Jan

30

Coming Back from an Achilles Injury

Category: achilles tendinitis, training, trials and tribs | 2 Comments

I want to post a description of the micro-tear I sustained in my Achilles tendon last August, and of the steps I took to recover. I learned some good lessons and I hope they can be useful to other athletes (or, if nothing else, help others avoid the injury in the first place!). Part 1: What made me susceptible? Last summer I had a staph infection that forced me off the bike and out of the water for a few weeks. "No big deal, I'll just run!" I thought. I was very enthusiastic because I love running and I was seeing steady improvement in my training. I started thinking of a late-season marathon and began following the training plan described in ...
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Jan

27

I got in! I got in!

Category: Grad School, Grad School Applications, family, i'm moving here | 6 Comments

Last month, I finished my applications to 7 grad school programs in environmental policy/public policy/economics with a focus on environmental issues. Kinda broad, kinda not. Anyhow I was expecting to hear decisions in March, but this morning, as I was hemming and hawing and maximizing my downtime between masters swim practice and my long run, omg, I got an email! From the University of Colorado at Boulder! Saying I was accepted to their M.A. in Public Policy program and would I like to come visit at the end of February! (yes!) So that was exciting. Maybe I'll start hearing from my other programs soon. And after falling in love with Hawaii all over again, I'm toying with the idea of applying ...
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Jan

26

Pre-dawn conversations are my specialty

Category: i'm moving here, training | 6 Comments

I'm watching the Australian Open as I type this, by the time I'm done we'll probably know whether Roddick or Cilic wins. But, go Roddick! Yesterday my brother and I recorded the Saints-Vikings game to watch in the evening after we'd finished all the day's activities. In the final minute of the fourth quarter, the score was tied... and then the recorded show stopped. Suddenly all the shouts and yells resounding around the courtyard a few hours prior made sense. We missed the overtime completely, I logged on to Twitter and we were happy with the outcome. I really like being in Hawaii. Obviously the weather, the beaches, etc., are way better than Seattle this time of year, but the part ...
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Jan

23

Like those gentlemens there, I ask for help!

Category: anthropological research, in my opinion, trials and tribs | 6 Comments

So a couple weeks ago I went to the Ala Moana mall (which was the largest mall in america when it was built) to apply for a job at Banana Republic. Today I went in for my "group interview". (The only nice thing I have to say about this mall is it's across the street from the Taigraphx office. Other than that... There are sooo many people zombieing around, and so many places just selling utter shit. I can sort of understand when there are soooo many people walking around a giant mall in, say, southern Minneapolis at the current largest mall in america. No offense to Minnesotans at ...
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Jan

22

Oh to be fast enough that all I have to do is be fast…

Category: i'm moving here, training, trials and tribs | Leave a Comment

I'm not sure how many of you read both our blogs? Anyway yesterday, Ben left Honolulu for Maui. The trip was a distant possibility that turned into a sudden actuality, meaning we had about 24 hours notice that he was leaving and those hours were so packed with organizing and, well, packing, that I didn't have time to get sad about his departure until after he'd already left. Today I've done everything alone - hit snooze at 5 a.m., walked to swim practice in the dark, walked home from swim practice in the dark, made oatmeal, ran, napped, spent forever waking up from napping, tried to put on my own sunscreen (seemed to miss spots), went to the ...
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Jan

18

Magic Isle Biathlon Race Report

Category: Splish, Waikiki Swim Club, triathlon: views from the front lines | 5 Comments

Yesterday I raced the second biathlon in the Waikiki Swim Club's biathlon series. The Magic Isle Biathlon was on the same course as the Christmas Biathlon a couple of weeks ago, but the conditions were a lot better (less wind and more clouds) and it made for a fun morning. I succeeded in my goal to improve my times from the last race. I had the usual nervous pre-race thoughts of "oh my god my shin hurts, if I race I'll get injured, and I am so tired, I just want to go back to bed" without any big-race adrenaline to overpower them. Instead, I got myself fired up by thinking "5k PR! 5k PR!" which, given ...
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Jan

16

I know, I know, no one reads blogs on the weekend

Category: cool stuff, i'm moving here, training | Leave a Comment

Life as a semi-unemployed triathlete is as busy as ever ;) . My "free" time (which, I admit, basically all my time is free, I just choose to spend a lot of it exercising), anyway my "free" time has been dominated by my giant thank-you card project. In which I realized that, whoa, it's halfway through January already, and, whoa, just because my vacation is lasting a few months it doesn't mean that the holidays aren't over for everyone else, so, whoa, I better get cracking on my thank-you letters. And as usual, rather than just buying cards, I went out and dropped $50 at a nearby craft supply store and have been spending hours hand-cutting and gluing my own cards. ...
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Jan

11

Lazer Helmet Review: the Helium and Genesis Road Helmets

Category: Lazer Genesis, Lazer Helium, Lazer Helmets | Leave a Comment

Last month, I received two helmets from Lazer Helmets - a Genesis and a Helium. I really really like them both, so I'm posting a review for those of you who are in the market for a new helmet and/or are tired of the same old options. I've worn quite a few helmets over the years, including the Giro Atmos, Specialized Decibel (pictured above for comparison's sake), Bell, Rudy ...
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Jan

9

Vacation is over? Or endless summer?

Category: cool stuff, family, i'm moving here, training | 3 Comments

The holidays are indeed over - Mom left last week, my Dutch niece left after New Year's, little sis left on Tuesday, and I've stopped feeling the need to carry a camera everywhere I go. I'm settling into some semblance of a routine - Team Jet cycling practices are on Monday and Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings, and around that I am doing my own rides, runs, swims, and occasional glances on craigslist in search of another part-time gig. Before Christmas, I was swimming at the University of Hawaii Master's practices, but they are on a three-week hiatus that ends on January 18. Last week I was ...
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Jan

6

My “New Year” post

Category: Base Performance Nutrition, Winter Training, i'm moving here, training | 2 Comments

Actually, all I really want to say about the new year is that I updated my website! So, all of you who keep tabs on me via Google Reader and various RSS feeds, you're totally going to want to check out the real thing. The primary change is that I updated all my 2010 sponsor information. I've noted which products I use, and over the course of the year I will include various product reviews on my blog - I'm working on a review of my Lazer road helmets to publish later this week. Another thing you will notice is the 15% discount code, CBref15, for Base Performance Nutrition. If you haven't checked out their products, here ...
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