I'm Still With You Folks

I am currently coming to you from my desk at work. In between all the work I am doing I do in fact take some time to grab a quick bite to eat here and there. So my productivity is certainly not lacking I am just taking a quick breather.

With that said, I just wanted to check in with everyone and let you guys know that everything is good. I apologize for the lack of posts lately, its just been pretty hectic around here. Lots of things to do and not enough hours to do them in. Between getting the training I want to get done, working, and trying to see the family, I just simply haven't had much time to reflect on what's been going on. And to tell you the truth I'd rather watch a movie in peace with my family (like I did with my sister and two nephews on Sat night, we watched Enchanted - you know the one where it starts as a cartoon and then moves to a real life movie with McDreamy from Grey's Anatomy as the Star, totally a kiddie movie but like my sister I found it hilarious and we were both laughing the whole time) than typing away at my laptop since that's essentially what I do all day at work, sometimes you just need a break, plus I have been jotting down notes on my moleskin as I sometimes like to just reflect on whats going on by keeping a physical journal. If I do get some time to spend on my blog and website I really am trying to get this podcast thing going because its just so darn cool. Which leads me to ask, has anyone visited my website? Its at -->http://web.me.com/mattcurbeau

Check it out if you have a second and let me know what you think.

Over the last week I've been dealing with some issues with my left leg. Still sore as heck but I am still able to train hard. It's a weird pain that's just kind of persistent, hopefully ice and no running until Sunday will cure my ailments.

Gotta go for now....catch ya later

-Matt

New Site

Check out the new site --> This is going to be where all the new postings and Podcasts will be coming to, check it out!

http://web.me.com/mattcurbeau

This is what I live for.

This is what it is all about for me. It's Saturday morning at 6am and I am sitting at a coffee shop getting ready for the day by downing coffee, eating a bagel, and tapping away at my laptop. It's a training day and I am going to be on the bike for 5 hours today....AWESOME. The weather is supposed to be great but thats really just icing on the cake, I'm just glad to be out of work and on my bike.

As for the actual bike ride, I am going to be joined by probably the coolest dude ever, Mike Norton. He is a friend of Scott Likly's, the owner of my favorite bike shop ever, Towpath bike in Pittsford, and an all-around awesome guy. Last night I was fortunate enough to be invited over to his house for dinner with his family. It was awesome, Mike made an awesome dinner of Shrimp and Pasta with Broccoli and caesar salad...soooo good. Any person that cooks me up a boatload of broccoli knows their way to my heart. I am always very honored when someone invites me into their house. Its really special to me able to be a part of their family for the night, I mean I was able to meet both his wife and son. His son is such a cool little guy, smart as heck and a Spiderman freak! Ha..he had a spiderman costume and was running all around pretending to shoot string on me, its was great. The kid can also ride to! He's got a couple great little bikes and he totally rocks it. Watch out for him! So yeah, last night was great, it was truly a treat to be invited over, kinda like living in a hotel or being on vacation for a night because lets face it when your 23, work in public accounting, and live in a 1 bedroom apartment, well lets just say that its not the cleanest place in the world. I really need to attack that place someday...but for now their are more pressing matters like getting out on the road and mashing some pedals.

Well then, about 10 after 6 now. I must say that the Bruggers Bagel store in Bushnell's Basin is an A+. The lady that served me was super nice and a great benefit of being an early riser is that the coffee was freshly brewed and the blueberry bagel was literally hot off the press...delicious!

As some of you may know I am currently working on creating a new website utilizing my iWeb mac program. This will allow me to post my blogs to this site as well as create Podcasts using another mac program. The podcast programs is really cool and will be a lot of fun to use. Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I will have some more time to work on this and there will be some new podcasts up to play around with.

Alright, Im out for now but don't worry I shall return. I have lots more to talk about including a bunch of new gear I recently picked up for my bike that will enable me to stay hydrated and well fueled on training and race days alike.

Have a great day everyone!

-Matt

Audio Version - Trial 1.0

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=6a522cbfe8&view=att&th=12766e707f989f37&attid=0.1&disp=attd&zw


Hey if anyone is checking this out, let me know if your able to download this file. I am playing around with my recorded on my iPhone trying to see if I can podcast via the blog. I believe it will download to iTunes. Let me know!

Train This Total Domination "T3D"

T3D the new motto. Live this. Believe this. Train This.

What an absolutely amazing day! The concept of a team is quite an exceptional thing. Today was a truly a day where the aspect of a team could been seen. In my past I have been on many teams. Little League, Flag Football, Highschool Baseball, College Baseball, but there is just so much more to it when you are on a team where the people are sacrificing themselves daily to the sport. As a person with a triathlon addiction, a job is a necessary thing. Let's face it, they don't pay out to 30th place at most races in the age-group category. Thus, most age-group teams are composed of people who on a daily basis wake up before dawn and workout, go to work and bust their butt, and then go workout some more after the work day is over. And oh by the way, what are they doing on their weekends? They are training 6+ hours a day because the whole day is theirs! So anyway, back on point. It's just a pretty awesome thing to be on a team where you know everyone is giving their all and they are all on board. Since this is triathlon we are all competing individually, but here's where the benefit of the team things comes in. For instance, whom I talking to the night before/morinng of the race. My team. Who do I meet up with before the race to get a quick warm up run in with? My Team. Who do I cheer for during the race? My team. Who cheers for me when I see them on the course? My team. That by far is the COOLEST THING EVER. As I am still meeting all the faces in the running/triathlon game it means the world to me to see people I know when I am out racing. Who needs a caffeine boost when you can get a natural adrenaline kick from your friends. Seriously, todays race was a prime example of why an out and back course is cool. Everyone on the team was able to see and cheer for everyone, during the race! So cool!

So all in all it was just great. Great to be a part of something where everyone is driven towards the same thing. Each of us has our own peronsal goals but collectively we help each other achieve those. It's one thing to feel good about your performance, and by all means that is probably the most important thing because at the end of the day you can't lie to yourself. But on the other hand when goals are reached and achievements are obtained, it is just the absolute RITZ to be able to share them with people who truly care. People who understand each others dedication and understand how that person who just hit their goal feels.

So to all the people who got out there today and ran in the Johnny's 5 Miler...Awesome Job today. Here's your roll call people --> http://pcrtiming.com/racedata/2010/03/green/GREENOVR.HTM

As a special shout out to my teammates who ALL hit their goals today! GREAT FREAKING JOB!

Our team rocks. Check out this sweet email that Coach Mary sent to us, team unity right here! T3D!

We had an amazing day at Johnny's. Everyone, and I mean everyone executed their race plans without fail. It was one of those days where as a coach I almost cried. I was so incredibly proud of be a part of this.

As usual I left out some names, I will have results up on the site tomorrow:

Matt (I believe Matt was second overall female :-)
Alexa
Ken
Don
Chris
mark Shaw
Eddy Clark
Kim Ammon

We saw many many great friends there, Kellmans, Sarah, Jeremy was even spotted, Mike Dunn, too many to even count. It was soooooo crowded and soooo much fun!

Congrats to Gretchen who ran a great 5K in florida this am!

Go CORONA! He swam in the ocean today for the first time. awesome!




Oh yeah...and another cool thing about this race...I was able to run with a family member, a team member, a co-worker, a coach, fellow Penn Yan Natives, and new friends i just made...you just don't get to do that everyday!

and if I may add one more tid bit. Check out the new Triathlete Magazine next time your at Wegmans or Barnes and Noble or anywhere that carries a good selection of magazines...my man crush is gracing the cover. Yes, I said Man Crush. I can't hide it..he's just to damn cool and I pretty much have copied him by wearing the same shoes and helmet as him..which are freaking sweet if i may say so myself (DMT cycling shoes, and a GIRO AERO Advantage 2 Helmet (White and Silver))..hahahaha

The Rest of Last Weekend...about a week late, haha

I had intended on saying a couple words about my Sunday..on Sunday, however the day just got away from me because it was so awesome, and well yesterday was pretty hellish at work so...there you have it.

What I had wanted to say was that Sunday was a BEAUTIFUL day filled with a whole bunch of awesome things. It all started out at about 5am when I woke up to get ready for my adventure ahead. Well actually if you get technical, it started at about 4am when I woke up and put down my pre-big training day breakfast, as I am trying to accllomate myself as best as possible to the race day meal that I will be eating. Currently that is:
1. Blueberry Bagel from Wegmans Bakery
2. 1 Scoop of Dymatize Protein
3. 1 Large Organic Banana

Recipe : Put a small amount of water in blender, add banana and protein, add ice, turn on blender and watch it puree the heck out of it while hopefully not waking the neighbors. Then eat bagel as you wish. I like to eat my un-toasted in its raw form, I just get more satisfaction out of them that way.

Getting back on track. My real day began at about 6:15 when I met up with fellow Train This teammates Kim and Ken to get a 45 min run in before the rest of the team arrived as we three had longer runs planned than the rest. Ken and I strode along together at a good clip, nothing heroic, just an easy pace to get the blood flowing. As we came back to the parking lot at Mendon Ponds we were met by the rest of the group who were heading out, and I had to go the bathroom! I thought I was going to have some nice transition time, but noooo. Anyway, I went the bathroom, got a gel, consumed the gel, and hit the road running...literally. As the rest of the team was plodding along nicely ahead of me I decided that I did not want to be way back so I must catch up. Well scrapping the prescribed hr zones I did my best impression of Craig Alexander and tracked down those rascal's who had beaten me out of T-2. The rest of the run went as planned. I backed off the pace and ran with the group until I had about a half hour left. At that point I picked up the pace and finished the last 30 min of my 1:45 run in zone 3 hr. I was pleased, it felt good!

The worst part about the whole day was that as I approached the parking lot to meet back up with the team I saw that everyone was standing around Kim's car..and glass was laying shattered everywhere.

I had written this on Tuesday and its now Friday so I've kind of forgotten what I was going to end this with. So with that...this post is cooked.

A quick word if I may..

I hope to have more time today to speak to you all, but in the mean time here is something I thought about while beginning work this morning.

I can't explain the exact circumstances that have led me to my state of mind, their could be many (a good nights rest, a good coffee in the morning, a good ride on the trainer, a good listen to the art of war)... but today I just feel good.

I know that there is a lot expected of me today and I have a lot of work to accomplish but I know that if I attack each task individually that in the many things will be completed. Here is my attempt at zen for the day. Coming straight from my head, this is original MJC:

"Each new day is like a snowflake, individually unique and beautiful, so stick out your tongue and swallow life up one flake at a time."


I hope you enjoy my thought for the day, I'd love to hear what you all think. I have lots of these kinds of zany things floating in my head. Additionally, if anyone knows someone that can get me into the journalism world drop me a line. :)

REBORN

Today was one of those days we all wish happened everyday. If there is some way that I can make this be my every day, well then I would be the happiest man in the world.

I was up and awake bright and early ready to tackle the world. Since I had a nice big day of training planned I made sure I woke up around 4:30ish to get a good breakfast of a bagel, scoop of protein, and a banana. After I ate Breakfast #1 I went back to bed until about 6:30AM. When I awoke for the second time (well actually probably like the 5th time..drinking a lot of water makes you make numerous trips the bathroom..nuff said). Anywho, I literally threw a sweatshirt on along with the pajama pants I was wearing, put on my sneaks, and headed out. On the way to MASTERS swim class, yes Master's! I am back in action with the RAMS swim team. Work had kept me away from the practices due to timing conflicts for the past couple of months, but no more! I am back and ready to get some work done! I need to improve my swim and its just the place to do it...but more about that later. On my way to swim practice I hit up starbucks for a nice little morning energy boost..loved it! then I headed into the office, but not for work. Instead I as picking up a couple packages that had arrived that included new swim goggles, a swim cap that has a smiley face on it, with the words "Have a Nice Day"..haha, and some fuel belt stuff. So after the quick pit stop at the office I was back on route to RIT for Master's Swim practice. I absolutely cannot tell you all how excited I was to be able to make it to the practice. It makes a world of difference to swim with a group of people, all who are awesome people, and all who want to be there...wanting to make themselves better swimmers. The Y has been a great tool for me, allowing me to stay in the water during these past couple of months, however I honestly can say that I have not been improving, swimming alone (usually on a lack of sleep) just isn't a good recipe. When swimming by yourself, and I saw by myself even though their are always people swimming around me...but its just not the same. At the Y everyone is doing there own thing and thus I am left alone to do a practice that I has been created for me. I will always do my drills and prescribed swims but it just takes a lot to do it. Whereas when at master's their is just a great vibe that really fosters development. Its just great..I guess that's the bottom line. As for the actual swim, that was great as well. As soon as I walked into the pool I knew it was going to be a good day. I walked in all smiles and immediately saw the living legend...BRUCE G! Yes, Bruce is quite the man. He is basically a fish that has the ability to walk and breath out of water, but I would have to say that he is much more at home below sea level. Prior to entering the pool Bruce and I squared off at our respective lanes and tried to loop or goggles on the banner that hangs across the pool from side to side. However we both failed to hook them, and thus missed out on our chance to get a free pass from practice (not that I would have taken it anyway). The rest of the workout was a great. All in all I spent an hour and a half in the pool and wouldn't have wanted to be any other place.

As for the rest of the day, I made the drive back home to get ready for a 4 hr bike that I had planned. Since it was so nice out I decided to do at least part of the ride outside on the Road. After a nice phone call with Towpath bike owner Scott Likly (who was on his way to Maine to watch his son compete in the Nordic Nationals Competition) I mounted up and headed to his shop where his friendly staff got me hooked up with a new tube in case of a flat (luckily I encountered no such flat). So about the bike ride, well for 2 hrs I made my way around Pittsford. Down main street, around SJFC, out to Mendon Ponds and back...basically just tooled around. After two hours of being outdoors I was beginning to get a little cold so I headed back inside to finish the rest of the workout on the trainer. The 3rd hour went good as I was able to keep my cadence above 90 in a good power zone, however during the 4th hour I tried to ramp up the intensity but just couldn't. None the less I gritted my teeth and put out as much power as I could even though it wasn't where I wanted it at. Still I got some good suffering in. I think my lack of power in hour four came from a variety of things but no excuses, no one wants to hear about those. After the four hours was complete I immediately jumped outside for a 30 min run of varying intensities. 10 min easy, 10 min med, 10 min hard. I was definitely feeling tired but it was still a successful run and I was very pleased.

Then after the workout for the first time I took and ice, or rather, a SNOW BATH. I filled the tub with cold water, added ice cubes from the fridge along with a pile of snow I took from outside. The cheap way to instead of buying those big ice bags at the gas station. The Northeast has to be good for something! I am writing this on Sunday after another great training day that ended with an ice bath and I can honestly say that they are a great training tool and really not bad at all. The worst part is the first 2 minutes, after that the next 13 (protocol, or at least from what I was told, is 15 minutes for an ice bath) aren't bad at all. So my suggestion is to just jump in and grit your teeth for a couple minutes, grab a magazine, or your phone, start twittering, or call someone and talk to them as your going through it. The benefits are supposedly worth every second of the ice bath. Now I have only taken 2 but from my experience after over 6 hours of training on Saturday I was still able to get up on Sunday at 5am and hit the roads at 6 for a 1:45 run that included some high intensity work. And I felt pretty good to boot. But more on Sunday to come.

Last little piece I wanted to mention about getting outside to ride yesterday was that it was COOL! I am sure that any person who has spent even a few minutes on a trainer indoors will say the same thing. But I have a couple examples of things that happened to me yesterday that illustrate just how cool it really is.
Example #1 - As I was riding in Mendon Ponds I happened upon a fellow cyclist who was up in the horizon. As I approached the cyclist (who I had never met or seen before) I decided that it would be nice to strike up a conversation. As I came along side we began to chat. 10 minutes later we parted ways both on a first name basis. That kind of great stuff just does not happen when you are cooped up in your house/apartment on your trainer. I love times like this, just chillin on the road talking about whatever...it doesn't get any better.
Example #2 - As I was making the turn back into Pittsford, low and behold who do I see driving the other way as she was leaving Yoga. None other than Team Train This Coach Mary Eggers. Pretty cool to just randomly see the person who made the workout for you as you are completing it, so great.

There are many more things i could say about getting to ride outdoors but it would just take to long and I need to get stuff done before I get myself to sleep early. (BTW, just so you know, writing this on my mac is really not cool now since as I just learned my computer has been insanely slow because Snow Leapord, the newest Mac Operating System takes up basically all my Memory while using a single application. i.e I can basically only be typing this without issue if there are no other programs running. Meaning no iTunes,no Hulu, no nothing. However, the nice dude at the Mac store told me where I could snag some extra Ram online. He showed me a great site which sells a gig of ram for about 30 bucks, and he even showed me how to install it..its really simple! So, if the shipping goes as planned I should have a much faster computer by Tuesday night. Can't wait. On the plus side he said that my 4 year old computer looked great and that it was just because my computer had the bare minimum ram, which was fine on the old OS but the new one was made for the newer computers. But its all good since my laptop even has an open slot where I can install the Ram to make it zippy quick. Gotta love Mac, any other PC would have been trashed about 3 years ago, but this Macbook Pro is going STRONG after about 4 years. Wooohooo.. I also had the chance to talk to the coolest Apple store Manager in the world (Frank at Eastview Mall) if by some crazy chance Steve Jobs scans every post that talks about apple, I say to you Mr Jobs, Frank deserves a raise because he is the man. Frank and I go way back, like seriously. I think he has been outfitting me with everything Mac since about 2006, he knows I'm a loyal customer and I really appreciate that. I will always be loyal to his store and the apple brand if for no other reason than for that fact that he has always hooked me up if things were broken or not working right, and he always remembers me. Anywho, we chatted about the new iPad that is coming out and both thought it was awesome (well he is kind of inclined to say so) but still he gives me his honest opinion, like when the 2nd gen iPhone came out, he was like don't get it, its not that much better and a new one will come out next year most likely. He was right, I listened and got the 3g when it came out the next summer and it was by far the best move. So I have confidence in what he says. Soooo on March 12th I will be pre-ordering the wifi version of the iPad, no 3g for me, I don't need another subscription to pay for. And by April 2nd or 3rd, I can't remember...the first Saturday in April...I will have a shiny new iPad that will allow me to among other things read books, magazines, and everything else during my travels that triathlon will take me this year, beginning with a trip to Texas on April 25th..its going to be awesome!

Out for now,

Matt

Stolen Bike and the Craziest 5 day Race Ever

First off, check this story out --> http://triathlon.competitor.com/2010/03/2010/03/news/craig-alexanders.

Craig Alexander, the reigning two time Ironman Champ had his 2 Orbea Tri Bikes stolen from his garage. Way to go burglers, your really going to be able to do a lot with that seeing how about 2 people on the whole continent of Australia actually have di2 shifters, and also way to go stealing a bike that has a special powermeter that only about him and Lance probably have. I'm sure their is going to be a huge market for these things. And judging by the publicity of the story, you have probably already been caught...but good job! But also we should not forget about Crowie...losing 2 bikes dude? Common, time to ramp up the security bro. I wanna see a small task force guarding your tri gear. But I understand, you were probably zonked out after a long day of training in your special ironman sleep mattress...I believe the T2...that you sponsor, along with those crazy things that look like something from NASA that you insist on putting around your legs. So in your defense I guess rest does truly take priority.

Next, check this race out...a buddy sent me this link..it is insane, and I love everything about it! -->http://www.epic5.com/