I’ve been running for 5+ years. I’ve participated in two dozen running races, all but two were half or full marathons. So now it’s time to start over. This Sunday will be my very first triathlon. I mentioned way back in January that I signed up for The Rookie Triathlon. Now that it’s finally here, I’m ready for it.
austin
Triple Threat
As of Friday I can call myself a triathlete multisport enthusiast. I won’t say triathlete just yet since I haven’t raced any triathlons, but I had my first successful swim / bike / run day. It’s all in anticipation for my actual first triathlon coming up on April 17th, The Rookie Tri.
Bola Pizza
Close your eyes for a moment (figuratively, or else how would you read this?). You take a bite of [something]. Wow! That’s the best [something] you’ve ever eaten! Now take another bite. Whoa, could that be the best anything you’ve ever eaten? On one fateful Saturday after a blustery 12 miles in the wind and rain around Town Lake I stopped at the downtown farmers’ market. For weeks I’d been eyeing the blue mobile brick oven stationed at one end of the vendor strip. Well this day was the day I’d get me some mobile pizza. Fair warning, if you’re prone to getting jealous easily, now would be a good time to stop reading.
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).
2011 Cap10K Race Report – Automatic PR
After my less-than-reassuring preview post, I did run the Austin American Statesman Capitol 10K on Sunday. Having never raced a 10K before I really had no experience to work with. I knew I could run 6.2 miles without a problem, but exactly how fast was the real question. The beauty of running a new distance is that no matter what, I get to set a new personal record! So other than setting a PR by default, here’s how it all went.
The Cap10K Cometh
It’s the Friday before the biggest 10K in Texas (and 5th largest in the country*)! I’m not part of the Corporate Challenge team here at NI, but that’s actually for the better, but I’ll get to that in a second. This whole “race weekend” thing really snuck up on me. For one, I haven’t been training for it. For two, I’ve never raced a 10K before. For three, my college roommate Barrett is visiting this weekend. Four for For four, even though I’m not on my company’s competitive team, they footed the registration fee for me (and about sixty other employees). So with this race sneaking up on me, what’s the plan for Sunday? Continue reading
You Can’t Fail If You Don’t Try
This morning was slated to hold the real trials for the Cap10K corporate team for the folks here at National Instruments. Thanks to everyone who voted in my poll, (I can barely count all 5 of you on one hand) I gave it a go back in February with a respectable crash and burn. Anyway, with the main trials scheduled for today, how’d it all go?
A Picture Is Worth How Many Words?
I’m posting this against my better judgement. Despite the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”, some pictures leave the viewer speechless. In any this case, I present to you some “early” and “late” pictures from my recent 3M and Austin races. So, without further ado, be warned enjoy.
Austin: It’s All Uphill From Here
The 2011 LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon came and went on Sunday, starting in the pre-dawn glow and finishing in the shadow of the state capitol building. With over 15,000 runners for the 20th anniversary of the race, and the first year with the LIVESTRONG sponsorship, this race felt like the big leagues. As I mentioned previously, I hadn’t trained as much nor as focused as usual, so my goals going in were set conservatively*. So how did I do in my 10th marathon? Hint: lots of ups and downs.
Put on your Racing Hat
Alright, folks, the race is a mere 40 hours away and it’s just now starting to set in. The expo is opening today at 3pm and the “This is the Final Pre-Race Email” emails are hitting my inbox. Facebook is all a-twitter with updates from the local running stores and Twitter is all a-facebook with similar tweets. So with the race this weekend, let’s set some goals to hold me moderately accountable, shall we?
Racing Hat: Texas Edition