what up to my peeps

well it's official, im unemployed hehe never felt better in my life. honestly the environment i was in had become toxic, lots of people walking around looking like they were lost, news each week of cuts - cuts - cuts, time for an n8 departure from otherwise doom and gloom

what have i been doing with myself? training faster and harder, no excuses if yaint goin to work ya best be in shape. a little PR included a swim from arizona to california 2.5 mi yep thats my n8 unemployed white ass right there on camera ;--)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAYfKijVZFU

n8

am i

an athlete?
in a conversation about upcomming events a friend had commented, wow ur becoming quite the athlete. excuse me uh are u looking at someone else, did we just meet? i had not considered this until just now.  all the training, all the work and personal investment, sacrafice, commitment, could it be true?

lets examine
i work out hard but not necessairly smart, so i have been told by other athletes. im way committed but in a fun way i wont blow off training but i will endulge a little, ok a lot, on weekends.  i do fair amount of researching technique and training regimine but i have no real coaching. im making consistent progress and see improvements in performance on all levels, confidence et al. im competetive maybe too competetive. wouldnt say im a good athlete lets go with getting better

performance
i have realized lately i quite enjoy the performance aspect of training/racing. to test my limits and measure how i perform when asked, will my strength and endurance deliver the desired results, or will i gas out and fail? its been an unreal feeling to be in open water and get the distance and speed i want, like the only limitation i have right now is time, to enter a half marathon, train for it, and complete it, to crush hills i once considered unrideable, to set the bar higher each time and reach that bar is an amazing feeling

athlete? maybe, having fun getting there, absolutly!

how to ensure you suck - duathlon post moretum

for a lesson in what not to do for race day the following will ensure you finish in the bottom of the pack. this dismal performance has but one upside, you can only do better next time.

• pre race meal: couldnt find an Italian restaurant so went to a mexican restaurant.  bad mexican food equals bad energy for race day.
• race clothing: do not wear a black shirt on a sunny day.  black shirt and sun equals overheating.
• race clothing: do not wear a nylon shirt with no zipper.  nylon is not the best wick material nor does it carry away moisture well.  something with a fine mesh that allows airflow and preferably with a zipper for fast cooling when needed.
• race clothing: do not remove your shit when you are over heating, too much exposed skin can lead to over exposure to sun and dehydration. also cuz its early in the season you look like a fat fu*k in your bike photos
• stretching: daily is preferable race day pre and post race is a must. do not miss this one
• pace: race the pace you train, bombing the bike leg because youre feeling super invincible will leave you fatigued for the next leg and overall costly mistake and possible injury.
• training: train bricks for the event you are racing, if you havent trained for the type of race or have no prior races in that format you should not be surprised if you suck.

this is my assessment of rookie mistakes, having posted gives me closure on my poorest performance to date.  worst of all i was actually doing well until the last run where i added 8 minutes to my time.  that was the difference between top 3 and bottom 2. i will be back to kick some duathalon ass then i will never race it again

Owed to Computer Operations team

today a persons life was changed, several people actually.  a team i manage finished up their last day at work, some had been on board 20 plus years.  the work they performed moved to an outsource firm in india

the team was a 24X7 computer operations monitoring and alerting NOC in IT operations terms and consisted of 7 to 8 people at various times.  responsible for monitoring the health of a $12M IT infrastructure for a $4B global company as well as executing a number of "off peak" processes that run when the rest of the world is in slumber land. 30K processes each night to be exact

during their tenure they participated in every significant event as the first line of defense when things went array.  they operated consistently and effectively like a fine tuned machine. calm in times of hurry, as was their nature executing a methodical processes tried and true until systems restored back to normal.  what they new more often then not restored peace and what they didn't know, they learned and added to their portfolio

during the years there were ups and downs, arguments like any family.  on one night shift a child was nearly born at work but for the team supervisor driving his employee to the hospital

in the end they walked out one by one to their exit interviews heads held high, after which they each turned in their badges to me and left the building.  some cried, some were angry, one shook my hand and said what the hell it was a good run

as the last man walked out i noticed a gathering in the parking lot.  there they stood in a circled embrace for some 10min or so.  a humbling experience for me, a terrifying experience for them

today a persons life was changed

n8

Working the shoe

so i have this problem i only have 1 bike and i absolutely love to ride it, ride ride ride mikey goes on his bike, honestly i will wear the damn bike out.  infact i would ride it even more if it werent requiring me to clip in and when i get to the market or coffee shop clip clop clip clop in the store i go with my version of camel toe and a helmet, haha that was funny $hit, ok it isnt that bad.

so im thinking what if i didnt have to get all into my gear to ride, what if i had a trap with a cleat on it that i can clip in? this idea has many applications lets say you're in T1 and you get ur runners on and jump on the bike you now have an advantage in T2. or lets say your friend comes over and wants to ride your bike, or your extra bike and both have cleats. or lets say you have an expensive bike and just cant get the hang of it and fall all the time but you want something a little more sexy then cages for pedals on your carbon fiber bike. hey i paid $60 dollars for a sexy carbon bottle cage because it looked cool.

i think my product has enough use cases to warrant attention. I need something you attach your cleat to so both hole patterns are possible. this took me to the LBS for some parts and an hour in the garage and wala (voila) i can now clip in.

trapcleat version 0.1 test ride: difficult to get my shoe in as it rotates down and not easy to flip up with the toe of my shoe.  also needs better lateral support and longer base.  probably not using all my pulling power efficiently.

summary: looks not bad, function poor.

hmmm lets see if i had longer base and more support i could grab the trap and use power more efficiently.  grab my old alpinstars, razor knife, chop saw and wala (voila) clearly i have too much time on my hands.

trapcleat version 0.2 test ride: much easier to get into, significantly better support and use of power actually i kinda like it. sadly i recall i paid a lot of money for those shoes.

summary: doesnt look so good at the moment but functions well. currently not big enough for running shoes so barefoot or socks only.

if i had the support of v.2 and the looks of v.1 something carbon with longer base, aero styling so it looks cool i think im there. this will have to be a sketch for now till i get som more supplies, comments are welcome.

trapcleat version 0.3 (draft)

n8 soul

i believe i can fly

today was the first time in a long while i felt free running. generally not one of my strengths, actually i suck, but 4mi in i just felt free, like i can run for ever. z4 intervals proved to be the only way to really slow me down, truth be told i would rather be in the salt water where im at my very best but for a run it was pretty damn satisfying to get that kind of performance.

re reading an older post, messages from max, i was reminded of being free and happy and all that is right in his world, he is truly an amazing dog and although it sounds weird he inspires me.


n8

bringing the heat

i have a blog friend over on another site that is whimpering about a tough year in 2010. actually i shouldn't poke fun because i think her story is legit and if not for setbacks last year, she would school me in any race.

as for me it was an epic year till november when i decided to coast for a while. a while became a long while and a few drinks became a few too many and too often. thus my svelte racing form became eh, muffin like by jan. when a close friend coaxed me out for a friendly 10k i was, as he stated in his british accent, absolutely miserable.

that said i throw down the following challenge. i will be in competitive condition by end february even with a trip to india i have scheduled and i will be back in top form by march.

my challenge goes out to kat to do the same. enter a race of your choosing and finish in the top one third by june and i will reimburse your entry fee or make a donation to a charity of your choosing.

n8 soul