Not with a bang but a whimper. :-)
Ok with me. I was basically "on call" for three weeks. I had to "check in" each monday evening after 5PM. Turns out they didn't need any of us. Never even went to court. Just had to be available. :-)
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
More news from my (20 yo) "baby" in China...
Hey daddio, I'll let you forward this to everyone else. :P
I'm in Xi'an and absolutely amazed by the history here! It is astonishing. Xi'an has a 600 year old city wall, which is not at all old in comparison to ruins from 1,500+ years ago. I am really excited to go out and see all the sights... including the terracota warriors.
I'm sure you heard about he 5.8 aftershock that hit earlier. Xi'an did feel it, but no damage. I was actually in the air when the aftershock hit. So all is well :)
So I have to say, nobody mentioned how hard it would be to climb the Great Wall. That thing climbs into the mountains, and there are portions of it where it feels like the steps are going straight up. I had to brace myself on the slippery rocks a few times :P But the view is spectacular, I got a little emotional because I was just so excited to finally be there.
Oh, and Tianamen Square is not all its cracked up to be... it just has a 15 foot picture of Mao (I took lots of pictures). It was interesting though because when we all got there, people wandering around stopped and gathered around us because I don't think they are used to seeing so many foreigners in one group. One old woman actually stood in front of our circle and had her picture taken.
After Tianamen Square we went to the Forbidden City. the history of that place is simply fascinating, and the architects put so much thought into how to properly construct it to show respect to the emperor and his consorts. It is absolutely huge; they weren't lying when they said it had 9,999 rooms.
Ok, so after we did all our stuff in Beijing, we went to this little village about 4 hours outside of Beijing called Gengcun. this village is famous for its storytelling. When we got there, the villagers were all waiting for us and the women of the village started dancing for us. It was a pretty easy dance so many of us joined in, including myself. It was a blast. The villagers were all so welcoming, and all the little children were so excited to see foreigners. It was funny though, we were split up into separate groups to go to different households with interpreters to hear the villagers stories. These stories were so amusing and inventive. I'll tell them to when I get back. Now the funny part was that after the women had told a few stories, they asked us to tell a story. We could not think of one and decided to tell The Three Little Pigs. It seemed like they enjoyed and politely clapped afterwards. Later our interpeter told us, the villagers already knew the story. We were completely owned :P Oh and when we were leaving, a little old lady came up to and said "huai lai" repeatedly, which means "come back." The people here really are beautiful, and really any people who can come back from the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, and still have so much spirit.... truly amazing.
So I get to look forward to digging for artifacts (maybe), exploring the history of Xi'an, and then going to Guilin. Oh it'll be so much fun.
I miss everyone, and can't wait to get home. Hope all is well.
I'm in Xi'an and absolutely amazed by the history here! It is astonishing. Xi'an has a 600 year old city wall, which is not at all old in comparison to ruins from 1,500+ years ago. I am really excited to go out and see all the sights... including the terracota warriors.
I'm sure you heard about he 5.8 aftershock that hit earlier. Xi'an did feel it, but no damage. I was actually in the air when the aftershock hit. So all is well :)
So I have to say, nobody mentioned how hard it would be to climb the Great Wall. That thing climbs into the mountains, and there are portions of it where it feels like the steps are going straight up. I had to brace myself on the slippery rocks a few times :P But the view is spectacular, I got a little emotional because I was just so excited to finally be there.
Oh, and Tianamen Square is not all its cracked up to be... it just has a 15 foot picture of Mao (I took lots of pictures). It was interesting though because when we all got there, people wandering around stopped and gathered around us because I don't think they are used to seeing so many foreigners in one group. One old woman actually stood in front of our circle and had her picture taken.
After Tianamen Square we went to the Forbidden City. the history of that place is simply fascinating, and the architects put so much thought into how to properly construct it to show respect to the emperor and his consorts. It is absolutely huge; they weren't lying when they said it had 9,999 rooms.
Ok, so after we did all our stuff in Beijing, we went to this little village about 4 hours outside of Beijing called Gengcun. this village is famous for its storytelling. When we got there, the villagers were all waiting for us and the women of the village started dancing for us. It was a pretty easy dance so many of us joined in, including myself. It was a blast. The villagers were all so welcoming, and all the little children were so excited to see foreigners. It was funny though, we were split up into separate groups to go to different households with interpreters to hear the villagers stories. These stories were so amusing and inventive. I'll tell them to when I get back. Now the funny part was that after the women had told a few stories, they asked us to tell a story. We could not think of one and decided to tell The Three Little Pigs. It seemed like they enjoyed and politely clapped afterwards. Later our interpeter told us, the villagers already knew the story. We were completely owned :P Oh and when we were leaving, a little old lady came up to and said "huai lai" repeatedly, which means "come back." The people here really are beautiful, and really any people who can come back from the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, and still have so much spirit.... truly amazing.
So I get to look forward to digging for artifacts (maybe), exploring the history of Xi'an, and then going to Guilin. Oh it'll be so much fun.
I miss everyone, and can't wait to get home. Hope all is well.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Transitions...
There's something exciting about watching the transition area fill up on the day of the race.
Empty transition area the day before the big race.
Filling up, the day of the race.Thursday, May 22, 2008
Graduation day.
One of the software engineers on my team at Mako Surgical graduated this spring with a PhD. from the University of Miami. Smart guy! Since I was on his committee, I was invited to don the professorial attire and participate in the ceremony. I had a great time. I always get a little choked up over the serious tone and the history that underlies such events. But beneath all that regalia...
Beats the heart of a Triathlete! 'Nuff said! :-)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Use it or lose it!
It's my new philosophy of living. I am discovering more and more about my physical (and mental) self as I am pulled inexorably deeper into my fitness craze. Several years ago, after I had surgery on my lower back for a badly herniated disc, I thought that my active fitness days were behind me. The surgeon advised me to "take it easy" since I only had half a disc left. Well, I'm happy to report that the disc has regenerated. I know that from a recent X-Ray. And despite the fact that I no longer make "bend-at-the-waist" and touch your toes part of my regular exercise routine, I am certainly flexible enough to do that easily thanks to a regular Yoga regime.
My left knee, which is missing the top third of the knee cap, and which I had scoped some years ago for a torn meniscus, is feeling just fine these days thank you very much! Running and bicycling has proven to be just the thing to keep it limber and pain free. If I don't use it regularly and vigorously it will tend to stiffen up on me. So, "use it or lose it".
"Take it easy, you're getting older"? No sir, not me!
My left knee, which is missing the top third of the knee cap, and which I had scoped some years ago for a torn meniscus, is feeling just fine these days thank you very much! Running and bicycling has proven to be just the thing to keep it limber and pain free. If I don't use it regularly and vigorously it will tend to stiffen up on me. So, "use it or lose it".
"Take it easy, you're getting older"? No sir, not me!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
My "Baby's" trip to China...
My youngest is on a two week tour of China. Here is what she writes about her first day:
Hey everyone!
My goodness, China is way cool... once you get past all the pollution :P Beijing is absolutely beautiful with roses everywhere. When I first arrived, jetlag was kind of slowing me down, but once I got over that I was able to get excited and really enjoy the scenery. I have taken so many pictures, so be prepared.
*sigh* Today we went to see the Temple of Heaven, famous for the Echo Wall. The architecture is very interesting, and it is just amazing to me how much thought was put into the design of the whole thing, and the scale of it is simply astonishing. Then for dinner, we had the famous Peking Duck... so good! I was worried about the food, but so far it's been very good. Also, I don't think you'll believe this... but after dinner we were walking through Beijing, and their were street vendors selling varying kinds of shishkabobs... and I tried scorpion and cricket (very crunchy and salty, but not bad), and I attempted silkworm, but it was a little too juicy, I had to spit it out :P
We also went to a very famous silk store (it was huge!) and learned how the silk was made while watching the whole process. So expect some silk souvenirs, as this was probably the cheapest place I could buy silk in the world.
I may not write in awhile as internet access is kind of expensive, but I miss and love you guys.
Hey everyone!
My goodness, China is way cool... once you get past all the pollution :P Beijing is absolutely beautiful with roses everywhere. When I first arrived, jetlag was kind of slowing me down, but once I got over that I was able to get excited and really enjoy the scenery. I have taken so many pictures, so be prepared.
*sigh* Today we went to see the Temple of Heaven, famous for the Echo Wall. The architecture is very interesting, and it is just amazing to me how much thought was put into the design of the whole thing, and the scale of it is simply astonishing. Then for dinner, we had the famous Peking Duck... so good! I was worried about the food, but so far it's been very good. Also, I don't think you'll believe this... but after dinner we were walking through Beijing, and their were street vendors selling varying kinds of shishkabobs... and I tried scorpion and cricket (very crunchy and salty, but not bad), and I attempted silkworm, but it was a little too juicy, I had to spit it out :P
We also went to a very famous silk store (it was huge!) and learned how the silk was made while watching the whole process. So expect some silk souvenirs, as this was probably the cheapest place I could buy silk in the world.
I may not write in awhile as internet access is kind of expensive, but I miss and love you guys.
The Akron Aeros vs. the Altoona Curves
Last evening my wife and I joined two of our friends at Canal Park in Akron at a baseball game pitting the Akron Aeros and the Altoona Curves. This is the first I've heard of either minor league baseball team. When I first heard the name of the Akron team I thought they were the "Arrows" not the "Aeros". We had a great time!
We parked the car with plenty of time to see the start of the game at 7:05PM. But, we hadn't seen our friends for several years so we decided, "the game can wait", and went to dinner. After a pleasant time and great food at a slightly upscale restaurant we slipped into the ball park noticing that the Aeros were down 3-0. I immediately recognized the ball park as the venue for the finish of the Akron Marathon where I competed in a relay race last september. Small world! I remember running into the park to the finish line which must have been near where home plate was this evening. Cool!
Anyway, we must have brought the Aeros luck since shortly after we arrived they started scoring. The game ended with the Aeros winning 5-3. All in all a very enjoyable evening!
We parked the car with plenty of time to see the start of the game at 7:05PM. But, we hadn't seen our friends for several years so we decided, "the game can wait", and went to dinner. After a pleasant time and great food at a slightly upscale restaurant we slipped into the ball park noticing that the Aeros were down 3-0. I immediately recognized the ball park as the venue for the finish of the Akron Marathon where I competed in a relay race last september. Small world! I remember running into the park to the finish line which must have been near where home plate was this evening. Cool!
Anyway, we must have brought the Aeros luck since shortly after we arrived they started scoring. The game ended with the Aeros winning 5-3. All in all a very enjoyable evening!
Jury Duty?
Well, my "jury duty" started on tuesday last week. We have been instructed to call a number at the court house after 5PM on monday to find out if we will be serving on the following day, tuesday. Last monday I called the number to discover that our services were not needed last week. The instructions continued to say that I should call the same number the following monday (week two) to find out if I was needed the following day. So, I called the number last evening. I will not be needed tomorrow.
I'm starting to get the picture here. Being on jury duty means being "on call" and available for three weeks on the chance that there is a trial which needs your services. One more week to go. I will call the number next monday to see if they need me at all next week.
I feel like I'm going through "southern Florida" withdrawal. I am so used to travelling there every other week that it seems strange to be home for even two weeks in a row, let alone three. I have scheduled a trip for the first week in June. We'll see what happens next week with the jury duty.
I'm starting to get the picture here. Being on jury duty means being "on call" and available for three weeks on the chance that there is a trial which needs your services. One more week to go. I will call the number next monday to see if they need me at all next week.
I feel like I'm going through "southern Florida" withdrawal. I am so used to travelling there every other week that it seems strange to be home for even two weeks in a row, let alone three. I have scheduled a trip for the first week in June. We'll see what happens next week with the jury duty.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Cleveland Marathon
I went to the Cleveland Marathon today. Not to run, to volunteer at the Team in Training tent to welcome team in training people after the race. We had competitors in the half and full marathon. The weather was great if you were running - not so great if you were standing around, like I was. The temperature was in the low 50s most of the time, raining at the race start but partially cloudy later. I saw one person from the Philadelphia Triathlon last year and another person who did the Chicago Triathlon last year. It was a wonderful time spent with wonderful people.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Another 1/2 Iron Man
I've signed up to do another half iron man. It's on august 10th and it's about 5 minutes from my home. I'll be racing in the Greater Cleveland Triathlon. Should be fun. :-)
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Wildflower wrapup - fund raising
Thanks to the support of many generous people my Northern Ohio Wildflower Triathlon Team in Training group raised a total of $78,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. Nationally, the Team in Training groups participating in Wildflower this year raised $1.7 Million. That's just for one event!
In the 20 years since Team in Training was started participants have raised over $850 Million for Cancer research.
In the 20 years since Team in Training was started participants have raised over $850 Million for Cancer research.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Wildflower wrapup - with pictures!
Final tally, $5142 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Thanks!
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."
- Goethe
The weekend was amazing. We flew out to San Francisco on Thursday, 5/1, rented two vans, stuffed everyone with luggage in the two vans, and headed south on the 3 hour drive to Lake San Antonio. Stopped half-way to eat lunch and pick up food and other essentials. My two "critical" supplies turned out to be a set of ear plugs (for sleeping) that I brought from home and a $15 air mattress that I bought at Target (as an afterthought) on one of our stops. Both items ensured several full night's sleep particularly before my event on Saturday. Very important!
On Friday we went for an early morning swim after posing for a team photo and picked up our bikes which had been shipped from Cleveland. I tried out my bike on a couple of the steep hills near the lake and judged it "ready for action" for the following race day.
After a good night's sleep thanks to my ear plugs and air mattress, it was time for me to head down to the transition area from the camp site to get ready for the start of my race. The temperature in the morning was cool, in the 40s, but warmed up pretty quickly once the sun burned off the morning fog before the 9:05 start of my group. The race started at the end of a boat ramp into Lake San Antonio. The swim start was on the left side of the ramp and the swim finish on the right.
Our campsite.
The transition area filled with contestants readying for the race.
Triathlons are an individual sport. In general, the "rules of the road" specify that the athletes stay to the right, pass quickly on the left, and above all not interfere with the progress of the other competitors. This applies easily to the bike and to the run. It does not, however, apply at all to the swim. The triathlon swim is generally recognized as a "contact sport". You can see what I mean in the two photos of the start of one swimming wave. My strategy was to get away from the crush of bodies as quickly as possible even if it meant staying toward the back and swimming more slowly at the start. About 5-10 minutes into the swim I found some room and was able to make steady progress toward the far buoy. Before I reached the far buoy, the wave of women that started 5 minutes behind us started to catch up to me and the water got a little more crowded again.
43 minutes and 1.2 miles after the start of my wave at 9:05AM I am regaining my footing and starting up the ramp to remove my wetsuit and get into my bicycling gear. I grabbed my helmet, put on my shoes, socks, and gloves, and about 6 and a half minutes later headed out to the 56 mile bicycle course. The course is notoriously difficult consisting of several very challenging climbs one of which, "nasty grade", is a 1,000 foot continuous climb over a 4 mile stretch. I hit the course hoping that the hill work during my training was sufficient to keep me going.
One big difference between the Olympic distance and the Half Iron-man distance is that you have to eat during the race. In my Olympic distance race last year I just needed to stay hydrated. In the longer race you must replace the 400-500 calories per hour that you burn during the bike race. I'm not sure what all I shoved down my gullet during the almost 4 hours I spent on the bike. I do know that I learned to peel a half banana while pedaling at about 15 MPH. Bananas, oranges, goo, power bars, all are standard fare for the triathlete on a bicycle. I tried everything!
The hills yielded to my efforts. I was pleasantly surprised that "nasty grade" was not as difficult for me as I had thought it would be. I even enjoyed the large pink bunny positioned near the top to cheer us on. 3 hours and 53 minutes later I was back in the transition area ready to begin the third and final leg of the race.
In and out of the second transition in 5 minutes and I'm off on the 13.1 mile run to finish the triathlon. The run was about 40% roads and about 60% trails with an elevation change of about 400 feet. I started the run and immediately knew it was going to be trouble. The swim and the bike went by pretty easily compared to the run. I battled muscle cramps in my calves and a charlie-horse in my right quad through much of the race. Luckily, there were water stops about every mile and my race ended up being a series of 1 mile run/walks between water stops. But, of course, I made sure to run every time I saw a camera. 2 hours and 36 minutes after starting I was approaching the finish line for a "photo" finish and one final pose wearing my finisher's medal to show that I was still standing.
After the race we all walked back up to the camp site. This last picture is a beautiful view of the venue. Lake San Antonio is in the background with the start of the swim in the center of the picture. We had to walk up and down this hill when going to and from our camp site.
On Sunday, I screamed myself hoarse cheering for my teammates (and everyone else) in the Olypmic distance race.
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."
- Goethe
The weekend was amazing. We flew out to San Francisco on Thursday, 5/1, rented two vans, stuffed everyone with luggage in the two vans, and headed south on the 3 hour drive to Lake San Antonio. Stopped half-way to eat lunch and pick up food and other essentials. My two "critical" supplies turned out to be a set of ear plugs (for sleeping) that I brought from home and a $15 air mattress that I bought at Target (as an afterthought) on one of our stops. Both items ensured several full night's sleep particularly before my event on Saturday. Very important!
On Friday we went for an early morning swim after posing for a team photo and picked up our bikes which had been shipped from Cleveland. I tried out my bike on a couple of the steep hills near the lake and judged it "ready for action" for the following race day.
After a good night's sleep thanks to my ear plugs and air mattress, it was time for me to head down to the transition area from the camp site to get ready for the start of my race. The temperature in the morning was cool, in the 40s, but warmed up pretty quickly once the sun burned off the morning fog before the 9:05 start of my group. The race started at the end of a boat ramp into Lake San Antonio. The swim start was on the left side of the ramp and the swim finish on the right.
Our campsite.
The transition area filled with contestants readying for the race.
Triathlons are an individual sport. In general, the "rules of the road" specify that the athletes stay to the right, pass quickly on the left, and above all not interfere with the progress of the other competitors. This applies easily to the bike and to the run. It does not, however, apply at all to the swim. The triathlon swim is generally recognized as a "contact sport". You can see what I mean in the two photos of the start of one swimming wave. My strategy was to get away from the crush of bodies as quickly as possible even if it meant staying toward the back and swimming more slowly at the start. About 5-10 minutes into the swim I found some room and was able to make steady progress toward the far buoy. Before I reached the far buoy, the wave of women that started 5 minutes behind us started to catch up to me and the water got a little more crowded again.
43 minutes and 1.2 miles after the start of my wave at 9:05AM I am regaining my footing and starting up the ramp to remove my wetsuit and get into my bicycling gear. I grabbed my helmet, put on my shoes, socks, and gloves, and about 6 and a half minutes later headed out to the 56 mile bicycle course. The course is notoriously difficult consisting of several very challenging climbs one of which, "nasty grade", is a 1,000 foot continuous climb over a 4 mile stretch. I hit the course hoping that the hill work during my training was sufficient to keep me going.
One big difference between the Olympic distance and the Half Iron-man distance is that you have to eat during the race. In my Olympic distance race last year I just needed to stay hydrated. In the longer race you must replace the 400-500 calories per hour that you burn during the bike race. I'm not sure what all I shoved down my gullet during the almost 4 hours I spent on the bike. I do know that I learned to peel a half banana while pedaling at about 15 MPH. Bananas, oranges, goo, power bars, all are standard fare for the triathlete on a bicycle. I tried everything!
The hills yielded to my efforts. I was pleasantly surprised that "nasty grade" was not as difficult for me as I had thought it would be. I even enjoyed the large pink bunny positioned near the top to cheer us on. 3 hours and 53 minutes later I was back in the transition area ready to begin the third and final leg of the race.
In and out of the second transition in 5 minutes and I'm off on the 13.1 mile run to finish the triathlon. The run was about 40% roads and about 60% trails with an elevation change of about 400 feet. I started the run and immediately knew it was going to be trouble. The swim and the bike went by pretty easily compared to the run. I battled muscle cramps in my calves and a charlie-horse in my right quad through much of the race. Luckily, there were water stops about every mile and my race ended up being a series of 1 mile run/walks between water stops. But, of course, I made sure to run every time I saw a camera. 2 hours and 36 minutes after starting I was approaching the finish line for a "photo" finish and one final pose wearing my finisher's medal to show that I was still standing.
After the race we all walked back up to the camp site. This last picture is a beautiful view of the venue. Lake San Antonio is in the background with the start of the swim in the center of the picture. We had to walk up and down this hill when going to and from our camp site.
On Sunday, I screamed myself hoarse cheering for my teammates (and everyone else) in the Olypmic distance race.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
