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adventures / cycling / I do not know what is happening. / running / swimming / triathlon — Comments Off
15
Aug 15

Chattahoochee Olympic Triathlon

The race was fast. I was just slow.

We rode our bikes to the race from our nearby hotel. Rode across the state line, actually. And we did that in the dark, with little blinkie lights on our bikes showing the way.

We got there in plenty of time. Nice easy setup. Met race veterans and three people who were doing their first race. It was a nice relaxed pre-race morning, as opposed to the usual stress. This race was launched in age-group waves, so The Yankee went off earlier than I did, scorching people in the water and then burning up tar on the road.

When my group went off we pushed away and swam downstream 500 meters. You climb out of the water at a boat launch, run back upstream and swim it again. So the swim is short, just 1,000 meters, but that jog counts to your swim, which means I had my best 1,500 meter swim time ever. It still wasn’t very good.

Out of the water, finally, and up to transition where I climbed on the bike and settled in deciding that I would ease into the 20-something mile ride. It was a two loop course, roads with which I am familiar, and I figured that maybe I would be better served pacing myself early and going hard on the second time around. On the first loop, though, I felt my legs lock up. And on the second loop my legs said “No. This is what it feels like when your legs lock up.”

And after that nice little ride, where I didn’t get to hammer it much of anywhere, I was back in transition and setting off for a run. THis is the second time, by the way, I’ve run across a state line. (You don’t keep track of this sort of thing?)

The course offered three miles of river views:

And then there were three miles of downtown views. And somewhere right in between everything started going wrong.

You shouldn’t get chills two hours into exercise in the August sun, but I did. It seemed wise to take everything easy after that, and so I did. When I got to the end I wanted a blanket and calories. It was an unsatisfying race for me. But the weather was nice and the people were pleasant. And this one had a great race:

I didn’t see her until a few parts of the run course. She did this thing where she beat her goal and still wasn’t satisfied with herself. (Don’t race her.)

adventures / cycling / memories / running — Comments Off
14
Aug 15

Those people

Still playing with the light diffuser box:

That’s a pot we picked up in Ephesus, in 2010, during our honeymoon. One of the better stops on a terrific trip. I wrote about it:

Mustafa then took us to the house of Jesus’ mother. This is believed, by some, to be where she lived her final years. John was said to have had the house built here because he was preaching in the area and this was one of the safer non-Christian cities available to them. (Others disagree and believe Mary lived and died in Jerusalem.)

So the story goes that a 19th Century nun had a vision of a location of the house. Her description led a researcher to this spot, but his discovery didn’t gain much attention. The place was subsequently re-discovered a decade later, ruins were uncovered and, in the 1950s, the modern house was built there. A red line on the structure is meant to demonstrate the original building and the new structure.

Since then it has become an important pilgrimage for many. Muslims and Christians alike come here, viewing the place as an important religious destination. There’s a stream running under the house, from which you can drink of the sacred waters.

We put water from the stream into these vessels but, being untreated terra cotta, it just drained away.

Haircut today. Basic general grocery store – drug store errands. Had a short ride and an easy mile run. We’re racing tomorrow. This is the weather:

Isn’t that lovely? I’m not fit enough to race in weather like that, mostly because it has been to hot to train a lot. So tomorrow will be fun.

We got a hotel room just across from the race. (It is an out-of-town event.) We’re going to ride our bikes, in the dark, to the starting line tomorrow. We have lights for that. Because we’re those people … The riding to a race people … The riding in the dark with lights people … That also means we’re riding back to the room after the race people … And so on.

cycling / photo / Specialized / weekend — Comments Off
25
Jul 15

I got a new bike

Recently I purchased a used, and pretty, Specialized Allez:

Got a good deal, but it took some time to get it ready. And, today, we had our first ride. We’re starting the process of figuring out one another. I’m guessing it will take about 100 miles or so to dial in the sizes and figure out all the quirks: the way it moves, how it shifts, where the creaks are and so on.

Some people believe riding is about what you can do. I used to think it was about the person, but also what the bike could do. But then, for a few days a couple of years ago, I was feeling strong feeling and had probably the closest I’ll ever experience to what the French call la volupte, a voluptuousness meant to describe an abundant pleasure to the senses.

It was like being pulled over asphalt. The bike, my lovely Felt, was showing me what I could do.

Each bike is different, I’d imagine. Each model is certainly unique. I don’t have all of the design or engineering wherewithal to understand or describe how one is different than another. You feel it when you ride it, though, when you get to know one machine next to another.

So, yeah, the bike has to teach me things. Which probably sounds silly, but only if you think of sailors talking about their vessels having personality sounds silly. Which I do.

No matter what I think, I think, this new bike will show me anyway.

cycling / Friday / photo — Comments Off
23
Jul 15

They call it ‘The Shoelaces’

I don’t talk about televised cycling here — and you’re welcome — but today’s stage of the Tour de France was a special one. I enjoy the racing, but I’m really watching for the scenery, particularly of the mountain stages, like today’s. And this road, Les Lacets de Montvernier, appearing in the race for the first time, is beautiful:

They’re calling it a legendary climb already.

It took six years to build, but finished in 1934 the road connected the little village of Montvernier, high above on a plateau, with civilization below. There are 17 hairpins climbing just over 900 feet in 2.5 kilometers on a narrow road with an average eight percent incline. (Plenty steep for me.)

Above is a picture of my television screen, of course. Here’s a shot from the Tour site:

Magnificent. I include this here because, you never know, I may make it to that part of France one day. If I do I will find a bike to ride up that scenic goat track. More of the beautiful views here and here.

adventures / cycling / photo / running / swimming / weekend — Comments Off
18
Jul 15

Chattahoochee Challenge Sprint Tri

Got to the race in plenty of time. Got to the front of the swim start line, which was the plan. Had a decent swim, for me. But this is relative. If you’ve read about my triathlons here before you know I’m lousy in the water. But I took some time off my previous best in this particular river swim.

The Yankee was very fast in the water, as usual. I didn’t see her again until the run.

My bike leg was OK. I ride this route better when I ride it easy than when I ride it at pace, which I find amusing. My ride should have been better, but I dropped my sunglasses and decided to stop for them, which seemed silly in retrospect. It took what seemed like forever to get back up to speed after that.

And then when it was time to run I couldn’t find my legs. I was tired. It was hot. The run portion of this particular race is a good one. Scenic, historic, nice and flat. But there’s no shade. And I could have really used some shade today.

So my overall time was not good. But we had fun!