I Did a Triathlon Photo Shoot Tonight.

A few weeks back I did an interview for the University’s Rec Sports quarterly magazine on the subject of Triathlon.  The article is supposed to be the feature article.  Today, I did the accompanying photo shoot for the article–one of the photos from the shoot would be on the front page of the magazine!  So, I was naturally pretty excited!

However, as we were organizing the photo shoot it became apparrant that the writers, photographers and organizers really had no clue about triathlon at all:

1. We were instructed not to bring our bikes to the photo shoot–they would do the bike photos on stationary bikes in the gym.  As any triathlete knows, the bike is literally an extension of ourselves as humans, and for us to be apart from our bicycle is like asking us to cut off our finger.  We can’t do it!  Unless you are asked to do so for the purposes of a photo shoot, in which case, see ya finger.
2. Of all of the other athletes that were at the shoot and being featured in the article (there were six of us total), they chose to profile only two athletes who had ever done more than one triathlon.  As any triathlete knows, you are not a Real Triathlete until you either have done an Ironman, or are training for one (note: the definition of “training” can, in my case certain cases include doing one in 10 months, but mostly getting ready for a few months of winter ass-sitting).
3. The photographer they recruited to do the photo shoot evidently could not capture “action” shots.  We ran in place, swam in place and cycled in place for the entirety of the photo shoot. As any triathlete knows, the only way to capture the true essence of Triathlon via photography is to capture the moment as it happens, in full speed.  Either that, or via cameras on living room tripods to post position critique porn on triathlon internet forums.
4. The photographer only wanted tight-bunch group shots.  No individual shots.  We were twelve inches from each other at all times.  As any triathlete knows, triathlon is an individual effort.  Taking pictures of us in groups only promotes bad training habits like “squad training,” “group rides” and “making friends,” which can only be bad news for our precisely regimented isolation training programs.
5. I was the only one to bring any cool triathlon gadgets to the indoor photo shoot.  I brought the following: race skinsuit, wetsuit, brightly colored swim cap with a triathlon logo on it, goggles, aero helmet, cycling shoes/pedals, two pairs running shoes,  compression socks, running visor and sunglasses.  Only one other guy had tri shorts and two did not even bring swimsuits!  Unfortunately, in my case many of my gadgets turned out to be useless, as indoor stationary cycling does not require an aero helmet (as pointed out to me SO KINDLY by the spin class teacher who was VERY NICE to me), and a running visor and sunglasses are very useful on an indoor track.  However, as any triahlete knows, the more cool triathlon gadgets you have, the larger your penis is, so I took solace in that at least.

 

So, um, I guess I’m looking forward to seeing the magazine when it comes out at the beginning of next semester.  Maybe they’ll find a way to make us look like triathletes.  But I’m thinking that we’ll end up looking like douches who are running in place, trying desperately to look cool for our big chance at fame.

Sincerely,
Douche #5 who was in the back row of every shot because somehow I was the second tallest person there at 5′7″

A Short Election Reflection Blog Post.

Lana and I spent Election day in Chicago, visiting her friend Naomi and her boyfriend on the North side.  We decided to avoid the Grant Park area, for fear of a riot and other safety concerns.  Besides, we were not among the lucky ones to receive tickets to Obama’s speech. 

So, we watched the early coverage, played some Electoral College drinking games, donned our Obama hoodies and went out to a nice liberal bar to watch Obama claim the presidency.  When, at the stroke of 10pm central time, CNN called California, Oregon and Washington State for Obama, putting him well over the 270 vote threshold, the entire block erupted in cheers!  

I will never forget that moment.  

In short, good times were had all around!  I had a few too many drinks, but I hammered it all out with some early morning Wasabi peas (haha whut?) this morning and a 12 mile run to forcefully expunge the the booze out of my liver later in the afternoon.

RACE REPORT: Last Tri of the year (Duathlon in Marshall, IL).

Sadly, today was the last race of the season. It’s simply getting too cold to do these anymore. We got *really* lucky with an awesome weather day. It started at about 50 degrees, warming up into the 60s by the end of the race. I wore arm warmers and a base layer underneath my race suit, but to be honest I didn’t really need the arm warmers or the base layer after the first few miles on the bike.

Here are the stats:

Distances (miles): 2/20/2 run/bike/run
Run 1 (Hilly terrain): 16:07 (8:03 min/mile)
T1: 0:30
Bike (rolling terrain): 55:40 (21.56mph)
T2: 0:30
Run 2 (mostly flat): 14:52 (7:26 min/mile)
Total: 1:27:39 (8th overall, 2nd in Age Group)

The race was a very casual affair, with no timing chips, minimal course markings, and a transition area that was not even completely set up until an hour before the race! No worries, though. Everything was as it needed to be, and for the super-low entry fee I paid, this race was definitely a bargain! Plus, I was excited because Lana was there to cheer me on (and take awesome pictures)!

The 40-50 or so athletes all congregated around the Run 1 start at 9am. 3 seconds before the gun went off, I realized I had left my little cotton gloves in the restroom! Oops (though, it turns out I didn’t need them anyway). Off we went. The first run course (they used two run courses, for logistical reasons) was very hilly. We went up and down two huge ravines and two medium size rollers–and then turned around and did it again coming back to transition! My Run 1 time was a bit slower than anticipated, due to these hills. I came off Run 1 in 17th place overall.

After taking almost a mile to get my shoes velcroed correctly (the velcro came out of the shoe as I was trying to get set heading out of T1), I settled into a nice rhythm. The outbound leg was slightly downhill/downwind, so I was cruising for the first 6-8 miles at 25-27mph, averaging over 23 for the first 8. Then, at the turnaround, things got a bit uglier. Not only was I going uphill/into the wind, I lost my legs for a bit. After daydreaming about Jean-Luc Picard for a few minutes, I got back on track and returned to transition at a good pace. The end of the bike course was beautiful, winding around the park, up and down the many ravines, and finally back to T2. I ended up passing six people (and not getting passed once) to come into T2 in 11th place.

The first mile of the flat Run 2 was all about breathing control. I knew if I could control my breathing, I could control my side stitches. The first mile was 7:50 or so, and then as soon as I hit the turnaround for home, I somehow lost the side stitch and found another gear in there. I jumped on the pace, passing three people who had passed me during mile 1 (plus three more who were ahead of me to start Run 2), and sprinted to the line with a 7:02 closing mile!

My total time was good for 8th overall, and 2nd in my age group (I think there may have only been two of us in M14-24, but since 1st place M14-24 also got 2nd overall I can’t complain too much). I feel happy about how I did today–I left it all out on the course.

This concludes my season of triathlon racing. I’m very satisfied with how thing went this year. Almost every race saw a steady improvement in my times, especially on the bike and the run. Now, it’s time to maintain some fitness over the winter, do some more swimming, lose more weight, and get ready to train for Ironman Wisconsin in 2009!