Chomp chomp

I've come to the conclusion that Lindsay has a valid point. Damn, I hate to admit that! She doesn't know it yet, but I'll agree with her that the kids should move from the school district they're in now (New Prague) to Farmington (her choice, the one she lives in). Taking everything into account it just makes sense and from everything I've heard and been able to find Farmington is a good district.

Conner was slated to be in an advanced program this year in 3rd grade. That was my biggest holdup regarding moving him, I didn't want him to miss out on that. It turns out Farmington uses the same assessment tests to evaluate their students so they'll accept his results without needing to re-evaluate him for themselves. Kayli's fine with moving and starting middle school and Devon's just starting Kindergarten so this is as good of time as any to move them I suppose.

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Got together with "the guys" last Saturday night for a few drinks - Wade, Souk, Mesch . Always fun. We did our best Siskel & Ebert analysis and talked about a few movies. I saw Wanted a couple of weeks ago, I'd recommend it. Still wanna see Hancock and The Dark Knight. Usually I can wait for movies to come out on DVD, but lately I have the itch to watch these in the theater. Maybe I can take out a loan to go to the theater and splurge on some popcorn and a drink too. $9 just for a movie ticket, unreal.

One movie that was highly recommended (insert sarcasm) from 1 of the other 3 is Teeth. Check it out, hehehe. After being told what it was about we got quite a few laughs out of the concept. We have the sequels all lined up, or at least the names for 'em. Where do screen writers come up with some of these ideas?! Real life experiences? I hope not, especially now that I'm back out in that dating world scene (kind of, available to be anyway).

Speaking of, no, I'm not dating anyone and no, there aren't any potentials on the horizon. Thank you all for asking though quite often.

I'm fine with that. In fact, I'm not even really looking. If "she" were to fall into my lap I'd probably act on the opportunity, but I don't think I really want to be proactive in that realm right now. Occasionally I do long for someone to snuggle with or wake up next to, but for the time being I enjoy being selfish with my time and doing only the things I want to do, when I want to do them. Dating someone wouldn't necessarily allow for that. Besides, I'm not sure I could afford a date now anyway, my money's being funneled elsewhere, what little extra there is of it.

One of those funneling places is going to be for my next run, the RAGNAR Relay (http://www.ragnarrelay.com/). I'm really looking forward to this on 8/22-8/23. I'm on a 12 person team (7 gals, 5 guys) and we take turns running over pre-set distances, 1 at a time and then hand off to the next person, from La Crosse, WI to Minneapolis. A total of 205 miles, 178 different teams! Our team starts at 8:00 on Friday morning and we'll run all day, through the night and following morning until we reach the finish line. It should take us approx. 30 hours, give or take 2-4 hours. It's gonna be a hoot! I'm one of the co-captains for our team and am helping organize things. This particular race is in its 4th year I think and there are other Ragnar events throughout the country at different times. I think it would be fun to do some of the other destinations some year too.

Our team name is The Babes And The Boys and we're going to decorate our 2 support vehicles with bras, boxers and jock straps. This race highly encourages you to have fun with it and gives out awards for best team name, best van decorations, best costume, etc. It's more about the fun than the run. They also mention not to plan on getting any sleep and if you do it's a bonus. It'll be interesting to run my 5 mile leg on day 2 with sleep deprivation. If I remember I'll have to keep track of my splits.

Well, I better hit the hay. Before I do though, I think I might as well call Lindsay and tell her now. I'm sure she'll appreciate the 1:00 a.m. call. Hey, she's getting her way! I should at least be able to call when I want to, right?!

Where'd it go?

Lost my motivation to do anything today. I think that happened sometime this morning between rolling out of bed and walking across the hall to the bathroom. Not quite sure why.

It's not like this week has been stressful. Haven't had any major life moments. Work has only been work. Haven't worn down because of working out (can't if you don't work out). In fact, I need to get serious about running again if I'm to do another marathon in 14 weeks. Hopefully this is the lull before the training storm.

Lately I can't hold myself accountable to working out. I'm used to the group dynamic and having a schedule come from someone else. That needs to change since I'm doing this marathon alone. I know what needs to be done, I'm just not doing it.

Hopefully that'll change this weekend, as early as tonight. I told someone I'd be at a group bike ride tonight and it looks like the weather's going to cooperate (I'm not a rainy weather rider (say that 3 times fast!)) and then on Sunday I'm heading out to a tri to cheer a bunch of teammates on. Many of them are doing a 1/2 Ironman distance tri (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run). For a couple of them this race is only a training day! They're doing a full Ironman tri in Sept. If watching them doesn't inspire me to take training seriously, uh oh.

I haven't been accountable to my housework either. It isn't fun coming home to dishes that need to be washed and laundry that needs to be folded, but I can't find the gumption to get those things done. I'd say getting a wife might be helpful, but the one I did have didn't do those things either. D'oh! Hey, that was kinda funny and made me feel a little better, put a smile on my face anyway.

Watch out, I'm in one of those vindictive, sarcastic moods. Maybe I should call up Lindsay and see if there's anything we need to "discuss". hehehe

So That's What E Coli Tastes Like

Just found out today that the lake/beach that I did my latest triathlon in is now closed due to an e. coli outbreak. That doesn't leave the best images in one's mind about what we were swimming and breathing in. All's well though, the outbreak came after the race. Rumor is someone tipped over a porta-potty or 2 at that lake and that "stuff" made it into the water. The Parks Dept. does a pretty good job with the recreational areas in my mind. They check the water quality every couple of days for situations like this and maintain the overall cleanliness of the beaches.

After a few emails back and forth with some training partners we found a suitable option for our open water swim workout tonight. This lake was pretty clean too for a metro lake, despite the first few steps through the weeds. I didn't think they were that bad, others (who shall remain nameless) did. This new spot could easily become the lake of choice, but it would help if it were closer. Is it possible to relocate a lake? Do you think they'd do that for me?

Despite my newfound affection for said lake, I'm currently sitting here in the middle of sneeze attack. One thing I've found out this year is that my lake allergies are back, from the algae, something that hasn't affected me in about 2o years. Pretty annoying. A couple of more good sneezes and my screen should be pretty much covered. Can't stop typing just to cover a sneeze! :)

Okay, that's it for tonight. Time to take some non-drowsy sinus pills that make me tired anyway.

Until the next outbreak...

The Week That It Was

I have a few things to catch up on during this post so we might be all over the board with some of this stuff. Buckle up and I hope you enjoy the ride!

My final post about my "hair experience". Here are some pictures of the end product:
This first one is the view from behind after the first successful coloring using temporary hair spray paint.
That coloring washed out the next morning in the shower so below is what they came up with for the final go-around and what I raced with. Yup, neon green with a pink star on the top.

I'm now bald by choice (as of shortly after the race) and I have to admit I kind of like it. I'll probably stay a cue ball for the summer and then let it grow back this fall/winter.

Last Wednesday was Nan's funeral. It was a nice service. Her grandsons were the pall bearers and I also had the honor of doing the readings for the service. Public speaking isn't my forte, but I didn't think twice when I was asked the night before.

The (my) kids were marvelous during the whole thing. I wasn't sure how they'd handle it, this being their first funeral they've been to. The boys went up to the casket with me, by choice, during the wake and were very respectful. I kept waiting for Devon to say something "honest", but he didn't. He usually says something only a kid would be allowed to get away with (go figure, he's a kid) in situations like that, but he passed on the opportunity. No nightmares since either so I think we're all clear. Most of the relatives haven't seen the kids lately either, so it was nice to catch up on that front as well.

This weekend was a pretty good one. 1 of my neighbors put together our 1st annual block party. I have to admit I'm kind of a hypocrite because I've always wished our neighborhood would do more together, but I've never taken the initiative. It was fun. Wandered right across the street about 2:00 and didn't come home until 11:00ish. Ate, drank, ate, played yard games, drank and ate a little more. Gonna have to do some double workouts for awhile to justify my intake from that night!

Today was a busy one outside (once we made it out there). The boys slept in!! Woo Hoo, that's always a weekend bonus. Devon did wake up about 8:00, but just came in to my room to ask if he could watch cartoons. Absolutely I said as I rolled over. He later came back to my room and crawled into bed with me and we both fell asleep until 10:30!

He's so cute and adorable. He sleeps with "Horsey", a stuffed animal horse (unique name, I know). A lot of the nights I kid him that I'm going to take it from him when I go to bed so I can sleep with it and he always so no, not to. Well, this morning (and this has happened before) when he crawled into bed with me he had 2 stuffed animals with him and gave me Horsey to sleep with. I just smiled at him and took it. Such a sharer!

Once we got outside for the day none of us went back in until dinner around 6:30! Gorgeous day. The boys wanted to play inside a couple of times, but I made them stay out. Get some fresh air and be active! Such a slave driver I am. They'd complain for 5 seconds after asking each time, but they kept finding things to do.

I finally got some landscaping done (1/2 done I guess, technically) - dug up some bushes in the front of my house that are/were dying. I didn't have any intention of doing that today, but after I mowed the yard I decided today was the day. It was something I've been putting off all season. It wasn't fun digging up the whole root ball, and I'm sure my back will be barking at me tomorrow, but it feels good to get that done. I say 1/2 done because now I have 3 holes in my yard that need to be filled with new plants or something. That might be tomorrow night's project.

And the final topic for tonight is one I've spent pondering since Tuesday at Nan's wake. 7 years ago my older sister opted to remove herself from our family, for reasons I won't go into here. I had seen and talked to her once, 4 years ago at Grandpa's funeral, until last week. I figured she'd probably come back for Nan's because Nan had always stayed in touch with Kristin as much as anyone could/did. It turns out Kristin came down Tuesday for the wake and stayed through Thursday with my parents. She made it known that she wants to reconcile things and started explaining herself and her actions these past years to them. I'm not too keen on the timing of it all and using this event to take those first steps back, but it is a first step.

I have to admit I'm hesitant about the whole thing. I had feelings of indifference when I first saw her. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. After 7 years of negative reasons for not seeing each other I wasn't sure what to think. Kayli vaguely remembers having an Aunt Kristin, Conner was too young to remember anything the last time he saw her and this is the first time she's seen Devon and he's 5 now!

We did part with a hug and her saying she'd like to get together to talk. I said I'd be willing so we'll see where it goes from here. I got a synopsis of the conversation Mom and Dad had with her. A couple of questions were answered, a few more raised. Hmm, I'll leave it at that. Only time will tell how this one's going to play out.

The Nickname Crash Is Already Taken

How 'bout a race recap? Here it is regarding my LifeTime Fitness Triathlon this past weekend?

It all started extremely early, a little too early, but who am I to say? I wasn't in charge. We were instructed to get to the race site at 4:30 a.m. to check in and secure as good a site in Transition as possible. The transition area opened at 4:30 with the race not starting until the 1st wave at 7:00. I got there on time and did get the best spot on my rack, at the end, so at least the early morning alarm was justified.

I need to back up here for one note and acknowledge someone. Amy saved me A TON of hassle by agreeing to let me commandeer her house as my house for the weekend. She lives a mile and a half from the race start whereas I live 40 minutes away driving 75 mph. Can you say Lifesaver regarding the much needed sleep?! I moved into her house the night before and then just rode my bike to the race the morning of. Perfect! And, oh, she was out of town for the weekend and didn't think twice about letting me stay. Do it again next year Aim? :)

Back to the race. They had the race times staggered randomly by age and gender group after the Pros started. This race is a HUGE magnet for the professional triathletes and with this being an Olympic year it was a perfect warmup for them with the games only 4 weeks away. They are impressive to watch fly by in all disciplines!

My wave started about 36 minutes after the pros. Into the water we went, 1 at a time, 1 every 3 seconds for a 1.5k swim. I much prefer this time-trial start vs the group wave start so many other triathlons have. The first portion of the swim started out rather well. I got into my rhythm quickly and was feeling comfortable. Then we hit the first turn. It was somewhat calm when we started or at least I didn't notice the wind, but I knew it was going to pick up throughout the day. It wasn't exactly windy once we made that turn, but there was a noticeable breeze and we had to swim straight into it and its waves for the longest portion of the swim. Once I make it to the last turn on the swim course there's always a little celebration mentally because at that point every stroke I take I'm getting closer to shore rather than swimming away from or parallel to it. I usually try to swim that portion a little harder. I think I was able to during this race as well, but the wind/waves were still an issue as it was now a crosswind. This caused me to alter my breathing a little so as to not breathe as much on the up wind side. I thought of all my teammates going after me and how much worse it could be for them if/when the wind picked up even more. I empathized for them. A few strokes later and I was on the sandy beach. Swim down, bike and run to go.

I rocked through the transition, despite wanting to puke (I think I drank too much Lake Nokomis green water) and headed out on the 40k bike route. See my results below for this transition time, fastest time in my Male 40-44 category (gotta brag about something!)! Now, if I could only find a race that only has transitions w/o the swimming, biking and running. The bike portion was pretty uneventful, feeling pretty good, heard/saw the TNT cheering sections along the route (Thanks everyone for coming out! You really do help motivate us participants!!).

Uneventful that is until the final corner on the whole course. Coming up to that corner is a long straightaway. At this point in the race you're supposed to get in a low gear so you have a high cadence to help your legs transition from biking to running. I was focusing on this a little more than I should've been and went into the corner too fast. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal as the roads are usually wide enough to take a wide angle around the corners. The problem with that line on this corner though is that there were bikers coming from the opposite direction just starting their bike portion so we only had 1/2 the road to work with, with only some plastic cones separating the opposite going flows.

I was applying just enough brakes to keep from flipping ass over handle bars and just barely, somehow, avoided clipping someone's back wheel. We're talking hair-widths here people. I think it was more his maneuvering out of the way than mine! After missing him I somehow made it all the way across that wrong lane cutting in front of a group of 3 others without getting hit by them. It could've been a bruiser, but I ended up against the far curb, caught my composure and got back into the proper lane. Have I mentioned yet that this is a popular spectator area and the corner was pretty crowded? Almost gave them a good show. Wowser! What a way to end the bike portion!

The run was as expected. It hurt and sucked the first mile until I somewhat got my running legs under me. I think I still need to practice more bricks to get used to this sooner. The first lap went better than the 2nd, slowed down quite a bit.

Once again, the TNT cheer station on the run course was awesome, as were all the other individuals cheering for us specifically - Kimmi, Jenna, Coach Mike, Courtney, Coach Bob - I heard or saw you all so thanks! Another bonus to the run was this is where I saw my kids cheering for me. That was a nice boost! I was able to see them on the first lap and let them know I had 1 more so they were then able to make it closer to the Finish Line and see me come in.

All in all, it was a pretty decent race for me. I'm content with it. I didn't quite get the time goal I had in mind, but I improved on last year's time by a couple of minutes so it's a new PR. Next year I'll just have to shave a couple of more minutes off!

Here are the results:

Results For:
Jon McCarthy
Olympic Course Bib #: 746
Age:40
Gender:M
City, State: Lonsdale, MN
Race Category: Olympic Age Group - Men 40 to 44

Triathlon Results - Olympic Course

Finish Time: 2:45:28.9
Category Place: 47 out of 100 Men 40 to 44 finishers
Overall Place: 382 out of 1147 Olympic Course finishers
Gender Overall Plc: 325 out of 802 Male finishers

Triathlon Splits

Swim 1.5K
Time: 33:03.2
Pace: 2:12 /100m
Category Place: 52
Overall Place: 507
Gender Overall Plc: 388

Transition #1
Time: 1:42.9
Category Place: 1
Overall Place: 13
Gender Overall Plc: 12

Bike 40K
Time: 1:14:17.3
Pace: 20.6MPH
Category Place: 38
Overall Place: 278
Gender Overall Plc: 260

Transition #2
Time: 1:29.4
Category Place: 14
Overall Place: 113
Gender Overall Plc: 92

Run 10K
Time: 54:55.9
Pace: 8:51/M
Category Place: 66
Overall Place: 586
Gender Overall Plc: 468

Where Do We Go From Here?

TNT is done for the year. I hate that it has to end. For the past 5 1/2 months I've spent 3 times per week with the same people, doing the same thing I'm doing, for the same purpose(s). You get to know people when you do that. And then, before you know it, the race you're all training for is here, you race, you're done, and you say goodbye to everyone not really knowing yet who has become a potentially new lifelong friend or who was just there for a brief time.

This is my 3rd go-around with TNT. My first experience I did everything on my own and only got to know a couple of people briefly during the event weekend. That's the way I was back then, '97. In '06 I signed up for my 2nd stint and decided I was going to train with the group both for the social outlet as well as for the coaching I'd receive. It worked, I'm hooked.

From that '06 marathon team I now know I have some lifelong friends. We talk, we've cried, we've drank and believe it or not we still run together. I hope this 3rd time's the charm as well and I become that way with some from the triathlon team. I've had a lot of fun getting to know my teammates, athletically and socially. It sucks that it all ends with some once you pack up your bag on race day and head home.

We say goodbye, God says Hello

Nan passed away over the weekend. Thankfully she had been resting and mostly sleeping for the past week so she was as comfortable as could be these final days.

I was able to make it down to Owatonna last Wednesday to say my goodbyes. She was sleeping when I was there, but I had a few minutes alone with her. Just held her hand, talked briefly to her, told her my kids and I love (present tense, not past, never past) her. She briefly, barely opened her eyes, but it was hard to tell if she was even awake or if it was just an involuntary thing.

She lived a good life here and now is experiencing a better one with God and back with her husband.

Thank you to those who have expressed your care, even before the final day.