Cologne

Not the place. The substance. It can be a fantastic thing. Eau de man; the Irish shower. Keeping you smelling fresh, masculine, alluring, pungent, and down right tangy. It has its place.

That place is not work.

Women need also take note. When navigating your bread winning day of productive social pandering, of pretend grindstone sniffing, of breaking rocks, striking keys, and collating copies, it is not necessary to douse yourself in even two sprays of any substance that could potentially eviscerate the mucus membranes of a small percentage of humanity. I'd like to point out that this percentage is larger than those who have peanut allergies. It's true, I'm quoting a non-scientific study here, and I am thoroughly pro-peanut.

I ask, I implore, nay, I beg of you: if you do use cologne or perfume, one sprit, one shake, one pat of pungent Old Spice aftershave. One sensual drop of Chanel numero sinko. One single smear of budget minded Brut-ish masculinity. One faint mist of Tommy, but for the love of all that is olfactory, please keep it at that.

Bikram

This post race week has been pretty great. There wasn't any feeling of having been flogged, but I've been taking it easy in the interest of a REALLY good recovery, and have been eating more delicious food than usual (read: melty cheesey sandwiches, pasta, pizza, etc.). Alcohol consumption has increased, delightedly, and the fun quotient of the week was pretty high. Not to say that there weren't drawbacks, but overall, it was solid. Now it's time to get back to it...

Yesterday marked my return to Bikram Yoga. It's been a while since I've practiced, what with my training focusing primarily on the elements of the triathlon. Yoga (whether Bikram or not I can't tell) really helped me increase my running ability. When I'd first begun running my shins and legs were an issue. I started yoga, and it helped me get over the challenge. I'm going to try reincorporating it, while focusing primarily on running, to see if I can improve my ability further.

The class was fun. It was packed, and insanely hot. You could describe the smell as a cross between hampster cage and musky beach towel. A friend of mine went with me; it was her first time, and she was a freaking rock star. We'll see if she braves it again, but I'm always up for a yoga/workout buddy. The post sweat shakes are always interesting, but the unsuspected surprise came when I was commuting to work today. Car-yoga-funk! The thought process goes a little like this:

::breathe::
::sniff sniff::
/nose scrunches
::SNIFF SNIFF::
Me to Peter (we carpool): "Is that antifreeze, or rubber?"
Simultaneously ::DEEEEEEP BREAAATH::
Me: "...wait, wait a second..."
*LIGHTBULB*
...some laughter and comments about other gross bodily fluids.

The lesson to learn here is never, and I mean never, let a sweat soaked yoga towel chill in your car, even if it says it won't touch anything, and swears it's honest.

I did it.

This past Sunday I completed the Napier Realtors Richmond Sprint Triathlon. What's even more awesome is I did it faster than my goal time! I can't begin to describe how amazing it feels to finish something like that. I never would have been able to do this at the beginning of the year, and that's a great thing.

I can't wait until the next one!

Results:
400m Swim: 10:36
Transition 1: 4:02
20k Bike: 48:28
Transition 2: 0:56
5k Run: 28:55
Overall: 1:32:56

Triathlon!

Haha man am I a big liar! Keep this blog updated with my progress? PSCHA! Anyway, things have been progressing nicely. The bad part is my weight has plateaued ever since training began. The great part is I've become faster, stronger, and although I don't have the technology, I'd like to think I'm kicking more ass. The hardest part of this whole training thing hasn't been improving, it's been consistently training and sticking to the schedule. It worked for about four weeks, but then I took a short vacation, and since returning I haven't been able to stick to the mandated workouts each day. The good news is my performance in the workouts I do end up completing is getting better...

...so I've got just over two weeks until race day. I'm confident I'll finish. I haven't set any time limit goal for myself because I want to avoid any amount of disappointment. Of course I have looked up all sorts of times for past races and averages and the like, so that may be another lie.

I'm so freaking stoked.

Triathlon?

I’ve been working out fairly consistently since the early part of this year, and have lost 18 lbs so far. That puts me at a total weight loss of 46 lbs since early spring 2006. I started at 243 lbs after my doctor was shocked at my current weight. To be honest so was I. When I started college I weight just over 200 lbs, and through my freshman year lost approximately 25. That’s a big jump from 2002 to 2006 – about sixty pounds! The initial weight was lost through a modification of my diet. I went pescatarian (it’s a word, so says Merriam Webster) and have felt all the stereotypical benefits (more energy! need less sleep! more confidence! sick less!). I think the one benefit I’m most excited about that I discovered was a huge decrease in heart burn…so now I’ve decided to start incorporating goals to keep me on track…

This week I started training for a sprint triathlon. This is the shortest version of the sport (the pussy version according to my dear friend Peter). It will be held on October 12^th in Richmond, and the course actually incorporates some of the neighborhood where I grew up. I’m excited about the possibility of completing a goal that will, for me, be physically unparalleled. The race begins with a 400 meter swim, transitions to a 20k bike ride, and concludes with a 5k run.

I have eleven weeks to train. I’ve created a six day per week training regimen using three other training programs and combining their elements. I’m by no means a physical trainer, but so far my goals have worked, and been realistic, so hopefully I’m sticking to that methodology. My primary concern is my swimming ability. I know I can improve my cycling and running in this time period to be where I need to be, but my swimming technique needs quite a bit of improvement. I guess I’ll know in a couple of weeks if things are going the way they should.

I’m going to keep this blog updated with my progress, as well as my training specifics. Wish me luck!

Just giving a shoutout to

Just giving a shoutout to my buddy Thomas. He's a big fan of folk metal music.

The Masked Bull (really)

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Masked Bull Your Superpower is Nanotechnology Your Weakness is Ants Your Weapon is Your Star Slingshot Your Mode of Transportation is Bike

What's your Superhero Name?

a situation

I hate it when people start posts with, "It's been a while..."

...but I'm going to try harder. Northern Virginia is the pits. This is unfair, since it entirely depends on where you live, and it's a big f'in place, but where I am right now is an expanded vomit stain of suburbia. I do like parts of Alexandria, and can say I honestly haven't explored D.C. enough to form any up to date opinion, but I also know I miss Richmond.

There's something incredibly annoying about missing a place you've lived in for so long. I love it. It's night-and-day-different compared to where I am now. From the people to the ebb and flow of the city itself. Even local establishments feel like they're run differently. I wonder if it's just because it's familiar.

Either way, I can take a bit of comfort in the fact that I have an annoying place to miss.