The Race

Chicago Triathlon was two Sunday's ago. I did the race even though I had a fever that started Saturday evening. I felt pretty terrible especially standing out there for 4 hours waiting to get into the water. The water temp was 63 and outside temp was 57. The swim was pretty good. It took me 29:19 to do the swim plus run 450 yards from swim out to transition in. T1 was 2:52, which transition is another 350 yards long and my bike took me 1:14:18 (20.4 mph average). It was really windy going out and I only averaged maybe 17 or 18, but on the way back was hitting 27. T2 took me 3:10 which I was taking my time because just wasn't feeling well. Couldn't breathe. I did the run in 58:28 (9:24 pace). Overall it took me 2:48:08, which isn't horrible considering, but I know I can do better. I came in 230th out of 560 people in my age group (30-34).

The overall weekend was great though being able to spend it with my family and friends. The time their just wasn't long enough, but never is.

Doctors Visit

So, its been awhile since I have written and I have a few things to say.


So, I had a doctors visit Friday and they didn't do the full scope that I thought they were going to do. Why??? I really have no idea. When I sent to my doctor that is what he wanted me to get and is what I requested when I made the appointment with the specialist. Instead they did a partial and now I have to go back Oct 12th. So, they have wasted 3 weeks of my time and me finding out if I have colon cancer. I'm not really very happy with Dr. Hooker. He is not impressing me. So, the partial scope they did they found some hemorrhoids, but some of the symptoms don't (the color of the blood) says it might be more than hemorrhoids. So, we will see.

Waiting

Seems like in life its all we do is wait for things. ;) So, I went to the doctor last night and we found out that there are a few things it could have been. Rectal cancer, colon cancer cancer, ulcer or hemorrhoid. So, we narrawed it down because we did a test that showed more than likely it would not be rectal cancer and the symptoms showed it wasn't an ulcer. So, now my doctor wants me to go to a specialist to get a colonscopy to see if it is a hemorrhoid or colon cancer.

Doctor

Tomorrow I am finally going to the doctor to get checked out for something that I have been putting off for a little more than a year. Around last March or so I started having some blood in my stool. It's not all of the time and at first I tried to figure out if there was common themes to make it occur. At first I thought it was anytime I had more than two drinks so I stopped drinking for a while until it occurred again. This next part is me being "stupid". I was scared to find out what was causing me to bleed internally so I just tried to ignore it. It wasn't happening often, but it was happening. Now it is happening a little more often. Maybe once a week or once every other week. Not really sure, but it is more frequent. Needless to say I am not really wanting to know what might be wrong. So, in looking it up on the internet the two most common things are either hemorrhoids or colon cancer. Tomorrow afternoon I go to the doctor and more than likely he won't be able to do anything other than setup the date for the tests that will need to be done to determine what is causing the bleeding.

Long time no hear

I know it's been 6 weeks since my last post. Not much really going on. Just training, working and sleeping. I know really exciting life I live. I am getting excited about going to Chicago for the Chicago tri on the 30th. It will be fun being with my family and friends.

Jam packed weekend. Friday the 28th I arrive and have to do packet pick up, Saturday mom, dad and my aunt all arrive, Sunday is the race, Monday we are having a party for Bryan and my birthday and Tuesday I leave.

That brings me to I have 11 days till my 33rd birthday.

Funny article in triathlete magazine this month

So, I was reading my August 2009 issue of Triathlete magazine and came across an article by Melanie McQuaid "You know you're a triathlete when..." It's a take on the Jeff Foxworthy "You know you're a redneck when". Alot of them were funny mostly because we, okay I relate to them first hand. Here are some of them from the article.

From the article.

• Your bedtime is that of a preschooler. (this is me)
• Compression garments have made their way into your business attire.
• You have no problem disrobing in public. Ditto to spitting and blowing your nose without a napkin or handkerchief. (this is me)
• You are willing to tattoo a business logo onto your skin permanently.
• You know the weight of each bolt on your bike but can't find the oil measuring stick thingly for your car.
• You come back to work after vacation exhausted and needing more time off. (this is me)
• Laundry day is when you run out of workout clothes. (this is me)
• you plan your wedding for the winter to accommodate your race schedule and those of your guest. (sounds like me, but not because I'm not married or engaged.)
• you smell permanently of chlorine and your hair is tinged ever so slightly green. (could be me, but I have no hair)
• You check your email/twitter/facebook account while wearing your cycling kit and a helmet. (this is me, just not the helmet.)
• Your break, lunch and dinner consist of clif/power/name your brand bars, all consumed while moving at a fast speed.
• It only takes one beer and your quads go tingly. (this is me)
• Spandex isn't tight enough.
• Your bike on the roof rack doubles the price of your car. (if I had a rack on my car it would)
• You can use the word "fartlek" in a sentence without giggling.
• You wear a wetsuit in the pool. (this is me)
• You sleep with a heart rate monitor on.
• You have downloaded powertap files while at a dinner party.
• You're either swimming, biking or running is your facebook profile picture. (this is me)
• You have no idea when your friend's birthday is, but you can list her run splits from her last three races.

I been thinking (its dangerous i know)

This past couple of years I have been thinking about life, family, friends and just what is important. God, family and friends are the most important to me. For some reason I have been thinking about about what is harder to lose a husband/wife or a child. Part of me says the husband or wife because that is the person you have chosen to spend the rest of your life with, but at the same time to lose a child that you have brought into this world and are raising most be one of the hardest things too. This isn't the first time I have thought about this. Either way I don't want to experience either feeling. It's hard enough doing with the lose of family & friends. I am just grateful to have such a loving and supportive family and fantastic group of friends.

2009 & 2010 Tri Season

Here is my 2009 & 2010 tri season schedule. I think I have regained my tri bug and have gotten out of my slump. :)

2009 Tri Season
Sprint - http://www.stpatrickstriathlon.com/ - Done this a many of times. Just a warm up to work the bugs out from being off during the off season.

Olympic - http://www.chicagotriathlon.com/ - Love this race because I go home see my family & friends. It's also the largest tri in the world 8500 triathletes.

Half - http://www.ironmanlonghorn.com/ - This will be the first time I do this race. Have a couple of friends doing it with me. Should be a good time.

2010 Tri Season
Olympic - http://satriathlon.com/ - Is one of the best races I have ever done and is the second largest tri in the US plus is the professional kick off race. It's a flat and fast course. Beach start. Nothing is better. ;)

Half - http://www.vineman.com/site3.aspx - The race and sites are great. I will be staying after the race for a few days hitting the wine country.

Full - http://www.ironmanarizona.com/ - Will be my first IM. It's suppose to be flat and fast. I know a couple people that have done it and a couple that have said they are going to do it with me.

I will just have to see what will come next after I complete this season. I also wanted to let any of you that do read this you are more than welcome to join me at any of these races. The more the merrier.

maybe 1 more around

Well, last Friday my boss called me and asked me to conference in another West Region sales guys. About a half hour prior to this call HR had sent out an email stating that the company had to lay off a few more people. So, when I was conferencing in the other sales guy I told him I am sure it had to do with that. I then hit the conference button on the phone. Sure enough it was about that. The West Region was Regional Sales Manager (my boss) in San Diego, a technical support/sales guy in San Diego, Sales guy in Texas (me) and a Sales guy in Seattle. I wrote in February - http://timsdailylife.blogspot.com/2009/02/another-season.html - that it would be a sales guy that worked in the same office as another sales guy. So, my boss told us that the tech support/sales guy was laid off effective that morning. He wanted to make it clear that it had nothing to do with his performance.

Not Able Too

Everyone that is reading this knows me to some extent and I would say most of you probably know by now that I have a problem accepting compliment. Now the question is why can't I??? I have done some quick looking on the internet and it all seems to come down to thinking that people are trying to get something over on me or that I'm insecure... I don't agree with those explanation. In really thinking about this I always come back to that I don't think I should be thanked or given a compliment for something I should be doing any way. Compliments are for when someone does something special or extraordinary. A lot of times I feel we have become a society of lazy, unmotivated and selfish people. To many of us only think about ourselves and not the person next to you. We expect thank you's and compliments when we do our job or when we do what we are suppose to be doing. Not everyone deserves a metal, or an "A" those are things that people earn and you have to work hard to get. When we start handing them out to everyone you make it pointless for the people that work hard for those things.

So, why am I not able to take compliments. I think its because I haven't done any extraordinary. All I have done is what I was suppose to be doing. The thing I forget or need to consider is that just because I don't see it as special or going that extra mile that someone else might or does and that is why I am receiving the compliment or thank you.