1:19:06, Red, Blahs, Super screen, no advice

So after doing our Friday pizza/tivo thing I had to get everything ready to go for the sprint triathlon on Saturday morning.  The hitch mount bike rack that I ordered from Amazon arrived on Friday.  While I watched Biggest Loser I put it together.

The rack comes with a “no wobble” bolt that you are supposed to use to attach it to the trailer hitch.  I tightened the bolt up nice and tight and felt the rack, it felt nice and tight as well.  However when I took a look at it from behind I noticed the rack had a slight left lean to it.  Hmm, I figured I must not have it in there quite right so I removed it and installed the bolt again, same thing.  Then I tried flipping the bolt around and still, it leaned.  Now this was annoying.

I fought with it for awhile, trying to lean against the lean as I tightened the bolt, employing washers and a few other tricks to try to plumb the rack, none of it worked.  So I just tightened it up and figured I would worry about it later.  The next day at the tri I saw a number of other vehicles with hitch mount bike racks.  Guess what, they almost all had the same slight lean.  I am theorizing that the lean is a side effect of the way the no wobble works, pinning the male part of the bike rack against the wall of the hitch.

When I was getting stuff together for the race I couldn’t find my GPS.  I looked everywhere it normally would be with no luck.  The last time I had it was on Monday.  It was in my gym bag in case Ali and I went for a run.  Well this sucks.  The GPS comes in handy on the bike and the run to help me be aware of my pacing.

Ali said I could use her GPS since she wasn’t participating in the race.  Her GPS is much newer/better anyway.  It still didn’t make me feel better about misplacing my Garmin. (I later found it under my desk at work)

Ali’s GPS has a triathlon mode that allows you to hop from event to event, including your transitions.  The only problem with it is when it is in that mode the display shows your total time and distance but does not show pace.  I am pretty sure there has to be a way to make it show the pace but I didn’t have the time to F with it.

After going over my mental checklist in my head and with Ali, I hit bed, hoping to grab a solid night’s sleep.

The race started at 7:30.  I wanted to make sure we got there early.  We left the house about 5:30 which allowed us to get on the race site shortly after 6 am.  The new bike rack did a nice job of keeping my Trek secure up I-75 at 75mph.

I got signed in and marked up first.  They write your race number on your hand, upper arm, calf and shin so they can easily identify you as you cross the finish line.  Getting there early meant we had choice of spot for my bike.  I opted for the second rack from the bike area exit on the one side so I had room to pile up my junk beside the bike instead of jamming it into a smaller area in front or behind it.

After getting set up all that was left to do was wait.  We walked into the olympic pool area where the swim would be held.  It is really a nice facility. Ali did this tri last year, it was her first one so we were familiar with the layout.  The 400 meter swim is performed by swimming the eight, 50 meter lanes in an S pattern.

Some other people we knew started showing up including Christy who was doing her first complete sprint triathlon ever.  She was very nervous prior to the race.

About 7:10 they had a pre-race meeting.  I was glad to see they learned from last year when they had no loud speaker and tried to shout directions to the participants, this year they had a PA system.  They made some changes to the running course which are for the better.  Last year a chunk of the run was on a grassy path behind some of the buildings.  This year the run is all on sidewalk/road which should make for faster times.

Finally race time approached.  When you signed up for the race you were supposed to estimate what your 400 meter swim time was.  I put 8:30 since I regularly do 8:15’s in my water park training.  They then line everyone up based on that time.  The theory is by doing this it will minimize the amount of people getting swum over in a log jam of fast/slow swimmers.  I was number 44.

They start the swimmers off every 20 seconds, three at a time.  It took 5 minutes until it was my time to hop in the water.  On GO, I hit the button on my watch and start down the lane utilizing my patented free style side stroke freak show.  Well the other two people in my group immediately leave me in their dust.  It was like they thought it was a 50 meter sprint.  By the end of the first lap they were probably at least 10-15 meters ahead of me.  It made me feel really slow.

Despite being embarrassed out of the gate I kept plugging away, pretty confident that they would gas and I would catch them.  For a good portion of the swim I managed to have room around me.  I was passed a few times and I passed a few people.  One of the disadvantages of my freaky swimming style is it works terribly in situations where there are a lot of bodies because of the big sidekick I like to use.  So I found myself many times basically just dragging my legs through the water when space was tight.

I didn’t try to fly through the swim, choosing instead to just keep a steady pace.  I emerged from the pool at almost exactly 9 minutes flat.  Navigating the human traffic is more than likely the cause of the higher than predicted time.  I also question if the lanes at the water park are a full 25 meters long, those 50 meter lanes looked awful lengthy.

As I got out of the pool I heard Ali cheering for me.  I actually was slightly dizzy as I emerged and staggered to my left for a bit.  i regained my balance and started the barefoot jog around the parking lot to the transition area.

One of the big problems I have had in the two tri’s I have done so far is slow transitions.  I really wanted to try to knock some time off my change overs.  Unfortunately I f’d up the buttons on the GPS so I didn’t get an accurate transition time.  All I know is it still felt too slow.

Part of it is my choice of attire.  Many triathletes compete in a one or two piece tri suit that is suitable for all of the events.  When I entered transition I had to pull on socks over wet feet, put on my bike shoes, pull my baggy bike shorts over my lycra swim suit, put on my helmet, and sunglasses.  Originally I was going to put on my bike jersey as well but I felt things were taking too long as is so I decided to just go shirtless.

I got off to a slow start on the bike as well.  It took me at least a 100 yards of screwing around until I could get my left foot clipped in.  Once I did that I ripped open a chocolate Goo packet and sucked that down for energy on the ride.  I bet I didn’t get down and pedaling hard until a couple minutes into the bike segment.

On the ride out the wind was mostly to my back which was nice.  I utilized the aero bars on my bike quite a bit to try to maximize my speed/effort formula.  In typical riding I don’t use the bars much because it is an uncomfortable position, mostly because the frame of the bike is too small for me.  Since Ali’s GPS didn’t show my pace I just tried my best to pedal at a level that would allow me maintain what felt like a decent speed without totally gassing my legs for the run.

There is one tough portion of the ride, a decent size overpass.  On the way out I was able to clear the bridge pretty easily.  On the way back it was much less fun since I was more fatigued and was now going into a decent headwind.  I passed a few people in the last few miles back to the college.  As I was coming back in I passed some of the good triathletes heading out on the run.

This time the transition involved ripping my helmet and bike shoes off  and quickly lacing up my New Balance running sneakers.

As I started the run portion I ripped open my second packet of Goo and inhaled it.  The stuff tastes good and definitely seems to give me a little kick in the ass.

The first half mile or so of the run is always the worse.  My legs were protesting the running movement after 12 miles on the bike.  I just tried to keep my stride at a steady pace.

As the run went on I started feeling better.  I was only passed once by a short, but speedy hispanic guy. I passed probably at least a dozen people during the run.  As I turned in from the loop and back towards the finish the sound of spectators at the finish line helped pull me in as I accelerated towards the end.  I crossed the line just over the 1:24 mark which translated to an official time of 1:19:06 with my 5 minute delayed swim start.

As I crossed I heard the cheers of Ali and other people from our local triathlete group that had already finished.  I was tired but not exhausted.  A bottle of water and a bagel and I felt much better.  Ali congratulated me on the race, it was definitely my best performance of the three I have participated in.  My run segment was a respectable 26 minutes and change, not bad after logging the swim and bike legs.

When I crossed the finish line I forgot to stop the watch until maybe a minute later.  Even then it read 17:30 something.  At first I thought they messed up the results but I later figured out that it was me fat fingering the buttons on the watch during the race.  The only things that I know the accurate time of is the swim, the run and maybe the 2nd transition.  Unfortunately the race wasn’t chip timed to get these numbers for me.

I got some small satisfaction when I saw the two people in my swim heat that shot out in front of me finish behind me.  I beat the male by probably at least 5 minutes and the woman by 20 or so. You can see the full results of the race here.

Ali and the people from the tri group wanted to help run Christy in to the finish. Ali said she thought she would be able to jog a short distance despite her brush burns so I told her I would man the camera.  It was great to see Christy trucking to the finish with all of that support.  Ali said jogging that short distance didn’t feel too bad.

Christy was all smiles as she crossed the finish line, she said she had a great time.  That was good to hear.

We hung out for a little after the race, it’s always nice to unwind and take in your accomplishment after an event.  I was pleased with my overall race, I finished 48th overall out of 122 finishers.

We loaded up the bike and pulled out to pick up mom on the way home.  Mom had three bags of stuff packed and ready to go.  When we got home the dogs, especially Nicki, were beyond excited to see my mom, they just go nuts.

Despite completing a tri  first thing in the morning I had an agenda of items to get done outside.  Ali’s mobility is hindered with her various abrasions so I told her I would handle everything.

I spent a lot of time in the garden first weeding it and then cleaning it up.  After harvesting a couple more heads of cauliflower I yanked most of the plants out since the bugs were going crazy on the leaves at this point.  I also harvested three red onions, a bunch of broccoli and a number of tomatoes.  I tried to organize and clean up some areas, especially the tomatoes.  I put a wire cage around a couple plants and surrounded some others with a circle of wooden stakes.  I bet a spent over an hour just in the garden.

I buzzed around the yard attending to various items for a couple hours.  When I was done I cooled off with a dip in the pool.  The 80 degree water that mom declared as “too cold” felt great to me.  Sadie certainly enjoyed getting splashed by that frigid water.

For dinner Saturday night we had salmon patties that mom had prepared at home.  We also took the four or five heads of cauliflower and mashed them up.  Mom seasoned them and I worked the hand mixer to mash them up.  She added some butter, salt, pepper, some skim milk and a little bit of olive oil.  They really turned out well.  it is amazing how similar they are to mashed potatoes in consistency and taste.

We watched my latest Netflix rental, Red.  This was an Ali request. It’s odd for her to request an action comedy.  The film has a strong cast with Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Richard Dreyfuss and Morgan Freeman.  It was an entertaining flick.  All three of us enjoyed it to varying degrees.  I’d give the film a B to B+ rating, well worth a rental.

I was the first one up Easter morning thanks to Sadie bothering me at 6 am.  Ali had Easter baskets out on the island for my mom, me and both dogs.   When I looked for a basket to make up Ali’s basket all that was left was a leather Xmas basket with Happy Holidays embroidered on the front.  Oh well, it would have to do.

After everyone was up and about for awhile we opened up our stuff.  My basket had a bunch of M&M stuff in it.  I filled Ali’s with peanut butter eggs, Peeps and a gift card.  The dogs got treats and stuffed toys, just what they need, another toy.

Easter has always been pretty much a wash out holiday for me.  If you take the Jesus is risen part of it out and don’t have children to boot, it is just a lack luster holiday.  To be fair to Easter, no holidays really put a spring in my step at this point of my life.

After opening the baskets there really wasn’t much to do until we had our lunch time Easter dinner.  I decided I wanted to at least do some moderate exercise so I jumped in our pool and swam a little more than a 400.  After that I attended to several indoor chores after which I found myself suddenly feeling very sleepy.  I retreated to our bedroom and took an unexpected two hour nap.  My brother and sister called while I was asleep and I slept right through it.

I woke up just in time for the big meal of vegetable lasagna which we enjoyed out on the lanai.  It was a good meal but felt like a pile of lead in my stomach, the lasagna is a very heavy entree.

After we got done cleaning up we got mom packed up and ready to go.  Mom was going home with a bunch of food.  On top of left over lasagna and mashed cauliflower we loaded her up with a bunch of stuff from the garden including tomatoes, broccoli, swiss chard and more.

I took mom home in the party van so the dogs could come with.  She had a few chores she needed done around her place.  One of them was planting the Easter plant we bought her outside.  She brought around her shovel and I opened the back screen door.

All of a sudden Sadie goes shooting out the door, evidently she had been eying up a squirrel that was near by.  I ran out after her, calling her off, I was worried she would shoot off into the parking lot.  After about 15 yards I caught up to her, she was standing there sheepishly, knowing I was angry.  It was a lose/lose for her. Not only was she going to get yelled at for taking off, the squirrel escaped easily up a tree, thank goodness.

I grabbed her neck/collar and told her that was naughty.  She slinked back with me to the door and went inside.

I wrapped up mom’s various to do’s in around a half hour and was on my way back home.

Mom wasn’t in the best of moods during her visit.  She had a horrible night of sleep, according to her, because she had some ice tea at lunch time. Mom also gave very negative reports on her general state of well being both physically and financially.  Of course none of this makes me happy.

I find myself getting frustrated when I hear this.  For literally decades I have been on mom about her health or specifically her lack of attention to it.  I can see the end result of this neglect first hand.  The bad thing is it is a very slippery slope.  You do less and less because stuff hurts, in turn you become weaker and less flexible which just accelerates the decline.

The smoking, which is bad enough because of it’s health hazards has come back and bitten mom in the ass in other ways.  Her smoking is part of the reason she did not qualify for insurance after she lost her coverage from her job.  It also is a HUGE chunk of money to spend each month for someone that is in a negative cash flow situation.

Now mom is no dummy, she realizes it makes no sense to be wasting money on cigarettes in her current situation, yet she can’t stop.  I am often baffled how mom and I are so different on our outlook on our health,  since personality and mindset-wise we are so similar in other ways.

I sometimes wish I could just snap my fingers and get her to snap out of it. Since she has all of this free time it just makes no sense to me why she wouldn’t take advantage of it by working on her health.  It’s nothing but a win all the way around.   I love my mom and want her around as long as possible.

When mom was over she noticed that one of the screen panels on the back of the pool cage was torn AGAIN along the spline.  When I looked closely I saw a SECOND one was starting to tear as well.  I was annoyed.  I had replaced these sections at least once before, if not twice.

I have attributed the routine ripping to the low quality screening that is sold at a place like Home Depot.  I had heard about a product called Super Screen awhile back.  When I went on their web site they have a picture of 800 pounds of concrete supported by a super screen panel, impressive.

This stuff is supposed to be very strong and not suffer from the brittleness of cheap fiberglass screening after a few years.  Of course like anything of higher quality, it isn’t cheap.  A six foot wide, 100 foot long roll of the stuff will run me around $250.  This would be enough to redo the entire back of the cage, twice.

I already got the ok from Ali to pull the trigger on the purchase.  The purchase would be in the same line of thinking as the granite counter tops, Rhinoshield paint job and concrete landscape borders, pay more, get more.  With as much wind as we get out at our place I think it will be a worthwhile expenditure.

My mood has not been good at all the last several days.  I am having a tough time shaking it.  I also had my first violent dream in a while last night, at least the first one I can recall for awhile.

I was out doing a training ride with Ali and another member of our running club.  I was lagging behind because some parts of my handle bars were loose.  I was trying to fix it while riding.  The other guy was getting annoyed I was lagging behind so he slowed down and started to give me advice on how to go faster.

I told him in an annoyed way that I didn’t need his advice, my handle bars were f’d up.  Again he tried to give me advice and again I told him in an even stronger way with a few expletives that I didn’t care about his advice.

Well my expletives pissed him off.  He got off his bike and physically challenged me to a fight.  Furious, I get off my bike and assume the ready position.  The guy charges me with fists cocked.  I snap my left foot up and crack him right across the face, dropping him instantly.

As he is rubbing his face I yell at him one more time “I don’t need your advice…” before getting back on my bike and riding away.