Moving Blog Sites

I have moved the Lazy Triathlete to a new host.

If you are interested please follow me to www.thelazytriathlete.net

All the best. 

Columbia Triathlon Race Report

I completed my first triathlon since 2008 yesterday.  Why I chose to start with the Columbia Triathlon in Columbia, MD I have no idea.  It is one of the tougher Olympic Distance races around here.  I guess because it bills itself as the “Right of Spring” in the Mid Atlantic and I am sucker for marketing. 

I told the Bride that I would stay close to home this triathlon season.  Other than a late summer trek to Dewey Beach, DE for the Dewey Sprint Tri, Richmond, VA is my farthest trip.  The trip to Dewey is a long weekend trip with for us and some friends.  So we just rent a house and enjoy the weekend.

I was up early on Sunday morning for the 50 mile drive to Columbia.  I arrived just after 0500 and set up my transition area.  The weather Sunday morning was just about perfect for a race.  This is the first time I have done this race or even a bike ride on the course that it hasn’t rained. 

My wave went off at 0718 and would you believe that the men aged 40-44 was the seconded largest wave?  Men 35-39 was the largest.  What is it with us old guys?  The start of the swim was about what you expect.  There was plenty of kicking and jockeying for position.  After about 5 minute it all settled down and I got in a nice groove.  I made the turn at the dam and then made the turn back to the swim exit.  I was feeling good, my strokes were strong, I was in a good zone, and started to get a little cocky.  As I was sighting on the buoys, I started to hear the announcer  getting louder and louder.  This wasn’t a surprise since you swim by at a greater distance in front of the start/announcer.  Then I realized I had been sighting in on the wrong buoy.  So I had to turn to the right to get back on track.  I probably wasted 3-4 minutes due to my sighting error.  However, I came out of the water at 32:04.  Without the sighting problem I am comfortable I would have gone under 30 minutes for the swim which was my goal. 

I took my time in transition.  This was just a long training day for me.  I pushed the bike to the top of the hill outside of transition, mounted up and I was off.  The course is a hilly 41k (25.4 miles) that I had two weeks earlier with a friend of mine.  I am glad I had done the practice ride, because I had forgotten how tough it was.  I warmed up my legs during the first couple of miles and then it was down hill for a little ways.  The first 10-12 miles of the race has some downhills, but it is a net uphill.  OUCH.  The middle part of the bike is more rolling hills.  I was cruising a long on the rolling hills and flat land.  Very pleased with my progress in just two weeks.   Then it was back up the final big hills and the transition to run. 

As I started to run I realized how much my shoulders and lower back were hurting from the bike.  I have made myself a promise to do more upper body/back workouts and much more core exercises in the coming days.  I have to strengthen that part of this old body.   As with the bike, the run is hilly.  I told myself I would run the flats, downhills, and I would walk up the hills.  I did more walking than I wanted.  I legs did not cramp like I thought they would, but the shoulder and lower back were just hurting.  By about mile 4 I had loosened up enough to get in a good trot.  By the time I was crossing the dam, I had a pretty decent pace.  But then you have only a half mile to go before the finish, so I am sure that had something to do with it.  You have to love triathlons.  The announcer is always calling out the names of the finishers (got to wear those numbers).   I typically don’t hear my name called, but this time I was directly in front of a speaker when he called out my name.  I gave some kids some high fives, low fives, and middle fives as I came down the chute. 

It was good to get a hard race out of the way.  Made me feel much better, gave me an idea of what I need to work on, and made my muscles that good sore. 

Deep in My Head

So far this has been a good week of workouts.   I have gotten in workouts every day and even some two-a-day workouts.  This afternoon it is back in the pool.  Tomorrow morning I have an easy 4 mile run and I may even try to get in a bike ride when I get home.  It is suppose to be in the 70s on Friday.  Plus the Bride and I are heading to Philly  to do the tourist thing.  I haven’t spent much time in Philly and I am looking forward to seeing some of the historic sites that led to the founding of this country.  Call me a nerd, but I do enjoy it.   Plus I can get a good Philly Cheesesteak!!

Before we head out on Saturday, we have to do our annual phone/computer attempt to get Jimmy Buffett tickets.  We do this every year.  One of us is on the computer and the other one is speed dialing.  One year we actually both got tickets.  If you have never been to one of his shows I highly recommend them.   The tail gating is awesome!!!  It is the only during the year that I get drunk. 

When I workout (especially swim), I really get  into my own head.  I tend to think deep thoughts, things that confuse me, irritate me, or anger me.   When I was swimming on Tuesday I started thinking about Fukushima 50.  I had read a little about them online during the day and some of us had discussed them at work.  A couple of people could not understand why these people would risk their lives, if they are killed outright then they will slowly and painfully die of radiation poisoning.  One of the guys shocked me.  Call me sexist, call me old fashioned, but I expect men to be willing to sacrifice for the betterment of their world.   To me, a man should want to be John Wayne.  Do the right thing regardless of the consequences.  But more and more males (especially younger ones) are not what I would call a man. 

So as I was swimming I started replaying that conversation back in my head and I got more and more angry (my 100 splits also got faster).  In the world I grew up in as child, adolescent, and adult just did not tolerate this type of thinking.  I have known many firemen, policemen, and soldiers who would (and have) laid down their lives for others.  It is just a code of honor that I have come to expect, maybe even demand.   We need others who will take the proverbial bullet for the greater good; that man or woman who quietly sacrifices so that others may live.  The US Air Force Pararescue Force has the motto – That Others May Live.   In my humble opinion, that sums up the type of life we should all lead. 

Strange Things afoot in the weight room

We all have our weird people (Whiskey Foxtrots as DC Rainmaker calls them) at the gym or pool that we frequent.  In the last couple of months I have going to one of the Fairfax Co Rec Centers near my house.  I have noticed that the men in the locker room are not as fit, nor as friendly as the ones at the YMCA I had been visiting .  The Bride and told me about some of the WFs using the weight machines and using the cardio equipment.  It was not that I did not believe her, but I had to experience these WFs for myself. 

WF #1 was fully dressed and using the weight machines.  He is fully dressed in an outdated button down shirt and khaki pants.  He is balding, thin (with a little gut), wears wire rimmed glasses, and reads a magazine between sets.  He also does not like to share the machine as he rests between sets. 

WF#2 was dressed in a dingy old yellow shirt and royal purple running shorts.  The Bride informed me that he has used the weight machines in nothing but a Speedo (banana hammock type).  So the two “gentlemen” start up a conversation.  I am not listening until they start talking about guns.  This piqued my interest, so I started to listen a little more.  The guns in question were of Civil War vintage which led to a talking about Civil War reenactments and re-enactors.  We all have our own hobbies and I am not one to question hobbies.  Then dingy yellow shirt guy stated the reason he was opposed to Civil War reenactments is…wait for it….wait for it…wait for it….the people in the 1860s had no fashion sense.  I almost lost it. 

What a strange bunch of people using the weight machines.  I will not even say anything about the lady who could give Tom Selleck lessons on growing a mustache. 

I would love to hear about your Whiskey Foxtrots!

Weekend Update

This weekend was a long weekend and unfortunately it was a not filled with long runs and bike rides.  This was more a recovery weekend.  I try to schedule my recovery weeks on the weeks that I have my Reserve Weekends.  I am up and out of the house before the sun and it usually about 7 when I get home.  I could workout after I get home, but I have made a deal with the Bride to do something with her when I get home.  It is only fair.

Today, I hit the pool and did 2000 meters in 45:20.  It was a strange workout:

4x200 (Swim, Kick, Drill, Swim), 4x150 (Swim, Kick, Drill, Swim), 4x100 (Swim, Kick, Drill, Swim), 4x50 (fast) 100 cool down.  I had a good swim.  I don’t think I went that hard on a lot of the sets.  My time was within 2 minutes or so of my normal time, but I did not feel worn out.   Tomorrow is a morning ride with Crockett and Tubbs. 

The house is coming along nicely.  We are set to received the dining room set on Friday.   Today we had first cleaning with a new cleaning service and she did a great job.  The

lady who had been cleaning our other house wanted shit load (that is a financial term) of money and when we had her clean the house prior to us moving in, she did not do a very good job.  This new lady did a great job.  To the left is the front of the house.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The downstairs Den

Another View of the Den.  The reason I am only showing the downstairs den is that is the only common room that is finished. 

I hope that everyone had a great weekend and keep working hard. 

Is it Friday again?

Once again I am living up to my name.  I have been working out, but I haven’t been blogging.   In the past week I have had five really good workouts.  I can feel the endurance coming back, especially in the swimming and running.  Once I get the bike out on the road I will let you know how my trainer workouts have worked. 

I have had some contract issues at work.  So Tuesday and Wednesday I had to work from home.   I did bunch of CPE classes since I don’t have much vacation time since I have returned from military leave.   I also dismantled a shed, moved a desk, tried to do some plumbing, and bought a new part for the sink all over at the “old” house.   On Tuesday I had a 2000 meter total swim with the main set being 10 x 100.  I really hate 10 x anything (especially 100s).  However, I was happy with my times.  I got slower over the course of the set, but I started at about 1:40 and ended at 1:48s.  For a non-swimmer like me I have no complaints.  

I swam two days in a row and on Wednesday the main set was  4 x50 (constant pace),  3x300,  and  4x50 (finish strong).  Again my 300s were in the 1:48 to 1:50/100 pace.  I was pretty happy and rather tired.   Thursday morning was a run day.  After a nice warm Wednesday afternoon (low 60s), it was a blustery 25.  Where is spring?   As cold as it was, I still had a very good run.   I can tell the fitness is coming back.  I maintained or was a little faster over miles than I have been and my HR was about 7 bpm less. 

On the house front;  I started painting the shed, but I still haven’t finished the trim.   I got a new Weber Grill which I used for the first time last night.  Sorry no photos.  Finally, we ordered a new dining room table set.  It is suppose to be delivered on Saturday.   The house is slowly coming together. 

I will be playing soldier this weekend, so no hard training.  I hope everyone has a great weekend. 

Friday Ramblings

Today is a rest day.  I have to swim on Saturday and then a short brick on Sunday.   We will be going to a different Church on Sunday—we are looking for a new one since we moved.  After that we are going into DC to meet up with a friend of ours who is in town for work.  I am hoping that tomorrow gets as warm as advertised, high 40s, so that I can finish painting the new shed.  I painted the body a couple of weeks ago, but still haven’t done the trim.  Hopefully that will not take more than a couple of hours.  I will try to remember to get some pictures of the shed before and after I paint the trim. 

Today has been one of those rather brain dead days.  When I don’t work up a sweat in the morning I just feel run down most of the day.   But I know my legs need a break and tomorrow will be a good day in the pool.  I miss my workouts and being in my own thoughts.  If I could just remember them or were more technically inclined I bet I could invent something crazy.  I am also pretty creative in the writing arena when I don’t have a keyboard or pen and paper in front of me.  My last two deployments I have started on a novel and never got very far. But I would lay in bed at night and map the plot.  My most current plot is a former Army Special Ops guy, who has become a National Geographic type photographer and is a triathlete living in DC, who gets recruited to “do thing” to keep us safe or to help out friends.   It’s a shame I can’t write it during work. 

I have finished up some work and I am awaiting it to be reviewed.  However, since it is Friday I am going to bet is not reviewed prior to my departure.  I am on the 6^th floor of a building on the Virginia side of the Potomac listening to the wind HOWL.  I just checked the weather and it the wind is gusting to 53mph.  I was looking out the window wondering if some of the plywood being used for construction was going to get airborne.  Yuck!!  I am glad I am not out running or biking today. 

Living in the Past?

I don’t know about other people, but when I am out running I have all sorts of crazy thoughts.   This morning I was jamming to some 80s music and a song I forgot I had on my iPod came on.  The song took me back to some more care-free days in college.  Then my mind wandered even more and I started thinking about people who seem to live in the past.  As I was huffing along in the cold morning air, I broke them down into two categories.  The ones who still think they are great because of previous accomplishments and the ones who have bettered themselves but still see themselves as the (fill in the blank) from way back when. 

I did not ponder too much on the ones who still think they are great.  We all know them.  They are the high school or college jock types who never got past being the starting quarterback.  A fair number of the people I grew up with are like this.  Their lives never got past those accomplishments many years ago.  It is sad really that whatever the accomplishment was was the highlight of their lives. 

The other group actually makes me sad and in some cases mad.  Those individuals who have greatly bettered themselves in terms of education, financial status, and (since this is a workout blog) those who have overcome their lack of athleticism.  They have worked hard to be that good runner, biker, swimmer, or whatever; have gotten in shape and lost weight and look good.  Why do they still see themselves as the slow or the fat kid? 

I was always active growing up.  I played organized baseball from age 6 through college.  I was a decent player, but never pro material.  I ran track a couple of years in middle school, played football in middle and high schools, and even wrestled a couple of seasons.  I was fit and skinny.  The army kept me in shape and as I have aged the challenge has gotten more difficult.  The pounds don’t melt off and I don’t recover as fast I use too.  But I don’t really dwell on the past.  I try to learn from things that have occurred in the past, but I don’t see myself as that 18 year old athlete. 

My question is do you still see yourself as that person you were, or do you embrace the new you?  What would your family say?

Swimming Etiquette or I learned to share in Kindergarten

This past weekend I was back in Georgia cleaning out a storage unit and bring some of the contents back the house.  We now have enough space to store the stuff.  We departed Friday afternoon and drove as far as Spartanburg, SC and finished off the trip early Saturday morning.   It was great to see family and to walk the Bride around my grandmother’s lake.   How the land around her property has been developed.  You can actually see new construction behind her house now.  It used to be out on the middle of nowhere.   Sunday morning we were up early and on the road back home.  Twenty hours in the car in roughly two days.  So no long workouts for me.

Monday was a Federal Holiday, so I worked from home doing some online classes.  I started to do a long run, but the ball of my left foot was in a lot of pain.  I pulled up after about 2 miles and just walked home.  Tuesday was a 40 minute bike ride in the morning followed by a swim in the afternoon.  The distances are improving in the pool. 

Speaking of the pool, what the hell is up with lane etiquette?  Friday morning I did a short swim before departing.  I had put my equipment down in an unused lane and went to grab a kickboard.  Since all the lanes had at least one swimmer in them, I was not shocked to see a lady putting her equipment next to mine.  I greeted her and she gave me one of the DC woman shit eating looks.  She then informed me that this was “her” lane and she swam in it every Friday.  I told her “no problem”, would you rather swim side to side or circle swim?  She then looked at me and told me again this was “her” lane.  I responded kindly sarcastically that if she had it rented I would be happy to swim in another lane.  Well, to make a long story short—she changed lanes once another lane came open. 

I hate to share lanes, especially with people you don’t know.  However, these pools are for everyone’s use.  I just don’t get the hostility.  Yesterday, to show that I am not a jaded person (at least tell myself that), as I was finishing up my swim a gentleman came onto the pool deck looking for a lane.  I pulled up and told him I had another 10 minutes or so, but he was welcome to use this lane.  He was very much appreciative; we discussed strokes and the use of flippers.  As I went to leave he thanked me, saying that he was used to the people who refuse to share.  So I guess that lady is the norm…..

Who else has any similar experiences?  How did you handle them?

Happy vs Unhappy. Who wins?

I don’t know if it is that time of the year or what, but so people appear to be unhappy.  Why is that?  In general we have so much to be happy for.  Are we as Americans just an unhappy lot? Do we like to hear ourselves bitch and complain?

I am not talking about the “Damn, I don’t want to get up and work out at 5am”, type of unhappiness.  I am talking about the kind that appears to come from somewhere deep in us.   I like to think of myself as a half full kind of guy.   I am not bubbly or overly charismatic, but I try to look on the bright side of things.  There are people that will say I am not always happy.  I raise my voice at the news on TV or really stupid calls by officials in my favorite sporting events.  I am also a realist and sarcastic at times.  But that doesn’t make me unhappy. 

Since I am realist I have been told over and over that I am too hard on others, typically people who appear to me to be unhappy.  I try to point out the good things in their lives, that sometimes there expectations are unrealistic.   Why do people get angry or unhappy that they “only “lost 1.5lbs this week?  Or did not PR a race?  It is not realistic to be perfect.

Why is it that the individuals who get mad at something are the most likely to do the same type thing?   Are they projecting?  I have people around me who are convinced that others need to respond to them immediately, but then they like to hold back information or wait until the last minute to pass on information or complete a task.  My personal opinion is that they do that for control reasons and think that anyone that doesn’t respond “their way” is trying to control them.  Double standard?

Do you that angry or unhappy people sleep less?  Worrying about things that they can’t control?  Do they try to bring you down to make themselves feel better? 

I know this isn’t exactly a happy (no pun intended) post, but it was something I was thinking about this morning on my run.  Happiness is not always  that flowery feeling.  But look around you—is your spouse by your side (even if you don’t always agree?) are your kids healthy, are you trying to improve yourself or make yourself better?  I like to play the cards I have been dealt, patiently made my decisions, and make the best of my situation.   

What are your thoughts on the situation?  Are you the unhappy one?  Is the person making you unhappy really doing something wrong?  Is it something you can change or should change?

Getting back into the swing of things

We all know how good we feel after a workout.  Especially a hard on.  We also know that there are some days it takes all we have to get out the door, or in some cases out of the bed.  November and December were difficult months for me to get my ass in gear.  I knew I would feel better, but that damn couch was so comfortable.  Now that I am back at work getting up in the morning and making the time, both before and after work, to get in my workouts has actually been easier than when I had all the time in the world.  I tend to do much better when I have constraints on my time.  I have to manage my life better. I actually get more accomplished and don’t feel so overwhelmed. 

Sunday morning was my longest ride on the trainer to date.  It was 15 miles, which isn’t that far, but I have been doing 30-40 minutes in the morning before work.  This was about a 50 min workout.  I broke a good sweat and thankfully Jack Bauer was able to make headway during that hour.  Monday morning I was up about 0445 and hit the road.  I did a little less than 4 miles.  I know I am starting to get back in shape when that run starts to feel good.  The down side of that was about a mile from the house, I started feeling “that rumbling” down in the belly.  I walked for a couple of minutes until it subsided, then I started back off at a faster pace.  It then started to me again.  Luckily, I made it home just in the nick of time. 

Today I was back in the pool.  I did 2200 meets in roughly 50-55 minutes.  I forgot my watch.  Silly me.  The main set was a pyramid of 4x50, 2x100, 1x200, 2x100, and 4x50.  I was happy that I was able to keep the 50s at about 45 seconds and the 100s at about 1:40.

I have promised some photos of the “Man Room”, so here they are.    The TV mounted over the desk is a godsend when I am working out or the bride has taken over the TV in

the den and is watching some crazy Red Carpet Special or those moronic “housewives”.  I can retreat to my retreat and watch sports or my military and history channels.  Speaking of history on television—if you are folks with a TV in your room I highly recommend “The States” or “The Presidents” from the History channel to help you fall asleep. 

I hope everyone has a great week and keep up the hard work.

Sick and Tired of the Cold

I am just sick and tired of the cold.  At least the last two mornings I have been able to watch the sun come up over the Potomac as I drove to work.  That means it is not cloudy and the days are getting longer.   Spring has to come sooner or later—I am hoping on sooner. 

Saturday and Sunday I donned my Army suit for the first time since returning from Afghanistan and it was back to the one weekend a month thing.  It has been nice to be off, but I can’t complain about the additional cash.  Plus it was good to see all the folks I haven’t seen since we got back.  The down side is not really any time to get in a workout. 

I did not work out  Monday morning.  I just did the weigh for our Family and Friends Biggest Loser.  I was not pleased, but I had a fair amount of alcohol and really bad food as I watched the game.  I was only down half a pound.  Whoops.  So Monday after work (the weather was fairly nice) I hit the road for a painful 4 miles.  The first half of the run I could not get loose nor really work up a good sweat.  According to my training plan I was only suppose to run 3 miles.  Since I am still learning all the side streets in the new neighborhood (yes I did Map My Run, but..) I took a wrong turn and ended up doing 4 miles.  The second half was much better than the first half, so I will categorize it as a good thing. 

Tuesday morning I was up and hopped on the trainer for a 10mile spin.  In the new house I have my own office/workout room.    I love it.  I mounted a TV on the wall so I can watch TV, a DVD, or stream Netflix.  I will have to get pictures up soon.   Tuesday afternoon I did an ab workout.  This morning, it was effing cold so I opted to do another ride instead of a run.  For entertainment during the ride I streamed an old George Carlin HBO Special, “Doin’ It Again”.  I forgot how funny that man is. 

This afternoon I am scheduled for some speed work in the pool.  I hate sprints. 

Now off to earn a living.

How to ruin a marriage and I don’t mean mine!!

This morning after I was done stretching and doing an ab workout I came across this very interesting article, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703439504576116083514534672.html, and was truly fascinated by it. Initially, I was fascinated by the author’s view point on the Waxmans. My initial though on the article is what is the author’s bias? There appears to be some major gaps in the writing. If he gets up early and works out, so what if she wakes alone. He is the one getting up earlier. Either the author has a bias against endurance athletes or athlete in general (was he the band or a nerd and mocked by the jocks) or was Mr. Waxman really that big of a selfish pig. Then I started reading the reader comments.

I was amazed at how many people think that training for a triathlon, specifically Sprint or Oly, all that crazy. The ones that really stood out to me were the women complaining about their husbands training. What is wrong with someone (male or female) deciding to push themselves and tackling a new challenge? What is wrong with getting off the couch and shedding that belly fat (I know I need to)? As I continued to read the comments I was struck by 1) the number of women (who don’t appear to work out) complaining, 2) the number of men who whined in general (I make the impolite assumption they were just fat and miserable, 3) the number of ladies who praised their husbands for being supportive, and 4) the number of men who complimented their wives/girlfriends for working out and looking good.

Anything in moderation is usually a good thing. Addiction to something, even exercise when it affects your relationships, falls into the Lazy Triathlete’s category of “BAD”. But who decides that it has been become a problem? How much is too much? Seven hours a week? Ten hours? Fifteen? 7-9 hours a week is not really excessive if you do you the math. One hour a day for 4 days a week and then 90 minutes on Saturday and Sunday gives you seven hours of working out. I realize you have prep and travel time which adds another hour or two. However, that appears to me to be a small price to pay to push yourself and accomplish something, make yourself healthier, and to look and feel better.

Please take some time and read the article and let me know what you think.

This afternoon I went for my first run on my training plan. It was suppose to be an easy 30 minute run. Well it was a SLOW one. After riding 30 minutes and swimming 30 minutes the last two days, my legs were rather heavy and the run was slow. But I did about 3 miles in those 30 minutes after work. My resolution is to follow the training plan as best as I can (weekends with Battle Assembly will be difficult) and to work out after work. New house, new habits.

Buying a new house, moving, cold weather, and working out

Ok, it is not really a reason, more like an excuse.  I haven’t been that good on working out over the last 3 weeks.  My excuse is that we bought a new house, moved, my wife went out of town for two weeks and I was putting stuff together and cleaning up the place.  Did I mention it was cold too?  Cold is lame, I admit it.  I have been much colder in my life than it has been here lately. 

We closed on the house 7 January and had the movers take everything out of the house on the 8th.  January 10th was a great day for my supervisory skills.  I had the locksmith, the FIOS guy (if you can get it, it beats the hell out of cable), Sears brought the new washer and dryer, the plumber, the yard guys, and the Geek Squad to hang the two TVs.  One in the downstairs den and one in my office/workout room.  I can now watch TV, a DVD, or stream a movie from Netflix as I ride the bike or work out.

I have lost 2.5 lbs in the last three weeks, so I am eating better.  That motivated me to get back to working out this week.  I was up at 5am Monday for an easy 30 minute ride on the bike.  Then after I got home I started a new ab workout.  I have to say that my abs are rather sore today.  This morning I got up and did a 30 min run, which is my third run in the last 2 weeks.  After work today I hit the new gym (we finally joined this weekend) and I swam about 30 mins.  The swim was ok, but an easy 30 min swim should not have been as hard this one felt. 

Tomorrow is another day on the bike.  Shooting for 35 minutes.  I want to get up to 45 mins before work, and then do the Ab workout after I get home.  All it takes is 21 days to get in the habit!!!!

Keep working hard everyone!!

Starting back HURTS

I ate way too much on December 31, but damn it was good.  Why can’t steam broccoli taste like a pepperoni pizza?  Just a random thought there.  The Bride loves WII Fit, especially the scale since it keeps her honest.  She has talked me into doing some of the WII Fit games, but mainly the weigh-in on there.  Of course she can see my weight, but I can’t see hers.  But I digress.  I weighed in at 179 lbs (rounding up).  Which was about 6lbs less than I thought I weighed.  So I am pretty happy that I had not gained as much as I thought I had.  My goal is to be at 160 by the end June.  I see no reason I can’t do that.  Well there is my love of pepperoni pizza. 

Saturday afternoon I headed out for my first bike ride of the year.  I planned on meeting a buddy of mine and doing about 20 miles, but he bailed at the last minute due to the possibility of rain.  So I headed down to Haines Point to do some laps.  I ended up biking an hour in some pretty chilly wind.  With the wind I was easily doing 18.5-19 mph and against the wind I was working hard to do 16.  I don’t remember when a short hour ride hurt so much.  But it felt good to be on the new bike for only the second time outside. 

This morning I was up at 5am and headed out the door for 3.5 miles.  It was a brisk 27 with a cold north wind as I started.  I am ashamed of how slow my 3.5 mile run was.  I don’t remember the last time I suffered through 10 min miles.  The good news is it only gets easier, well it gets faster.  Tomorrow, I am off to swim with the masters at the Y.  Soon, I will be moving to a new place to swim.  That is if we ever close on the new house, but more on that later. 

I think I am going to sign up for the Augusta 70.3.   If anyone has done that race I would love some info.

Now back to the closing.  We wanted to close last Wednesday, but due to a last minute request from the lender to the seller that did not happen.  The document was received late on Thursday, but with the holiday nothing was done on Friday.  I was not hopeful about today even though the Bride was.  If everything was completed today, we should be able to close on Wednesday.  Please keep your fingers crossed.

I hope everyone had a great New Years.  Lets all get back in gear.

Last Day of Gluttony

I have been back from Afghanistan now for a little over two months and I have done exactly what I said I was not going to do.  I have eaten like it is going out of style.  I have not run or swam like I should have.  I haven’t biked much either, but I have an excuse for that, which I will discuss in a minute.   The last real run I did was a Turkey Trot on a family vacation in the Keys during Thanksgiving.   That is how pathetic I have been.  After Thanksgiving we went spent 10 days in Puerto Rico and on cruise.  During this time I ate and drank WAY too much.  Two extra days stuck in Chicago over Christmas did not help either.

My excuse for lack of riding is this—I had to move the bike and trainer out of my house because it is on the market.  Our realtor has us keeping things in our house to a minimum.  Since the house is rather small I completely agree with her.  We were suppose to close on the new house on Wednesday but that did not occur.  Now we are shooting for Monday.  All I can say about the underwriters is tell us up front what documentation is needed.  That allows us and the seller to be prepared.  Don’t wait until the last “effing” minute to throw something new at us.  So lets hope Monday or Tuesday works out.

The good news is once we get settled in the new house, I have one of the four bedrooms as mine.  I am having a flat screen mounted on the wall so during the cold winters I can ride and watch some shoot’em up movies.  The new house is over twice the size of our current one and has been completely renovated.  I am excited to get in and get settled.

Today is the last day of Gluttony for the bride and I.  We have been grazing on appetizer foods as we watch football games.  Tomorrow I have a 20 mile bike ride scheduled.  I am excited to get out and ride the new bike some more. 

So much for 2010.  Lets all welcome 2011. 

Slowly Working Out

I had such high hopes for my workout on my return.  However, life and laziness (I am not the Lazy Triathlete for nothing) have gotten in the way.  I have been swimming the last month.  I am back up to about 2000 yards.  Most of these workouts are rather slow with lots of drills thrown.  I haven’t run in over a week.  Most of my runs have been on the short and slow side, especially since the weather has gotten colder.  I am going to try and run for about an hour tomorrow. 

The other issue that has been tying me up is the process of buying a house and selling a house.  We were looking at one that did not have a buyer for a while, dragging our feet hoping that no one was interested.  At the last minute we were in a bidding war, unprepared, and ended up losing that one.  We have found another house and have a contract on it.  Currently there are two issues holding it up.  We are still awaiting the mold test and the VA appraisal.   I am concerned about the VA appraisal.  I am hearing horror stories regarding the this process. 

This house has been completely re-done on the inside.  It is basically brand spanking new.  I will need to enlarge the deck and the backyard needs some TLC, but that is not an overly difficult process—just time consuming.  Wish us luck.

We also went to the Keys for Thanksgiving.  Myself, the Bride, her mother and father, and her sister and her family.  We had a blast.  Plenty of sun, fruity drinks and some great scuba diving.   In addition to the diving we also did a 5K turkey trot at the resort.   I promised the Bride I would run with her.  It was a lot of fun if not the fastest race of my life. 

Next Friday we head to Puerto Rico for a cruise.  So I better work out hard the next six days.  I just wish I had the new bike easily accessible so I could do some trainer rides.  But we are keeping our house clutter free incase someone comes to look. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Back to Bamiyan

The last week I have gotten in a few runs, a couple of days on the trainer ( I love the new bike), and a couple of 2000 yard days in the pool.  But for the most part I have been working on the doing all the things needed to buy and sell a house.  However, not to jinx ourselves I am going to refrain from going into any detail at this time. 

This past year was my second trip to Afghanistan.  I spent 2002 in Kabul, Bamiyan (home to the big Buddha's that the Taliban destroyed), and the Airbase at Bagram.  My favorite place was Bamiyan.  I was absolutely a beautiful place.  The people there were honest and hard working.  The Hazaras were persecuted by the Taliban and had suffered greatly.  Bamiyan is the middle of country is very isolated due the terrain.   During my 2002 time in Bamiyan I was previledged enough to build numerous schools  for both boys and girls, emplace wells, and other activies that benefited the people  of this impoverished area.   I have enough stories about this place to fill a few hours over numerous beers.  During this tour, I was lucky enough to get back up there for a little while.   Man how the place has changed. 

I escorted some Afghan government leaders and luckily we flew instead of taking the long ass trip in a vehicle.  It was a wonderful experience to see all the changes.  There was a lot of new construction going on, at least 5k of roads had been paved, the airfield was being used.  Most of all I enjoyed seeing the safe house we had lived in 2002 had reverted back to the hotel it has been previously. 

This was our safehouse 2002.  20 Americans living by your wits

This was our outhouse.  We had carpeted and even magazine holders for reading material.

The Lazy Triathlete over looking one of the Buddha holes in March 2010.

This what the hotel looks like now.

 

Enough reminiscing, it is time to get some sleep and get in a few miles in the morning. 

I AM BACK

I am back from a tour in the great state of chaos called Afghanistan.   I have been back for about a week and have been sort of relaxing.   However, I have started working again.  Which is pretty good.  Sleep is still not as solid as I would like.  But when your body gets use to only 5-6 hours a night and you through jet lag in on top of it, it is no wonder I am waking up at 0300 or so every day. 

None of my workouts have been anything earth shattering.  I have been running about 5K this past week.  It is getting easier.  Tuesday was my first day on my new bike (more to follow on that), and today I swam for about 30 minutes.  I lost track of the laps, but I guess it was 1200 yards or so.  Nothing hard, just some lazy swimming and basic drills

Now back to the bike.  Before I left I worked out a deal with the Bride, that if I saved so much money for a new house that I could get a new bike.  So after much research, etc etc, I ended up with a Trek 6.2 Madone.  I took possesion from my LBS on Monday but due to the weather there was no riding.  Tuesday morning I headed out for what was suppose to be an hour ride.  Just to get my feet back under me and see how she handled.  A little over half way through the ride (I stopped at my local running store to get new socks) and when I returned to the bike the rear tire was flat.  I did not have a spare tube, so Dumbass (that is me) walked 2 miles back home pushing the bike.  Not very smart.

The good news the tube is changed and if it is not raining on Thursday I plan on getting in that hour or so ride. 

I will be posting pictures and stuff from the year in Afghanistan from time to time.  So if you are interested stay tuned to this channel.

I am glad to be home and I hope my readers are still there.

Hanging out Karzblacastan

Things here in Karzblacastan (I will tell you where we really are after we depart) are actually pretty decent—other than the fact we are still here. Sunday we had a pretty intense snow storm here. It was reported at over 9inches which is supposed to be a record for here. There is still snow everywhere. Luckily, today the sun came out and when the wind was not blowing it was actually very pleasant. If the roads had not still been icy I would have gone for a run. There was suppose to be a good abs class at the gym this afternoon, but I napped through it.

Before you think that I am being overly lazy napping the afternoon away I was up most of the night thanks to the Bulgarians. Their flight was cancelled and they all came back to the tent. They are not the quietest of peoples. They also had one guy who had that penetrating voice that even made it through the songs of my iPod.

The food is pretty good. The chow hall is open 24 hours a day so food is not a problem. What is very interesting is that the sun does not come up until after 0830. This morning about 0745 I was leaving the chow hall and it looked like the middle of the night. There were very few people out and it was dark and dreary. It looked like it was midnight. If we don’t get out on Tuesday we have a little “cultural excursion” planned for about 10 people. I am not scheduled to go on the trip but it will be nice to have some of the younger soldiers get out and see another country. Especially one that they probably never see again. If you are permanent party at this location you get to avail yourself of these trips. It took our Bde Commander to get this approved for us.

We are all in good spirits and ready to get on with the mission. However, I would like one more day here to assist in the resetting of my internal clock.