Sunday, January 31, 2010

Another Day, Another Multi-Tasking Adventure Completed

Recovery spin for 40 on the trainer, 1 hr swim at the Y, 1.5hr run on the "dread-mill" at Midtown before 11am = awesome. I even slept in until 6:15AM.

Worked at the office until 7:45PM = not awesome, not even close to awesome.

Now all my clothes are still smelly and my apartments still a mess.

The treadmill run was brutal today. I think I stopped about 10 times during the 1.5 hrs to go to the drinking fountain or pee. The treadmill is just not fun. i still exert some effort during my spurt but I just need a change of scenery. Watching the tv in front of me just doesn't do it. Oh well, regardless it was a good workout and capped off a good morning of training and ultimately I ran on the treadmill because I wanted to. I wanted to keep my legs in shape and my fitness in tact so that when I am outside I am ready to go and ready to dominate! haha

Well a new week is upon us. January is gone...which is a good thing in my books. It was a rough month. I am still staying positive, Im just glad were moving on towards spring..very glad.

One more thing. Has anyone else discovered the new show "Spartacus" on STARZ. I found it in the podcast section of iTunes. Don't get me wrong its a really cool "300'is" tv series. All about battle's and its got gladiator fighting and all that good stuff, but to my surprise it had a lot of well...nudity. I just found that odd that it was on iTunes for basically anyone to watch. Isn't there like restrictions on that kind of stuff? Good show though...


Time to finish dinner and hit the sack.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Words of Wisdom while on a Bike Trainer

Its been a good day. A day that started out at 4am and is quickly coming to and end as it is now nearing 7PM. Even though I had to work 9-5 I am still maintaining a positive attitude because good things are on the horizon! Plus I was able to spend three hours on the saddle before 8am. It took me two movies but the motivation was consistent and I was super stoked to stay strong on the pedals the entire time.

While I was on the bike I took action on an idea that I have been toying around with. I love to listen to podcasts so I thought that I would do something similar to that by recording myself and my thoughts on my iPhone recorder while I was on the bike, and like everyday stuff when I am about. Today I have about 3 minutes worth of 1 liners and random thoughts. We shall see what comes of this. Let me know what you think and maybe I will try to incorporate more of this and hey, why not a podcast someday! Or maybe if someone special has iChat we could hook the macs up and talk/watch each other while we ride. Now that would be pretty awesome!

Without further ado I bring to you,...Random Ramblings from a Tri Guy
(Occured while watching "The Flying Scotsman" and "Spirit of Marathon", both rented via iTunes)

"Life is about Journey's and what better journey than to test your physical limits because when it comes down to it as human beings our physical natures, its what were made up of, its not about the jobs that we do, its about us, the people we are and the people we live with. And internally we battle with ourselves. So what better than to test the limits of our physical and mental endurance"

"People love to talk about what they do and how they do it, whether that person is just running 1 mile for the first time or if they are getting ready for a marathon. People love the challenge, its something that they can hang their hat on. It gets them through the grind of work, the ups and downs of everyday life. It's a free high...minus the entry fee (I chuckled at this point, to myself, which is weird). So my question is, Is their a difference between COMPLETING and COMPETING?"

"I'm watching a great movie and their was just a comment made that was "Why do I run a marathon? I run it for the t-shirt"

"Don't say your not built to race a triathlon or run a marathon. Your just build to race/run it a certain way. Maybe thats the not the way that the fastest people run it, but its YOUR way and thats what matters."

"My new trainer kicks butt...yeeehooo" Yes I actually made this comment into my recorder. I just got a new fluid2 trainer last night and its very nice..and smooth...and quiet.

"Funny how when you get into an indoor bike ride, ecspecially when your on an indoor trainer by yourself watching a movie, listening to music, how hard the first 20-40 minutes are just hard to begin with and now im almost 2 hours into it, im in my power zone 2, which is my endurance zone where I can keep it here for a long time, you know the first hour it was hard to keep it in the high 80 cadence but nowit feels like I am hardly trying but I am still in the high 80's low 90's. I love this sport."

"Here's something that just popped into my head. When your running long distances or biking long distances, try to LOSE a few miles. Trick your body into thinking your only doing 20 or 22 miles instead of 26.2."

Well folks, that was it. A solid 3 minutes of mindless chit chat while on the trainer....

Time for some Hulu (Simpsons) and then getting to bed early.

-Night

Friday, January 29, 2010

Finally Friday

Another long and tough week is coming to an end. I am very glad that I will be getting to bed around 8:30 tonight, the sleep will really help. As the long tough winter continues I am required to be working all weekend. Therefore the nice 3hr trainer ride I have set up for tomorrow now becomes an early AM hammerfest. Another 4am wake up for this guy, not even a break on the weekend...winter sucks. And i won't be able to go to masters swim class either...I've sure missed seeing all those guys, hopefully I will be able to get back to that come March...only 4 more weeks of audit hell...then I get to dabble in tax. At least I will have a permanent desk and more or less know my hours.

Enough of my whining, I'm going to finish the rest of my tasty wegmans salad bar meal and pick out an iTunes movie to watch while I ride on my new Cycleops trainer tomorrow morning...oh yeah, New toy in the house. I am extremely grateful to my good buddy Josh who has let me use his own trainer all winter. It was super nice of him to lend it to me and help get me started on my cycling path. He will be traveling south at the end of Feb to crank out big mileage outside so he needs to get his legs in shape. i am very jealous that I cannot join him. But at least when he comes back he will be in the mood to start cranking out some mileage on the roads. I can't wait!!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

The Long Days of Winter

My days are long. 4 AM comes early. And 10pm comes to soon. I can't wait until I am able to go to bed at 8pm again.

I love being up at 4 though. Its peaceful, It's mine.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Is it Spring yet?

It's not easy...nothing worth while is.

Monday, January 25, 2010

25 days later

25 days in 2010. January is almost done. Monday is almost over. I am 1 more day closer to Texas. Every day is a day closer to spring. Every day completed is one more day closer to the busy season of accounting being finished..one step at a time.

need sleep..g'night

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Sunday

It's Sunday morning. The hot water has been boiled and the Starbucks Via instant coffee has been stirred in. It is about 6:30 and I am getting ready to head outside and get an hour run in before the rest of the world gets up and going. I love training in the mornings when things aren't as busy as the rest of the day. People are inside sleeping, the roads are not packed with cars...it is usually calm and peaceful out. I love it.

The run was rough today. My numbers were on par with the usual but I had some serious GI issues...just didn't feel right. I came home and gorged on cereal, eggs, an english muffin, and milk. I think I am tired and rest is a must.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

1/23/2010...

The knot in my stomach has finally subsided. Today was a Saturday yet still I had to go into work this morning. Although this was not the ideal place I wanted to be I was there none the less. I put in some good time in the morning and was able to get out around 12:45. Prior to going into work at 8:30, I was able to get some good training miles under my belt. An hour on the trainer followed by a 40 min got me on the right track. It really was a nice morning, a bit crisp out but overall it was just pleasant. Not windy, no snow, clean streets. It really doesn't get any better than starting the day out with some great exercise. After work I headed directly to the Y for what was planned to be an hour swim. However after about 30 min and 1400 yards I had to call it quits. I had a SPLITTING headache and I was just straight bonking. This past week had finally caught up to me. The stress, lack of sleep, extended traveling and all while keeping on track with my training because I WANT TO..not because I have to. Anyway, I just needed to call it a day. So I headed home, drank a shake and took about a 1:15 nap. I woke up with my headache gone and feeling a bit refreshed. After getting myself in order I packed up my things and loaded the outback for the trip back to PY. I was really hoping that I would be able to get back to PY tonight as it would allow me to just relax, not think about work. Overall, just let me get my life in order. It's given me the chance to catch up on my blog, clean out and organize my bike and swim bags, shop at Wegman's, watch TV with my dad, wash my clothes, organize my workout clothes for the next day. Basically all the things that I usually find the time to do when I work regular hours but as this time of the year is so damn hectic I really need this time. I need a day off tomorrow for the sake of my mental and physical health. So there you have it, I am back in PY tonight feeling really relaxed. I have an hour run planned tomorrow and I think its going to be an absolutely glorious run. Not only because its going to be REALLY nice out(temps in the 40's expected)but because I am going to rested up and in a good mind set.

Well continuing my night of recovery and regrouping, I am going to finish this blog, update my trainingpeaks log with my training and eating from today, and possibly buy some triathlon cycling shoes. I have been searching for a pair that would suit my needs and I believe I have found just such a pair. Here is what I am looking at --> Mavic Helium Tri Shoes.

If anyone has any other suggestions on Tri shoes or any other piece of Triathlon apparel/gear/gadgets....I am all ears and would love to hear what you have to say.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Finally

Its before 9pm and I'm going to bed. FINALLY! I am not even going to try and write anything else. I need sleep and I need it badly. Up early to hit the pool, then to work for a while, then getting back on the horse for a 1hr spin and 40 min run. I can't wait to swim, bike, and run tomorrow!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

D-I-N-O-S-A-UR A dinosaur

Alright, time for a breather. The last two weeks have been well..interesting. I have so much to write about but so little time at the moment. The past 24 hrs have gone by like this. Worked till 11:45 last night after driving home from Syracuse where I worked all day. Slept till 4:30, hit the pool, during mid workout I rec'd an email saying I had to go back to Syracuse to do more work, raced home after swim, rode my bike for 30 min inside, (its now about 7am). Dressed and drank some milk, drove to Syracuse with a pit stop on thruway for the bathroom and water/gum/odwalla protein bar ie breakfast. Had a day from hell, hardly had anything to eat (1 because I was just miserable, 2 because I just didn't bring anything) made it through the day somehow, drove home. Went to Wegmans and spent my travel allowance on a huge salad bar dinner...fav thing ever. Came home and ate a ton of vege's. Trying to make up for the rest of the days caloric deficiency. Worked to 11:40 and now I'm posting this before I head to sleep. But it will get better this I know, even though tomorrow I am going onto another year end client...but at least its in Rochester. I am going to sleep until about 5ish and get up and ride my bike, nothing to hard but it will be enough...enough to get me moving and keep me happy. Alright time to get that quality sleep in...Much much more to come when I get some time to myself.....

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

One step back...two steps forward

So works been rough these past 2 weeks, but I'm getting through it. Definitely have had a lot of changing of plans but I am dealing with it better now. I took the day off from training. This was pretty much a forced rest day because late in the day yesterday I found out I had to be in Syracuse another day for work. Which would have normally been fine with me since my family is here and I love being with them at their home, but since I had not planned on staying in Syracuse longer than Monday morning I just was not prepared. I had not brought any extra clothing, food, and most importantly my running shoes and bike. I like things structured and I like having my plans set ahead of time. So when stuff like this happens I freak for a while, its just my coping mechanism. Well eventually I got over it and decided to take a step back and try to salvage the situation. So after a long day of work yesterday I took today off of training, slept in a little later and made my way through the work day. Once again, late in the afternoon I was informed that I was going to need to stay in Syracuse for another day. I handled it better this time. I still am going to have to wear the same pants to work tomorrow and hopefully bum a polo off my brother in law. Regardless I am going to make it through. I'm even going to take the opportunity and swim with Cusetri at the local Y since I am now officially a YMCA member at the Pittsford branch.

I am making the best of the situation and trying hard to keep a good positive attitude. I try my best but sometimes the world just seems like its all coming down on you. Its not though its just testing your will power, seeing if you can roll with the punches. Luckily I have a good support system around me who got me through the tough times. Deep down I know that I can make it through anything but when in the heat of the action its tough to remember that and the people around you can really make a world of difference. So thanks.

Well it looks like my work is done today so I am going to take advantage of that and get some sleep...after I finish these tasty brussel sprouts I purchased at Wegmans..mmmm mmmm good!

-G'night

Sunday, January 17, 2010

The Marathon of Life

Regardless of the journey that we have all taken this past week we are finally at the end of it, or at the beginning of a new one, however you want to look at it. And isn't that the beauty of life, everything can always be turned upside down and seen a different way. A bad situation to one person is a learning experience to another. All to many times I find myself worrying and stressing about something when really there is no need. Taking a moment to step back and see the big picture can calm nerves and clear minds. Along my life journey that I am on right now, I am in a career that constantly challenges my mental toughness. Whether this is good or bad really cannot be known yet, but either way I am developing skills that are not only industry applicable but skills that will prepare me to take on the future endeavors that I undertake. It seems to me that often the real meaning behind a task is not what it seems on the outside. For example, yes I am an auditor and I audit the financial records of companies. However, the real takeaway of this job is not to truly learn how to test a certain area within a Company but to learn about that company, about its people. People are in business to stay in business and if you aren't working to build and sustain relationships than you might as well kiss your contract with those people goodbye. This leads me to my personal dilemma. I am but small, very young fish in a big sea dominated by old fish. These old fish have been there a long time, they are set in their ways and have developed their own routines. Even though they have been through what I am going through, most of them either have forgotten or do not really care to remember because they have other things to worry about. I guess this leads me my original point that for me personally I need to remind myself that everyone goes through the same things, the same challenges. Its the people who can find ways to deal with them and turn the challenges into opportunities. So often in my own experience this is a hard task when your not really 100% on board with what your doing. None the less I am in a good place that has exponential opportunities if I am to seek them out. I am very close to a turn in the road. I still have many miles left in the marathon that is my life but I am about to hit a point where I will either pick up the pace or settle in for the long haul. My bet is that I will step it up and start churning those legs a bit faster. Time will tell. One thing I know for sure is that 2010 is going to be big year for me. Beyond work, I have so many great things happenings. It's going to be very, very interesting.



and whose to say that I can't reach my goals, no matter how Big they are.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Long day

Time: 4:45
Date: 1/16/2010

Its pitch dark and below freezing outside but its bright and warm in my apartment. I'm up early on this Saturday in order to get a 2.5 hr trainer ride in. My work is forcing me to be in the office all day and coming home to a 2.5hr ride is not something I want on my mind all day while I am in the office, and for all I know I could be there well into the night and the thought of missing a workout on a weekend day...well that just sickens me. So, I am up. I've made my breakfast shake that consists of a scoop of protein, a banana, ice, water, and a tbsp of flax seeds which is complemented with a refreshing cup of Starbucks Instant VIA coffee, EXTRA BOLD this morning because I am feeling so BOLD today, and as a bonus since my ride is over 2hrs I am enjoying a tasty bagel!!! Mmmmmmm CARBS!

In order to commemorate my first "Longish" indoor ride of the year I have rented the movie "Hurt Locker" from iTunes. Its a little over 2 hours so it will get me most of the way through the workout. I think some music or arrested development will take me home over the last half an hour. This movie is being hailed as one of the top 3 movies of 2009, and I am very excited to see it since I missed it when it was out in the theaters this summer. Has anyone seen it yet? Opinions? I'll post my review tomorrow.

So, its been a long day. Up at 4:15 and at the office until 8 tonight. I'm wiped! Time to get some dinner in and get to bed. LONG RUN in the morning tomorrow!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Ummm.....yeah

My apologies for the lack of a post yesterday. I had a bunch of training in the morning I wanted to get in, work was long, yada yada. Anyway, day 15 of the New Year was the first to really eat at me. I could go on and on about it but I won't be we don't need to hear me whine and moan...its over, nothing left to do but put a smile on and trudge forward. FYI...basically today was a sucky day because its 9 at night and I am back in Rochester and will be in the office all day tomorrow, instead of being on my bike next to cusetri in his basement hammering out a 2.5hr ride...I will be riding alone in my apartment tomorrow morning instead...nuff said..I'll sleep this off and wake up happy, no worries

G'night...BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS TOMORROW!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Swimming, Lifting, & Working

I got up a little after 4 today so that I could pack all the stuff that I would need for the day. Since I had run out of Starbucks instant coffee I had decided the night before that I would instead take off from my sisters house earlier than normal and stop at a nearby gas station for some coffee on my way to the YMCA where I would meet CUSETRI for a swim and lift. This worked out pretty well. I grabbed a cup of coffee from the gas station and then had a few minutes to relax and read the latest triathlon magazine.

Our swim workout today was less intense than my usual swim workouts and was a very welcome change of pace as it allowed me to really focus in on my stoke. I really truly enojoyed being in the pool today. I was not pressured by making times or anything, I just felt like I was really playing in the water...and loving every minute of it. After the pool workout cusetri and I pumped some iron...be jealous...were both huge and lift lots of weight..hhaha

As I sit here now I am watching the Syracuse basketball game and trying to relax before I hit the sack. Its another big morning with an hour on the bike and 45 minutes of putting one foot in front of the other...I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Tuesday Gone...

Well its Wednesday morning and I had a great swim and weight workout with Cusetri this morning at his local YMCA. Yesterday was a jam packed day with great training in the morning and a lot of work that took me right up to about 9pm. Hopefully I will have some time this evening to work on a better post for ya'll.

Have a good day!

Monday, January 11, 2010

January 11th..A New Week Begins

Well its almost 9pm and I am sitting in my sisters guest bedroom about to hit the sack. It was certainly a busy day. I was swimming with my good buddy Mike at the Y around 545 and immediately after I raced back to my sisters house (abiding the speed limit of course...dad) and jumped on my bike for what turned out to be a condensed 20 minute Time Trial to get some power readings for my bike since I just go a hold of a powertap on my wheel! So very cool. I still got the 20 minute TT in but instead of warming up for 20 minutes I only did for 10 and I cooled down for 5 instead of 20...the days was just moving by to quickly and I had to get to work by 9. I somehow made it to work on time and had a long day in the office. That brings me to about now. I grabbed some food at Wegmans on the way home and ate the while I did some laundry here at the Hotel La Shipman. Now its off to bed so that I can wake up good and early and have another awesome day.

See you tomorrow.

-Matt

Sunday, January 10, 2010

A Sunday Stroll

I love the weekends..I mean who doesn't? As always, I was up around 5:30 AM even though I could have slept in until about 9. However, my biological clock had me up and ready to rock. So, I listened to my body, got out of bed, and started doing some things around the house like packing for the week ahead and getting all my clothing ready for the race that ran in today.

Today I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to run with my Coach, Mary www.ironmomma.com. Mary herself has her own coach since she is a member of the QT2 Triathlon Team. Her Coach planned for her to run at around a 7:30 pace for the 4mi race today. Since I am always looking for opportunities to train with other people, (training by yourself just gets sooo boring)I jumped at the chance to join Mary at the race. So we were off... to get a nice 4mile run in while at the same time nail Mary's goal time of 29:30! We just about nailed her overall goal time of 29:30 with a 29:27, pretty darn near dead on perfect in my opinion! The race was definitely a CHILLY one, with the temperature around 5 degrees at start time. None the less after a nice 10 minute warm up and some glove changing, we were both ready to go. We started out pretty fast and had to back it off to maintain a 7:15 mile 1. Then from there on out we pretty much maintained a pace that was around 7:20-7:30. The course allowed for a nice 2 mile loop that had a slight hill that peaked at around 1 mile and then was downhill for most of the second mile. Bar none, the best part of the race was when I looked over at Mary, who had put her sunglasses up on her hat, and she had developed what I would call "icicles" on her eyelashes, and a nice snow dusting on her eyebrows. It was hilarious, she looked like she had been trekking to the top of Mt. Everest or something.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention...arch nemesis Matt Kellman showed up to the race and promptly went on to destroy the competition as he coasted to a victory at Polarcats #3. Congrats old man, relish the victory...and know that I'm coming for you!! Haha..just kidding! It was good to see Matt today, and extremely funny to see him hiding behind a snowbank in the parking lot taking a leak about 2 minutes before the start.

Matt, Mary, and I Post Race

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Flew By

Wow, my Saturday ended up flying by really fast. I had intended on taking some time to work on a good blog post but instead met up with my cousin in the afternoon at Pittsford Plaza. We ended up watching Team America at his place and then by the time I got back It was time for bed.

Besides the fact that I was able to Swim, Bike, and Run today...I also was able to pick up my newly customized rear wheel that now includes a Powertap! Yes, that's right! I know have Power!!! I am super excited to start training with power. I will likely experiment with my new tool tomorrow and will share my first experiences. It couldn't have been finished at a better time seeing as how I will be in Syracuse all next week and will love having a new toy to play with while Im on the trainer their in the mornings.

So now to bed, I have a 4 mi race tomorrow morning where I am going to help pace a friend, should be a chilly GOOD time!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Commit to your Plan

Are you ready to take it to next level?

I was listening to a podcast from Competitor Radio today and wanted to write about the interview they did with Jarrod Shoemaker who is making his name known on the ITU circuit.
Basically Jarrod made the point that in order to do well and in his case WIN a race, you need to Try and Win...you can fail but if you don't at least try then your probably not even going to come close.

more to come tomorrow....

Thursday, January 7, 2010

A day of Rest

And on the 7th day the good coach Eggers told Matthew to rest.

Yes, today was a rest day. Today was a day that allowed me to sleep in to the ridiculous time of 7:45, which was very much needed since I was out until about 10:30 last night seeing Avatar at the IMAX theater. In regards to the movie I will say this. You need to see this movie at the IMAX theater or at least in 3D, watching this on a regular screen would just not do it justice. The movie is visually stunning, an absolute "Experience." As for the plot and acting, well it wasn't as bad as I thought...but it wasn't great. None the less the story does not take away from the absolute awesomeness of watching this movie on a big IMAX screen or in 3D. So overall I would have to say it was a pretty darn good movie and I had a really good time watching it. If the movie theater hadn't been like 99 degrees it would have been even better, I am not kidding I think I sweated more than I do on my indoor trainer, lol!

I must say that to know in advance that you are taking the day off from training activities is a really great mental break. I think it helps to just know that you have the whole day to do whatever, catch up on sleep, work a little later to keep the boss men happy, do some overdue laundry, do some dry cleaning...yada yada.

Well, as for the rest of the night..I had the nice surprise of finding out that the parents are going to be in town tonight. Which means that I will be getting a dinner out of this thing! Woohoo, its looking like the Cheesecake Factory or else the stand-by Wegmans.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Wacky Wednesday

For me, there is nothing like waking up early and getting a head-start on the day ahead. Some people can wake up and be out the door in 5 minutes, I am just not one of those people. I like to prepare myself, to get my thoughts in order. Waking up early allows me to get a bunch of the little things done that make me feel a lot better about starting the rest of my day. When training in the morning, waking up early allows me to make some breakfast, drink some coffee, check the news, put the dishes in the dishwasher for once, and most importantly allows me to wake up!...before I get on the trainer, or head out on the roads to run, or head to the pool for a swim....and oh yeah, then go to work. I really do think that the early AM waking up process is essential to my training and overall mental well-being. I spend a lot of time training, so why not get the most out of every workout. Obviously you can't train at race level everyday but I still like to be 100% even when I'm training at say 80%...if that makes sense to you..it does to me!

Well here I am again, sitting at Starbucks. As I entered the coffee shop today I was happy to see that a fellow PwC employee was enjoying some time out of the office. It's always nice to see people from the office in their "natural" element. The corporate atmosphere can really drown out people's personality and its refreshing to be able to converse on a more "real" level. So we chatted for a while about our vacations, how work was going, what kind of jobs were coming up, movies that we had recently seen. And speaking of that, I am happy to say that I am going to be going to see Avatar at the IMAX theater tonight with my cousin. Since tomorrow is a complete rest day for me in terms of training (meaning I can sleep in until about 8am), I am going to the 7pm showing. I am very excited to see this movie because of the rave reviews in regards to the special effects..and to see it on the IMAX platform will be really awesome!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Tubular Tuesday

Wow...we are already 5 days into the new year. As I sit in the Wegmans cafe above the glorious Pittsford Wegman's grocery store I can't help but think about how I always find myself struggling to "fit it all in". Their really does not seem to be enough hours in the day. Whenever I have time off from work or free time to do whatever, I never seem to be able to get in everything I want to do...I just always get caught up in something. I might wake up bright and early with the whole day ahead of me, with plans of getting a spin or jog in, reading a book in a big comfy chair at Barnes and Noble...or whatever. Low and behold the day just flies by and the next thing I know its already 8 at night and I need to start thinking about getting to sleep so I can rise at my desired hour. I guess the winter darkness has something to do with my mood about this because in the summer their just seems to be soo much more time...more time to ride a bike outside. I mean I remember getting out of work at 6pm and getting to a friends house at 645, and then we rode from 7-9PM...and it was still kind of light out when we were finished. I guess its like bonus time, a whole other time to get things done...I can't wait for the Spring to arrive and the days to get longer. At least we are on the other side of the winter solstice now.

Anyway, that was just a random thought that was bouncing around in my head.

Well tonight the plan is to make my way over to MCC (hopefully traffic allows this, its kind of nasty out in Rochester tonight) and get some swimming in. I am happy to say that I believe I have caught up on a bit of sleep and feel more energetic than yesterday. Yesterday seemed to be a little bit of a downer in terms of energy level, most likely stemming from the busy weekend I had. The swim workout won't be to intense though, just a nice easy workout with the hopes of getting to bed after. If all goes as planned I will have a nice recovery week. Tomorrow's game plan is a nice hour spin...easy, and a 30 minute jog, which will most likely be done on the treadmill :(. The good news is that I do not have to be into work super early so I should be able to sleep in until a reasonable hour (around 6 ish)and still get my spinning and running in. Its that kind of thing that makes me happy. And then after those 2 workouts I am off until Friday. Thursday has been prescribed as a DAY OFF. I think I will either make my way back to PY to see my parents or make plans with my cousin to see Avatar at the IMAX theater. We tried to go the IMAX movie on Sunday night but it was SOLD OUT at 2pm. Can you believe that? The movie has been out over 2 weeks and it was still selling out in advance...craziness!

This has been a bit of a scatterbrained post. For that I apologize, but I am trying to eat some food and get headed to MCC at the same time. So for now I gotta run to make it to the pool on time. I may add some more to this tonight, and I may not..time will tell I guess.

Off to the pool!

Later

-Matt

I'm at the pool playing on my iPhone...blogging on the fly, pretty darn cool!

Monday, January 4, 2010

Day 4 of 2010

Can't talk long because its late and I need to get some rest.

To summarize my day...I had to go back to work today...yuck! Having time off during the holidays was so awesome and felt like I was back in college. Today was like going back to school after summer break, you all know how that is.

I at least had yoga tonight so that kept me feeling good.

Tired now though..so goodnight.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

A Splishy Splashy Kind of Day

Day number three of twenty ten was a day that blessed me with lots of training! Today was my masters swim team's Annual New Years Day 10,000 yard workout. It was a pretty cool morning in the pool, lots of people showed up to practice and their was definitely an abundance of extra energy around the pool. 3 hours later I had swum over 8000 yards. It honestly felt like nothing...the time flew by sooo quickly. The big guns got their 10,000 yards in but I could not have been happier with my time in the pool. My fellow teammates even congratulated me on the 8,000 yards...it was super nice of them! It really is special when you feel a part of something.

The second part of my training today was less spectacular. An hour and ten minutes on the treadmill with a stomach ache the whole time is not to cool. I stopped for a few minutes to let my stomach settle and that seemed to help. Anywho, I finished what I started out to do...even the running on the treadmill is well..about as fun as a trip to the dentist.

To reward myself for a good week of training and a good Sunday in particular I enjoyed two slices of my favorite pizza from Great Northern Pizza (Cheeseless Veggie on Wheat with extra sauce...and boy were their a ton of veggies, and my absolute favorite Eggplant and Roasted Red Peppers on Wheat...soo good!) I was able to enjoy these slices with none other than my cuz Brian at his place as we watched "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". I think he was open to watch this during the afternoon since he was trying to "Forget the NY Giants".

So now its about 6:30 at night. My cuz and I are both sitting on his couch playing on our own respective computers...weird right? Haha but I wanted to get a blog post out there so I could get to sleep kinda early after watching the new Simpsons episode tonight. But before that I am going to continue to catch up on Arrested Development, it turns out that my cousin owns the entire collection...now I can watch all the episodes without commercials...cool.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Dia Numero Dos

2 days used up, 363 available. This morning I awoke in the Curbeau Realty Real Estate Office for the first time since I was 12 years old. Even though I was sleeping on a small air mattress with the noise of a highway outside my window, I slept great. I think the comfort level of being in a cozy place with people you love makes all the difference. All week while I was at my apartment I was having a tough time sleeping even though I was doing a lot of activity during the day and should have been tired. Still something was off. Hopefully now I can keep the good vibes flowing as I am now back at my bachelor pad.

As for the rest of the day, I can honestly say that it was a very good one. My mom and I paid a visit to Dunkin Donuts around 8AM and had out coffee and chatted for a while. Then we headed back to the office where we caught up with my late rising father for breakfast. I had a piece of my left over salmon from the night before when my mom and I went to a local restaurant for dinner, pretty good breakfast! My dad and I then proceed to watch some old Rocky and Bullwinkle episodes on hulu since my dad is going through tv withdrawal because the office does not have cable. Although I believe he is working on getting a Direct TV connection which I hope will include Universal Sports Network so I can hook up my slingbox and watch Ironman events on cable tv. Once I got my things together and the laundry was all done I headed back to Rochester to hop on my bike for a 2hr trainer ride. On my way to Rochester I picked up a new canister of Gatorade Endurance drink mix. I figured since this will be the drink served at all the Ironman sponsored events that I should start training with it so I can "feed" off the course. I used it today and it tasted quite nice. Less intense than regular gatorade but it still has that familiar Gatorade taste that I have known since I was just a wee youngster. I alsp grabbed the Twilight movie at Blockbuster to give me something to watch while spinning away on the bike. As I just finished the first Twilight Saga book...(ok but not great) it at least kept my attention, nothing to write home about though, so thats why I'll stop talking about it now. After the bike I got all dressed for the outdoors to tackle a short 30 min run. Boy was it cold and nasty out. I looked like a creature out of a Star Wars movie with the ski mask and backlava and ski mask thingy with the nose hole...plus I had on yak tracks..I was just a walking robot looking thing. The bright side of this was that I was really warm...yet less mobile that usual and the amount of snow on the sidewalks/roads definitely made things slow going. However, this was a good thing I didn't need to go fast at all today. I just needed a nice easy run.

After the workouts I headed to Wegmans for my customary Salad Bar dinner...so freaking good.. (so much for that food challenge thingy where I said I would try to curb my Wegmans addiction, at least I can honestly say that this is a very healthy addiction)...Plus it was movie night and Alvin and the Chipmunks were on, so I settled in to eat my dinner and watch cartoons with the rest of the children...and their parents, haha. After that I headed over to Barnes and Noble and read some of the book "When the Game was Ours" which chronicles the careers of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. The book was co-written by both of these men, as well as another author who i assume was the one who actually did all the writing. Anyway, it seems to be a good read. Im about 100 pages in an enjoying it very much, however I don't really feel the need to spend $30 bucks on the book so I am going to be content with reading it at Barnes and Noble. I frequent the store regularly and they have really comfy chairs, so I should be able to polish the book off in the next couple of weeks.

Thats about it for now. I am enjoying some nice apple slices and PB while watching Arrested Development - Season 2 before I hit the sack.

Tomorrow is the New Years Day SwimAthon at RIT. My masters group has like a 10,000 yard workout or something crazy planned...we shall see how far I make it tomorrow...at least I get to eat a big and hearty breakfast and lunch :) haha

Night all!

-Matt

Friday, January 1, 2010

1 (Great) Day Down, 364 Amazing One's to Come!

Good by Zero's, Hello 10's. It's kind of weird when you think that 100 years ago it was the start of the 1910's. When I think of the 1910's I just think about how long ago that was, how different the world was, how the Red Sox were still a dominating force that would soon take on a slump that lasted the better part of a Century. Well today were are officially in the Twenty-ten's. When the generations to come look back on New Years day 2100...they might think wow...the 2010's...how different the world was back then...back when Great Grandpa Matt was roaming around. I wonder if people will still be riding bikes around or if we will have fully integrated into the Back to the Future Generation where hover boards are all the rage. I'd kill for a hover board like Marty McFly had. These are the things that run through my head on a daily basis. Strange, weird...maybe...but it seems normal to me :) Then again my normal is my own and no one else's, and its all the better that way.

Ahh, to wake up at 6am well rested and refreshed, gotta love it! I've got my Starbucks Via in my new traveler tumbler that I received from my mom, and I am watching the last few episodes Arrested Development, so my morning is going well. Oh yeah, by the way Happy New Year!

It's 8AM and I am sitting at Starbucks playing on my computer. Mostly at Xtranormal.com where you can create these little internet videos where you write the script. It's pretty funny. I'll try and post one that I have been messing around with. In the mean time here are a couple of funny triathlon ones. One of my favorite lines is in Race Report 2 where it is discussed in more length how the triathletes bike is so fast that Michael J Fox will need it in Back to the Future 4. So watch that one and listen for that line..its a good one!

Race Report 1
Race Report 2
Race Report 3

I also threw together a little one myself. This was a spur of the moment creation. In the future I hope to create more with new and improved dialogue's.
--> http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/5894557/

Onward to today's re-cap. Its almost 6pm and I am now located in Penn Yan, NY at my parents Office/Temp-home during the moving/building phase. I grew up in this Real Estate Office for the better part of my youth (until I was 13 years old), so it has a certain sentimental place in my heart. My mom has done a good job of sprucing the place up and it is actually quite cozy. My dirty laundry (mainly lycra and spandex) is being washed in the basement, I am sitting on comfy living room chair, and the wireless is flowing freely. There is even a little blow up air-bed in my old room upstairs...tonight might just resurrect some old time memories!

All in all the one main thought that has been going through my head today was, "One Day at a Time." I guess this is because it has been such a great day. A day which I will go into more detail shortly, that was absolutely amazing. Its one day down and three hundred and sixty four to go. I have every intention of having a great year. Last year was well...different I'd have to say. Don't get me wrong I had some serious High's...Family Trip to Kona, Passed the CPA exam, fell in love with Triathlon, met a whole bunch of new friends that I truly cherish. Wow, looking back at just that last sentence I am ashamed of myself. Last year wasn't just "different" it was freaking awesome. I guess the cloud of test taking really bogged me down. It really wasn't until June that I was able to free myself of the oppression. The tests were finally passed and the bike riding began. New friendships were created and a passion for cycling began. A new path of triathlon was forged. I jumped head first into this life and I love it...I love every freaking second of it! I could go on and on about this all and I probably will in the coming month as the busy season of an accountant will test my will to stay positive. However I am going to take it one day at a time. I had a great first day of the new year and I have every intention of having a great 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and so on. If I am able to stop myself every day and think about how I can make this day the best I will be all the better for it. Something I need to work on is remembering that there is always tomorrow. I wish/hope my fellow colleague's at work will feel this way as well. Sometimes I think that my co-workers strive to far. They push themselves beyond what's good for them. Yes, work is important and a good job is to be done, ALWAYS! However, performance will drop if motivation and happiness are lost. Their needs to be a sense of importance to a job to inspire hard and dedicated work. If work becomes an absolute hell that one must subject them to everyday, well what's the point. Their have been times when I have awoken and just felt crappy. Crappy about the day ahead. I absolutely hate this feeling and intend to work hard to not encounter this in the new year. I have way to much going for me. Their are races ahead of me, travel ahead of me, and most importantly there are friendships ahead of me. I can't wait to start taking these trips and going to race weekends. I can't get enough of them. It's going to be soooo fun to head to Texas in April! I will be making my way down their with new friends who are as psyched about the journey ahead as me. I am sure will return with many, many stories. And then their is the summer...the summer that will bring more races, more training camps, more race weekends. It's just great. I am going to sail through this busy season because I have a goal ahead of me, a goal that is in-sight. I apologize if this whole blog has been a self-motivating blurb but I guess it is helping me create a clear path to the future. Those who are around me will thank me for my better mood because of this, haha.

Oh yeah before I leave you all for the night. (I am going to head down to a local restaurant and have dinner with my Momma!) I just wanted to say how great it was to see all my new friends that I have made at the New Years Resolution Race this morning in Mendon Ponds. I know that personally I had an absolute blast running around the park. It felt effortless to me today. I attribute that feeling directly to the greatest coach I could have ever stumbled upon to begin what I hope will be a long and fruitful triathlon career (Thanks to Jay Hollister for pointing me in the right direction), Mary Eggers , her blog. It was pretty cool that for the last mile and a half I ran with a guy who I noticed was the first person who I ever talked to at my very first running race last April (or late March, I can't remember the exact date), Anyway he was the first guy I talked to at that 5K a while ago, he had on a Boston Marathon jacket that I thought was super cool, and yada yada..it was just cool. So there I am today running with him during the last part of the race, and we were running and a pretty good clip, it was really neat to be at "his level" or whatever you want to call it. So after the race I found him and told him I had remembered him from a run last year and blah blah...good guy! I also saw so many other people who have entered my life, a friend of my older brothers who now lives in Rochester and is always running (Joey), three amazing people that I have met through Masters Swimming class (Bruce, Dana, and Denise), a kid the same age as me who is constantly beating my brains in at these races (Phil), a bunch of fellow train-this teammates. How cool! I know truly feel that I am in "the community", when I go to races like these I always know someone, I always feel welcome...can't get any better than that! Plus, I now know where Don's house is in Mendon Ponds, so the next time I lock myself out of my car I can just high tail it over to his place instead of hoping luck is on my side and my parents are in Rochester and then waiting in the Men's bathroom to get out of the cold...HAHAHAHA