Kickin' it Old School.

Alright I made the decision to buy a bathing suit on Thursday... as my previous one had a see through back side. Rather than make the world suffer by exposing my cavernous can, I decided to stop into Sports Authority to get a new set of trunks. Well apparently I decided to skimp out on coverage to save some dough so I decided to rock the brief or as others know it as "the grape hanger", "The Banana Hammock", " Good Ol' Little suit", ""Man-kini" Bottom" , figure at worst case senario I can toss them on under a worn out jammer. ( I'm really liking Kastaway's $23 jammer deal...I'm going to take advantadge of it.) Anyway, my choice of swimwear aside, this week has turned out to be an old school training week. Wednesday I got back into the pool and realized just how out of shape I had gotten. Thursday I ran about 7 miles and swam another 3000 yards, this time it felt a little better. Yesterday another 6-7 miles of running, my planned swim was kaboshed by "get us out of the house before we go insane" movie night with my sisters.
Today 100k ride in Middlebury with Josie. Sunday my sister, Christina graduates high school, she and Melissa will be moving to Newport in September So I'll have an excuse to visit the island.
So that's all for me.

Lettin' it all hang out.
R.D.

Outta shape..

Last night I hit the pool at the Southington YMCA.
Other than splitting a lane with an elderly woman doing breatstroke it wasn't too bad....other than I'm out of shape. My main set was 3x500 on 7 min. and I was touch and go on them.
That's what I get for only one pool session a week for the last two weeks. So tonight more flogging in the pool. Also I'm at a debate on equipment, I need new running shoes and a new bathing suit. The running shoes still have some tread but they are slightly above the 5oo mile mark.
The bathing suit well, lets just say my jammer is turning into see-through leg tights. Both are at the breaking point and I really don't want to have to throw down on both at the same time. Especially since I need to renew my Y memebership. $44 a month ....man part of me misses the undergrad discount.

This weekend I start riding again...I'll blow the dust off the old Stomper and get some much needed road time in. Patriot is rapidly approaching and I want to haul ass at stupid rate of speed...especially on the run. Last year I died a most horrible death at about mile 30 on the bike this year I still plan on throttling the bike granted I want to do it on the second loop...not the first like last year... it's just so hard when you're in the top 5 overall for most of the day..also I would like to do a sub 1:40 half marathon...so can you guess where my focus is going to be for the next month. I ran a 8 miler on Monday in about 1:13 so hopefully I can match that split again today. Before I hit the pool.

Well time to get in touch with my inner Rocky

R.D.

Let the Beatings continue....

Well it's back to the training front. Some life issues have creeped up, they always do. For one my Internet is down at the homestead so I'm blogging on company time and at CCSU via the Alumni free computer lab deal. But I need to train and train like a wild beast. This weekend 200k of doom and gloom is on the table. Tonight I get back in the pool for the first time in a week. My running and riding will get into routine, things are falling into place. I have to wait for one of my professors to come back from a conference to take care of an incomplete and I should have that mystical piece of parchment mailed to me. ( hopefully with the words Cum Laude on the bottom.) Regardless I need to get in shape because quite frankly $300 from the Patriot would be a good thing right about now.
I got my CPR re certified and I'm debating getting my guard cert redone as it expires at the end of June. Guarding would be extra money and I would need the cert to coach, granted I know the high school kids are holding a monopoly on guard jobs and I really don't want to be bossed around by a 16 year old. Granted Swim seasons aren't too far off so I'm definitely thinking about coaching especially if I start teaching.
Well that's it for me I've got a date with chlorine.

Lord of the lane line
R.D.

Waiting for that sheet of paper....

Well I handed in my thesis: God hope it was good enough.
handed in my past due work for the incomplete and now it's hoping my grades are good enough to pass. I don't think either effort was my best work. My thesis was more of an anthropology paper than a history one....that's the problem with contemporary issues I focused too much on the contemporary and not enough on the past.

So now I'm in hope and pray mode that my grades were good enough to pass and maintain at least a 3.0 average and I can get my sheet of paper, start working a more fulfilling gig. Otherwise I'll be cashing checks and balancing classes again in the fall, granted I'll probably be taking classes in the fall any way but those are supposed to be helping my grad school ambitions, not going into year 7 on trying to get this damned bachelors. ( 2 years Fordham...1 year off, 1/2 a year of credits not transferring, 3 years of course work at CCSU amid all sorts of family crisis seriously 1 major one per year.)

All that aside the chips have fallen and it's time to get back into training. Start packing and ironing out housing for the summer, settle my fiscal mess...the BA will really help in this. If I have my BA take my GREs, take a Latin refresher as well as either Spanish or Italian and start working on my writing sample, for entering a Phd Program...yes I know I'm a glutton for suffering.

If I get the dreaded..."yeah Mr. Duguay you're six credits short..." letter...after screaming, pulling out a large chunk of my scalp and curling up in the fetal position saying "damn it why do I do this to myself." I'll knuckle down suck it up and see if I can do an Independent study for my thesis.

In my "hopefully" last semester of college I have learned the following:

an 18 credit course load, a 40 hour a week job and training for an Ironman at the same time is not really a good idea.

My professors and co-workers should be up for sainthood.

I don't have alot of friends but the ones I got are good ones. ( damn hope I didn't write like that on my thesis.)

Red Bull is Austria's greatest gift to Mankind.

One Person can single handedly save Colombia's legitmate market economy.

Jstor is my homeboy.

It is quite possible to live for 4 months getting 5=> hours of sleep a night.

Juan Valdez es mi amigo bueno.

Well for right now it's back to the grind.

Waiting by the mailbox.
R.D.

Edit 1: Got news back from my thesis advisor: The paper got a B.