Some time has passed now since the historic presidential election of Barack Obama. I am a supporter of Obama and voted for him because of his stance on many of the pressing issues this country faces. However, I do understand the importance of him being the first black man to become a US President. Politics aside, I think it should be recognized as a milestone, even if you did vote for the other guy.
Unfortunately while we took this great step forward, we also took a few back. There were several issues on ballots across the country that pertained to the equality of gay people. Yes, in the "Land of The Free and The Home of The Brave" we spent millions of dollars and hours of time focusing on whether or not two people that love each other can take part in the same union that people with opposite genitalia do. Sounds kinda silly when you put it that way....
The biggest loss gay people saw in the election, besides the one in Arkansas that bans gay and single people from adopting children, was Prop 8 in California (which I will be focusing on) and proposition 2 in Florida. The proposition amended the constitution of California to ban same sex marriage. The issue was previously granted by the California Supreme Court, saying that it was "unconstitutional to deny same sex couples those rights". That is why the opposing side had to attempt to amend the constitution. Now it is "constitutional" to ban same sex marriage.
Organizing my thoughts on this issue is a bit challenging because I have so many. Clearly there is plenty being said about the Mormon Church that encouraged its members across the country to donate to the "yes" side of the proposition. Twenty two million dollars of encouragement. But let’s not give Mormons ALL the credit. You had plenty of other religions with their hands in the cookie jar. Not to mention the hordes of minorities, who continue to suffer from discrimination, casting their vote to ban marriage. I mean, even Dr. Laura Schlesinger, a Jew, is against the idea of gay marriage. I sure wish I could invent a time machine. I wonder where and when I would send her? Perhaps to a time where she could see just how far discrimination can go. Nazi Germany did not start on a large scale. It was a seed that continued to get watered. Prop 8 is a seed.
That last comment might get me in trouble but it leads me right into the sub discussion of this issue which is that of comparing struggle. A huge majority of the Californian black community played a role in passing Prop 8. Many black people do not see the parallels between the civil rights movement and the gay rights movement. It seems they feel that it takes away from their hard times. Well, I guess it is more that, what gay people go through is nothing compared to what black people went through and still go through to this day. I totally get that but still think they need to take the time to examine the issue purely from the perspective of discrimination. A perspective they should fully understand.
I think black people should see the comparison to the civil rights movement not as an insult or threat to their struggles but rather a compliment. HELLO! Black people have paved the road on the idea of anti discrimination. And another "HELLO!", Gay people aren’t just white! We come in all colors, except of course, that shade called Iranian. Apparently they don't make that color.
And you also have to think of the issues in terms of percentages. Black people make up a larger percentage of people in this country than gay people do. If there were as many gay people in this country as there were black people I think you would see a higher percentage of anti-gay crimes being committed than you do now.
But let’s forget all that and discuss why so many black people didn't have our back on this issue. Plain and simple, you have religion, misinformation and CHOICE. I am a huge believer that the main reason gay people struggle on these issues is because it is seen to most as a choice or "lifestyle". Can I tell you how much I HATE it when people refer to my being gay as a lifestyle? Doing triathlon is a lifestyle. Being gay is like being left handed. But again, even if it WERE a choice I’d say "SO WHAT!"
Arguing against racism is a lot easier than arguing for gay rights because there is no way to deny the color of one’s skin. Homosexuality is not as “black and white”. Black people don’t have to come out with their “blackness”. It’s hard to continue to argue for discrimination on something that "just is". However, I bet if we put a proposition up in the South to take away some of black people’s rights it just might pass. But hey, it would have been voted on by the people. I guess that makes it okay!
Part of this issue seems to also be that everyone is so nice. I have gotten quite a few "nice" e-mails from my Mormon friends that I had in high school not understanding why I am so enraged at the Mormon Church's role in this. They say things like "we don't hate gays. We just think marriage should be kept between men and women. Would it be okay if we gave you the same rights but didn't call it marriage?" I feel some cursing coming. FUCK OFF!!
It should be noted that Mormons prohibited blacks from holding the priesthood in the LDS Church until 1978. Holding the priesthood was a right given to every other adult male. Without the priesthood, blacks were forbidden from entering Mormon temples like the big one on Santa Monica Blvd that you see in all the protests. They also could not participate in eternal marriage ceremonies there which effectively consigned them to a lesser version of heaven. Mormons place their whole concept of heaven on forming eternal families through marriages or “sealings” in their temples.
Mormons are finally coming around to the fact that people are born “homosexual”. They don’t really like the word gay. The catch for them, which is also the catch in a lot of other religions, is that it is a sin and it should not be acted on. So basically they acknowledge you are born that way but you are never supposed to act on those urges and desires for love, sex and compassion that heterosexual people have. Do Mormons really believe that a god would ever create so many of his children to be gay and consign them to a life of loneliness? And per religion, aren’t we all created in God’s image? Doesn’t that mean that there is a part of God that is gay too?
I am really getting sick of being nice about this. Everyone is hiding behind the "nice" side of this. It is time to get mad. Is it worth getting mad over marriage rights? You bet it is because this goes deeper than marriage rights. Look up the suicide rates of gay youth. Look at how gay teens have been treated. Look at people like Matthew Shepard. When the COUNTRY allows for some of its members to be seen as second class citizens which this marriage crap does, then you justify the public treating them that way.
The part that kills me on this is that it was the Churches that made this happen. I really think the Mormon Church should become an example and loose their tax rights. They had their hands too deep in this political arena. If Mormons were going to lose their rights for practicing religion I would certainly vote for them to be able to keep them. They should be able to practice their religion even if I feel it is a stupid religion. I think most religions are lame but I don't want to take that right away from people. Believe whatever you want just don't impose your views on everyone else, let alone the government. SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE!
I have heard the argument that some are worried that if gay marriage passed and their priest or whatever didn't want to perform the marriage, he or she could be arrested for discrimination. Give me a fucking break! Churches are absolutely protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and have always had restrictions on who they choose to marry. It's their choice to perform marriages OR NOT and always will be. First off, if your church doesn't believe in gay marriage and you are gay YOU NEED TO FIND A NEW RELIGION!! Secondly, you don't see Catholic priests being arrested for discriminating against people that have been divorced.
Let’s talk about how sacred marriage is. Really? Is it sacred? Is there something sacred about two drunk people in Vegas that get married in a drive through? Look at the freaking divorce rate! Tell me what is so damn sacred these days about it? If you want to save marriage you need to make DIVORCE illegal. Then maybe people would think a bit more before they tie that knot which usually ends up around their neck. If you ask me we need to take marriage out of government all together. Make everyone able to get civil unions and if you wanted to get "married" in your church then so be it. Just don't invite me.
Another problem right now is that people think civil unions are the same as marriage. They aren't. If I have a civil union with your brother and he dies, you, as the sibling, have more rights over him and the estate than I do. I’m talking about inheritance rights -- automatically rather than having it have to go through probate, not having to pay tax upon inheriting the property, and not having to adjust the tax basis of the property if you decide to sell it. The biggest "right" is actually attached to Federal law -- it's rights of survivorship to Social Security and other retirement plan (pension) benefits.
Some people have said "why don't gay people just set things up contractually then?" Well that costs money and we shouldn't have to do it the longer and harder way. EQUALITY people. It ain't that complex. Besides, many of the rights attached to marriage cannot be set up via contract. Same sex partners in a civil union or even opposite sex domestic partners aren't entitled to federal Social Security benefits. That only comes with the word "marriage." Not to mention that if I wanted to add a domestic partner to my health insurance, I would have to pay tax on it. My employer is kind enough to offer it, but because the IRS doesn't recognize same sex couples as "married" even in MA and CT where it is legal, I would still have to pay tax on the cost of that insurance because of the word "marriage." Again, please tell me how my getting married affects you?
I have done quite a bit of world travel in the last 3 years. It sure would be nice to know that if I met someone in another country and it went well that he could come back and live in the US with me. Straight people can do this. I have plenty of friends that are married to no US citizens. In fact, two of my friends that were both non US citizens actually got married in the US. Does that make any sense?
One more issue and then I am done. About the whole "I don't care what people do in the bedroom”: Is your straightness restricted to the bedroom? NO! Is being gay only about having sex? NO! People that say “I don’t care what you do in the bedroom” make me want to drop kick them to the moon! If you are in a straight relationship I want you to take a few days and see how many times a day you throw your sexuality in my face.
“Man! All that straightness just makes me SICK! Do they have to hold hands and wear those rings? It just makes me so uncomfortable when they talk about it. I can't even get dressed in a locker room with out hearing about all those straight guys’ talk about the pussy they got on Saturday night.. And what about those women that go on and on about planning their weddings or talking about how their boyfriends don’t pay any attention to them. ICK!
Clearly I don't feel this way and I hope what I just said sounds ridiculous. "Yeah but if we let gay people have equal rights I don't want my kids seeing that and turning into a Mo." Look people, I have been hanging with straight people all my life, and as much as they try to convert me, nothing has happened thus far. I mean, I do tend to smell my clothes to see if they are clean but as far as having a taste for pink taco.....hasn't happened.
I think the best way to really understand how I feel is by watching this video clip below. Keith Olbermann is not my favorite but he really hits the nail on the head here. I would love to hear some arguments against what he says. And please, get out those bibles so I too can find fun and utterly retarded reasons for stoning you!
Actually, I think I am going to go make up some signs right now and go harass all the fat people for their gluttonous behavior. GOD HATES FAT PEOPLE!!!!! MAYBE IN HELL YOU CAN LOOSE SOME WEIGHT CUZ IT WILL BE LIKE A SAUNA!!!! JESUS DID IRONMAN!!!! THINK OF ALL THE STARVING KIDS IN THE WORLD NEXT TIME YOU GO TO WENDYS!!! FAT PEOPLE SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO BREED!!!! MOOOW!!!! ....Ohh this is fun! Now I see what all those crazy FAG HATERS get out of this. LOL...I'm just kidding of course....
This is the link to the clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnHyy8gkNEE
Here is clip with screenwritter and executive producer, David Lance Black. He produced the upcoming movie "Milk" with Sean Penn about Harvey Milk. He was also a writer for the HBO show Big Love. Black is gay and grew up as a Mormon.
http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13
As well, "Talk of the Nation" on NPR had some intersting points about Prop 8. Less than 20 min.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97266934
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
In The Works....
Hey All,
Don't you worry! My blog on PROP 8 is in the works.....
bdc
Second Class Citizen of The United States
Don't you worry! My blog on PROP 8 is in the works.....
bdc
Second Class Citizen of The United States
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Hawaii IRONMAN 2008
Well the race here in KONA has come and gone. I wasn't very good about writing prior to the race (actually I wrote nothing at all) so I will make sure I keep this short (yeah right). I don't have any pics to put up right now either. Man! What a slacker I have been! I guess it was really just one of those times where ya had to be there.....
Going into this race I had to be very careful not to mistake what I really wanted to do (my ideal) and what I was going to be capable of doing for where I was with things (my reality). Last year I had a pretty good race and a successful season that included many other races. This year was very much the opposite. Less "success" with almost no racing. Ultimately this has all been an effort to get rid of a long standing injury in my foot. In the end, I think my choices this season have been wise and my race in KONA was a step in the right direction.
The one thing I really noticed this year was that I was much more relaxed going into KONA. I never really got that nervous about it so when race day rolled around it just felt like another training day. In fact, I was actually excited to race because I felt like I had just been sitting on my ass for weeks. And that wasn't even true as my taper was only 5 days. The decision to make the taper short was due to my lack of a season and how horrible I felt in the 1/2 I did a month before where I tapered a bit more. Anyway, I was very eager at this point to get it going.
My bike spot in T1 this year was in the coolest place. I was the first bike you saw when in transition. I had number 97 as that was my place last year. 97 racked first in the isle that was closest to the T1 exit. I was the last male number before you started the pro women (how ironic lol). There was no 98-100 so those spots were left empty and then you had 101 which was the number of the new Queen of Kona, Miss Chrissie. I have the strangest feeling that she won't be handing over that crown any time soon (flat or no flat). Since I was in the age group wave that started 15 min later, my bike was going to be standing there all by itself. I would have all the room in the world and not far to run with my bike.
Before the race I was in the same area that I was last year, right near that giant blow up Power Bar Gel. This year every person in my group had a Power Gel in their pocket due to the fact that I didn't have mine last year. It was kinda funny but nothing really comical happened so I might as well fast forward to getting in the water.
I had decided that my swimming was strong enough where I could hit it pretty hard and try and get in with a slightly faster pack. I swam an hour flat last year and wanted to be in that 57-58 group this time round. My plan was to go line up with Scott Davis and use his feet to get me out in the first 400 meters and then I could settle in knowing that he is ultimately too fast in the water for me.
We swam out and got right on the front line dead center. They had us roped in a tighter line this year so it seemed a bit more crowded than last year. As we all floated around nervously awaiting the cannon I started asking people nearby what their projected swim times were. I heard times that made me feel confident that starting where I was would be a good idea (note to self- it was a DUMB idea).
We kept waiting and waiting and finally I looked at Scott and said "When do you think this race is gonna sta...BAAAM!" That always happens to me LOL! I started swimming as fast as I could. And when I say as fast as I could I am not exaggerating. I felt like my life was in DANGER! Never in my whole experience of triathlon has anything like this happened to me in the swim. It was a disaster. I was being engulfed by people, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't take a real stroke I was fucked. That's the king of bad language- but that's what I was. I tried to stay calm even though I have a huge issue with claustrophobia, HUGE! I began to tell myself "this will only last for another min and then it will clear up. I was in shape so just put your head down and swim". Well that was too late. I started to panic. And when I say panic I mean I started to PANIC. I was gonna be that guy that dies in the swim.
Once that feeling kicked in I stuck my head up, stopped swimming and looked both ways to see which was the shortest way out of this mess. I just wanted out of the swim and to be in clear water. This didn't go so well with the rest of the people in the race as I was now in their way and getting pounded by fists. At least my head was out of the water and I could breathe. I did what I had to do and climbed over a lot of people to get to the side. Once there I had to pull myself together fast or I might pull the plug entirely.
Luckily when I came to watch this race a few years ago I was one of the guys on a surf board and had pulled a pro out of the water because he began to panic. That guy decided not to finish the race and I was now in that exact situation. I tried to get that guy to keep going but he decided against it.
I took my own advice that I gave a few years ago and started swimming at a very relaxed pace and tried to find my breathe again. I was so far away from anyone that it was easy for me to do this. The next two buoys I came to, I passed with them on my left. Technically they are supposed to be on your right but we were going in a straight line so it didn't shorten the course at all. There was no way in hell I was going to go near anyone yet. Plus I saw plenty of people ahead of me do that and the officials seemed fine with it.
Slowly I got my confidence back and found some feet. I thought for sure my swim was now blown but it didn't phase me that much. I was just happy to be calm again and before I knew it I saw the turn around boat. This was a bit of relief but I also knew it was going to get crowded again. Sure enough it did and things got physical. I was fine now and did my best to just let my hands glide off anyone I made contact with. Unfortunately some dick head in front of me thinks it is okay to violently kick his feet if he gets touched. His violent kicking came so close to really knocking me out. I understand that some people swim on you to draft and you can get annoyed but in a situation like this, purposely kicking that way could have really hurt someone (me). There is no excuse for violent kicking. I'm having rubber wrist bands made immediately LOL!
The best part of that swim was when I got to the pier I thought, "Boy, this was a piece of cake minus the panic. You aren't even tired!" In all my Ironman swims I always get out of the water being very thankful that it is over. This one felt like a 1/2 Iron swim.
Transition was SOOO crowded. Last year it was pretty empty but this year it was standing room only. I felt like I got out pretty fast and decided to put all my stuff on near my bike. And sure enough it was just me. I looked like I was a pro that really sucked!
Heading out on the bike was business as usual. I passed a few people that I knew straight away and though "that's odd?" thinking they would be miles ahead by now. Then I passed Mark Pietrofessa in the exact spot I did last year. We both commented on it. The bike was turning into dejavu. Lots of people all riding a very uneven pace.
Out on the Queen K there were draft busters all over the place and they were handing out yellow and red cards like a fat geeky hall monitor on a serious power trip. I get that they were trying to fix the drafting issue but doing it in the first 10 miles of the race is a bad place to do it. There are too many people and I don't think anyone was drafting to "get ahead". This race does need some time to thin out a bit and if we can't achieve that after an hour or so then something needs to happen.
Knowing that the motor bikes were hovering around us I tried my best to stay back from other riders but again, people would jump into my legal zone. It was frustrating and equally frustrating if you made a pass and then 5 seconds later they passed you back. There was a gap between myself and another pack up the road. I wish I had the strength to put the hammer down and dump these guys that were around me but I wasn't willing to do it. We came through the 40K mark in 1:04 and that felt pretty easy. I felt good that I was riding well and then WHAM "Number 97! YELLOW CARD!" I looked over and the draft buster was telling me that I got a yellow card. Me and my big mouth had to say something and turned that yellow card into a red card. It was so unfair. Now I had to stop at the next penalty tent and stand down for 4 min. When I got to the tent I couldn't believe how many people would go by in four min. It was killing me! Not to mention that as they went by it looked like giant pelotons. I was so pissed.
Once I was released all I could see were hundreds of bikes up the road. The wind was howling and I was having a hard time shaking the penalty. Staying in the game mentally was my biggest challenge of the ride. Not only was I now much further back than I wanted, the wind had picked up and I wasn't making any ground. I kept getting passed by people and couldn't understand what the hell was going on. Where was my power?
I climbed up to Hawi at a snails pace due to the wind and was again a bit discouraged when I saw where the riders that I wanted to be riding with were. They were miles ahead of me. The only thing that kept me going was to say that they will all implode on the run.
The decent from Hawi sucked donkey balls! I am so glad that I only had 404's on because the wind was not taking prisoners that day. I had gotten out of my aero bars because I felt like I couldn't control my bike. A guy rode up to me and said to get aero and put my weight on the front of the bike. Good advice but it was Kevin Moats giving it and I couldn't keep up. Kevin is in his 50's and I am being dropped. Fun. Well wait, it gets better! I saw a 70 on another guys calf. Funner!
Clearly I wasn't having the ride I wanted but it didn't "feel bad" I just wasn't going anywhere. When I finally got off the decent and made it back to the Queen K I thought I felt fine so maybe now I can try and put out a little more power. The wind was bad the whole ride and any extra power I put out didn't show. Ultimately I decided to just keep riding and hope it wasn't as bad as it seemed.
The last 20K of the ride felt great minus the issue I started having with hot feet. I haven't had hot feet in ages and for some reason they were both burning up. Possibly the scorching KONA sun?? It was just one of those things that I had to block out. For some reason pain like that works well for me. It helps me focus. I have run some of my fastest runs with blisters that felt like cattle prods.
As I got off the bike I wasn't able to get my shoe open so I just clicked out and ran towards the tent. As soon as I made the turn and hit the AstroTurf I went a sailing! My cleat slipped and I went right down on my side and into a a guard rail. That must have been comedy to anyone that saw it. I wasn't too happy but luckily I wasn't hurt. I took the shoes off and ran the rest of the way in my socks.
The next 5 min were chaos in the transition tent. People everywhere and my brain just couldn't really think. I was happy to get out of T2 but as I started running I had this feeling like "this isn't going to go well." I had to think back to a training run I did off the bike where I felt like passing out and then had some sugar and was fine. I knew not to judge things until I had gone about 15 min. Maybe I just had left over issues from the bike. Lord knows I didn't ride very fast so I shouldn't be that affected on the run.
Things did start to open up for me. My legs felt as if I was out for an easy run. I had my Garmen on so I could tell what my pace was. I wanted to know that so I didn't run too fast. Last year I had a 5 mile section that was really bad. I wanted this run to flow the whole way and not have any evident "dips". My goal was to run 3:05 or faster and not have another IM run in the teens.
I had been thirsty all day on the bike. My nutrition plan went out the window because all I wanted to do was drink Gatorade. I only had 1/2 of my gels but went through I don't know how many bottles of drink. On the run it was a similar situation. I just wanted coke. From the first to last aid station all I took was coke. No gels. Just as much coke as I could get in. I did have some water but not very much. It was a gamble but it tasted so good and seemed to give me a nice lift every time I took some.
As I ran down Ali'i Dr. I was passing people with every step. I'm not sure why all these guys rode so hard? They exited transition on pace to run a 4 hour marathon. But I guess that is what happens when you start the run so far back.
I noticed up the road a pro female that seemed to be clipping along at my pace. I figured that if I caught up to her I would have someone to run with, so I picked it up a tad and settled back in when I caught her.
We were moving along at a nice steady pace. I said hi and we had a quick chat about the race. I asked her if she could keep this pace up and she replied with an enthusiastic "oh yeah". I didn't know who she was and when I looked at my watch I became a bit skeptical of the pace. So I waited a bit and then slipped in "soooo what is your fastest IM run?" She responded with 3:00 and I was sold! This was my girl. She knew what she was doing so I thought I would just run with her.
It was really fun to have a buddy on the run. She would drop me in the aid stations as I was having issues with running fast through them and getting in all that tasty coke. But I would catch back up. One aid station I was able to keep it rolling and we made note that it was my best one yet! lol
It was really hot on Ali'i and my shoes were soaked from all the sponges I was grabbing but I felt totally fine and comfortable. I told my new found run buddy that last year when I got to the top of Palani, things feel apart a bit for me. It came out of the blue so I was a bit tense that it might happen again. She reminded me that we were just out for a run and this pace wasn't super fast.
Once we made it up the hill and started our trek out to the Energy Lab, I realized that it wasn't going to be that far. Last year I felt like it took forever to get there and that it was a never ending road. While in Kona this time, I studied that section of the course thoroughly and found it to be mentally short. That made all the difference in the world.
I still managed to drop the ball a bit. About 1/2 way up I was pounding coke and when I looked up my run buddy was now a bit further up on me. This was my worst aid station and I got dropped. That was a crucial mistake. Once the link was lost it was harder to keep moving. I should have made it so that my life was dependant on staying with her. I still kept it going and didn't loose too much time but she ended up running 3:01 and I did a 3:06. Had I stayed with her I would have been around 2:59-3:00 (I caught her about two miles in). But that wasn't the case and I now had to do the rest of the run on my own. We exchanged words when we passed at the turn around in the Energy Lab. She wasn't that far ahead but I didn't have the ability to bridge the gap.
The biggest issue I faced on the run was the weakness in my hips and issues in my foot. My core has been very week from an old injury that prevented me from working on it and at the end of all my runs (last 4 miles or so) I would feel the hip area break down. Since my longest run this year was only 16 miles I could feel the breakdown happening at about mile 18. I knew all I had to do now was just suck it up for less than 10 miles and I could stop.
Running back on the Queen K went by a lot faster than I thought it would and the only slow down I was experiencing was still from muscle breakdown. I wasn't really "tired" and I knew the pace wasn't fast. Once I saw Palani I knew I had made it. Not only had I made it, I looked down at my watch and realized I just might hit my 3:05 run goal. And if I don't, I will still be really close to it. I was so over running outside of the :00's. No more :10's and above for me!!! It put a smile on my face and made dealing with the hip/foot pain easier. Honestly my feet at that point were so bad I actually thought "screw it. Just run em to the nubs and you never have to do this again." I was in the "negotiating" phase of the race LOL...
When I crossed the line my body was done. I saw my dear friend Linda Bless from Bike Works waiting with a towel. I just grabbed the two closest people as my legs went on strike as soon as they crossed. For some reason, even if I feel great after an IM, my legs just stop. I guess they have that right.
Anyway, the race was not really where I wanted to be in regards to placing and the time was slower than I wanted. But I have to walk away from it knowing I had a good swim and solid improvement on the run. I learned alot form the race and dealt with some of the days adversity well. Now it is time for a rest and a plan to fix some things in the gym! I am actually pretty geeked up to race IM again. The biggest thing I take away from this race is confidence. Something about the distance and pressure of racing it clicked in my head. I think the best is still yet to come!
Thanks to everyone that supported me and congrats to all that raced! It was an awesome time and I look forward to next year!
Cheers,
bdc
Going into this race I had to be very careful not to mistake what I really wanted to do (my ideal) and what I was going to be capable of doing for where I was with things (my reality). Last year I had a pretty good race and a successful season that included many other races. This year was very much the opposite. Less "success" with almost no racing. Ultimately this has all been an effort to get rid of a long standing injury in my foot. In the end, I think my choices this season have been wise and my race in KONA was a step in the right direction.
The one thing I really noticed this year was that I was much more relaxed going into KONA. I never really got that nervous about it so when race day rolled around it just felt like another training day. In fact, I was actually excited to race because I felt like I had just been sitting on my ass for weeks. And that wasn't even true as my taper was only 5 days. The decision to make the taper short was due to my lack of a season and how horrible I felt in the 1/2 I did a month before where I tapered a bit more. Anyway, I was very eager at this point to get it going.
My bike spot in T1 this year was in the coolest place. I was the first bike you saw when in transition. I had number 97 as that was my place last year. 97 racked first in the isle that was closest to the T1 exit. I was the last male number before you started the pro women (how ironic lol). There was no 98-100 so those spots were left empty and then you had 101 which was the number of the new Queen of Kona, Miss Chrissie. I have the strangest feeling that she won't be handing over that crown any time soon (flat or no flat). Since I was in the age group wave that started 15 min later, my bike was going to be standing there all by itself. I would have all the room in the world and not far to run with my bike.
Before the race I was in the same area that I was last year, right near that giant blow up Power Bar Gel. This year every person in my group had a Power Gel in their pocket due to the fact that I didn't have mine last year. It was kinda funny but nothing really comical happened so I might as well fast forward to getting in the water.
I had decided that my swimming was strong enough where I could hit it pretty hard and try and get in with a slightly faster pack. I swam an hour flat last year and wanted to be in that 57-58 group this time round. My plan was to go line up with Scott Davis and use his feet to get me out in the first 400 meters and then I could settle in knowing that he is ultimately too fast in the water for me.
We swam out and got right on the front line dead center. They had us roped in a tighter line this year so it seemed a bit more crowded than last year. As we all floated around nervously awaiting the cannon I started asking people nearby what their projected swim times were. I heard times that made me feel confident that starting where I was would be a good idea (note to self- it was a DUMB idea).
We kept waiting and waiting and finally I looked at Scott and said "When do you think this race is gonna sta...BAAAM!" That always happens to me LOL! I started swimming as fast as I could. And when I say as fast as I could I am not exaggerating. I felt like my life was in DANGER! Never in my whole experience of triathlon has anything like this happened to me in the swim. It was a disaster. I was being engulfed by people, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't take a real stroke I was fucked. That's the king of bad language- but that's what I was. I tried to stay calm even though I have a huge issue with claustrophobia, HUGE! I began to tell myself "this will only last for another min and then it will clear up. I was in shape so just put your head down and swim". Well that was too late. I started to panic. And when I say panic I mean I started to PANIC. I was gonna be that guy that dies in the swim.
Once that feeling kicked in I stuck my head up, stopped swimming and looked both ways to see which was the shortest way out of this mess. I just wanted out of the swim and to be in clear water. This didn't go so well with the rest of the people in the race as I was now in their way and getting pounded by fists. At least my head was out of the water and I could breathe. I did what I had to do and climbed over a lot of people to get to the side. Once there I had to pull myself together fast or I might pull the plug entirely.
Luckily when I came to watch this race a few years ago I was one of the guys on a surf board and had pulled a pro out of the water because he began to panic. That guy decided not to finish the race and I was now in that exact situation. I tried to get that guy to keep going but he decided against it.
I took my own advice that I gave a few years ago and started swimming at a very relaxed pace and tried to find my breathe again. I was so far away from anyone that it was easy for me to do this. The next two buoys I came to, I passed with them on my left. Technically they are supposed to be on your right but we were going in a straight line so it didn't shorten the course at all. There was no way in hell I was going to go near anyone yet. Plus I saw plenty of people ahead of me do that and the officials seemed fine with it.
Slowly I got my confidence back and found some feet. I thought for sure my swim was now blown but it didn't phase me that much. I was just happy to be calm again and before I knew it I saw the turn around boat. This was a bit of relief but I also knew it was going to get crowded again. Sure enough it did and things got physical. I was fine now and did my best to just let my hands glide off anyone I made contact with. Unfortunately some dick head in front of me thinks it is okay to violently kick his feet if he gets touched. His violent kicking came so close to really knocking me out. I understand that some people swim on you to draft and you can get annoyed but in a situation like this, purposely kicking that way could have really hurt someone (me). There is no excuse for violent kicking. I'm having rubber wrist bands made immediately LOL!
The best part of that swim was when I got to the pier I thought, "Boy, this was a piece of cake minus the panic. You aren't even tired!" In all my Ironman swims I always get out of the water being very thankful that it is over. This one felt like a 1/2 Iron swim.
Transition was SOOO crowded. Last year it was pretty empty but this year it was standing room only. I felt like I got out pretty fast and decided to put all my stuff on near my bike. And sure enough it was just me. I looked like I was a pro that really sucked!
Heading out on the bike was business as usual. I passed a few people that I knew straight away and though "that's odd?" thinking they would be miles ahead by now. Then I passed Mark Pietrofessa in the exact spot I did last year. We both commented on it. The bike was turning into dejavu. Lots of people all riding a very uneven pace.
Out on the Queen K there were draft busters all over the place and they were handing out yellow and red cards like a fat geeky hall monitor on a serious power trip. I get that they were trying to fix the drafting issue but doing it in the first 10 miles of the race is a bad place to do it. There are too many people and I don't think anyone was drafting to "get ahead". This race does need some time to thin out a bit and if we can't achieve that after an hour or so then something needs to happen.
Knowing that the motor bikes were hovering around us I tried my best to stay back from other riders but again, people would jump into my legal zone. It was frustrating and equally frustrating if you made a pass and then 5 seconds later they passed you back. There was a gap between myself and another pack up the road. I wish I had the strength to put the hammer down and dump these guys that were around me but I wasn't willing to do it. We came through the 40K mark in 1:04 and that felt pretty easy. I felt good that I was riding well and then WHAM "Number 97! YELLOW CARD!" I looked over and the draft buster was telling me that I got a yellow card. Me and my big mouth had to say something and turned that yellow card into a red card. It was so unfair. Now I had to stop at the next penalty tent and stand down for 4 min. When I got to the tent I couldn't believe how many people would go by in four min. It was killing me! Not to mention that as they went by it looked like giant pelotons. I was so pissed.
Once I was released all I could see were hundreds of bikes up the road. The wind was howling and I was having a hard time shaking the penalty. Staying in the game mentally was my biggest challenge of the ride. Not only was I now much further back than I wanted, the wind had picked up and I wasn't making any ground. I kept getting passed by people and couldn't understand what the hell was going on. Where was my power?
I climbed up to Hawi at a snails pace due to the wind and was again a bit discouraged when I saw where the riders that I wanted to be riding with were. They were miles ahead of me. The only thing that kept me going was to say that they will all implode on the run.
The decent from Hawi sucked donkey balls! I am so glad that I only had 404's on because the wind was not taking prisoners that day. I had gotten out of my aero bars because I felt like I couldn't control my bike. A guy rode up to me and said to get aero and put my weight on the front of the bike. Good advice but it was Kevin Moats giving it and I couldn't keep up. Kevin is in his 50's and I am being dropped. Fun. Well wait, it gets better! I saw a 70 on another guys calf. Funner!
Clearly I wasn't having the ride I wanted but it didn't "feel bad" I just wasn't going anywhere. When I finally got off the decent and made it back to the Queen K I thought I felt fine so maybe now I can try and put out a little more power. The wind was bad the whole ride and any extra power I put out didn't show. Ultimately I decided to just keep riding and hope it wasn't as bad as it seemed.
The last 20K of the ride felt great minus the issue I started having with hot feet. I haven't had hot feet in ages and for some reason they were both burning up. Possibly the scorching KONA sun?? It was just one of those things that I had to block out. For some reason pain like that works well for me. It helps me focus. I have run some of my fastest runs with blisters that felt like cattle prods.
As I got off the bike I wasn't able to get my shoe open so I just clicked out and ran towards the tent. As soon as I made the turn and hit the AstroTurf I went a sailing! My cleat slipped and I went right down on my side and into a a guard rail. That must have been comedy to anyone that saw it. I wasn't too happy but luckily I wasn't hurt. I took the shoes off and ran the rest of the way in my socks.
The next 5 min were chaos in the transition tent. People everywhere and my brain just couldn't really think. I was happy to get out of T2 but as I started running I had this feeling like "this isn't going to go well." I had to think back to a training run I did off the bike where I felt like passing out and then had some sugar and was fine. I knew not to judge things until I had gone about 15 min. Maybe I just had left over issues from the bike. Lord knows I didn't ride very fast so I shouldn't be that affected on the run.
Things did start to open up for me. My legs felt as if I was out for an easy run. I had my Garmen on so I could tell what my pace was. I wanted to know that so I didn't run too fast. Last year I had a 5 mile section that was really bad. I wanted this run to flow the whole way and not have any evident "dips". My goal was to run 3:05 or faster and not have another IM run in the teens.
I had been thirsty all day on the bike. My nutrition plan went out the window because all I wanted to do was drink Gatorade. I only had 1/2 of my gels but went through I don't know how many bottles of drink. On the run it was a similar situation. I just wanted coke. From the first to last aid station all I took was coke. No gels. Just as much coke as I could get in. I did have some water but not very much. It was a gamble but it tasted so good and seemed to give me a nice lift every time I took some.
As I ran down Ali'i Dr. I was passing people with every step. I'm not sure why all these guys rode so hard? They exited transition on pace to run a 4 hour marathon. But I guess that is what happens when you start the run so far back.
I noticed up the road a pro female that seemed to be clipping along at my pace. I figured that if I caught up to her I would have someone to run with, so I picked it up a tad and settled back in when I caught her.
We were moving along at a nice steady pace. I said hi and we had a quick chat about the race. I asked her if she could keep this pace up and she replied with an enthusiastic "oh yeah". I didn't know who she was and when I looked at my watch I became a bit skeptical of the pace. So I waited a bit and then slipped in "soooo what is your fastest IM run?" She responded with 3:00 and I was sold! This was my girl. She knew what she was doing so I thought I would just run with her.
It was really fun to have a buddy on the run. She would drop me in the aid stations as I was having issues with running fast through them and getting in all that tasty coke. But I would catch back up. One aid station I was able to keep it rolling and we made note that it was my best one yet! lol
It was really hot on Ali'i and my shoes were soaked from all the sponges I was grabbing but I felt totally fine and comfortable. I told my new found run buddy that last year when I got to the top of Palani, things feel apart a bit for me. It came out of the blue so I was a bit tense that it might happen again. She reminded me that we were just out for a run and this pace wasn't super fast.
Once we made it up the hill and started our trek out to the Energy Lab, I realized that it wasn't going to be that far. Last year I felt like it took forever to get there and that it was a never ending road. While in Kona this time, I studied that section of the course thoroughly and found it to be mentally short. That made all the difference in the world.
I still managed to drop the ball a bit. About 1/2 way up I was pounding coke and when I looked up my run buddy was now a bit further up on me. This was my worst aid station and I got dropped. That was a crucial mistake. Once the link was lost it was harder to keep moving. I should have made it so that my life was dependant on staying with her. I still kept it going and didn't loose too much time but she ended up running 3:01 and I did a 3:06. Had I stayed with her I would have been around 2:59-3:00 (I caught her about two miles in). But that wasn't the case and I now had to do the rest of the run on my own. We exchanged words when we passed at the turn around in the Energy Lab. She wasn't that far ahead but I didn't have the ability to bridge the gap.
The biggest issue I faced on the run was the weakness in my hips and issues in my foot. My core has been very week from an old injury that prevented me from working on it and at the end of all my runs (last 4 miles or so) I would feel the hip area break down. Since my longest run this year was only 16 miles I could feel the breakdown happening at about mile 18. I knew all I had to do now was just suck it up for less than 10 miles and I could stop.
Running back on the Queen K went by a lot faster than I thought it would and the only slow down I was experiencing was still from muscle breakdown. I wasn't really "tired" and I knew the pace wasn't fast. Once I saw Palani I knew I had made it. Not only had I made it, I looked down at my watch and realized I just might hit my 3:05 run goal. And if I don't, I will still be really close to it. I was so over running outside of the :00's. No more :10's and above for me!!! It put a smile on my face and made dealing with the hip/foot pain easier. Honestly my feet at that point were so bad I actually thought "screw it. Just run em to the nubs and you never have to do this again." I was in the "negotiating" phase of the race LOL...
When I crossed the line my body was done. I saw my dear friend Linda Bless from Bike Works waiting with a towel. I just grabbed the two closest people as my legs went on strike as soon as they crossed. For some reason, even if I feel great after an IM, my legs just stop. I guess they have that right.
Anyway, the race was not really where I wanted to be in regards to placing and the time was slower than I wanted. But I have to walk away from it knowing I had a good swim and solid improvement on the run. I learned alot form the race and dealt with some of the days adversity well. Now it is time for a rest and a plan to fix some things in the gym! I am actually pretty geeked up to race IM again. The biggest thing I take away from this race is confidence. Something about the distance and pressure of racing it clicked in my head. I think the best is still yet to come!
Thanks to everyone that supported me and congrats to all that raced! It was an awesome time and I look forward to next year!
Cheers,
bdc
Monday, September 1, 2008
Go Mary Jo!
It has been a while since I have updated this thing. Honestly nothing that exciting has happened as of late and when I wrote about my training I read it over and thought I had developed a sudden case of narcolepsy! Seriously, nobody needs to hear what I have been doing. I mean, I won't have any numbers to give you and the only people that actually enjoy hearing about training are the UBER number geeks. Shit, I haven't even timed my long rides lately LOL...I just do em.
So what should I write about? The DNC? My mother didn't watch Obama's speech and I nearly ripped her a new one. (As much as a son can truly rip their mother a new one, which isn't much!) I'll just say that I think it is "Un-American" (I love that lame ass term) to not watch both candidates speak. For the last 8 years we have watched G-Dubb's try and talk. The least we can do is watch both of these guys say their thing....But I am not going to ramble on about politics other than saying you need to make sure you are registered and just get out there this November and do it. I don't care if you vote for Gramps and the Tina Fey look-a-like (even though that is a horrible mistake and only a fool would).....JUST VOTE!
The highlight of my recent weeks has actually been regarding my mother. She had come to visit about a month ago and we got to talking about her health and well being as she enters the next phase of her life- 60 and up! She was such a great runner in her day and had all sorts of things go wrong with her feet that led to surgery's and ultimately the end of her running. I have a whole differnt opinion of what happened in the last 20 years that is too long and complicated to go into. Ultimately she had developed some "ideas" in her head that over time led to her getting out of shape.
I used the word "ideas" because that is really all they are. The biggest idea that she had was that she can't loose weight. The second biggest is that she will never run again. We sat and talked about what she does to stay active and what she eats (I am eating a burger from Wendy's right now- Do as I say not as I do!) and came to the conclusion that the ideas in her head were holding her back and that she needed to tweak what she was doing. I promised her that if she did what I said, she would loose weight. Her goal is 20 pounds and it has only been a few weeks thus far and she is already at a 7 pound loss!
One of my favorite quotes that I shared with her is "He who argues his limitations gets to keep them." People do that all the time!!! I can't do this. I can't do that. It's because of this. It's because of that....
Watching her make this shift that is both physical and mental has been very inspiring to me. Success in Ironman doesn't come over night and if it does you either were a kick ass short course guy in the past or have some of that "flax seed" that seems to work so well. My mothers success will not come over night either because she didn't get to where she is now over night. It was a build up of the last 10 years. As I see her make the smaller changes in her life to reach a long term goal it makes me reflect on my own training and lifestyle to see if there are things I can do to continue myself forward as well. I know- PUT DOWN THE WENDY'S BAG!!!!
My mom is my new project. I told her that if she looses 20 pounds we will talk running. She has had some really bad surgerys on her feet and ankles but I refuse to believe that she can't run again. From my own experience with injury I think I can build her up to something. She seems to have the fire now. I will keep my blog posted on her success. I see a marathon in her future at the age of 65! How kick as would that be!!!
Well I talked about my mom this round. And here I thought I was going to talk about how I think there should be category's in Volley Ball LOL. I decided that there should be a division of V-Ball that is for teams with people 5'9" and below with a lower net. Maybe I will get into that next time....Or maybe I will just spare everyone.
later,
bdc
So what should I write about? The DNC? My mother didn't watch Obama's speech and I nearly ripped her a new one. (As much as a son can truly rip their mother a new one, which isn't much!) I'll just say that I think it is "Un-American" (I love that lame ass term) to not watch both candidates speak. For the last 8 years we have watched G-Dubb's try and talk. The least we can do is watch both of these guys say their thing....But I am not going to ramble on about politics other than saying you need to make sure you are registered and just get out there this November and do it. I don't care if you vote for Gramps and the Tina Fey look-a-like (even though that is a horrible mistake and only a fool would).....JUST VOTE!
The highlight of my recent weeks has actually been regarding my mother. She had come to visit about a month ago and we got to talking about her health and well being as she enters the next phase of her life- 60 and up! She was such a great runner in her day and had all sorts of things go wrong with her feet that led to surgery's and ultimately the end of her running. I have a whole differnt opinion of what happened in the last 20 years that is too long and complicated to go into. Ultimately she had developed some "ideas" in her head that over time led to her getting out of shape.
I used the word "ideas" because that is really all they are. The biggest idea that she had was that she can't loose weight. The second biggest is that she will never run again. We sat and talked about what she does to stay active and what she eats (I am eating a burger from Wendy's right now- Do as I say not as I do!) and came to the conclusion that the ideas in her head were holding her back and that she needed to tweak what she was doing. I promised her that if she did what I said, she would loose weight. Her goal is 20 pounds and it has only been a few weeks thus far and she is already at a 7 pound loss!
One of my favorite quotes that I shared with her is "He who argues his limitations gets to keep them." People do that all the time!!! I can't do this. I can't do that. It's because of this. It's because of that....
Watching her make this shift that is both physical and mental has been very inspiring to me. Success in Ironman doesn't come over night and if it does you either were a kick ass short course guy in the past or have some of that "flax seed" that seems to work so well. My mothers success will not come over night either because she didn't get to where she is now over night. It was a build up of the last 10 years. As I see her make the smaller changes in her life to reach a long term goal it makes me reflect on my own training and lifestyle to see if there are things I can do to continue myself forward as well. I know- PUT DOWN THE WENDY'S BAG!!!!
My mom is my new project. I told her that if she looses 20 pounds we will talk running. She has had some really bad surgerys on her feet and ankles but I refuse to believe that she can't run again. From my own experience with injury I think I can build her up to something. She seems to have the fire now. I will keep my blog posted on her success. I see a marathon in her future at the age of 65! How kick as would that be!!!
Well I talked about my mom this round. And here I thought I was going to talk about how I think there should be category's in Volley Ball LOL. I decided that there should be a division of V-Ball that is for teams with people 5'9" and below with a lower net. Maybe I will get into that next time....Or maybe I will just spare everyone.
later,
bdc
Friday, August 8, 2008
Fitness Update
I haven't really had anything exciting happen in my life lately that is worth Blogging about so I thought I might actually do a real update.
I have not raced since Hawaii 70.3 and have been focusing 100% on getting my fitness where it needs to be and the left side of my body back in balance. I had a minor setback with my foot but patient and smart training has shown to pay off.
The best way to describe what is happening with me is simply a major shift in fitness. In the last few months I have gone from feeling injured and out of shape to quite healthy and fit. I decided to go back to solo training (no coach) after Hawaii because my injury has been so complex that coaching me is a bit of a challenge and ultimately I am the only one who truly knows how I feel. As well, I came to the realization that I know what I need to do. Getting fit is not rocket science.
Today I ran the furthest I have run since the the Hawaii Ironman 07. For me that was a huge milestone. Not only was it the furthest but it was also the most enjoyable. I was off by myself utilizing both trail and road holding a nice sub 7 min pace for the entire run. The best part is that my fitness is 100% on the way and my leg/ankle/foot is only a small step behind. Each time I bump my long run up I do get a tired foot for about the last 15 minutes but after the run it seems to be okay and retains strength that allows me to up the distance for the next one. Distance is one thing that I have added to my training. I run for a specific mileage rather than time.
I am excited to have the itch to race. I still have an entire month before I get to a start line but that itch is going to be great motivation for this next month.
Cheers,
bdc
I have not raced since Hawaii 70.3 and have been focusing 100% on getting my fitness where it needs to be and the left side of my body back in balance. I had a minor setback with my foot but patient and smart training has shown to pay off.
The best way to describe what is happening with me is simply a major shift in fitness. In the last few months I have gone from feeling injured and out of shape to quite healthy and fit. I decided to go back to solo training (no coach) after Hawaii because my injury has been so complex that coaching me is a bit of a challenge and ultimately I am the only one who truly knows how I feel. As well, I came to the realization that I know what I need to do. Getting fit is not rocket science.
Today I ran the furthest I have run since the the Hawaii Ironman 07. For me that was a huge milestone. Not only was it the furthest but it was also the most enjoyable. I was off by myself utilizing both trail and road holding a nice sub 7 min pace for the entire run. The best part is that my fitness is 100% on the way and my leg/ankle/foot is only a small step behind. Each time I bump my long run up I do get a tired foot for about the last 15 minutes but after the run it seems to be okay and retains strength that allows me to up the distance for the next one. Distance is one thing that I have added to my training. I run for a specific mileage rather than time.
I am excited to have the itch to race. I still have an entire month before I get to a start line but that itch is going to be great motivation for this next month.
Cheers,
bdc
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Fun Shway!
I was going to continue with my "BDC in The City" postings as I had a few more things come up that seem blog worthy. However, I was sent this link from the Slow Twitch forum that was pure comedy! I am not a frequent visitor to the site and a posting like this could be part of the reason.
http://www.forum.slowtwitch.com/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/Thinking_about_a_fern_for_my_workout_space_P1882194/
Hmmm...I guess you will have to cut and paste. ENJOY!
P.S. Parts of this conversation was described as "gay" and I totally get where that is coming from but I gotta say in all my years of being a gay (31) and all the gays I have known, we have never had a dialogue about ferns LOL. I think the real word we are looking for here is NERDS! And I don't mean the kind that get branded "Nerds are Hot". I mean the old school definition of Nerd. Similar to the new school definition of gay. haha.
Okay, enough of this blogging, I better get back to tending to my house plants so that when I ride inside I can increase my wattage and normalized power.......NOT.
cheers,
bdc
http://www.forum.slowtwitch.com/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/Thinking_about_a_fern_for_my_workout_space_P1882194/
Hmmm...I guess you will have to cut and paste. ENJOY!
P.S. Parts of this conversation was described as "gay" and I totally get where that is coming from but I gotta say in all my years of being a gay (31) and all the gays I have known, we have never had a dialogue about ferns LOL. I think the real word we are looking for here is NERDS! And I don't mean the kind that get branded "Nerds are Hot". I mean the old school definition of Nerd. Similar to the new school definition of gay. haha.
Okay, enough of this blogging, I better get back to tending to my house plants so that when I ride inside I can increase my wattage and normalized power.......NOT.
cheers,
bdc
Saturday, July 12, 2008
BDC in The City: OOOMMMM My God!
It was my first real day in the city. I could hear all the honking cars, sirens and construction that had been going on since about 7am. Coming from Boulder I am used to birds chirping, squirrels climbing on trees and the occasional dog bark. I decided to jump start the day with one of those yoga classes I had found on line the night before. According to the map it was just an elevator ride and one block down the way.
Walking to class made me realize why there were so many yoga classes in the area, There was so much foot traffic that no doubt everyone on the side walk was a constant stress case. I was in awe of how many people there were. I have been to the city many times before but this just seemed unusually high. Maybe it was because Martha Stewart films her show just across the street? Although, who really wants to go see her? "And now we will be making a beautiful and tasty center piece out of fruits and chocolates" *SNORE*
The Yoga studio was on the third floor. It was Beikram yoga like I had been doing back in Boulder which means the room should be around 100-103 degrees. I had become so addicted to it in Boulder that I couldn't wait to get my sweat on! When I got to the studio it seemed really nice inside. Everything was zen as usual and the woman at the front, who was also going to be the instructor, seemed very pleasant as well. She asked me if I had done hot yoga before and I told her I had and was really enjoying it etc. She also asked me if I would like to buy a water for the class. Normally I don't drink water during the class. I seem to be fine and just hydrate after. I told her I would pass. She looked at me as if I was one of those guys who has to do everything the "macho" way and prove themselves. Really I wasn't, I just don't drink water in classes.
Once I was signed in she went over a very strict policy that the studio has. It says ONCE IN THE ROOM YOU WILL NOT LEAVE THE ROOM UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. Basically they want you to stay in the room and go into child's pose or something if it gets too hot. I was like "fine whatever". I wasn't planning on leaving anyway. I signed the notice and went to change into my shorts.
The class was just about to start and I walked into the room directly followed by the instructor who proceeded to close the door. "HOLY HELL! WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO!!!!" I had not been in the room yet but when I did the smell was seriously making me want to vomit. Literally I had some dry heaves and developed a minor moment of panic. I looked down and saw that the room was carpeted. How can a hot yoga studio have carpet!!! There were about 7 others in the room. As I tried my best to breathe though my mouth I looked around trying to make some eye contact with anyone that might share my issue with the smell in the room. Nobody seemed to have issue but me. All these crazy bitches were breathing hard through their noses and exhaling with that "HAAAAAAAAAAA" sound. The room was extra hot as well. I was used to hot but the temp in here was CRAZY hot. Honestly you could have baked a pizza in there.
My manly pride did get the best of me and I missed my chance to run out of there before the class started. I set my mat up and quickly went over to get some water in the spray bottles that you use on the soft matt to help you from slipping. I didn't pay attention to the bottle I was grabbing and before I knew it I was spraying matt cleanser all over the place. Honestly I didn't care because it was the best smelling thing in the room. I sprayed the shit out of my matt. Sure I would probably have soap bubbles on the mat by mid class but I didn't care! I even managed a quick spray on my finger and rubbed it on my nose to try and kill the smell of the room! The girl next to me saw me do that and moved her matt over a bit LOL. I think people in the room could sense my discomfort. How was I going to make it for an hour 30 of this. I was in Yoga HELL.
Once we all got to the top off our mats for the opening breathing exercises I was getting a bit acclimated to the smell. Or maybe it was the ammonia in my nose? Anyway, as soon as the class started, the instructor who had put on a Madonna like headset was now shouting out commands at mach one to us. Was this really happening? She sounded like a yogi auctioneer. "SHiiiiiivasinavasinavasinavasinavasina, DOWNWARD DOG, UP DOG, DOWNWARD DOG going once, twice SOLD to the lady doing Cobra in the back row!" It was the most uncalled for way to run a yoga class. She kept telling us to "stretch, go further, FURTHER, feel the pain, go beyond the pain, pain is good" etc. Since when is pain a good idea in a yoga class?
My past experience in yoga has been that time can go by rather fast. Classes for me in Boulder are over before I know it. It was no wonder that when I looked up and saw the clock I only had about 45 min to go. Thank the lord! I was already dying of the heat and smell. My matt was soaked and in fact did have a few bubbles on it from the soap spray. Of course the room stank like bad booty as most of my sweat was rolling onto the carpet.
We were doing some poses that had us facing the front mirror for most of the time. But finally the yoga auction was going to take a break and she had us turn around and face the back wall for some seated stuff. My relief of all the standing pose came to a halt when I realized that all this time, which I thought was a lot, was in fact almost nothing. I had been looking at the clock in the mirror. In reality only about 15 min had gone by. How can one mistake 45 min when it is actually only 15? It must have been the heat. I don't know. All I did know was that hope was fading away and I had well over an hour left in the room. I was so thirsty, so hot, so miserable and so annoyed! There wasn't even anyone hot to look at in the room. In fact there was only one guy who was in front of me. He was mid 30's, somewhat over weight and needed a good back waxing. I didn't care. I was desperate. I gave him a mental make over LOL Not bad.
As I cleaned up Mr. Big (We'll call him that to stay in line with the Sex and The CITY theme. Besides he was in fact "big") I noticed he had two bottles of water with him. Only one had been opened and the other was totally full with delicious beads of moisture running down it like it was about to be shot for an Aquafina add. I wanted it bad. I needed it! I MUST HAVE IT! We were all down on all fours doing some easier stuff and I was trying as best I could to get "Big's" attention. All I needed to do was make him understand that I had to have that water and that I would get him a new one when it was over. That is alot harder to do with just your the eyes. I suppose I could have said something as Miss Crazy teaching the class was so loud that you probably wouldn't hear me whisper. Alas I couldn't make contact. I thought about just grabbing the bottle and acting like it was mine but I could totally see myself grabbing it and running to a corner in the room screaming "IT'S MINE! IT'S MINE!" A heat induced tantrum.
I was screwed. I had exhausted everything at this point and was stuck in the room for another 50 min with no water and no hope. We were in triangle pose and I was looking up at my hand as hoards of water came running down my arm at my face. It was at that moment that my inner Miagi kicked in. "You want race Kona! You need deal better with heat!" This whole class was in many ways like my 5 miles of crap on the run last year in Kona. When I realized that I decided that this was my lesson for the class. Sure I was uncomfortable and things stunk (literally). The only thing I could control now was my mind and holding poses. Everything else was out of my control. I decided to go deep within and stay centered for the rest of this class. I focused more on the poses and less on everything else. Of course Miss Crazy had to add one more element and turned up the heat a notch. As if we weren't all dying already! I figured at some point I would stop sweating all together. I mean how much water can I actually have in my body.
We got down to the last 5 min in class. I had made it!!! I felt so much better and really think that if anything this class was mental training for Hawaii. Well it was training for any situation in life that is beyond uncomfortable. When I picked my mat up water went everywhere. I really didn't give a shit. That studio deserved to have a giant puddle left from me. I was leaving my mark!
I took the biggest breath of my life when I got out of there and ran for the shower. I had thought for a while that I would buy several waters and chug them but now I was kinda interested to see how much water weight I had lost. I held back and stumbled my way back to cliffs. He had a scale at the Apt and when I got on I was 152 pounds! Normally I weigh around 161-164! Even if it read low, that was still some decent water loss. I grabbed a huge jug and even found some Salt stick pills and took it all in while again having a nice ice cold shower.
Later that day we were going to head out on a ride into the park. It is about 20 blocks from Cliffs place which would mean some serious city riding for me. I can only imagine what kind of blog worthy stuff it will bring!
Walking to class made me realize why there were so many yoga classes in the area, There was so much foot traffic that no doubt everyone on the side walk was a constant stress case. I was in awe of how many people there were. I have been to the city many times before but this just seemed unusually high. Maybe it was because Martha Stewart films her show just across the street? Although, who really wants to go see her? "And now we will be making a beautiful and tasty center piece out of fruits and chocolates" *SNORE*
The Yoga studio was on the third floor. It was Beikram yoga like I had been doing back in Boulder which means the room should be around 100-103 degrees. I had become so addicted to it in Boulder that I couldn't wait to get my sweat on! When I got to the studio it seemed really nice inside. Everything was zen as usual and the woman at the front, who was also going to be the instructor, seemed very pleasant as well. She asked me if I had done hot yoga before and I told her I had and was really enjoying it etc. She also asked me if I would like to buy a water for the class. Normally I don't drink water during the class. I seem to be fine and just hydrate after. I told her I would pass. She looked at me as if I was one of those guys who has to do everything the "macho" way and prove themselves. Really I wasn't, I just don't drink water in classes.
Once I was signed in she went over a very strict policy that the studio has. It says ONCE IN THE ROOM YOU WILL NOT LEAVE THE ROOM UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. Basically they want you to stay in the room and go into child's pose or something if it gets too hot. I was like "fine whatever". I wasn't planning on leaving anyway. I signed the notice and went to change into my shorts.
The class was just about to start and I walked into the room directly followed by the instructor who proceeded to close the door. "HOLY HELL! WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO!!!!" I had not been in the room yet but when I did the smell was seriously making me want to vomit. Literally I had some dry heaves and developed a minor moment of panic. I looked down and saw that the room was carpeted. How can a hot yoga studio have carpet!!! There were about 7 others in the room. As I tried my best to breathe though my mouth I looked around trying to make some eye contact with anyone that might share my issue with the smell in the room. Nobody seemed to have issue but me. All these crazy bitches were breathing hard through their noses and exhaling with that "HAAAAAAAAAAA" sound. The room was extra hot as well. I was used to hot but the temp in here was CRAZY hot. Honestly you could have baked a pizza in there.
My manly pride did get the best of me and I missed my chance to run out of there before the class started. I set my mat up and quickly went over to get some water in the spray bottles that you use on the soft matt to help you from slipping. I didn't pay attention to the bottle I was grabbing and before I knew it I was spraying matt cleanser all over the place. Honestly I didn't care because it was the best smelling thing in the room. I sprayed the shit out of my matt. Sure I would probably have soap bubbles on the mat by mid class but I didn't care! I even managed a quick spray on my finger and rubbed it on my nose to try and kill the smell of the room! The girl next to me saw me do that and moved her matt over a bit LOL. I think people in the room could sense my discomfort. How was I going to make it for an hour 30 of this. I was in Yoga HELL.
Once we all got to the top off our mats for the opening breathing exercises I was getting a bit acclimated to the smell. Or maybe it was the ammonia in my nose? Anyway, as soon as the class started, the instructor who had put on a Madonna like headset was now shouting out commands at mach one to us. Was this really happening? She sounded like a yogi auctioneer. "SHiiiiiivasinavasinavasinavasinavasina, DOWNWARD DOG, UP DOG, DOWNWARD DOG going once, twice SOLD to the lady doing Cobra in the back row!" It was the most uncalled for way to run a yoga class. She kept telling us to "stretch, go further, FURTHER, feel the pain, go beyond the pain, pain is good" etc. Since when is pain a good idea in a yoga class?
My past experience in yoga has been that time can go by rather fast. Classes for me in Boulder are over before I know it. It was no wonder that when I looked up and saw the clock I only had about 45 min to go. Thank the lord! I was already dying of the heat and smell. My matt was soaked and in fact did have a few bubbles on it from the soap spray. Of course the room stank like bad booty as most of my sweat was rolling onto the carpet.
We were doing some poses that had us facing the front mirror for most of the time. But finally the yoga auction was going to take a break and she had us turn around and face the back wall for some seated stuff. My relief of all the standing pose came to a halt when I realized that all this time, which I thought was a lot, was in fact almost nothing. I had been looking at the clock in the mirror. In reality only about 15 min had gone by. How can one mistake 45 min when it is actually only 15? It must have been the heat. I don't know. All I did know was that hope was fading away and I had well over an hour left in the room. I was so thirsty, so hot, so miserable and so annoyed! There wasn't even anyone hot to look at in the room. In fact there was only one guy who was in front of me. He was mid 30's, somewhat over weight and needed a good back waxing. I didn't care. I was desperate. I gave him a mental make over LOL Not bad.
As I cleaned up Mr. Big (We'll call him that to stay in line with the Sex and The CITY theme. Besides he was in fact "big") I noticed he had two bottles of water with him. Only one had been opened and the other was totally full with delicious beads of moisture running down it like it was about to be shot for an Aquafina add. I wanted it bad. I needed it! I MUST HAVE IT! We were all down on all fours doing some easier stuff and I was trying as best I could to get "Big's" attention. All I needed to do was make him understand that I had to have that water and that I would get him a new one when it was over. That is alot harder to do with just your the eyes. I suppose I could have said something as Miss Crazy teaching the class was so loud that you probably wouldn't hear me whisper. Alas I couldn't make contact. I thought about just grabbing the bottle and acting like it was mine but I could totally see myself grabbing it and running to a corner in the room screaming "IT'S MINE! IT'S MINE!" A heat induced tantrum.
I was screwed. I had exhausted everything at this point and was stuck in the room for another 50 min with no water and no hope. We were in triangle pose and I was looking up at my hand as hoards of water came running down my arm at my face. It was at that moment that my inner Miagi kicked in. "You want race Kona! You need deal better with heat!" This whole class was in many ways like my 5 miles of crap on the run last year in Kona. When I realized that I decided that this was my lesson for the class. Sure I was uncomfortable and things stunk (literally). The only thing I could control now was my mind and holding poses. Everything else was out of my control. I decided to go deep within and stay centered for the rest of this class. I focused more on the poses and less on everything else. Of course Miss Crazy had to add one more element and turned up the heat a notch. As if we weren't all dying already! I figured at some point I would stop sweating all together. I mean how much water can I actually have in my body.
We got down to the last 5 min in class. I had made it!!! I felt so much better and really think that if anything this class was mental training for Hawaii. Well it was training for any situation in life that is beyond uncomfortable. When I picked my mat up water went everywhere. I really didn't give a shit. That studio deserved to have a giant puddle left from me. I was leaving my mark!
I took the biggest breath of my life when I got out of there and ran for the shower. I had thought for a while that I would buy several waters and chug them but now I was kinda interested to see how much water weight I had lost. I held back and stumbled my way back to cliffs. He had a scale at the Apt and when I got on I was 152 pounds! Normally I weigh around 161-164! Even if it read low, that was still some decent water loss. I grabbed a huge jug and even found some Salt stick pills and took it all in while again having a nice ice cold shower.
Later that day we were going to head out on a ride into the park. It is about 20 blocks from Cliffs place which would mean some serious city riding for me. I can only imagine what kind of blog worthy stuff it will bring!
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