Luggage Problems

For some reason, my transient models are running really slow at work today (hence, this post is being created).

I attended a compressor class in Houston last week, and it was pretty fun. Getting out there and back was kind of interesting. First, Continental airlines sent my suitcase with a week's worth of clothes to New Jersey. On the way back, I left my suitcase on the shuttle from the rental car return to the terminal. With only 30 minutes to check my bag before the flight, I somehow managed to track it down within 10 minutes. The business side of the trip as well as the food/leisure side was awesome, but my training got destroyed! I was only able to swim once, I got on a spinner once, and it rained every single day so my running was limited. However, I did manage to rack up a few miles on the run and then some more on the way back, so it wasn't too bad.

Moutain Lakes

Definitely my best race so far this summer. The swim went very well except for a small leak on my left side, but it didn't really bother me too much. I stood up to soon at the swim exit, but it wasn't a big deal. It took me a few miles to settle down on the bike, but once I did it was awesome. Some idiot tried to draft off me...I promptly called him a queer and told him to back off, and he followed orders...haha. The run, which is usually my weakest link, was awesome! I averaged 6:51/mi for the 3 mile run for a time of 20:31, which is like 2 minutes faster than my last sprint tri. Ridiculous.

Capitalism

A quote by a brilliant commentator:

"Capitalism is the greatest system ever created for alleviating general human misery, and yet it breeds ingratitude. People ask, 'Why is there poverty in the world?' It's a silly question. Poverty is the default human condition... The interesting question isn't 'Why is there poverty?' It's 'Why is there wealth?' Or: 'Why is there prosperity here but not there?' At the end of the day, the first answer is capitalism, rightly understood. That is to say: free markets, private property, the spirit of entrepreneurialism and the conviction that the fruits of your labors are your own... In large measure our wealth isn't the product of capitalism, it is capitalism. And yet we hate it. Leaving religion out of it, no idea has given more to humanity. The average working-class person today is richer, in real terms, than the average prince or potentate of 300 years ago. His food is better, his life longer, his health better, his menu of entertainments vastly more diverse, his toilette infinitely more civilized. And yet we constantly hear how cruel capitalism is while this collectivism or that is more loving because, unlike capitalism, collectivism is about the group, not the individual... Meanwhile, billions have ridden capitalism out of poverty. And yet the children of capitalism still whine."

-Jonah Goldberg

Heart O' Dixie

This is one week late, but better late than never. I traveled to Louisville, MS a week ago with a friend to race at the Heart O' Dixie triathlon. The race was a 0.5 mile swim, a 27.5 mile bike, and then a 7 mile run that started in Louisville and ended in Philadelphia, MS. I had heard that it was a well-ran race, so I decided to give it a try.
The swim went well because I actually got a chance to warm up in the water, which is huge for me. For some reason my arms always tighten up if I try to immediately start swimming at race pace. It was a 400 meter out-and-back following the right side of a line of buoys. On the way out there was some major congestion, as they only seeded the top 10 and started everyone else by how they signed up...which is retarded. On the way back, some idiot ran head on into me...yes, head on. My head rammed into his shoulder. I honestly don't know how I didn't hurt my neck. Overall, I averaged a 1:40/500m, which is about what I thought I would be able to do.
The bike was probably one of my top 5 best rides. It was largely a rolling hills course with a few that were slightly more than rolling. I hit a rhythm early on, as the first few miles were relatively flat. This rhythm helped out significantly when I got to the rollers; I was able to power up them and maintain my speed for the most part. I ended up with an average of 23.2 mph, which was tied for the fastest in the 20-24 age group!
I was determined to not break on the run like I did in Chattanooga. Even after hammering the bike, I still felt pretty good starting off. One thing that I've learned is that pre/during-race nutrition is super important. I think I'm close to figuring out exactly what food to eat pre-race that will give me the most energy and that will settle the easiest...and the same with during the race. It just so happened that a guy about the same exact speed as me exited T2 right in front of me, so I spend the first 3 miles drafting off of him. After 3 miles I picked up the pace a little bit and left him, and with 2 miles to go I picked it up a little bit more. My intention was to run out of gas right as I crossed the line, and I think I was pretty successful in that venture. Overall, my average pace was 7:41/mi, which is an 18 sec increase in speed from Chattanooga (even though this course was almost a mile longer!).
Overall, I finished in 2:20:34, good enough for 6th place out of 17 racers in the 20-24 age group. Whew.