LoneStar - Quick Update

CASSIE MCGARVEY
SWIM BIKE RUN OVERALL RANK DIV.POS.

50:48 3:16:33 2:09:40 6:23:12 837 809


LEG DISTANCE PACE RANK DIV.POS.

TOTAL SWIM 1.2 mi. (50:48) 2:40/100m 1032 996
BIKE SPLIT 1: 28 mi 28 mi (1:38:46) 17.01 mph

BIKE SPLIT 2: 56 mi 28 mi (1:37:47) 17.18 mph

BIKE END: 56 mi 3:16:33 17.09 mph 971 935

RUN SPLIT 1: 3.275 mi 3.275 mi (30:14) 9:13/mi

RUN SPLIT 2: 6.55 mi 3.275 mi (32:56) 10:03/mi

RUN SPLIT 3: 9.8 mi 3.275 mi (34:25) 10:30/mi

RUN SPLIT 4: 13.1 mi 3.275 mi (32:05) 9:47/mi

TOTAL RUN 13.1 mi. (2:09:40) 9:53/mile 837 809

TRANSITION TIME

T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE 2:59

T2: BIKE-TO-RUN 3:12

Be What You Dream

I discovered my love of Frank Turner last October whenever he opened for Flogging Molly.  Seriously, who doesn't love a Brit with a tattoo in the shape of Texas -- yes, I'm completely serious.  All of his songs have great lyrics, but below is one of my favorites (Journey of the Magi).  It takes a great songwriter to include Moses, Odysseus and Balthazar in a song. 

Moses was old, chill in his bones

Falling apart, he knew in his heart

His time had come.

He lay in his tent, on hot desert sand

He smiled at how he would never see

His Promised Land

He sang "I could've lived and died an Egyptian Prince,

Could've played safe

In the end, journeys brought joys that outweighed the pain.

 

Odysseus sat, tired and alone

Always held out against all the doubt that

He would come home

Now he was here so found it strange

His wife and his dog, his son and his gods

And everything changed

He sang "I could have stayed and ruled an Ithican Prince

Could've played safe"

In the end, journeys brought joys that outweighed the pain.

 

Now, Balthazar rode for seven long years

Eastwards and far, he followed his star

And it brought him here.

A stable in ruins, some backwater town

To a Virgin defiled, no king but a Child

Too small for a crown

He sang "I could've lived with my gods as a Persian Prince,

Could've played safe."

Paupers and kings, princes and thieves

Singers of songs, righters of wrongs

What you believe.

Saddle your horse, shoulder your load

Burst at the seam, be what you dreamed

And take to the road.

Competition

It can be good, right?  In discussing this with my tri-friends this weekend, I realized that there are two types of competitive people - 1) the type that race to win (i.e., beat others - especially those with whom they train) and base everything on the rankings in the race; and 2) those who are competitive with themselves and like to use other's performances as a benchmark.  For me, if a training buddy does well, that's awesome! If we are training together (at the same pace), then it means that I should be able to do that to - or vice versa.

I'll admit, I like to use my friends as benchmarks.  For instance, Christy and Kathleen both had great races on Saturday at Gateway to the Bay.  In fact, I think that Christy may have had her best race ever - I'm still wondering when she got so fast.  It makes me happy to see them do well - because it means that I can as well - even if they are both much better swimmers than me.

So, for Gateway, I decided to 'game' the system and register as an Athena.  My goal was to see if I could place.  And that I did.  I walked away with a first place finish.... and, a run split that was absolutely fabulous.  My average pace for the run was a 7:42 (I think, definitely in the 7:40s).  I KNOW that this would've been a 5k PR for me... who'd have thought that I'd ever see 7s by my run time... And, I was quite pleased to know that I would've been competitive in my age group as well - granted, I would've had to chase Kathleen down... but, this way, we both win AND we both get rewarded for good races.

Anyway, as for the competition, I think that I'll keep it. I like my version of competition.  For me, its about having fun and doing my best.  And, I really don't see the problem of using others as benchmarks.  Seriously, if they can do it, why can't I. 

End of the day, competition is a way of life.  Yes, I am the type that believes that kids should not receive participant trophies -- you gotta teach the kiddos at a young age that there are winners and losers and that people will be ranked.  Those are the facts of life.  I do think that it is a delicate balance.  Everyone needs to be pushed to be at the top but everyone also needs to learn to fail.  You can't be a big fish in a small pond forever...

Remind me...

I'm just having a minor freak out... I'm doing a HIM in just over two weeks and I don't think I'm really trained...

- I didn't do my long run this weekend.
- The Good Friday bike ride in Brenham was fun but really didn't seem like training.
- I didn't do a long bike the weekend before last.
- I haven't worked out at all the last 4 days... maybe this is the one that is scaring me...hmmm.... 

Here's the schedule for the rest of the week:

Tonight - hard bike ride on the trainer followed by a 3-4 mile run through the neighborhood. 

Thursday - hard swim with Del in the morning and Tour de Bayou + in the evening (10-11 miles)

Friday - Lake Sharks (haven't been in a wetsuit since IMFL)

Saturday - Gateway to the Bay Sprint Tri (I'm registered as an Athena and am hoping to place); I will likely try to get in an easy run on Saturday afternoon/evening

Sunday - bike at race pace in Galveston - this will be interesting... i'll training is now being done on the road bike...

West End Ride

Yup, just a little behind here - but, I wanted to make sure to post this...

On Thursday, Kathleen, Kim and I did the West End ride for the first time.  In passing emails throughout the day, we all thought that we'd be dropped like nothing else - which kinda happened when we were stopped at every light through downtown.  In all - it was a fun ride...

Perhaps the funniest part of the night happened at a red light in the med center.  I'd been having problems clipping in with my left foot so I decided to try the right.  As we were waiting for the light to change, I inexplicably started shifting to the left and, in slow motion, fell.  There was a 60ish year old lady and her son in the car next to me.  The look of horror on her face was funny (in hindsight).  The window slowly rolls down and she asks, "Baby, are you okay?  How far do you have left to ride? You must be exhausted."  Someone told her that we had about 10 miles left.  "Oh, my! That is crazy.  That poor girl is exhausted.  Baby, are you gonna make it back.  10 miles is a long way."  As I picked up my pride, I smiled and said that I was fine.  The whole thing still makes me laugh.

Oh, West End ride, Black Betty (my road bike), thanks you.  She's been feeling a bit resentful as she's been confined to the trainer in the living room.  After that ride, I'm taking off the clip on aerobars and bringing her back to her glory days as a road bike.  I even cleaned her drive train last night -- good lord she needed it.

Kathleen, Kim and I after the "epic" 18 mile ride

Bluebonnet Express

Or Simple Rules to Follow When Doing an Organized Ride.
Or Don't Be Rude.

1.  Wait your turn.  When starting the ride, wait for your route to be called.  When the organizer calls for those who are biking the 70 mile route, don't start if you are only doing 40.  This is for your own good.  Although, you may think that it is a) unfair for those doing the longer ride to get an early start; b) unneccessary for you to have to wait; or, c) doesn't matter because you are important and need to be done riding early, don't do it! Out of respect for all that is holy, wait your freakin' turn.  This really does help the organizers and volunteers direct traffic along the route.  When the shorter routes have a turn only 3 miles into the course while the longer routes go straight, the volunteers don't expect the need to direct your 40 mile self to the turn when you weren't even supposed to have started yet. 

2.  Be alert.  So, you didn't follow number 1 and are now starting out with the 70 milers.  In this case, don't rely on the volunteers to direct you -- you aren't supposed to be at this turn for another 10-15 minutes.  Also, when you've missed the turn, pay attention to the riders around you.  Don't turn left directly into someone. Pay attention when people are trying to call out to you.

3.  Don't Be a Jack@ass.  Whenever you do turn into someone and cause a crash, you need to see if that person is okay.  Under no circumstancs is it acceptable to pick yourself up, quickly apologize and then head out to your short 40 mile route while the person you hit after breaking the above rules is still on the ground.  Don't be that guy...  No one likes that guy... you might think that its okay because no one knows that it was you -- you made a "clean" getaway but, your day will come.  Karma is a beatch... 

As much as I may be complaining, and yes, I am... I'm still pissed.  Not that it screwed up my ride, but because now I'm paying for it -- literally.  I JUST bought a new helmet 3 weeks ago.  My gorgeous new pink helmet is done.  That said, it did its job and it has the cracks and crumples to prove it (and I have the no loss of consciousness to go with it).  Also, I paid 35 bucks to ride 3 miles... kinda ridiculous.  Finally, I know there will be some cost for a bike repair.  I managed to take a pretty nice chunk out of my aerobars and am hoping that Andrew at Tri on the Run can just tape over it (or something)... That said, if you add in my bottle of water, a ride in the sag hummer, a nice chat with the fabulous ride marshalls from the Clay Walker Cycling Team, a Waller police officer, and the Waller EMS - it was 35 dollars well spent considering the circumstances. As an aside, the EMS paramedics noted that I was in excellant shape and were quite impressed with my low 50s heart rate.  Also, I got to spend some time in the massage tent.  When getting back to the ride start, I had some time to kill.  (I'd carpooled and was waiting for the crew to get back; then decided to take James on his offer to come get me).

To end on a positive note, this ride has excellent support and is a first rate event by Northwest Cyclery.  This is the same group that does Katy Flatlands in June.  Although, I did enjoy Katy Flatlands more, it had nothing to do with the ride organization -- in June, only the "real" riders are out there -- all of the MS150-only riders are gone.  Also, the ride marshalls were beyond caring.  The group of marshalls that helped me were from Band Against MS, a group that likes to eat, drink, and ride.  I cannot thank these people enough for taking care of me. 

In sum, I'm fine.  I wasn't hurt; just a bit shaken up and had (and still have) a bit of a headache.  And, even though I didn't finish the ride, Kathleen still gave me a brownie.. :-)

I'm Registered

Truth be told, I'm looking for a HUGE PR and think that its possible.  For my first (and only) HIM at Longhorn in 2008, one could say that I was undertrained.  Truthfully, I was untrained and Heather, Kim, and Ingrid will confirm this fact.  Prior to the race, I did one 50 mile bike ride, two hilly rides of about 30 miles each (and complained the entire time), one brick, minimal open water swims, and maybe swam 1600 meters in a workout twice.  Considering that, I was pretty darn happy to finish in just over 8 hours (46 minute swim; 4 hour bike; 3 hour run). 

Now, I'm biking and running better than ever.  Deep down, I know my capabilities.  My goal is to push them to the max on race day... I'll post the numbers as we get closer to race day.

I went out on a school night...

and had a very good time.  Congrats to James (not the hubby James) for passing his final exam to be a nursing assistant. 

I met up with some good friends tonight at the Petrol Station.  Yes, it is in that great unknown of outside the loop; however, after a few Bombshell Blondes, everything was a-ok...

And, because I NEVER post pictures (a fact of which I was reminded tonight).. here are some photos from tonight.

Ashley and Lee

James - the celebrant

Matt and Diana

Diana and James (whom the bar called Bearded James)

Most of the peeps

This made me laugh...

Not always equitable

I'll admit it - I like my career.  I like being a lawyer [insert bad joke here].  For the most part, the law is about being equitable and fair.  Even when I was doing personal injury defense, the goal wasn't to keep some poor worker from getting money; it was making sure that everything was fair.  That said, if your accident was your fault, then you shouldn't get anything.  (oh, another little secret, I kinda miss going out on the ships and meeting the various crewmembers.  Apparently, there typically aren't any real estate emergencies like that.) 

Anyway, most times, the goal of the law is to put things right or the way that they should have been (i.e., I tear down your house, I should have to rebuild your house and put you up in a hotel while it is being built).  But, this just topic just hit me the wrong way --- employer-employee liability.  When should an employer be held liable for the intentional acts of his employees?  On this topic, the law does not seem consistent or always fair.  Here are a few examples:

A.    I get into an accident with a bus driver who is on duty and driving the bus.  While exchanging information, he hits me.  Is the bus company liable? 

B.    Door man at the new hip club tells two men that they aren't allowed in yet.  During the discussion, the doorman hits one of the men.  Is the club liable?

C.   Employee of XY Enterprises meets to sell me stock in the company.  I agree to purchase.  Employee says that we need to complete the transaction at a later date because he doesn't have the right stock certificates.  When we meet, he sells me stock in XY Inc. (his own side company that is worthless).  Is XY Enterprises liable? 

D.  Employee sues company for intentional infliction of emotional distress based on conduct of supervisor?  Is the employer liable for the supervisor's conduct? 

Let me know what you think.  These are all real cases.  I'll post what the courts have decided in the next day or so...

Update

Just a few thoughts -

1) Lesson of the week (well maybe decade) - discretion.  In an effort to maintain my lesson, I won't discuss.

2) Austin Marathon - 4:15:00 - a HUGE PR for me.  And, seriously, who runs a marathon and hits their goal time exactly...

3) Work is good - LOVE the new job.

4) To become a faster runner, you must run with the fast peeps.  I've been doing this on Saturdays with the Knuckleheads... will have to post splits at some point (whenever I really do update the blog).

5) Its time to go to sleep.  Hopefully I can get my lazy @ss out of bed and on the trainer in the morning.

6) Margaritas make a trainer ride go by faster.  If all rides were like tonight, I'll start doing tequila shots before races (and yes, dead serious).

Resolutions

I'm a little late on this one; however, this year officially begins in February for me. Considering that I'm starting a new job on Monday (the 1st), its only appropriate that I start all other resolutions at the same time, right??

I have a feeling that this year is going to be good and filled with exciting changes. A new job, bigger goals, hopefully additions to the family, an addition to the house (fingers crossed - if you know a good contractor, please send him/her my way), and more... So, here's my list of what I want to accomplish/change this year:

Athletic Goals

• 6 hour half IM
• 22 minute 5K
• core work 2 times per week (at least)
• weights 1 time per week (for next 3 months; then increasing to 2 times/week (at least))

Professional Goals

• 2200+ hours (and really, I have through the end of January 2011 to do this)
• join an HBA committee (oh, and join HBA)
• develop a business contacts list
• attend one networking event every 8 weeks (at least)

Financial Goals

• open a money market account (or other high yield savings) - HELP here maybe!
• eliminate all credit card debt
• establish savings account for anticipated expenses (i.e., vet, car maintenance, birthdays, weddings) -- also will help to prevent credit card use

Personal Goals

• cook dinner 2 times per week (at least)
• take lunch to work 2-3 times per week
• limit eating out to 2 dinners per week (and continue to decrease)
• learn to make cashew candy (this incredibly tasty marzipan candy that we had in El Salvador)
• finish Little Mermaid and train cross stitch projects

General Goals

• become less judgmental
• see myself as others see me

The "General Goals" are the terrible ambiguous type goals that cannot be quantified or ones that you don't really know when they are achieved. I'm happy to put these goals out here and use the blog as a public checklist. With regard to the athletic goals, those might not happen this year. I'm going to work towards them; however, other things may take a priority.

10 Things

I was tagged a few days ago and am finally getting this up (or any posting for that matter).

In no particular order, 10 things that make me happy:

1. James (aka The Hubby or My Number 1 Fan)

I just love him - enough said. We are both incredibly lucky to have each other and it amazes me how happy he makes me.

2. Family

My mom and granny are fabulous. I am also fortunate to have fabulous in-laws. How else does an only child suddenly have 4 sisters and a brother? Its pretty nifty. And, I can't forget darling Elaine (who will be one next week). On the occassions when she is happy to be with me, she is the cutest thing ever (and even when she's not happy, she's pretty darn cute). Plus, she's a reminder of what James and I hope to have in the near future.

3. My Home

I like pulling up into the driveway and seeing the new red door of "our" house. (technically, it belongs to us and Chase; however, the thought of the mortgage does not make me happy). Also, it is the place where I belong - its more than the building - its where my life is. 4. Being an Adult

Yes, its odd; however, its the realization that my life isn't what I thought it would be - its better. And, because of that, I've had experiences that I wouldn't otherwise have had - most recently, it was a trip to El Salvador.
5. My Dogs

At times, they drive me crazy but I do love them. Edie (the big brown one) is special in her own way. Molly (aka crack dog or Molly-Dog) has grown on me. I love snuggling with her in front of the fire or while in bed reading a book. In fact, she's sleeping on the bed next to me as I write this.

6. Reading

According to James, I'm more of a collector of books than a reader. I'll read them all - it just takes me a while and I won't read them in the order in which they were purchased. I've grown up around books and I like that our office is covered in them. I also like that it was James that made these awesome book shelves. (as an aside, if you don't already own power tools, it is NOT cheaper to make book shelves rather than buying them.)

7. My Friends

I am lucky to have so many good friends - people that I trust and know will be there for me. I have the friends that I have known for ages and that are like family (mainly sisters here). I also have the newer friends that I might not know as well; however, they are very good people that I hope to know better. I have undergrad friends, law school friends, high school friends (with whom I hope to reconnect), work friends, tri/running friends, and the how do I know you again friends. Regardless of the group and how well I actually know the person, I know that all of these people will be there for me. Its reassuring to know that whenever I have a problem, I know that I have a friend that will be there to listen. Or whenever there is a need to celebrate, a friend will be there.

(sorry ladies, but you know i LOVE this picture... its not that revealing.)

8. Being an Athlete

I've never wanted to define myself as a runner or triathlete; however, I am and there is no reason to deny that. I run to make myself feel better; I run because its fun. In being athletic, I've had great experiences and get to spend time with friends. Oh, and because I'm an athlete, I've been able to swim in lakes formed by volcanic craters (see number 4).

9. Coffee (and Wine and Chocolate - especially when combined with # 7 and/ or #1, good weather and a patio)

I'll admit it, I run/exercise to eat. It make me happy to share a bottle of wine/coffee/food with friends. Even better yet is sharing something that I've made. I'm not an artist; however, I feel like one whenever I can cook and bake.

10. Accomplishment

Hard work and dedication do pay off. I've always been goal-oriented. Its not the goal itself that is what matters - its accomplishing what I've set out to do.

So, now the fun part of tagging people.... I'm supposed to tag 10; however, I'm lazy... (and not really sure who to tag...)

1. Amanda

2. Shelley

3. Heather