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Diary
By miker2 (Wed Mar 22, 2006 at 11:11:34 AM EST) cycling, running, ironman, triathlon, l'il jimmy, fba, itunes, music (all tags)
Yeah, it's been a while.

Work, moving, and of course, cycling.


Work:

Last October (the 6th to be exact), $LARGE_BULLSEYE_RETAILER told us that the services our location provided were being transitioned to their headquarters and that we'd need to find new jobs or move to the frozen wasteland of fat people with awful accents known as Minnesota.  A few weeks of resume posting and such I had an interview with a company in SE PA that led to an offer.  After that things went pretty fast.  I found a place down here, left my old job on a Friday, moved the following day, then started the new job on the Monday.

The new place is scared shitless of change.  Running core business functions on unsupported software (EOL'd years ago) is !cool, but no one has the nuggets to force an upgrade.  They did a complete 'management' reorg a few weeks after I started and the employee exodus has begun since a lot more folks were put under the uber-micromanaging 'manager'.

It's taken some getting used to, but having to clock-in and clock-out is still deeply offending to me.  I'm salaried, I'll work the hours, who the hell cares when I get in and when I leave.  The timecard app even highlights in red any 'deviations' from
your work 'schedule', which is always fun.

At least they let me use my iBook at work, which facilitates getting around the WebSense proxy.

Life:

Being so close to yh is great, being able to pop in for dinner during the week without driving 100 miles is huge.  I'm disappointed that I'm going to miss yh.LO's big b-day bash this weekend, but one of my asshole friends is getting hitched to his baby-momma the same day.

I'm still getting used to this area, finding different routes to get to the various places and such.  After three months, I've finally gotten PA auto insurance and I should have plates in a week or so.

Training:

I've got one half-Ironman and a full Ironman on the docket this year, with an additional three halves as 'wildcards' (they're only halves after all).  The first wildcard is May 7 and I'm not sure if I'll have enough running in me to make a go at it, but I may just to see if I can go sub-2:30 on the bike course.

Cycling:

Racked up 520 miles so far this year, ~475 of them on the CompuTrainer doing maximum sustainable power intervals and sub-lactate threshold intervals.  The wattage numbers keep going up each workout and I'm now averaging ~300W for my 2 and 3 minute intervals and sustaining 220W for 20+ minutes isn't out of the ordinary.

I'll be ordering a set of race wheels in the next few weeks.  The tubular versions with Vittoria Corsa Evo CX tires glued on.  Getting a great deal on the wheels from Elite Bicycles since they really take care of their customers.  They recommend a 12-25 cassette for Ironman Lake Placid, so I'll be getting one of those in addition to the 12-23 I'll use for the bulk of my riding.

Running:

The running's been off since I developed some pain in my left anterior tibialis (shin muscle) from running on the not-flat terrain down here.  A week off and some form correction and I'm back.  I ran my usual 4.25 mile loop yesterday quicker than I ever have and felt great when I finished with no pain at all.  I still have a lot of work to do to get to the marathon distance, but I have 4 months to do it and I'm not starting from zero like I was two years ago.

The ChiRunning book is good stuff.  'Serious' runners laugh at it while they run with the identical form that they do.  It teaches the way the Kenyans run, which is running from the core, not the legs.  If it's good enough for a sub-2:10 marathoner, it's good enough for me. If you can get past the hokiness of the author, it's definatly a good book for improving the run.

Music:

I've got $50 in iTunes credit to burn, any recco's?

ATTENTION iPOD WEARING GYM INFIDELS:
Please to be using teh iPod at a reasonable volume so that when I ask if I can get a set in you, you know, HEAR ME.

ATTENTION SPRING:
Please show up, soon.  I really want to get some outside bike work in, but riding below 40 degrees really isn't my bag.

Holy shit, this thing took FOREVER to compose, how do you fuckers do it every day?

< PUZOL ME TIHS | BBC White season: 'Rivers of Blood' >

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Ch-ch-ch-changes | 15 comments (15 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback
Recommendations for iTunes by cam (4.00 / 1) #1 Wed Mar 22, 2006 at 11:32:24 AM EST
Zolof The Rock and Roll Destroyer. They are a PA (Philly I think) pop band. Good music.

cam
Freedom, liberty, equity and an Australian Republic


how are the insurance rates in PA? by joh3n (4.00 / 1) #2 Wed Mar 22, 2006 at 11:50:11 AM EST
Also, their liquor stores are seriously fucked up

----



Higher, actually. by miker2 (2.00 / 0) #3 Wed Mar 22, 2006 at 11:58:45 AM EST
My premium went up ~40/year.  I can tweak my policy to lower it, but it won't be a lot cheaper than NJ, which is something I expected.

I don't drink so I have not experienced the strange liquor laws in PA, but I do know that liquor stores don't carry beer and vice versa.

Ah, sociopathy. How warm, how comforting, thy sweet embrace. - MNS
[ Parent ]

I loved the PA liquor wish book, as an undergrad by georgeha (4.00 / 2) #6 Wed Mar 22, 2006 at 12:30:32 PM EST
knowing that we could tell an upperclassman exactly what we wanted and exactly how much it would cost because every store was the same was great, it was like the Sears wish book for college kids.

But that was the 80's, maybe things have changed.


[ Parent ]

chi running by sasquatchan (4.00 / 1) #4 Wed Mar 22, 2006 at 12:05:10 PM EST
I know two runners that tried that book. Said trying  to follow it's form torqued their backs so bad as to leave them laid up in bed for a week, mostly immobile. I'll pass.

Shins hurt ? Strengthen them in the gym. I've never had shin splints, and there's this great piece of equipment at the gym for working your shins.



Running by miker2 (4.00 / 1) #5 Wed Mar 22, 2006 at 12:25:51 PM EST
I've ran less than 10 miles total using the chirunning technique and I haven't had problems yet.  The form is pretty close to what I was doing back up in NJ when I ran on the flats.  Running on the hills down here made me fun on my toes to power up them, which gave me the shin pain.  Running downhill also gave me problems since I used my shins/calves to slow myself.  I also have a pretty strong back and core from swimming and lifting, so that could be part of why I haven't experienced the pain.

I lift legs once per week, doing two sets of calf eccentrics with quite  a bit of weight on them along with lunges, squats, dead lifts and cleans.  I haven't seen a machine or device meant to strengthen the anterior tibialis, what should I be looking for?

Ah, sociopathy. How warm, how comforting, thy sweet embrace. - MNS
[ Parent ]

In our gym by sasquatchan (4.00 / 1) #7 Wed Mar 22, 2006 at 12:36:09 PM EST
it's a very odd looking, and small, contraption. Two parallel bars (connected) with a shaft coming out of the middle of the connection. You put weights on the shaft. You sit (on a bench, feet out, toes extended) and put your feet inbetween the bars. So the bottom bar is against your heel, and the top bar is on top of your toes. You then 'lift' your toes up/towards your body. The bottom bar slides/pivots (but don't lift off the ground), and the weights will pull down against the lift of your toes.

Here's something similar. MUCH bigger than at my gym, but looks like you stack weights on the end, put your heel on the square rectangle, and toes go underneath the round padded parts, and lift with your toes. Good stuff, and it'll hurt the first few times you do it.

For your calf stuff, are you standing or seated ? (I've found calf workouts with my legs fully extended are much better than some of the seated calf raises).

[ Parent ]

Sounds familiar by miker2 (4.00 / 1) #8 Wed Mar 22, 2006 at 12:49:39 PM EST
There was something like that at my old gym that some of the strictly runners used.  It sounds like I can get a similar workout doing single-leg drills in a huge gear on my bike, making sure to pull up and keep the ankle locked.  I'll definitely look for that device tonight/tomorrow at the gym.

I do the calf work with straight legs.  I use a machine that puts the weights on your hips so you don't hurt your back and I do the other stuff standing with a belt attached to the low pulley on the cable crossover machine.  I've never been a big fan of seated calf raises either, although I was forced to after hurting my low back when doing calf raises at my last gym using the shoulder supported calf raise machine.

Ah, sociopathy. How warm, how comforting, thy sweet embrace. - MNS
[ Parent ]

How I do it by georgeha (4.00 / 1) #9 Wed Mar 22, 2006 at 12:56:29 PM EST
I think of topics all day long, and try to remember then. Then, I start up notepad, write down the topics, give one a paragraph or two and go.

It helps that I type between 30-40 wpm.




My 12-year-old types faster than you, by calla (2.00 / 0) #11 Wed Mar 22, 2006 at 06:12:59 PM EST
dear.

30-40 wpm? I'm surprised you find the time to post as much as you do.


[ Parent ]

What username does yoru 12 year old use? by georgeha (4.00 / 1) #13 Wed Mar 22, 2006 at 08:40:01 PM EST
I have an interrupt driven job with lots of time in front of my computer, so I have lots of time to post during the day, then I come home and post some more.


[ Parent ]

Dude, you don't want to know. by ammoniacal (4.00 / 1) #15 Thu Mar 23, 2006 at 12:17:44 AM EST
On $OBSCURE_KID_ORIENTED_WEB_BOARD, she bangs out at least a CBB-sized opus daily.

General rules are: All skirts no lower then [sic] two inches below the knee (unless it's for Church) --Travis Frey
[ Parent ]

Items: by ad hoc (4.00 / 1) #10 Wed Mar 22, 2006 at 03:11:28 PM EST
I have only 380 miles this year, but 350 has been outside. I'm not going to make may century a month goal though. :<

I keep a "diary.txt" file on my desktop and stick a bullet point or two in now and then. But the next day, there's a full diary, assuming I'm not balls to the wall with work.
--
Close friendships and a private room can offer most of the things love does.


That's a lot of outside miles by miker2 (2.00 / 0) #12 Wed Mar 22, 2006 at 08:26:23 PM EST
being that you live in Boston.  I won't ride when it's below 37-38 outside or if it's 45 and windy.  I also don't know any routes down here since I moved during the winter.  There'll be a lot more winter riding next off-season once I get some routes in my head.
Ah, sociopathy. How warm, how comforting, thy sweet embrace. - MNS
[ Parent ]

It's been a mild winter by ad hoc (2.00 / 0) #14 Wed Mar 22, 2006 at 10:21:24 PM EST
for the most part, with very little snow. There have been only a few weeks of really cold weather. But I'm only about 100 miles ahead of last year at this time.

The Ride (recently renamed to Bike Culture)had an article about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. It's supposed to be nice for riding there.
--
Close friendships and a private room can offer most of the things love does.
[ Parent ]

Ch-ch-ch-changes | 15 comments (15 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback

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