If you love something you must set it free.....

I woke up last Thursday with a "Dear Don" letter on my chest.  It was written eloquently by my moustache, to tell me that it was going to go on walk about.  Perhaps someday it would return, perhaps not.  The 'Stache has always been whimsical like that.  There are some things I'll miss, then again there are things I won't.



Thats right...I said what I said and meant it.  What are you gonna do about it.....

I mean first off its just completely awesome.  I mean look at that thing.  Its beastly, and it reeks of testosterone.  My 'Stache looks like it could whip you in a fight by itself with on hand tied behind its back.  It looks like a hunting trip, and smells like freshly cut cedar and chain saw oil.  It conveyed the sense that a man sporting this thing was not to be trifled with.  The 'Stache got stares from passers by, admiration from other men, shrieks of fear from children, and the women.....well the women swooned in its very presence.




I am forced by the federal government to supply the following warning.  If you are a female between the ages of 18 and 65 the above image may cause shortness of breath, heart palpatations, dizziness, light headedness, weakness in the knees, and the vapors.  Please exercise caution when looking at it.

However the 'Stache did have its drawbacks.  Not that I would ever say anything to the 'Stache but he was a little high maintenance.  What with all the waxing, and combing to keep him in place on my lip and out of my food it took a little more time grooming than I am typically accustomed too.  Then there were times when he would try and sample my food.  A most inconvenient fact as I am not particularly fond of chewing on facial hair with my Quiznos sandwich.  Every so often he would dive in for a taste unbeknownst to me and foul my eating experience.  And finally there was the training with the 'Stache.  In case some of you didn't know the 'Stache is like a built in sweat band.  Holding on to and collecting those beads of sweat so painfully earned on runs and rides.  Unfortunately there is a thresh hold to how much sweat the 'Stache can hold.  Eventually we would pass that at some point in training and the 'Stache would unleash a tidal wave of perspiration at a most inopportune time, like when I was sucking in a deep breath.  Thereby incapacitating me as I coughed and spit, and sputtered.




Here I sit all bare lipped and melancholy...and looking 10 years younger.

I received a post card from Maui from the 'Stache saying he was enjoying himself on sabbatical.  He asked me to send his love to his legion of adoring fans and to rest assured that he would some day triumphantly return.  Until then, I suppose we just light a candle in the window and wait.  If you love something you have to set it free, and if it returns then it was meant to be.  If it doesn't, then it was one ungrateful  facial hair accessory who never appreciated all the effort you put forth in its care.

Just kidding 'Stache......come back!!!!

Best dadgum training week so far....

This week has gone really well for me.  I only took one day off, Monday.  I always take Monday off because I do my long runs on Saturday, my long rides on Sunday and well lets face it, it's Monday.

I've gotten up early 3 times this week and logged some solid running miles.  Combined the morning run on Tuesday with a bike ride that afternoon cause I forgot Tuesday was bike day.  May have to turn Tuesday in to Twos-a-day cause it felt great to get both in.  Poor pun selection I know.

Anyhow I think I may be getting the hang of the 4:40 waking up thing.  Not once did I hit the snooze, or out and out dismiss it.  I just rolled out....got moving and woke up, and was on the road by 4:50.  I like running in the early morning.  Its as cool as its going to be all day.  It is very quiet, and there aren't very many cars to have to worry about.  Plus I had my workout in and my shower done before 6:00 a.m.  All of my runs went great as I recorded negative splits over each 1/2 mile progressively which was what I was focusing on.  Its really hard to throttle back early in the run, given my impatient nature but I believe it will help in the long run as I've already seen improvement on my average pace.

I love biking.  I really do.  The fact that I can cover so much more ground.  The rush that I get hitting high speeds on downhills.  The its me vs. this hill feeling every time I start dropping gears and gnashing my teeth.  I love the suffering and sense of accomplishment that follows every hill I conquer.  I have heard of and seen people walking their bikes up some hills.  I have yet to meet that incline yet, and often wonder if there is one out there that will break me.  Only one way to find out and that's to keep putting miles under my wheels.

Got my long"ish" run tomorrow which I will grind through.  And then I plan on taking a few friends who have just recently started biking out with me on a fairly good long ride.  Something sadistic about me really wants to take them out halfway easy and then drop the hammer on them and lock them up in the pain box on the way home.  Is that wrong?

A view from the other side of the table....

This past weekend I had the opportunity to work as a volunteer at a marathon and ultra-marathon.  I use the word volunteer loosely as I was coerced by the offer of a gift card at my local triathlon shop to work their table.  It was a loop course in a local park on the trails, and it was my first opportunity to work on the volunteer side of an endurance event.  A definite new perspective, and something I would gladly do again.  After spending 4 hours working the table I came away with some things, some of which I knew and some of which I did not.

1.  Some of us stink.  Now I'm not talking your run of the mill been working out and sweating a little stink.  I mean no regard for deodorant, living in a sweatbox, gag a maggot off a gut wagon stink.  I saw several competitors repeatedly because it was a loop course.  I would see them making their way to our table and have to mentally prepare myself for the soon to be assault on my olfactory senses that was their odor.  So in all seriousness people, lets try and get some super deodorant on race day cause that was not pleasant.

2.  Hills are the devil.  Our water station was at the top of a hill on an out and back trail in the loop.  I didn't see too many runners as the day went on.  By the time they reached our table they were in either shuffle or flat out walk mode.  Cussing that hill with every step.  Seriously it was pretty evil of the RD to put a water station at the top of the hill.  This thing was pretty steep and pretty long.  The trails were open to the public during the race and a lot of bikers and runners were coming up the hill.  It was steep enough to induce granny gear on some bikes and some people were even walking their bikes up the hill.  Therefore, hills are evil incarnate.

3.  I got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell.  We had cowbells at our station and would ring them feverishly as every runner approached.  The participants seemed to like it and made several comments as such.  I've run a few races and found it to be a little uplifting as well.  But every time they would come up the hill, we'd set to ringing and they would smile and wave at us.  Then fill up on water and sport drink and head back out to a cacophony of cowbell.

4.  People prefer the taste of lemon lime sports drink over fruit punch sport drink 2 to 1.  This was an actual study I did while working the table.  We burned through twice as many lemon lime bottles as we did fruit punch bottles.  While talking with the participants I found out the fruit punch was just too sweet.  Interesting.

5.  Sanitation people c'mon!  Several times during the race I had to block access to ice by an overzealous participant looking to stick their sweaty hands straight into the ice chest for some ice.  That is what we as volunteers are there for.  If you want some ice please let us get it for you.  We use cups, not our hands and will give you as much as you want.  Really you can have plenty, just keep your grubby meathooks out of the ice chest.

6.  Interesting cool down strategies.  Some I'd seen with the water over the head, and ice put in the running hat.  Then there were a few I hadn't seen.  Ice in the sports bra, and then one guy would get a hand full of ice on every visit and put in down the front of his shorts.  Yikes.  I mean there are just some place I don't want to be THAT cold.  I wonder if  he had a shrinkage problem after the race.  Also what if you got frostbite, and they had to amputate....I'm just saying.

7.  Everyone in this sport that I've met has been pretty nice.  Everyone expressed their thanks repeatedly for our volunteering.  Really we had the easy jobs, I mean we were sitting in the shade until you came up then we hydrate you, check you out to make sure your still cognizant of your surroundings, etc and sent you on your way while we returned to our lawn chairs in the shade.  But you are welcome and congrats.

It was really a great experience.  Four hours and two sunburned legs later I came away with a greater appreciation of both volunteers and participants in these races.  So the next time I'm out on the course I will try and keep all these lessons in mind, and definitely listen for more cowbell.

Well that was a lot easier than I thought....now what?

Well this morning I reached a goal that I had figured would take a lot longer to get to.  I broke the 220 lb. barrier.  At the end of July I tipped the scales at 260 and was started to get worried.  So through half hearted efforts I managed to shed 10 pounds by the end of December.  Then like I said before I got serious after seeing a picture of myself, taken when I wasn't aware and I realized just how fat I had gotten.  It was time to buckle down and get rid of this extra weight.

So I did just that.  I determined to take on triathlons in order to give myself something to train for.  I started a running group at my church so that I would have a group I was accountable to.  I started a simple nutrition plan and diet based solely on caloric deficit.  Everything else would be too complicated and eventually become to cumbersome to deal with on a daily basis.

Using the two pillars of diet and exercise I did in 3 months what I had initially planned to take 6 months.  I was hoping to be 220 sometime in June.  But to my surprise the weight really pealed off as I started biking, running, and eating right.  I swore off carbonated, sugar filled beverages instead having unsweet iced tea, or water.  I cut way back on my drinking, and more importantly included it in my calorie calculations.  So if I wanted to have a beer or six, then I was going to have to workout more, or eat less.

Following these simple rules I have done it.  So now what?  I'll tell you now what.  Now I'm looking to be 210 by June and maintain my weight there.  I can't remember the last time I was 210, but I'm pretty sure it was in the early 90's.  Stay tuned.  It ought to make for an interesting ride.