WCC Ride 05/14/13 - Wherein Jon Gets Lost. Again.

Thought I'd do the 11 mile loop, solo. Listen to some Prodigy. Tackle some hills. Think deep thoughts. And work up a sweat. Bumped into Eddie "Coach" Holmes. He talked me into the 28 mile loop. With the Big Boys. By two miles, I fell out of the pace line. By 8 miles I couldn't see them. By 14 miles I was wondering why they weren't circling back. And at nearly seventeen miles I passed a sign: Welcome To Stone County. At which point I was officially lost. Thankfully I didn't hear banjos.

Phoned Eddie when I found signal. Back tracked. Met up with him around 25 miles into my 11 mile ride. Rode. Talked. He gave me some pointers. Tried to do some intervals. By 30 miles, I was running on fumes. Thankfully concluded at 32 miles.

Sweat. Road dust. Mosquitoes while I stowed my gear. Humbling to be the slowest member of the pack. And invigorating to get lost. Again.

Should get lost more often.

More Moo Shoo

The spirit was upon me. Try something new, she said. Chinese, she said. But no carbs, geek! she said. And once that voice whispers... It's on. 

My usual neighboor haunt. Family store. Best General's chicken in town. What's news, but no carbs? I decide to try the Moo Shoo Pork. No previous experience with it. I ask Owner Lady what it is. Not sure what she said. But she smiled as she said it And nodded at me. Like I was making a really smart choice. 

Haul it home. And wow oh freaking wow! Thin sliced pork. Eggs. Maybe mushrooms. Hint of ginger. Garlic. And possibly a wine or something with the most excellent flavor. Served with a side of POTENT thick black hoisin sauce. And some amazing tortilla-like wraps. Though I swear Owner Lady said pancakes? No idea what they were made of, or how they were made. But the whole thing was magnificent, strangely exotic, and delicious. 

I'm thankful for the visit from the spirit. She steered me in the right direction, as usual. And I'm certainly going to get more moo shoo.

Zipping Along

One lone non-office lunch per week. Usually spent amid young drama in The Old Biloxi Fillin' Station. My life is so very clean and simple in comparison to the tales we're told each Thursday or Friday. "We" meaning my work wife: Hodge. He likes to feel the soothing kiss of normalcy, too. So, I went caveman (surprise!) and opted for buffalo wings with a side salad. Sloppy and nummy. Just the way ol' Caveman Jon likes it.

After work? Biking through the hills of Woolmarket. Me, John H & David S. Just 11 miles. But did I mention the hills? First seven miles we were zipping along. Last four, panting like basset hounds. Gotta get used to those hills. And soon. Some big races coming up, and dying on the course isn't my idea of a good finish.

Non-Pub Run - 05/08/13

So my Pub Run was rescheduled to Tuesday, and that doesn't jive with my schedule. So, for the indeterminate future, I'm running solo through the neighborhood again on Wednesdays. And instead of 5K, I've graduated to 10K. Which completely reminds me why I dislike running so much. Not as much as I used to hate 5K. But at least in the same ballpark of loathing.

Pretty much the usual run given my location, my ability, and the time of year: mostly slow and sweaty.  Traffic was light. Humidity wasn't too bad. The Prodigy helped. But not one of my best runs. Need to start doing regular speed work. But I need a lot of things. Just a matter of time, money, and effort. All of which are in high demand but low supply.

Didn't cry, puke, or pass out. So I got that going for me. Until next week...

Southern Gaming 2013

Once a year a casino-based convention comes to town: The Southern Gaming Expo. Vendors circling overhead like shrill, angry gulls. Property executives get tan to make the rounds. And free parties litter the night like beads after Mardi Gras. Free food and free drink? Sign me up! But... there's this whole non-drinking issue Jon's been wrestling with recently. And the non-drinking side of the brain won the fight with the pro-drinking side. So Jon didn't partake, but he did attend the biggest party of the week.

My old drinking partner, Tracy, was there. Haven't seen her in probably a year. Or more? She came down with Rex last year, I think? And before that, I was in Las Vegas. Anyway, she's over in Louisiana, now. New property (for her.) New role. Lots of challenges. Her GM was with her. So we didn't have much time to catch up. But now that she's two hours away, instead of two days, maybe we can meet in the middle (NEW ORLEANS!) some time and compare notes.

Also got to hang out with my online video game brother: Mikey, aka Ribo. He works for MS Gaming in Jackson. Since I missed last year's expo, I haven't seen him since 2011. But we rumble sometimes on Borderlands 2. (New expansion due soon!) His wife, Sam, was there. Telling me about her adventures with the Dept of Marine Resources down here. (Apparently a big scandal that I've only vaguely sniffed) The Right Honorable Judge Rob was with him. And his bride, Amanda. We talked about video games, gaming, getting older, taxes, schools, society, and my near-termination a while back. Good times, good food, and what looked like really good booze.

Already looking forward to next year. Maybe I'll be drinking again by that time...

Monday's Villains

Not much cohesion to Monday's villains. Slept terribly last night. Too many thoughts and too few short term solutions. No rain but temperatures hover in the mid-50s. A jacket in May?Work immediately filled with dragons and boy is my sword arm sore. Jason's divorce court date gets pushed back. Dad wants to dig a ditch. Cindy finished her last test of the semester. Liam and the chamber group performed for a Biloxi school, passing the Google Maps car along the way. Meg is nearly as tall as her Mom. Molly got a bath. Lifted this morning. Sixty laps at the gym after work. Thirteen days until my next race. And boy are my swim arms sore!

Cinco 2013

Day two of constant studying for Cindy. Laundry and shoe shopping for the rest of us. Shoe Carnival not open until ELEVEN! Michaels in the meanwhile. Where they have two aisles of yarn and hundreds of different kinds of glitter. Thankfully a Carnival salesperson makes my life easy by measuring Little Sasquatch's feet (he's a size eight for those keeping score) and finding a good (ie: cheap!) match for his only-worn-three-times old pair. Then a hotly debated visit to Raising Cane's for lunch. The kiddos were all worked up about it. My first visit. And I felt guilty just LOOKING at it. Fried chicken strip sammich and french fries. Couldn't bring myself to drink a soda and yet I was still burdened with excessive guilt for effectively negating much of my recent training by eating such metabolic atom bombs. Sure, sure, the strips were good. But fried + battered + tatters = NOT caveman approved. Poor choice on my part. I'll regret it for days, but sometimes we have to forgive ourselves for our trespass.

Then I was off to the lake, for triathlon training. Get out of the car and cannot find my swim gear. No goggles. No earplugs. No towel. I'd left them at home. Plenty of offers to borrow from friends, but nobody has prescription goggles of my caliber. And not being able to see the shore is a deal breaker. So I sit there while everyone swims. Followed by a double tough ride into the wind. We averaged maybe 14MPH against 10MPH winds. One of the other riders couldn't take much more. And our two hour ride slipped to one hour.

Ho hum. It is what it is. Back home to the kids and a thunderously loud Cinco De Mayo meal at one of the local Mexican eateries. Kids had their usual. Chicken (again) for the boy. Cheese enchilada for the girl Starving, I scarfed down a plate of steak fajitas (including the dang flour tortillas!) Bellies full, again, we rode home talking about genetics and astronomy and the potential for a one-way trip to Mars. Not bad for a day's work. Happy Cinco 2013! Whatever that represents...

Suckage Continues

After four days, the suckage continues. More rain in the afternoon, completely fouling my efforts to do any sort of serious training. Tuesday killed my bike ride. Wednesday killed my run. Same Thursday. Same today.

Told myself, "Dude!" (I call myself Dude.) "You're going to run when you get home, unless there is lightning or hellfire." But that was before I felt the temperature drop into the fifties. And before the walk from my car to the front door resulted in nearly unusable spectacles. Drizzle and glasses do not mix. I would have been runnng nearly blind.

So just a couple of weeks before an Olympic triathlon, I haven't trained in four days.

(sigh)

April Rewind 2013

Cindy's birthday. Unusual cold. Unusual rain. First triathlon of the season. Winning another challenge from the Tunica crew. Better time on the training. And resumed levels of happiness. Hey, May... BRING IT!

• Swim: 3.75 miles
• Bike: 124.5 miles
• Run: 23 miles
• Strength Training: 12 hours
• Calories burned: 20469

A Wild Wednesday

Not the day that was envisioned. Started with the results of personal experiment. Haven't had a drink (of alcohol) in three weeks. Not a drop. Wanted PLENTY. Enjoyed none. Testing a theory that drinking has contributed negatively to Ye Ol Waistline. Was hovering around 186.5, beginning of the month. Weight today? One hundred and eighty three pounds. 183! And that was fully dressed, work shoes, wallet, keys, phone. Everything. Buck naked and exhaling, the scale may touch down as low as 180.

The results are great, and terrible. Great because of the weight loss. But it is terrible because it comes at the price of one of the last few guilty pleasures in my life. Sure, sure, sure. There's probably a happy middle ground. Maybe ONE beer won't add to my waistline. But one ain't ever enough. So the results of my experiment create a tough moral dilemma: indulge and accept the drag on my weight, or keep suffering.

And then, the rain. Not just a bit. Not just a storm. But a Message From God Sized deluge. Talking biblical proportions, man! Cats & dogs living together. Total anarchy! Could barely drive home. Let alone do the weekly pub run.

YYYYYArrrrrrrgh! Why did it have to turn out to be such a wild Wednesday?

Inspiring - 2013

Interesting event at work today. Part diversity, part sustainability, part pep-rally. I volunteered. Twice. First show, I was armed with a laserized badge scanner. Probably scanned 300 people before it was all said and done. So many familiar faces blurring past.

Second show, I was a dancing usher. Mostly usher. Terrible dancer. Another good time. And many more familiar faces.

Two hour event for the entire staff, three times today. Once tomorrow. Several of the top corporate executives visiting. People clocking in on their off days. Now THAT has got to be an expensive pep rally!

Hopefully somebody is as inspired as I am! But I bet they didn't get a free shirt?

Memphis In May 2013 Training - Week 3

Things did not look good for your Humble Narrator. Dark skies. Temperature dropping. Wind. Rain. And the usual excuses lingering behind the eyes. All these negatives coming together to bring training to a grinding halt. But, never let it be said that I didn't at least TRY...

Thankfully (this time) my efforts paid off. Although the ride to Robinwood bordered on frightening, the lake was relatively calm and lightning free. I put in a great (by my standards) swim, just over 30 minutes for 1800 meters (at a slowish pace.)

Then we changed into biking gear and hit the road. Lisa, Christine, and JG, too. Fairly dry, uneventful ride. With the exception of a dark blur that turned into a barky dog. But otherwise uneventful and satisfying. 

Wanted to run. (Right!) The weather, however, conspired against that. The clouds returned and I feared getting a mile down the road when another deluge hit. Soaking my phone. Exposing me to the chance of a lightning strike. Neither of which sounded pleasant. 

So I called it a day. Picked up some chocolate recovery juice on the ride home. And ended my weekend on a quiet note.

Half way to Memphis!

March Rewind 2013

Looking back at March with some interesting notes. Another birthday. Liam's gold medal. Meg's choir. Whacking out my back. Not as much training as I wanted. But it was a busy month.

• Swim: 6 miles
• Bike: 115 miles
• Run: 20.5 miles
• Strength Training: 7 hrs
• Calories burned: 14787

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.