Saturday, October 31, 2009

Trick or Treat

Well I am back in my comfort zone..for a couple days at least. Its Saturday Morning, October 31st (Happy Halloween)at 5:45 and I am sitting in my favorite Starbucks in Rochester on the 12 corners. Its a very peaceful time right now, only one other customer here and only two employees working. The roads are pretty abandon...a time when you could just rip up and down the main drags on your bike without worrying about being hit.

As for today, the weather seems to be very mild, in the mid 50's. Yet their is a lot of wind blowing around so time will tell if that becomes a problem for riding bikes. My big plan today is to ride my road bike for some interval training work this morning and then head of to dryer road for the first time to play on some Mtn bike trail. My friend Josh has been generous enough to lend me his ridiculously expensive mtn bike for a while...can't say enough how great my friends are! I am looking forward to playing around on the trails, I have heard great things about them! Then while I am in the Victor area I am going to swing by the local Triathlon Shop which has just recently extended a discount to all Train-This team members. Since I am indeed a Train-This team member, I am looking forward to browsing...and buying at the shop :)

Ut oh, I just looked at the weather report (big mistake) and its calling for rain all day. Let's hope the nice weather people have made a horribly wrong calculation. Shit...it just started raining...hmm decision time to be wet or to not be wet...we all remember what happened last time I decided to go riding in the rain, haha..Lance would go out and ride in the rain...so I think I have my answer.

Ok time for some real posting. I am sitting here reading the new issue of Bicycle the magazine and it has a section on the essential things that every cyclist/triathlete should have in their car. It's a short list but a pretty good one IMO.

1. A "Repair Kit" - No specific brands or anything, just one that you have put together yourself. I'd suggest:
-A New Tube
-An old Tire if you have one
-Co2 Cartridge with the gun
-A minitool...these things are essential!
-Some old rags

2. A trunk Organizer - the magazine spells out a specific Thule Medium Trunk Organizer but I'd say anything from a shoebox to a large cardboard box would work. You can easily throw your sweaty, dirty, nasty clothes/shoes/helmet/ whatever you want in their and keep the rest of your car and goods nice and clean.

3. Bontrager Charger Floor Pump- Usually I would just suggest any floor pump. Because in reality a floor pump is a MUST! But in this case I was lucky enough to swindle my dad into getting me this Bontrager Charger one. He wanted a floor pump and I told him that he could have mine right away, and the next time he was at the shop he could just pick me up another one..well my dad has good taste or was lead along by the right salesman (thanks Scott) b/c this floor pump rocks. I have used various pumps over the past few months I have been riding (ok maybe not a good example since I am so new but you get the point)...of all the pumps I have used this one is slick! Super easy to use..it can go on presto or shrader valves without any adjustments and it seals super tight...and it just feels really spot on..I highly recommend getting this floor pump. I think its only like $30 bucks to. So if your in the Rochester Area head to Towpath, tell them Matt Curbeau sent you, and Scott will hook it up for ya!. If your elsewhere, head to your LOCAL bike shop and support them by picking this pump up.

4. Huggies Natural Care Baby Wipes $4/pack of 72 - Baby wipes, take care of mud, sweat, dirt, road grime, oil, sunscreen, etc...keeps your mildly presentable. These are something I need to get..in fact I shall be heading to the great Wegmans later today to buy them.

5. Spare Clothes - based on my short experience I can say that spare clothes are a must. You never know when you are going to forget something, and you don't want to have to hold up your buds who are ready to roll. So throw a spare jersey, helmet, shoes if you have a couple pairs, rain jacket...and some clothes for the post ride..you can't go wrong with some sweats, a hoodie, and some croc prepair slides for those sore feet you have.

Alright I am off to tackle this Saturday....catch ya later!

Friday, October 30, 2009

Friday's here..

2 things happened last night as I was coming home from Swim practice. 1. I stopped at Wegmans to get food. I had a package of green beans in the fridge but that was about it...so needless to say I wanted something more. The problem was that I had left my wallet at home and I as already in the parking lot of Wegmans. I did not want to have to go back to the apartment and then to wegmans, that would be annoying. Soo..i looked in my pockets, and everywhere else to see if I had some money..out of luck, I had only 3 dollars to my name. So I proceeded to spend the least amount of money ever during a trip to wegmans. Three dollars exactly for 2 containers of cottage cheese...and yes I did you the shoppers club card to get the additional discount and made it the round 3 dollars...just perfect! However, I will have to pay another visit to wegmans this morning when hunger strikes after I get my run in...I mean I have granola bars but you can only eat so many of those before you want some protein in you...
2. The second thing I noticed while coming home from Wegmans was the enormous line of cars at McDonalds. No joke, this was at 8:47PM, I remember the time exactly. I just am really curious what draws so many people to Mickey D's this late in the evening. Their were seriously over 15 cars lined up in the drive-thru line, I don't think their are that many ever during lunch hour or breakfast time. Just seemed odd to me. If anyone can give me a reason why they think that it was so packed..im all ears.
Well those were a couple things I felt I should note this morning.

Moving along, my friend Alex emailed me an interesting article from the NY Times last night. You can read the article here -->http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27well.html. It talks about the issue of long distance running and if its bad for the human body. It makes some interesting points that reference human history and how as humans we have essentially been build with all these features that are conducive to running. It even states that on a hot day a human could outrun a horse in a 26.2 marathon, this because we essentially have "air-conditioning." All other animals pant...just like your dog does on a hot August afternoon. So instead of being like a 1980 pinto with no a/c that craps out in the middle of the highway because its overheating..we humans are like a 2009 lexus with air conditioning and cooled seats. I never really thought about this before, but thats pretty cool. Sweating is a good thing! Now when I sweat buckets on the trainer, at yoga, during a run..I can just think about how my body is running like a finely tuned engine..so beware everyone if your not sweating properly you need to go to the doctor and get a tune up! For humans sweating is our advantage...keep hydrated and the engine will run smooth...do not hydrate and you will end up like the 1980 pinto in the middle of the desert...Anyway, take a look at this article, its neat. And read the book it refers to "Born to Run" I am in the middle of it right now and its a good read, can't go wrong. I also got a tip from follower Chisom that Bill Simmons', "The Sports Guy", new book is out and its worth a look. I read his first book about the 2004 Red Sox and it was hilarious, my former roommate John Huetter an attest to this, I believe this was the first hard cover book with less than 10 photos that he had ever read (JK..well kinda)


On tap for the weekend is hopefully some mountain biking tomorrow along with some intervals on the tri bike and a short job. And then on Sunday I will be racing in my 2nd Cylclocross race ever @ Ellison Park here at Rochester. My race starts at Noon, if you have nothing to do come out and race! or at least stop by and watch..its an absolute blast...CAN'T WAIT!

Tip of The Day: If you are a USAT Member and are looking for a great Triathlon to do...the NY City Trithlon is on July 18, 2010 and is now open for registering...only if your a USAT Member. I just got the email last night. Its a little benefit of being a member I guess. So, if you are looking for a cool triathlon in the northeast during this time frame check this site out --> http://www.active.com/framed/event_detail.cfm?CHECKSSO=0&EVENT_ID=1801368 and if your an active USAT member you can register early before its sold out..

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Step by Step, Day by Day....

Remember that show? Part of ABC's 90's TGIF! Boy I wish that was on tomorrow night...step by step, boy meets world, full house, family matters, home improvement... I loved all of them....Then on Saturday night you had SNICK (Saturday Night Nickelodeon)! OMG..I loved SNICK....I think the shows that I remember most during this block of spectacular television were All That, The Ren & Stimpy Show & Are you Afraid of the Dark! I just remember that my cousin Brian & I would always watch SNICK together after Saturday evening church. Every Saturday after church we would gather at our grandparents house for dinner. The adults would be hanging out in the main living room while brian & I would be either down in the HUGE basement playing Atari and the original Nintendo....such games as Blades of Steel, Indiana Jones - Raiders of the Lost Ark, Metroid, Top Gun- we could never friggin get past like the first board of that damn game, Duck Hunt, Mario Brothers 1, 2, 3...i think we really liked 3, RIVER CITY RANSOM! best game ever IMO. Anyway I loved that Saturday night ritual we had. We would always have our huge bowl of M&M's from the Candy Cabinet in the kitchen, always in used cream cheese containers. It was just so nice!

I don't really have anything else worthwhile to talk about right now so I am just going to leave this as is...if something cool happens later tonight I shall write about it...

-MjC

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Sunday's Race..in better detail

It has been brought to my attention that I did a poor job explaining my cyclocross race on Sunday. I acknowledge my sub par write up but I was feeling rushed and blah blah...but here's a little re-cap I was thinking about:

Race Start 12:15PM
I arrived at the park at about 10:00AM..I like to be early for things and this was no exception. I walked around and registered and then proceeded to find the bathroom before heading back to my car and getting my things in order. Scott showed up around 10:45. This means that at about 11am I mounted my first "mountain" bike. Now this is interesting because they pedals are a lot different than my road ones...mtn bike pedals are made for quick release and especially in cyclocross since you are constantly jumping on and off you bike. Needless to say this took some getting used to and even during the race I struggled to clip into the pedals many times. I can only imagine what the experienced riders were thinking when they saw me pedaling like crazy trying to clip in but still not wanting to lose speed in the heat of the race. Alright so at about 11:15 Scott and I start riding around the course while the Masters Men and Women are racing..my division, "Open" goes off after them. So as we are riding around to get warm and I am just trying my best to get this pedal thing down. Then comes the fun parts..I need to learn how to jump on and off my bike and good speed, hurdle barriers, jump steps, run across bridges, run up steep hills, avoid flying into a creek, etc...So you know my 1/2hr warm up pretty much covers that...haha I think I only wiped out once while we were warming up but this was only a pre-cursor for the fun to come. As I approach the start line with everyone else I notice that its pretty much a cluster...I have no idea where I should start so I just come up upon someone I recognize and start chatting. This guy I came up next to happened to be the joker who finished one place ahead of me in the 5k the previous day..good guy! So anyway, finally a friend of Scott (who's letting me used his tricked out bike) shows up. His name is Mike and he's going to racing today as well. He leads me forward a bit before the start...will get back to Mike later on in this story. And were off...
Lap 1 - Congested! Lots of people trying to all go the same way. I was holding my own on most parts but going around hairpin turns and the like people were getting up right behind me and I'm sure swearing under their breath about this idiot who can't take a turn to save his life (yeah I've got some work to do) As I continue to make it around the course I escape mishap on most of the obstacles (don't worry they will get their revenge later). I notice on one of the turns later on in the course (let me explain that the course is about 1.5 miles long so you basically ride as many laps as you can in the 1hr time limit..I did 7, the winners did 8...you do the math and see if I won) so as I am turning I hear a voice in the distance, no need to look since I'd probably crash but it was my dad..Dicky C...the man..the legend had arrived to watch his prodigal son race around in the mud..nice of him to come..but he didn't bring any water!..more on that later. So the highlight of lap 1 was that as I was coming into a particular muddy section about an 1/8 of a mile before the lap ended my buddy Scott is shouting at me hammer down, make some time up!...So I do as I am told like a good boy and what happens? Well I proceed to make it through two mud holes and then attempt to "hammer down" around a corner with trees and everything lining the sides, numerous spectators, and about 6 riders on my ass...AND BOOM WIPEOUT...totally lost it in the mud and fell flat on my face...I didn't not cause a bike jam but it was a nice welcome to the sport. Scott will tell you it was his fault I fell but it wasn't I was the rider I was the one that couldn't keep my balance..I was the one with the face full of mud..thanks scott!..haha jk! So anyways the race goes on..I'd say the next moment that pops into my mind is on like lap 3..now remember I am riding a custom Gary Fisher Superfly Bike that has been outfitted with an internal hub so that I can shift without having to pedal, making it very easy when I get stuck or fall and immediately have to tackle a hill..going up in a hard gear would suck...this little gearing benefit allows me to shift into the easiest gear with no problem and never having to pedal..its really awesome. So..I am coming around a turn which goes from grass to pavement..as I take the turn the back tire kicks out and boom...I lose it, and Scott see's the whole thing...So bummed...I did not want to hurt his bike..it's so nice...LUCKILY MY knee decided to take over and take the majority of the impact...THANKS RIGHT KNEE! Needless to say the bike did not get hurt..thank the good lord, and my knee just has a little scrap..no major damage..were all good. A little later on, maybe lap 4 or 5..I've crashed about 5 times I think..a couple major that I talked about and a few more where I came unclipped from the pedals and slowed myself...and people behind me up.. I remember that at about this 5 lap point my water bottle had been drained and I was seriously thirsty..so what did I do? I chucked my water bottle to my dad when I passed him..thinking that this would spur him to fill it up and at least have it filled by the end of the race...nah the damn thing was still empty at the end, my fault for not explaining myself clearly to him. As the race went on a couple more interesting things occurred. At the barrier section where you have to jump off your bike and hurdle two wooden boards some spectator decided to drop a 1 dollar bill to try and entice a rider to stop and pick it up..needless to say 1 dollar isn't much going to do me any good...bikes are expensive and so is everything about riding and racing, so I passed this opportunity up in order to keep my feet moving..say what you will...but that 5 seconds faster I was because I wasn't suckered into taking that 1 dollar bill were worth it! Plus the money was probably on a string and the guy was just watching to totally punk some tired bike ride..(newsflash to the guy if that was his plan..better watch out because you'll take a punch to the face if some tired biker who is stingy doesn't get that george washington) On laps 6 and 7 one hill in particular where I had to get off my bike and run up the hill (others more experienced could ride up it..but I am both not an other and not experienced, so I ran up it...the first 5 times it wasn't bad...but let me tell you the last two times I had to run up this hill carrying my bike felt like I was cresting mt everest. It was painful..a good painful, but none the less it was tough..and it came right after riding on a big patch of grass where the bike just sunk right into the ground. Never having really rode off road and having all of my miles being done on the road..this was a little torturous. So..the race goes on, I don't get my water, I am doing alright..middle of the pack. Then the last lap comes...my demise is upon me. Now it starts out alright, yes I am tired, yes that hill sucked going up, yes I am slow on all the switchback turns, but I can still motor when necessary..I even pass 2 people right before the bridge crossing (but don't worry those guys will be laughing at me shortly) As I made my way across the bridge everything is good, I hope on after crossing and continue my journey..Problem 1: I can't clip into my pedals to save my life..i am pedaling hard and the sand pit obstacle is approaching, Problem 2: The sand pit is approaching Problem 3: I am almost at the pit...UT OH! As I hop of the bike with the intention of running across the sand..I totall biff it..my shoe catches the wooden outside of the sand pit area, I go down, the bike goes down, and my nifty garmin watch flys off...INTO THE SAND! Crap! Since I am an athlete and one who loves to compete for a split second I almost just said the hell with it..I'll just keep riding and make sure I finish ahead of these jokers behind me...then Matthew's brain kicked in..find the watch you dummy its worth more than 10 seconds in your first cyclocross race...needless to say I dug around, found the watch, got passed by 2-3 people and struggle through the sand. And the watch wasn't the only thing buried in the sand..I to was buried just in case you were wondering..it was a hard spill and one that I would have laughed at if I had been a spectator..luckily all the people who were previously at this location had gone to the finish line so I was saved of some public embarrassment. Moving along, I get through the sand and I am absolutely struggling with the pedals still...and their are many little hills and turns coming up..I need my feet clipped in..at the last possible second I get them in...however I have no speed and the final hills are not little..at this point I see Mike..do you remember Mike? He was Scott's friend who started the race with me..I was ahead of him the whole time! And then as soon as I decide to build sand castles he comes storming up behind me...couldn't have been a better dude though, he urged me on the final length of the course and we ended up finishing with 10 seconds of each other or so..him before me..I'll let him take that one..theirs always next week!

So that's its...I rode with Scott on some Mtn Bike trails after and had a blast. I think I ended up 27th out of 51 maybe...what can I say? that was what I did and I can't change it...but I can change this weeks race...hopefully I can use some of my 1 day off roading experience for a faster time...time will tell..but either way this sport is fun!!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

TOOOOOOSSSSSSDAY!

5:45 Another day..nothing to exciting to write home about yet. I slept in a little this morning because I was tired..yoga goes till 8:30 on Mondays and I always go to Wegman's after which gets me home after 9 and then I eat and I'm never in bed before 10..and Matthew needs his rest...with that said, I have my first Functional Strength Training workout this morning, looks pretty interesting, should keep me limber and strong. Then work all day. Then on the bike tonight..and I'll be damned if I don't get on the bike....that is my one focus for the day and I will not let anything get in the way of that.

So I am off to the gym momentarily..Functional Strength Training is sweet! I did almost a 1hr session at the gym and did not use a single weight...except my body that is.

Later in the day....
Ahh 5PM and I am caffeinating...ut oh, I hope I still can fall asleep...Oh well I am about to hop on my bike and try to do a 20 min Time Trial...balls to the wall...this should be interesting...

5:30 pm a client sends my audit team new documents to work on..sweet..bike's on ice..

Alright, I'm back. It's 8:08 (Like Kanye's album, lol) Dinner's cooking and by dinner cooking I mean the vegetables (brussel sprouts, yes BRUSSEL SPROUTS! They are delicious & nutritious!) I am nuking are in the microwave and the cottage cheese I am going to eat is in the refrigerator. An apple is currently being munched on as we speak. I don't normally drink coffee past like 3pm and I don't normally work out really hard during the evening..(with some exceptions like swimming once a week)..but I don't drink coffee on that night so that's beside the point. What I am trying to get at is that my OCD definitely kicked in...I had a nice bike ride on the indoor trainer tonight after I was able to call it quits on work for the night which was around 6:30 I think. After the bike ride I showered quickly and then proceeded to clean the dished, fold my clothes, clean and polish my desk and organize my bike parts...all in probably 15 minutes..ha

as for the bike ride, I'll say this...doing a 20 minute time trial on an indoor trainer is tough. Without inertia on your side you alone are the power source. I am not certain as to my averages but I will review them shortly. I was able to keep a high cadence the whole 20 minutes which was nice and regardless of the overall speed I think that's an accomplishment to keep the legs churning hard for that amount of time. I'll tell you one thing though..I was sweating buckets! I had a towel underneath the bike and it was absolutely drenched..as was my bandanna (which lasted about 10 minutes once I started pedaling hard, the thing must have put on a full pound, haha. Anyways this was my first time ever truly time trialing where I went as hard as I thought I could for 20 minutes...it will certainly be interesting to analyze the results and then compare them with future trials...cuz we all know its all about getting faster :)

Monday, October 26, 2009

I Get It!

I now understand why Mountain biking and racing Cyclocross is so popular. I had my first opportunity to experience both of these yesterday! I had an absolute blast! I was able to ride around on a tricked out cyclocross/mtn bike that my buddy lent me and it couldn't have been more fun. It took a few minutes to figure out the mtn bike shoe clip ins and such but once I got rolling it wasn't to bad. This leads me to the point that I am sure everyone knows is coming...I NEED A MTN BIKE! It's just way to fun not to have one. Plus if i get the right one I can just swap wheels and tires for cyclocross races...

Which leads me to the fact that yesterday I took part in my first cyclocross race ever. Yeah, I was a bit nervous since it was my first time on this type of bike, on this type of terrain, yada yada...excuses excuses..everyones got them. So I'll stop, because the bottom line is..their are some really awesome bike rider out there. And yesterday was no exception, their were some dudes hauling serious a** around that course. I managed to finish 7 laps (the leaders did 8) in 1hr and 4 minutes. I think I crashed about 8 times, 2 of which were serious yard-sales..hahaha. The worst part that the last one wipe-out I had was on the final lap right in a sand pit..my garmin watch flew off and got buried in the sand. Needless to say I was not going to save 25th position and lose my watch..I decided to dig myself out of the sand and then dig up my watch..yeah a couple guys went by me and my momentum was zilch but I didn't lose my garmin :) and I still came in 27th out of 51. A middle of the pack showing, which means I have a TON of room for improvement. I am looking forward to racing in as many of these as I can this fall...it was a really fun time and a great cross training activity. It definitely is a different experience from riding on the road all the time. So for now I will be drooling over Mtn Bikes online and looking at them from every angle and seeing how in the world I may ever be able to obtain one...but luckily I have some pretty cool friends who will let me use theirs for the time being...I can't thank my buddy Scott who owns Towpath Bike Shop for taking care of me and getting me into this aspect of the sport. I really look forward to riding more and more!

Blog is short today...its already almost 5pm..the day absolutely flew by. I need to try and make it to the bike shop and get a new tire for the tri bike wheel so I can ride it on my trainer this winter...then its off to Monday night Yoga...

catch ya later..
MjC

Sunday, October 25, 2009

On the 7th day the Lord Rested but the Triathlete did not

Can't say enough how much I enjoy the weekends. No pressure to get a workout in before work or anything, their are races and competitions all over, I can go to the book store and read things for free without having to buy them (i mention this a lot because its really cool). Overall, the weekend affords me the time to do what I want to do without having to work around other schedules. I can do as little or as much as I'd like...and since these two days are usually the only two free days I wanna pack in as much as possible!

With that said, this morning I am preparing to tackle a new sport. The sport of Cyclocross..as discussed in yesterday's blog I have no idea why its spelled like that and I don't want to take the time to google the reason. But anyway, I am going to take part in a Cyclocross race in Pittsford today. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty nervous. I don't really like to get my butt handed to me in athletics and I think I might get a bit "worked" on the course today. This sport involves dismounting and running over obstacles carrying your bike and stuff....things I don't normally do when I am out riding my bike, but who knows this could be up my alley. Either way I am stoked to be racing and equally as excited to just be outside having fun.

I guess the end result of all this Fall Cross Training that I am planning on doing..Mtn Biking, Cyclocrossing is really going to cost me in the end. I know sooner or later I am going to want a Mountain Bike..and not just any one but a sweet one...so lets just see how long I can hold off...its just way to tantalizing to see LA ride around on a sick Mtn Bike to not have one myself.


Speaking of LA, yesterday I was lucky enough to acquire (over the phone) a really sweet piece of merchandise from his bike shop Mellow Johnnys's in Austin Texas. Check out this link to see what I got http://www.nike.com/nikeos/p/sportswear/en_US/view_post?country=US&lang_locale=en_US&blog=en_US&post=en_US/2009/10/19/livestrong-x-nike-zoom-tiempo-austin
These sneakers are really awesome. If you know me you know that I am a bit of a sneaker-a-holic. I even worked at Finish Line while in College just because..Luckily this obsession has ceased over the past year. THANKFULLY! It's really not that cool, its a lot of money to spend on sweet shoes that you never really wear and people really don't care about. That's the bottom line. People really could give to s***'s about whats on your feet. So I have sold off pretty much all the shoes I didn't need. I still have a few pairs (by a few it's prolly way more than most people, but look I am making progress) but anyways I know have only pairs that I wear on a normal basis. With that said IF I do buy new sneakers I buy them for a purpose now. Like my new running shoes..the newtons I will prolly buy many of those in the future, but they are for running, they will make me faster or at least make me think I am faster..that's worth it for me. As for these Livestrong Tiempo's..well what can I say, LA is the man, Mellow Johnny's bike shop is sweet, its combining to passions I had and currently am infected with. Sneakers and cycling..whats better? And I am sure that they will grab people's attention, it will be like an icebreaker..and 100% of the profits go to the livestrong foundation. In Summary these shoes look cool, I was lucky enough to give them a call and have them send me a pair..I mean they only had 100..and these were the only 100 released in the world, so to me I feel like I have a cool piece of livestrong merchandise. I will not be shelfing these or re-selling. I will be proudly wearing these all over the place!

Whoa! Gotta get rolling! I'll continue this blog later today. I plan on resting this afternoon, so a nice cup of GREEN TEA..yes Green Tea..I have had my ration of delicious coffee this morning..(Good things in moderation ehh?? haha will see if this lasts.) Anyways someday I can explain my former obsession over sneakers in more detail if anyone wants to hear about it. BUT FOR NOW...its off to Arrowhead Park in Powder Mills..lets hope I can find this place...DOMINATION TIME??? we shall see..either way im gonna have a blast....

catch ya this afternoon folks!

-MjC

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Keeping it Real

I thought I'd take a moment to talk about the importance of keeping it real. In my humble opinion we all need to step back from our busy lives and keep it real. When things are moving fast or seemingly going out of control...take a step back and think about the big picture. In the broad scheme of it most of us are not brain surgeons, were not working on the cure for cancer, and were not the president of the United States. On a daily basis we aren't saving lives..so put it into perspective, your work will be there the next day. If only all people could gain that perspective...then we wouldn't have crazed bosses/co-workers who think that the job their doing today is the end all be all..bc I have a newsflash for all of them, IT'S NOT! As a society I firmly believe the working mentality that has developed has gone way to far..of course we should work hard and try to excel to the best of our abilities at what we do...but we need balance...its human nature to need time with family and friends without the pressures of deadlines. So its just my opinion but we all need to just chill...go out and do something you enjoy, we don't really have all that much time here on earth, as morbid as that sounds its pretty much the truth. I mean why spend your precious time doing something you don't want to or don't love. I struggle with this a lot. I am constantly searching for a way to incorporate my passions into a paying job..why? because unfortunately we all need money to survive in this world that we live in. I know that the last time I checked, Wegman's wasn't accepting rocks as payment. I just hope that in the near future I find a job where I am happy, a job where I look forward to each day, a job where I can be creative and have a hand in the finished result, because lets face it, when you have something invested into a job, a project, training, etc.. etc.. it makes it all the better when you finish what you were working on. Just look at it this way..I can say that I never really "enjoyed" running in the past...it was one of those things I did occasionally to keep in shape...I'd get motivated for a stretch and run everyday...but then I'd lose that motivation because I really didn't have anything to keep me going. This was before I started running the random 5k and before I had the time to devote to Triathlon. However, now that I have a focus, a purpose...I find joy in getting out and running...I set goals, paces, times, etc...and it makes the runs flow by much easier....I don't know if I could have imagined a couple of years ago going out and running for 2 hours...but hey when you have your heart set on something it can give your mind the boost it needs to focus and keep you putting one foot in front of the other without the thought of dread.

Kind of along the same line of thinking the reason I began writing this post was to tell you about what I am doing this weekend and how my plans have changed. Originally I was going to swim this morning and run a 5k this afternoon..that has not changed. However, tomorrow I had planned to do a 20 minute time trial on my bike. This was all well and good because I did not have anything else planned. Things change though. While at my favorite bike shop, Towpath, I was talking to my friend Scott (the owner) I can say friend now, I very much consider him a good buddy and I hope he feels the same way. I have really enjoyed learning all kinds of things about the biking world from him. He's a really good dude that has been extremely generous, plus he doesn't mind me hanging around the shop and shooting the shit...probably one of my favorite past times If I have the free time...plus who knows what kind of tips I'll come across while chilling at the bike shop...anyways he wanted me to do a cyclocross race on Sunday. At first I was like..idk I have a TT on my bike scheduled. As you may know I am a pretty scheduled person and I don't really like to change things once I have set them. However, I was like..well I really wanna do this and Scott was super excited for me to do it...so I told him hell yeah I'll give it a shot. At this point I'd just like to say one big advantage of having a coach look at what I do on regular basis for me is that I can shoot her an email saying..im gonna do a race on Sunday instead of the TT, is that cool? and her response is "Hell Yes, tear it up" or something like that. I say this bc even though i knew that would be her response I still appreciate the validation. I mean really my big TRI races are not until next spring..I have plenty of time..which leads me back to my original point...I'm trying to keep it real..and live in the moment. If theres a race that pops up that sounds fun...why not go and do it! You know its going to be a great time. I mean seriously, otherwise I'd be out on a road alone peddling as fast as I an for 20 min and then i'd be done...woofrigginhoo...I can't pass up a chance to try out a new sport..CYCLOCROSS (why do they spell it like that, shouldn't it be Cyclecross?, I mean I've never heard of a bicyclo..have you? whatever...It will be the first time i've ever attempted it..my buddy's letting me borrow his bike that's prolly worth more than me..so I'll be a bit nervous but what the hell..I think he trusts me...so I'll trust myself...So that's what I'm doing on Sunday...Im keeping it real, putting training on hold...but in reality I am not putting it on hold..im just changing the venue..thats's what Lance does. If you question me, just search the web to see lance mountain biking, racing cyclocross..doing things other than road racing..and you know what that helps him do? win the freaking tour de france!, a road race..This just goes to show you that a person fluent in many aspects of their respective profession is ALWAYS THE best asset. I could go on and on about this as well...like the person who is an accountant but has no people skills....great! they can sit at a desk and count crap all day..have at it! That's not me I may not know every single regulation or interpretation but someday when they actually let me speak for the company to the client...I bet I'll be damn good add it..I think deep down I'm a salesperson..If I believe in what I am doing I think I can be quite convincing..so here's to the hope of finding that mythical job that allows me to flourish!

Tip of the Day: Just have fun today. Do something you love.

that's all for now..time to get ready to hit the pool!

if you in rochester today stop by the Johnnys Run Like Hell 5k on culver...

Im out

-MjC

Friday, October 23, 2009

WIPEOUT!

I had originally titled this post TGIF..because well I'm very thankful its Friday. However after I had originally started this post I went for a bike ride. After this bike ride I can know say that I have advanced to a new degree of "Roadie-ness". Yes, I Matthew Curbeau took my first spill this morning. Before you start to worry...the road bike is OK save your tears for another day! I don't know how it managed to not get beat up...but from the looks if it nothing bad happened to it, I am extremely grateful. I think the slick surfaces that caused the spill also acted as a buffer. And I'm alright as well...just going to have a nice little bruise on my left hip bone or whatever that bone is that is about bum level. Anyways..I'll wear it like a badge of honor. I am trying to ice it as much as possible today in the hopes that it won't be to much of a bother during the 5k tomorrow..I really wanna run fast...so I'll be extra good to it today.

SO let me take a moment to explain to you how this spill took place (because I'm guessing that this is the most interested you've been in my blog to date). I was motoring along at about the 50 minute mark of my 1hr ride this morning. The ride started out fine but about 15 minutes in rain started to come down. No worries though a little sogginess never stopped me..it just makes my apartment smell bad bc of the wet clothes but that's beside the point. I pushed on, and it was a nice ride, nothing to fast or hard because I have a good tough weekend ahead. However the last straight away down Winton towards the 12 corners I decided to hold about a 26mph pace. I accomplished my goal, however upon slowing up at the stop light I realized that these nice cars at the stop light had decided to not give me any shoulder room, using my quick thinking skills (which I know must question) I decided to veer into a gas station to stop and turn around. STUPID MOVE..as I look back this was so dumb on various levels. 1. A gas station is not a good place for a bike...there's oil and crap all over the ground 2. I should have slowed down much earlier, I guess we all learn some lessons the hard way...now when I ride in the rain I'll be a lot more knowledgeable, luckily this time there was no real damage done (I think one part of the crank might have slightly bent in because the chain seems to be catching a piece of it in the highest gear...but I'll stop by Towpath Bike Shop to check it out and make sure my baby is all good. 3. People in cars are not to considerate..but that's beside the point and 4. An intersection like the 12 corners is not a good place to wipe out...there are many people that will see the occurence

Although my pride was severely wounded since about 100 people (maybe more) saw this occur, I still feel like I have moved up in the world of cycling. I now can honestly say that I have crashed, my bike can now talk to other bikes and tell them about how it got its first battle scars (not many that I could find..I cleaned the hell out of it too!) but there is a nice scrape on the seat..glad it was there and not anywhere else! And I myself can now converse with fellow roadies and tell them about my first spill...THERE'S ALWAYS A BRIGHT SIDE TO THINGS!

BUT...the best thing about this whole ordeal was that right as I crashed some old guy pumping gas who saw the whole thing yells to me (as I am literally sliding 15 feet across pavement on my hip)"Slow Down!" with hand gestures and everything. So as I am sliding across the pavement looking at this old fart...I'm like what the hell! obviously I should have slowed down...a little late to be yelling this at me..plus he's not even remotely thinking about..geez I wonder if that crazed maniac is alright. As I stand up and inspect my situation the dude continues to give me the slow down hand motion, still not asking me if I am alright. At this point I just gave a quick wave to everyone in attendance, the man at the pump, the gas station clerk, the dude outside of the bagel shop looking at me in amazement that I was on my feet, the many people stopped at the stop light in their warm automobiles, and the school bus that was going down the road(I can only imagine how many kids were laughing their butts off...just to let them all know I was good to go. Needless to say I scurried off in the opposite direction of people onto a side road and inspected every inch of my bike...WHAT A GREAT WAY TO START OF THE DAY!! HAHA

...and this is what I had originally wrote this morning before I went out for the ride:

Well I can honestly said that this morning was the hardest morning for me to wake up in a while. Before I went to bed I decided I would catch up on some sleep with another hour of shut eye. So I got up at 5:30 today. Why was I so tired? Well I guess everything finally caught up to me, being sick last week, and then starting back up this week. Wednesday went well, I rode my bike outside for about 2 hrs (1 in the am and the 1 after work till dark)and then yesterday I was up early again to run which went well...but after the run my legs were pretty sore and then at masters swim last night I just felt flat. Didn't feel like I was moving to fast in the water (not that I really move fast on a good day) and it was really tiring..so overall the calves are sore today and I'm struggling to get my eyes open...but thankfully I have my trusty buddy COFFEE warming up and that should get things going on various levels....lol! Thankfully today is just an easy bike ride....gotta get ready for the 5K tomorrow!

Good news though, just walking around the Apartment this morning my legs are feeling better every minute, this is nice!

Well yesterday I decided I need to find some new music to listen to. Not workout music or pump up music but something nice and mellow..so what did I do..I looked to see what Lance Armstrong was listening to. I found some bands called Bon Iver, Band of Horses, Fleet of Foxes, The National, and a couple more...couldn't be happier..really chill music and the stuff that LA chills out to (I know this because the Internet told me and the Internet would not lie...and also I will be referring to Lance Armstrong as "LA" quite frequently as it saves precious typing time..and BC I will refer to him often as he is awesome..if you would like to argue with me save your breath...1. I don't like to argue and 2. LA is a cool dude, so lets just leave that subject alone). So if you haven't heard of these bands, check them out. (But you probably have heard of them..I'm just way behind!....figures)

On another note I made an executive decision last night that instead of going to WATCH Lance on the Big Screen in "Race Across the Sky", I would try to BE like Lance and get my pool workout in so that I can improve myself and make myself faster! I had intended on leaving early to go to the showing in Tinseltown, but I pretty much lost track of time and when I looked to see if it was 7:30, it was already 7:45 and I had a little bit of a drive to the theater and thus would not make it in time...so oh well...I'm pretty bummed since it was only playing last night at 8pm, hopefully it will be out on DVD soon, it looked awesome! Let me know if it was indeed every bit as good as the trailer but do not spoil anything if their are things that could be spoiled...I wouldn't do that to you and I expect the same respect...(how's that for laying down the law :)..jk I wouldn't be THAT mad. One this the trailer for this movie has done is that it has definitely made me wanna get some mountain biking in ASAP. I just happen to know a good guy named Scott who owns a the best bike shop in the world (Towpath Bike Shop in downtown Pittsford, NY) and another good guy name Josh who likes to mtn bike and has extras...some I'm guessing I had feed this craving pretty quickly..and who knows if I stumble across a few grand laying on the ground I might just be able to get one!...but I'm not really counting on that...but if anyone is reading this and wants to get me a Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL..I would love you forever!


As a side note:
Does anyone have any suggestions for must read books? Like if your were being tortured by Mr. XYZ and you had to suggest one book that Mr. XYZ would for sure enjoy in order to stop him from torturing you and save your imprisoned mother from a gruesome death by way of a shark tank that has sharks who haven't been fed in 2 days....I'm interested!..not in the torture but the books.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

10.22.09- The Weekend is Fast Approaching

It Thursday already...got plans for the weekend? Oh you don't really have any, well I have just the thing for you! Come join me Saturday afternoon for the Johnnys Run Like Hell 5k in Rochester, NY. Here is the link to sign up if your interested!-->http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1782849&assetId...DO IT, will tear the course up..it'll be fun.

I've got to say that yesterday was just awesome. Even though it was cloudy and overcast all day, the fact that it was almost 60 degrees all day was just blissful. I was able ride my bike outside not once but twice! I went out in the morning and then again after work I rode until their was no more light (I even had my front headlight and back blinker on and still almost managed to get plowed into by some dude making a left hand turn because he was more interested in the person he was chatting with one his cell phone...thats man, I only fishtailed my back tire for a good 15 yards)

Along with the 5k this weekend that will establish my 5k base time for testing purposes (a little nervous, I want to run a really good time....but along with that means I will need to improve on this time in the coming months. But thats a good thing! If I can run as hard as I can right now and be happy with that time and then in 2-3 months run a faster time...well then I would just be peachy, but that's getting ahead of myself..I'll just go out there on Sat and run as hard as I can for as long as I can. On Sunday however I have another test on the bike. This is a first for me. I have never really gone all out on my bike for a short window of time. The long and the short of this test is that it will be a 20 min Time Trial..all out as hard as I can go. This should be interesting and give me a good gauge as to where I am at fitness wise on the bike. So all in all I have some exciting things to do this weekend!

I just downloaded a new song that's currently iTunes #1...Fireflies by Owl City, I think its by the same people as the Postal Service or at least sounds like it...its pretty good....have people heard of these guys before? If anyone has any other suggestions for some good tunes whether they just are good for chilling or good for training let's hear em'

So on tap today is a run session and swimming tonight. First time in the pool in almost 2 weeks..should be interesting. Well it's time to get dressed and put the newtons on. Catch ya later.

-Matt


Tip of the Day: Get in touch with an old friend that you've drifted apart from. I mean what else is facebook for?..haha

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

10.21.09

Ya know whats stinky...when the company internet decides that its had enough with you being on your blog and decides to block the website just as I was about to post...GRRRRR........

but.....as Mase said, "Breath, Stretch, Shake..let it out"...

As I was driving home from another Yoga class last night I did two things that I find funny. I stopped at Wegmans, this meaning that I couldn't make it a whole day without going there and I stopped at Starbucks at 9:30pm in order to make sure I had some VIA instant coffee for the morning (god forbid I try to brew my own..but when I wake up nothing around me is open except a gas station with crappy coffee and thats definitely not gonna happen!) So in both cases I think I am an addict..as I walked out of the Starbucks after about a 10 second transaction to purchase the VIA I felt like I had just got my quick fix and all was good once again...just thought that was amusing.

Yesterday work was again pretty hectic, a lot of wrap up work that had to be done ASAP. Today should be a little bit calmer, hopefully allowing me to catch up on all the admin stuff that has had to be pushed off in recent weeks. One day at a time..I've got a lot of rough weeks coming up in the next month, but on the bright side its looking like during the Christmas time the Firm is extending our holiday break a bit longer than usual, which is nice if your into that kinda thing. This means a couple things for me..I need to find something to with my days off..this is not hard at all its just I want to find the right things to do! Ideally I would love to head South and be able to bike and run in warm weather. I have a good friend in Virginia Beach whom I am hoping is around during that time period...he has yet to follow my blog so I'll leave his name out until he does. I will pose the question to one of my best buds WHO IS FOLLOWING..Mr. Jeff Hohman, where are you going to be during Christmas and the week before and after? and I'll even ask my good buddy CJ who is in Boston..yes the North East in December..but still we could tear up the streets of Boston in the snow. So I have many options, hopefully something fun works out.

Update: Went for a little ride this morning. Very cloudy but it was about 60 degrees and no wind, i'll take that any day. I have a dentist appointment at 2:15 today so hopefully the weather will still be good so I can get back out and tool around on the road bike for a while. You know stop by the bike shop and be a bum...CAN'T WAIT

CJ- this if for you, Read Chi Running by Danny Dreyer..if you haven't already.

Tip of the Day: Call your parents and chat for a little while them, they'll love it..or at least they should!

10.20.09 - Status Update, Weezer and more....

FIRST OFF, ARE PEOPLE ABLE TO MAKE THE SWITCH BETWEEN WEB ADDRESSES ALRIGHT? DO YOU LIKE THE NEW NAME..I THINK ITS COOLER WITH A LOT MORE MEANING....let me hear your thoughts? Please..I welcome all criticism.


Yesterday was way to nice to me. I just have a feeling that work is going to ask a lot more of me. I guess that's alright, at least I am semi-preparing myself right now. As I think about what I have to get done today I can think of three important things..just hoping that the work gods don't decide to make it rain on me. I suppose all I can do it take it one step at a time and keep chugging along...at least I know I'll be back in the pool tonight after a 9 day layoff. I'll probably be as fast as Michael Phelps tonight :)

I went to Yoga class again last night and loved it. Doing Yoga in an obscenely warm room is probably the best thing right now since in Upstate NY are temps are now dipping into the 20's. Kinda gross but kinda funny...I think I probably walked out of the class weighing about 140 pounds (im normally like 150, but I made it up with the massive amounts of food I ate last night, haha). But seriously, my cotton t-shirt (big mistake, wear something that wicks) weighed about 10 lbs and my yoga mat which I rented...well that turned into a regular slip and slide. I feel sorry for the pour soul who has to use that thing after me.

I must note that I visited Wegman's not once yesterday but twice..this is usual but I figured I'd start mentioning when I do this in the hopes that I can curb this trend since Wegmans prolly gets about half my paycheck a month, haha.

Weezer has released 2 more songs on their iTunes Pass in prep for their new CD Ratitude that comes out in November. It cost me 20 bucks to get the pass but you get 7 songs in advance of the album's release plus like videos and stuff..and you get the new album when it comes out..so its a pretty good deal..I'll take it! I should probably take this opportunity to thank my cousin Brian who turned me onto Weezer way back when I was a Freshman in high school. He was going to a Weezer concert and I thought the name was sweet, so i asked him for a t-shirt. He obliged and I still have that t-shirt to this day. What a guy! Oh yeah I also remember like rocking out to "Should I Stay of should I Go?" which I am listening to right now (it was one of the pre-album songs) .anyways, we were rocking out to it on the ski lifts at Bristol way back when..good memories. Now I just gotta get my cuz to read my blog..THAT'S MY GOAL TODAY!

HW FOR THE DAY: No pressure here but I wanted to pose the task to each of my followers: Get someone you know to check my blog out and get them to follow. If we can all get one new person today we can double our Clan! Soon enough we will be like the Mason's with deep dark secrets about enlightenment that we will not share with anyone unless they are ready. With that said if you can get one new person to follow you will move up a degree and be one step closer to total enlightenment at the 33 degree. (Ok yeah I've been reading Dan Brown's book, "The Lost Symbol" this past weekend...::)

TRINITY TRI GOOGLE GROUP?: I have created a google group called Trinity Triathlon. It could serve as a forum for ongoing conversations, Must See TV and movies, good reads, anything really. Whenever anyone post it goes right to your email and stuff like that. If people are interested let me know! It's on an invite only basis so we could control who we want to let in and stuff. It would be an exclusive club. We do this for the Train-This team and its sweet!

Monday, October 19, 2009

A New Week Begins

Last week was pretty nuts. In the last days I developed my seasonal illness, stressed out over work, recovered from being sick, and then had the best weekend I've had in a really long time. With all that set this week can't really match up to that, but I'll give it my best to make it exciting. Nothing to big has been planned yet. I slept a little longer this morning and I plan on going to Yoga tonight. That's about it for today. Hopefully work won't be to bad this week, as long as I know what I am doing I'll be fine.

Since I have spent the last few weeks and more recently all weekend on my TRI bike...I think this week I am going to turn my attention to my ROAD bike who is in need of attention. My Madone has been patiently waiting to be used and hopefully if the weather is decent this week I can roll around for some nice rides. I am staring at her right now and she looks ready to roar..but not this morning, maybe if I can get out of work early...but I wouldn't bank on that happening. For now she'll rest contently in the corner of my apartment..even resting against the wall she looks FAST!

Oh yeah I wanted to rant about my Fantasy Football week real quick..Mainly this can go out to CJ. The Patriots are Gay! The one week that I have MJD score 3 TD's for the Jags, and Warner throws 2 TD'S (BTW I have old man Farve on my team to and he put up 29 points..almost double what Warner had..I just can't win man..its embarrassing how bad I am at this fantasy football circus) and Viscante has like 20 points at the Tight End position..yeah i'm looking at like 130 points this week..a respectable total and would bring me to just 2-4 this season...but nope like the Bills..I will find a way to screw it up and yep...GUESS WHO I PLAYED THIS WEEK...the guy that has not 1, not 2, BUT 3 PATRIOTS!...I bet you can guess who they are..Brady 52 points ( i mean he had 5 td's in 1 quarter, What is this High School Football?..reminds me of the PY Mustangs in 2003 against the Marcus Whitman Wildcats), Moss 40 points, Welker 38 points, Thomas Jones of the NYJ 34 points on a day the team only scored 13 totals points..THANKS BUFFALO...YOU SUCK!, anyways the rest of his team dominated as well and he put up 247 POINTS....almost 250 FREAKING POINTS...THAT'S LIKE hitting .500 for a full MLB season...I mean seriously...fantasy football Gods I know I am not that good and I don't really put a lot of time into my decisions but can you just cut me a little slack and not schedule me to play the team with all the patriot players on the same day that the Titans decide to send their Modified team to Foxboro!!!!!!!!!

Well I wrote the above stuff this morning before I left the apartment. Since then I have got a good chunk of work done and I am feeling pretty good about it. Time to go get some lunch and hopefully wrap up the afternoon session of work. I have YOGA tonight and I am looking forward to it..still trying to battle the remnants of my cold/flu from last week..ears are plugged but I've got my airbone with me so hopefully I will stay protected..haha...

catch ya later.

TIP OF THE DAY: Send a postcard with a note to someone, OR write a handwritten letter someone ....and send it through the US Postal System. It's classy and the person will really think a lot of you for doing it...At least I would.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

It's Official...I'm Nuts

Check this present I got from the parents yesterday...haha! SOO COOL



Ahh...the search for coffee at 6:30 AM on a Sunday. As with most places, Lake Placid on Sunday morning poses some difficulties towards my quest for warm cup of joe. I passed the small Caff E Bean coffee shop which was definitely closed and was so even on Saturday. (I stopped there on Sat. evening and wasn't really impressed, yes they have a great view of the lake but its really small and idk it just wasn't me) So after that I made the trip to my old trusted Starbucks..yesterday they had been open at 6:30..BUT today all the lights were out. It happens to be that they do not open until 7:30 on Sundays...slackers! So now I am now majorly bumming as my coffee craze grows more severe. However, a nice little bagel shop saves the day! They've got a great selection of Green Mtn Coffee and fresh bagels cooking. I am not eating any bagels yet, I'm saving my breakfast for a little diner I like that is down the street..will be going their shortly after my dad gets moving back in the hotel room. I gave him a deadline of 7:45 in the hopes hill be up and around at 8. I can tell you this though, I forgot to get more power bar energy balls or whatever they are called so on today's ride I am going to go a bit more natural in regards to fuel. Its looking like a freshly made bagel, chocolate milk, banana, and some gu's just in case. Its a 2 hour ride so I will be looking for about 600 calories.

So that's what I am doing at the moment. Sitting at this nice little bagel/coffee shop, my mom's buried in her kindle reading every book known to man, and my dad is propped up on the bed back at the hotel watching sportscenter, or the golf channel...true Curbeau family bliss.

Let me catch you up on what I learned yesterday during my ride...which was a lot I must say. So in reference to the title of today's post...that I'm Nuts, I'll explain to you what has confirmed this. As I was spinning my way through the lovely bike loop that is that of IMLP...I realized that I was carrying on a full fledged conversation with myself. As the ride went on I realized that this conversation basically lasted the whole 3 hours, uninterrupted, and extremely enlightening. HAHA...this must be a good thing because hopefully as I continue on my Triathlon journey I will be partaking in many, many long rides. As this was really my first Solo ride over 50 miles it was nice to know that I can keep myself interested in MYSELF! WHAT DID I TALK ABOUT you ask? Well lots of things, in retrospect I need to rig up some microphone on my iPhone that records exactly what I am jabbering about. I do remember that a lot of the early conversation was about work and how its not really that bad. It just seems like hell at various times. So that was nice to hammer some of those issues out. I commented on how nice the ride was, I would let out some nice yelps of happiness, I would say hi to actual people that were out on their lawns, I commented out loud about how cool my white spokes looked going around and around....overall it was just a running conversation for 3 hours...what can i say..im a nutter.

Cool thing though...I told my parents to drive the course so that they could see what it was all about, which they did. They even brought me a nice bottle of water to replenish my stock. They caught up with me (if you know the course) at the end of the out and back on Haselton. It was a nice place to meet up with me since their was no traffic or anything...Haselton is a cool road..I even relieved myself about 2 feet from the white line without anyone driving by and bothering me...true bliss. So it was cool to have some fans cheering me on. I ended up seeing them along the way back by Whiteface as well. I've put some of the pics my mom took in here.

REAL TIME COMMENT..my mom just ordered one of the bagels from the shop were at...graham cracker bagel with cinnamon walnut cream cheese...OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD..this may be my new morning hang out. Plus the girl working behind the counter looks a lot better than the motherly aged one at Starbucks.

Well I am going to get rolling..breakfast to be had and road to be ridden...its looking like a Mexican shower after the ride though. Check out is at 11 and I don't think I'll be back by then. Oh well I guess their are always sacrifices to be made. hahahahahahaha

WHOA..ONE QUICK THING..I am sitting here looking out at Mirror Lake and I kid you not like 15 seagulls are chasing this one duck. The seagulls are dive bombing it and stuff..ITS NUTS. It looks like the Ducks just got fed by some hotel people and the seagulls are pissed that they did not get the food...so their natural line of thinking is to steal the ducks food. Seriously this is some crazy stuff two ducks have put the bread in their mouth and tried to make a break for it by flying across the water...and without exception like 15 seagulls go chasing after..I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE...poor ducks..they need Emilo Estevez to show up and give them some coaching on how to fly in the V to avoid the seagulls threat. weird.........

TIP OF THE DAY: Don't be like those damn seagulls. They are mean and its not cool to be mean. Don't take what is not yours.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

TO MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS, WELCOME!

Post 2 of the Day..2 in the same day may not be the norm..but today it is, and who knows a third might come tonight!

Just saw that I have a couple new followers...I thought that this would be a good time to welcome ALL 7 of you, in the order that I believe you started following...


1. Mike Lorenzen - buddies because of Bonobos...and oh yeah we both kind of like Triathlon. Hopefully someday I will be working for him at his "E-L"Gym..For all you Triathlete lovers E-L stands for something significant and it's an awesome name but I am not giving out secrets yet!

2. Train This (Mary Eggers, Top Notch Triathlete first off SUB 5 HR WOMAN!...My Coach second of all...can't wait to make her proud this year)

3. CJ McCarthy (What can I say…we first laid eyes on each other in London…it's been magic ever since…LOL…do you remember this picture...SOOOO FUNNY. And CJ is a newcomer to Triathlon, just like me! Soon enough he will be dominating the Boston circuits)

4.CuseTri (This may be a toss-up but I know CJ's last name for sure and I only know Cuse Tri's first name. Hopefully we will get to ride the Syracuse 70.3 course together soon, I'll need a 'cuse native to help me from getting lost, and hopefully I can get some tips!)

5. Josh Gonsenhauser (my new training buddy, former professional Cyclist :), he doesn't know it yet but he is going to become an absolutely devastating triathlete...you know you got the bike down! Can't wait till he gets his new tri bike..We will be crushing out 5hr rides like nobody's business)

6. Jeff Hohman (West Point Grad, Penn Yan Native...basically the man, we go way back...)

7. Meredith Kuna (1st PwC person to find the blog..probably the only PwC person I want knowing what I'm really up to, I don't need lots of people from work reading my rants..hahahahaha)

10.17.09 - a nice lil' Saturday in the Adirondacks



Wakey Wakey Everyone! As I sit here in the downtown Starbucks (see above) at 6:45 AM with my mom..I am a happy camper. I was all set to not be a tourist this morning and visit the "Cof E Bean" which is supposedly where the locals all hang out and drink their coffee. Its supposed to have a really nice view of the lake and everything...BUT there not open at 6:30..what the heck! So good ole' Starbucks with their lights shining brightly welcomed me in this morning. And they have at&t wireless connection is another plus that you just can't pass up.

The trip yesterday went pretty well. I didn't aggravate my dad to much, haha. The old boy held up pretty good, he drove most of the way but got tired like 30 min before Placid so I saddled up and drove the rest of the way. Within 10 seconds of us getting back on the road he had critiqued just about every aspect of my driving. In my younger years I would have given this right back to him which would have led to an interesting conversation full of shouting and the like...however know I just relax and tell the ole man to chill and that if he wanted to get back behind the wheel he was more than welcome.... needless to say I remained driving and guided us in downtown Placid with only one minor detour to show them part of the bike loop.

The rest of the day was nice and relaxing. We went to the Fallen Arch Running Shop and picked up my newtons that I had on hold PLUS I picked up a pair for my buddy Josh who has taken the leap into the Newton brotherhood! Very happy he's sticking with it through the pain (in the calves mostly, haha...it will get better I promise) by the end of this your calves will be shaped like that of Greek gods and you will be running sub 3 marathons!....oh yeah wouldn't that be nice

take a look at these good looking kicks(and remember one other pair is with Josh at the moment)

The lady at the running store was really cool, she was an older woman but a lifelong runner. We had a nice chat about mid-foot running and how she had been taught to run like that from the very beginning. I must admit I was a bit jealous..I bet she could probably crush me in a marathon distance race...but im young and still have many miles to put on my newtons..I'll get there..I'M DETERMINED TO!

OH YEAH, the lady at the running store was talking about the Ironman with me and she said that during race week last year they sold 223 pairs of Newtons! That's pretty nuts, All I have to say is that they better order about 226 next year. (But seriously people, I will probably getting my new pairs over the Internet before then) As I think about the season ahead I think I will most likely get a new pair of racers before the season kicks off in Austin and then only wear those strictly for races...so that would have them nice and ready to go come the end of July when I tackle this beast known as Ironman USA.

I also must mention since I am here in Lake Placid that its just such an awesome place! I am staying at a really fantastic hotel right on the lake. Our room has a real wood burning fire place and a balcony that looks right out onto the Lake. I will be staying here during race week next year so anyone who wants a good view of the swim leg...let me know and you can chill with me in my hotel and then stay there and watch from the beach or wherever when I decide its time for me to get wet..but really let me know! If you can come visit and watch the race...DO IT, it'd be a blast I have a hotel room from Wed to Monday!(ahh just got a refill of coffee...now I'm good to go)

But really..lake placid is one chill place. The downtown is so quaint and unique...almost like a miniature Vail, CO. I say that never having been to Vail but I can say with certainty that it must be similar...and plus my mom says so and she HAS been there...so take it for what it is. To wind up the evening yesterday we went and had a GREAT dinner at the Adirondack Steak and Seafood restaurant. The food was amazing and it had a really nice atmosphere..like a real nice and cozy upscale lodge or something(don't let the word lodge confuse you, it was not cheap or anything...I use that only because I do not have any other words to describe it) with that said, if your in town go this place for dinner with your loved ones or significant other, you won't be sorry...PS the crab cakes are superb and if you get the homemade root-beer (they also have their own brewery, but since I have gotten of the hooch that is N/A)...where was I, oh yeah the root beer is served in one of their collector glasses that you get to keep and it has nice LP pictures and funny quotes like "I feel sorry for the people who don't drink because when they wake up that's the best their going to feel that day"..ok Mr. Sinatra I see your point but you are from a distant past and I can tell you that when I wake up its not the best I am going to feel..the best I am going to feel is probably going to be either 45 min after I wake up when I have on comfy sweats and hoodie with slippers and a coffee in my hand..with the computer fired up and my blog on the screen....OR at about mile 20 of my bike ride when I am really firing on all cylinders...I can guarantee you all that this is when I am feeling the best! Moral of that paragraph..go to the Adirondack Steak and Seafood Restaurant. Tell them Turbo Curbeau sent you..they will have no idea who that is but they may think your a bit loopy for mentioning a crazy name like that and give you a free bowl of soup or a glass of their homemade brew in the hopes you'll stop talking crazy just shut up and eat their delicious homemade food.

Well I can honestly tell you that I am stoked for the day ahead! Coffee's in the tank and I am about to have a nice pancake breakfast. The plan is to ride for about 3 hours and then hop of the bike for a 30 minute run. I told my parents to drive the course while I am out there so that they can get a good perspective of the bike loop...plus I am hoping that they can drop off a nice bottle of water to refuel me about halfway along...that'd be nice:) With that said I am going write down the course directions for them...

HAVE AN ABSOLUTELY AWESOME DAY EVERYONE, I HOPE THAT IF YOUR TRAINING, YOU DOMINATE WHATEVER DISCIPLINE YOUR TACKLING...and if your not training well you better be resting or doing something that I feel is reasonable justification for not training...naw I'm just kidding...kinda....either way, whatever your doing today...DO IT WITH THE BEST ATTITUDE AND EFFORT YOU CAN SUM UP..because as my dad always tells me "Matt, my dad always told me that IF YOUR GOING TO DO A JOB, BIG or small, DO IT WELL...or not at ALL!" Sooooo true!..even though I get down sometimes when work is stressful and life is hectic and I think I have to much on my plate...I need to work on taking it piece by piece and doing each bit with the utmost effort I can produce...and with that I will conquer all!..remember Triathlon is made up of three disciplines...piece by piece the puzzle will come together...(how cliche) Alright I'm done babbling...thanks for stopping by.

-Turbo

TIP OF THE DAY:
Take a piece of paper out and right down the three most important things that you want to accomplish. (Whether that be, get out of the bed that you are currently laying in while reading this, or to run 8 miles)..Write it down and cross each thing off as you get them done...At the end of the day reflect...

(I love lists, I'll make them about everything...I use a moleskin and that things goes just about everywhere with me..even on my bike a lot of the times...you just never know when inspiration is going to strike.)

Friday, October 16, 2009

Its Friday...It's Finally Here, Placid Here I Come!

Good Morning Everyone!

I've been up since about 3 this morning prepping my bike and packing everything up for the trip to Lake Placid today. You may ask Matt, why the hell are you up so early? I'd answer, because I've slept like a bizzillion hours these week bc I got sick and I just can't stay in my bed staring at my alarm clock and longer, plus there is a ton of stuff I can read and catch up on. You may also be asking youself, "Matt, Why are you so damn excited about going to Lake Placid?" Well, to that I say because its sweet, and I get to ride my bike all weekend in a BEAUTIFUL place, which just so happens to have a little event in July that I'll be partaking in...AND GET THIS..I don't have to be a public accountant today! I will not have to answer any business emails or do any number crunching! It's been a long last month and a half and I am thrilled to have a day off....SO THAT'S WHY I AM HAPPY ABOUT TODAY!...and oh yeah as I sit here drinking my Starbucks VIA..maybe they will sponsor me someday! I think to myself that tomorrow morning I won't have to! I'll be sitting in the Lake Placid Starbucks a little later in the morning, no need to get up at 4:30 tomorrow unless I can't sleep, since I have 1 objective and that's to ride my bike and run..and I want to do this at the warmest time of the day, needless to say that's not going to be at 5AM...so tomorrow morning I'll have some fresh buck's by my side. I plan on typing away at my blog while I sit nestled in a cozy chair looking out at the sleepy town coming to life...I cannot wait!

I jotted some things down yesterday in my handy dandy moleskin notebook that I am not to be found without about my past week. It was pretty stressful. I got sick and work really stressed me out. However, its never as bad as it seems and I got through it alright. But reflecting on it last night I thought about yesterday in particular. I really kicked butt yesterday. I was finally feeling better and I got stuff done. Like Kramer says I was TCB'n all day long. Anyways it was a good day, all before 7:45am I was able to go to the gym and do some light lifting, get my car photo inspected (why? I don't really understand but when you get an email and phone call from your insurance company saying you need to do this by 10/14/09 and it was 10/15/09 at this point, or else your car will be un-insured and you are liable for anything that happens...well you just kinda have to get it done..and the man at Brighton Collision was nice enough to do this for me at the crack of dawn..well at least the crack of dawn for him. Then I had to go to CVS to pick up a prescription, and in between this I made it to Wegman's to pick up some food for the day since I had to be out at a Client's site working on their Consolidation for Q3 all day. And I did work hard all day..I got a lot of stuff done and was actually able to understand most of what I was doing..this made me unbelievable happy and made the day go by a lot quicker than normal. It really does make all the difference in the world when your actually engaged in the stuff your doing.

You are probably sitting there reading this intently and thinking Matt..you should reward yourself for conquering such a long and difficult week filled with sickness, stress, turmoil, and self questioning....TO THAT I SAY HIZZZZAHHH!! (That's for your CJ, I hope your reading this or that quote just meant nothing, lol...insert Arrested Development reference here for those who don't get it) I did reward myself. Did I really deserve it? Nah prolly not but one can only stare at something so long on the internet, and since all I do is work on a computer all day...well the Oakley website draws me in. I customized some cool shades recently and I finally decided to pull the trigger. They should be coming in 10-15 business days, and you can definitely expect pictures when they get here....yey! I'm such a materialist person...but I am getting better, I have recently been liquidating all the crap around my APT that I don't need and never will use..whether this is by donating clothing to the needy since I'll never wear it (might as well deck out some needy peeps in A&F clothing I wore in high school), or selling stuff on Craig's List, which is probably the best thing every! No fee's, local buyers pick up there own stuff so no shipping, and its always CASH..which is king as we all know, or at least now you do! So I am learning how to buy only the things that truly apply to my lifestyle..unfortunately I have decided to throw myself into a sport called Triathlon where people buy the newest and coolest on a regular basis. Thus this is a difficult battle for me..I'll just keep paying the bills and always hope theirs enough to cover. I can't say that I am really in a savings mode..I'll throw some cash in the savings account but usually it comes out after a while when I want something..like say a new bike...but whatever I'm young and I want to do the things I love..I have a 401k at work that takes money from me every paycheck without me knowing and I have some money coming back to me in taxes..and I have some great parents who will support me if I ever decide bankruptcy is my thing (JK!...well hopefully, hahaha) but seriously I'm not in trouble or anything and I do have some savings..just in case (I mean common I AM AN ACCOUNTANT...be that a very unusual one..but I still have a little bit of money smarts in me..not a lot, but some :)

So if anyone is still reading this..THANK YOU YOUR AWESOME AND NEXT TIME YOU SEE ME I WILL BUY U A CUP OF COFFEE you can hold me to that!

And I just wanted to throw one more shout out to my parents! They are the ABSOLUTE BEST! I mean who else would say "Matt, we want to go on a weekend trip like we used to do when you were in school" FYI..every Columbus Day we would go on a trip, usually to the NorthEasterly Region and enjoy a weekend getaway..just the three of us...IT WAS GREAT, loved every minute of those days. So when they wanted to that again and were gracious enough to get the hotel and everything..WELL COUNT ME IN! So off we are tomorrow back to Lake Placid..I think the last time we were there was when I was about 12..we saw the Harlem Globetrotters Play and I got to skate on the rink. I am really looking foward to the weekend ahead. Sure I'll poke at my Dad and keep him on his toes...I can't let the old man off that easily but its all in good fun. I'm just really lucky to have parents who want to take me places still...bc when it comes down to it they are taking me on a trip so that I can ride my bike and run around in a beautiful training facility called the lake placid region. Its really cool! You should all do it :)

Alright I'm done...off to the Gym for a quick lift and then its time for a nice JOGGING session with my good buddy Josh! We will both be rocking Newtons today, I think I've got him hooked. I am even going to be purchasing him a pair at the Fallen Arch in Placid later today when I pick up my pair that I reserved last week..see what did I tell you WE TRIATHLETES ARE ALWAYS BUYING STUFF....

Tip of the day: Go outside and ride your bike..even if its just for a couple minutes..I guarantee this will brighten your day! Or just think of me and that will brighten your day as well. (I guess I shouldn't really say that bc I have like one woman who reads this blog and the rest are dudes and I don't know if I want dudes thinking about me in ways that "brighten their day"...but whatever..if it makes you happy than it can't be that bad, is that Sheryl Crow Quote?...im done..gotta go I'm starting to question myself more and more.... :)

"big gulps huh...see ya later"

-Turbo Curbo (TC) you all must refer to me as either Turbo or "TC"...no this does not stand for too cool...I will only answer to this, otherwise your at your own risk if you want a response from me...seriously I bet no one is reading this anymore..this was a really long post..I just can't stop writing this morning for some reason...DONE!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

10.15.09

I hate being sick, its the absolute worst. All your plans get messed up and it makes everything harder. With that said, I am feeling well this morning. I have probably slept between 24-26 hours in the last two days. Why?..because when the body wants to rest, you must let it. Thats tough thing to learn and in the past I might have tried to push through. For example, yesterday I was feeling a lot better and I probably could have made it through a training ride, run, or lift...however my body was still recovering(as evidenced by the fact that I slept from 6:30pm-4:30am) and it most likely would have only set me back further. So with that said I am going to try and lift some weights this morning...nothing crazy, just enough to get the blood flowing. I'm just really hoping that I'll be all ready to go come Saturday in Lake Placid!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

10.14.09 - When Sickness Strikes

This was from what I wrote yesterday morning...before this dreaded seasonal flu/cold decided to kick my butt...

I ended up leaving work at 2pm and spending the rest of the day/night/this morning in bed...Im back here at work..its about 9am now..Hopefully my 18 hours of sleep will do me good...and I am going to be a good boy and follow my instructions and not do anything else today either. I am going to get my work done here in the office and then follow that by planting myself in my bed again. I guess on the bright side of all this is that I didn't lose my appetite...I've been eating like crazy..lots of great wegmans soup..(much thanks to my dad who brought me soup, ginger ale, and cranberry juice last night)...and this morning I scrounged my way through my kitchen to make eggs and a big bowl of oatmeal, and coffee of course....

I guess sometimes when the body wants rest...it really wants it and its going to do whatever it takes to get you in your bed.

So without further ado...here is what I planned on doing yesterday before I was seriously side-tracked:


Alright then, I'm back for round two since this mornings post had to be brief....

This mornings Indoor Spin went pretty well considering how crappy my night was. I think I waged a war against my sickness last night...it was a battle but I believe I slugged out a victory (unlike the Red Sox).

On tap for the rest of the day: I have a weight workout scheduled today and I should be able to get that done after work as long as they don't keep me here any longer than I should be. Then after the weights I have another session of Yoga for Athletes at 7:30. Yoga for athletes' is a really cool concept that my coach Mary has created. Mary teamed up with another woman and created this class which incorporates a quick and efficient yoga practice for the "on-the-go" athletes along with a class that teaches us about proper nutrition and how to best fuel ourselves for the activities that we do. So its kind of a busy day but I think it will go well, just as long as I don't crash b/c of this cold thingy...(I am looking forward to another juice bar drink at the Yoga Place :)

As for last night...even though I wasn't feeling great I still went to my first "real" yoga class at Breath in Pittsford. It was a power vinyase style class in a heated room..maybe the additional sweating helped me get the bad toxins out?..and probably passed my disease onto the others...lets hope not! Plus I drank and ate every fruit and veggie I could get my hands on... Getting back on track, The Yoga class was really cool. I think that this is going to keep me very flexible and limber which should translate into minimal injuries throughout training and racing (at least that's the hope)

Switching gears back to Triathlon and the 2010 season..I started to do some research in regards to the times that I would need to achieve in order to say place at IMLP. The only 18-24 Age Group Male to earn a Kona Spot last year had a time of 9:41...which is lightning fast! That's definitely a goal..but who knows how long it may take to obtain that goal....The good news though is that the internet is a very powerful tool and because of this I found out who this guy was..and how old he is, among other things... like now I know his twitter account and stuff like that...and oh yeah he's a member of the same triathlon team as my Coach (QT2), which is pretty nuts! So whats the good news you ask? He's 24 (right now, which means he will not be in my age group next year. This is very nice to know...not saying I really have a shot at the kind of time he put up @ the current moment...but who knows...This thought process reminds me of something I recently heard and really liked..and I know I will not do this person justice because I will not be able to quote it exactly as it was said, but it was something like this "we were told a long time ago, probably when you were in grade school that dreaming was bad...you may have been caught daydreaming in class and consequently rudely disrupted by the teacher who told you to pay attention and stop thinking about your dreams, your aspirations and instead focus on the arithmetic that was on the chalk board"...So many times in everyday life you are told to bear down and grit your teeth through something you don't want to do. This may be in your job, where you have to deal with the pressures of bosses, seniors, deadlines...your constantly dealing with stuff...stuff that overall is just really clutter. Your stresses rattle around inside your head and drive you crazy. Instead of living for the moment and doing things as they come up you are to worried about not getting something done that you miss the opportunities that are in front of you RIGHT NOW! Is it to cliche to say "live in the NOW"..ya it probably is but I will leave it in here anyways. So you know what? I am going to dream..I'm going to think about the things that I WANT...that I wish I could achieve...and at the same time I am going to live in the now by taking it one day at a time...this way I won't be pushed off-course because I got scared of how hard it might be. Sure a 112 mile bike ride might seem long..but the 5 mile downhill descent is fun?..and then its just a flat straight road for a while...next thing you know you've done 30 miles...and you know what...soon after that you'll have done 60 miles...next thing you know your over half way done...MIGHT AS WELL FINISH THE JOB!

10.13.09

Well its Tuesday. Just a quick post this morning. I think I'll be doing a two for tuesday thing here with a better one coming later in the day.

Right now I am in the midst of a heated battle. My immune system is fighting hard to kick the crap out of some virus/flu/cold..or whatever..my throats been hurting, my nose is like a faucet..yada yada...anyways it was a rough nights sleep but I don't feel awful today so thats a plus, hopefully the throat thing will go away, thats the worse! I just don't want to be this weekend in Placid!

So for now I'm going to try to get on the trainer and see how it feels.

-MjC

I wrote this yesterday when I was watching Mad Men:
Alright soo I admit it. I am addicted to Mad Men. I love the show...but 10pm on Sunday night is not an hour I see with my eyes open. However, I have this great thing called a sling box which lets me steal my parents cable. So, I just tape it on their dvr back in good ole PY and when I get around to it during the week I catch up on the tv I missed. I don't necessarily have a lot of time nor tv show to catch up on but it makes for something nice to watch while eating breakfast or dinner...but never at work..that would be unethical. Anyways I just watched a part that was just to funny not to let everyone know about...Ok so Don Draper the main character has been awoken by Connie Hilton of Hilton Hotels about a work related matter. This keeps Don up and he eventually decides on going to work in the middle of the night because he claims he can't sleep anymore. Anyway he is driving along and stumbles across the young new school teacher in town who just happens to be JOGGING in the middle of the night. Don then asks her..what are you doing? (Dummy..she's jogging for excercise)...then "Can I give you a ride to where you are going? (Her repsonse: Im going home but the point of jogging is that im going to run there)...and then finally to coax her into his car he asks the sweaty runner.."do you smoke"...by which she then joins him in his car..haha its just funny!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Monday = Recovery


Good Morning Once Again.

I am a bit tardy in my posting time today due to the fact that today is my "Rest" Day. Since the weekends are such a a beautiful gift that is bestowed upon me each week, I utilize them to my full advantage. Unlike most tweens, teens and 20 somethings that are sleeping in until the afternoon...I am up when they are getting in from their late nights. I love being able to complete multiple training sessions at my leisure, go to barnes and noble and read all the magazines without having to spend money and buy them :), which is one of my favorite past times, especially since the TRI magazines are all like 10 bucks, have a meal with a friend and catch up on the week...its just nice. Usually with work and getting training in their is about a 1 hr window of free time which I use up by posting this blog and waking up/guzzling coffee, in the morning and another hour at night which is filled up by scavenging for whatever food I can find for dinner. So today the alarm went off at 6:09..yeah you caught me I snoozed it once, its just to enciting not to when it is a "rest day." However, I do not encourage the snooze approach when talking about alarms..I have been meaning to post about sleep and changing sleep habits but that will be saved for another time, probably later this week.

Soo...I do not necessarily have a specific topic to talk about today but I will say that this is the beginning of an Awesome week! I have taken Friday off from work and will be heading up to Lake Placid for the Weekend! The parents (or as I like to call them my Financial Backers/Support Team/Investors/groupies/2 person Fan Club) wanted to go on an old fashioned high school Columbus Day weekend getaway to the Northeast, ala one week belated so we could avoid the high school mess of tourists FYI I was kind of an only child..more about that at another time..so due to that fact I was royaly spoled. I was able to travel a lot and do a lot of cool things, and some of the best trips we ever took was to places like Placid, Freeports Maine, etc etc.

So...naturally I had suggested Placid a while back for various reasons...the beauty of the area, etc etc...and oh yeah the fact that I am going to be BUSTING MY ASS THEIR THIS COMING JULY!!!!! So when they told me the reservations were set I was fully on-board. I have received my training workouts for the trip now and I am pumped to get ready for them! On tap is one loop around the bike course which should be around 3 hrs for me (barring a blizzard, YES there has been a call for Snow in the forecast..I checked weather.com yesterday) at a nice steady pace...nothing to fast (I did however put my aero wheels, aeolus 6.5's on the tri bike to see what they are like, this will be the first time I've used them, and the last time i'll use them this year). The one loop is going to be followed by a short run off the bike...I absolutely can't wait for Saturday!!!! Then on Sunday I have a top secret Bike training planned...its a covert bike ride that is being made so I can analyze specific parts of the course...I cannot say anything more...I have promised my coach that I will keep the code of secrecy...Team Train this has secrets...secrets that are the likes of the ones the Mason's have...If I were to reveal these secrets they would all at once rock your world and enlighten you to an extend where you would not know how to handle it...it would probably be to much....so in order to maintain my code of secrecy and save your minds from becoming boggled and your legs from exploding...I will keep my lips sealed, trust me..its for your own good.

One other thing about Placid, and this reaffirms my nuttyness. I love my Newton shoes...the ones on the right side of this page that Craig Alexander rocks..and theirs a store in Placid that sells them..which is rare because only a handful of stores actually sell these, mostly you have to order them and wait..blah blah blah. But back in August the good people of "The Fallen Arch" let me test drive a pair of Newtons and I have not looked back since. A full review of why I love these shoes is on the list for posting topics. Anyways bc I am nuts I have already placed a call to the store to put on hold a new pair or trainers. They have been nice enouch to oblige and I can't wait to pick them up...ahh to plan your vacations around the places where you want to buy things...im weird...but I did get one of my friends to convert..or at least try to convert to Newtons..he has asked me to pick him up a pair while I am there..yeee...maybe Newton will hire me as a sales rep! I'd be there in a NY minute!!...if only I had more than 5 followers...but at least the 5 followers that I have our loyal and dedicated (YOU BETTER BE!) just kidding.....kinda

BACK ON TRACK-->
Placid's gonna be sweeeet! And tonight I have YOGA! I think this is going to become a regular part of my training...a nice way to get my stretching in and keep nice a limber.....AND BECOME AS BIG AS ARNOLD (just kidding, Mary doesn't promote the use of steroids in the offseason...)! Plus Mary has stated that she is going to punish me during this...I can only imagine the poses and the lengths I will have to hold them (see the above image for Mary's torture tactics)...I'm thinking that I will be used as a model for the class (appropriate since this will be my second time really doing yoga) and that she will repeatedly rip me apart for the enjoyment of the class who will be composed of 33rd degree YOGI who hail from India and who just happen to be spending the Columbus Day Holiday in Pittsford, NY and who MANAGED to stumble upon Mary's class at Breath by "accident."


Sign of the Apocolypse: I think I can know name off and describe in detail more about the top Male Triathlete's than my favorite Boston Red Sox Players...RIP 2009 Red Sox...you guys got worked by the Angels this past week, not that I was able to catch much of the games...hmmm I wonder what this means? I mean baseball is and always will be my first love, I was decent at it, had a great time playing it until college, etc. etc...but if I could do it over again would I instead have done cross country? or swam? As I reflect on this I sure wish I had..but then again I might have burned myself out and never regained the passion that I have for these sports NOW...plus the three disiplines of Triathlon were not really encouraged in any way, shape or form where I grew up. I pretty much would have been made fun (might as well of changed my name to Weaver and become a Menonite) of till I cried If I chose to ride my bike every day instead of playing football....which I DON'T regret at all FOOTBALL was AWESOME, I loved every minute of High School Football...from practices to games it was the best! So whatever, I'm where I am at now because of the many decisions I made...I think I have ended up in a good place..the only thing left is to see where the road leads next. I am hoping for some really cool new adventures in the future! I'm ready so destiny, if your listening...BRING 'EM ON!

Tip of The Day: Utilize all the free podcasts that are on iTunes! Simply stated you can get them at a great price (free) and their such a nice way to spend time in the car, or at your desk. My favorites are Bill Simmons (The Sports Guy - BS Report), Mark Marons "WTF", Tri Talk with David Warden...which I am listening to at the present moment. Tri Talk in specific has some great tips..the dude can be a bit of a dork sometimes but his analysis and studies are interesting and if your into Triathlon you'll appreciate it.