19 July 2012

My Pearl Armada And Career MTB Race #2



Um, I can explain.

What appears to be a photo of Imelda Marcos' prison floor is really just part of my Pearl Izumi collection. Yes, I said "part." I am an endurance athlete, back off. On the far end are my Tri Fly Carbon IV's, but I am missing my Tri Fly Carbon III's and my newly acquired MTB All Road's.

And, yes, I have run in every single pair of these kicks. Every once in a while wifey will ask me when we can get rid of a pair.

GET RID OF A PAIR?

Would you ask me to get rid of one of my children?
I think not.

It is extremely easy to write a review of a product line that you absolutely dig. That is the way I feel about my arsenal of Pearl Izumi kicks. Plain and simple, they are the shiznit.*

I have been wearing Pearl Izumi running and bike shoes for about six years. It started when I got my first pair of  Iso Shifts. I went through a few pairs of these and decided to get another pair of kicks for my track/speed workouts. I ended up going the Streaks (the BLUE ones pictured right next to my trail shoes). A few months ago I purchased the Syncro Float IV's for some of my longer runs. The Float is well cushioned and mildly supportive for the mild pronator.

The kind people at Pearl Izumi sent the Rev3 team a pair of their outstanding Iso Tranisition triathlon specific shoes, as well as their Tri Fly Carbon IV's. I'll be honest. I was a little concerned with running a HIM with the Iso Transitions because when you pick them up it feels like they defy gravity. How can gravity-defying shoes offer me the support I need? I am not big on all the technical babble about shoes: "They do this, it has that, etc." What I do know is that I ran my fastest and most comfortable HIM split in my Iso Transitions. Coincidence? Negative, Ghost Rider. When you are more comfortable on the bike, you can bike faster. When you are more comfortable in your shoes, you can run faster. I have loved my trail shoes, but they also serve a dual purpose as my everyday "kicking it around town shoes" and thus I am ready for a new pair. I have been gradually increasing my trail running to build some more strength, but mostly for my sanity. I love being out in the trails, trying to navigate my way around, all while avoiding impaling myself on busted tree limbs, or cracking my dome on a rock on the ground from falling over roots hidden by leaves on the trail. I just ordered a pair of these!

Gang, if you want "Run like an Animal," you must visit the Pearl Website and get with it.

* For my hip hop impaired blogger friends, urbandictionary.com defines shiznit as the shortened term for "that is the shit, isn't it?" (ex. "that taco's the shiznit.")

OTHER NEWS:


My little man and I went out last night for our second go at a MTB race. He had a much faster race than last week, finishing 6th overall in the 8-12 junior category. Way to go little man! I, on the other hand,  decided that I was going to race the 40+ Sport division last night. This meant doing 5 laps around a fairly technical, tight single-track course. I kind of missed the start of the race. I was out at my car trying to charge up my Garmin which unfortunately remained dead for my race. I did okay considering I raced on Sunday. I went out there to just do it and have some fun, and that is exactly how it went down.

Good News: I only spilled once and it was not so bad. Man, trying to bike on sand is ridiculous.
Bad News: Mountain biking requires a totally different kind of fitness than triathlon.

More soon. Train Smart!

18 July 2012

The Friday Top Five: My Five Least Favorite Things About Triathlon

Ironically, my idea for this top five came while I was out pedaling away on the Musselman course this past weekend. You have a lot of time to think when you are pedaling 56 miles. Do you ever just think about stuff when you are on your bike for a long-ass time and start cracking up? Certain things really annoy me about the sport of triathlon. Least of which is the fact that I am just not very good at it—yet. I have finally discovered that you can only race well at a distance that you have the time to train for. Duh. This has come as quite the revelation for me.

5) Ironman Guy/Girl: You know them. The most annoying Ironman/girl has a tattoo on their ankle/calf/neck (like a member of some notorious Los Angeles street gang). Coincidentally, for some strange reason (or maybe not so strange), I started singing NWA's "Straight Outta' Compton" (kicking it old school) in my head as I was passing people on my bike during the HIM this past weekend. Particularly the part that goes "I'm a bad muthafu**er, and you know it."

But I digress....

Look, you may very well be Ironman Guy/Girl. If you are, I'm sorry... sort of. Ironman is to the triathlon world like the Empire is to the Force. They are the evil corporate monster. I have never competed in an Ironman sanctioned event, and I do not intend on ever giving them my hard earned cash. I encourage my fellow triathletes to vote with your legs and head to another race every season. There is a new cat in town. A kinder, gentler, more awesome race series by the name of REV3. You also know Ironman Guy/Girl because they tell you they've competed in an Ironman. They usually think they are dropping this subtly. You know, something like, "Ugh, I want to have a beer, but I am competing in Ironman two months from now, and I do not want to be dehydrated for my race." They will also wear the M-dot hat/t-shirt/shorts/jersey that they paid a ton of loot for so that everyone will know that they are in fact an Ironman. The coolest thing about wearing my Rev3 visor is I have athletes come up to me all the time asking me which Rev3 races I have done. It starts real conversations. Imagine that!

4) Excuse Guy/Girl: You know these types. They pass you at mile 20 of the bike, hammering like it's the final leg of the Tour de France, or early on in the run thinking they are Craig Alexander or Chrissie Wellington. When you pass them later in the race, they say something like, "Hey! Good job... we've been playing cat and mouse all day. (You think to yourself: "No, we haven't. You've been playing cat and mouse all day. I am out here running my race, homeslice). Then, they say it... "Yeah, I am just out here for a training ride/run/HIM. I have an Ironman coming up in September." GIVE ME A BREAK, DUDE! It is funny how they are just out there for a "training ride" when you finally run back into them  near the end of a ride or run. When I perform poorly at a race, I own up to it.

This is what you look like, aero-helmet guy.
3) Disc Wheel/Aero Helmet Guy: My feeling about aero helmet/disc wheel guy is that I better not pass you with my non-aero wheels and my regular biking helmet on the course. Look, I have an aero helmet, and I have worn it at REV3 Full Cedar Point—twice—but I am not wearing one in a sprint or Olympic distance triathlon. That just screams "newbie."For some reason the sound of a disc wheel drives me crazy.

2) Cat and Mouse—But Obviously Can Not Keep Up With You Because I Do Not Hold A Steady Pace—Guy/Girl:


These people are SO annoying. This past weekend I was racing and some woman flew by me smoking fast. Less than ten minutes later I look up and see her and a bunch of other people who flew by me earlier. As I pass them, I know they see my REV3 kit and recognize me. So, what do they do when I pass them? Their fragile egos can not handle being passed by someone that they once passed, so they speed up and start motoring. They use every bit of energy trying to keep up instead of just sticking to their race plan and pace. Look, I'm okay with this. These people usually bonk at the tail end of their ride, or when they begin the run. Thank you! If you are this person... YES! I am racing you, but I do not care to play cat and mouse over 56 miles. If you are faster than me, good for you. If you are using every last ounce of energy trying to keep up with me, you need to enroll in some sort of self-help program to work on your self-esteem issues.

1) Elitism: For years, I have had a big problem with the exclusivity of triathlon. Nothing screams "I am a privileged upper-middle class white person" like the sport of triathlon. You might not like it, but it is difficult to disagree with me. I have certainly seen more people of color competing in triathlon, but the majority of the participants are white. I would really like to see someone start a program to bring the multisport lifestyle into the inner cities and provide opportunities for inner-city youth to train and compete. Am I crazy? I feel like I have to do something to make this sport—the sport that I love—more accessible to more people.


That's all I  got. Train Smart!

17 July 2012

Musselman Half Iron Distance Race Report

A new PR!

Today I ran the Musselman Half Iron Distance Triathlon in Geneva, New York. This race was my very first Half Iron distance race six seasons ago, so it holds a special place in my wee triathlon heart. Since REV3 Full last year, I just have not been able to get my shit together to put together a decent race. This race is always particularly daunting for me because I know so many athletes who compete and I usually go into the race with some unrealistic expectation of how I should perform. In other words, race anxiety.

SWIM: 39:33


My swim was absolutely terrible. I don't think I have ever swam so poorly in a triathlon since my very first one seven seasons ago. Okay, I lie. Every swim I have is pretty terrible. I motor in the water and forget to look up to find those buoys. The result? I end up swimming a good 150 to 200 yards longer. I never turn my Garmin on during the swim anymore, because the last time I did, it said my top speed was 70 m.p.h., but I am sure my swim today would look more like an EKG of someone trying to be resuscitated after their heart had stopped. I heard a lot of athletes talking afterwards that they thought the swim was pretty choppy—especially on the way out. I did not find the waves to be too bad. I just kept telling myself, "let's have a nice swim out here." I have to say, the last little bit of the swim that exits the lake and goes through the narrow canal went faster than I had anticipated. My run out of the water and into transition was pretty strong. I almost failed to mention the best worse part of the swim. My goggles decided to come off somewhere between the first and second buoys. Yeah, that was great fun. Nothing like treading water with your legs while using your hands to put the rubber back through the notches on the side of your goggles.

T1: 2:35


As soon as I got out of the water, I saw a few of my friends who were cheering me on. I know that you go by them really quickly, but it is so awesome to have that support out there on race day. I got into transition, took off my wetsuit VERY easily, thanks to TRISLIDE! For those of you who have not used TriSlide yet, I'm sorry. It is magic in a can and nothing even comes close to getting you in and out of that wetsuit quicker. I put on my helmet, sunglasses, bike shoes (sans socks), got my nutrition into my REV3 kit and started to run my bike out of transition.








BIKE: 2:45:39


Little did I know that I would get as wet on the bike as I did on the swim. About 20 miles into the bike ride, the sky started looking pretty ominous. Then, without warning, there were a couple of claps of lightning and the sky opened up and started pouring. I took every corner very slowly, as this time around, I made sure to connect my breaks and inflate the hell out of my tires. I did not mind the rain so much. I would much rather it be cool and rainy than 90 degrees like it was last year. It sure helps to keep the heart rate down. This was a fairly decent bike for me. It took me a good ten miles to get my hip flexors and bursar to stop being annoying from all the extra kicking I did on the swim trying to make my way back to those buoys. I felt good motoring out of T1. This time last year, the first few miles of the bike were just excruciatingly difficult.  I was coming off of a knee injury that did not allow me to run for about eight weeks, and my riding was limited too. The first few hills on this ride felt WAY better than last year, and that gave me early encouragement. My coach said to hold back a bit on the bike, and that is exactly what I did. I kept hydrated and took in all my nutrition. I only needed to pick up one extra bottle on the bike. I quickly put it all into my aero bottle, finished the rest (splashing most of it on my face), and kept motoring. I had to hold myself back the last 15 to 10 miles in. I looked at my watch and thought "Holy Smokes,  I feel awesome!  I could just pound it hard." I knew I would end up paying for it on the run if I did that.

T2: 2:24


T2 took me a little longer than I would have liked. It would be great if all my transition times were under 2:00. I wanted to make sure I had all my nutrition before I went out on the run. It took me an extra few seconds to find where I had placed my Fuel Belt bottles, but eventually I got them in my belt, got the race number on and started running. I could hear my old training partner Manuel yelling at me in transition, telling me to hurry up. He was videoing me with his iPhone and doing commentary like it was on television. Hysterical!

RUN: 1:58:39


I actually brought two pairs of kick with me into transition. I had my Pearl Izumi Syncro Float IV's and my isoTransition. My thought was, that my right calf was sort of tight a day or two before the race, and I might try to put on some socks and run in the Syncro Floats for a little added stability. The rain on the bike made the decision to wear the Iso Transitions pretty simple. I slipped out of my Pearl Izumi Tri Fly IV Carbon's and into my Pearl Izumi Iso Transition.

I actually thought my run was a little faster than what the results said. Maybe in a state of oxygen-deprivation, I forgot to hit my lap button immediately. I don't know. It is all a blur. 


I started out on the run thinking that I should start slower than I think I should go, and gradually increase the tempo as the race went on. I looked down at my watch as I started running out of transition and noticed I was running a 7:24 pace. Yeah, somehow, I do not think I am going to be able to maintain this the whole way, yet. I slowed down and settled into a good groove. I skipped getting anything to drink at the first three aid stations because I was taking in nutrition from my Fuel Belt. I stopped for water at mile four and every single stop after that to hydrate. A couple of times on the run I could sense that I was towing  that line between feeling good and dehydration settling in. It is amazing when you have finally arrived to where you can get a sense of what your body is telling you.This was my first sub-9:00"-mile HIM trot. 

RESULTS:


OVERALL: 172/829

40-44 AGE GROUP: 36/109

This was exactly what I needed. A little confidence builder going into the second half of the season. I now know that I can and will improve on this time and that choosing not to go long this season was a very wise decision.

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?

1) You are your first coach. Whether you are a coached athlete or not, ultimately, you  are responsible for putting in the time and figuring out your nutrition. I had my coach to bounce ideas off of and help me through the process—which made the process quicker—but I still had to take an inventory and put it together.

2) I really dislike training in the morning. I only really dislike it because I dislike going to bed early. I've spoken about this before. Wifey and I get the bambini usually get the bambini in bed around 8:30-9:00. During the summer, it could be later if we have things going on and are traveling back from somewhere.

I think that age groupers like myself have a tendency to overtrain sometimes. I put in the hours this year, for sure, but I focused on the intensity of my workouts, rather than trying to go out and bang out a bunch of 100 mile rides because I think that is what I need to do to be competitive with people who bike 250+ miles a week.

3) I can still go faster. This year proved to me that I still have the capacity to run faster off the bike. I will have one more go at the half distance at REV3 Cedar Point in September. I am hoping to nail the nutrition again and have another decent day, maybe another PR.

Okay, Friday top Five in a few days. More soon. Train Smart!

13 July 2012

The Friday Top Five: The Five Things I Have Learned Being Married

Those of you with living with a domestic partner understand how difficult it is to negotiate space, time, and responsibilities. Relationships constantly evolve as we evolve as people. I mean, are you the same person now that you were ten years ago, let alone, five years ago? I shudder to ask. Over the course of my eleven years of utterly blissful marriage to my wonderful wife—who I am lucky to have (I know this because I am reminded of it daily by my wife and my family)—I have learned some things about myself and my skill set that have come to light thanks to my wonderful wifey. Here are the top five:

5) DOMESTIC DUTIES: According to my wife, before I met her, I as unable to actually cook and clean and perform simple domestic chores. I found this revelation especially worrisome because I don't know how I survived six years of living on my own as an undergraduate and during graduate school before meeting my wife. Apparently, I suck at performing the simplest of tasks: folding laundry, making the bed, and doing the laundry, because I am no longer able to do these things. I know what you're thinking... I purposely sabotage the making of the bed and folding of laundry so that I do not have to do it. Negative. After putting together a couple of piles of clothes, wifey will inevitably sigh, grab about half of them and refold them. I love cooking, and my wife does not mind when I cook. However, upon finishing dinner, it apparently looks like "a hurricane went through the kitchen." If I clean immediately after dinner, I am allowed to cook for the family again without permission. However, if I wait too long to clean up after myself, I lose my cooking privilege for an undetermined amount of time.

And while I am on domestic chores, what the hell is the sense of making the bed? Yes, I realize it looks nice, but when I was in college, I think I actually made my bed twice during a semester, and that was only because I washed my sheets. Again, I am not sure I actually made the bed, but rather, made it so I could sleep in it comfortably.

4) I AM NOT AS FUNNY AS I THINK I AM: Marriage has taught me that although I think I am one of the most hysterical and good-humored persons on the planet, that I am in fact about as funny as the film "Leaving Las Vegas." When I took my new job and went into school the first day to teach, my wife looked at me and said, "Mark, don't try to be funny, you are not that funny." I think she was only half-serious. What I have learned about teaching is that I have stopped being cool and funny in the way that my students think of "cool" and "funny."

3) I AM A TERRIBLE DRIVER: Although I've never been in any accident (that was my fault), I may in fact be the worse driver in North America. I know this because my wife is actually responsible for giving me directions like a Nascar pit crew while I am driving with her anywhere. "You're going to fast," "Don't get so close to that car." What I like most of all are the comments and rhetorical questions she asks as I am driving:

"What do you think, you're driving a Ferrari?"

or

"Yiiiikes!  *under breath* Not safe... not safe."

2) I DO NOT NEED TO EAT A FEAST FOR DINNER EVERY NIGHT: Huh, who knew? You mean, I don't need to eat a meal every evening like it is my last meal on Earth? Yeah, unfortunately, this is one of the things left over from my impressionable Italian upbringing that is the most difficult to break from. Dinner time growing up was a festival of food. It did not matter if it was Sunday or a holiday, my mother always made a large dinner for the family which invariably consisted of enough pasta to feed an entire army barracks, or just my brothers and me. Wifey has taught me that not only could we just eat cous cous salad for dinner sans meat, but we can also have breakfast for dinner on occasion. Honestly, who does enjoy waffles and bacon any time of the day?

1) I NEED TO PRACTICE MY MIND READING: This is one of the most important skills that any person in a relationship should hone if in fact they want a long, happy relationship. Your mind-reading skills and powers of perception are two of the most crucial skills that you can hope to improve upon throughout your relationship. I have been trained to notice something as simple as a haircut. I should state that not only do I notice the haircut, but if I do not notice the haircut or new outfit within the first five minutes of speaking to the wifey, I obviously am completely self-absorbed and therefor do not care about her feelings. It is also important to work on your mind-reading so that you can know what your partner is thinking without them actually speaking the words. This is particularly difficult if you do not possess the abilities of an extra-sensory empath like Deanna Troi. I would suggest keeping a detailed journal of your partner's body language as a quick reference guide as how to respond to potentially life-threatening situations.

More soon. Train Smart!




12 July 2012

Mountain Bike Race and HIM Preview

Nothing, in my humble opinion, gets you ready for a HIM like going out and racing your first mountain bike race, ever, accompanied by your eight year old who also went out there for his first attempt. It might not have been what my coach would have like me to do, but I do not have a history of being an extraordinary rule follower. Let's face it, I'm a musician. Worse, a composer and jazz musician. I might as well live in a van down by the river. 


How did I fare?


Shoulder = 0       Course = 1


Yup. You know, when you race a triathlon, they put the trees much further away. I say all these more experienced riders in front of me navigating the twists and turns and thought "I should be able to do that." Negative, Ghost Rider. I raced in the "Beginner" category. I quickly learned that "Beginner" in MTB terms has a completely different connotation than how most people think of the word. You see, everyone who races does the same course, it is only a matter of how many laps you go around. The "beginner" race was only three laps, or 7.1(ish) miles. This was more than adequate for my first time out as I think I would have vomited if I had to do one more lap. 


This is how it went down:


THE START:  


I was 3rd into the trails. It seems that MTB racing is dependent on the start to some degree. There is not a whole lot of room to pass doing single track. You basically have to call out "can I get by you?" Most of the time, people are very cool and will let you by. But you start in a big group and motor to be one of the first riders to the trail. 


LAP 1:


I motored on the first lap trying to pass as many people as I could. I passed a lot of the 5-lap racers who went out 30 seconds before us. This was both good and bad. I realized that MTB tactics are completely different than tri tactics. You really have to be smart about choosing when you are going to take another rider. I noticed that many of them were pretty agile on the single track but struggled up some of the moderate climbs. The problem is that you have to really pass them on the single track because it is even more difficult to try to pass someone on the climb. If I was behind someone moving more slowly, it slowed me down and made it more difficult for me to climb instead of clipping along at my regular cadence. There was this dude in front of me who was a little, um, "larger" who I tried to get around. He was breathing like Godzilla. I mean this guys was really huffing and puffing. I started imagining that it would be really funny seeing this guy with an oxygen tank strapped to his back like my hydrapack with a mask on his face the whole time.


Realized that this is indeed my first MTB race as I struggled to take in enough oxygen. I also remembered that I was in fact wearing my Hydrapack, and that I should perhaps take in some more to drink.


LAP 2


It was on these laps that I decided to smash my left shoulder into a tree as hard as possible, forcing me to the ground writhing in pain momentarily until my adrenaline kicked in and I heard people passing me. Nothing really motivates like hearing people passing me. 


Later, I was trying to take someone in front of me. Instead of calling out "can I get around you?" I decided to take a 6" inch ramp rather than go around a tree to save time. This ended poorly. I ended up flying over my handle bars and landing on my head first. My neck was a little tight. When I got back on the saddle and started riding I could tell my balance was a bit off too. Ah, these things are only temporary, and who needs balance MTB riding anyway? Coincidentally, my little man cleared this ramp when we went out on our course ride through. Dammit! 


LAPS 3


Started to understand that you can not go out and "kill it" every second—even for a 7 mile MTB race. I finished pretty strong. Unfortunately, falling down MTB riding is a lot like a boxer getting hit in the face. It takes a lot out of you. 


I am sure other people must have fallen out there, but I certainly did not see anyone.   


I digress...


WHAT I'VE LEARNED:


Mountain bike racing is no joke, yo! It takes a lot of mental focus to navigate your way around trees on narrow single track, make it up steep sudden climbs, and not topple over the front of your handle bars while trying to clear the tree that Mother Nature so conveniently left at the end of your descent after a quick switch back. 


As luck would have it, my Rev3 family hosts an epic mountain bike race in November at the Shenandoah River State Park. The website describes the 6 mile trek by stating  "This course is so sick we had to take it to urgent care."


I am suddenly salivating at the prospect of racing this! 


WEEKEND:


This weekend is my annual "home" race. The Musselman triathlon takes place in the town of Geneva, New York and is a great event for the family to attend. It is right on beautiful Seneca Lake—one of central New York's scenic Finger Lakes. Many of my friends will be there racing with me this weekend, so I look forward to seeing many of them out on the course. Self proclaimed Race Dictator, Jeff Henderson, puts together a safe, wonderful, and fantastically eco-friendly race. 


After the weekend, I am looking forward to the premiere of “Libba,” for flute and piano as part of the American Icons Concert at the Cazenovia Counterpoint Festival. I was one of three composers asked to write pieces for the acclaimed Society for New Music to write a a piece inspired by the songs of African-American blues and folk singer, Elizabeth “Libba” Cotton. 


When I  finished "Libba," I went out for a two hour training ride. I chuckled to myself (yes, chuckled), as I thought about posting something on Facebook that read "Finished another piece and went out for a two hour training ride...you know.... just like Beethoven use to do." These are the things I think about while I am riding my bike. Not "What is my cadence?" "Is my heart rate under control?" 


Okay, time to prepare for bed. Train Smart!  More soon. 

06 July 2012

The Friday Top Five: The Top Five Reasons I Race Triathlons

Do you remember when the Friday Top Five was a staple of my blog? I do. It has made a return... AGAIN.

The Top Five Reasons I enjoy Racing Triathlons:

5) DIET: Look, I am Italian. If I did not train for triathlons, I would look like a pastry chef who had very little in actual sales. I am genetically predisposed to sit on my couch in front of a television drinking vino and watching "futbol" while yelling like an enraged East German weightlifter. Running triathlons not only  keeps me centered—clearing the proverbial cobwebs out of the ole' noggin—but it ensures I will burn way more calories during the week than I can possibly take in. I have eaten ice cream guilt free for years.

4) SPANDEX: Don't judge me. Being able to wear spandex is as close as I will ever come to channelling my inner, late 1980's rock star. Nothing says "David Lee Roth" like men wearing brightly colored, tight fitting clothing as they sweat their way across the finish line while throwing up the Ronny James Dio horns. This is also usually done while screaming something unintelligible. A little caveat. Women look much better in spandex than men, and women never shout anything ridiculous or act like they've just cured cancer or
discovered that time travel is actually possible with a DeLorean and Flux Capacitor.

3) GEAR: I love my various GPS watches. I love being able to dump my data on to my machine and check out what kind of effort I put in that day, how many miles I biked/ran, how many feet I climbed, what my fastest mile was, where I crashed, etc. Of course, what I have realized is that I do very little with this data except to put it in the very capable hands of my coach, and to be honest, I am sometimes negligent about doing that responsibly as well. I know, slacker. I also like boring several of my non-triathlete friends to death by showing them my ride and run data. This is usually met with a combination of indifference and pity as the people I show feel sorry that I actually take the time to compile such seemingly meaningless information.

2) CALVES: Nothing says you've been out hunting and gathering with a forgotten tribe of neanderthal cave dwellers like a ginormous set of calves. If you live in a house and enjoy indoor plumbing and silverware, chances are anyone you know with enormous calves are either genetic freaks, or do a crazy amount of biking. To me, my calves are a way of letting the sane, well-adjusted non-triathlete types who don't hate themselves know that I could totally kick their ass in a race up a hill with our bikes. Who am I kidding? No one is jealous, but my running and biking friends sure take notice of my freakishly large calves. If their was a magazine titled "Calveboy," mine would have the centerfold. That is just weird.

1) THE "TRIATHLON" DROP:  No Matter how humble you think you are about racing whatever distance you race, you know you can drop the fact that you run triathlons in just about every conversation. For example:

Friend #1: My son really loves painting. He has been drawing pictures of the sunsets on the lake.

Friend #2: "Oh, how nice, have you considered enrolling him in an art camp?"

Triathlete: "I love that lake. I usually do a couple of laps around the buoys twice a week for my open water swim. My time has improved since the beginning of the season by about a minute."

or...

Colleague #1: "A bunch of us are running a 5k on Sunday. I know you're a runner, are you interested?

Triathlete: "Oh, I have some speed work to do on Sunday, but maybe I will just do it and come to the race. A 5k is really not that long for me, since I am training for an Ironman."


IN OTHER NEWS:


First, I have to give a big shout out to my little man who jacked one over the fence for his his very first Grand Slam home run. I am unbelievably proud that he is both incredibly athletic, and like his parents, embraces his inner-nerdiness by taking clarinet lessons this summer. Awesome.

I just finished another commission for a great group here in NY. It has been a really busy summer professionally. First, a premiere at the Kennedy Center, and now another big performance. The good news is, I just finished the last of three big pieces I had to write this summer. The last being a string quartet for the acclaimed NYC PubliQuartet. I am looking forward to taking some time off from writing music and back to doing a little more blog writing.

Stay Tuned... I will be writing about my fleet of Pearl Izumi shoes here shortly. Until then...

Train Smart!