Pie in the face

Donovan picked up this expression from an episode of one of his favorite tv shows. I've since adopted the phrase to describe how the wind feels during most weekend rides here in Seattle. I don't use it to complain, per se, I just think about the expression in the back of my head, in a very matter-of-fact way when I encounter the wind. There is one particular route, where if you make your ride long enough, the wind shifts 180degrees through the day, so you get pie in the face going out, and pie in the face coming back. Combine rain, temperatures in the 40F range, with pie in the face all-day long, and you got yourself a good character-building workout.

On Saturday, Donovan and I went for a swim, and then headed over to the U of W to catch some indoor track action. Though we missed the one event we wanted to see, Donovan was super excited to see a bunch of the different disciplines (short distances, pole vault, long jump, etc.). It was hard keeping him off the Mondo surface- He so wanted to participate. And of course, we made hot cakes and waffles, so the weekend was a blast, pie in the face and all.

Have a great week!

2010 Team Ramirez Race Schedule

Team Management sat down with me, and this is what we came up for the season:

Oceanside 70.3----------------------March 27
Subaru Shawnigan Half Ironman--May 31
Ironman Coeur d'Alene-------------June 27
ChelanMan Half Ironman-----------July 17
Vashon Island Olympic--------------July 25
Troika Half Ironman----------------August 1
Lake Stevens 70.3------------------August 15
Ironman Canada---------------------August 29
Cancun 70.3--------------------------September 19
Ironman AZ or FL--------------------November

The directeur sportif wanted the team to race a full schedule this year. There will also be a few run races sprinkled in for good measure. A couple of the half IMs and smaller events are tentative at this point, but that is the jist of it.

Here. We. Go.....

Más Pastel

This morning, of course, Donovan and I each had another cake slice b4 breakfast. He was having a hard time b/c he couldn't find a particular toy. Ah, but then a slice of pastel de tres leches restored balance to his universe. Wish everything was that simple....

I give it 4/5 days until it's all gone. :o)

36

oh man, I'm feeling old. Today was my bday.

Theresa and Donovan made an awesome dinner and dessert. For dessert, we had Pastel de Tres Leches, one of my favorites and a classic Mona used to make. In fact, Mona's was so damn good, she even sold them to the oldest ice cream shop in the city for a few years. Needless to say, eating pastel de tres leches with my wife and son brought back lots of memories of my childhood.
This past weekend I got the chance to watch one of my buddies race at an indoor track event at the U of W. Walking around the track facility, realizing some of the pimply college kids tearing around the purple Mondo surface were half my age, made me feel way old. Still, it was a blast, and it made me feel good to be in decent shape at my old age.

That's about it for right now. Just happy my bones are still holding up. Now where is that AARP application?

New, new, new....

Good ole' blog, it's been a while, just a busy time of the year. The new year came and went, and we didn't do a whole lot to 'bring it in', we found ourselves already in bed before the fireworks started going off. Anyhow- new, new, new!

New Year- This year marks me moving into the last year of my mid-thirties. Oh boy... time is just ticking away... I'll be turning 36 in just a few more days. 2010 will also mark my 5th year racing long course triathlons, and I'm hoping 5 is the charm.
New Work Schedule- I have to take 10 scheduled furlough days this year, so from time to time, I'll have 3-day weekends. Not too bad, I do enjoy the extra rest day at home. The first furlough day, combined with MLK day, netted me a 4-day weekend. Sweet.
New Strokes-Been trying to swim a good amount lately. I've been working on my technique, thanks to some good, simple tips from a local guru. Amazing, really, what someone who knows what they're doing can point out, and suggest ways to improve. I'm happy to report I'm zippin along quite nicely in the water, practicing to permanently incorporate the changes to my stroke.
New Sponsors- Not trying to jinx it, but let's wait and see.
New Race Schedule- Up soon.

In the meantime, an image that made me laugh lots....

talk soon

Feliz Navidad

It was fun to see Donovan so excited about presents. His grandparents & aunts/uncles surprised him with lots of toys, giving us lots of play time every morning. Santa delivered an awesome balance bike, which he totally loved. The continental cycling development squads might wanna take note.

Theresa and I were telling Donovan of the toys we had when we were kids. We were saying how computers did not exist back then, which prompted him to ask in a very matter-of-fact tone, "how did you check your email?". It was very funny, and a little intimidating too, to see that at 3yrs old, he is aware of the heavy influence of technology on daily life.

Though I was pretty beat down with a serious cold for a few days, the holidays were filled with fun. Yesterday I was putting on clothes to go biking, when Donovan asked if we could go 'swimming'. I thought about it for a half-second, and the number of ZEROs I had already racked up this week because of the nasty cold, and a half-second later, I was stuffing my bag with our swim shorts, towel, snacks, etc. We had an absolute blast in the water, and my butt did not miss the bike seat, not even for one second.

Soggy runnin' mess...

That's what you get when you go running on evenings when it rains moderately hard here in Seattle. As silly as I may have looked last nite, I wore my cycling plastic rain jacket, you know, one of them transparent non-breathing rubbery ones. And while I got mildly wet from the inside out, I was immune to the wind and cold rain, and it made for a nice 45min run. My feet were the only part of me that were cold.

So, if you want to keep PNW weather out, try a cycling rubber cape. In my mind, it is easier to unzip stuff than to try to get wet stuff warm.

'Tis the season...

Been meaning to write this for some days, but have been fairly busy.
'Tis the season. To decorate a tree, and hang stuff around the house. To plan Saturdays around going swimming with Donovan, and workouts around parties.



'Tis the season. To spend time with family and friends, to share a yummy plate of food and drink. We recently had a little get-together at our home, which was an absolute blast. The excellent buffet dinner was provided by my sis-in-law, Chef Christina.


Donovan and the rest of the kids had a ton of fun, as evidenced by the state of the basement post-party. Scott (of NUUN) and Shawn (of Blue Seventy) showcased their babysitting skills, and Donovan asked when they'd be coming back to play....



'Tis the season. To recognize how important are the people in our lives. Not because I don't do it at other times of the year, but it is a good time as any to reiterate it to those present. When the people are gone, they are gone for good, and it really sucks when you start filling your head with "I should have..."s. I really miss Mona, and I'm happy for all the people close to us and that are part of Donovan's upbringing.

'Tis the season. To do unstructured training, and do it for fun. To make sure the energy is renewed and the embers in the tummy stay lit. Many are the days ahead with long hours and constant fatigue.


'Tis the season. Peace.