Ironman Arizona 2013

I just spent an amazing weekend in Tempe, Arizona volunteering at the Ironman event.

My first "job" was at the swim exit and I got some great video using my GoPro on the steps leading out of the canal.My excitement started building as soon as I got into the area. Talking with a couple from Colorado, Scott and Kim just fanned the flames.

The athletes were inspiring to see up close. The most was a challenged athlete, without legs who made the swim cutoff. Damn!! The saddest part was in cheering a woman on, trying to "bring her in" faster only to have her reach the top of the stairs with a WTC official waiting to tell her she was 8 seconds too late...she didn't make it. All her training and preparation for the past year ended just 2:20:08 after the start cannon.

I spent the rest of the day hangin' with Brandon, Ron, Candice and Justin's parents. We also got to cheer for Justin in his first official Ironman event. He's done long distances before, now it's official. :-)

My next volunteer job was the finish one catch, which was also totally cool. We got to welcome the athletes aftere they crossed the finish line and help them through getting a warming blanket (Mylar foil), their medal, finisher's t-shirt and hat and medical if they needed it. How rewarding to see the looks on their faces everything from elation to exhaustion to relief.

To say the finish line was marginally controlled chaos is an understatement. Pandemonium with celebratory hugs, high-fives, fist bumps, pictures and tears just about sums it up. The "captain" of the "catchers," Claudia, was excellent. She was more of a coach than an boss and a wonderful communicator. She made the experience great!

The most inspiring event I have ever expienced came with less than 30 seconds to go in the race. The announcer found one last finisher just entering the chute. The elite first and second place women had been draping medals on the finishers for the past hour. When they heard the announcer they both ran out to get her. They escorted her in with just 7 seconds to go. She is an Ironman. I know of no other sport where interaction with the elites are like this. I even got a pic of the winners shoulder to shoulde with Ron.

It was all enough to solidfy my intention on registering for the 2013 event. We were in line for about 2.5 hours, the result being me, Ron, Brandon and Brad are all in. I can't believe it, I'm going to train for the next year with the goal of becoming an Ironman.

Hang on everybody, here we go...

Focus

From triathlete Matty Reed's facebook: Maintaining focus is always an athlete's challenge. Focus on the workout, focus throughout a daily routine, focus on the goals. Its like a race horse with blinders on. See only the important things keep the distractions out of the line of sight, keeping it crystal clear over here....

Definitely important for anything worthwhile in life. From relationships to work to hobbies, it does make me stop and think just what is it I consider important. Another consideration is time. Is what I'm focusing on a temporary thing or is it a life-long pursuit?


I just read a Facebook post. It reads "If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse." Time for a little house cleaning...

Well, well, well...

It's been a while and stuff is starting to come together.

I'm becoming more and more excited for this crazy venture called IronMan. I completed my first "traditional" triathlon. It was the Camp Pendleton Sprint Triathlon and has been a goal of mine for the past year, so much so that I've had a wetsuit for just under a year in anticipation.

With encouragement from close friends, Ron, Brandon and Brad, the latter two were competing with me, I got through it. My biggest fear has been the ocean swim. I'm not a swimmer and I was unsure if the wetsuit would live-up to it's billing. I did, however, discover through actual experience that I do indeed float!  What a fabulous invention.

Anyway, Cathline came down to watch and cheer me on. Joined by Kim, Debbie and Candice, a cheering section is ALWAYS great to have. It has meant so much to me that Cathline is as supportive as she is. Now I know what it's like to be on the receiving end of that which I've given others through the years. She said she was "so proud" of me when I crossed the line. I don't remember anyone saying those words in my adult life, the feeling was indescribable.

Back to the tri. The swim, was daunting but after getting some advice from another Redlands Tri Club member I felt better about it. Once in and after the first lifeguard directed me on when to get through the waves it was just "head down and push through." I was the last in my wave to get through but I got through.

The bike went well. I got passed by a few and passed some myself. I was not prepared for just how much I couldn't push after the swim. I do like the Fuji though. Once I get fitted I'm sure it'll be as comfortable as it is fast.

The run was another story. I should have taken the few extra minutes to tape my knee. Not like my transitions were setting any speed records. I ended-up spending more time walking than I wanted. I've got to work on my swim and run.

Otherwise it went well and I can't wait to see how I do NEXT year. Well, I guess that's about it or now. More later...

What a great day!

Two really good days in a row, imagine that.

Yesterday at work I had my project reviewed and actually got the word "exemplary." Wow, I hit a home run…It's about freakin' time! The project actually went together very well, much better than expected. It probably helps that it isn't more than a minute twenty seconds. I guess that I do take some consolation in that the only assistance I received was from my friend in another organization.

I went on a hike today with the Palm Springs Meetup group. What a great group of people. I missed Cathline, I really do like to share these outings with her. We went to Joshua Tree and hiked for about 2.5 hours. Of course a good portion of that time was spent standing while some of us (myself included) took photos.

Speaking of taking pics, I had a great time. I was actually seeing that which I wanted to shoot. The controls were working smoothly and the images were what I was hoping for and much more. There was a mill and some old, rusted-out cars that were wonderful to shoot. The combination of deteriorated rubber, rust and weathered wood was a pleasant surprise.

Follow that with a good lunch at a local Mexican restaurant, it was a pretty good day. Getting to know and talk to others with similar interests was really good. All in all, a pretty great day.

What a day...

My first 13-hour day of the year is done and I'm mentally preparing for another tomorrow. I'm glad this only happens a few times a year. Which is a far cry from when I started my career some 30 years ago.

The good news is, I've found direction and the project is just flowing like a river unobstructed. It's about freakin' time! Once I started and put on the headphones time just flew by. I really love it when projects go like this. In a way, it's almost spiritual, zen-like...

Now to get the approval of my boss. Not so easy a task sometimes. And with the deadline looming (less than a week) time for a project review may have to come over the weekend. The thing is, I can actually see finishing my project in two days, before the weekend. THAT would be cool, very cool indeed!

Have you ever had one of those days...

Well of course you have, we all have at one point or another. Mine just seems to have started about six months ago. I can't seem to design my way out of a wet paper bag.

It started with a website. With two weeks before a soft launch we were hit with "it's just not working for me, can we change it?" Here we are two months later and facing another soft launch within three weeks with a website I had absolutely no input on. From websites to print to video I am feeling like I'm in the middle of the Sahara without a drop of inspiration in sight.

So the age-old questions have come to life: "what do I do" and "where will do it?" With the employment market being what it is the latter doesn't really seem viable. With the addition of drama in my personal life, the immediate future looks even more interesting.

My one bright spot is my girlfriend.  I do find myself thinking of her quite often during the day and when I will be able to see her next. I do count her as truly one of my blessings.  Is it possible that all my creative energies are going to my relationship with this wonderful woman instead of my career? Hmmm... I guess I will have to ponder that thought.

And so it begins...

I've never thought of myself as a writer of any sort let alone a blogger, so here goes...

I am a webmaster by trade, starting off as a technical illustrator right out of high school. The positions I have held have taken me into graphic design in marketing and ad agencies here in SoCal then into web design. I still take pictures but now I work on data-driven websites and get to shoot and post produce digital video. I have to say, this is lots of fun too!

I got my first camera back in the 70s, a Pentax with a screw-on telephoto lens. I had a blast learning how to use it. I shot everything: family, friends, landscapes even squirrels. I found my love for sports photography around the mid-90s shooting roller and ice hockey. I have since taken up shooting bicycle racing and loving every minute.

I have had the pleasure of shooting with experienced photogs and learning as much as I possibly can. So far the most fun has been shooting a 24 hour mountain bike race in Canada. While on location I used equipment provided me. When I got home I went through the controls on my camera and immediately thought I just HAD to upgrade! ;-) I'm still saving for that "ultimate" camera...

Recently I have taken up "project 365." the challenge is to take and publish (upload in my case) an image a day for a year. For me, I am using just my iPhone for this project: no interchangeable lenses, minimal exposure controls. Then I publish my images to My Facebook page. So far, I have had many positive comments from my FB friends and family.

That's about it for now.