A couple weeks ago I finally rode all the way to Mount Vernon and back. It's something I've been wanting to do, but the timing never seemed right. It's only a 40-miler so nothing too special, but it's still a noteworthy destination. I don't think I'll ever do it again as the trail at and past Alexandria is horrendous; narrow, full of turns, full of people, damp (in woods). I also had my first real road crash... Fumbled putting away my bottle, ran out of real state, and threw myself on top of a wooden guardrail. I'm quite lucky I only had some rash on one arm and a leg. The bike fared well; scraped my shifter hoods and tore up my bar tape, which needed replacing anyway. The thought of [potential] massive splinters as I slid across the top of this guardrail? Ungh. Glad that didn't happen.
I then ran a race, detailed below.
And then I went to NC to visit the family. I spent half the week with my parents at their new place at Holden Beach, and then the other half with my sister and her kidlets in Wilmington. Overall, a good trip. I worked half days, which was nice (I was easily able to work ~6 hours a day as it's too damned hot down there to want to do anything between 10-4, and I hope to continue to do that a few times a year. Did some fishing, some crabbing, some beaching, some biking, some running, and some eating... Good escape from the usual day-to-day.
Since returning home, I've spent about an hour at my house. Immediately upon arriving, I had to head into DC to do some work, then I attended a swim meet on Monday night and did a night ride with a new bike light I bought until 1am. Tuesday night I had dinner with the family in Fairfax (they're all up for business trips), and installed/played some Starcraft II. Wednesday night I biked, biked to the pool, swam, biked to the track, ran a mile race (5:55 with 90% effort), and biked home. Today I'm headed to the Nats game in the middle of the day with work, and then remaining in DC to do some work. Tomorrow night, I bottle wine in Alexandria. Saturday I'm going on my first group ride in Reston. Sunday? I might take off; I'm out of underwear and that's the first chance I see me getting any laundry done I could use a break...
August is looking pretty free so far, which will be nice after a silly July. September gets back to the crazy with three trips: Tahoe for Labor Day, Outer Banks the following weekend, and a trip to NC for birthdays and to see my grandma toward the end.
Oh... So my Netflix is no longer posting to my Facebook account. I've messed with it to no avail. I've recently watched the following:
Inception. Saw this as a preview. Really liked it, but there were some plot bits that kept me from giving it 5/5. Still, best movie of the year IMO and one you should definitely see in a theater.
Precious. Was good, but not nearly as good as I was expecting from all the hype. I can't recommend seeing it, but I also can't recommend not seeing it.
The Book of Eli. I don't think the critics cared for this much, but I really enjoyed it. A nice bit of action, and a very nice bit of "think deeper." If you're an idiot, this movie might not work for you. The VERY ending (like last two minutes) was kinda lame and cliche, but I'm not going to let that spoil the whole movie.
This morning the weather forecast didn't look good, which I had mixed emotions regarding; I didn't want my friend to have to reschedule his race, but at the same time I'm pretty sore from my bike crash this weekend and I slept maybe three hours last night. During the day, it cleared up, but a stray shower managed to show up just before the race... Cooling things off, but sending the humidity close to 100%. I don't have data on that, but I've never sweat more in my life. My shoes are still soaked (2.5 hours after the race) as if I had dunked them in a body of water... With sweat. So it turned out to be a pretty gross run.
This race is held on a bicycle commuter path so the start was kind of a rush... I was just talking to friends and then we noticed people starting to roll... I didn't roll through the start line until about 15 seconds after the race had started. I'd have to catch my competition, but at the same time, anyone I finish near I'll have actually beaten pretty handily... Kinda fun. Oh you out-kicked me? Well I was actually 15 seconds ahead of you
So it was a sweaty one, but I've been feeling better and better, and have been logging some good biking mileage. At the start of the race, I actually had no hamstring pain, but it was still tight/nagging. Around 1.5 miles in, I developed what's probably the worst stomach cramp I've ever had. I slowed a bit, but apparently so did everyone around me... No places lost, but I was closer than ever to throwing in the towel... It was REALLY painful. Around the 3.5 mile mark, some traffic caught me, and the pain seemed to take a back seat or just subside altogether. I worked forward with a couple folks I know, and actually raced against them. It's kind of neat racing with these folks whom I always see at races, but am usually far ahead of... Hopefully that doesn't sound elitist... it's not meant to be... I'm just racing new, but familiar faces, and it's a fresh feeling.
Anyway, I gave it pretty much all I had by throwing in a few surges [and then dying] towards the end. They took everything out of me, but they also got me a few spots so I guess they worked. Racing is a good portion mental; fly by someone [even when you have nothing in the tank] at the finish and they're likely to break.
All in all, it turned out to be a good race. My final time was 28:26, which is 7:06 pace, which is a faster pace than the 5k I ran when I first started running again AND on a worse day. Definitely improving... My leg hurts now, but I'm convinced I'm continuing to simply break up scar tissue; I've been hurting fairly badly a few days after each race, but afterward feel better than ever. I'm convinced the biking is really helping something too; I feel superb a day or two after a long ride.
1:04 faster than my last 4-Miler [that was 4 miles] , but still 1:45 slower than I ran this same race last year, and that was just an easy training run. Will get there... Will get there...
In it, goes my respect for LeBron James, goes Cleveland tumbling down a spiral towards "shit-town," goes any class the NBA still had.
In case you've been living in a hole for the past few months, LeBron James, a basketball player of Michael Jordan caliber, became a free agent. He grew up in NE Ohio, and has played his entire career with his hometown team, the Cavaliers. In his tenure with them, he has set numerous records, been to the finals, earned several MVP awards, led them to being the most winning team in the league a few years, but has never landed the big one, the championship. In becoming a free agent, he became one of the biggest free agent names of all-time. Not only because he's a stellar player, but he alone could have saved an entire region from [what's now] certain downfall. They were already falling, but the bottom just got a lot closer.
What happened? Well, he decided he'd rather win a near-certain championship by forming a "super-team" with two other NBA stars, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade. I find the move to be incredibly weak because sure, a dream team can win... What does that really say about the individuals? It would say a lot more if they were able to do it on their own, like many before them have... You know, the legends.
LeBron is all about becoming "a legend." The best move towards that would have been staying in Cleveland and winning a championship on his own, for his people, for his state. A Miami Heat championship is an empty one... Dwayne Wade is the star of the Heat... That's not going to change... Do you think people will remember Scottie Pippen forever? No, they'll remember Michael Jordan... LeBron just became Scottie Pippen. I can only hope he revives the haircut. Hiiiiigh and tight.
What does this say about the NBA? Well, I suppose not much, but I'm sure it hurt a lot of fans. I miss the days where players play in a city their entire lives... It wasn't too long ago that they did that... Kobe, Duncan, Jordan (his Wizards tenure does not count), Stockton. Hey Bron-Bron, Stockton never won a ring, but he's gonna be a legend because he reeked of class. You don't... You stink, and I wish you the worst (within reason).
Note: It took me 10 minutes from my front door to get to Carderock, MD. That's awesome.
Anyway, the race. Historically, I'm a minute slower here when compared to the other 4-mile races the club puts on through the summer; it's well-known and even announced before the race that this is a long course.
My result? 29:41. Only 11 seconds slower than my time a week and a half ago on a shorter course. Nice! Progress! If my calculation of the approximate distance of the race is correct, that is a 7:10 pace... Nothing spectacular, but I'll take it on the next-to-none running I've been putting in.
My legs are really beat up, but in a muscular way... I have a feeling I can safely tack on some more running training this week and I'll surely be throwing in more biking since I got some new tires (I was still riding the original ones that came with the bike, which were absolute junk).
Things are looking up! Next race is another 4-mile on July 14. If I can get my nutrition under control (I haven't been bothering to weigh myself the past week or two), I might actually see a sub-7 pace soon!
Despite being abnormally hot, you were a good month.
Today I finalized QA of a big new release at work... We've been working on it for half a year so it's a really nice feeling to have it out the door. I finished with half a day to spare, too! Has put me in a very good mood.
I rounded out the month with some heavy working out. On Monday, I tied my running shoes to the bike, biked to Roosevelt Island, ran three miles, and then completed the "Arlington Loop" to home. My first-ever dual-sport workout. I LOVED IT. 21 miles biked and three run. I was DRENCHED like never before [in sweat] after the run. Great feeling. On Tuesday and Wednesday I merely padded my mileage totals with some light riding, a swim, and a run. I ended the month with 26 miles run (most by five since I stopped running last August), 141 miles biked (most ever by 13), and 2.2 miles swam all in the 2nd half of the month (most ever by .75 miles).
Looking forward to July, I think all of those numbers are well within reach; the running needs to improve, and the entire first half of the month was light on biking and nonexistent on swimming. I'd really like to see at least a 50/200/5 with my weight dropping below 175. I've stated it... now it's time to do it. Bring it, July.
Lots going on, lots of money spent, lots of soccer watched.
I already outlined my two races and about the pool. Of note, this month is going to be my highest running mileage since August of last year, it'll be my highest biking mileage ever, and it's already my highest swimming mileage ever. Good stuff! Down to 177lbs. 2lbs left to reach my goal by the end of August. Hah! I haven't dropped any in the past week or two because I've been ridiculously busy and not eating as well as I could. We ship a big release at work next week and I'm beginning to get very settled at the new place so things should return to normal in July.
Money spent... Oh man... I'd rather not think about it. Let's start small, shall we?
I picked up a used iPod Touch 16GB for $99, which is $50 less than anywhere else. Great deal for an item I really wanted... You'll see why later.
I upgraded my 2-year-old iPhone 3G with an iPhone4. $200 very well spent; the new phone is wicked fast, and has a camera that no longer has me apologizing for taking phone pictures... That in itself is worth the money, but there were a few other features thrown in "for free." They came out with some new rate plans that favored me as well; I'm not paying $15 less per month. Do the math... the new phone will pay for itself in a year! Yay!
I upgraded my original XBOX 360 (now 4 years old and actually my 3rd one... they always break) to a new slim model. The biggest reason for this was now that I live in a box, I actually couldn't hear games or movies due to the ridiculous fan noise from the original design. The new one is basically silent. To make matters better, I can sell my old unit for half the cost.
And the big one... I BOUGHT A CAR! It took a lot of soul-searching, but I smile every day I think about it so it must have been the right move, right? I picked up a brand-new 2010 Volkswagen GTI. Yes, it basically matches my old car, but it's better in every imaginable way. I went against two [personal] cardinal rules with this purchase; 1) Never buy a new car and 2) Never buy a VW or Audi. What can I say? It felt right... And I'm happy. Gone are the days where I put off all my errands/live like a hermit because I hate driving places... I can now go on road trips and stuff too! Exciting.
Off to a wedding in Yorktown, VA this weekend. Maybe hit the beach for a few hours on Sunday? July isn't showing too much aside from a week in NC to work and visit the family.
Oh... I went with some friends to make wine last week. It was a total joke so I won't even give the place a link. It was via a Groupon so it wasn't too bad a deal... Look forward to a handmade vintage coming to you soon!
Oh yeah... I also went to see Strasburg work the Royals on Wednesday. Unfortunately, it's tough to win when your team puts up no runs...
Oh oh yeah... I've been watching the World Cup religiously. Over the years I've morphed into a soccer fanatic... I can't explain it; it was the only sport I didn't excel in.
Time to pack for tomorrow. Later!
Edit: So I didn't mention why I wanted the iPod Touch. The new car comes with an iPod interface that doesn't play nicely with/is a pain to use with an iPhone. The new iPod lives in the armrest 24/7. Nothing could touch the value of 16GB for $99. The fact that it's a mini computer as well is quite swell, but I'm afraid it'll never be used for that. Goofy fact: It was cheaper than a 16GB Nano, which is just a music player than can take pictures and video...
So I "ran" another "race" today, which almost put my total mileage for June as my best month since September! One more run and I'll be there.
Anyway, the race. Going in, I could tell my legs were a bit tired as I really did a lot of working out last week (10 miles running, 70 biked, 1 swam), but I also knew that meant I was in better shape than my last "race," a 5k I ran in 7:07 pace. I was thinking 29:00 might be possible, but it just wasn't there; four miles is about the most I've run in eight months... I didn't have the staying power. I finished in 29:30, which is still respectable, but it was tough going. 7:22 pace... Good enough for 3rd place in my age group and a medal.
This race last year, I finished in 25:29... So four minutes faster or a mile per minute. Ungh! That's saddening, but I know I'll get back there. On the bright side, it was also the first time I really knew I was hurt; I was pretty much unable to walk after it. A year later and I'm still recovering... Double ungh!
Overall, I find that biking is having a huge positive effect on my hamstring. A day or two after a long ride, I feel marvelous... So I plan to keep that up. I also got a pool membership for the summer ($85) so I'll be heading there more often. Used it three times in the first week!
My next race will be another 4-miler on July 4. Maybe I'll be ready for that 29:00 by then?
It only took three weeks, but I'm done. Last night I unpacked the last box that was marked "needs to be unpacked." I have a few others in the closet that I should go through eventually, but they're mostly archives and such. So that's a really good feeling; I'd be lying if I said it didn't cause me a bit of anxiety every day I returned home to a stack of boxes that needed going through.
Living solo is going well. I've been working out a lot, eating really well (I'm actually in need of a new belt), and I've found it important to plan things/hang out with people a lot more... The beer garden across the street is really helping that cause.
For the past two weeks, I've really bumped up my riding, tried to run more (it's still a small amount), went swimming/bought a pool membership for the summer, and have tried to eat a lot better... I've lost more than 5lbs since moving, which includes a trip to Vegas (I usually gain 5 there)... and as mentioned, I need a new belt. Even when I was in the low 170s when running a lot last year, I didn't need a new belt... I think my general fitness is much higher despite my cardio being way low. The past six months at the gym are the likely cause of that.
I've also been really tired. Since moving, I don't think I've slept a full night. Every night, about 45 minutes after going to bed, I wake up with a second wind. I typically fight myself back to sleep after about an hour, but then wake up again another hour later. After fighting back again, I finally get some rest, but I wake up for work feeling far too groggy. I'm going to attribute this to all the changes going on and the feeling of being unsettled... Now that I'm unpacked and I can start enjoying my new place, I'm hoping this will change.
Having become a fan of soccer over the past few years, I've been loving the World Cup. I've watched most every game between live TV, DVR, and webcasts. I'm a big hater of the vuvuzelas. I know a number of casual watchers who refuse to watch because of them... That's not good for the sport.
I guess that's about it... Tomorrow I go to make wine with some friends, should receive my new Xbox (whisper quiet, 250GB HD, HDMI, and smaller form-factor, which will upgrade my 1st gen. model) later this week, I have a party to attend on Saturday (Caribbean-style), receive my iPhone4 (I'm upgrading a 2-year-old model) next week, and a wedding next weekend... The calendar is packed.
I've also taken a look at vacation. I recently scrapped plans to go to Dominica in July because they simply weren't coming to fruition. Instead, I added a week-long trip to see the family in NC... Working half days remotely is really nice; do the visit/vacation thing while not burning up all my time. Besides, four hours a day is nothing. I also scheduled such a trip in September, and a final one for the year in December. In October, I'm hoping to head to Miami for Carnival. All that leaves me with 12 days leftover... I'm not a huge fan of carryover... Maybe a week or two wandering Europe in September or SE Asia in November?
I thought the wood version of this would be go really nicely in my bathroom. It's the same color scheme and the wood goes with all the other wood I have around
Having lived by myself for a few weeks now (Caitlin and I broke up after four years a few months ago and our lease just ended... it was a clean/happy break... that's all we need to say on that), I've gathered some thoughts...
45 Perks #1 silence #2 eating when you want #3 sleeping when you want #4 watching what you want #5 watching what you want when you want #6 cleaning at your leisure #7 nobody to share bandwidth with #8 the dvr is full of things i want to watch #9 thermostat always comfortable #10 stereo always plays something good #11 shower is always vacant #12 toilet is always vacant #13 sink/mirror are always vacant #14 not apologizing for passing gas #15 not apologizing for dropping a really smelly load #16 unused side of bed doubles as storage #17 colors are my colors #18 art is my art #19 toilet paper usage is way down #20 the whole bed #21 no more makeup cleaner bleaching sheets #22 wine bottles are not made for one #23 buying a lot of new stuff #24 no "man cave" #25 the only problems are your problems #26 schedule flexibility #27 downsizing #28 shades are open more often #29 no femine products to step on #30 lots more amy's microwaveable meals #31 go to bed sweaty if you want #32 living in a new area and loving it #33 looking just an extra bit #34 dining room table? unnecessary #35 nobody to tell you you can't have an arcade system in the living room #36 bikes make great wall decoration #37 no girlie foot stink (seriously, women are masochists when it comes to their feet) #38 nobody to be grossed out by your toenail fungus on a daily basis #39 if there are streaks, they're mine #40 two nightstands #41 two pillows #42 one hypothalamus #43 ordering whatever you want on your pizza #44 eating it the next day #45 staying up until the wee hours of the night on the laptop... blogging... in bed
25 Negatives #1 it's always quiet #2 need to send an e-mail when you have something quick that you must share #3 cooking for one #4 grocery store for one #5 nobody to share the little things with #6 nobody to take care of you when sick #7 nobody ever buys you dinner #8 nobody ever makes you dinner #9 wine bottles are not made for one #10 buying a lot of new stuff #11 when the car is broken, it really needs to be fixed #12 nobody else to blame for messes #13 not splitting utilities #14 no more "man cave" #15 traveling alone #16 needing to taxi to the airport #17 i'm not meeting anyone in a '93 civic #18 moving #19 downsizing #20 no 2nd dish to try/finish. #21 more microwaveable meals #22 bugs #23 leaving neighbors #24 apartment life #25 starting over
Now I know you're probably saying "Damn, 45 good things and 25 bad? Sounds like he really needed out." No... I wrote this because I jokingly posted perk #43 on Facebook and my Sister asked me what the others were... So I set off coming up with those 40+ items. As my thoughts slowed, I figured a few things could also go down as negatives... So they did, and I added even more. I'm sure I could expand on both lists, but it's late, and I do need sleep.
I could use a break...
, but still 1:45 slower than I ran this same race last year, and that was just an easy training run. Will get there... Will get there...