I see your challenge and I have three words

BRING IT BITCH!

Ok before I lose half my readership, or have people saying, damn it I like it better when he's sick and depressed, allow me to explain the title and the "colorful" saying above. This morning as I sat at my desk like a good little teller, hoping and praying the layoffs don't affect me, I checked an email from the race director of the Patriot Half. It went along the lines of you're currently listed in the open elite catagory, are you sure you don't want to age group it ( we give out nice stuff :) ) and if you are considering yourself elite then you should be able to finish this race in 5 hours or less. Well first thing that hit was the fear I have never broken 5 hours, I came painfully close at Eagleman 5:09, shit maybe I should bail to the AG.My training's been shot to shit, my psyche has been hit by the equivalent of 5 ten ton bricks, and I'm just in a really bad mood. Then I got to looking at the races results from last year the winner's time was in the 4:30's but last year also had a stellar pro field ( Holla John Hirsch!), I also realized that Eagleman was in brutal heat with little shade and that had the weather conditions been a few (20 degrees F) cooler I probably would have crushed the 5 hour barrier...ok I would have slid under the 5 hour barrier Indiana Jones Style, reaching over the timing mat for my visor at 4:59.59...but the wheels in my head got to turning and to try to pump my beleaugered ego back up I looked at the overall results to see where a low 5 hour time would get me. Well it would be in the mid 30's to low 40's overall, where I usuaally place, I looked at the lowest finishing elites from last year, one poor guy had a hell of a day, but a majority were top 50 most in the top 30, surrounded by a ton of age group studs. The bike course is 59 miles but it is similar terrain to Eagleman, a 2:40 or lower bike spilt could be a real possibility, the swim, I always do better surrounded by faster guys that and if there are only a handful of us then I won't get mauled a la Eagleman ( also I had 17th fastest swim split last year in a surfing wetsuit.) the run most elite guys are able to pull 1:20 and change, I've pulled a 1:37 after a 56 mile ride in a half marathon and most of the time average a 1:45, in essence If I want a check I have to Go Stadler Style, and bust my ass on the bike. Eagleman was the first time I used a surging strategey, that I tried to get aggressive on two wheels, instead of my usual sit in the bull horns, drink, eat and muddle through until thhe run. So my objective has been set I must break 5 hours at all costs.

On the training front, I managed to get a 3300 pool workout in on Friday, Today I kicked the crap out of my legs on a 100k ride through Middlebury- Woodbury- Washington, lets just say hills lots of hills. I averaged about 17.4mph sadly something's up with my rear deraileur, which is costing me two gears in the small ring at Patriot which is a big ring course this might not be a factor but if I want to be competitive at the Griskus I might need to have the handled....but I cross that bridge when I get there.

well that's it from da hood.

R.D.

Settling down......

Well as mentioned before the monetary deal has been my big issue, but the biggest of which will be resolved in mid-July, so then I should have some breathing space. The Patriot is coming up next weekend, the two days I took off due to some GI distress, haven't really built my confidence but at the same time I needed the rest so I guess it equals out. This weekend I'm planning for a long ride and maybe a pool session on Sunday. Today a long run is on tap depending on the weather and a pool session. My friend Alex has borrowed Enrico( my road bike) for the Griskus and is interested in buying for the $450 I'm charging for it complete with all the bells and whistles. It's an Entry level bike, but it has profile T-2 aero bars, a granny gear, good for those wall climbs, a reliable sigma computer and Michelin tires, and it's a hell of a lot more agile than the 10 speed he would be using. If he buys that would be a great help if not then at least he got some good quality equipment for his first tri is a fitting reward. ( He's racing as a First timer so no divisional threat there.) Bjoern sadly I can't get the ninth off, but if you need a ride to New London after the race I'd be happy to oblige. ( If you see a guy pulling a Clark Kent style change in Transition that would be me going from Bank teller to blood thirsty competitor.) Getting to the Patriot next week might be a chore but I should make it. I'm debating whether or not I should drop back into the age group ranks for this one, granted there are only 10 guys registered as elites and I figure a swim wave of 10 fast guys is what I need to keep myself motivated and at the front, that and $300 for first and $200 for second might give me some added incentive to hammer on the bike and run. So Patriot has become my go until I puke and go again until I puke again race...hopefully the weather and my stomach will co-operate. The Griskus, I have to send the race director an email to see if I can be put in the top swim wave ( yes they put all of us age group swim studs in our own wave.), afterall there is nothing like the psyche up of being in the lead for a few minutes. Providence hits on a pay week and hopefully my stimulus will come early, but irregardless I should have enough for gas and a cheap motel ( deperate plea to John Hirsch where is the cheapest, least shady joint to stay in Providence.) Next year I plan on fewer travel races, ie I will either do Eagleman or Providence but not both. The rest of 2008 still in the air, I might manage to get in Niantic and Park City, most likely Nutmegman but that could be all. If I make Clearwater, I might turn down the slot, just alot going on academically and professionally in November. As for 2009, no plans yet, some dreams, but no plans. I would like to get my coaching cert and try to make a little extra income off the sport, but we'll see. So that's all for me today I've got to get my subway panhandling jinggle down.

Bring himself back.
R.D.

The debate to quit or not to quit?

Well Today I was forced to call out sick from work as my body rebelled after a moderate night of training. I rode ten mile last night and ran 6 I would have rode longer but I decided to bail on the rest of my riding group after a quick drenching rain storm. ( part of me feels my collarbone intact, and my ability to be able to type freely takes precednece over training miles.) I was awakened at 3:30 in the morning with stomach cramps which kept me wake until 5:30 there was no way I was going to be able to function at work the way my stomach was so I called out. hence the second of my 4 vacation weeks has been spent. ( I used two sick days on papers, two days on flying home, one day journeying from Eagleman,)I have decided there will be no week of vacation for me this summer, I need the money and am an overtime whore so that takes precedent. I haven't thought about training today to recover, I might not train tomorrow to let my stomach settle back into a normal rythim after work. All and all I'm realistically thinking of scrapping any races after Providence, part of me feels like that's madness but the other realizes that Work and school are truly what matters, I have bills outstanding from the Hellish May that hit our house and quite frankly I find it hard to focus on racing and going fast with how the hell am I going to afford all this weighing on my mind. So for as short as it maybe 2008 was ok, I still have 3 races left, and still have yet to podium, I'm starting to think toward 09, whether I will race or enter a self imposed retirement, to coach, finish school, pay off debt and figure out what to do with the rest of my life. Part of me is aching to go back to New Zealand and finish a little unfinished business with the sport essentially I don't want to quit until I finish in Kona. Yesterday as I ran and group rode I remembered why I got into the sport and maybe the empty spot it would leave if I gave it up, but the other part of me knows that this world is made of dollars, cents, Pounds and Euros, that financial security means and makes all the difference in the world. Part of me chimes in after a training ride that that could have been 3 -4 hours working part time, $21-30, overtime at work, time spent on a thesis, the other part that remembers when I came back from NY working 70 hour weeks for crap pay, no life, I had the gas station and the video game shop, I gave up on going out with friends, considered giving up my sister's graduation party for overtime, I was called in on my days off without complaint, I was every employers dream come true and decaying on the inside. Then it happended some one came in buying gatorade and a powerbar, doing her first triathlon, two years previous that where I stood, my parents didn't get it, that I could take that money and save it for college, or gas money. I went to college for two years tried to become a D-I swimmer and instead became a D-I boozer, then the gas staion attendant, the following year I resolved to race again and did and now find myself here once again, I'm thinking like my parents did in the summer of 03 I could be spending the time and money somewhere else and then they responded when I told them that by pulling a total 180 " Don't give it up, if it brings you joy." They claimed that before tri I had no passion, I dabbled here and there and would pretty much dabble through life, but for once it seems I had found something I liked and acceled at. So now here's where I stand do I give up passion for money?
R.D.

The day..sarcasim..died

George Carlin 1937-2008

That's right George " 7 Dirty Words" Carlin has shifted off this mortal coil, checked out, cashed in his chips, had enough of the napalm silly putty and brain droppings that make up this world and went to see what the Hell was taking Jesus so long with the Pork Chops. So sadly the guy who brought us such clever skits as the 7 words you can't use on television, let's bring back public capital punishment in our sick violent death cult society, the earth will shake us off like a bad case of fleas, the bad things about airlines, and where the hell can we get cups of coffee flavored coffee, is no more. He has gone on an excellent adventure or a bogus journey, he is probably sitting back with the big guy wondering what the Hell the duck bill platypus was all about and having a good laugh over Dogma,, because hey afterall, he was faithful to the 2 commandments, be honest and faithful especially to the one who gives you nookie, and treat oother people with the same courtesy and respect you would want to bee treated with unless oof course they believe in a different invisible avenger. ....ok he was a little sacreligious but he did expose some of the crazy corruption, annd hypocrisy rampant in our "moral society". His crazy, witty sense of humor will be missed.

Rest in Pieces George.

R.D.

The Official Angry Vs. Claire Smack talk thread!

Well today as I was chillin' with my homeboys, Nashville Ryan, Angry, Adam and Richard "you owe me $20" J I got a text from Claire it read

"Did Angry Tell you I ran 4.5 miles 14 sec. per mile faster than him on Friday?" When I told the Angry one about this little text his blood got boiling. " I can easily go faster than that, I could decimate her mile pace easier than it would take here to beat mine ( insert Howard dean yell here.) Needless to say after our adieus to Ryan ( who is probably going through airport security in Charlotte ( some dude named Cletus with a shotgun and a blood hound.)) Angry went back to the Dirty water to do some sprint hill repeats. I went up to Lake Waramaug ( since Ryan's parents live at the exact half way point) and got in a nice somewhat hard 40 mile ride.

But anyway back to the Angry vs. Claire showdown in Orlando the races are nearly 7 months away but it is really difficult to pick a winner at this point. Angry is still in his develop fast twitch speed and brute strength high intensity stage, where Claire has been going the insane voulme route. If the races were run tomorrow and Tuesday this would be my safe assumption:

Angry to own the half . I mean like obliterate in like 1:35 or lower. Claire probably pulling a not too shabby 1:45-1:55 half. Unfortunately this assemennt might be inaccurate, Angry hasn't raced yet this season and with some pressing issues on his plate I have no real data other than his fast twitch goodness to base this off.

The marathon will most likely belong to Claire, I base this off of the ridiculous amount of distance she puts in on any given weekend. From what I've seen so far her body is used to running hard and running tired, while I think it will be a close marathon I think the galavanting Bostonian will have the edge. As stated earlier those these are perliminary predictions and analysis, more updates will follow as it goes along. Part of me is contemplating bringing my running shoes down to FLA to get in a quality training weekend and watch this epic battle, I wonder in that Southwest $99 one way deal will still be in effect.

All smack talk aside I'm looking at going to NZ again but I won't make an official annoucement until August or September, I have a homestay if I need it, I priced out airfare, I have Ken Glah in my email contacts, but as mentioned before everything depends on my fiscal situation in the coming months.

On the racing Weekend wrap up Bree Wee, finished her first Ironman as a pro in Nagsaki Japan. She finished second but sadly no Kona slot, but one good thing about being a pro , you can always get another crack at one of the late season Ironmans.

Iron Eric finished Coeur d' Arlene in 11:38.56 not bad for a pretty hilly course.

so that was the weekend in review along with the smack talk.

Happy Training
R.D.