Tradition Triathlon 2013

The third annual Tradition Triathlon officially kicked off triathlon season, today. Two hundred and ninety nine other crazy folks drive out into some Mississippi backwoods to test their mettle against each other, against nature, and against themselves.

In 2010, I set out on my current journey. My first stop was an "Intro To Triathlons" with Jim Bourque. There I was "the second worst swimmer" he had ever trained. These days, we go to many of the same races, often setup in transition next to each other, and I always try to get a picture of him to remind me of my humble, pitiful roots.

One of the things that made this event quickly stand out for me was the massive number of volunteers. They were EVERYWHERE. So helpful, and so awesome. Cool that I knew several of them from training, too. Gina & the Vegan Mary (pictured,) John H & Shental, Nancy, and Bob Clarke. They kept all of us going, gave wonderful directions, cheered, directed traffic, and plucked off the pesky timing chip at the end.

The event was really well organized and supported. I liked that the transition had reserved spaces based on our numbers. I was able to get 30min of extra sleep knowing that I didn't have to fight for a rack. Bit crowed between racks, though.

Unfortunately, it was crrrrrazy cold this morning. My phone showed 45 degrees when I woke up. So many folks without wet suits. So many who hand't tried the water ahead of time. I waded in the shallows, acclimatizing. Watching them shiver. Their lips trembling. Uncontrollably. I offered tips. But they should have planned ahead.

We could see our breath as we waited in line for the swim. I was number sixty. There was no official USAT and we entered the water maybe two seconds apart. The line moving at a near-jog. Waded up to my chest. Then took the plunge.

Spotted the trouble quickly. Several people flipping over. Onto their back. Not even a third the way into it. One guy doing an odd combination of backstroke and butterfly. "Stand up!" I shout. He looks at me like I'm the one freaking out. Then he stands. Because it is shallow. And he can catch his breath while I swim on. Passed several other folks on their backs. One lady to my left yelling, "Help me!" and reaching for a kayak. Threading my way through a cluster of bad/scared swimmers. I'm worried about getting smacked or dragged down. My technique was shit, though. Too cold to focus on rhythm or form. Created drag with a bad stroke. Didn't reach far enough. Could have done better. Didn't. But I didn't stop to catch my breath. Didn't have to stand up. Felt strong coming out and jogged to the transition.

Bike started great. Powered up the first hill, passing several folks who were NOT ready for it to hit them so soon. Caught Jim during the first mile. Passed him for a little bit. Then he found his legs. By the third mile I couldn't easily pace him. Thankfully no wind. All the awesome thirtysomething women passing me: Jackie, Megan, Kat. I passed a couple of folks. But mostly it was familiar faces passing me. Eddie. JG. Allan. I really need a better bike one of these days. Mine just doesn't slice through the air enough. Or maybe it is my angle of attack. Or, most likely, I'm just not good enough to compete with these folks. But I finished pretty strong. Lost my bearings briefly in transition. But thought I did a great job of getting in and out pretty quickly.

The run was good, for me. Passed Jim and a couple of unfamiliar faces. Didn't get passed too much, which made me happy. Finally settled in behind Crystal. Shouldn't have gotten so comfortable, but her pace was close to mine. Told myself, "If she doesn't stop, I'm not stopping." And tailed her for the better part of two miles. Later, she'd tell me that she heard me behind her and it helped push her. (And she'd finish first in her age group.)

I finished in 1:38:27. A new personal record for me. 60th place out of 300. But only 15th out of 21 in my age group. I didn't get any medals. No awards. Just a bottle of cider from Nancy and some other dull loot. But, I beat all my previous attempts. And I felt good at the end. That's enough for me. It has to be.

Cindy's Birthday 2013

It's funny seeing the other cards Cindy gets this time of year. Her friends overtly commenting about sagging boobs, wrinkles, gray hair, drinking excessively, and chasing younger men. Being her spouse, I don't get such privileges. In fact, I have to walk this crazy line of being too serious and not serious enough. Quite unpleasant, to be honest, but fortunately it only happens once a year.

I usually try to defuse the conflict of aging plus two decades of stale romance by dusting humor over an attempt at classic love notes. The card was a Victorian lady in full royal attire saying, "These Spanx are killing me." And inside I quoted The Bard:

"To me, fair bride, you never can be old,
For as you were when first your eye I eye’d,
Such seems your beauty still."

For good measure, threw in a gift certificate for an hour massage as well as some muted red Rachael Ray stoneware. Combination seemed to work. Either she liked it or Cindy's a far better actress than the media paints her to be. What do those critics know, anyway? Right?

Lunched with the whole family (rare for a weekday! But the kids were off, she was off, and I cut out of work to eat) at Shaggy's, in Biloxi. Kids had some really nummy chicken tenders. I had a pulled pork sammich. And Birthday Girl had some fish tacos that didn't meet her approval. Lack of booze wasn't welcomed. But a necessity. And we didn't notify our server of the occasion because Cindy would have stabbed me in the eye with a salad fork if I had publicly aired mention of her birthday.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I have the first triathlon of the season, tomorrow morning. I'll be in bed early. Cindy will be in bed late. Won't be any additional celebrations. But I think she enjoyed everything I put together for her. I tried, at least. If not, her disappointment will have to sit between us, for another year.

A Brief Chuckle

Massive project at the shop. Tensions get high when we have to bring down the entire gaming floor for twelve hours. Few people in the mood for my particular brand of inappropriate humor. And then some servers unexpectedly arrive moments before lunch. Physical servers, mind you. Old school. Have to rack and stack and power and cable them. Burn down an OS. If I can find a disk. Which I didn't. Or at least not the right one. For nearly three hours. Completely screwed by the wrong .iso image (since it was unlabeled) and my DVD burner (which killed a dozen disks.) Then the configuration dance. And the seemingly endless waltz of update-reboot-update-reboot. By the end of my day, I'd put in 12 hours behind the screens.  Missed my training. Missed a funeral for a coworker. And missed dinner with the family. But, if those servers didn't get built, I didn't get to go home. That's how things play out when the gaming floor is involved.

On the way to the car, a brief chuckle. Obscure little "my family" sticker. Vader as the father. Female storm trooper for the mother. And two young Jedi knights from the Clone Wars' cartoon. First time in hours I had laughed. Needed it. Reminded me: this too shall pass.

Could use more chuckles. And more reminders. All these woes, they too shall pass.

Pub Run - 04/03/13

Me and seven ladies. And the wind. And the threat of rain. Made for an interesting run.

I lead the way. Music in my head. Two miles one way. Two miles back. Felt good. Felt strong. Getting less and less ungodly each week. Even though this is week seventeen.

The usual beers after. The usual talk of work and woes and which races the future holds and who is doing what and when. The closest thing I have to a social life. And I don't many of them know my name. Aside from the bartender.

But it is better than a punch in the mouth.

Until next week.

Spring Reunion 2013

A rare treat brought several of us old friends today  Bryan Hunt came into town, with his girls Abbie & Lanie. Robbie Blue & Pat Wilz showed up. I brought Meg with me.

Started off at Bryan's hotel, playing Munchkins with the whole crew. The girls were especially amazing. Picking up the rules so quickly, helping out everyone, and being so amazingly generous. Completely un-like a couple of boys locked in pre-pubescent combat as they one-up each other. Much much easier to deal with little girls. Was a great time.

After a hard-fought game (Your Humble Narrator won, with the help of Lady Gaga) we went to Long Beach, for dinner. Settled at Harbor View. The girls all coloring and talking at one end. The mens all talking and playing at the other. Pat whipped out a game called Coup. Robbie won, by one coin. And we all enjoyed dinner afterward. With the girls packing in some ice cream and begging not to leave until they spent some more time together.

Ended up playing a completely different card game, back at the hotel lobby. Pretty simple rules with a simple objective. Your Humble Narrator won four out of four games. And then we threw in the towel.

An all around great night. Times like this I wished more of the old gang lived down here. But South Mississippi is an acquired taste. And some of the crew were able to escape with their sanity intact. The rest of us suffer our sanity or wallets, or both. But the rate reunion is a welcomed escape from our individual realities. Hopefully, it won't be so long before the next one.

Curse You, Backlog!

Dropped my phone last weekend. Instantly rendered it completely useless. Lost a couple of weeks of pictures and videos on it. So that bummed me out.

I probably have three dozen entries to post and not enough time or braincells to post them.

I'll try to catch up, soon. But some stuff is lost in the ether. (sigh)

Road To Traditions 2013 - Week 3

Training on Saturday because tomorrow (our usual training day) is Easter Sunday. Great crowd. Great weather. Did a change up on the activities, though. Ride, run, swim!

Ride was much better than last week. Solo for the vast majority of it. Passed several folks. Decent average. Didn't give it my BEST effort, but felt strong throughout.

Run went really well, for me. Plenty of energy and a fairly good pace. Did the first mile through the neighborhood and slowed for ten seconds. Then did the ugly offroad mile. First up a dirt road. Ten second walk. Then down a wooded trail. Bit slippery at the bottom. But very happy with my performance.

If I don't PR next week, I'm gonna be crushed. But it's been a great off season and I hope to make Traditions the first of many personal successes this year.

Pub Run - 03/27/13

Almost canceled. Nobody there until nearly 6P. Was going to just drink solo and complain to myself about various selfish issues. Finally some folks arrived. The crowds keep getting smaller. I keep going anyway.

I lead the first two miles. Allen passed me after that. (He probably started 10 minutes behind us.) Ended up going the full distance. 5 miles. 54 minutes. Felt good. Especially for not having any music available. Just me and the road and the clop clop clop of my lazy feet. Slightly cold. Not too bright. I almost did not loathe it.

But it will be summer, soon. And I'll be able to complain with lots of Southern passion.

Road To Traditions 2013 - Week 2

More people this time. But still cold. Couple of laps in the lake. Second one much slower because I was following a newbie. She did great for her first time. Far better than I did on my first half dozen swims. I trailed her, just in case.

Ride was BRUTAL. Crazy winds. Sections where I would normally average 18+ MPH, I was struggling to do 14MPH. It beat the hell out of me. Sapped my strength and robbed me of any desire to run.

Called it a day after the ride. Jon vs Nature? Nature wins.

Pub Run - 03/20/13

My fifteenth run with the group. Fifteen weeks of convincing myself to go. Never gets easier. 

A familiar face returns for a trial run on a wounded wing. But the wounds run deeper than she lets on. 

I was sweeping the backfield for the first half. Still ended up passing a couple of folks. Four miles but too many distractions. A Father McNeil burger after: Irish Bacon and a fried egg on top. Could barely finish it. Dying to find the picture of that bad boy.

Three ciders aren't enough most nights.

Road To Traditions 2013 - Week 1

Did our first open water swim of the season today. Officially kicking off the "Road To Tradition's." My third year to compete in Tradition's Triathlon. It was my first official event, back in 2011. Improved in 2012. Hoping to improve even more in 2013.

Nice sized crowd for this initial training event. So many new faces. Good to see folks take the plunge (literally!) Unfortunately for them, it turned out to be the coldest temperature ever in the lake. Mid to low sixties. Several folks couldn't actually do an entire lap. But, two young ladies did it without wetsuits! One came up red as a lobster. After my first lap (600 meters) my feet were numb. But it felt good and I did a second lap. Much quicker and smoother second time around the course. Able to see the turnaround point. Able to pace myself. Didn't have to stop to catch my breath and very proud of my performance, even though I zig zagged too much.

Slow transition to the bike. But I caught up with several folks and helped guide several of the newbies through the course. Average speed felt stronger than previous years. Able to relax more. Breath easier. And despite not hydrating ahead of time or having any fuel during the ride, I still managed to set a new PR of 53:17 on the course. Proud of that, but I know I'll do better come race day.

Concluded with a short 1 mile run. Just to get my legs under me. Ran with my previous elementary school coach: Eddie Holmes. Wouldn't have gone as far or as fast without him, and we completed the mile in 7:59! For me, a fantastic pace. Super proud of that.

Two more weekends of training. I'll add one more lap to my swim, focusing on the last leg, and add a mile each week to my run. Feeling confident right now. But there's still plenty of room for improvement.

Going to be a great triathlon season for your geeky narrator. Better, stronger, faster. Or I'll die trying.

Lazy Sunday

Our day started at 0700. Which was actually 0600 but that devilish Daylight Savings Time descended upon us last night. Thankfully, it wasn't freezing. Liam and I dashed over to Biloxi. Coastal Women for Change (CWC) needed volunteers to weed and till their community garden after the recent weather. Beau Rivage asked employees to help, and I took Liam. (He needs hours each quarter for his Honors Program, anyway.)

We spent two hours with rakes and hoes. First digging up grass or weeds. Then tilling up compact ground. And finally raking everything smooth. Great weather, just enough folks, and the work passed quickly. Glad to help the community and thinking about going back next week. Maybe bringing components for a composting barrel. Would be nice if they could re-use all the organic material that they're currently discarding.

Weather stayed nice after lunch. Cindy bought Meg a kite. Meg tried to fly said kite. But the kite and the wind didn't cooperate. But it was great fun watching Meg try. Running across the yard, green kite following at her heels. She had a little success, but nothing prolonged or lasting. A few times she'd get it eight or nine feet up. But then the breeze would fade. And down came Meg's kite.

Slow, lazy Sunday. Enjoying the time with the kids while I can.

Run For Relief 2013

I woke up NOT wanting to run this morning. Crappy sleep. Lack of motivation. Budding anger issues. But, once I was awake, I wasn't going back to sleep. So I dragged out of bed, dressed furiously, and rolled to RunNTri for the 9th annual Run For Relief.

LOTS of military guys racing. All of them in great shape. Haven't been passed THAT much in a long time. Was hoping to follow somebody with a 7:30 pace. But started off even faster: 7min/mile! Couldn't hold it for very long (about half a mile!) and lost the group I was pacing.

Hoped to beat last week's record time: 25:35. However, my GPS shutoff at some point. So I literally had NO idea of my pace or timing. Only slowed for 10 seconds at the midway point. 3 sips of water. Then grunted out the second half.

Came around the last turn, and discovered I was nearly ahead of my previous record. Turned up the heat, sensed somebody behind me doing the same, and finished with a strong (by my measure) kick at the end. Official time? 25:36. One SECOND off of last week's record. Two seconds from a new record.

Didn't place for my age group. Probably not even close. Didn't PR. And didn't eat any donuts because I'm stupid about carbs and sugars now.

Oh, well. Better luck next time, Old Bean!

Fitness Friday - A Recovery Trick

One of the things that killed my previous attempts at leading a fit lifestyle was soreness. Very disenchanting for a chunk, lazy geek like me to wince every step after completing a long run. So I'd succumb to soreness and quit.

But I discovered a secret to defeating soreness: alternating hot and cold. My gym has a "cold pool." Next to it, is a hot tub. After a long run (usually >10K) alternating almost always eliminates any resulting aches and pains and allows me to keep to a strict training schedule.

My protocol is quick and simple:

1. One minute in the cold pool, up to my waist, following by one minute in the hot tub, up to my waist.
2. Two minutes in the cold pool, up to my arms, following by two minutes in the hot tub, up to my arms.
3. Three min in the cold pool, up to my neck, following by three min in the hot tub, up to my neck.

You could go longer if you'd like. You could stick with just submerging your legs. Or submerge all the way each time. But the major focus is alternating between hot & cold. I believe it helps promote rapid bloodflow into the muscles (in the cold) and out of the muscles (in the hot.) And the bloodflow helps with recovery. If my science is wrong, my results are right. I've run half marathons then tried this trick, and I'm able to train the next day.

If you have access to a gym, give it a try. If you don't have a cold pool, there's likely a shower available near your hot tub and you could (brace for it) hop in a cold shower for 1 - 3 minutes. Even if it doesn't help with recovery, it will certainly wake you up in a hurry!

Fixing the Nexus 4 Windows 7 MTP USB Device Failed Error

Sorry. This will be extra geeky. But a tricky digital devil had Ol Jon pulling at his graying hairs for hours. And the world must learn the solution that took Ye Old Geek hours to unravel!

The problem was that my Windows 7 system would not load the drivers necessary to connect my Nexus 4 to my PC via USB. (So that I could pull off my pictures and videos.) Removing the existing driver did not work. Installing developer tools did not work. A dozen other tricks and reboots did not work. 

What worked? A simple little shell command: 

     net localgroup Administrators local service /add

It apparently has something to do with the phone and USB and driver software all going too quickly and not negotiating properly. So Humpty Dumpty has a great fall and it takes an obscure command line to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

Four hundred bucks worth of ultra modern  phone hardware tweaked with six words. And I don't really know why. Here comes the singularity. 

Meg's Mass Choir

Meg spent the day with 500 other fifth graders from the Gulfport school district, practicing for a mass choir performance lead by John "Double Dream Hands!" Jacobson.

Once a year, Jacobson (professional composer, choreographer, writer, and music educator) comes to Gulfport to serve as conductor for hundreds of kids from seven local elementary schools.

He mixed classic hits with a modern twist on old dance steps. The kids were doing the Alligator, the Monkey, the Jerk, the Mashed Potato, and the Peppermint Twist.

They were all dancing and singing, but Meg was absolutely radiant. She was right up front (check the red circle!) smiling non-stop, never missing a step, knowing every word, and as bright and glorious as the sun.

Loooooved it. Highlight of my day. Probably my whole week. She's just so beautiful and fearless and eager to entertain the world. At one point, she ran into the audience, right next to me, and danced The Twist. My incredible, talented, brave little Meg.

The most courageous red headed angel in existence. My girl, Meg. Never a dull moment when she's with me. Light of my life. Air in my lungs. I don't think I could breath without her.

Ticking Tri Meeting

The Ticking Tri Bombs are my local Triathlon Team. I'm probably the slowest guy. Poorest runner. One of the weakest bikers. At best, an average swimmer. But I joined to train with and learn folks better than I am. So that's pretty much everyone.

At my favorite hangout: Coast Irish Pub. Dunno if it was the first meeting. Definitely the most recent. Free food. Happy Hour drinks. And (I think) the first elections of board members. I was asked to serve as Membership Coordinator. And Secretary was tacked onto my load, too. Glad to help. Hope I can make a difference. Happy that people have faith in me. Trust me to contribute to the group.

We'll see how it goes. Certainly make for a much more interesting triathlon season. And a productive one for me.

Unscheduled Rest Day

Knew that Ye Ol Back was not behaving. Felt the protest start yesterday.

Didn't pay enough attention.

Warming up in the gym this morning. Standing twists. Very FIRST repetition is a train wreck. Like the teeth of a crowbar biting into my mid-back. Left side. Knife-like pain burrowed between muscle and bone. Has to be a rib jumped off its rocker. Nothing feels as crisp or lightning-strike painful.

And that was it. Couldn't workout. Almost couldn't breath. Walking wasn't right. Posture immediately compromised to pain. Didn't even warm up before the workout was ruined.

Then, too much work. Calls and pleas for help and projects and woes and the usual suspects. Home at seven. Still not right. Meg tightrope walking on my spine. Didn't help. Cindy tap dancing, heel toe, heel toe. Didn't help. Then she sits on my lower back. One palm on the slipped rib. Other palm atop the first. Leans her weight into me. Sharp push. And POP! It slips back into place. Like a dead bolt clasping shut. Rag dolls me for five minutes. Able to breath. Able to think straight. Need a beer and a cigarette, now. (As if!)

Muscle still knotted. Tender. Rigid. Probably be useless tomorrow. Not able to lift or swim. On top of this unscheduled rest day. Not sure. Never sure with things like this. Have to see how sleep treats me. If sleep even comes.

Meg's Party - 2013

Big gathering at the house today. Officially celebrating Meg's 11th birthday. My family. Cindy's. Couple of pizzas. Soda for the kids. And a double cool cake. Cindy found somebody to do a Harry Potter theme. Complete with a Sorting Hat and an official welcome to Ravenclaw. 

Had a bit of adventure afterwards. Lined up the daughters. Meg age nine and one week, Alex (Cindy's Niece) age ten, and Morgan (my Niece) age six. Meg & Alex are the best of friends. "Cuzfriends." They like to say. And Alex gave Meg one half of a matching set of fuzzy pillows with "BFF" stitched onto them. We don't get to see Morgan as much as we'd like but when we do, the girls always have a good time running around and playing with her. 

Next up were the women in my life. Cindy. Her Mom, Glenda. My Mom, Cathy. And the girl of the hour, Meg. The only one missing is my Grandmother. She wasn't feeling well (fighting a cold) and couldn't make it. Miss her, terribly, but I'll find a way to get a picture with all of them together. 

Concluded with a picture of us men folk. My father, me, and Liam. Jason was missing because he was working. But there you have three generations of McDougals. 118 years worth of McDougalness. 

Good times and good company. Have to do it more often. With more of us involved. Enjoy it while it lasts. Until then, Happy Birthday again, Meg!

Read Write Run - 2013

Tried something new today: pushing myself! Normally, that never happens. Happy just FINISHING. If the time is good, the time is good. If the time is bad, the time is bad. Spent the last few days mentally preparing. Not just accepting a random outcome, but pushing through discomfort and hitting a new personal record. And chose 26 minutes as a goal.

Read Write Run 5K in Pass Christian, MS. Beautiful, but cold, morning. 33 when the alarm started shouting. (Below 50 until noon!) Long weather gear. Black beanie. And gloves.

Not many of the usual folks. Mostly Pass Christian locals. And kids. Two dozen of them in the One Mile event.  Then the 5K. A hundred and twenty some folks jogging down Scenic Drive. Started by pacing some fast runners. Kept my goal in mind and stuck to them the first mile. Boom! 7:30 pace. Close to record territory. Could't keep THAT pace up the whole time, but didn't drop to my normal pace. Was able to maintain almost 8:30 the next couple of miles.

On a goal of 26min, I finished 25:35. Personal record. And mission accomplished. Could have shaved another 5 - 10 seconds if I hadn't slowed for water. But still proud of that number. If the age groups weren't so big (40 - 49 instead of 40 - 44.) I would have been in the top three! Oh well, maybe next time!

February 2013 Rewind

So here's February: 

• Swim: 8.2 miles
• Bike: 172.5 miles
• Run: 23.2 miles
• Strength training: 7 hours
• Calories burned: 18960

Happy with the increased activities (slight though they may be.) My running miles are down due to not entering a half marathon in February. Hoping to increase it this month. Especially with my first triathlon coming up next month. 

Fitness Friday - My Main Morning Ritual

Until recent years, I never ate breakfast. And until recent years I was 45lbs overweight, lazy, and unhappy.

These days, one of my main morning rituals is to get up and consume at least 30g of protein within 30 minutes of getting out of bed. Most of the time, that is a scoop of whey protein blended with a cup of almond milk.

Here's why: Our bodies, like any kind of machine, need fuel. Without fuel, we're running on fumes, doing damage, and forcing our systems to perform at reduced levels to compensate for reduced energy levels. Not only does the protein provide fuel, but it also fires up key fat burning hormones and gets the brain primed for a productive, high performance day.

30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking is quick, easy, and cheap. It's the only way I roll in the morning.

Weighing In

Maybe October since my last weigh in. Back when I trained 20hrs a week. Flash forward five months. And I'm still weighing in at 185.5lbs. And that's at work, fully clothed, after lunch!

Considering I'm 6', eat like a horse, and drink beer more than recommended, I'm pretty proud of 185.5lbs. Could I lose a little more? Sure! Give up the Woodchuck. Give up cheat meals once a week. Maybe another 5lbs would drop off. Would that be worth it? I don't think so. I sacrifice enough as it is!

And once the furnace of summer fires up in South Mississippi, I'll sweat off even more of this baby fat.

Day to day, I honestly don't care what I weigh. I feel good. My clothes fit right. I'm fit, active, and full of energy. What difference does a number make? To me, none.

But I'm glad it is 185.5!

Pub Run - 02/27/13

Holy Abandonment Issues, Batman! Only three people running tonight! Terrible showing. However there was a large social event at the same hour. And most of the people (unlike Jon!) ran the NOLA Rock N Roll Marathon last Sunday. So a very light crowd on a mild winter night.

I only did 5K. Slow pace to keep a safe distance from the lone female runner tonight. 28min and some change. Felt good. Not too sweaty. Not too hot. And not too cold. Just right for an after-work run!

Then the Woodchuck. A mad dash home to tuck Meg into bed. And some leftovers. Finalized with my own attempt to go to bed early. Attempt I said.

Regional Food Fight 2013

At the office we're waging a polite little war disguised as a "Regional Food Fight." It is my property versus two other off-Strip properties. The goal is to raise 50,000lbs worth of food for local community kitchens and non-profit organizations. The winning property gets a Stanley Cup sized trophy. And each location is having their own self-contained competitions.

My department is mostly donating money. Maybe sixty pounds of actual foodstuff. But we have collected almost two hundred dollars in cash. And nearly everyone has donated. Which should give us an excellent average contribution.

All together, the property has amassed almost two tons of food. And we still have a couple of days to go. I think we're on our third pallet. At least the second. And still a few days left to go.

Days like this, I love going to work!

11 & Awesome

Today is Meg's OFFICIAL birthday. She's 11 & completely awesome! Easily one of the most creative and eloquent McDougal alive. My beautiful little girl. Nearly her Mom's height and already more well-read and outspoken then either of her parents. The universe is a bright, magical place with Meg in it. And we all count our blessings to have her in our lives.

Happy Birthday, Meg. I love you, three.

Celebrating Early

Meg's birthday isn't until tomorrow, but we took an opportunity to celebrate early. Her Maternal Grandfather, Robert, has a birthday two days after Meg's. So it isn't uncommon for us to get together for them. Cindy was studying, so I brought the kids. Darren and his family beat us there. Robert & Granny Pam arrived after church.

Took a moment to snap a picture of Liam and his Grandfather. How tall is that kid getting?  Won't be long before he's taller than Robert. And hopefully one day taller, stronger, and faster than me. (Which won't be much of a challenge.) Before I know it, the kid will be driving. (sigh) And I'm still getting used to the thought that: I have a teenager.

Lunch went well. Meg & Alex had fun. Liam & Tolar had a good time. I talked with Lindsay about running. Daren & Amy relaxed for a while. Super proud of Meg for eating an entire order of ribs. (Kids' sized.) To celebrate the co-birthday, she shared a slice of cake with Robert. Though I think she ate most of it.

Thankful for slow Sundays with the family. Enjoying it while it lasts.

Fitness Friday - Do More

Here's my currently challenge, one I hear repeated by many folks around me: How do I continue to improve? (Often a mutation of: how do I lose more weight?)

The answer to that question is surprisingly simple: Do more than you are doing now.

I improved my 5K times by training 10K distances. I improved my 600m swim improved by training first 1000m, then 2000m, and these days I usually train 3000m. I improved my average biking speed by adding time to my rides. And most folks that spend time in the gym know there's always room for more once you reach a plateau.

How does it apply to weightloss? The same plateau effect holds true. If you reach a point where you're not losing weight or making gains on your performance,  there's an easy way to get off your plateau: do more.

Pub Run - 02/20/13

No hit and runs. But an odd run-in with a disgruntled driver pacing along side us. Asking us why we were running on the street. Chattered a bunch of other blah blah blah. But I had my earbuds engaged and Rage Against The Machine playing. So I'm not sure what she said or how mad she got before she finally drove on her merry way.

A middle aged guy trying to get in shape by running. Yeah, let's get mad at that. He should be eating fried chicken gizzards one the sofa watching Duck Dynasty, like the rest of my Southern brethren. Right?

Took the moral high ground. And let silence speak for me.

On a tangential note, the Diversity Council nominated me to chair the Health & Wellness committee. Despite my absence from the Council itself. (I did it for two years and thought it would benefit more from fresh blood, instead of my old bitter blood again.) I accepted the nomination and I'm going to do my best to have at least one event a month for work. If I can help at least one other person change their life for the better, it will be worth my efforts. So off I go to raise the bar, again...

Fitness Friday - People Are Stupid

I made a critical mistake the other day: I trusted somebody else to keep me safe. As a result, I got hit by a car. And in the past, I've had a truckload of teenagers pull up behind me, while biking, and lay on their horn. Just for chuckles.

Here's this weeks tip for runners or bikers: People are stupid and you should never trust them to care about your safety over their mad desire to get wherever they're going. Unless, of course, you don't care about getting hit by Grandma as she flies through a stop sign.

So I Was Hit By A Car

Probably would have been a very typical Wednesday night. Run, beer, briefly social with the other runners. Except on the way home, I was hit by a car.

More precisely, I was nearly splattered across somebody's hood as they blew threw a stop sign. But I somehow managed to jump MOSTLY out of the way. From my perspective, I saw a light rushing at me and lunged out of the way. Next thing I known, I landed on my feet and hand. While the driver kept going.

Odd sensation, nearly dying. Does strange things with time. And your brain. In mid-jump I simultaneously screamed out of rage (or fear,) thought about my family having to deal with a sweaty corpse, and wondered what I'd done to deserve this. Landing seemed instantaneous. But standing up and turning around took forever as I watched the car drive off. And then things went weird in my stomach and I got sick.

Next thing I know, two guys are rushing up to me. There's a camera van parked behind them. They're both asking if I'm okay. (Since I'm doubled over.) And I'm patting my chest and butt. As if my boobs and ass are important to survival.

Driver says, "You were smack dab in the middle of that car's and jumped up. I thought you hit the hood and flipped over it." Meanwhile, I don't recall flipping.

Passenger says, "No, he jumped and almost made it, but the passenger-side mirror hit him in mid-air, then spun him around." And I don't remember spinning.

So I think I jumped far enough to clear the fender, but not far enough to miss the mirror. It apparently caught me in what little butt I have, turning me around before I landed. But to me, it was just a blur of LIGHT!JUMP!LAND!


As I'm catching my breath and telling them I'm okay, guess who is back? Yeah, the original car that hit me. Big, Cadillac looking thing. Blacked out windows. Creeps up on us. Way too slowly.

I'm thinking, "Okay, here he comes to finish the job..."

And a Grandmother rolls down the window. White hair. Glasses. Sweet Southern accent.

Proceeds to ask if I'm okay. And apologizes profusely. Only unusual part of the conversation centers on her optical abilities.

She says, "I came over the railroad tracks and absolutely did not see you." It's several dozen yards between the tracks and where she hit me.

I say, "I'm wearing a bright yellow, reflective jacket. And my pants have white reflective stripes."

She says, "I'm so sorry, I just didn't see you running."

"What about the stop sign?"

"What stop sign?" she asks.

And all three of us men point to the stop sign. She remains silent, briefly, after seeing it for herself.

More apologies. Lots. Then she offers to take me to the ER. I decline. Just want to be done with it. And finish my run. She drives off. The camera guys drive off. I try to find my own pace back.

Afterwards, some folks suggested I called 911 to report her. Another suggested a lawyer. But I'm not worried about that. It was clearly an accident. She didn't intend to do it. So why ruin her life? Or tried to profit off of it through legal action? Maybe the universe saved me for a reason. If so, I don't think that reason included messing up another person's day. Hopefully I won't regret the decision. But I'm sticking to it.

Lessons learned: 1) I had absolutely no identification on me. And (because I was running further than most folks) nobody was running with me. If I'd been splattered, I would have been a Jon Doe. 2) Post accident, you're not at all thinking correctly. I should have gotten a ride back to my car. Instead I was thinking, "This is going to throw off my run time!" And I probably should not have kept running, but I feel okay.

Anyway, that was interesting. Looking forward to next week!

Fitness Friday - Start Small

It took me a long time and many (MANY!) attempts to get find a successful starting point for a fit lifestyle. Over and over, across multiple years, I tried to lift too much, too often. I tried to run too far, too fast. And I tried to swim without any outside influence or advice. What was I doing wrong? Starting too big. I based my goals on somebody else's abilities, instead of having reasonable expectations suited to my existing level of fitness.

The solution was to start smaller. To be put aside my pride and  train at a level that would allow me to gradually improve. if I could only run a block, I only ran a block. If I could only curl 10lbs, I did a GREAT job of curling those ten pounds. And I stuck to realistic expectations of my own abilities.

Maybe you're not ready to run. Then get on the treadmill and walk. Gradually increase your speed. Gradually increase your distance. Or join a "Couch To 5K" group. Do light weights that you can manage. Gradually increase the repetitions. And increase the weight once you're comfortably able to do so. If you are like me, you're not a young, college athlete. And you trust me, it's very hard to train when you're sore, or injured. So start small. And pace yourself.

Wounded Warrior Ride 2013

Great weather on a great ride for a great cause! Just after lunch, folks from The Ticking Tribombs, Gulf Coast Running Club, Gulf Coast Bicycle Club, and Run-N-Tri (about 75 people in all) gathered at the Woolmarket Commmunity Center to support a local wounded veteran: Keola. We collectively raised nearly $1000 to support him and had a wonderful nearly-30 mile ride. He's a former marine, wounded warrior, and beginner triathlete.I was happy to ride with him and offer any support possible. Really nice, humble, guy. Wish I had arms like that!

The road was pretty quiet. The weather was fantastic. And there were multiple packs going different paces. Most of the ride I was hanging with Luke, Linda, J.G., and Jim. They stopped to wait for a straggler and I ended up riding solo. Thought I was lost for a while. Started to gas out. But found the highway just before I resorted to checking my GPS. Ended up finishing just behind the leaders and still had some miles left in my legs.

 I hope we have more events like that. Tremendously rewarding to train AND support such a respectable cause. Wounded warrior? Sign me up ANY time! Have bike, will travel...

January 2013 Rewind

One of my few resolutions this year: train more than I did last year. Thought I'd keep track on a monthly basis. And total for the year as I go. So here's January: 

• Swim: 5.5 miles
• Bike: 90.5 miles
• Run: 50.4 miles
• Strength training: 6 hours
• Calories burned: 18150

Other resolutions? Four Olympic Triathlons. And two Half-Ironman events. 

I think those are big enough resolutions for an old, pudgy, computer dork. 

Fitness Friday - Easier?

One of the hardest things for me to under about fitness was also one of the simplest: It never gets easier. Instead, you get stronger. You get faster. You get better. But but fitness never gets easier.

Here's an example: I have different strength training routines. Back, biceps, chest, triceps, etc. The amount of force required to lift a given amount of weight never changes. Physics never change. Instead, I get stronger. I'm able to lift the weights with less perceived effort. It may feel easier, but I'm still exerting the same force to move the weights.

Running may be affected by weight loss, initially. But I've peaked around 185lbs and I'm not going to get more aerodynamic. Running never gets easier. Biking? I could actually BUY speed by spending more on a bike. It would be lighter, more streamlined. But most of gains from sub-17MPH to almost 20MPH comes from my own development. I can power up hills now, but biking never gets easier. And how about swimming? Techniques help. Strength helps.  Though, I'll never be Aquaman.

The road will always be road. The water will always be water. And the weights will always mercilessly obey the timeless laws of physics. But fitness is a moving target. The only thing we can affect is our fitness. The rest never gets easier.

HARPed - The Conclusion

Back in October, I started to refinance the house. Move from an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) to a 30yr Fixed Rate Mortgage. It was literally only possible for us because of the HARP program. Without it, we would have either dealt with a sliding mortgage payment, or sold enough organs to amass tens of thousands needed to pay off the old mortgage and tens of thousands more to put down 10% on a new mortgage.

So I'm quite happy to announce that we're done! Signed the paperwork and we're only 360 payments away from owning the house. With some luck, the market will have recovered by then.

Glad to have that off my plate. Now on to the next adventure.

Pub Run - 01/30/13

Half marathon on Saturday. 23 mile bike Monday. 1.8 mile swim yesterday. And nearly 10K tonight. Quite a week for your wayward narrator.

Run went well tonight. Pretty sore the first mile. Warmed up by the end of the second. And at the midway point, a trio of great runners were returning so I dropped behind them. Kept telling myself to stick with them until the end of the 4th mile. Breathe and stay with them. Try to relax. Find a rhythm. And DON'T QUIT. 

Didn't quit. My miles with them were my fastest all night. Averaged 8:34/mile. If only I could keep that pace on my own, for an entire 5K, I'd be a happy camper. Something to shoot for at least.

10th Pub Run for me. Supposed to get a shirt, or a mug, or something. Allan said they're still working on it, but I was the first person to hit the number. 

Stuck with it every week. And I'm proud of myself. Not bad for a pasty ol' computer geek.

PR In The Pool

Thinking about the pool all day. Haven't had a challenge in a while. Way too comfortable. Complicit. Need to kick it up a notch. Make a new goal. Hit a new PR in the pool.

Wanted it. And got it. Sixty laps. 3000 meters. About 1.85 miles. Further than I've gone. And (imagine this!) I didn't puke, cry, or die.

Took the better part of an hour. And my shoulder (the wounded one) put up a brief fight. But in the end, victory was mine.

I'll stick with it for a couple of weeks. Won't be long before the lake is warm enough for open water swims. And I'll pick up from there. But for now, I measure my life in a series of small victories, and one more is in the books.