Alud lang Syme....or however you spell it.

Well happy New Year everybody from the crazy kid training for an Ironman in the midst of a New England winter. I could end this year with a post that's classy, inspirational, and heartwarming but if you're not a regular reader you know that's not my style...ok maybe it is my style make that New Years' resolution #1 develop unique writing style. well since this is my last blog in the 2 to the 007 I guess I have to end with a couple of top ten lists

Top 10 things that made me cry or close to crying in 2007

10. the scene in Rocky 3 when mickey died.

9. Finishing my first marathon ( I didn't cry but I was damn close.)

8. The continuing rising death toll in the Iraq war.

7. The Cleveland Indians losing the ALCS to the Boston Red Sox

6. The New york Yankees losing the divisional series to the Indians ( in anger)

5. The Red Sox Winning the World Series. ( In anger)

4. The Hoyts on Real Sports with Byrant Gumble

3. Finishing my First Half Iron.

2. Macca Winning Kona.

1. First watching the Blazeman video on You Tube.

Top 10 greatest moments in 2007

10. Finding out how to work this whole blogspot thing from Angry Runner.

9. Finishing on the podium at Waramaug

8. Getting in a 40 mile ride with Claire in freezing temps.

7. Getting in the infamous "mother of All Bricks" With Angry.

6. Signing up for IM New Zealand

5. Winning my age group at the Litchfield Hills Tri

4. Finishing on the podium for my First Half Iron (tie) Joining HEAT

3. Getting the day off from work, finishing in the top 10 overall, and Meeting Claire at the Nutmeg State Sprint.

2. Finishing the Marathon in Nashville

1. Winning my Age group at the Nutmeg State Half Iron.

Top 10 Worst Racing moments of 2007

10. When the clouds opened up with 1 mile left in the griskus sprint

9. Getting passed by Georgetown Mike at the Nutmeg State Sprint and dropping to second in my age groupr.

8. The bike leg of the Nutmeg State Half...nuff said.

7. Nearly taking out the guy behind my as I went through an aid station at the Patriot Half.

6. Finding out the hard way that there were only two portolets on the Patriot Half Run and they were 2 miles apart.

5. Getting passed for third place in my age group within the last half mile of the Pat Griskus Sprint tri.

4. The swim at Niantic Bay......you know its bad when my bike split is better than my swim split.

3.Mile 15 of the Country Music Marathon when I had to wait for 5 minutes to get into a portolet.

2. The run leg of the Park City Mossman and the aftermath...GI distress is never pretty.

1. Mile 23 of the Country Music Marathon...it added a whole new definition to the word pain.

Those were just a tiny fragment of the memories from 2007...2008 looks to have just as many if not more moments like these. Happy New Year!

Riding into the future

R.D.

What do I have to do to get 100 miles in.

Yesterday's long ride was productive but I'm not sure if it was productive enough. I got in 8 loops of the lake (65 miles), before having to "use the facilities" numb feet, imending darkness, and a rip roaring headache forced me to stop. I got in a good 4 hours in the saddle..so if I can maintain a 16-17 mph pace i'm looking at a 6:30 bike split. On my 5th loop I managed to meet up with Greg, a local cyclists/cycling coach logging 50 miles on his cross bike. Shot the shit told him I was doing an Ironman..asked who I was working with...Told him I was self coached at the moment but I'll probably work with John Hirsch once I have the dinero and get a little more serious...when I don't have this whole school thing going on. Definately talked up John and told me to invest in a power tap when I have the greenbacks. I found out that having a single large back pocket is not as good as having the standard three. Now with the three pockets you can seperate one pocket for powerbars, one pocket for gels, one pocket for EPO syringes, last will and testament, 9mm if riding through the North End of Hartford. Also winter gloves make picking up gel packs near impossible. Also cold weather tends to freeze already rock hard powerbars but irregardless I managed to get adaquate fuel, although this cold weather riding screws with hydration, you need it but you don't feel like you need to drink...it's just a mess. I figure when I get to NZ I'll plan on going through at least 1 gatorade every hour and a bottle of water every 10 miles....pretty much I'll set a base hydration plan and adjust according to the weather. Fuel wise I plan on going through at least 4 gels and 2 powerbars on the bike, which seems about average figure a gel at the 13 and 25 mile mark a bar at the 45 mile and 60 mile mark then gels at the 75 and 90 mile marks. Once again these are base estimates and will be adjusted with hunger and the amount of fluid taken in. I want to be well fueled but I don't want a 15-20 min. T2 time from "quality reading time". Anyhow the loops were uneventful. I spent a good deal of time in the aerobars, but only managed to average 16 mph, which is what I'll probably average in Taupo maybe I might be a little faster due to some "net"downhills but all in all I plan for a comfortable ride and a Macca-esque suffer fest on the run. This weekend looks to be clear and above freezing so I'll probably be back at the lake looking for more punishment....I hope to get all these long rides out of my system before Classes resume late this month. Afterall I won't beable to justfy spending 6 hours on a bike when I've got a 20 page paper on Yasir Arfat's hemroids looming over me. So that's how I spent my weekend on tap for today is a quick trip to the waterbury Y for 3000 yards in the pool before they close for the holiday, maybe a run it's still above freezing otherwise I'll ring in the New year with a trainer ride and year in review blog post before champange and finger foods.

The Lord of the Lake
R.D.

Even the grandest cathedral was built from one small brick.

Ok my workout today was not that impressive a 15 mile bike with a 7.5 mile (1:09) run. The run was at slower than normal pace I ended up picking up a high school aged jogger and shot the shit to make the middle 2 miles go by faster. Also the fact that I was running in the dark with only my little red flasher made things interesting...the only light I had on my way back to where I parked were the highbeams of oncoming traffic. Nashville is back in Tennessee and the reason my brick was cut shorter than planned was because I was shooting the shit with him before he caught his flight...but 15 miles in under and hour isn't that bad ...is it? Tomorrow I have a long ride on tap...I must do at least 12 loops of Lake Waramaug...I need to know if my abused body can handle a century ride. The fact another Nor'Easter could be making land fall ( although I doubt it) means I will probably shoot for an early morning excursion to the lake...hopefully there will be no ice. so yes its do or die time. If I can get in at least 1 100+ mile ride then I know I can tackle the Iron bike with confidence...instead of Massive Cajones and foolish pride. So that's the plan for tomorrow.

The Road Warrior
R.D.

From cocky kid to Ironman

After shifting through some old photos , kicking around thoughts, destressing from the holidays and masses of credit card debt. My pops and I got to talking on how I came a long way from being the kid doing these things on a mountain bike. My first race was the Pat Griskus Sprint Tri in July 2002, I thought to myself, I'm a good swimmer and a descent runner this thing should be a cake walk. For the most part those two legs were. The bike however was a different story. As a kid I had grown up living on wheels, I had tore a dirt track into my back yard I rode my bike so much. When we moved out to Wolcott I was in heaven our house was situated on a fairly flat 1 mile loop. Every day I was riding at least 2 or 3 loops which ain't bad for a 12 year old kid. Then the accident occured. About 2 weeks after moving in I was out on one of my rides and had a case of "Tour de France Fever" I was descending down this little speed bump of a hill my head tucked down and helmetless pedaling in the biggest ring my mountain bike had. I forgot that one of my neighbors was having their siding re-done and didn't see the contractor's truck until it was too late to even mutter "oh shit."BAM I remember seeing my baseball cap flying into the tailgate and my knees hitting sheet metal then after a moment I felt steel against my neck and pain in my legs. My inital thought and screams were "Oh my God! Oh My God! I'm gonna die!" The next thoughts as the contractors extricated me and my mangled bike from the truck were oh shit I broke my legs, the fact that I was slightly concussed did not help the fact. After getting checked out by my neighbors and hearing the sympathetic of my mother " Do you know how much damage you inflicted on that guy's truck!" as she threw a bag of frozen turnips on my legs. Indeed all I heard about was how I did nearly $600 dollars worth of damage to the truck and totaled my $200 mountain bike all the way to the ER. After a quick check up I was told my legs were not broken...as emphazied by the fact I limped away and I had a minor concussion. 2 things happended that day. I never rode without a helmet ( up until last year) and I didn't touch a bike for almost 2 years. In 2002 after 2 years of High school swimming and long distance running I decided to tackle this triathlon thing. I blew the dust of the $100 red mountain bike my Aunt had bought for me as a replacement 2 years earlier and began to crank out 2 ,3, 6, 8 mile rides to try to prepare for this bike leg. The fact that the first three miles were all down hill didn't help. I showed up at Quassapaug on the second Wed. in July ready for action. The swim was the first time I had done open water a quick off course excursion into one of the support kayaks made me realize this was not going to be as easy as my pool swims, and that against all my training I would have to lift my head to figure out where the hell I was going. After 14 min. I was out of the water and onto the bike. Like I said the first 3 miles were all down hill I kicked it into the highest gear and kept my hands by the brakes as riders on their sleek $3000 fine tuned aero machines soared past me like I was standing still. The climbs were brutal as I inched up hills guys on tri and road bikes were cooking up. Any advantage I had in the swim was completely erased. I crawled into T2 to begin the run. On the run I noticed I wasn't as slow as half the guys I rode in with. I was passing droves on my way to the turn around and even more on my way back. As I finished I thought to myself " Hey I might have a knack for this." the following year I fixed up two ten speeds and did the same race. I finished a little bit higher at the Griskus and was second in my age group granted the little yellow ten speed was still a little small for my frame. About a month later on a whim as a High School graduation present to my self I did the 1st Sandy Beach Tri..I was the only psycho kid under 20 doing the thing solo...and I did it on a better fitting bike. I won my age group and set a course record ( after all it was the first race.) A two year Hiatus, drinking binge, attempt to become a college swimmer followed followed by another year off working at the Gas station/Video game shop/Bank trying to get back into school followed. In 2006 after taking up masters I decided to get back into tris. I spent my income tax refund on a road bike ( Enrico) and entered the Griskus Sprint, Griskus Olympic, Niantic Bay Sprint, and Park City Mossman. I did pretty descent. I finished second in my age group at Niantic...would have medaled in my age group if I hadn't crashed in the Griskus Sprint and survived the two olympic distance races. The following year I resolved to do a half Ironman....and I did in fact I did two, along with some more sprints and Olympics added for flavor. So now on the dawn of 2008 I'm training for an Ironman "the top tier" of endurance multisport... more in debt to equipment purchases then I ever thought possible but with medals and t-shirts that were worth it all. I guess I've come a long way from the kid who showed up on the beach with a speedo and a mountain bike.

Gag Photo of the Year?

That's right my next post is my Year end photo issue. It's time to see what the best moment captured by thoses geniuses at bright room was and the nominees are

A. Claire and Hannibal Lector: a picture of our favortie sans wetsuit triathlete next to someone resembling the good doctor. "Pass the fava beans."

B. The Angry Runner doing what angry runners do Country Music Marathon style

C. Me with the most attractive face ever getting out of the water on the Swim of the Lake Waramaug triathlon.

D. A momento of Evil Freshman year of College Rob.

or lastly

E. A picture from the infamous Emmy Rosum post.

Vote wisely.

8 on the 28th

Ok so it's not as impressive as Claire's stats but for my first real run in almost a week I'll take it. This morning I woke up at 6:30am and decided to crank out an 8 miler on the black ice coated streets of Wolcott, as my way of giving mother nature the finger. It started out pretty well as the first mile of my runs are on my overly sanded street, and the main roads, (Lyman and route 69) at about the two mile mark I noticed a little more heel slippage than usual and decided to run on the hard packed frozen road sand on the shoulder, afterall even frozen sand has more traction than ice. As I rounded Scovil's dam my nostrils filled with the lovely aroma of fresh road kill and the diesel exhaust fumes of the town sanding trucks getting the roads ready for the morning commute. This pungent mixture would stay in my nose until I reached the center of Boundline Road when I was about half way up a nice little 8% grade burner. If there is one really good thing about my normal 8 mile running route it is there are a lot of hills on the back half. I made it up Boundline and ran past the town cemetery and high school ( the one reason I won't do this loop at night...and no it is not because I think some High school punks will cover me in spray paint.). I ground my way up Beach Rd. and then down Longmeadow back home. I finished in 1:13 not bad considering it was 30 degrees out and I was dodging icy spots, and I haven't run in almost 5 days. Tonight Karas will kick my ass with another diabloical set of swimming torture and tommorrow I will punish my legs for holiday goodies with a long Brick at Lake Waramaug I'm thinking a 56 mile bike with a 16 mile run is in order maybe more on the bike if the weather is nice. Sunday looks to be a good day for a nice long ride but once again weather, road conditions, and temperature will be the factors in any decision to ride outdoors. Well that's it for now.
The Titan of the Tundra
R.D.

Trying to get out of this negative funk....

that's right for the last month things have been going to hell in a handbag. I have been stressed between school, work, financial , and family issues. The fact that this lovely little 6 month period known as the New England Winter has made it difficult for me to train for my Ironman which is now less than 3 months away has not helpped any, or the "advice" from some people to stick to short course. Needless to say I have been mentally and physically exhausted. For those of you who read my earlier post my grandmother is in the Hospital due to stroke related issues...some chemical is imbalanced in her brain/central nervous system making it hard for her to keep her balance. This all coming as she nearly collasped at Christmas dinner...She was hopitalized for this earlier in the month but as I said our wonderful healthcare system is more focused on emptying beds ASAP so the HMOs, drug companies, and Hospitals make maximum profit for minimal care...and discharged her in her current state of imbalance....I could go on a rant here about how we need either socialized or subsidized medicine but that's for a later time. This morning I snoozed through my planned 8 mile run and first 10 min. of my shift....not good...so tonight I'm hitting the pool to try to unleash some of this mental baggage as well as the nearly 10 pounds of food and candy I have consumed over the last 3 days. I did run 4 miles on Christmas eve but in the grand scheme of things it amounts to Jack Schitt . So that was my rant for the evening...Stef has a diabolical set of torture awaiting me and I must oblige...winning the swim leg isn't going to happen via osmosis..well like I said that's it for now...a year in review is coming up and I promise it will make for some lighter and more ..."normal " material.

Swimming to Save his Soul
R.D.

I think we're going to start celebrating 3 Kings' Day instead...

Well Christmas for some odd reason, just never really works out in my house. This year it ended with my mother's mother being taken out on a gurney. Now my Grandma had had a stroke earlier this year and about two weeks ago was in the Hospital with balance issues, after 3 days our wonderful HMO system said she was "well" and shipped her home....in the past two weeks we have had here spending the night twice because she has fallen twice. When I saw her this past Thursday she didn't really look that good, and because she lives on her own and all of us are on hectic schedules, we are thinking that a short stay in a convlaence home might be a good thing. She'll have the support structure she needs, they can actually find out what's wrong and how to fix it, and the nursing staff there is better equipped to help her 24/7 than a 4ft.nothing VNA who comes in for 3 hours a day. Anyway as my Grandma was getting ready for Christmas dinner she had fallen at home, my aunt tried to help her up and grandma fell right back down on top of her. My mom drove over to help the two of them and that put me into hurry up offense to try to clean the cluttered bathroom. Well mom came in with my aunt and Grandma in tow. Grandma nearly took a header on the stairs and then when she came in she "got ill" Mom was immediately on the phone with G-ma's doc and the attending at St. Mary's..Granny was going to the ER but we were hoping she'd be able to make it through dinner. My grandfather came over with his new golden retriever puppy, as part of our heartwarming crazy surprise gift sort of thing....We were taking care of a puppy telling my younger siblings that it was for Pepere..ditto with Pepere...When he came in and saw my Mom cradling ours he was like...oh no...I can't do this....I can't keep a dog.....after about five minutes of looking in to his pup's sad eyes he melted and left dinner with the furry little quadruped. Christmas dinner was eventful. First I spilled ham juice all over my mother's chair as I tried to serve meat...thankfully mom was not in it at the time...otherwise I would not be alive at this moment...Grandma started to fall over during dinner, a quick call to her doc and the hospital, and her deteriorating balance forced us to call for an Ambulance. the younger kids left the table, as EMS came in and got granny to the hospital...my mom and aunt followed as Dad tried to keep the atmosphere light after all this went on...but sadly it is a bit of a mood killer. I took care of putting most of the leftovers away and ran the supper dishes through the dishwasher, then went to collapse I crashed in my room until desert...crashed on the couch and missed my Grandfather and GrandAunt leaving... the after effect of my little brother pounding on my door at 6 am wanting to open presents..the events of dinner and the fact that I get very little sleep anyway...all those mocha lattes and espresso shots finally taking their toll...I woke up at 5am today and kept hitting snooze to the point I was late for work..all in all its been a crappy 24 hours, but the big thing is yes Grandma is doing ok and this time around she will be getting the care she needs. Today I have to purge the trans fats and Stef Karas will be happy to oblige...I might run tonight before masters but we'll see other wise it will be weights and the pool. So yes I think my sister's suggestion of celebrating 3 Kings' day..Epiphany for all those Church going types...sounds like it might be a good idea..afterall bad shit hasn't happended to us then.

The Smote Scrooge
R.D.

Merry Christmas!

Alright yes, that day we/I have been dreading is finally upon us. The day when all the shopping, racking up debt, getting ready to choke slam the person in line in front of you/the guy who cut you off for a parking slot/ the clerk/bank teller who declined your credit card....etc, and stress has finally paid off for a day of peace and goodwill (hopefully). So to all of you out there who celebrate Christmas: Merry Christmas and may it be a most blessed affair (despite the fact that we celebrate at this time of year due to Roman Politics rather than historical accuracy.) To all those who celebrate Festivus which was yesterday...Happy festivus. To all Muslim readers....I hope the Hajj and day of Sacrifice were spiritually fulfilling and will help bring humanity closer to God.
To all my Jewish Readers I know Hanukkah ended 2 weeks ago but I hope your eight nights were ...well crazy! to the Wiccans/indegionous religions Hope the Solstace kicked ass!And to anyone who doesn't celebrate anything this time of year Hope you enjoy the day off and have enough booze for new Years!
Well that was it!
Happy Holidays!
R.D.

50 mile ride....and the Drunken Runner?

Well this weekend was a long one. As I sit at my terminal I am recovering from playing cabbie until 1am. I will start it all with my ride at Waramaug on Saturday.





Sat: Drove out to the Lake with my road bike en tow. It was a balmy 35 degrees, the wind was blowing,the cold was radiating off the snow, as as I pulled out for my first of 6 loops flurries began to fill the air. now the sheltered parts of the lake were enjoyable, houses and trees blocked the wind and the cold, traffic was non existent, the roads were a little wet and salty....man that sounds dirty.... and the use of those wonderful $5.99 foot warmer packers were an investment well spent. Despite the fact I had nice warm tootsies, the fact that a nice snow/ice/rain squall decided to hang over the lake for a good 15 to 20 min. made the roads a little greasy at around the fourth loop., I gutted out two more to get an even 3 hours in the saddle. Average speed was about 16 mph..not bad for risking life and limb ridin' in a winter wonderland. After that it was the mad dash to the grocery store for the X-mas run and weekly staples, as well as my last two gifts.

Sunday: A day of sin and debauchery....Kyrie Eleison......
Ok the Greek for "Lord Have Mercy" was definately in store as the CT Rat Pack descended upon the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, The day began for me as most Sundays do hitting the snooze button and running late for morning mass. After mass and a quick Dunkin Donuts run it was off to Angry to pick up the motley crew. A quick lunch stop and we were off to the Casino along the rain /melted snow slickened highways of CT...I was jeered for my "grandmaesque- cautious driving style." And this is while they were sober. We arrived at the Casino and immediately made our way to the craps table. Well at first my luck was running sour....within 20 min. I had changed all $50 I had brought with me into chips. Then the luck changed.....Adam(aka Ron Paul for Pres.) got the dice after I crapped out, he brought us back, then after a couple of crappy ..no pun intended... rollers got the dice it was the old man's turn. Now this old guy showed up quietly took the dice and just a hit the zone...and took us along for the ride...seriously you know its good when after 6 rolls they bump the buy in up. Needless to say this guy brought me back from the brink of elimination. Then it was up to Greg and Nashville to keep the Karma train rolling..and roll it did...when we finally cashed out we had all doubled our money. it was then off to the bar to get the already tipsy runner completely smashed. Adam and Nashville decided to go Long Island Iced Tea for Long Island Iced Tea for 3 rounds...and I the designated driver was busted at every opportunity by the waitress...who I think was flirting with me but....I don't know. Anyway it was at this point that someone suggested that we [support the arts] * the brackets indicate words and phrases that have been changed to protect myself from embarrassment.* The others nodded in agreement and who am I to argue with the guys who are giving me gas money. After the bar it was off to find Nashville's lucky slot machine....sadly Angry and I were not so lucky on the slots as Adam who won $80 in one shot....I lost $20 of my hard fought earnings. Nashville and I hit the craps table one more time I broke even winning back the $20 I'd tossed down...Nashville pocketed $45...Adam and Angry standing behind us saying f this s lets go to [the art gallery] the entire time. Well needless to say we went to the [art gallery] and it was a scene of debauchery most...well debauched nature......I was heckled the entire drive to Hartford as I avoided downed trees and slowed for rain slicked curves.....drunken voices in the back chimed " Don't brake on the high way, we'll all die if you brake on the highway." " did you know 95% of all fatal accidents occur in rainstorms and usually kill the sober person in the car." " Do you know the penalty for driving without a renewed registration sticker is 10 years in federal butt rape prison...." , etc..... Well after more drinks and debauchery it was time to get everyone home, after a quick burger/gas/pee run I got Adam home followed by Angry who was vowing to run today....we'll see if he does he was pretty messed up..you know it's bad when you drunk dial your boy scouts, then hauled Nashville back to his parent's place, before heading home knowing that tonight when I step into church my ass will probalby fall down some sinkhole to Hell....because after Last night I'm pretty sure that's where I heading....may god have mercy on my soul as I attempt to purify it with an insane 8 miler tonight, or tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn. We'll see how that plays out. i wil edit this post later to include pictures or the ride...not the debauchery...I'd like to keep my site rated PG-13

The sinful Swimmer
R.D.

The endorphins will bring me out of it: or 5000 + yards

When I got home from work today I was drained, emotionally, mentally and physically. I came in not speaking more than yes, no, IDK, and some sort of Neanderthal grunt. I went napped, got up for practice still felt like crap, but decided to man up and swim off the catered lunch we had at work today....thank you boss lady :) Anyway went to practice and point blankly stated I didn't care if I talked to another homo sapien from now until the world came back to its post holiday senses ( Dec. 26...everyone is way too hung over from egg nog, beer, punch, uncle tim's mystery beverage...) Karas gave this grumpy amphibian the workout 5200 yards of bliss.
Warm up
500 swim
500 pull
500 kick
Easy enough took off so pre holiday rage
200 drill
focused on some technique started to calm down
3x100 on 1:25 build
didn't shatter any records but got it done.
Main set The pyramid
100 free easy on 1:30
200 free build to strong on 2:50
300 free build to fast on 4:15
400 Free build to max on 5:30
300 Free Easy on 4:30
200 Free Build to hard on 2:45
100 Free max effort on 1:25
I got the set done and let my mind wonder. What was really stressing me out? Should I give up this sport and focus on more important things? Doubts, fears, and what I was going to do about them. I have decided on one thing I am going to write a lists of doubts and tuck it into my back pocket as I do my Ironman I have decided as soon as I cross the finish line I'm tearing that paper into smitherines and tossing it into the nearest tiki torch.
any way the next sets
4x100 pull on 1:25
3x150 on 2:15
2x200 on 2:45
150 cool down.
I got it done and felt pretty good after the fact. I have come to the conclusion that if I don't top 50 the swim somebody's on some serious roids, either that or the kiwis are bred for this.

I have decided that I'm going to invest in an old colonial/New England cliche to use for the finish of my large tier races a vintage DON'T TREAD ON ME flag. Seriously Macca has his Aussie flag, Faris Al Sutan has whatever part of Germany he's from flag, the Basque riders in le tour have their flag, so I will Have Don't tread on me, a piece of New England nastoliga plus the attitude of an Ironman. Like I said early I apologize for being out of it in my last couple of posts the holidays just always seem to get me down. Well anyway those are my ramblings tomorrow I have a brick/Christmas shopping to get done. Leave some love or hate or psychatric advice.

Ye Rebel Triathlete
R.D.

4 Days until X-Mas.....the animal instinct kicks in.

That's right there are only 4 days left until my (least) favorite day of the year. Seriously I approach Christmas like most people approach Tax Day, with loathing , cyncism, fear, anger, ..man this sounds like a speech from Yoda....frustration of what to get people...frustration that people want to get me stuff.... I told my parents to get me a kingsford charchol briquette and come up with some story like I took a shot at Santa's reindeer or something and spend what they would spend on me on my siblings..figure I'm 22 and working so anything I want I buy , the rest are either in grade school, high school or living the life of a broke college student...i was immediately hit with We'd never traumatize you like that...and I'm like but I'm requesting it...hell it'd give everyone a laugh... then get do you really think that little of yourself.....now I don't think I'm god's gift to humanity, but I don't feel I'm utter crap either, I just don't like bothering people and having them spend their hard earned cash I'm something I'm too lazy to pick up myself. ..but that like too many things is a rant for another day.

No today is the day animal instinct kicks in I have decided wisely to avoid anything that can be concidered a place of commerce on this the last payday before Christmas. Tonight this cynical Catholic Boy will not be among the throngs clammoring for the last vistages of consumeristic crap. Instead I will take out my cynicism in the pool and weight room. I will avoid the herd that are merely cogs and pawns of the captialist machine. I will avoid becoming a statistic, granted I do have to pick up a gift card an a couple of coffee mugs......d'oh.

Well like I said some quality time at the Y is in order tonight, an ride and run at Waramaug are on tap for tomorrow, then a nice pre church morning run on Sunday and a trip to the Casino, hopefully, I have to holla at Angry, ron for prez., and Nashville, to make final arrangements.

Sorry for all the Holiday Rants, but the blog is cheaper than therapy, and a lot less embarassing than Happy Hour, so for putting up with my stress relief, I heartily thank you.

The testy Teller
R.D.

Freedom!!!!!!!

That's right one of the three major factors of stress in my life College Exams are over. For the next month I am free of professors, lectures, homework assignments, papers, tests. quizzes and driving the half hour to New Britain. As I write this I am suffering the after effects of 3 glasses of Merlot so my mood is a little giddy I will probably have no recaletion of this post and a hang over tomorrow. I've had my pissed off stress had me down kind of post earlier. I went home had a good meal found out my little sis got a standing ovation because the jazz band/ band kick serious ass. Got pissed off at the computer Czar because I had to miss it...but it's all good. Sadly right now I think the booze/antioxodants are talking for me. I'll have a better post when I'm cognisant of my actions and am sober enough to operate a vehicle.

The tippsy triathlete
R.D.

I think I need to lock myself away......

I'm one of those people that either gets too close and too personally involved..or avoids people like the plauge. It just seems like I take everything way too personally. Also my major problem...especially with women is I come on too strong. Sometimes I wish I were gay because I can communicate better with men than I can with the opposite sex. Another fact is I take other people's issues upon myself. I let their problems wreck my day. Seriously I'm one step away from becoming a hermit...complete with cave, shaggy hair, and beard. I wonder if I'm bipolar. Because lately I go from being happy to depressed to eh in a matter of minutes..then again those drug company commercials make anyone seem crazy... example...."do you have trouble concentrating especially when the professor is extremely boring and the subject makes a root canal seem painless? Then you have HAADD Hyper Adult Attention Defcit Disorder and the only cure is this little green pill!" I think for me the best advice I can give myself is this:
ROB YOU MORON YOU ARE NOT MEANT TO DATE OR GET MARRIED OR HAVE KIDS. YOU ARE MEANT TO DIE ALONE ON A BEACH PREFERABLY WITH AN IM FINISHER MEDAL ON YOUR NECK, A BOTTLE OF CAPTAIN MORGAN AT YOUR SIDE AN A LARGE CHECK CLENCHED IN YOUR COLD DEAD HANDS AND A SMILE ACCROSS YOUR FACE BECAUSE UNLIKE EVERYONE ELSE THERE WAS NO ONE TO SPEND YOUR LARGE CHECK! Sorry for the caps I had to hit that one home to myself. The problem is I have no problems being alone its when I get into the company of people I have issues...I think I discovered the solution...I need to isolate my self from people. I need to become that guy who doesn't look up form his computer monitor or say shit if I have a mouthful of it. Maybe then most of my issues will go away...I don't know...don't take this post seriously I'm just overly stressed from a lot of shit on my plate..and a final coming up in about an hour. The fact that I get way to personal..in fact this post is way too personal....I just need to learn to HTFU and not let anything bother me....I just have to learn to lock what bothers me away.

If you're not Hallucinating the workout wasn't hard enough...

Last nigh Stef Karas kicked my butt into shape with a 4600 yard workout from Hell as follows:

200 swim on 3:00
200 Pull on 3:00
200Kick on 4:30

4x100 Drill on 1:40

6X50Free on :45 Build 1-3 4-6
that was the easy part

Interlude

200Free on 3:00 focusing on strong kick
300 Free DPS pn 4:30
2X200 build to sprint every 4th lap on 2:45
Easy
Main set
3x 500 build 1-3 on 7:30
I held 6:55 for #1 then held 6:58 for the second 2 also pondered the meaning of life as I entered an Oxygen deprived state....debate solution to the Arab- Israeli conflict...thought of possible treatment options for ALS, MS, Alzhiemer's ,Tay-Sachs....debated the futileness of religious warfare...man I think of weird crap when I swim.

300 Pull on 4:30 My lungs rejoiced oxygen...

1 100 Free I was trying to make a crack at the set she had written down needed a little more rest.
5X100 Free on 1:25 Whatever you got left in the tank! I held 1:19's on them the latic acid was built up in my arms, and it was not pretty.
nice 50 cool down

Well today I have an exam on tap..the last one! Sell my books back..looking at about $70-$100
enough to keep my creditors at bay..and give me some cash for my pre-holiday casino trip, with Ron 4Pres., Angry Runner, and Nashville Ryan. Think of us as the Connecticut Version of the RAT PACK w/ Angry as Sinatra, Myself as Dean Matin, NR as Jerry Lewis, and R4P as Sammy Davis Jr. If I win big I might be flying first class afterall.....otherwise it will be a good stress blower with the guys. Sat and Sun morning/afternoon I have rides and runs on tap. Sat is supposed to be high 30's low 40's and no chance of the white stuff...Enrico will most likely ride again at Waramaug as I try to cram in 70-100 miles...I want the confidence of having the distance base for the ride. That's it for now.

The High Roller
R.D.

To Kona Lotto or not to Kona Lotto?

This is my next in a series of polls, should I enter the Ironman Hawaii lottery for 2008 or not. Here are the choices:

Yes enter the general Lotto ($35 USD) and the Passport Club for an Extra Shot ($50) Live the dream!

Yes but just do the genral lotto, save those green backs, plus you might get a slot via qualification

No, there is only one way to make Kona to qualify, to earn your way in, only then will you be worthy of the punishment Madam Pele is going to dish out on your unsuspecting body.

No, are you kidding? The Hawaii Ironman? You're 22 use that cash to enter Liftime Fitness or the NYC tri. Focus on the short easy stuff. Hawaii can wait until your 35.

Rhode Island bound?

Well from the results of my little poll 50% of voters said I should go off and persue 70.3 glory and a World's slot in Providence, 1 voter said f that and just do the Patriot and 2 voters said I should perform the 3 tris in 3 states in 2 weeks tour of New England. Thankfully no voted that I should forget long distance and persue a sprint/international career. Seriously I've had 2 or 3 people saying I should hit the weight room and do explosive power sets, trade my long runs for track repeats, get diesel and focus on qualifying for London in 2012 and forget about anything over Olympic distance until I'm well into my 30's...ah but that is a rant for another day. As it looks I just need to wait until I have the $200 to sign up and I will have my slot secure to RI 70.3....The Patriot Half...I don't discourage anyone to do it...it's a great race and had they picked another weekend I'd sign up in a heart beat....as it is I might talk to some guys and try to get a relay for it but I think it's going to be a race I push off until 09...mainly because I don't want to get a severe case of road rage driving to the Cape. So in the end democracy works...and the people have spoken Bob-o's going to RI

What is this "Salt" of which you speak?

Ok from the title of the post alot of people are probably thinking I'm on a low sodium diet....not the case ( please pass me another hunk of bacon , and a side of home fries) What I'm talking about is Rocksalt, that stuff they throw on the roads to melt ice...well apparently Waterbury has never heard of the stuff. Yesterday Temps hit the balmy high of 35 degrees (break out the shorts!) so most of the ice/snow banks expereinced a little meltage unfortunately as the sun set and temps dipped below freezing.....the melted ice/snow refroze to form....BLACK ICE.....the scourge of all New England Winter Driving. As I left my house for Newington I decided to take the "less hilly" route and get on I-84 in Waterbury....as I drove down East Main street and saw cars crawling and struggling for traction, I decided to scrap the spin class in Newington , there'll be other nights..so instead I finished some Christmas Shopping and went to the Waterbury YMCA....I will tell you this...even the main roads were still slick....as I BSed with one of the lifeguards she told me how she passed at least 2 accidents on the same strech of road. Now if I were a public works official wouldn't ice related spinouts and wrecks wouldn't that set off bells and whistles of gee maybe we should throw down a little sand and rock salt just to give a tiny bit of traction....of course not ....the body shop's need business besides those little teeney boppers with the low rider civics need to HTFU...at least that seemed to be the Mentality of DOT. Anyhoo after an equally semi-slick ride home I sat down and crashed for the night. Here are the Workout stats

Ran 52 min. on the treadmill for a distance of about 6.25 miles
Swam 3000 yards...main set 5x 100 on 1:25 held about 1:19-1:20

so my workout wasn't exactly the greatest but I can only do so much on the treadmill. This weekend temps will go above freezing so I should be able to crank out a good 15 mile run and possible (gasp) an outdoor ride.....we'll see how the weather plays out.

The sliding Subaru Driver
R.D.

I'm hardcore but not that hardcore...and spooty finals week!

This morning I set my alarm to wake up at 6am to try to get in a nice pre car pool run. The little "weather bug" weather alerts i have on my laptop showed the current temperature was 5 degrees...my eyes bugged out....I rubbed them refreshed the screen the temperature had been wrong it was warmer than 5 degrees...it was 6 degrees. I decided that that was a "tad bit too cold for me"....like ten degrees too cold for me.......and rolled back into bed. I will preform penance tonight with a two hour trainer session at Newington Bicycle followed by 3000 yards of swimming goodness. I live by two temperature cut offs, I will not bike in weather under 30 degrees, and I will not run if the temp dips below 15 degrees...it used to be 20 but I've manned up a little. my experience in bike in temps that dipped below 30 with wind chill was not good....ain't nothing to scare you like descending an 8% grade at 35 mph and the whole bike is shaking because you are shivering uncontrollably. And running...well despite a high tolerance to cold I don't want to have any hypothermia stories....so in essence I am waiting for the the afternoon and weekeds to run...this Saturday temps are supposed to be near 40 and it's going to be mostly clear...I might even break out Enrico up at Waramaug....but we'll see...I'm sure somewhere in the mid-west a storm system is brewing that will make Scott Haney screech with glee. also I have just foundout I will have to miss my sister's Christmas Concert because the Russian Computer Czar (aka my Professor) has scheduled my computer science final for December 20 @ 8:30 PM.....my sister's concert begins at 7:00 PM in Waterbury about a half hour away from Central.......curses! I'm really upset because this year they're playing at a real theatre.....not the school auditorium....and the jazz band Chrissy is a part of is the main act.....curse you Russian Computer Czar curse you!!!!( enter Rasputin ( from the movie with Alan Rickman not the animated crap.) style scream here.)

the Tormented Desk Serf
R.D.

( also to all my international readers...these temperatures are farenheight just so no one gets the impression I'm some snood from the tropics.)

What ever happened to all those global warming psychos....

This morning when I checked the weather on CBS Wfsb 3 I was greeted by Scott Haney's lovely voice saying it was a balmy 18 degrees out....I rolled over and went back to sleep upon seeing my sister's school was delayed 90 min. ...meaning I didn't have to drive the car pool in. As I left my house at 8:40 to begin deciding my car for the trip into work...once again I heard the flamboyant weather man shriek with glee saying the that the temperature hadn't risen since 5am......I seriously hate winter lovers. I spent close to twenty minutes scraping ice off the car as the heater did the rest. Rolled into the office about 5 min. late. Seriously I think a warmer climate is in order for this aspiring triathlete....my sister an I have already started talking Arizona, maybe Cali...San Diego looks really nice. My pop in order to help me avoid winter depression, and perchance to keep my butt frozen solid in the north east...suggest a rather appealin business op...a triathlon gym. You know a place with an indoor track, spin machines or velodrome, indoor pool, pro shop, weight and massage center. I actually like the idea and think it would probably be a money maker especially here in the great white north...eh...but the sad thing is for most New England/Mid Atlantic/Great Plains athletes Winter is the off season..a time to cram in long swims in the pool, spin a little, run a little, get in tune with the weight room, build up a gut, sample beer for next year's HEAT tents, train for a marathon,...etc.
Well that was my morning rant.

The tyrannt of the trainer
R.D.

Merry Brickmas....

Well Today's brick was cut short from my ambitious 4 hour trainer 2 hour tread mill affair to a modest 3 hour trainer 1 hour treadmill affair.

The trainer ride: I started off clad in my HEAT gear....(figure hey, might get used to the stuff I'll be wearing on race day. ) I only stopped twice, once to change movies the other to relieve myself. I'll tell you this the Star Wars trilogy is not the best thing to watch while trying to do this kind of thing...the whistling of the gears blocks out some of the best lines....The 2006 Ironman Highlight show however....muy bien....next time I'll try it with Schindler's List and see how it goes....knowing I have my inspirational movies on the back burner...if it gets too depressing. I killed the ride after obi-wan got his ass kicked by Vader in episode 4 because it was at the roughly 3 hour mark (seeing that I added time for the stops.)....all in all here are the stats

trainer time: 3 hours

movies watched: IM Hawaii 2006 dvd (90mins.) Star Wars ( roughly 90mins. of 123 min. movie)

Waterbottles killed:4

Scenes I can quote word for word in the movie: 45 out of 50.....that's no moon it's a space station....

Surprising new energy food: Saltine crackers....carbs, salt, no sweetingly sick after taste...keep em coming.

The Run: After a quick change of shoes and setting up the treadmill I cranked out 60min at 7 mph..( started at 6 cranked it to 8 for the last minute to get 7 miles in then warmed down) So I got in slightly over 7 miles...I'm not sure if like .008 counts as over but I'll take it. I came up with the strategy break the long boring tedious time into five minute intervals. The first five minutes good...the second 5 ok....third five....maybe I should cut down to 30min.....fourth five tell sister sitting on couch not to let me quit......fifth five 25 min. already....sixith five Somebody play me some bon jovi.....seventh five, please don't let me quit....eighth five, 20 min ain't nothing......ninth five...15 min and man why does these guys on Suburban Crimes keep mentioning the local diner..stupid hicks......tenth five 10 more minutes. why are you taunting me with that bowl of stew...... eleventh five....five minutes to go......pick it up.....sixty minutes grab dinner, a water and a Sam Adams Winter Lager....then realize holy shit I've got a 10 page paper on Arab Israeli crap due tomorrow.....shit shit shit.....

Well that's where I stand right now...my legs feel pretty good... I just need to start my paper so at about 8:30 I will sit down and let the bullshit hit the page. Tomorrow I start selling books back..have my bio exam and that take home final to hand in....Tues. or Thurs. I have my infamous computer science final....may God have mercy on my pathetic soul. ..then I'm free to become Rocky Balboa.....devoting all my free time to training like a beast.

So Merry Brickmas to all and to all a good night.

R.D.

Ironman Update:

Days Until Ironman New Zealand: 77

4000+ Yard Swims completed : 6 ( these were interval workouts not straight swims however.)

10-15 mile Runs completed: At least 6

15-20 mile runs completed : 1 (22 miles)

25-50 mile rides done: 8

50+ mile rides done: 1 (65 miles)

100+mile rides done: 0

2+hour love fests on the trainer: 3

Last Long Brick : October 07 40 mile bike 8 mile run.

Money Raised for War on ALS: $ 503 USD

Exams Left: 2

Term Papers left : 1

Alright that was a quick breakdown by the numbers. Today I got in about an 8-10 mile run ( I haven't mapped it yet but I did it in 1:29). Last night I finished my Anthropology paper...so I won't fail...hopefully....maybe...possibly...

Last night Steph Karas the resident dominatrix of the Waterbury YMCA Masters program gave me a rather impressive 3500 yard workout. ( Main set 5x200 on 2:45 try to descend if you can muhahahahaha!). Tomorrow I have on tap the mother of all indoor bricks...a 4 hour spin session and 2 hour treadmill quad buster...start praying for my mortal soul.

This week sort of sucked for training due to weather and school work but the semester is ending and despite bitter New England cold the rest of the week looks nice and clear after our little nor'easter comes through tomorrow, but these nut cases at the weather channel change their story evey five minutes.

Like I said not too much here except for the little training update....

Also tax season is approaching and what better gift to yourself than a nice deduction by donating to the war on ALS or going over to Claire's site and donating to the battle against AIDS. Because just think about this for every dollar spent researching ALS $400 are spent researching male pattern baldness.....Also for the cost of the Iraq war the US government could subsidize and effective global response to the AIDS pandemic.....like I said just think about those stats for a second...does it piss you off......if it does then do something about it...if it doesn't well I hope those hair plugs can survive the mortar attack in Falujah*.

Like I said enough with my charity pleading I've got some Christmas shopping to do plus I have to stock up for tomorrow's sweaty onslaught.

R.D.

* this comment was meant to prove a point about the fickleness of government spending in this country. If are balding, a veteran, or a balding veteran , these comments were not meant to offend you. I actively support our troops and believe it is a valuable waste of military resources to keep pouring money into Iraq when the real threat to our country is watching cable in Tora Bora.But if you are an Iraq veteran I thank you for your service for answering a call your country never should have made. Like wise if you are balding I have no problem with you throwing cash down on propecia of rogain, but it is kind of montonous if more research dollars go to treating baldness than go to ALS research or Alzheimer's research. You will have a full head of hair but god forbid you get one of these disorders you won't remeber what it's good for, or be able to lift your hair brush to keep it styled.....ok I think I covered my ass.

R.D.

Livin' la vida trainer......

For those of you who don't watch the weather channel...the northeast has turned into a winter "wonderland" uggg.....and we're expected to get another foot of snow on Sunday....now since the roads are a little too sloppy to take out The Bitch Stomper or Enrico...I have decided to give the trainer a little more love than usual.....a 4 hour trainer/2 hour treadmill brick this Sunday. Saturday is supposed to be somewhat descent so I may be able to get in a nice 15-20 mile run...we'll see how it looks at 12:30 when I leave the office. Tonight I've got masters, and it's time to see what type of distance set Karas can put me through. My ALS paper is almost done 2 pages and a bibliography to go, the History paper still has 10 pages of courrption, displacement, disenfranchisement, and political uprising to go. The ALS report will be finished by 6PM and the history paper should be done sometime on Saturday or Sunday. And then as of Tuesday Afternoon I am free of classes and class work until Jan 17. What will I do with myself with all that free time. ....train like a beast...( enter Howard Dean Yell here.)

If you direct your attention to the upper right hand corner, I'm conducting a poll on which Half Iron I should in July.
The Patriot Half on 4th of July Weekend by the cape
Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island on 7/13
or should I torment my body and do them both
or just stick to doing the local sprints (which the Griskus sprint is in between both Halves.)

Leave some love or hate...or lots of sound and fury signifying nothing.....

Coach Troy's work slave
R.D.

About that no training comment....

In one of my eariler post I had sort vowed I would chain myself to my computer desk and be a good little fat stressed out college student. Well that lasted the total of one day...i'm addicted to training I need to train...if I don't do at least on of the swim/bike/run combo...I'd go nuts. Here's the run down of what I've done the last couple days.

Wed: Swam 3000 yards straight...as in no sets, no intervals, just staring at that black line at the bottom of the pool for 120 laps. I did have to tread water briefly at the 2500 mark in order to adjust my goggles (which were giving me a hell of a headache.) I got the workout in 42:02....well under 1:30/per 100 yd pace. So as long as I can set my goggles up right in NZ the swim will be my bitch.

Thurs. Got released form the bank early...1PM got home and slept off some of the groginess from the 6 pages of the anthropology paper and 2 pages of history paper I typed last night. I tossed in the Spinervals DVD and did 2 hours of cardio goodness. I then tossed on a fresh base layer, windpants, and my lovely trek jacket and took off into the snow for a rather hairy half-hour jog. Now I will saw this..it felt kind of badass to have the road to myself...well minus the plows and soon to be organ donors on snowmobiles. The roads weren't too bad but they did require some caution as the soles on my running shoes are worn almost completely smooth. So yes..Mom..I mean Santa to make my Christmas all I need is a pair of New Balance 720's size 11 D...and maybe a first class round trip ticket from LAX to Auckland on Air New Zealand.

Now I'm not sure how Jodi's doing on her infamous 100 runs in 110 days...but I just put up a 3miler for us hard ass New Englanders.......so yeah now Peter Reid used to feel granted all this ice and snow won't really prep me for the 60's and 70's I'll be experiencing the trainer rides in the midst of Dante's Inferno...ie my bed room will. I also have come to the realization that I am a heavy sweater and as a result Powerbar will be getting their sponsorship dollar's worth because of me. On my "easy" aerobic workout I still managed to go through 3 and a half water bottles...my kill pile at the end of the Ironman bike will probably make most wonder why the hell I'm not in the bathroom every 5 minutes....also all those little dixie cups I go through on the run will probably destroy another 10 acres of rain forest.

Well that's my rant...more paper writng on tap...I can see the light at the end of the tunnels...and I hope it's paradise not the A train.

The Triathlete of the Tundra

R.D.

Flurries with a chance of Ice age.....

Well today was a rare oddity in CT and I was unable to enjoy it. For the first time in 2 weeks the temperature hit the high 40's low 50's, yet I spent the day serving customers. As soon as I get out I have an hour pool workout scheduled and then its off to CCSU for a study session/ paper writing plaooza, ( the last 8 pages of my ALS report...the hardest part is citing...and the first 3 of twelve on my mid east political analysis...damn it Israel and Palestine...just get along and play nice.) tonight forecasters are beginning their usual fear mongering about snow and cold. according to them the forecast looks like this:

Thursday: If you work until 5PM think about getting a hotel room as it is supposed to snow like the day after tomorrow, roads will be covered in up to half a foot of the white stuff and if you even dare try to go out without a sled team you will die a bloody gory death in your motor vehicle.

Friday: More White stuff and temperatures hitting the lower 40's causing some melt age which will refreeze and turn into lovely black ice....trade in your car for a team of sled dogs and begin to burn furniture for warmth.

Saturday: Snow, ice, freezing rain.....Snow god angry at us sacrifice the youngest member of the household to the snow god so he will end his wrath.

Sunday: Ugh Snow, cold...perfect weather for hunting mammoth, or typing a 12 page history paper.

Monday-Rest of next week bitter cold single digits...Neanderthals making a comeback......next up recipes for preparing mastodon.

ok I tried to enter an element of backward human evolution into this post...but it didn't work. If you want a story to help you feel like you can conquer the world read the Stephen Hawking post below. Other wise leave a comment a my cynical approach to New England meteorology

R.D.

Stephen Hawking is BADASS!

Ok completely random and has absolutely nothing to do with triathlon, but in the course of my research for my Anthropology paper I managed to do a little more reading on Hawking. now I had always know he had ALS but I did not know he has had it for almost 50 years.....According to Hawking's website he was diagnosed in 1963 when he was 21. He is now pushing 65 and is on pace to outlive most able bodied persons. What has been the secret to his longevity with a disease that normally kills in 2 years...positive attitude. Hawking described that he had seen a fellow patient dying of Leukemia ( enter shamless plug for Team in training here) as he was in the hospital trying to have his " mystery illness" diagnosed. Whenever he needed strength Hawking thought back to this patient, and realized that even though his disease was physically crippling, he did not suffer the same crippling effects of the cancer, and if he felt down on himself to remember that there were others suffering like and worse than he was. Another reason he credits to his longevity was unlike most ALS patients he has been able to continue his work and research as an astro-physicist. Most ALS patients usually leave their professions, to spend their remaining time in the company of family and friends and to meditate on life, and mankind's place in the universe....is there a God..how does the universe work....concidering this was Hawking's day job ( finding out the inner workings of the universe.) he was one step ahead of the game and as a plus he was getting paid for it. Also Hawking's sense of humor has also played a role in his survival. He often jokes about the computer that allows him to "speak" , he complains that it gives him an American accent ( concidering Hawking is British), but is a lot easier than the "old method" of having to have an aide hold up cards with letters of the alphabet an then moving his eyes to choose letters and then spell out his communications letter by letter, or before he needed his breathing tube, having a close friends or family memeber intrepret his lectures to students or secretaries due to the degeneration of his voice. Since his diagnosis Hawking has written several books, lectured around the UK and the world, married twice, has rasied 3 children, and has been an ispiration to persons with physical disabilities everywhere, just because the body has shut down, does not mean the brain and soul have followed suit.
Dr. Hawking You are badass!

R. D.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Last night as I was diligently working on my paper and presentation...my 3 year old Dell Inspiron 5100 decided that 3 hours into a power point with internet explorer open to Stephen Hawking's auto- biography, was a little too much for the CPU and its antique cooling unit it to handle and it responded as it has way too often by shutting off on me in mid-sentence. I refired it and was able to recover the powerpoint but the 3 pages I had typed were gone.....now faced with an all nighter and possibly calling in coughcough sickcough cough from work...I decided to throw myself on the mercy of the professor ad ask him if I can email him a copy and drop a copy in his office tomorrow...12 pages in 24 hours on ALS, can I do it....we'll see. I decide to sleep and face the horde knowing that at least one crucial aspect of my project was complete.
As a result all further training is on hiatus until I finish this and my 12 page History Paper due on Monday. God i hate exam week.

Rhode Island 70.3 or Patriot Half ?......Ok second post of the night so sue me.

As I cracked my fingers to dig into to my power point I checked cranky's blog. Now one of my fellow Bloggers is debating on doing the Patriot Half on July 5 in Freetown MA I am left with a dilemna.

I did the Patriot Half last year it was a good race ( despite being a first year event) but the fact that it is on Fourth of July Weekend up by the Cape is making me wonder if I should do it this year or Rhode Island 70.3 the following weekend in Providence or pull a Raphael and do them both?

Pros to the Patriot:
I know the courses
Sun Multisport puts on a good show.
It's done a Catholic Charity Camp so if I die a most horrfying death my parents will not have to worry for the fate of my imortal soul, because someone will be able to give me last rites although for a lot of my political and social views I'm probably bound for limbo, anyway.
It gives Angry an excuse to drive through Newport.
Gives us an excuse to meet up with Speed Racer.
Cheaper than $200 to enter.

Cons to the Patriot:
My sister only eats chicken, last year's caterer only had beef, pork, pasta, and salad options.
Finish line was not wide enough to log roll through and because of my really lousy attempt to do one the med staff thinks I'm prone to overdramatics and/or epiletic seziures
Only two portolets were on the run course......not good if you have to drop a duce although they'll probably increase the number this year.
Trying to find cheap lodging and fighting traffic to the Cape on the Fourth of July Claire I might be crashing at your place....

Pros to 70.3 Rhode Island
Qualify to go to 70.3 Worlds in Clearwater ( back up plan to Kona...although hopefully I'll have a bitch stomping Iron debut in NZ and get myself some corporate backing.)
The week after the 4th and my sister has lots of connections in the greater Providence area.
Get to kick some Ivy Leauge Ass! Brown Schrown I go to Central CT Bitches!
At least two other HEATsters will be there
Once again gives Angry an excuse to go to Newport.

Cons:
Providence Traffic and endless construction, there are 3 categories of bad Drivers in New England 1) Massholes 2) Southern Conneticutians/wannabe New Yorkers 3) Providence Rhode Islanders.
Bike Check in is the night before the race....if I'm working the morning before, which I usually am it means I've got to grab my sisters/Angry Coach on the run.
$250 entry fee.
Inagraual Race......beware the Ides of July Robertus beware the ides.....

Doing Both pros:
Prove my macho badassness!
Two races, two weeks, two T-shirts, hopefully good warm up for a possible Kona/Clearwater double.
angry Goes to Newport!
Get to meet lots of interesting people
Lots of AA advantage points
Spread the joy that is Hooker Ale to the Rest of New England.
Race a bunch of crazy pros, and possibly double bling.

Doing both Cons:
Gas money $$$$$$
Hotel $$$$$
Possibility of Angry running into his ex in Newport ...twice
either way I look at it I'm going to be stuck in Traffic on Mass 24 and I 95...I'm too cheap to take the Mass Pike.
$370 in race entries thats about a quarter of my racing budget.
Having the Griskus sprint in between and having to lay the smack on Foxy Lady ( teammate on highschool track team)...in the Holy Cross Alumni Beer Challenge.

Well having weighed the pros and cons I'm lost. Leave a comment to help me decide.

R.D.

12 mile training run down 12 page paper to go....

This morning I followed my plan of skipping church to out race an impending ice storm. As I darted out the door in my wind breaker and running shorts at a slower than normal pace ( It was 35 out but i was still worried about black ice.), with the chariots of fire theme blaring in my head, the usual litnany of Ironman images that make my long runs fly by filtered through my head....the Blazeman and the log roll, Macca finally winning, Willie Nelson's manager and the annoying owner of the Florida Marlins from the 2006 Hawaii higlight show ( I also have two Ironman Movies, Rocky and Rudy, I'm like Rocky because " I want to go the distance" and I'm like Rudy because I too am "risking everything for a dream."), Marc Hermans, Badmann getting back on a bike after crashing to get in some more miles before finally having to be talked out of finishing due to a broken collarbone, Images in my head of Tom Warren the winner of the second Ironman who limped his way to a win on a stormy day on Oahu ( Check out www.trizilla.com under inspirations for the complete story.) With all the inspiring images and words I grinded my way through the hills of Wolcott, braved cold, traffic, and five miles of having to use the bathroom to finish my run. It was 12.54 miles in 2 hours, 9:38 mile pace a slow day but not falling on my ass, pissing my pants, or getting arrested for indescent exposure for pissing my pants on the side of the road it was worth it.

Info on where the money goes:
As noted earlier and in several posts I am rasing money for Team Blazeman. I have recieved news the the Blazeman Foundation does donate to several ALS research funds the most substantial gift of $10,000 was given to the Neuroscience department at Emroy University and that the society is linked to ALSTDI, and several other charities ( check out www.alswarriorpoet.com for more details it is on about the 4th page in after all the introductions and stuff on Jon, and his obituaries...not to sound insensitive to the Blazeman, although I thought his "up shit creek without a paddle" comment he gave at his speech to the MDA hit the nail on the head with this disease, as well as hinted at the urgency that needs to happen in research.)
Well that was my ant for the evening I've got to throw together a power point for Tuesday as well as crank out some pages for the paper.

RD

New England Winter and 12 page term Paper...I Am BOB ALMIGHTY AND THY WILL WILL BE DONE

Okay I have officially given the finger to mother nature...it is supposed to ice, snow, freeze and be just plain miserable for the rest of the week. But I will have a lovely strech early Sunday morning to crankout a 15 miler..( I'll most likely blow off Mass, but may the good Lord forgive me and give those poor starving kids in Somolia something to eat.) Last night I had to skip masters due to an" Alberta Clipper" that made roads in my part of the state down right impassable, or was it those kids in their Imprezas that think that because they got 4 wheel drive they can do 70 mph on ice.

The above photo is a common sight in Wolcott in the winter. Any hoo I decided to stay home and pop in my new Spinervals 2 hour aerobic DVD....I was in the blue zone the entire time yet I was still sweating like a sumo wrestler in a sauna... granted my bike is set up right infront of my heater.....so yes I have kona-esque conditions to train in....a cool breeze and people handing out water bottles, and coasting will make IM New Zealand seem like a heaven...until I do something stupid like go anaerobic at the 50 mile mark....or get fed up with going nowhere on the trainer. Today I woked and froze my tail off. My printer on the drive through will not operate after prolonged periods in the cold so the heater at my window was permenately affixed on the printer as my co-workers and I froze ( I tried moving the heater at one point but the damn printer froze after about 3 minutes...so the machine won out over homeostasis) I got to the local Y and did a 3100 yard work out my first pool time since Tuesday.

Now part of me feels like I'm undertrained...I've never done a century ride yet I'm trying to race one and throw a marathon ontop of it. I've done long runs so I know I can handle the run, I was practically born in the pool so the swim will be the fun part...despite the greco-roman wrestling at the start....start wide cut in...my mantra to avoid elbows to the face. But the bike the "easy" part is what's giving me anxiety...over and over I've read the articles about guys who've gone into Ironman's completely read to rumble yet have suffered on the ride and had been shot to hell on the run. The fact that I have had to rely on the trainer for the last two weeks, and will most likely rely on it for this week are running through my mind along with the words of Roch and Paul , and Cycling Guru from the Y....you cannot not expect to tackle the Ironman bike doing all of your long rides on a trainer...yet for me this seems to be grim reality as mother nature bitch slaps my training program, Yes I do need to get on the road when and where it's possible ( hoping for a January Heatwave..I don't need 70's like last year but a couple of ice/snow free weeks with some 45-55 degree days would be ideal... I only need 3 Sat/Sun. 1 for the long ride 2 for the long bricks.)but the constant spinning on the trainer should help my legs get used to 5 hours of suffering in the saddle...the words of Jeff, the Newington Bike Shop's, multi Iron Finisher when I told him my longest ride so far was only about 70 miles , were encouraging..." You'll be fine...you may not win it but you should finish." Well the finish was never in doubt...barring injury....but it's just I don't want to be a back of the packer...I have a medal streak going that I'd like to uphold...also I would love a non-lotto Kona slot to add to my wall of achievements...but I still have a shot at Eagleman...but that will be a day of untold pain/pushing to the absolute limit/ and going anaeorbic until the latic acid fills my eye balls and gushes out my ears... and that might not get me a slot with some of the speed demons that show up....to anyone at the office don't expect me on on June 9....the Ironman in NZ seems a little more realistic but my main worry is the bike...I know I will come out in the mix on the swim...I could have a good shot in the run ( granted they've got some sub 3:30 runners in my group...my goal of a 3:45-4:00 marathon might not be enough.) but it is that 5 to 6 hours of mystery on The Bitch Stomper that has me leary....will I come off "fresh" and ready for action...or will I be getting passed by power walkers....will my training be enough to meet the cutoff....will my body be ready for road vibration... all the ifs....it's like I'm standing at the swim start and looking into the ocean and I don't have a clue which way the current is flowing...the only thing I am sure of is the Start Saturday March 1, 2008 7AM ....and I have until 12:00AM Sunday March 2 to get it done.

The Man's got me down.....

Yep, the MAN has struck again and has wrecked my training plans plus given me a little more added stress at this already lovely time of year.



First, anthropology project due Tuesday. I've done research and will be able to crank out the project and paper, its just time consuming....hours spent at computer = hours not spent on the road...ugggg!



Second, Mid-East History Take Home Final due on the 16th: Pretty much a long winded rant on Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the Arab Israeli Conflict.....this could be fun but could also make me a target on several hit lists.



Third, Got in trouble for doing laps while lifeguarding . There was no one in the pool and the other guards and I have this "unspoken agreement" that we will cover for one another if anyone wants to do laps when there is no one in the pool but I can see from my boss's point of view too liability, liability, LIABILITY



Fourth, A lot of Christmas Shopping to do and not enough dinero to get it done. I've got 9 family members + 3 co workers + 2 chicks I guard with + 1 Hot Young thing + 3 brothers from other mothers + 1 femme sans neoprene....so I have roughly 20 people to shop for...if You don't get gifts until Jan 7 bear with me.



Fifth, It's supposed to be one of the best Saturdays in the last 3 weeks and I have to spend it typing instead of riding....or do I...... if you see me at WalMart grabbing a 24 case of RED BULL you know I will be pulling an all-nighter after getting in a brick of gloriousness.



Sixith, I am seriously falling for Hot young Thing, a 20 year old Cross Country goddess/competitive cyclist. as Ken would say, she's "a girl that gets it." The only thing is I want to play this on the down low because I don't want to screw this up and have what has happened with 4 of the last 6 girls: I've crashed, burned, and barely been identified through dna and dental records. 2 of the last 6 girlfriends I was able to keep up descent friendships but the other 4 ....it was ugly and I don't want that....I don't like walking into a room and making everyone in it feel uncomfortable...one of the reasons I normally stay as isolated as possible, also part of it is guilty Catholic boy syndrome; whether I was at fault or not I believe I'm always the one at fault...and therefore must suffer the consequences, and the fact that I can get too emotionally attached over a short period of time...so I try to keep how I feel on the down low, although alot of time hormone and emotion takes over and I come on too strong....oh crap I just showed emotion , time to run 20 miles without water and a 50 pound weight on my back to prove I'm still callus...then retire to my room for the rest of the year....coming out only for food, work, class, and training.....just kidding on that last part...but I don't want to screw things up, granted I probably just did bearing my soul on an internet blog......( pounds head against wall)



So yes that is what has been going on in the life of this overtaxed Ironman to be. Yesterday I got in a 7 miler, first time I ran since Monday and it felt good. Also you know you're hardcore if you can run in 20 degree weather in shorts, a long sleeve shirt, and gloves...yes I did that yesterday and did not get pneumonia so I AM BADASS!



For those of you that read my last post and my rant on the slow pace of ALS research, AIDS research and my frustration with the American Medical Research System..it was just a rant based on the early stages of my research for said anthropology project, and not a fully conclusive study...although I still am frustrated by the slow moving pace of research and drug/insurance company agendas playing a major role in health care....rant over.



Well those are my ramblings for the day.....



The Triathlete of the Tundra

R.D.

I'm not in high school anymore...more ALS stuff.

Last night I did my weekly distance swim session. 4000 yards ( warm up 500 on 7:30 500 pull on 7:30, 3x 1000 on 14:30 main set.) Now in the middle of the main set I noticed that during the second 500 of the last two 1000's my head would start to ache in my left temple. Now assumed it was my goggles were too tight so I adjusted them accordingly but the ache still persisted in the second half, making me believe it might have been lack of electrolytes that was causing the throbbing sensation, so it now seems I will be toting Gatorade Endurance formula with me every where. Now this is sad, back in the day, I could crankout 5000 yard practice on 2 swigs of water, I could run 10 miles in 90 degree weather at 9 min/mile pace holding a conversation with my teammates and not need a drink during the duration.....I think I've gone soft in my "old" age. It seems my age and thirst or ability to sweat are both on the increase, granted so is my speed. If someone told me in High School I'd be holding sub-nine minute miles on a twenty mile training run I'd laugh in their face... as it was I was barely holding 8:30 miles on a four mile training run. I kept running in College ( or the two years I had a "normal" co-ed life.) my runs were rarely longer than 6 miles, and that includes a 6 mile tour of Central Park. The years of college Athletics and the 1 year of purgatory between Fordham and Central in which I held 3 jobs and had a particularly short yet miserable time as a gas station cashier working 50+ hours a week, have made me mentally hard. In high school I was almost ALWAYS guaranteed that I would be swum at least once per meet and in track, except for NVL and state Championships I was assured a spot on the starting line for the 2 mile. ( In my junior and senior years I was ranked 5th in the Waterbury City Track and field championships, weird thing was they counted the Catholic schools , who had a majority of students from the suburbs with the city public schools...it was sort of irony that the Waterbury City Champion in the 110 high hurdles was a native son of Naugatuck....our best two miler and City champ was from the dirty water so he really was the city's best, but I digress.) At Fordham I had to fight to get a slot on our "D" Relay, for home meets, If we were swimming any team that matched up well against us I was usually swimming exhibition, riding the bench, or swimming the D lay. This lack of competition time helped me grow harder. I appreciated the times I was actually swum in my "signature" events, so if I had a lousy time in the 1000 of the 500 Free, I didn't gripe as much about not doing well as I did in High School, afterall I was swimming my events maybe 3 to 4 times a season, so there wasn't the pressure to do better than last time, or your need to get points, or qualify for states, it was just swim as fast as possible because you may not get another shot. After sacrificing health and sanity working in a "gas-n-go" for two months when I left Fordham, I got back into running and biking. I still remembered being on the day of the Pat Griskus Sprint tri, watching some of the locals come in for Gatorade and power bars...I had done the race in high school and made it a point to do it the following season. The end of that summer I got my current job at the bank and left the 50+ hour hell-hole, where my days off where not guaranteed ( I remember constantly being called in on my days off and being called in hours early...I tried using the "my dad borrowed my car"excuse and the manager replied " Where you live, I pick you up.") By the end of that year I had started Master's swimming was up to full time at the bank and ditched my other part time gig. It was last summer that I did my first two olympic tris as well as about 4 sprints, this year I did my first two half irons, ( I notice I keep increasing by pairs so does that mean 2 IMs next year.) and more races I have ever done in my lifetime. Next year looks to be about a 10-12 race season with a possible marathon, and/or local road race tossed in for flavor.

Well tonight I had an hour run on tap but that will most likely be cut out. I have research on an ALS project due Tuesday. 12 pages about how it's been 70 years since The Iron Horse was struck down and we still don't know crap on this thing although they now think it may be related to over exposure to electromagnetic fields...so if I get these disease in the next 70 years I'm blaming it all on Dell and suing for mucho dinero...which I will not be able to enjoy. Also they believe there are two types of the disease, an acquired type ( Electromagnetically or environmentally caused)and a hereditary type in which a there's a deformed gene on a certain chromosome and it cause the nervous and muscular system to fall apart after x number of years. In either case they're just beginning to crack the surface on this stuff. Another thing I've found out in doing research on this is there are at least 6 major charities and several neurology programs linked to ALS research yet each one seems divided and almost in competition with one another. Example You have the MDA ( muscular dystrophy association...*Jerry's Kids), you have ALSA ( Als association, *Kurt's Pitch to Strike out ALS,) ALSTDF(ALS therapy development Fund now ALSTDI Therapy development institute which was getting proceeds from the sale of team Blazeman gear from TriSports) (*=main charity) TeamBlazeman, then you have the universities competing with one another for research grants, so you have guys at Yale and John Hopkins med duking it out to one up one another for the money to do research. each of the groups is giving money to different groups for research and in essence you end up with 20 different researchers doing research on the same disease in completely different parts of the country /world and not alot getting done to find a cure. The same can be said for other diseases not just ALS just look at cancers, AIDS, MS, Parkinson's, you have so many fragments that no major progress can get done. What needs to happen is there needs to be one giant database of info and research, and one pool for funds for each disease, this includes public and private donations, that way research teams can compare notes and there would be one large unbiased source of funding for any research that could lead to a major break through...but alas I am living in a perfect world with out CEO's Drug Company Contracts, Universities trying to attract more admissions, insurance company and government agendas, and the cogs of modern capitalism. Competition brings progress, yet at the same time it can hinder it. Well that's it for my rant on Western Medical research and treatment, and well political bull shit...(.Duguay '20... running on the Democratic ticket unless I;m hit with " you're too conservative"bullshit in which I will run Libertarian.)..Well I'm hitting theboolsand hitting them hard.peace. Also if you have not done so and would like to give a donation to the War on ALS please click on the link or visit the web sites of one of the other associations mentioned..also if your an American Express card holder looking for more points and a tax deduction you can donate through GivingExpress, and also iGive.com also has links to donate. I encourage anybody reading this blog to give to the war on this disease, and as mentioned earlier it can be as little as $1 itwill help make a difference.

The ALS Warrior
R.D.

Let the Floggin' contiune until morale improves.......

If any phrase describes Ironman training this is it. This week I have the lovely chore of tying paper writing and training. So far this week I've gotten in a 2 hour trainer session a 3 mile run ( after an ice storm mind you.) and 1000 yards pool time ( for the 15 min. it was slow last night.) Tonight I have at least 3000 yards on tap. Tomorrow, with no foreseeable ice, sleet or white stuff on the Doppler, I might get in an eight mile prework run (possibly 12 if I can drag myself out of bed at 5am.) Tomorrow afternoon has a possible post work swim on the agenda ( 3000 yards.) Thursday, has the same ( 8 mile run or hour trainer ride, and an afternoon swim. ) Friday I have Masters, and my lovely trainer, Saturday, the long run or long brick ( either a 60 mile ride/16mile run or a 2 hour trainer/15 mile treadmill Odyssey. or just a straight up 16 miler . Sunday begins the new week with the hope of some warmer weather and some more cycling damn it. I would love to ride but it will most likely end up as swimming and the trainer, so I guess the next 2 to 4 weeks will be Run/ Swim phase with periods of Special High Intensity Training (SHIT) on the trainer, and the occasional long ride/brick if the weather warms up enough to allow it. I have now come to the rational conclusion that I am most certainly in the wrong climate, and I should move to an area with weather that is more suitable to my activities/personality upon graduation....Kona,HI ....ahh I can dream as I look at real estate listings that show I can buy a condo on the big island for what it would cost me to buy a farm in Southbury, yet on the island I am not hit with as high of a property tax, but the mortgage and insurance plus cost of living would probably kick my ass. on the plus side though I could most likely ditch the car and ride my bike everywhere, although this means taking my life into my hands as most of the island is the ghetto, the work of us rich New England Whiteys that came over took over pineapple plantations, overthrew a sovereign monarch, an pretty much turned an island paradise into a commercial venture...man I hate it when we do that.....my rant on how Europeans/ Americans of European Descent have gone off and wrecked nation states and entire cultures ( the Inca, the Aztecs, The Filipinos, the Hawaiians, the Bannana Republics we set up in Central America, then overthrow when they start favoring their own interests rather than those of American tycoons....I mean...their people....is now over. But no a warmer climate is hopefully in the future for this New Englander....and a violent overthrow of the current leadership is not in my plans. but no Hawaii with all of its possible ghettoness, looks lovely, California ( all the warmth, Ghetto and added bonus of earthquakes) is another place I'd long to hang my hat for a while, or the Arizona Desert ( warmth, drive 2 hours north I've got cold and snow, drive 2 hours back to Pheonix, I've got warm and dry.) might be alternatives to continued life in the Tundra that is Connecticut. (Despite the fact my parents say I'd miss having the cold weather....seriously if it didn't snow another flake up here I wouldn't cry...well ok I MIGHT MISS IT, just a little at Christmas, but I can't take 4 months of the crap.) Well those are my rants and ramblings for the evening. I've got some research todo and a practice to crank out.

The California Dreamer
R.D.

Rocky IV Trainner workout.

Okay I have fallen into the cliche of Cold Weather Training Montages inspired by the classic movie Rocky IV, In the last two weeks I have been forced to run in sub-freezing temperatures, cycle in the same conditions ( and have finally resigned myself to the fact 2 to 3 hour trainner sessions will be the norm.) Luckily my local pools are indoor and heated, other wise I would be pulling the Parka to Jammer to Parka deck change, which is never fun. Well anyway, the "seasonable" weather has shown up Snow flurries and light sleet yesterday, more sleet, rain, freezing rain, this morning so the roads are dangerous enough in my ironclad subaru let alone on a tri bike with slick tires. Yesterday I cranked out a 90 min. trainner session on TBS to the movie Rocky 4 ironically enough. I really pushed in the trainning montage in which Apollo's Creed's trainer starts shouting, "There is no pain" and Rocky claws his way up an ice covered mountain after ditching his KGB escort, now seriously what does clawing up an ice covered peak have to do with boxing?( about as much as a boxing moive has to do with the Ironman. could be a witty retort.) Needless to say this session with a ready to go out and kick the world's ass kind of feeling. Went and grabbed dinner than decided hell, I'll try to put in another 2 hours, well I got 30 min. into the Motorcycle Diaries before my legs screamed "No mas." so in total I managed about 2 hours on the trainer, which according to Triathlete Magazine's all knowing gurus Paul and Roch equates to a 4 hour ride.( due to constant spinning and no coasting on down hills or flats.) As mentioned before the falling ice made geting a run in impossible, I might squeeze in some running time this afternoon before Class but we'll see ( it all depends on how good the walk ways are.) otherwise some pool time on a dead night seems a better alternative. The forecast for the rest of the week shows mostly cold and clear, with a chance of snow on Wed. and possibly Sunday into Monday. So I might not be a slave to the treadmill and trainer after all. We'll see.

The Count of Monte Fisto, the Master of Disaster, the terror of the tundra....
R.D.

The hardest hour and a half of my life.

Well today did not produce the long outdoor ride I was hoping for. (Snow squalls that turned into accumulating white stuff prevented that, granted my part of the state was untouched but cursed by holiday shoppers.) So instead I managed to get in a "short" 8 mile run. After consuming way too many calories watching the Ironman Highlight show, I decided to burn off some of the excess poundage by popping in that Carmichael Time Trial tape. The work out:

10 minutes with 2x 2min lactate thresholds warm up
3x 5 minutes above threshold with 5 minutes recovery
3x 2 min at 85 rpm, 2 min at 100 rpm, trying to maintain constant effort.

my legs have never burned like that in my life, save for one Half Ironman bike split in the Berkshires. Well that was the day. Not the most valuable training day I've had but I put in a good 2.5-3 hours.

Updates of Note:
Team Blazeman has just shipped me my stuff. Kevin sent an apologetic email, apologizing for the delay in getting the dri-release tees printed. Also Karen Duffy has started sending out the weekly newsletters and the group is asking athletes to send in their stories and hopefully inspire others to join the cause. ( Please check out the You Tube video posted.) So hopefully there will be a little bit more posted on their website in coming weeks, other wise you can subscribe to the newsletter it does get circulated.

That's enough for me tonight...I've got to get some shut eye...I've got a possible pool workout or run on tap tomorrow morning, both if the weather decides to stay fairly descent, and 2 to 3 hours on the trainer (most likely to the tune of the motorcycle diaries, miracle, inspirational or long shit...note to self by Ganhdi with Ben Kingsley as sound distraction for the long workout.) Like I said that's the game plan for tomorrow.

The Kid who needs to move to California
R.D.

Apocolyptic Weathermen Part II:

does anyone else notice the look of glee on a forecaster's face as he is about to deliver bad news? Seriously Scott Haney at Channel 3 in Hartford is probably one of the worst. The way his eyes light up, that sappy smile, and that lifted tone in his voice as he predicts a cold front that will hover itself above New England bring snow, ice, and temperatures that make Siberia seem like Jamaica...and this will last forevermore...hahahaha! Seriously I'm beginning to wonder if there is some conspiracy between New England's meteorologists, the local dairies, Wonder bread, and big oil, because as soon as the dreaded "s" word is uttered every person withinn broadcast range is rushing out to buy gas, milk, bread and putting in an emergency call to their fuel delivery service, which inturn leads to an increase in the price of fuel by our good friends at OPEC ,

which in turn leads to an increase in the price of bread and milk, which leads to an increase in price of consumer goods, which leads to an increase in wages but devaluation of currency and this whole wonderful inflation garbage in which the US dollar becomes Worth less than the paper it's printed on leading to a complete breakdown of the world economic system...and mass unemployment....etc....etc...etc...and eventually form this whole chain of command leads to wars and nukes, and then nuclear winter and the end of life on this planet....so in essence the weather people are predicting the Apocalypse by fear mongering the consumer and increasing the profits of OPEC. Ok that rant/comic relief /schizophrenic outburst aside I'm going to get a run in on this frosty Saturday Afternoon before sitting my ass in fornt of the TV to watch the Ironman Highlight show. Peace.

The Cold Conspiracy Theorist

R.D.