I thought the world learned this skill years ago. Maybe he was in a coma.
Then again, I'm pretty sure his drink was a decaf something-or-other, so that could be the problem right there.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Lingua Franca
I was just in line behind a guy at the airport buying a coffee, and this poor guy clearly didn't speak Starbucks:
<Barista>What size, sir?
<Guy>Uh, better make it big... uh.. GRANDE!
<Elliot>Uh, you know Grande is only medium, right?
<Guy>What? Really? No, stop.. Put that cup down, give me the Tall one
<Elliot>Seriously, Tall means small. You gotta learn the language man.
What? That doesn't even make sense? What's big? Venti! Give me a Venti.
I thought the world learned this skill years ago. Maybe he was in a coma.
Then again, I'm pretty sure his drink was a decaf something-or-other, so that could be the problem right there.
I thought the world learned this skill years ago. Maybe he was in a coma.
Then again, I'm pretty sure his drink was a decaf something-or-other, so that could be the problem right there.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Free Time
Originally when I started this blog my idea was that it would complement my training log. Anecdotes about workouts and things like that. But, as I mentioned earlier, balance is something I have a hard time maintaining in my life. If I only give one side of the story, is it really an accurate account? When I don't post for a while, am I not training? Am I feeling burned out? Or, is there something else going on that is taking my focus off of exercise. So, I'll start branching out more and talk about things that don't directly deal with training, but clearly have an impact on some level.
What follows was originally an email to the Fam.
---------------------------
Obviously I have a lot of free time given my work schedule. I'm not sure how well you guys know it, so let me explain it first.
I think of the world in 8-day weeks. The first two I work during the day, 7:30am-5:30pm. The third and fourth I work at night, 5:30pm-7:30am the following day. I come home on the morning of the fifth day, and have the rest of the time off. It's great.
So, anyway, I have all this free time. What's really interesting though is what happens to you when you have all this free-time and don't feel guilty about it. It's not like I'm neglecting anything, I'm working full-time, paying off my debts, life's pretty good. So it really is free-time, I can do with it as I please.
What I've ended up doing a lot of is playing around with programming computers. It's always been fun endeavor for me, you all know that. Anyway, I realised I was doing it lots and really enjoying it and (re)learning various techniques and technologies. How to learn more though? Take classes.
Soooo... In another example of me going all-or-nothing on something: I looked into getting a CompSci degree.
Fast forward a bit to today. I went to the bank and applied for a personal line of credit. I find out on Monday how that all went, but the bank lady seems to think it should be fine. I could almost do the whole thing without any loan, but it would require short-term huge charges to my credit card which isn't a smart move. The banker thought I was a bit strange:
"So, you're a Fire Fighter wanting a computer science degree? Isn't that kind of strange?"
"You'd think it's even stranger if you knew I already have a degree in Math"
"What? Why are you a Fire Fighter?"
"It's fun and I get to break things."
So anyway, on Monday everything should be set up so I can pretty much push a button and be a student. The whole thing will be through Athabasca University, which is entirely done online and via correspondence. The program is BSc in Computer & Information Systems. I'll get some credits for courses I did at Kenyon, but the whole thing will still take a few years.
Obviously the question that comes up is: So, will you quit being a Fire Fighter? I don't know, I honestly don't. I don't think I could go back to the 9-5 work style.
But that's really not the question that's important. I think the important question is whether I want to do it. And I do.
The entropy of my life will only ever increase. If I don't do this now things will come up and I might not have this freedom later on, and that would be a tragedy.
What follows was originally an email to the Fam.
---------------------------
Obviously I have a lot of free time given my work schedule. I'm not sure how well you guys know it, so let me explain it first.
I think of the world in 8-day weeks. The first two I work during the day, 7:30am-5:30pm. The third and fourth I work at night, 5:30pm-7:30am the following day. I come home on the morning of the fifth day, and have the rest of the time off. It's great.
So, anyway, I have all this free time. What's really interesting though is what happens to you when you have all this free-time and don't feel guilty about it. It's not like I'm neglecting anything, I'm working full-time, paying off my debts, life's pretty good. So it really is free-time, I can do with it as I please.
What I've ended up doing a lot of is playing around with programming computers. It's always been fun endeavor for me, you all know that. Anyway, I realised I was doing it lots and really enjoying it and (re)learning various techniques and technologies. How to learn more though? Take classes.
Soooo... In another example of me going all-or-nothing on something: I looked into getting a CompSci degree.
Fast forward a bit to today. I went to the bank and applied for a personal line of credit. I find out on Monday how that all went, but the bank lady seems to think it should be fine. I could almost do the whole thing without any loan, but it would require short-term huge charges to my credit card which isn't a smart move. The banker thought I was a bit strange:
So anyway, on Monday everything should be set up so I can pretty much push a button and be a student. The whole thing will be through Athabasca University, which is entirely done online and via correspondence. The program is BSc in Computer & Information Systems. I'll get some credits for courses I did at Kenyon, but the whole thing will still take a few years.
Obviously the question that comes up is: So, will you quit being a Fire Fighter? I don't know, I honestly don't. I don't think I could go back to the 9-5 work style.
But that's really not the question that's important. I think the important question is whether I want to do it. And I do.
The entropy of my life will only ever increase. If I don't do this now things will come up and I might not have this freedom later on, and that would be a tragedy.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Balance
Not too long ago I realised that Google Earth has a flight simulator built in. After a few minutes of reminiscing about how flight simulators used to be entire apps themselves, and in fact be the most complex things on a computer, I started playing around with it. It's pretty simple, you can only choose between two planes and about two-dozen airports. Or, you can fly over your current view, which is neat because then you can keep your placemarks turned on and do fly-bys on your house or whatever.
The biggest issue I had with it, other than the initial "wow-factor" wearing off after five minutes, was that once you touched the controls it seemed impossible to get back on course. Maybe it would be easier with a joystick, but I don't have one. So what would end up happening is that you'd make a slight attitude adjustment but never be able to just sit back from the controls afterward. Touch the controls once and you're now committed to a flight of constant minor adjustments: nose-up for a minute, nose-down for a minute, nose-up for a minute, nose-down.
Finding that sweet spot that the program started you at where you're flying perfectly level seems impossible.
It's very hard for me to find balance in every day life. When I take on a task or a pursuit, I either do it reluctantly and minimally, or dive in head first. Sometimes I end up like this guy:
Usually not.
More often than not this tends to be a great trait. Some times though, I forget to try and maintain a balance; I'll let one thing take over my life. I've learned over the years to catch myself. I make rules.
When I wanted to get my tattoo I thought it was a great idea and could of convinced anyone around that it was worthwhile. But, I realised, it'll last forever and if it's not a great idea I'm stuck with it. Forever. So the rule I made was that I had to want it for a whole year, inclusive -- not just the two end points. I did, I got it, and I've thought getting it was a great idea every day since.
When I wanted to change careers and become a Fire Fighter it was similar. Once the idea was in my head I wanted to act on it NOW. Waiting to act on that change was a good idea, it let me prepare in many ways, and again, I still think it was a great idea every day.
Deciding to train for a triathlon was a little bit different. I needed to do something to get in better shape anyway, I needed a plan, and I needed a goal -- even a loosely defined one. There was obviously no point in waiting for a year before implementing that plan. In fact, doing so would be detrimental no matter what. The problem then became how much?
I do have a lot of free time, and it's fantastic. But it seems it's a little dangerous, I so easily get carried away. What to do this afternoon? Hrm.. Might as well run again. It's sunny out: Gotta bike. Gotta train.
Well, actually, I don't. I'm not a pro. I don't want to be a pro. I just want to be fit and compete. I'd left the controls alone for too long and was flying too high. The air was getting thin, and I was losing sight of the horizon. It was time for an attitude adjustment before I stalled and fell to the ground.
So I'm pitching my nose down a bit. Focusing on training less and making sure I'm enjoying it. There's definitely a problem with me if I'm not looking forward to the view of the mountains we get while biking west. This isn't a job, so it sure as hell better not feel like one.
The biggest issue I had with it, other than the initial "wow-factor" wearing off after five minutes, was that once you touched the controls it seemed impossible to get back on course. Maybe it would be easier with a joystick, but I don't have one. So what would end up happening is that you'd make a slight attitude adjustment but never be able to just sit back from the controls afterward. Touch the controls once and you're now committed to a flight of constant minor adjustments: nose-up for a minute, nose-down for a minute, nose-up for a minute, nose-down.
Finding that sweet spot that the program started you at where you're flying perfectly level seems impossible.
It's very hard for me to find balance in every day life. When I take on a task or a pursuit, I either do it reluctantly and minimally, or dive in head first. Sometimes I end up like this guy:
Usually not.
More often than not this tends to be a great trait. Some times though, I forget to try and maintain a balance; I'll let one thing take over my life. I've learned over the years to catch myself. I make rules.
When I wanted to get my tattoo I thought it was a great idea and could of convinced anyone around that it was worthwhile. But, I realised, it'll last forever and if it's not a great idea I'm stuck with it. Forever. So the rule I made was that I had to want it for a whole year, inclusive -- not just the two end points. I did, I got it, and I've thought getting it was a great idea every day since.
When I wanted to change careers and become a Fire Fighter it was similar. Once the idea was in my head I wanted to act on it NOW. Waiting to act on that change was a good idea, it let me prepare in many ways, and again, I still think it was a great idea every day.
Deciding to train for a triathlon was a little bit different. I needed to do something to get in better shape anyway, I needed a plan, and I needed a goal -- even a loosely defined one. There was obviously no point in waiting for a year before implementing that plan. In fact, doing so would be detrimental no matter what. The problem then became how much?
I do have a lot of free time, and it's fantastic. But it seems it's a little dangerous, I so easily get carried away. What to do this afternoon? Hrm.. Might as well run again. It's sunny out: Gotta bike. Gotta train.
Well, actually, I don't. I'm not a pro. I don't want to be a pro. I just want to be fit and compete. I'd left the controls alone for too long and was flying too high. The air was getting thin, and I was losing sight of the horizon. It was time for an attitude adjustment before I stalled and fell to the ground.
So I'm pitching my nose down a bit. Focusing on training less and making sure I'm enjoying it. There's definitely a problem with me if I'm not looking forward to the view of the mountains we get while biking west. This isn't a job, so it sure as hell better not feel like one.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
King of Calgary Race
The key word in the name of Scott's made-up race is 'Calgary', as such a few days before we raced it was decided that cycling would be far too dangerous due to snow and ice conditions. Nonetheless, being the bull-headed competitive bastards we are the race had to go on.
We started the day at 7am. We had 3 heats of swims, seeded slowest to fastest. It was a great atmosphere as we were practically the only people in Talisman at the time. At meets I used to love swimming the 1500/1650 in the heats and not at night. It felt more honest to me because I thought the people there watching actually cared about distance swimming. Back in the club swimming days it was even more honest when you had to supply your own timer. No wonder I grew up to hate sprinters.
One of the things I was most impressed by was the splitting of everyone else. Some of these swimmers hadn't even done a 1500 for time before, but were splitting their 100's within two or three seconds of each other. Maybe I should've expected more, but I was impressed.
My first achievement of the day came about 15 minutes before we started. Given that it was a time trial, and a pursuit style race (If you got a lead out of the swim, you got that much of a head start on the run) I decided to pull out all the stops and wear an old racing suit. The fact that my trusty old TYR leg-skin fit me was kind of a big deal. It was really just a reaffirmation that I have lost some weight, as I mentioned previously. And more than anything it was a psychological boost.
As the four of us final swimmers warmed up I felt two things:
Right before we started someone said "Go under 1-minute for the first 100, just to do it." I thought about it and figured why not? I'll go out hard but keep it in check so it won't burn me, then settle into a nice pace. Plus it'll be fun to go that fast off the start.
Now, one of the things I always found weird about being a miler was how infrequently we actually got to do a Mile. In college it was 1000's every week and 800's were quite common during the summer, but both of those races are such different animals than a full Mile. So for me I always had the same internal recollections.
Right around the 200 it was always "Oh shit, I must've gone out too hard: My breathing effort is way higher! Wait a minute... I always think that right at the 200!"
And then, right around the 1000: "Oh fuck, it feels like I got punched in the diaphragm. Where did that come from? How am I going to deal with that for another 500!? Wait... That always happens right around the 1000."
So I guess over time I've developed those little milestones (pun intended) to let me know that my pace is right on check. It's nice to know they're still there for me.
I did speed up a bit for the last 50, just to play around, but due to a miscommunication with my timer/counter it ended up being an extra 50. Oh well.
And now for something completely different: Running a 10km.
We took a break for an hour or so between the end of our swims and the start of our run. Snacked, had a coffee, laboured over how warm to dress for the stupid weather. During the night it had sprinkled snow. Not a lot, but enough that the plow guy was out on the bike path doing his best to make our running course as clear as possible. The problem with plowing that little amount of snow though was that it really just got packed down and turned into ice. Scary.
I had measured the course the day before but somehow screwed it up. Instead of 2 x 5km loops we ended up running 2 x 5.425 km loops. Oops.
I started the run with a 2:09 lead before Scott begun his chase. In my entire life, I've only ever run 3 races. A 5km and two 8km cross-country races. 10km is a completely new distance for me, and I'm at a completely different level of fitness than I was for any of those races. So I had no clue. James (our master timer) lent me his GPS watch which would keep pace for me so I decided just to try and hangon around 4:00/km pace and try and end up around 40:00.
A few KM in and I thought that a hair over 4:00/km pace would actually be holdable. I checked the watch about every minute or two and adjusted accordingly.
The icey course was absolutely brutal. It was a pleasant surprise when your feet got traction and you didn't feel like you were spinning your tires. There were several spots were I had to slow down and put my arms out like a tight-rope walker just to stay upright.
Knowing that the course was too long I kept an eye on my watch and as it rolled over to 10km my time read 41:30. So that's the time I'll go with for my PB at 10km. My "official" final time for the run was 45:02. Scott caught and passed me with about 2.5km to go. So I ended up second for the whole race. I'm certain that in less perilous conditions I would've been passed by at least one other person, but it's Calgary.
So that was my "King of Calgary" race. It was a lot of fun, and hopefully next year we can add in the bike time trial.
I took the next day off completely and then went for an easy run on Monday. I was stiff on the run but it wasn't anything major. More notable was that as soon as I was done the run I felt like I had a cold. My body must've been winning the fight against the virus but as soon as I beat it up a little with a run the tides turned. Thank god for Advil Cold & Sinus.
We started the day at 7am. We had 3 heats of swims, seeded slowest to fastest. It was a great atmosphere as we were practically the only people in Talisman at the time. At meets I used to love swimming the 1500/1650 in the heats and not at night. It felt more honest to me because I thought the people there watching actually cared about distance swimming. Back in the club swimming days it was even more honest when you had to supply your own timer. No wonder I grew up to hate sprinters.
One of the things I was most impressed by was the splitting of everyone else. Some of these swimmers hadn't even done a 1500 for time before, but were splitting their 100's within two or three seconds of each other. Maybe I should've expected more, but I was impressed.
My first achievement of the day came about 15 minutes before we started. Given that it was a time trial, and a pursuit style race (If you got a lead out of the swim, you got that much of a head start on the run) I decided to pull out all the stops and wear an old racing suit. The fact that my trusty old TYR leg-skin fit me was kind of a big deal. It was really just a reaffirmation that I have lost some weight, as I mentioned previously. And more than anything it was a psychological boost.
As the four of us final swimmers warmed up I felt two things:
- Awe for how much of a difference the leg skins make
- Like a total jackass for busting out a racing suit
Right before we started someone said "Go under 1-minute for the first 100, just to do it." I thought about it and figured why not? I'll go out hard but keep it in check so it won't burn me, then settle into a nice pace. Plus it'll be fun to go that fast off the start.
- 1:01
- 1:06
- 1:07
- 1:08
- 1:07 (5:29)
- 1:08
- 1:08
- 1:08
- 1:08
- 1:08 (11:09)
- 1:07
- 1:07
- 1:07
- 1:07
- 1:07 (16:44)
Now, one of the things I always found weird about being a miler was how infrequently we actually got to do a Mile. In college it was 1000's every week and 800's were quite common during the summer, but both of those races are such different animals than a full Mile. So for me I always had the same internal recollections.
Right around the 200 it was always "Oh shit, I must've gone out too hard: My breathing effort is way higher! Wait a minute... I always think that right at the 200!"
And then, right around the 1000: "Oh fuck, it feels like I got punched in the diaphragm. Where did that come from? How am I going to deal with that for another 500!? Wait... That always happens right around the 1000."
So I guess over time I've developed those little milestones (pun intended) to let me know that my pace is right on check. It's nice to know they're still there for me.
I did speed up a bit for the last 50, just to play around, but due to a miscommunication with my timer/counter it ended up being an extra 50. Oh well.
And now for something completely different: Running a 10km.
We took a break for an hour or so between the end of our swims and the start of our run. Snacked, had a coffee, laboured over how warm to dress for the stupid weather. During the night it had sprinkled snow. Not a lot, but enough that the plow guy was out on the bike path doing his best to make our running course as clear as possible. The problem with plowing that little amount of snow though was that it really just got packed down and turned into ice. Scary.
I had measured the course the day before but somehow screwed it up. Instead of 2 x 5km loops we ended up running 2 x 5.425 km loops. Oops.
I started the run with a 2:09 lead before Scott begun his chase. In my entire life, I've only ever run 3 races. A 5km and two 8km cross-country races. 10km is a completely new distance for me, and I'm at a completely different level of fitness than I was for any of those races. So I had no clue. James (our master timer) lent me his GPS watch which would keep pace for me so I decided just to try and hangon around 4:00/km pace and try and end up around 40:00.
A few KM in and I thought that a hair over 4:00/km pace would actually be holdable. I checked the watch about every minute or two and adjusted accordingly.
The icey course was absolutely brutal. It was a pleasant surprise when your feet got traction and you didn't feel like you were spinning your tires. There were several spots were I had to slow down and put my arms out like a tight-rope walker just to stay upright.
Knowing that the course was too long I kept an eye on my watch and as it rolled over to 10km my time read 41:30. So that's the time I'll go with for my PB at 10km. My "official" final time for the run was 45:02. Scott caught and passed me with about 2.5km to go. So I ended up second for the whole race. I'm certain that in less perilous conditions I would've been passed by at least one other person, but it's Calgary.
So that was my "King of Calgary" race. It was a lot of fun, and hopefully next year we can add in the bike time trial.
I took the next day off completely and then went for an easy run on Monday. I was stiff on the run but it wasn't anything major. More notable was that as soon as I was done the run I felt like I had a cold. My body must've been winning the fight against the virus but as soon as I beat it up a little with a run the tides turned. Thank god for Advil Cold & Sinus.
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