One more chance to learn...

Summer made its last stance this weekend. With warm temperatures and less rain than expected, it provided us with nice days for kiddie futbol and cyclocross. Donovan's soccer team, the Super Hero Squad faced off against the Fire Ninjas. They were pretty evenly matched, and either tied or won their game. In the end, it doesn't matter much, they had a good amount of fun.

Gas, gas, gaaaaaaaaasssssss......

On Sunday, I got my adrenaline shot. It was a good race, didn't go down, and it gave me more experience at this crazy off-road thing and learned a thing or 3. At my weight, I can run 30psi. Squishy tires...

Check out the $3,000 wheelset behind me... ooh la la....

Photos courtesy of Jon Hernandez, so-so cross rider, and heckler extraordinaire.

Have a good week!

Cyclocross, cyclocross... muddy all the way....

You know... like 'Jingle Bells.' CX race season has officially started here in Washington State. 2 races under my belt so far. No mud or cold just yet, but I am sure that will change soon. Oh yeah, the tri-geek that I am, I'm racing cx with my trisuit in those pictures. It is just so much more comfy than cycling bibs and/or shorts. I may need to look into a cx skinsuit... mhhh.....

At this time, there will be no 3rd Ironman for me this year.  We had plans to hit Ironman Florida, but the CFO and CEO sat down with the Directeur Sportif and my manager, and collectively decided ending the season was probably best.  The CTO also is requesting more time be dedicated to all sorts of Lego spaceships. Gotta keep everyone happy.

Cheers.

Feliz Cumpleaños, Mona

We miss you. Please keep watch over us.

Wednesday morning felt a little heavy....

Early in the morning, my Father called to let me know my Grandmother had passed away. She lived a full & happy life to 100. May she rest in peace. I am now officially out of grandparents.

About an hour later, Donovan stepped up to his first day of school. Granted, it is just kindergarten, but it is a 'real' elementary school, and it is big. We are talking tardy bells, lunch boxes, school buses... made me feel like a real grown up.

About two hours later, Theresa was visiting a dear friend in the hospital, his life nearing its end at the hands of cancer.

All this made me reflect on how life moves, how fleeting is our existence, and how crucial it is to be happy in the now and here to create strong memories. Right, I'm no philosopher; All I know is yesterday AM felt like one of those nature shows on  the balance of life was unfolding right before my eyes.

jc

IMC -- 19th MPRO

Ah, sweet, cruel Canada, I shall conquer you one day... Now, a few days removed from the day, I think it's time I give you credit for (once again) spanking my butt. Your heat and wind did me in last Sunday. You have gotten the best of me over several rounds. One of the future ones will be mine though...

There isn't a lot else to tell here, except the Similkameen Valley winds and the heat brought pain to a whole lot of people. The swim times were slow this year, and mine was slower thanks to an overzealous drafting lady that continually whacked my legs in the water, disrupting my position, and direction. Her antics slowed us both down. Thanks a bunch. My B70 Helix helped me cruise the swim easily otherwise. I then had a decent T1 (1:17).

My right groin muscle was in pain for about 1hr after getting on the bike. No idea why. Otherwise, the first half of the bike was good, and I kept riding at my target power. My stomach was a bit unsettled from the beginning, and I do wonder if I self-sabotaged my plan with the extra salt I added to my EFS drink servings. I fell a little behind on my planned nutrition, and struggled the rest of the ride, made worse by the winds.  I was told I was 27th at Yellow Lake. Ugh... My Blue Triad rode well, complimented by the nice & stiff ride from HED's Flamme Rouge Jet Disc and H3, just wish the engine had been firing properly....

Off the bike, I really questioned what I'd be able to do on the run. The energy I drew from seeing Theresa and then having Donovan running beside me propelled me fwd. I wasn't moving as fast as I wanted, but I would push as best as I could, and on this day, it would only be 6:50s. Or so I thought, as the second half, into the wind, saw me slow down a lot, and it became a real struggle. If you cheered me on, and I completely ignored you, I am sorry- I was too busy trying to put one foot in front of the other in a straight line. The last 10mi I just wanted to be done, lick my wounds and be with my family. I came in 19th among the guys. And I probably should have taken an IV at the end. Though I maintain I prefer to race in the heat, the temperature differential from Seattle to Penticton was too much for me last Sunday. Hats off to Chris Bagg- a pretty big guy from mild-summer Portland who did awesome in the heat. You really rocked it, dude.

Vacations are awesome!

The rest of our vacation was great, Donovan played a lot with his friend Anja, got a new IM hat, tried rock climbing, and enjoyed one last trip before starting kindergarten. Thanks to our friends Mike, Su and Anja for hosting us. As always, thanks to my sponsors for their support. Time to chill....

JC