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!
I've always wanted to have my own blog - now I do! My blog will contain things about me and what's going on in my life, including: races & training, family, business news and other interests!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
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!
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!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
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!
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!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Orlando and Lake Elmo - the Tale of Two Cities
This was a pretty good week for me! Lots of business and personal successes during the past few days....
Orlando Trip Successful
I attended the Fusion 2011 conference in Orlando this past week. I originally found out about the event by submitting a request to speak about one of the tools my team developed at work. After being accepted to speak, I looked at the venue and elected to attend the entire week.
I flew out on Sunday with no issues. The conference started on Monday morning. During the week, we saw some really excellent speakers on a variety of topics. One of the most exciting parts of the event was on Monday when I accepted the Huntington Innovation Award for AP, an award my team received in recognition of a creative product we developed in house. I received the award on stage in front of about 2200 people. Right before I went up, they asked if I'd speak 2-3 mintues on the product - on the fly. Sure! I got through it and shamelessly plugged my session for the next day.
My session on Tuesday was packed with standing room only. The presentation went really well with lots of interest. I felt great about it!
On Wednesday night, myself and a colleague were invited to a backstage meet and greet with the entertainer for the evening, Kevin Nealon. He was a nice guy and super funny. I made it home Thursday night with no issues, bumping into a couple of people I knew on my MPS to RST flight.
The weather in Orlando was super hot - mid to upper 90's every day. Needless to say, I didn't have much time nor a strong desire to do much outside. I did one run after dark but being no trails, settled for the traditional Orlando run around the hotel parking lot (a 1.33 mile loop no less - it was a huge hotel). Otherwise, I spent the limited time I had in the gym. I met some great people at this event and it was one of the best conferences I've attended.
Oakdale Duathlon Today!
This morning, Kathy and I traveled to Lake Elmo, MN to compete in the Oakdale Duathlon. This is the first and likely only race Kathy and I will do together this year, given she does more tri's and I'm not yet swimming...
We woke up this morning to rain - when the dogs went out, they didn't roam around long before wanting back in. I was hoping/praying for it to rain itself out before the race started. On the way up, Kathy was reviewing the radar and it looked promising. She showed me the largest portion of the rain was upon us and it looked descent west.
We arrived at the race site early as is our standard. It was just misting and sprinkling a little so no major issues. Everything was set up and I was debating tri shorts versus running pants. I went out on a brief warm up run, trying to figure out where in the world the run course was. After Falls two weekends ago, I wasn't willing to take any chances. :)
After putting in a few miles on the bike, I decided I would switch to shorts, though I was concerned about how cool it was. Still no major rain. It was looking good.
This is the first week I've felt any real nervousness pre-race. My stomach was doing funny things and I began to worry more and more about how my body would respond to the past week of eating poorly, drinking more than usual and not being on any kind of consistent training schedule.
By the time we lined up to start, it was starting to rain again. Nothing too heavy or anything, but a bit more constant. The elite group started in wave 1 and I was up next. The run started in a weird loop around the parking lot and right back to the start line, causing everyone to dart off on the right to let the waves past. Strange. I took off in my wave and the rain was picking up...and I was getting cold.
R1 went pretty well. I did my first mile in 5:51....usual for me with the adreneline. However, this time I felt as if I could sustain that pace for all 3 miles. I was much more confident about this course than Cinco - I knew it was generally flatter and kinder. My mind and legs didn't seem to be synced though and my second mile was a 6:20 - I was a little surprised. At T1, I'd come in at a 6:09 pace in about 7th in my individual wave. It was now raining pretty good.
The transition out was a little rough. It was getting colder and wetter now, though I'd wisely worn my gloves on the first run. At least my fingers weren't freezing. My biggest issue was getting clipped in - still something I continue to struggle with, especially when it's so wet. I eventually got in and going...I was off. I remember seeing a couple of the guys in my wave out ahead of me and said to myself, "time to put the hammer down."
It wasn't long before I was passing people on relay teams and those in my wave. I don't really remember how many I passed - in hindsight, it must have been more than I realized. I was cooking along pretty well, though I didn't feel as if I was killing myself or going extra hard. The first part of the bike features the toughest hill of the day - a steep up hill followed by a deceptive second hill. I wasn't exactly cruising yet passed a handful more people. However, as the ride continued, the rain got heavier. I don't yet have unshaded sunglasses, so the rain was hitting me directly in the eyes (ouch!). It wasn't all out pouring, but I was drenched and cold. The wind just added another slap in the face. By the end of the bike, it was raining steadily.
I came in off the bike feeling pretty good - no calf cramps this time - a first. My feet were predictably VERY cold but everything else was fine. When dismounting the bike, I forgot what cold feet can do and nearly fell right over. I finally got my leg swung over and hobbled like a handicapped guy into the transition. My only saving grace was that I'd experienced this feeling before and knew my feet would thaw out in about a mile. I got through T2 in what seemed like a longer time than normal and got out on the run.
R2 started out okay. The first quarter mile is always just getting your legs back used to running again and I felt pretty good. I got passed by a guy right away, but concluded he was likely part of a relay, so I didn't worry much. I rounded a corner on a hairpin turn and looked back, seeing a couple of guys I thought were in my age group/wave. Here we go!
I felt exceptionally strong on R2 today - better than the first two weeks by far. Once my feet thawed, I was moving pretty well, running a 6:30 first mile. I felt as if that was sustainable and kept my foot on the gas, constantly glancing over my shoulder for anyone sneaking up. My watch beeped the second mile: another 6:30. I knew I had a half mile remaining and felt as if I could push the tempo a little. I realized soon thereafter that the final .5 featured some quick up and down hills, with arguably the hardest one right at the end. I kept looking back and saw no one - I was pretty comfortable coasting in where I was.
As I rounded the final corner with about 100 yards to go, there was a guy in the first wave standing there cheering. As I ran past, he said, "Finish strong. There is someone closing on you!" I turned the corner and looked back - crap, where had that guy come from?! I knew by his jersey he was in my wave because he'd shot off the first run and was a little ways ahead of me - I'd subsequently passed him about half way through the bike. I saw the finish and turned it on - full out sprint to the end. I looked back again at about 20 meters and knew he wasn't closing anymore. If he'd had another half mile, he might have caught me. My final .5 miles was at a 6:18 and I hadn't been passed on R2 by anyone other than the relay guy at the beginning.
As is usual, I was spent at the end. I also had no real idea where I'd placed for a couple reasons. First, when you're in waves, you never know where people are and if people in later waves will beat your time. Second, I had no idea how many I'd passed on the bike who were in my wave. As it turns out, I must have passed all of them.
I took 9th in this race, 18 seconds behind my new arch nemesis, Charlie Roach. Charlie beat me by about a minute last week - he's the 53 year old guy who is a crazy fast runner. Both of his run splits today were sub-6. Amazing. The first 7 in today were all elite guys - 2 of which I wasn't that far behind (I came in faster than 4 elites). I also won my age group. The guy I held off at the end - by 10 seconds - took second. Whew! (Incidentally, I beat him last week by about 50 seconds. Our times - mine, Charlie's and this guy behind me - were a lot closer this week!) Here are this week's splits. I'm also posting links to Cinco du Mayo from last week.
Next week: Gear West Duathlon! A very competitive and large event. After Gear West, I get to take a month off!
Oakdale results: http://www.frontrunnerusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/oakdaleduathlonresults2011.txt
Cinco 'du' Mayo results: http://www.andersonraces.com/_uls/resources/TRI_FIT_CINCO_DU_LONG_INDIV_RES_2011.pdf
Orlando Trip Successful
I attended the Fusion 2011 conference in Orlando this past week. I originally found out about the event by submitting a request to speak about one of the tools my team developed at work. After being accepted to speak, I looked at the venue and elected to attend the entire week.
I flew out on Sunday with no issues. The conference started on Monday morning. During the week, we saw some really excellent speakers on a variety of topics. One of the most exciting parts of the event was on Monday when I accepted the Huntington Innovation Award for AP, an award my team received in recognition of a creative product we developed in house. I received the award on stage in front of about 2200 people. Right before I went up, they asked if I'd speak 2-3 mintues on the product - on the fly. Sure! I got through it and shamelessly plugged my session for the next day.
My session on Tuesday was packed with standing room only. The presentation went really well with lots of interest. I felt great about it!
On Wednesday night, myself and a colleague were invited to a backstage meet and greet with the entertainer for the evening, Kevin Nealon. He was a nice guy and super funny. I made it home Thursday night with no issues, bumping into a couple of people I knew on my MPS to RST flight.
The weather in Orlando was super hot - mid to upper 90's every day. Needless to say, I didn't have much time nor a strong desire to do much outside. I did one run after dark but being no trails, settled for the traditional Orlando run around the hotel parking lot (a 1.33 mile loop no less - it was a huge hotel). Otherwise, I spent the limited time I had in the gym. I met some great people at this event and it was one of the best conferences I've attended.
Oakdale Duathlon Today!
This morning, Kathy and I traveled to Lake Elmo, MN to compete in the Oakdale Duathlon. This is the first and likely only race Kathy and I will do together this year, given she does more tri's and I'm not yet swimming...
We woke up this morning to rain - when the dogs went out, they didn't roam around long before wanting back in. I was hoping/praying for it to rain itself out before the race started. On the way up, Kathy was reviewing the radar and it looked promising. She showed me the largest portion of the rain was upon us and it looked descent west.
We arrived at the race site early as is our standard. It was just misting and sprinkling a little so no major issues. Everything was set up and I was debating tri shorts versus running pants. I went out on a brief warm up run, trying to figure out where in the world the run course was. After Falls two weekends ago, I wasn't willing to take any chances. :)
After putting in a few miles on the bike, I decided I would switch to shorts, though I was concerned about how cool it was. Still no major rain. It was looking good.
This is the first week I've felt any real nervousness pre-race. My stomach was doing funny things and I began to worry more and more about how my body would respond to the past week of eating poorly, drinking more than usual and not being on any kind of consistent training schedule.
By the time we lined up to start, it was starting to rain again. Nothing too heavy or anything, but a bit more constant. The elite group started in wave 1 and I was up next. The run started in a weird loop around the parking lot and right back to the start line, causing everyone to dart off on the right to let the waves past. Strange. I took off in my wave and the rain was picking up...and I was getting cold.
R1 went pretty well. I did my first mile in 5:51....usual for me with the adreneline. However, this time I felt as if I could sustain that pace for all 3 miles. I was much more confident about this course than Cinco - I knew it was generally flatter and kinder. My mind and legs didn't seem to be synced though and my second mile was a 6:20 - I was a little surprised. At T1, I'd come in at a 6:09 pace in about 7th in my individual wave. It was now raining pretty good.
The transition out was a little rough. It was getting colder and wetter now, though I'd wisely worn my gloves on the first run. At least my fingers weren't freezing. My biggest issue was getting clipped in - still something I continue to struggle with, especially when it's so wet. I eventually got in and going...I was off. I remember seeing a couple of the guys in my wave out ahead of me and said to myself, "time to put the hammer down."
It wasn't long before I was passing people on relay teams and those in my wave. I don't really remember how many I passed - in hindsight, it must have been more than I realized. I was cooking along pretty well, though I didn't feel as if I was killing myself or going extra hard. The first part of the bike features the toughest hill of the day - a steep up hill followed by a deceptive second hill. I wasn't exactly cruising yet passed a handful more people. However, as the ride continued, the rain got heavier. I don't yet have unshaded sunglasses, so the rain was hitting me directly in the eyes (ouch!). It wasn't all out pouring, but I was drenched and cold. The wind just added another slap in the face. By the end of the bike, it was raining steadily.
I came in off the bike feeling pretty good - no calf cramps this time - a first. My feet were predictably VERY cold but everything else was fine. When dismounting the bike, I forgot what cold feet can do and nearly fell right over. I finally got my leg swung over and hobbled like a handicapped guy into the transition. My only saving grace was that I'd experienced this feeling before and knew my feet would thaw out in about a mile. I got through T2 in what seemed like a longer time than normal and got out on the run.
R2 started out okay. The first quarter mile is always just getting your legs back used to running again and I felt pretty good. I got passed by a guy right away, but concluded he was likely part of a relay, so I didn't worry much. I rounded a corner on a hairpin turn and looked back, seeing a couple of guys I thought were in my age group/wave. Here we go!
I felt exceptionally strong on R2 today - better than the first two weeks by far. Once my feet thawed, I was moving pretty well, running a 6:30 first mile. I felt as if that was sustainable and kept my foot on the gas, constantly glancing over my shoulder for anyone sneaking up. My watch beeped the second mile: another 6:30. I knew I had a half mile remaining and felt as if I could push the tempo a little. I realized soon thereafter that the final .5 featured some quick up and down hills, with arguably the hardest one right at the end. I kept looking back and saw no one - I was pretty comfortable coasting in where I was.
As I rounded the final corner with about 100 yards to go, there was a guy in the first wave standing there cheering. As I ran past, he said, "Finish strong. There is someone closing on you!" I turned the corner and looked back - crap, where had that guy come from?! I knew by his jersey he was in my wave because he'd shot off the first run and was a little ways ahead of me - I'd subsequently passed him about half way through the bike. I saw the finish and turned it on - full out sprint to the end. I looked back again at about 20 meters and knew he wasn't closing anymore. If he'd had another half mile, he might have caught me. My final .5 miles was at a 6:18 and I hadn't been passed on R2 by anyone other than the relay guy at the beginning.
As is usual, I was spent at the end. I also had no real idea where I'd placed for a couple reasons. First, when you're in waves, you never know where people are and if people in later waves will beat your time. Second, I had no idea how many I'd passed on the bike who were in my wave. As it turns out, I must have passed all of them.
I took 9th in this race, 18 seconds behind my new arch nemesis, Charlie Roach. Charlie beat me by about a minute last week - he's the 53 year old guy who is a crazy fast runner. Both of his run splits today were sub-6. Amazing. The first 7 in today were all elite guys - 2 of which I wasn't that far behind (I came in faster than 4 elites). I also won my age group. The guy I held off at the end - by 10 seconds - took second. Whew! (Incidentally, I beat him last week by about 50 seconds. Our times - mine, Charlie's and this guy behind me - were a lot closer this week!) Here are this week's splits. I'm also posting links to Cinco du Mayo from last week.
Next week: Gear West Duathlon! A very competitive and large event. After Gear West, I get to take a month off!
Oakdale results: http://www.frontrunnerusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/oakdaleduathlonresults2011.txt
Cinco 'du' Mayo results: http://www.andersonraces.com/_uls/resources/TRI_FIT_CINCO_DU_LONG_INDIV_RES_2011.pdf
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Update!
Dear readers:
I have been horribly abusive to my blog the past several weeks. It seems like life just sweeps you up sometimes and at those times where it’s actually less busy, a guy just feels like resting a little bit. I’m starting to think it’s probably better to do short, quick updates on this blog rather than waiting months and then trying to recap in one larger one. If only I were as good as Mario Minelli in keeping my blog updated. I shall try to be better. J
Racing season has begun
After a longer than normal winter (with no guarantees it’s over yet), racing season has officially begun. I’ve now raced the past two weekends, with varying degrees of success. Both races, in their own respect, were difficult.
Falls Duathlon – Cannon Falls
I was optimistic about my ability to flirt with a top 10 finish this year, given the level and intensity of my off-season training. I also acquired a ‘big boy’ bike in the offseason, so even if I couldn’t really keep up, I could at least look like the elite guys.
The day started off rough weather wise. The forecast had called for rain the whole week. Fortunately, I woke up to dry pavement. I began to feel a little more optimistic about the probability it might not rain. After review of the radar, my hopes were dashed. I could see lots of green on the radar north of Rochester
Pre-race was very wet and miserable. I got set up, trying to put things in bags or under towels as much as I could. It seemed like a losing cause – it was more to humor myself at that point. It continued to rain through warm-ups. Gosh, this was going to be really awful.
Ten minutes before the start, it stopped. Now, let’s not get too crazy here – it didn’t get sunny and warm, but it did stop raining. Ironically, it wouldn’t rain again until after race completion. Of course, it’s important to note that once your bike, shoes, socks, clothes, etc are wet, they are probably going to stay that way. But at least a guy wouldn’t get an eye full of rain during competition.
The race began pretty well. As is usual with the adrenaline rush at the gun, my first mile was fast and a little faster than was sustainable or at least desired as I ran a sub-six. I came into T1 at a 6:08 and in around 15th or so place. The bike out was wet but doable. Cross winds hit followed by a little tail wind. I was blowing past guys on the course and making up for my slower run. The most difficult/scary part of the bike course was the semis. They would fly past, spraying us with rain and blasts of wind. This is one of the few times in multi-sport events where being bigger is an advantage – I was less prone to be blown square off my bike by the sudden, strong gusts of wind. All in all though, I felt good off the bike. I’d moved past several and was somewhere 7th to 8th.
I came out of T2 a little concerned. Both of my calves were cramping fiercely and my feet had gotten wet and were now frozen blocks. I came up over the first hill in R2 unsure if I could keep going. Cramped badly, I stopped for about 5 seconds to try and rub out the cramps. No dice. I wasn’t going to quit so I kept going. Fortunately, but about the half mile mark, I’d run through the cramps and my feet had warmed. I was on my way.
I could see what I believe were the 5th and 6th place guys out ahead of me. They were 50 yards or so ahead and I’d stayed even with them since the bike. Having re-established my running legs, I felt as if I might be able to make a run at them. I crossed up a short hill and over a bridge. In hindsight, I should have known right away when I didn’t see them out ahead of me there was something wrong, but I didn’t…..
I ran about 2-3 blocks straight ahead and suddenly got that sinking feeling. You begin to realize that you’re all alone and wonder if there’s a chance you’ve run off the race route. Yes, indeed. I came to a T-intersection and hung a left, no clue of where I was. Oh crap. As I took a left, I saw the bike course and a volunteer. Maybe I could get back on course and pull out a top ten yet.
He directed me back to the path and said I could get back on there. He was absolutely correct – unfortunately – he didn’t tell me how to complete the mile loop I’d end up short. As I got on the path, I saw cones and felt good I was going the right way. However, about a half mile up, I rounded a corner and saw the finish. I looked at my watch – one mile short. I looked again – 1:01:30. The course record was 1:03. I was out ahead of the leader. *#*)!^)*!
It was here I had a decision – get back on the course and run the 3 miles again or call it a day. I felt absolutely horrible about making the decision to DNF – I’ve never had to do that before in any race. Even if I’m way behind I always finish. The only thing that would keep me from quitting would be a broken bone. However, I decided to quit. It was a decision I thought about the whole next week.
I try and not looking back at what could have been, but I probably would have finished somewhere between 5th and 7th that day. Oh, what could have been…
Cinco ‘du’ Mayo – Stillwater
This race would be different in many ways. Although rain was again threatened right up to the night before, it would start out cloudy and cool, turning sunny, warm and beautiful by the end. And most importantly, I’d run this route last year and it required much less thinking and paying attention.
That said, the Cinco course is a much tougher, hillier and grueling course than is Cannon Falls
I came into T1 at around a 6:15 pace, about 15 seconds faster than goal. I was planning to play the R1 conservatively, which I had done, but was still able to hold a good pace. I was 9th after the first run.
On the bike I felt fast, faster than I thought I would be given a few wicked hills and some rollers to add flavor. I immediately passed a female cyclist and could see a couple out ahead of me. It took me about 8 miles to reach the other two, who I passed within a few seconds of each other. From there, I continued to survey the landscape as I entered my second loop of the 20 – no one there. I was pretty sure the other 5 out ahead would not be seen again until the run. I was right.
Again, I started to feel cramping on the bike. I’m not sure if it’s my positioning, my aggressive nature on the bike or what, but this is the second week. At one point, I dropped into the little ring and tried to stand on the hill, which made the cramping so bad I had to slow down. I was eventually able to move past it and finished the bike in 6th. As I passed Kathy on the run, she shouted out my place. “The 5th place guy is 3 minutes ahead,” she announced. “Yep, sorta what I figured,” I thought.
R2 was one of the most difficult I’ve experienced. I’d mentally talked myself into believing the hills would eat me up. I also seem to panic a little bit on the second run. I always feel my breath get to such a fast level and I have to literally tell myself to calm down and relax. I got out to the turn around for the second 5k and circled back. Crap, there was one of the guys I passed right on my tail. Crap, there’s another one and another one.
The first guy I saw, a 53 year old, blew past me at about the 1.8-1.9 mark. He ran past like I was standing still – he had to be at a 6:00 or better pace. The only positive thought I had in my head was, “Well, at least he’s not in my age group.” J I wasn’t sure how fast the guy behind him was moving. I didn’t necessarily realize it, but after mile 2 (my slowest at 7:02), I kicked it in. I was breathing so hard I’m sure the people crossing me on the other side of the road thought I was going to keel over. I felt like that was possible!
As I rounded the final corner into the park (less than .25 miles left), I glanced over my shoulder and saw no one. There it was – a 7th place finish. Not too shabby! As I ran into the finish line gate, several people yelled out, “You’re going to break the course record!” I looked at the timer – 1:33:00 flat. I’d broken the record by over a minute.
I couldn’t breathe for a few minutes afterwards. I was so glad to be done yet pretty stoked. I slapped the guy on the back who’d passed me on R2. We congratulated each other for out individual accomplishments – him blowing past me on the run, me blowing past him on the bike. I greeted and congratulated the other top guys.
I ended up second in my age group and 7th overall – redemption for the weekend before.
Upcoming Races
Kathy and I are racing Oakdale next weekend – we believe it’s a 3/14/3 race. From what I recall, it’s markedly easier than Cinco. From there, I have one more race before a pretty good break. The fourth race weekend in a row for me is the Gear West duathlon in Orono. That will be a true test – lots of tremendous athletes.
Kathy will begin her triathlons in June and I’ll be done until one straggler at Du at the Dam at the end of June. After that, I don’t race again until August (Minneapolis
Other happenings
Other than training and racing, work has continued to be busy yet productive. I’m still trying to figure out everything I’m responsible for in my new role while continuing with my current duties too. It’s been a crazy couple of months with various fraud cases and things that rarely crop up day to day, but I’ve managed. It’s slowed down a little now which has been nice – just in time for taking some afternoons off early and enjoying some nice weather!
We also just found out that a product I co-developed with a peer won a pretty prestigious award for innovation. I’ll be accepting the award tomorrow. It feels good for lots of hard work and is nice to receive recognition.
I’m off to Orlando Orlando Florida
We will be starting co-ed sand league VB in the next week or so. Our spring season came to a premature end as we missed the playoffs in 5th place. It’s been a trying couple of seasons – I’m hoping we’ll bounce back in the summer. I’m playing 4 on 4 this summer.
I also finished my third year of teaching Forensic Accounting and Auditing a couple weeks ago. It was another whirlwind class – the seven weeks flew. We had a lot of fun and had some interesting conversations – very standard for this course. I decided not to teach Auditing this summer – I just can’t do another summer class. I hope to pick up another course or two in future years though – I like the consistency of having some of the same students in multiple classes. Time will tell – but I know future summer classes are out!
Farewell Iowa
At the end of March, I planned and executed my final PBL State Leadership Conference as Iowa PBL State Adviser. The weekend went well and the conference evaluations were overall very positive. It was a bitter-sweet weekend for me and I’m glad the hectic feeling around a large event is past. I will miss all of my friends in Iowa PBL as I step away from my leadership role. However, I will be back to help in a lower profile role. I look forward to seeing what the new leadership team is able to accomplish.
It’s official! Kathy and I are headed to Australia
That’s all for now……………
Monday, February 14, 2011
Recent Happenings! Lots to catch up on!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
**Due to the high amount of information shared in this blog, I’m not proofreading it in entirety. If it’s grammatically incorrect, deal with it. J**
Coach Jason sent me an email about a week back correctly pointing out that I haven’t posted anything to my blog in quite some time. He’s right – I’ve been slacking. Lots of things have been going on since the last time I posted – so here’s the update!
- Trip/cycling day in
California - 3rd wedding anniversary tomorrow!
- Training continues; first race of the year creeps ever closer
- New/expanded job
- PBL SLC upcoming
- Forensic Accounting & Auditing course begins soon
- Nana moves out – off to
New York - Super Bowl with Dan & Sam
- Any Given Night finishes winter season, looks forward to Spring!
Trip/Cycling day in California
As many of you know, Kathy and I took a trip to California Minnesota Los Angeles
We spent the weekend with Sarah (Lundquist) Bader, one of Kathy’s college friends. It was nice seeing/spending time with Sarah – the only other time I’d previously met Sarah was at our wedding (I think anyway). We spent lots of time outside and I got a nice, long run in on the beach on Saturday. This run happened to be my hard run of the week and it was indeed hard. I’d forgotten how easy it is to get outside (off a regulated treadmill speed) and turn on the jets. Before my first sprint, I was already getting tired and winded. Fortunately, I made it back to the ladies in one piece. J
On Monday, we moved to the hotel in Newport Beach
I spent the morning heading south on the Coastline Highway . With a few brief stops along the way to take in the scenery, I stopped and turned around (not before getting lost though) in San Clemente San Clemente
I got back to the hotel shortly after noon, rested a little and was back out in less than an hour. I then hit the same highway going north toward Long Beach
All total, I put in just a shade under 100 miles on Monday and really enjoyed myself. I couldn’t have scripted a better day of riding or better weather conditions. It was absolutely everything I’d hoped for. I was pleasantly surprised by the bike friendly roads in California
Kathy and I enjoyed the last couple days in California and by Wednesday, it was starting to cool back into the 50’s – more normal for California
3rd Wedding Anniversary Tomorrow!
Tomorrow, Kathy and I will celebrate 3 years of wedded bliss! Unfortunately, we won’t see much of each other, as I’ll be tied up until about 9 PM with church commitments. Happy Anniversary to my wonderful, beautiful wife! The first three years have flown by!
Training continues; first race of the year creeps ever closer
Coach Jason wanted me to post about my workouts, mostly because I’m “ahead of schedule” according to him. I’m not entirely sure what that means or how he knows, but I guess I am. I’m not really the type to brag a lot about speed and so forth. That said, my workouts, particularly running, have been going really well. My last speed run was in the upper 5 minute range and didn’t feel especially taxing. Granted, I’m only doing 400 or 800 meter sprints. Cycling workouts have been going pretty well too. I felt great after my 97 mile ride in California
My first duathlon is scheduled for April 30 in Cannon Falls
It sounds as if we will be in Stewartville during the 4th of July this year. I’ll get to race my second Stewartville run that day. Last year my brother-in-law, Seth, took a top 5 place averaging 6:04/mile. I wouldn’t be surprised to keep pace with him this year (though Kathy thinks I’m crazy for thinking I can)!
New/expanded job
The long awaited Supply Chain reorg was announced last week. Though there is much to reveal yet, my role is definitely changing. I’ll be receiving a promotion and taking on the controls/audit functions for Supply Chain (same as now) plus all financial reporting, budgeting, planning, etc. I’m hoping for a very smooth transition and transfer of knowledge. The next few months could be pretty crazy!
PBL SLC upcoming
Some of you are aware of my volunteer service to Iowa Phi Beta Lambda (PBL), a national business organization. This was an organization I belonged to as a student member in high school/college and joined on the State Committee upon graduating from Wartburg. After being involved for nearly 15 years, I’ve decided to step down from my State Committee position and take some time off. While this is a tough decision, it’s in my best interest (and in the best interest of the membership). My final task as State Adviser will be the State Leadership Conference (SLC) on March 25-26. It will be a bitter/sweet weekend for sure.
Forensic Accounting & Auditing course begins soon
My third annual forensic accounting & auditing course begins on March 8. Some of you don’t know that I’m an instructor part-time at St. Mary’s. Forensic Accounting is a class I thoroughly enjoy teaching and is very fun to the students as well. During the first class, we are planning on a guest speaker coming from the Cities. He is a former white collar criminal and was in Yankton, SD for over a year serving time.
After two years of teaching Auditing during the summer, I have decided to hang it up. Summer is just too hard to teach a course with my crazy training and race schedule and summer is just too darn short. Hopefully, SMU will find a good replacement for me!
Nana moves out – off to New York
After about 6 months of living in our basement, Kathy’s mom moved to up-state New York Minnesota
The weekend after Nana left, I set up my bike trainer in the basement. It’s going to take some getting used to, but it’s great having an additional way to work out when I can’t make it into the gym. I’ve used it a couple times now, learning you can’t stand and crank on it without the bike coming out of the trainer. I guess the trainer components can’t handle the torque….or I’m just too fat. J
Super Bowl with Dan & Sam
Dan and Sam Roellinger came over to watch the Super Bowl last weekend. Sam brought a yummy salad and Kathy did her usual thing in the kitchen, preparing other scrumptious foods. Dan and I tried to finish the beer in the fridge, but fell just short. It’s okay though, we felt better on Monday for it! It was nice to see Dan & Sam!
Any Given Night finishes winter season, looks forward to Spring!
It was a tale of two seasons during winter VB this year. While we went to the final game of the playoffs for fall, winter was much different. We finished one game over .500 (14-13 I believe Susan said) and missed the playoffs completely. While this was disappointing, it did appear we had improved competition this time around. We’re hoping for a much better spring showing, which begins this Wednesday! Go Any Given Night!
Footnote: I’ve learned that just because you may “follow” this blog, doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily get a notification when I post something new. Sorry about that – I misunderstood completely how it works!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Erich's Blog: New Week!
Erich's Blog: New Week!: "Well, it's a new week with some fresh snow falling to the ground. I guess that means I won't be running or cycling outdoors again this..."
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