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watching NBC's Olympic prime-time Olympic coverage one could conclude there are only three sports being contested: Swimming (very cool), women's beach volleyball (also cool) and girl's gymnastics (very uncool). Where are the other sports and the informative and sappy stories I have gotten used to over the years, Costas? I am reminded why I don't usually watch any TV...
TBC

Yesterday was the 5430 Long Course Triathlon. A race that I have participated in for the last 4 years and one that I usually look forward to as one of my "A" races. The weather was fantastic. Clouds covered the course most of the morning and made the two running laps around the Res much more enjoyable than the 95+ degree, no-shade, suffer-fest it usually is. I am always impressed by the participants in this race as it is definitely a quite committed crowd. Zipp wheeled $5k+ bikes littered the transition area and the number of visible IM tattoos was quite high.

As for my race: I am stuck somewhere between being grateful I was healthy and fit enough to participate and have a fun time, excellent workout and decent finishing time and being really pissed that issues other than my fitness are still hampering me. My bitter friend Left Hamstring was joined this time by both calves. All three cramped considerably and made for a difficult third leg.

For the swim, I swam about as fast as Michael Phelps, multiplied by a factor of .125. I had a nice bike ride: spent most of the first lap rotating with 3-4 other guys moving at a quick clip, on the second lap I stuck to the plan and picked up the pace and when I was coming into the finish I felt great, well hydrated, legs reasonably fresh, no cramps and overall very happy that I had a smart and reasonably fast ride. Then the run came and it was all downhill.

I give myself a pat on the back for mustering through the run as my legs were hurting the entire time: 13.1 miles of pain. I ran the first mile real slow waiting for my legs to come back a bit. At mile two they weren't there and at mile three they still felt like shize and were starting to cramp. Fortunately a fiend caught up to me at that point and motivated me to pick up the pace and we were able to put together a string of 7:20ish miles while chatting. The second loop he dropped off and I tried my best to keep that pace but I was in too much pain to do so. HTFU, Suck it up Buttercup, get 'er done, etc., etc...

4:55 finishing time. 5" faster than last year, 15" slower than what I had hoped for in January when I signed up. But better than what I expected two days ago considering I haven't really done anything I would call training the last 7 weeks - I have run a total of about 25 miles with a long of 10k and zero running after bike - I am satisfied with the day. Here are the results.

I'll have another chance to attain year goal #4 in a month as I signed up for the Harvest Moon long course last week...
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In other Colorado sporting news. Check this, the guy in yellow and black should look familiar. Perhaps I'll do this race instead next year, I have always wanted to:

If you didn't watch the Men's 4*100 Freestyle Relay last night, you really should. Wow!

I don't think I am going to be getting much sleep in the next 12 days or so as The Olympics have begun!

NBC has a fantastic website to support their coverage of the games that includes live video feeds and a player that allows you to watch up to four feeds at once. Last night I had the full media experience going: the opening ceremonies and Bob Costas on the tele (gotta love Costas, he actually used the word "quixotic" in appropriate context) and the men's cycling road race on the PC along with woman's fencing ("Individual Sabre", actually), badminton and team handball. The latter three are sports that I really have no idea about but have always been curious to watch an elite match of. I was impressed with them all and wonder why handball isn't more popular since it seems like a cool sport. nbcolympics.com

As for the men's cycling: the course actually looked beautiful and challenging. It was nice to see the wide variety of rider's and jerseys that you usually don't see in other cycling races. Interesting to watch the lone Chinese rider clearly trying to make a statement by pulling the entire pack at a seemingly ridiculous pace only 20 miles into a 150 mile race which would take them 6+ hours while the "contenders" (and teammates last week) sat back and chatted casually with each other.

The opening ceremonies were stunning. I would imagine the organizing committee for London 2012 is scratching their heads this morning as the bar has been set quite high. Excellent photos here and here.

A little political humor for you. Click the image to see it all.

I suppose you can assume now how I will vote in November. (I'm all for torture, BTW. Jack Bauer style.)

5430 Long Course triathlon this Sunday. And although yesterday we broke our ridiculous streak of 20something consecutive days of 90+ temps and no rain, I'm hoping for more rain at about 10am Sunday. Otherwise, it's gonna be a suffer-fest running around the Rez ...

Congratulations! You made the Olympic team, now you get the honor of going out and racing a marathon in this.

Beijing the other day - 10+ days into their cleanup strategy. Nasty.

Yesterday a friend asked me how the training was going. Um... Er... not sure I would call what I am doing "training". More like just a a bunch of unfocused trips around the golf course in running shoes and the county in chammy-shorts. I'm having fun, but not too focused on anything, and actually feel sorta aimless. What the heck to do with myself?

I. NEED. A. NEW. GOAL.

Since IMCDA came and went and throughout the last several weeks I have been trying to figure out what is next on the athletic horizon. I'm like a boat without a rudder; the S.S. Minnow without the Skipper and Gilligan; NASA without John Kennedy; a nineteen year old pre-pubescent gymnast without the Olympics (I won't be watching ANY of the pixies on parade next week) or Forrest Gump without his box of chocolates.

For years I have motivated my athletic endeavors with a date written on the calendar with a big, fat red Sharpie marker. That date is usually preceded by a big, fat check to a race director that serves as extra Mo. I try to live for the moment in most other areas but I seem to need the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to training. Of course you NEED to think ahead. A year ahead in many cases to get registered for many races - which is completely ridiculous and annoying, but nonetheless, the way it is.

In the mean time I am simply trying to maintain my fitness and trying to take care of some things that will help me be more successful going forward. Last week I saw a Physical Therapist to help get on a stretching routine and resolve some long-standing bodily nags, next week I will have custom orthotics made, and once I figure out what I want to do next, I will get back onto a coached training plan.

This much I do know: I am going to turn myself into a marathoner this fall with the goal of running a fast marathon someplace sometime before January 4th, then I will be in Hopkinton, MA April 20 for another one. Lots of swimming and a bit less - but more focused - cycling in between.

Sunday night I actually had the best run I have had in 8 weeks. For 6 miles I actually felt quick, fleet-afoot even, with a decent stride and was running at a terrific pace effortlessly. The next morning I woke up and ran a short 5K and had nothing but tight muscles and a geriatric stride again. My legs need to get used to running all over again, I guess...