Sweet Colorado Pics

Here are some pics from my recent trip out to Colorado. It was a lot of fun, and some tough training in the thin air.

Entering the Rockies..


Grand Junction, CO on the way to the Better 1/2 in Gateway, CO.


The Palisade in Gateway Canyon, Gatway, CO


My recovery drink...after 15miles at altitude.


A must do in CO: the Colorado National Monument in Grand Junction. We did a lil run at 6600 feet, at times you felt like you were on Mars bc of the plant life, but it was outstanding.


I felt like I was living in an LGB train set.


Long ride through Co Springs, Manitou, and Garden of the Gods.


Some more Garden of the Gods, and that is Pikes Peak in the background, measuring inat 14,000 and change feet. (Although, i do not think, that is what Starbuck's was inspired by for their new house blend)


The 9x2min hill repeats executed at 5500ft were totally inspired by Maqua from Last of the Mohicans, except he was running up a Mountain.


That is snow in my pants, I can assure you nothing else was working after this run.


I'm pretty sure these native Boulder cows could have ridden my bike faster that day.


All the pain was worth it for Margaritas and queso at Juanita's in Boulder.

St. Patrick's Day

Well this was the view from down the street at Good Harbor Beach, after I rode my bike yesterday. I woke up at 4am to get in my trainer ride, so I could continue on with St Patrick's Day! I know its crazy, but I am 100% Irish.

My mother and I ventured down to NYC to watch the parade from the steps of St. Patrick's Cathedral, the grand stand of the parade. My Mom's cousin's husband is NYPD, and in charge of security, so we got to enjoy the parade from the best seats in the house. It was a beautiful day, sunny and clear. A beautiful parade as well, bagpipes and green everywhere. My real camera's battery is dead, so no cool pictures. Waking up at 4am was definitely worth it.

It was great to see my relatives, and watch a parade that truly celebrates Irish heritage(the parade is older than the USA). the 10 hours in the car, and stiff legs today were small beans compared to an incredible day.

Funny Triathlon Video/Song

Pretty Ridiculous, but i think its marvelous. This band is from Finland? who would have thought. very random.

The 5 question game...

I am still not sure why I agreed to this, but here are the 5 questions Kim gave me... here it goes...


1.) How did you get started with triathlons?
A friend asked me to do one with her, so i agreed to the 2002 Monster Challenge(Boston Triathlon), and was totally hooked. I never looked back.

2.) What was your favorite race?
I love Buffalo Springs 70.3, loved the Boston Tri while it was still around, but really anything the Jordans' put on at Endorfun is the best, (Mooseman, Timberman, Lonhorn, and Lonestar).

3.) What do you like to do on non-training days? Guilty pleasures?
Non-training days. I did just take a little break for the first time in a few years, but i don't get many of those. I love playing with my yellow lab jasper, and enjoying a good beer with friends and family.

4.) Goals for 2009? Triathlon/personal/whatever!
Get into Grad school, start. Have a successful season, have no regrets, and achieve what all that i am able to. "Kick ass!"

5.) Have you ever thought of being a tri-coach?
Yes. Hopefully one day, that will happen.

That was fun.


To play along:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by giving you five questions. (I get to pick the questions.)
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

This aint Texas

FEB 28. Gloucester, MA. cold and windy, but i really enjoyed getting out on the road today.

can not wait until summer.

FWE

FWE: Finished With Engines. This is a legal nautical term used by the Captain of a ship to communicate with the Engine Room that the vessel has arrived, we are done maneuvering, and you can secure the engine.

Shortly after I wrote my last blog, TGFT, I had a bit of a panic attack. I had a lot of stuff going on in my personal life, still no job, and I just needed to take off. So, that's what I did. I graduated from Massachusetts Maritime Academy, before entering the USCG, with a degree in Marine Transportation and a license to drive ships. So I spent a lot of my college years cruising around on the high seas learning how to navigate, operate, yada yada, ships. The MMA ship was leaving for its Winter Cruise, and they needed an extra Mate, I was there the next day. (See Below)



It offered me a few things. A chance to make a few bucks, escape from some problems( in so, dealing with them), rest my knee, skip this vicious winter in the Caribe, and finally most importantly get a clear head and re prioritize. With the US economy fuzzy these days, job opportunities are not everywhere. For about 3-4 weeks of the voyage, I was planning on taking a year off from racing and shipping out to make some money. I was nursing a knee injury, and even threw out my back so i was pretty messed up, and just thought to myself maybe i need to just focus on reducing my debt for a year and come back to tri next year. it was a very weird feeling. i was a content with that idea.

if you know me, i hate content, or anything if "it works". i want amazing, i want excitement.

a month to the day from leaving the dock, i couldn't take it anymore. i needed to train. i thought about my friends going to races, and not having a character with a line in that chapter of the book. i was craving long sweaty days on a bike, and endorphin filled afternoons spent pounding away repeats at the track. i missed leaving the poolhouse, and feeling the air run through my lungs like they had never been there before. you know that feeling on the trainer during intervals, towards the end where you feel like you are going to black out, but you don't, and the first thing that comes to your mind is: you did it! or the horrible butterflies you get when the alarm sounds at 0430 on race day, and you get out of bed and every muscle feels tight and under prepared, but when the gun goes off they act as rubber bands fresh out of the bag. this is not a sport, or a competition, and definitely not a hobby. it is truly a lifestyle, and it is my lifestyle.

money is necessary, but i don't feel as though i should sell out to society's spineless demands and expectations, by shipping out, and in doing so sacrifice the one thing i love and have a passion for.

bottom line, im gonna make "it work", but its gonna be amazing.

i am FWE.

TGFT

Thank God For Triathlon.

not trying to be dramatic, thats really all i want to say. if it wasn't for this sport, and training as much as i do, i'm not sure i could deal with this world.

p.s. = if there was no q or r, a part of the alphabet would look like that.

Gloucester

So, in the past few months a lot has changed. Some would say my whole life has changed, but it has not. I left a career as an officer in the USCG, left where I had lived and trained for 3+ years (Houston, TX) and ended up back home in Gloucester, MA with no job. all with a smile.

When i left the uscg, the following is what i was berated with:

what's your plan?
do you have a plan?
do you have a job lined up?
how do you feel about being unemployed during a recession?
why are you giving up such a great career?
what about health care?

and a lot more of why? how? and when i answered, a lot of.. what?

the truth is it doesn't matter why, because if it truly did, i would never have wanted to leave. if you can follow the last sentence you get where im going without actually going there.

and as for how?
in my opinion life is not supposed to be cookie cutter and something un-original, or at all a string of experiences that we are all supposed to go through to get to the same finish, or a career of playing the game in order to achieve the vast summit of retirement. life is different for everybody. whether that is fair or not, is not up to me. some people will trot happily through their existence never questioning why or how, but always doing what they are supposed to, maybe or maybe not with a smile.

I thought we were all supposed to attempt the apparent impossible... happiness. maybe they are, maybe they are not. for me, i am still searching.

but as far as being unemployed in a recession, i am pretty happy. i am not too nervous, and when i find what i am looking for i will know.



Being home in Gloucester is truly a gift. I am with my family, and that matters (despite what the uscg thinks). being able to grab a cup of lone gull coffee and take a walk with jasper through stage fort park (above-top) during a november sunset would make anyone smile.

Done Deal

I am officially out of the USCG. The past few months have been pretty stressful, and have not been updating much at all. Either way, the news for now is I am Clearwater bound and officially seperated from the USCG.

This is Bad A$$

i actually stole this from one Desiree Ficker's website, but you need to see it. Click below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY

My Boy - Jasper

Jasper is the man !

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Mental or Physical? Mental

I got motivated to write about this topic after I commented on Kathleen's blog and ended up going on a tirade, eventually forcing myself off my soapbox. The topic is the mental fitness you need for triathlon on top of the already physically demanding sport. Not like differential equation or literary mental fitness, but mentally allowing your body to accept the pain.

I am of the belief that triathlon is 90% mental and 10% physical. People talk aot about talented athletes. Almost, passively saying that they could never achieve great sucess because they do not posess the natural born genetic gift of talent. i DISAGREE, I agree talent does have a factor in this sport, but i believe it lies in the mind not the body. The body will react to science, just like a race horses.



I know, I know. Everybody is thinking right now, racehorses are breed from long lines of racers. Remember Seabiscuit? He was not supposed to be a champion, because he lacked the genetical makeup of the typical thourough breed. But, horses are trained just like elite athletes, and fed a strict diet. If you ever get a close look at a race horse, there muscles are veined just like a triathletes.

Nutrition and training will make you stronger, but what makes you better and better, or even great is the mental portion that permits you to put your body through daily pain, wake up early, not have that second beer, get your workouts in, and deal with the lactic hot daggers in your legs at the end of a triathlon. It's all Mental. Horses lack reason, and they obey much better than any human I have met. Horses are instinctually born with the "lack" of mental wit to understand there is another option to running around in circles.

Take Bob, he knows working out is good for him, but sitting on his ass watching tv and eating Pop tarts is easier. (By the way, nothing against pop-tarts, i love them, i love the strawberry ones).



Horses don't know that sitting under a tree in the corner of the field is better. They do what they are told. This in lies the problem and the solution. Free will, wich we all posess. We, unlike the horse, can choose the easy route or the hard route. Triathletes, especially great ones, choose the harder one, because they are mentally strong.

So, It's All Mental! We posess that drive for more, and that obsessive desire to see what our bodies can do if we push it further and further. Mental Talent is where the magic happens.

Okay, there are still non believers out there, who think people are born with longer legs, that can run faster, or larger lats that easily develop, or giant quads that produce more poer on the bike. Yes people are different, but that is no excuse to sell yourself short before you attempted, I think people who do that may lack some mental talent, but physically similar to the rest of us.

"The defense calls witness Mr Arthur Lydiard to the stand.."



In actuality, Lydiard died in 2004 at the ripe age of 87, in Texas of all places. A New Zealander who is credited with starting the jogging craze in New Zealand and eventually the US, coaching tens of Olympic Medalist, and never refusing to coach anyone. He has been quoted as saying, "Champions are everywhere, all you need to do is train them properly." Everyone reading this blog, that is a triathlete, uses somewhat of the Lydiard System. He basically invented base, and periodization. He truly believed that with long slow distances anyone, anyone, anyone can get faster.

So, my conclusion: Anyone can achieve anything they set their mind to. The key words are anyone, anything, and mind. You need to set that mind, and not vary from that goal. The mental sacrifice, mental descipline, and mental motivation that is needed, is the real test.

Lydiard: "There are no shortcuts to the top!"

Okay, my soap box just broke.

Yes, I am still alive...And so is the Frog!

Frog, what?

For some reason work has accelerated in the past few weeks. I am still trying to figure out why. I am not really complaining though, being busy is better for Liam. Idle is bad, I get a little distructive when i am idle. So, remaining busy and full of tasking keeps me out of trouble and too busy to worry about things I cant control.

Oh yea, the frog. I started a 8pmish late, dark, wet, and cold run. I was wearing my ipod, which i usually dont when i am running. As i began to accelerate, get into a rythm, and mindlessly chip away at the optionless 6 miles down crestwood near Memorial Park...i suddenly felt like i was tripping on something heavy. I looked down, and a 10 pound double fist sized bullfrog was being kicked off my left foot.

at first, the nanoseconds while i was trying to figure out what it was, i jumped. like ten feet. i dont like snakes, but as the first hay-second ended, i realized it was not a snake, landed, and the frog hopped away. we were both fine, and we both continued on our nightly journey.

what are the chances of that? strange things happen during triathlon training and racing. we can all agree that these strange, wonderful, unique, awakening moments is a big reason why we wake up at the crack of dawn, or stay up late to put ourselves through an amount of physical pain day in and day out. but, there are so many other reasons, and if we could pin point them all, we wouldn't be blogging. so, with that said. i need to get on my bike.

p.s. Jane, thank you for another amazing epicurean masterpiece, and Trigreyhound, it was great to see you again. (My hyperlinks are not working?)

Train hard.

Cubicle purgatory turned aerobic session !!

My new chair! I have been meaning to do this for years....

It is definatly working, i am so sore, there is no way i am going to last the whole day. Triathletes everywhere should be using this, for core strenght and balance building.

In other news - it froze lastnight in Houston, and frozen lizards were raining from the heavens(trees). Nasty.

Taylor Time

Christmas Eve at Sugar Cycles was alot better than we all thought it would be. Full time Barista. and Part Time mud machine(mtbr) Shaun Taylor showed up with a nice surprise...

The crazed and caffienated Cannuck lugged 100+ lbs of espresso beaned paradise down to the shop and made everyone a perfect Latte.

You can't buy this....

Literally.

Shaun's been hooking me up with his home roasted beans for weeks now, and they are truly 90% art and 10% science. But, to enjoy a cup actually espresso style, not dripped coffee, it is a whole new world. The boys at Sugar truly appreciated your beaned visit.

Christmas Day Ride...

It was supposed to be a three hour epic effort cruise through the Sugar Cane fields of Sugarland, TX. (haha) It turns out, we got about an hour in with some sprint stuff.

After the ride, I headed over to Shuan's igloo(they shipped it down south from calgary). I got the opportuntiy to partake in a true Maple Leaf Candian Christmas. It was awesome. Shaun's wife, Doreen, and her parents cooked up a storm, and I literally had 6 pounds of turkey dinner. The only strange part was they offered maple syrup instead of cranberry sauce. Oh well, there Canadian! It was really nice, and thank you so much for adopting me and letting me be canadian for the day.

Gloucester Bound !!!

Happy thanksgiving everyone! This is my favorite holiday. It is all about the family. I will be flying out tommorow morning from Houston to Laguardia Airport in New York, and then on to dinner with the family in NY. After a couple of days of eating, drinking, sleeping, and eating, we will head north to Gloucester, MA. I am so excited, I haven't been home in 6 months! I get to be home for about ten days. Ihope to get some good training in during the week, but it will be alot colder than Texas.

Lastnight I ate about 6 pounds of chinese food. I feel great today.

Anyobody doing the turkey trot tommorow?

November

November rocks. Not only is it my birthday, has the best holiday(Thanksgiving), the best weather, apple picking(if i was home in Boston), you can wear a shirt while running(in Houston), Jasper loves the weather too, Marathon training(not for me) has started so the park is packed, etc. etc..

The one bad thing about November is the sun sets too early, so many evening bike rides have been ending with deathly dark rides. I have been doing what I want for a few weeks now, and it is getting old. It is a little fun to be able to ride because i feel like it, run because i want to, and eat what and when i want to all the time. But, this is going to get old very fast. It is a necessary evil to refurbish the mental and physical drive to train and race triathlons hard for eleven months, and it is beginning to get old. I miss the pain in my legs when i go to bed.

This obsession we like to call a passion is triathlon.

OFF-SEASON-BLUES- ; (

This past week has been strange. Working out when i want, and doing what I want? I dont like that. Eating what I want, and when I want? I dont really like that either.

It is kind of like my body is doing everything wrong right now, because it can. I'll allow it to eat a footlong tootsie roll for breakfast, or not run when I want.
It is almost like when your a kid, and your teacher leaves the classroom for a minute, the place turns into a circus.


My ocd crazy triathlon - ing self is taking a few weeks off in order to refurber and come back strong, and my body is going ape over it.



It is a necessary evil in this sport to take time off and RELAX. I firmly believe that to be true, but when your body is so used to it, our usual coping methods are out the window, and we turn to tootsie rolls for an outlet!




I have learned over the past week, that the traditional form of relaxing(lounging) does not really work with me. I do not idle well. I am more relaxed with a high heart rate, and sweat dripping down my face.



In other news, the Patriots are still undefeated, the Red Sox are still the World Champions, Boston College is 8-1, and the first slot for the US Olympic Triathlon Men's Team went to Bostonian Jarod Shoemaker. With that said, all bets are on Bostonian(GloucesterMan) Janda Ricci Munn this saturday in Clearater, FL to have a great performance.



I will be over there rooting Janda, Kelly Carrington, Shannon Porges, and Andrew Strong along the race course as I eat Tootsie Rolls.



I am bored, it might be easier to keep traning.

tour de france begins.......in england??

so, whats the problem with the french?

tour de france and they go to england for the important and popular prologue? i think it is cool as hell, its historic and fun to watch a huge bike race in London. i just feel a little bad for the french, their own tour, and...... Americans have won it for 8 straight years, and now England gets to celebrate the beginning of the race.

are they giving up? the french have sacrificed their own tour?

will we be racing in russia on bastille day in a few years?

come on france, get your damn race back. you have paris, the alps, the pyranese, and a beautiful country. i know we've pretty much covered it all during past years, but we wont remember, we were drunk. make it the tour de FRANCE.

what the hell do i care. kona will always be in kona.

we need some sun

i thought i would never say this, but houston needs more sun! it has been raining for weeks. it feels like boston here ( a warm bosotn). either way, i have gotten used to the consistent texas sun, and i want it back. if anyone finds it, let me know.

this week i am taking it pretty easy, and just throwing down some quality miles in all three. this weekend, we're gonna put some miles down on the bike. saturday at sugar, and sunday in the "hills". let me know if you want to join. i hope the sun will come out.

today, some quality time must be spent with jasper. the lil blond furball is begging for a long park session. a good run with jr, and a swim is in order as well.

by the way la fitness' pool is awesome, and only $30/month. i went there last night and was totally impressed.

the tour de france begins tommorow in london ! so everyone whould ride with sugar in the morning and hang out at the lounge for the prologue. should be fun.