AcrossTheWay

Moving on...

2008-09-16T17:53:00.000-07:00

Long time no post. Here anyway.

Lots of time has passed, lots of change and growth.

Started up a new blog to start a new chapter.

The Rambling Raider

Crazy Week

2007-02-01T16:29:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a crazy travel week.

Monday : Texas to Florida

Tuesday: Florida to Pennsylvania (through Detroit)

Wednesday: Pennsylvania

Thursday: Pennsylvania to Texas (through Cleveland)

Whew! Sand to Snow and back again. I did manage to run on the beach on Tuesday morning.

Santa ate my cookies!

2006-12-27T10:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday

2006-12-27T10:09:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

Just a quick post to welcome our daughter, "A". 8 lbs 6 oz; 20 in.

Mom and baby are doing well.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Finally Riding

2006-11-25T10:55:00.000-08:00

Hey folks - it's been a long while.

I took some time off to get my new job under control. I've been traveling a lot. It is great to be out with customers - it takes me back to the reason I loved consulting. Things are going well and I'm really excited to go to work everyday.

I've decided to start base training again - mostly running. I love running through the neighborhood when it is decorated. I'm trying to decide on a marathon right now. I have no doubt I could finish - but can I commit to the training??

We have a new baby due in the next few weeks. We are about 90% complete on the nursery. I better get it finished or I'm sure she'll make an early arrival and I'll be caught unprepared.

See ya out there...

LiveStrong

2006-10-09T18:38:00.000-07:00

Hey folks - long time no post.

Time flies when you are having fun. The new job continues to thrill me everyday. Training has diminished but not stopped. I've spent the last 6 weeks training with a team to ride in the LiveStrong ride.

The ride took place this past weekend. Our team raised money and rode in honor of our team captain's uncle.

Here are a few pics of the great event.

Hope everyone is well.

See ya out there...

It's been a while

2006-09-12T19:57:00.000-07:00

Oh man - the fun I've been having.

The new job is going well. I'm insanely busy, but it comes with the territory and, for whatever reason, it makes me really happy to be headed in a million directions.

I have to tell you about the most surreal day I've had in a while...

Last week I made a trip to Florida. The day started at 3 AM - had to grab the 6AM flight to Houston then on to Tampa. By 12 PM we had landed, picked up our bags and the rental and were on our way. Our team lead had the foresight to get a rental car with a GPS - something I will never ever be without on future trips. It was the most amazing device I've ever seen. We named our GPS Gina.

By 1:30 we had checked into the hotel and were sitting in a beach cabana eating lunch - it was the closest place to the hotel. We were 100 yards from the Gulf. Less than an hour later we were sitting outside of the principals office at the elementary school we had travelled to. After 5 more hours of work we were headed back to the hotel - Gina was leading the way. Finally we found ourselves at another cabana eating fresh shrimp and reviewing the events of the day. Not bad for 18 hours.

The hotel was great. Snapped a few (crappy) pics.

Out the front window - toward the Gulf of Mexico:

Off the balcony toward the bay:

Training has fallen off sharply. I did not do the HIM or Jack's. I wasn't prepared for the HIM and I ended up with a foot injury that kept me away from Jack's last week.

I'm still on track to do the LiveStrong Ride. Training resumes this weekend.

Looks like I'm headed to New Orleans soon. I'll keep you posted.

See ya out there...

Hello out there

2006-08-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

Things have been super busy lately. I've been transitioning into a new job and it is commanding much of my attention. The HIM is a maybe at this point. I just haven't had the time or energy to put in the workouts. All the changes in my life mean that I'm revising the next races and events. Speaking of events...

http://www.livestrongchallenge.org/06tx/ttutri

Check out my LiveStrong site and donate to our team as we ride in support of those battling cancer.

I have maintained a pretty steady run and bike schedule. Our team did a 70-mile training ride over the weekend. It was great fun. Jack's Generic Tri is also still on the schedule for Labor Day.

OK - can't say when my next update we'll be. I'll do my best.

See ya out there...

Happy Weekend

2006-08-11T06:12:00.000-07:00

Today I feel a little like M's favorite weather guy, Jim Cantore. You know him. He's the guy they send out in the rowboat to greet and interview the incoming hurricanes each year. Apparently, the high winds have blown all his hair off. I, however, still have my hair. Anyway, reporting from inside the cosmic event that is my life right now...

A quick post to update on the week. Training has been pretty solid this week. I realized last night that this is a recovery week. I knew I had more free time the normal! Anyway, the time off last weekend paid off and I've put in some quality workouts lately. Today we have lots going on at T's school. A pizza party followed by a meet the teacher night. T is moving up into an older kid room soon. Afterward, all should be calm again. At least until Monday.

Just a few weeks out from the Prairieman Half Ironman. Next week I'll start lots of extended tempo sessions to transition my body into race mode, again. I'm looking forward to the work. I spent some time surveying the landscape of events over the next few weeks. Here's a rough run down of the upcoming schedule...

9/4 - Jack's Generic Triathlon
9/10 - Prairieman Half Ironman
10/8 - LiveStrong Challenge Ride (100 miles)*
10/21 - Round Rock Outlaw Ride (planned - 100 miles, but I might wuss out and only do 100K) (BTW, Carrie - are you in?)

Oh yeah - and I'm still kicking around the idea of joining a marathon training group. Whew. We'll see if I have time for that.

* - Yep, since all you anonymous lurkers are out there, I won't mind hitting you up for a donation to our team riding the Livestrong Challenge. Don't worry you can do it anonymously. Get your donations ready - more to come in the next few days...

I have lots of reading, e-mailing and posting to catch up on. Hope to get to most of it this weekend. If not, have a great weekend and I'll...

See ya out there...

Caution : Cosmic Event Ahead

2006-08-09T05:39:00.000-07:00

Life can be really crazy at times.

Have you ever noticed how big events seem to gather mass over time? They always start out as one moderately big event gently noted on the calendar. As the day approaches, it seems to get bigger and bigger on the horizon. As the size of the event grows, so does its' gravity. Seemingly pulling other moderately big events into it's path until - Ohmygosh -- LOOK OUT! We have a major event dead in our path!

My "event" this week was marked on the calendar about 2 weeks ago -- and it is a big one from the get-go requiring lots of planning, meetings, and such. For M and T, last week marked the end of the summer break. This means T returned to ~~daycare~~ school and M returned to work. Gravity was already at work. Tuesday, T stayed home sick. M had to take a sick day to cover him after just one day back at work. I was completely snowed under with meetings and couldn't help out. (Sorry, M!!)

Today is the calm before the storm. Nothing major today. The horizon, however, is completely full.

Thursday and Friday we have no less than 6 big items on our collective To Do lists including - 2 big work things for M, 2 big work things for me, a school party for T (to which we must provide goodies), a parent teacher night at T's school, and at least 2 social gatherings. This will no doubt leave us completely wrecked for the weekend.

In the background, my training plan is gently calling my name - reminding me of the importance to shift priorities and keep balanced. I had no motivation last night for training. Last week left me wrecked in every sense. After T went to bed, I wanted to sit on the couch and block out the world. I stumbled across this month's Triathlete magazine while on my way (*back!!*) to the kitchen. I swiped it up and started flipping through. (BTW, Austin was named the 7th best Triathlon City in the US!!) Within 10 minutes I was filling bottles and gathering gear to head out for a 1 hour bike/run brick.

I can't report that the workout was good from a technical perspective. But, I think it was a good mental victory in the face of a very slippery slope that leads down to my couch. It felt great to put all of the stress and gravity in its' place for a while and regain some focus that you just can't get while staring into the TV.

I slept great for the first time in a long while last night. I'm ready for the next few days now. Bring. It. On.

See ya out there...

A look into the future...

2006-08-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

Modern technology is great. Friday M and I went for our ultrasound for B2. I'm happy to report that we learned a little more about that little person today. That little person will be a bouncing baby girl.

I am now busy preparing myself to be wrapped around a very tiny finger.

In other news... I ran 10 miles on Thursday night and pretty much blew out whatever I had left. I took Friday and Saturday off. And, at the rate I'm moving, I'll probably take today off too. We made the trip to Dallas over the weekend and took T to see The Wiggles. A great time was had by all. Pics and Vids from the weekend to be posted soon.

See ya out there...

Fun Part II

2006-08-03T05:07:00.000-07:00

So. I'm mostly past the tough round of stuff I've been going through. A few more things to attend to then, I'll begin a fairly significant transition. I'll spare you the details. Just know the really important stuff is still solid as a rock. M and T are great. An appointment for B2 is on the calendar for this Friday when we'll find out boy or girl.

I've been fairly successful with keeping training in check. I must admit that life has won over a little bit and I have stumbled in respect to the schedule. I'm not exactly beating myself up about it either. Even with another Half Ironman just weeks away, I made a decision that this race wasn't about PR's or ego. This would be a celebration of fitness. The plan is to maintain fitness and change things up day to day. More than anything HAVE FUN. I'm not going to live and die by the plan like I did when preparing for BSLT. It's a good way for me to work through the mid/late season. I'll be able to live that again when going for Ironman. Till then, it can wait.

And, in the end, it still totals is more than 8.5 hours a week of training.

So there it is. Ready for the new fun to begin.

See ya out there...

Strength

2006-07-31T04:44:00.000-07:00

Another hefty week on the horizon. I think training will suffer a bit.

Hopefully things will settle in the next 10-days or so.

Triathlon is truly a blessing. I've never felt stronger than I do right now - mentally or physically. These past few weeks have been really crazy - I think maintaining a full life has taught me lessons on how to effectively compartmentalize, divide, and conquer.

Focus on the important things, the rest will work themselves out.

See ya out there...

Stressed

2006-07-28T21:54:00.000-07:00

Today has been a really long day. You know the kind. The kind of emotionally and mentally draining day that leaves a mark.

4:41 AM my mental alarm went off - 4 minutes before the alarm clock. I knew today would be big - I think I slept with one eye on the clock all night, but I felt rested and ready. Swimming on the schedule today - meeting up with Brad to knock out 1.5 mi in the pool at 5:30. Swim went OK. The build weeks are taking their toll on me physically. Brad didn't show.

By 7:10 the day was underway and just kept going.

See ya out there...

What the?!

2006-07-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week was the bear story, now this:

Read on...

Is this some kind of sick trend between man and mother nature?

Watch your step out there...

Wednesday Knock Around

2006-07-26T04:10:00.000-07:00

Busy times these days around Casa-de-TTUTri. Between work stuff, home stuff, training stuff, and all the other stuff that pops up I've barely had time to relax. This past weekend was awesome. Saturday, I did 40 miles around Georgetown & Florence and finished out the day with a cookout with my riding buddies. Sunday - Tour de France, baby. It was a lot of fun watching the final stage. M is absolutely clueless about this race. I spent the better part of two hours trying to explain it all - then I realized: "How twisted am I that I DO understand all this stuff??!?" Isn't addiction great?

This week has been busy. I'm deep into week 2 of 3 build weeks in my training plan. Let me just say WOW. I haven't worked a plan this aggressive before and it is really challenging me. Hopefully, this work will result in some good times at the Prairieman Half in September. Tomorrow the real fun starts for the week : 90 minute tempo run followed by a short ride. So far so good - I'm still really enjoying the varied workouts. On the down side my nutrition and weight are all over the map. I've picked up about 8 pounds (!!) since BSLT and it's been a struggle to get them back off. Pizza and cookies are NOT helping. Looks like I'll have to start tracking calories again. Guh, I really hate doing that.

I signed up for Jack's Generic Triathlon the other night. I know, I know. Overload? Maybe. I now have 2 races during the first week in September. A sprint and a Half IM. Pair that racing schedule with all the craziness you can possibly imagine in my personal and professional lives scheduled for that week and suddenly I have a very full schedule. It's all about balance right?

On the horizon, I have 2 big things in the pipeline. #1 - my first century ride. In the next couple of weeks I'll be signing up for the Round Rock Outlaw Ride in October. I did the 100K course last year, this year I'm challenging myself to finish the century ride. #2 - Round Rock Fit. That's marathon training baby. I have my sites set on a sub 4-hour marathon finish next February. It's just about time to get REAL serious about running.

See ya out there...

The best tri story ever

2006-07-25T03:03:00.000-07:00

We all have our war stories from the field of battle. I dare to say this person will top every single one you have ever had. Read on...

I must meet this person.

See ya out there...

Training recap

2006-07-21T03:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, oh, Yes. I've been training.

I took advantage of a quiet week at home to really dive in deep to my training plan. Normally, I tend to customize the heck out of the plans I find on the web to suit my taste. This go around, however, I've decided to try to stick pretty close to the plan and see how I do.

So far, so good.

Tuesday night I did a 60-ride / 30-run brick in the heat of the afternoon. I was extremely dehydrated at the end. I even had the chills - it was a little scary. The humidity was killer and I was sweating way more than normal. This actually turned out to be a pretty good exercise. I actually knew I was going to get dehydrated, but I pressed on anyway just to see if I could take note of how my body responds. I know now what to watch for and I think I even may now know some how it feels to go through several stages of dehydration and how it felt to rehydrate afterward. It takes more than just drinking.

Wednesday was an off day - which was good because I spent the whole day recovering. I also stopped off at RunTex and picked up a new fuel system for my longer workouts. I decided on the Ultimate Direction Access Plus. I was looking for 2 specific features and came away with that and a bonus. First, I need a BIG bottle. The Amphipod I have is great for shorter distances, but tends to come along for the long part of the ride on my long runs - meaning the bottles are completely consumed within the first 1/3 of the workout. Also, there is a terrible design flaw that makes me a little worried about relying too heavily on it. I need something that can keep up on 9 - 15 mile runs. Second, storage. I need room for a cell phone, gels / shot bloks, mp3 player, etc. This system had both, and an additional gel flask!

Thursday started off with a 90-minute run. I got up early to eat and drink. Then, loaded up the UDAP with all the necessities. I was back before 6:30 AM. It was humid and hot - but I did manage to run a nice RPE 3 pace and still have energy for a strong RPE 5 pace for the last 15 minutes. I was rewarded with a nice sunrise at the end.

Thursday afternoon I hit the pool for a recovery swim. I've been swimming in the afternoons at the LTF outdoor pool. It sure does beat the ball-numbing water temp at 4 AM in the indoor pool. I so needed a break from that nightmare. The change up is showing in my swimming, I've turned in 2-3 second faster splits on each workout. I like to see that. The other change up is that I'm closely following the swim workouts prescribed in the plan. I've never done that before, but it provides some interesting brain food while I'm swimming. I like it.

Tonight, I'm planning on another long swim at the outdoor LTF pool. Then, I start making preparations for what is shaping up to be a TdF weekend! Saturday morning I'm riding with a whole cast of characters for about 2 hours or more. Yes, Party Pat, is scheduled to appear! After the ride, I'm going to go on a quick 30-minute run to finish out the brick. Saturday night we're meeting up for a BBQ and (what I hope) turns into a TdF time trial viewing party. On Sunday, I'm planning to watch the finish on TV and round out my off day with a nice nap.

So, chances are we'll be out on Parmer again this weekend. Comment / E-mail me if you want to join in.

See ya out there...

Greatness

2006-07-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here watching the evening replay of the Tour. They keep talking about how Floyd Landis turned in an epic ride today that will be remembered for a long time.

It got me thinking about Julie Moss's finish of the 1982 Ironman.

Isn't it amazing how one single act can inspire thousands? I can already forsee Parmer road packed with cyclists this weekend. Every year I seem to notice more cyclists on the roads during the Tour - trying to connect to that energy that drives those men over the french mountains. After Lance won, they seemed to come out of the woodwork. I wonder if a Landis win will do the same?

For many sports nuts, their interaction with the sport is done through the television. For others, it means finishing in the middle of the pack during an occasional race. One of the coolest things of triathlon is sharing that course with the pro's, marveling at their wins, and, still, sharing in their appreciation of the sport.

See ya out there...

Baby Update

2006-07-18T03:35:00.000-07:00

Shifting gears into being a proud papa...

M is approaching week 17 of pregnancy (or is it 18 -- or 19??, I get confused). Wow, time flies. In following the footsteps of any good product lifecycle, we have codenamed the baby - "BABY #2" or "B2". We went for another check up on B2 last week and M got some tape of the heartbeat. I listened to it with T and posted the audio. Pretty cool stuff. (Click here to listen.)

We also made "THE" appointment. You know, the one where we find out if we need to buy a blue bike or a pink bike. I'll be happy with either a boy or a girl, but I'm (not so secretly) pulling for another boy. Most importantly we pray for a happy and healthy Baby #2. We'll find out more on August 4th. Stay tuned...

The doctor makes a DVD video of the ultrasound. I'm still working on a way to YouTube it.

After the August 4th appointment, things will kick into high gear on the baby front. We'll start renovating the guest room and turning it into another nursery. Paint, Trim, Colors, Bumpers etc. - all the important stuff the determines the future existence and mental stability of our newborn.

See ya out there...

Motivation

2006-07-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

Motivation
Originally uploaded by rellim.

Now get out there and train.

Happiness is...

2006-07-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

It's absolutely crazy out there in the world folks. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, switch on CNN for 10 minutes.

I feeling pretty thankful for the life I have.

Just a few notes to (hopefully) lift our spirits...

Congrats to the Kahuna and all others who raced the weekend.
Congrats to Carrie on her big announcement.
Congrats to Hunter Kemper. 1:49:44 = $200K. Nicely done.

The ride today had a great turnout! Two of us! Including me. I met a great dude from the BT boards and we road about 30 miles. We have a ton in common - both have young kids about the same age, both have another one on the way, training, swimming at LTF, training background, etc, etc, etc. Cool times.

And finally...

Happiness is being a triathlete and knowing you'll use all 5 bottles of gatorade you bought at the store. This. Week.

See ya out there...

Weekend Plans

2006-07-14T04:47:00.000-07:00

Hooaah! Friday again.

This is the end of my first full work week in a while. It's been pretty busy. I also managed to spin back up into a regular training schedule. Holy Heck - why did I ever take time off?? It's been a good week.

I worked on my bike last night. The silly thing has been acting up ever since I got it back from the LBS before BSLT!! I adjusted the seat and tweaked the rear derailer. Man it is amazing how small adjustments can make a big difference. T helped out by toodling around in the garage and then jumped on my aero's for a quick trainer session with me.

Hey - for you Austinites -- I posted on the BT forums trying organize a ride tomorrow morning from the Walgreens on Parmer / Avery Ranch. If anyone shows, we'll meet at 8 AM and head north from there. Hope you join in!

OK - so I need some good weekend options. I'm kind of in the mood for a cool weekend outing. Normally, we hit the grocery store and Target. Woopee. We may also go to the Bed Bath and Beyond - but I don't know if will have enough time.

Any thoughts?

Next week, M & T are headed out of town. I'll be bachelor'ing it for most of the week. Let's see. What does that mean? Dinner over the sink? Check. Sleeping with the TV on all night? Check. Spicy Food? Check. Hopefully, I'll get to check out a movie once or twice -- in a theater.

Wait do they still do that?

See ya out there...

70.3 Gear - Where have you gone?

2006-07-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

Where is all the 70.3 gear??

I've been surfing around for days looking for a jersey, hat, anything with the 70.3 logo on it. I found very little.

What gives?

You would think that with the new Ironman 70.3 Series the WTC would have flooded the shelves with branded gear, right? Well, maybe. But good luck finding the shelves. Even the Ironman Store doesn't really have any 70.3 stuff. The BSLT folks finally posted some gear on their site - but it's limited. Very limited.

Maybe it's a brand thing. Are they trying to brand both Ironman 140.6 and 70.3 races under the same M-Dot logo? I don't know maybe it's me. But, it just seems like you have to cover 140.6 to truly claim Mr. M-Dot.

Even at the BSLT expo I expected to find everything including tooth floss with the a 70.3 on it. That was really was not the case. In fact, anything that was really worth buying was sold out. I asked one of the tables for a website address so I could order online, they didn't have a website. No website?! What the heck?? She asked me to write down my number and she would call me when they had a chance to make more. Uh, what?

Then, I found out that most of the gear posted on the BSLT site is sold out. What?!

It's obvious that there is some serious demand here. In fact, I would guess 70.3 gear would sell as well as Ironman gear -- or perhaps even better?

So, it obvious I need to start a business to fill this void. I think I'll call it - LongBrick or, maybe SaltLines. I'll focus on carrying shwag for all the big tri events. If anyone is keeping track, I'm now looking for investors for my two start ups:

T-Zero
LongBrick / SaltLines

I'm only half kidding.

So, If I'm the only person on earth that doesn't seem to know the ulta-secret spot for locating 70.3 gear. Please clue me in, otherwise visit us soon at SaltLines.com.

See ya out there...

Forgotten Items

2006-07-11T04:07:00.000-07:00

I have to know if this happens to anyone else...

It's 9 PM. The kids are finally asleep, the house is picked up (again), the kitchen is cleaned, and you've just finished putting away your cycling shoes and helmet from a quick evening ride. You glance at your training schedule. A 30 minute swim awaits you in the morning. For a split second you contemplate rearranging your schedule for the entire rest of the week in the interest of catching an extra hour of sleep in the morning.

"Well," you tell yourself, "it's time to get packed for tomorrow."

It's now close to 9:15 and you realize you will be leaving for the entire day at 4:30 - just 7 short hours away. You roll through the mental rolodex to the "Swim Checklist". Shoes, Socks, Pants, Shirt, trunks, goggles, water bottle, protein bar, toothpaste, gel, wallet, keys, etc. Then the "Work day" checklist - Laptop, paperwork, lunch, schedule, ID, etc.

You fire up the iron and start ironing clothes for tomorrow - today's clothes are still in a pile at your feet along with your cycling jersey from the ride that ended just a few short hours ago.

"Do I have everything?"

"Oh yeah - my ID for the club. Don't leave home without it." - Snicker to yourself

Another pass through the mental checklist.

And Another.

Something is missing...

After 4 more passes you have sufficiently convinced yourself that you have everything.

It's now 10 PM. Everything is set up for a quick transition from sleeping to swimming in the morning. Now it's time to get a few work details tied up then off to bed.

4:30 AM - Sleep to Swim transition - 40 seconds.

Wait. I'm forgetting something.

You go through the checklists again. Nope all set.

Nice early morning swim - the day is already off to a great start. The pool was so cold you doubt your ability to have any more children.

You head to the locker room for a quick shower and transition for Swim to Work.

The locker opens and...

Crap.

I forgot my belt.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not all THAT concerned with my appearance. Matching socks is a good fashion day for me. But seriously, now I look like a fifth grader wandering the halls at school looking for my other gym shoe.

*Sigh*

Does this stuff happen to anybody else?

See ya out there...