HAVEN'T HAD CABLE SINCE THE MOVE SIX MONTHS AGO. NOW I HAVE THAT DIGITAL BOX THAT I GOT FREE WITH THE GOVERNMENT VOUCHER. I'M HOOKED ON THE FREE USN CHANNEL (NBC) THAT PLAYS OLD KONA SPECIALS FROM YEARS PAST!!!
THEN OF COURSE FOR THE HOURS I SPEND ON THE TRAINER...
me: "listen man, you're really startin' to piss me off. i told you i don't want you calling or texting me anymore, yet you continue to call and text me. i'm on the road right now. i don't have time for this crap!!"
him: "what, i'm not allowed to call you on your birthday?? would you rather i not call you on your birthday?? now that would really piss you off"
me: "ok, i'll let that one slide, but it wasn't my birthday the other 5 times you called and texted me even though we agreed we wouldn't call or text"
him: "i can't help it if i want to let you know i'm thinking of you."
me: "yes you can, and you really need to stop. it's creepy. YOU'RE CREEPY, so creepy that you're becoming UNATTRACTIVE"
him: "wow, you sure can be harsh.."
me: "listen, i was very honest with you that i didn't want to be in a relationship right now. i'm about to start training for this ironman, i'm on the road for work, THERE'S NO TIME FOR PLAYING HOUSE."
him: "but i still care about you. i want you in my life. i still wanna go riding together. you inspired me to get a new bike, and i just got it. you gotta see it. IT'S ITALIAN"
me (to myself) "we road bikes once on a sunday on the bike path at the beach and you road a mountain bike, and i got sand all in my chain. it was 26 miles, and you needed a nap afterwards. i'd hardly call that quality riding..."
me (to him): "i don't know. maybe. i'll call you when i'm back in town"
cut to this morning to what i call the "let's just be friends ride." i agree to meet him at a public location because there's no way in hell i'm going to his place....
so here we have the new bike. and IT IS ITALIAN, a de bernardi. i have never heard of the brand, anyone out there heard of such a thing?? it's aluminum with carbon fork and seat/chain stay, campy yeah whatever. HOW MUCH DID HE PAY FOR THIS BUMBLEBEE??
i'm trying to be nice, he's trying to keep his hands and thoughts to himself. we decide to do 45 miles from malibu to ventura county line and back. IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY, and i have to admit it's nice to see him and hopefully move on from the creepiness. yeah, that lasted about 2 miles....
him: "listen to how cool my campy sounds!!"
me: "enough with the coasting....let's pedal fool!!!"
him: "i like the view from back here..."
me: "you're getting creepy again..."
so i'm pulling and now acutely aware that he's staring at my ass, but i haven't ridden in a month. i just wanna get some miles in. i'm just gonna focus on perfect circles, the gorgeous view, and ignore the creepiness. he mellows out, the shoulder widens, and we start riding 2x and shooting the shit about work and family. hey we made it to county line!! take my picture!!!
uh, thanks dude, you totally cut out my ride....
ok, ok, i'm being mean. let's just enjoy this day. we get to the turnaround at big rock and here's some rock climbers. cool!!!
him: "wow girl, it doesn't get any better than this. we're truly blessed. i'm so glad you wanted to come ride with me. i really think we can be in each others' lives like this. it can work like this...."
me (to myself): "dude, whatever you do right now, DO NOT BEND DOWN ON ONE KNEE, DO NOT SAY ANYTHING ROMANTIC, AND DO NOT GIVE IT THE OL' COLLEGE TRY REACH AROUND THE SHOULDER OR I'M GONNA HURL"
me (to him): "hey i'm hungry, let's head back to neptune's net for some grub"
him: "ok, i'll pull if you want"
me: "cool"
so now i'm staring at HIS ass when, if it wasn't already, it becomes crystal clear just how much this can't possibly work out...
me (to myself): "boy, i thought you were gonna pull. YOU'RE COASTING AGAIN!!! i know, i know, your campy sounds so cool when you coast, but this is ridiculous. you bought this crazy-ass italian thing, and you're just gonna coast on it?? and let's not even mention the harry legs. REAL MEN SHAVE THEIR LEGS!!!
then i look down at my computer in disbelief.....
now the computer doesn't lie. and no, that's not my cadence at 112, THAT'S MY HEART RATE!!! i can get it to 130 just by walking briskly. you see cadence is ZERO because WE'RE COASTING!!! no no, this just isn't going to work out.....
we stop for lunch at neptune's net, a biker joint where us cyclists get the stares....
then we head across the street to watch the surfers while we digest our lunch
this really is turning out to be the quintessential "california day"
me: "hey, it's getting late. we should head back soon."
him: "yeah, you want me to pull again?"
me: "no i'm cool taking the front. whatever. let's just see how we're feeling..."
we make it back in good time, friendly hug goodbye...
him: "hey, this was great. let's do it again soon, the cycling that is...."
me (to him): "well, i'm heading out of town again next week, so i don't know when i can meet again, but i'll be in touch"
me (to myself): "no way, dude. tomorrow i start base for im brasil. no time for friendly rides"
i know, I. AM. SUCH. A. BITCH. but hey, i gotta keep my eyes on the prize, and COASTING JUST AIN'T GONNA GET ME THERE.....
jeremy newman gets psyched with his tunes before go time
tracey moore exits the swim proudly wearing the CAF colors
unidentified CAF athlete on hand-crank cycle
19 year old, scout bassett rocks the bike
sarah brings it home with a smile...
i'm sad to report that just a week after the race, the CAF offices were hit by a fire that destroyed the area housing all their sponsor gear for the upcoming san diego triathlon challenge, a half ironman distance race and their largest fundraiser of the year. the race will go on as scheduled, but CAF is desperate to replace as much of the gear as possible before race day. please please please find it in your heart to help out with any donation, big or small, to help this wonderful organization bounce back on its feet and continue to make it possible for these amazing athletes to race and inspire us all!!!
nothing new to report these days, so i'll leave you with another video clip. now i have to admit that i could give a crap about "football", cuz i'm more apt to watch or play "futbol", but if i'm ever being fucked with, i definitely want this dude in my corner....
so i'm now in hotel room #8 or #9 in the last month...i've lost count. this is insane. i really don't know how rock stars do it. but rock stars aren't ironmen, so i'm gonna have to learn to suck it up and still get my training in.
base training officially starts in less than two weeks, but in the meantime, i've still got this marathon coming up. i'm on track with my mileage, but it just doesn't feel the same. i hate to admit it, but i just don't feel like a marathoner anymore. that's so weird to admit out loud, but i think i've been hearing myself say it internally for a while now. i've just focused so much in the last two years on triathlon, and now i feel like i'm turning my back on it all for marathon #10. for one, I HAVEN'T BEEN ON MY BIKE FOR A MONTH NOW!!! and for two, I'M OFFICIALLY FAT AGAIN. it's amazing how quickly you can feel the fitness slipping away from you. but alas, i know my body will quickly bounce back and benefit from this self-imposed "recovery" stage.
oh man, that countdown clock to the right is counting down quicker than i expected.
i've actually shot a ton of pictures lately, but i'm too tired to post and tell the stories that go along with them. for now, i'll leave you with this, a video from a fellow tri club friend. so the next time you wanna feel sorry for yourself, feel like your season is shot, well, just play this video again:
........and this is my brain after 4 days in palm springs, 24 hours in anaheim working the disney half marathon, and another local overnight for an early shoot today
yes ladies and gents, i'm officially fried. the shoot in palm springs was rough, but we got through it, and i'm sure we got good shots. their pools sucked ass as i suspected they would, but then again, people don't check into a place like this to get their sweat on by way of exercising. i got up early saturday morning before we started shooting and got my 8 miler in on the treadmill. all i can say is thank fucking god for the ipod and the gygo podcasts!!! as much as it sucked, there was no way i could get it done outside in the 115 degree heat, so i was pretty proud of myself for knocking it out while the rest of the resort guests were getting their sleep on.
the best part of the trip was getting to visit with my very first running coach. to fully undertsand the magnitude of how significant this reunion was, you must first know that for the last 6 years, i thought this man was dead. long story short, he came looking for me at the la marathon race expo earlier this year only to find out that i wasn't working that day. but he left word with a coworker to be sure to tell me hello. when they finally got around to mentioning it in passing a few weeks ago, it was as though i'd seen a ghost. so when i knew i was going out to palm springs for work, i looked him up and gave him a call. i brought him pictures of a few of us who'd trained with him who now all do triathlons. he kept asking "and what time was your run?" "and what time did he do the run in?" "and what's you pr now?" "are you doing work on the track?" we had such a blast catching up. i told him how i often get thank you letters from my runners when they've completed their marathons and how the other coaches in my program like to make fun of me for "pampering" my runners and "spoiling" them all the time because i do things like waterproofing their shoes. i take it all as a compliment, and i always give credit to the man who was my first coach. everything i know, everything i do as a coach came from having a great one myself. we're gonna go back early next year for the palm springs century ride and we'll stay with vic and get to catch up more. can't wait!!! but dummy so-called-photographer me forgot to get a picture of us!!! DOH!!
i'm back home tonight, however, my brain has been mush ever since. i just hope i can recover in time to get a quality 18 miler in day after tomorrow. in the last 6 days, i've checked in and out of 3 different hotels, and in the next two weeks, i'll be checking into 3 more, but i'm gonna do my best to keep up with a light training schedule. more on where i'm headed next in another post, but let's just say they have a kick-ass pool!!!
so here we have the new bike. and IT IS ITALIAN, a de bernardi. i have never heard of the brand, anyone out there heard of such a thing?? it's aluminum with carbon fork and seat/chain stay, campy yeah whatever. HOW MUCH DID HE PAY FOR THIS BUMBLEBEE??
so now i'm staring at HIS ass when, if it wasn't already, it becomes crystal clear just how much this can't possibly work out...
this really is turning out to be the quintessential "california day"
