Micro vs Macro

Don’t worry, I’m not going to drop an economics lesson on you.  That would just be boring.  Instead I’m going to talk about my recent streak of ailments keeping me from running.  Exciting!  We’re talking micro as in microorganisms and macro as in macro painful.  Two separate situations arose, both incapacitating me right at the peak of my training for the Chicago Marathon.  One sabotaged me from the inside while the other full-on assaulted me from the outside.  To add insult to injury injury to illness, my injury waited for my illness to subside before busting onto the scene.

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Weather You Like It or Not

I talk about the weather here a lot.  I think it’s because it’s so universal.  I mean, everyone has to deal with some form of Mother Nature’s wrath at some point.  For us Texans it comes in the form of heat.  Relentless, punishing, uncompromising heat.  Just this past week we had three days in a row with a high temperature of 107*.  We’re not talking heat index either.  And say what you will about “oh it’s a dry heat”  False.  80% humidity in the mornings which makes even the low of 79* at 6am a beast to deal with.  What’s a runner to do?  It’s inescapable (especially with my self-imposed “No treadmills.  Ever.  Again.” policy).

Austin's 10-day Forecast

Well, there is one way to escape the heat., and that is to escape Texas altogether.  The little lady and I are currently (as I type this) on a plane to Seattle for a long weekend that should be high on fun and low on responsibility.  Part of that fun is going to rest solely in being able to be outside without melting.  In planning for Saturday’s 18 mile long run I felt it worthwhile to see what kind of conditions I’d be dealing with.  The only word that comes to mind is “perfect”.  Here’s the 10-day forecast for Seattle.  Just compare that to Austin’s 10-day (which has really been the 50-day forecast).  I mean, it’s not even fair.

Seattle's 10-day Forecast

I’m more excited that you can imagine to go for a run and not think about the weather.  Maybe I’ll even spare you any mention of the weather in the next blog post, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Newb Triathlon Tips from a Recently Retired Newb Triathlete

This post is intended for two purposes.  First and foremost it should be useful to any new triathletes wading into the sport with little or no knowledge of what they’re actually getting into.  I found there to be many seemingly obvious, yet curiously undocumented, aspects to triathlons that more veteran athletes took for granted.  Hopefully this post addresses many of those questions (and, let’s be honest, fears).  The second goal is for this post to serve as something of a “remember when…”, pointing out how naive and innocent I was before getting semi-serious into the triathlon scene.  I’m sure I’m already missing some things that I’ve taken for granted at this point, but I hope this is helpful to at least one person.

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Mike Madness

This post is a little out of the norm for this blog.  There’s nothing about running, biking, swimming, or eating.  The important thing to remember is it’s still all about me.  If you’ve been living under a rock for the last few weeks then you probably aren’t reading this, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament wrapped up last night.  The UConn Huskies beat the Butler Bulldogs in a painful-to-watch slugfest (and the massive decline in office productivity came to an end).

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Catharctic

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night, after work, in the midst of some Arctic air moving through the Central Texas area, I went for a run. Going for a run, even in cold weather, isn’t news, particularly on this blog. The motivation for heading out, however, was important to me.


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Prediction: Oprah’s Going Down

I’m saying it right here and now: Derrick is going to beat Oprah.  On February 20, 2011, the Austin Marathon will take over the streets of Texas’ capital.  This will be Derrick’s second 26.2, and if you ask him, his goal is to break 5 hours.  If you ask me, he’s going to come in under 4:29:15.  Why that specific time?  Because that’s what it took Oprah to run the Marine Corps Marathon in 1994.  Only time will tell.

I Need to Wear What?

Texas weather has proven itself to be a bit fickle lately.  Back when I lived and ran in the nation’s capital, I knew what to expect each morning for entire seasons at a time.  Winter was particularly predictable: cold, dark, terrible, character-building.  Well, here in Texas it’s a toss up. I thought I’d share my two outfits man-clothes from back-to-back days from last week.
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It’s In My Blood

Selfish.  Greedy.  A bit self-centered even.  Mainly selfish though.  That’s what I’m feeling right now after receiving an email from the Blood Center of Central Texas.  Apparently there is a shortage of Type O, and you’re looking at 10 tall pints of O-positive right here.  So why the self-deprecating adjectives to start things off?  Well, because it’s my blood and you can’t have it!


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