running) have with vehicles.  Even though they honk at you (more as a head's up they're there), they are good about getting out of the way.  At intersections, people have full right of way.  That was difficult for me as I'd run up to an intersection.  The policeman would wave me across as there were cars whizzing at me.  I would pause and everyone would stop.  The funniest part of the journey were the service (dump) trucks.  These guys had various types of horns - one even had a Dukes of Hazard sounding one.  They would wait until they were right up on me (regardless of which lane they were in) and honk loudly.  Then I'd see a head poke out of the side looking back at me.  They'd just stare in amazement until I waved.  Then they'd smile like a shy little girl and wave back.  Hilarious.

I made it back to the apartment but man was my stomach a wreck.  In fact, it was most of yesterday and I hadn't really eaten anything Indian yet (other than over on the plane ride).  I'm not entirely sure what was going on, so hopefully my run in a couple hours will go better.

We did a few hours of work at the apartment before going to lunch at one of the Taj hotels nearby.  It was an Indian buffet - thankfully - because the menu they offered us meant nothing (I couldn't understand what any of it said).  The buffet was pretty good - a little spicy - but not terrible.  After our meal, we went to visit CATT Technology, the company we're working with for a couple weeks.  Again, the drive was crazy.  They drive so fast and all over the road - I have no idea how they don't kill each other.

Our colleagues at CATT are some smart dudes.  It's always interesting to observe different cultures and nuances.  I have to admit, the first few minutes of meeting them was sort of awkward.  Their mannerisms are different then ours - sort of hard to explain.  The best way to describe it is shy.  They really want to talk but don't always know what to say.  Therefore, they don't say anything and there's silence.  They are very accommodating people - they really want to help you feel comfortable.  When you ask for something, they jump up to do it.  It's interesting.

We met in a larger conference room for a few hours.  The man they describe as the "VP of Operations" was clearly the ring leader.  As some of the programmers and other people filed into the room, he would make head and hand gestures to them rather than speaking.  They always seemed to understand what this meant.  He'd tell them where to sit, when to stand up, when we needed "tea" (which tasted like a really awesome creamy beverage from Caribou), even when to exit the room.  It was really interesting to watch.  The other mannerism I noticed is the way they move their heads.  When the say "yes," they shake their heads as if to say "no."  This is really confusing at first - you don't know what they're saying.  After awhile you get used to it.  Also, when they don't know the answer to a question, they roll their heads sort of like a bobble head.  It's entertaining!

After meeting with CATT a few hours yesterday, we returned to our apartment.  We ended up laying down for a bit and never got back up for dinner!  So, needless to say, I'm up this morning very early.  So much for getting my body clock set up right.  I'm going to wait a few hours and do another run.  Hopefully my stomach is in better shape today.  I think I've found a slightly different route that I'm going to try, though I get nervous about getting lost.  We'll hope for the best....

More to come as my adventure continues!

Weekend Update - Crash at Gear West Duathlon

It was a weird weekend all together starting with Friday night.  Maybe with the end of the world coming on Saturday, I should have known better than to race Sunday???  Well, here's the weekend recap...

Friday night was the "Stay Out of the Sun Run" in NW Rochester.  The weather was reminiscent of the whole weekend - WEIRD.  The forecast threatened rain and by the time Kathy and I got ready to drive in a little after 5 PM, it was getting dark and pouring.  To be clear, I was only a spectator at this race, saving my legs for today's event in Orono (not to be confused with Oronoco).  We pulled into Holy Spirit and boy did it look like a crappy night.  I'd planned to do a couple of short runs before and during the race to keep fresh for the weekend, but just wasn't in the mood to gut out another wet run.  Of course, 15 minutes before the race started, the rain stopped.  I enjoyed seeing good friends at the race and while it was difficult not to compete, I was feeling some things going on with my stomach that would have made racing miserable that evening....so it worked out.

Saturday morning I got up and knew I needed to do something to wake my legs up a little, since I'd done nothing of value since about Tuesday night.  I decided I'd do an easy run/bike combo outside.  I pulled up the radar quick - nope, not going outside.  It was just about to start raining again.  I went into the DAHLC to do an easy 30 minute run/30 minute bike combo.  Man, was the run tough!  I wasn't doing anything that hard but my legs were sound asleep.  By the time I got off the bike, I felt a little better about it.  I got changed and looked outside - absolutely pouring.  Wow, go figure.

I hadn't taken close notice of the race start time for today's race until yesterday - realizing about 2 PM that the race started at 8.  The transition therefore opened at 6:30 - yeesh!  I mentioned the situation to Kathy and she promptly started looking for hotel rooms in the area.  We were able to find a very nice Sheraton that allowed dogs in Minnetonka.  Perfect!

On our drive up, we again dodged major storms.  MPR was breaking in with tornado warnings for the exact area we were heading to.  It was odd as there were no storm clouds in our area.  As we got closer to Minnetonka, it started to get scary dark.  We arrived at the hotel at the perfect time though - right after the storms came through.  But it was still weird looking out there (notice how much I'm saying weird?).

During the remainder of our evening, Kathy and I worked on plans for what we'd do in the morning for breakfast and getting to the transition area at a decent time.  We didn't seem to have a ton of options and I was a little concerned with getting something in my stomach early enough to digest and be ready at 8.  We had a plan in mind but it wasn't ideal...perhaps that was one of the reasons I had trouble settling down for the night.

I had an awful time falling asleep.  I don't know what it was - perhaps some nerves, maybe the room was unfamiliar, I can't put my finger on it.  I didn't finally drop off to sleep until past midnight and knew I only had 5 hours before I was up and getting ready.  I had an uneasy feeling the whole evening - the rain perhaps, knowing the course was tough, understanding how the rain was going to make this a tough race?  I don't think I have psychic powers, but something just felt off. 

At 2 AM, I received a wet wake up.  It was Riley - he was freaking out because there were more thunderstorms in the area.  Our golden commonly goes crazy when it storms - we think the thunder hurts his ears.  Anyway, he wanted me to know it was time to get up and address his fears - he was panting loudly and circling the room.  Kathy immediately flew out of bed to take care of him and let me go back to sleep.  I could hear them in the bathroom - Riley panting and crying and Kathy trying to shut him up.  Fortunately, I'd brought ear plugs, so I popped them in and was able to get back to sleep.  At 5 AM, the alarm went off.

Where is Kathy?  I thought perhaps she had taken Riley outside when the alarm went off.  I got up and went in the bathroom and there she was - asleep in the bathtub!  She had taken the comforter off the bed, rolled it into a makeshift cushion and crawled in the bathtub with Riley.  I walked in and she laid there asleep with a smile on her face - funniest thing I've ever seen!

We got ourselves ready to go and made it to the transition area right at 6:30.  I got my things all set up and ready to go -- then the mental game began.  I had known going in that this was going to be a tough and competitive race.  I looked around at all the aero bikes - rows and rows of them.  One solid athlete after another.  I couldn't believe how many strong guys I saw.  I tried shaking it off but it was tough to do.  I'm sure time and experience will help with this block.  I got warmed up and we were ready to start.....

I didn't really have a stategy for this particular race.  I have zero experience running on trails or grass and had no idea what to expect.  I figured I'd just wing it and see what happened.  The competitive wave started, followed by the relays....then it was my turn.  The first mile was pretty well all paved for the most part.  I started out fast and had a 5:51 first mile.  That's when the course got much tougher.  We started doing short, very steep (and slippery) up hills on grass/mud surfaces.  Eventually, we wound back into the woods on what appeared to be on some sort of man made trail.  As you can imagine with all the rain, it wasn't just wet, it was pure mud.  I've never run in mud before - but it's hard.  You can't gain any traction and you just go all over, not to mention it's nearly impossible to pass.  There were 10-15' patches that weren't even grass - you were running in ankle deep water and mud.  It was a mess - it was extremely difficult.  My second mile was a 6:40 - understandably.  I was also tanked.  By the time I finally wound out of the woods, I wondered if I'd ever make it past the first run.  I had moved to about 4th in my wave right behind this guy that didn't look like a runner at all.  As I followed him around a bend, I heard some guys yelling, "You have to run up the hill."  Shit.  I looked back and saw what they were saying - we'd missed a turn.  So much for my strategy of following the guy in front of me!

It was a small detour but probably cost me 15-20 seconds.  By the time I wound back, I think I'd dropped to 6th or 7th in my wave but very close to the others.  I hoped my bike would make up for the small blunder.  As it turned out, it wouldn't matter that much.

I came in R1 very winded and just shy of 19 minutes. I felt good about my time, but looking at my Garmin data, it appears R1 was only about 2.9 miles....so not that impressive.  I located my bike, got ready and got on the road.

As has been true in past races, I was immediately moving past people.  I shot past 3 of the guys in my wave right away and every other one but the lead guy by mile 3 or 4.  I was feeling descent about possibly catching the little speedster from our wave who'd run SO fast and was probably 3-4 minutes ahead of me off the run.  Just as I was getting into a good rhythm and comfortable, it started to rain.  Shoot, here we go again.

The roads were getting slippery now and the corners more treacherous.  That said, it wouldn't be the roads leading to my demise today...it was purely getting careless.  Somewhere between mile 6 and 7, after passing a couple relay cyclists, I drifted a little too close to the gravel shoulder.  I was at a point in the race where I could feel a moderate cross-wind but had ducked into a wooded area for a moment.  Without realizing it, I came out of the woods and caught a little puff of cross wind.  It was enough to push me off the road onto the gravel shoulder.  This has happened to me before and in hindsight, I probably got lucky in not crashing before now.  I'd been able to slowly and confidently bring myself back onto the pavement and keep going.  Today wasn't that day.  I might have panicked a little - I don't know - it happened very quick.  As I hit the gravel, I tried to guide my tires back onto the pavement.  There was a small lip in the pavement and the tires couldn't overcome it.  My tires stuck and down I went.  It wasn't the worst fall in history but it was the worst fall (the only fall) in my history.  I knew immediately I'd hit pretty hard and had been moving 20+ MPH. 

I popped right up and looked down at my left hip.  I knew that's where the greatest impact was and was shocked that my shorts hadn't shredded.  I suspected I had scraped the heck out of my hip too but couldn't tell.  I looked up and down my arm down to my ankle - I was starting to bleed pretty good already.  Without thinking, I threw my leg over and tried to clip back in.  My pedals spun....I'd dropped my chain.  I flipped my bike over worked to reset the chain.  It never even dawned on me that my bike could be unrideable.  It seemed like I was only there about a minute but my Garmin data says it was almost 3.  About 10, maybe 12 people rode by, most asking if I was okay.  I was bleeding pretty good at this point.

When I got my chain put back on, I hopped back on the bike.  Now reality was starting to set in.  "Should I even try to get back to the transition area?  I've got 10-11 miles yet.  Can I ride?  Is it safe?"  I decided at very least I needed to ride to the next corner where there'd be a volunteer.  My arm, shoulder and pinky finger really stung, especially those portions of my arm that were to sit down on the arm rests.  For the first half mile, I did this interesting little half aero stance....right arm in aero, left arm sort of hanging out like I'd broken my arm. 

I finally decided I'd be okay to bike in.  Other than it hurting to put my left arm down in the arm rests, everything else felt as good as it could.  I quickly picked up my speed, though a little gun shy, and started to pass the people who had gone by me.  By about 3 miles in (10 or so of the 17), I started to think about finishing the race.  Yes, my time wouldn't be reflective of my ability and my 'real' time, but at least I wouldn't have to DNF again.  Other than the fact I was bleeding a fair amount, I felt okay.  The only thing that concerned me was the impact of my hip on the pavement.  I knew, before I slid to a stop on the cement, that my hip had hit the ground very hard.  Certainly I knew it wasn't broken, but I wasn't sure the extent of the damage.  I literally debated myself the entire rest of the bike course.  Finally, cresting the final hill into T2, I decided I'd just make a game time decision once I got into the transition.

As I rounded the corner into T2, I could see Kathy's excited face.  She started cheering.  Unfortunately, she chose to stand on my left side and in less than 5 seconds, her face turned to complete horror.  I started hearing words come from her mouth that are very rare.  I knew right then that I couldn't finish - she wouldn't allow it even if I'd wanted.  I dismounted and walked my bike across the line.  I met her at the side of the transition - I thought she was going to break down right there.  All she kept saying is, "Oh my God, Erich."  I didn't have to tell her what had happened.  She asked me, "Are you going to run?"  I knew it wasn't really a question, though for just a second before I answered, I thought seriously about it.  I'd had plenty of time to ponder the question the past 30 minutes.

About all I could do was look at the ground, very disappointed and agitated with myself and say, "I don't think I'd better."  "Yeah, I don't think so either.  I can see how swollen your hip is."  I hadn't realized that yet, but did notice once my feet hit the ground off the bike that it was in rough shape.  There wasn't much more to say at that point - I carefully navigated those still racing as I racked my bike.  People kept looking at me, then got wide-eyed when they saw all the blood, as if they thought I might pass out right in front of them.  Many of them asked if I was okay - I guess the answer was dependent on how they meant it.

I was so disgusted with my lack of focus that the scrapes didn't hurt that bad initially.  Kathy ushered me over to the medical tent and the two girls working went from smiling to not smiling when they saw me.  I spent the next 20-30 minutes with them getting cleaned up and bandaged.  It wasn't the worst pain I've ever felt physically...but it gave me more time to reflect on my own carelessness.  That's probably what hurt the most.

We didn't spend much time at the race afterwards - I wasn't really in any mood to stay.  I packed up my stuff and we headed home.  I took a bath/showered (that was enjoyable) and got a second application of Neosporin/bandages. 

So I've had about 12 hours to think about the situation.  I've replayed the crash over and over in my head, thinking about what I could have done differently (other than not fall asleep at the wheel) and trying not to think "what if" in my head.  I also think about if I could have finished and if that would have been wise.  Seeing how swollen my hip is right now suggests I could have caused some major damage or at least lengthened my time of healing greatly had I run the final 4k.  Just the same, I hate not completing a race.  I know in my head it was probably best I called it a day, however.

Now the healing begins.  I'm not scheduled to race now until late June, so I have plenty of time to mend and get back into training.  I'm going to guess I'll wake up tomorrow morning recognizing fully the impact of my crash that I may not be feeling right now.  As Kathy said, it's kind of like a car crash.  Hopefully I can be doing some running by mid-week and who knows - maybe time trial on Thursday night?  We'll have to see how my body responds and if my hip is as bruised as I think it might be. 

I'm thankful in many ways - it could have been way worse.  I've seen guys break their clavicle, arm, shoulder, just about anything in a major crash.  I've witnessed some miserable crashes out there - some where guys do this kind of wild dance and lurch before they finally meet their fate.  In that respect, my wreck was rather graceful.  Overall, I wouldn't consider this to be a major crash and I was still able to get up, pull myself together and ride in (at a pretty dang good clip too).  My only regret is that I chose this race to do it in.  Gear West is one of the most competitive races of the year - a chance for me to really compare myself to some of the amazing athletes in the area.  On the flip side, I know that I'll have other opportunities and God willing, will be racing this event for many more years.  As I told Kathy on the way home, every race I learn a little more.  This was a (painful) learning experience but one that I'll carry with me as I go out the next time.  Hopefully the next time around, I'll stay a little further off the shoulder.....you know, closer to all the cars whizzing by.  J

Race on!