Never Stop Exploring

Updates

2012-01-26T19:43:00.001-08:00

So, I haven’t updated the blog much. I guess the biggest reason for this is that not much has happened. Well, nothing really exciting that is. Actually, now that I think of it: I gave a speech to about 70 triathletes about tips for their upcoming season, I got a deep tissue massage from Rebecka Pailian, I was interviewed at school about being a triathlete and dental student, and got selected to be a Gold Sponsored athlete for OnUrLeft for the second year in a row. So, I guess a lot has really been going on. So , I’ll use that as my excuse for not blogging so much.

Besides all that, I’ve just been real busy with school and training. It’s been a struggle to wake up, go to school all day, then shift my focus to get in some quality training sessions. It feels like I sit in class all day and all I think about is how much I wish I could be out training, but then right when I get out from school all I can think about is how hungry and tired I am. It’s amazing how the timing of a workout makes such a big difference in the way you mentally approach the workout. And the fact that training is 80% mental doesn’t help. I know it’s self inflicted, but it’s tough trying to be a professional at two things. Some thing always has to give, but surprisingly enough I’ve been managing a full school schedule as well as 16 hours of training per week. Ok enough of my pity party. It hasn’t been that bad, and having Sarah here has really made the difference. We’ve done a great job of working out together once a week, and having a date night once a week. She even took me to a cross-fit class last week. Ugh, when it comes to functional strength we are about equal (ok she may have more strength than me). Whatever. I can deal with that. This weekend we’re headed to Austin for a bridal shower and some beautiful riding weather, and watch the 3M half-Marathon. Can’t wait!

First Week Back

2012-01-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

Christmas break is always such a tease. Need I say more? It's so nice to not be on a schedule and being able to train when I want, wake up when I want, and eat when I want. Last week really kicked all that to the curbside and I had to get my butt in gear. In school, we instantly dove back in to clinics and classes. It seems as though it going to be a crunch semester. I've got to make sure that I get all my requirements done by May, pass all my exams, and complete a few projects, and if that's not enough I feel that I can officially say that my off season is over and my build up for Galveston has begun. It's an exciting but busy time. While it may be stressful at times, I'm just so happy to be where I am, at school, in training, and am looking forward to a great New Year with all the challenges that it brings. Thanks everyone for all the encouragement and hopefully I'll see yall out on the trails.

Lactate Threshold Testing

2011-12-29T21:50:00.000-08:00

This week I completed a bike and run lactate threshold testing (LT - for short). These tests have been described as "one of the most important physiological benchmarks for successful athletic training," and "Sports science research has proven that training within one's lactate threshold determined training zones is the most effective and efficient way of improving one's athletic ability." The main goal of the testing is to

Learn your true five training zones.

Determine your true maximum heart rate and power output/pace on the bike and the run.

If you have never had the test done its actually quite fun, except that you get poked w/a needle every 3 minutes so they can test your blood. By the end, my left fingers reminded me of minced meat, but I had hardly noticed it. The other thing is that they strap a mouth piece over your face to measure your O2 consumption. I felt like I was using a scuba rebreather. My results from the test really surprised me. I always thought that I was a good cyclist, but the test clearly showed me that I am a classic example of spending way too much time in the middle zones and not enough time either at an easy pace or a hard pace. So I've got to work on that. On the run, I had a more even curve and had a much higher O2 consumption, and I actually maxed out the speed on the treadmill that we were using. That felt pretty cool.

In addition to the LT testing, they also pointed out that my left foot slightly protinates to the left, which could be why the only times I have been injured (strained hamstring and knee pain) have only been on my left leg. To help prevent and correct this, they showed me different foam roller exercises and strength workouts. I also measured my BMR and found out how many calories I burn during working out. Overall the experience was eye opening. I found that on a normal day I burn aprox 2000 calories, but if you add in just an hour of working out that gets bumped up to 3000. So on some days when I'm working out 3-4 hours, I have to eat upwards of 5000 calories! Wow, I had no idea. I guess I need to eat up. I want to give a BIG THANKS to Terry and Kim who were the ones who administered and supervised the testing. They really are the best. Thanks again guys and I can't wait to implement these results into my training for 2012.

GU - 2012 Supporter

2011-12-27T15:01:00.000-08:00

I arrived home from Christmas in Katy to one more suprise. Well, actually 2. Sarah got me an Iphone Ironman phone cover and an Ironman umbrella (2 awesome gifts), the only problem is the iphone cover is for an iphone 4 and doesn't fit my iphone3. If anyone wants it, it's 20 bucks, otherwise I have to send it back or upgrade. Hmm - Maybe I should just upgrade. Anyways, the second surprise, was that I had received my order from Gu. Besides what I had ordered, they included a sample pack with all their flavors and products to try out and 3 boxes of GU Roctane Pineapple and GU Vanilla flavored (my faves!) I'm excited to have their support this year as they really are one of the best nutrition companies and is what I use to help me stayed fueled and hydrated during a race. Can't wait to start using my new goodies!

Near Perfect Training Week

2011-12-27T14:44:00.000-08:00

If there is such a thing, last week would come pretty damn close to it. I spent the week in and around Austin swimming, biking, and running. First off, I was pumped to get on my new Tri bike, a 2011 Cervelo P3! Thank you so much to Austin Tricyclist for doing such a great job in setting up the bike. It is a real beauty. At first I couldn't hold the aero position. It's been about 2 months since I've ridden in aero and my muscles had slowly atrophied away to where I could only hold the aero position for maybe 10 minutes at a time, but by Friday I had no trouble staying down. My favorite days of the week were Tuesday and Thursday. Each started with a FAST run workout, followed by a SLOW bike workout. Saddly, I could only participate for this one week, otherwise I would have loved to make these runs apart of my weekly routine. I would finish up the day with an easy swim at Big Stacy Pool. This is the only free pool that I know of open year round. The only issue is that it is a 33yd pool. That doesn't covert to anything easily for me so I always feel I am going so slow. The whole week just flew by and before I knew it, it was already time to head back to Katy for Christmas. All I had was 20 miles left to reach 200 miles for the week, but strong winds, cold, and then non-stop rain for 2 days kept me inside. In the end, it worked out well. I read the Girl with a Dragon Tatoo in 2 days, and had a great Christmas with my family. I hope everyone else is having a great Christmas Break! Merry Christmas

Houston Triathlon Summit

2011-12-18T19:15:00.000-08:00

So I just got back from a two day tri clinic with the world renowned triathlete, Andy Potts and his coach. This was not a training camp of sorts, it focused more on training/racing, goal setting, and technique. It was an awesome clinic put on by OnUrLeft/OnUrMark coach and race director Aaron Palion. Some parts I felt were geared more towards the beginner triathlete, but I definitely learned a ton. Sometimes its so much easier just to be able to ask a question without having to search the internet for hours to find the best answer. Hopefully this becomes a yearly addition to the OnUrMark events that can grow into something more like a conference with vendors and additional speakers in the futures. I left with tons of new knowledge I can’t wait to apply to my training this next season. Below is kind of a step by step account of what the weekend consisted of. If you like you can continue reading, or just stop here (you won’t hurt my feelings)

The first morning, when we checked in, we were greeted w/the best goodie bag ever. Some of Andy’s sponsors (Powerbar, HoneyMilk, and Nathan) really stepped up and donated tons of goodies. The first morning focused on swimming, and for good reason. Andy is one of the 3 fastest swimmers in the sport and is typically always the first out of the water at any race. Despite coming from a swimming background, he still spends a large portion of his training focusing on the swim. This is a common thread I am finding among the pros is that they focus equal amounts of time to every sport even if they are already strong in that area so that they can gain as much of a gap as possible between them and their opponents. So after a brief intro, we all headed down to the pool where we went over specific drills and really worked on feeling the water. Plus we got to see Andy swim! While we only probably swam 400m, I really felt like I gained more from that than any swim session that I could do by myself. That afternoon got a little technical for me discussing training and racing goals, heart rate training zones, work:rest ratios and feedback loops for training. Andy and his coach rely heavily on constant feedback and are big proponents of always training w/HR, watts, and pace for his training schedule. While I would like incorporate this more (and plan to) into my daily workouts, I’m glad that’s not the only thing Muddy focuses on. We then did a spin class workout consisting of a 1:1 work/rest ratio. Afterwards, we followed Andy through his weight routine. It’s not a lot of weights (focusing mainly on legs and core) but he emphasized how triathletes are definitely lacking in this area and I agree (myself included). We rounded out the day with a Q and A session. When I got home, it felt like I was returning home from Halloween w/my bag of goodies and proceded to dump it all out on the floor to better analyze what I had gotten.

The next day again focused on swimming in the morning with more drills and wetsuit tips. I actually swam w/my wetsuit in the pool for 200m. Never done that before. Afterwards, Jussi, Mark, and myself were able to squeeze in quick 10x100 set while everyone was changing. It was then more Q and A. We also had Memorial Herman Sports Science institute come talk to us about the importance of getting your LT and VO2 Max tested with them (which I’m doing the week after Christmas) and the other services they offer. We finished up the day with a treadmill run. Again we followed a sample workout from what Andy does in his training (although he does it at a much faster pace). Again we finished off the day w/more questions, some awards/prizes, and a great dinner. Now I’m off to Austin to incorporate all I learned into my training. PS – really looking forward to trying to working on my swimming.

Last Final Over and Done

2011-12-13T09:38:00.001-08:00

And man did they save the worst for last. Why do they do that to us. They put the hardest exam at the end, when we are brain dead, sleep deprived, and not able to retain any more information. I think I did great on every other final except the last one, which was Oral Pathology. The moment I sat down to take the test I knew I was in trouble. It was like my whole mind just went blank. It’s the worst feeling ever. I’m just hoping to pass that one. Like I said though, everything else was good. So now I’ve just got clinic the rest of the week. I so badly wish I could just cancel all my appointments and just go on break early, but that’s not going to happen. I’m just thankful I don’t have to stare at a computer screen for 8+ hours a day anymore. Between checking email, planning my training schedule for the next two weeks, status updating on facebook, or tweeting, I don’t know how I actually managed to stay focused and study. So now I am ready for a clean break from all of it, and focus on spending time with family and focusing on training. It seems like a far way off but starting Monday, Lonestar 70.3 is 14 weeks out, and I’ve got a lot to do if I want to be on the podium. Here is to the next two weeks of Christmas parties, family, travel, and training.

Camping and Off-Season Fun

2011-11-17T10:13:00.000-08:00

Off season has been going well. I’ve been going out on Fridays, sleeping in on Saturdays, skipping workouts and making up my own depending on how I feel. I’ve also been spending some quality time with Sarah. Friday nights are now date night. This Friday we are going to go see the new Twilight movie, God help me! I’m sure I’ll see several other men dragged there by their girlfriends or wives. Wish me luck. Anyways, I’ve been really trying to rest and recoup from the season, because before long I know that I will be back at. I think that as soon as the fall semester is over I’m going to do 2 hard weeks of heavy training to kick off the season. Right now, I’ve been doing a lot of weight lifting and crossfit workouts. Sarah’s been taking me to a new crossfit studio 3 times this week to try them out and see which one is her favorite. If anyone in Houston has any suggestions, please let me know. I guess the weight training is working as Sarah commented that I’m looking more buff than usual. She typically tells me that I look like a weakling, which I guess is true since she can always lift the same or more weight than me in the gym (at least for upper body workouts). This past weekend, as keeping with the freedom of off-season, Sarah and I along with our nephews and her family went to Huntsville State Park to celebrate my 27^th birthday, yes that’s right I’m now the same age as Sarah. We had a great time and like always, when I’m around family there was enough food and deserts to feed a small army. I made vegan chili/frito pie for dinner, which everyone was surprised that it tasted so good. Then for dessert we had, are you ready for this J, marshmallows, cupcakes, cake, and my fav… double stuffed Christmas (red filling) oreos! Oh so good. I hate to admit it but I almost killed an entire bag by myself. Happy Birthday!

Besides training and camping, school is winding down till finals, but I’m busy as ever in clinic. So I have way too much free time on my hands right now when I come home from school. Yet the sad part is that I just spend most of that time laying on the couch watching TV or surfing the internet. This is what happens when I don’t have a schedule. Oh well, I guess I shouldn’t complain and just update the blog more often.

Houston Triathlon Video Recap

2011-11-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

Weekend Fun

2011-11-06T20:31:00.001-08:00

Sarah and I took a little trip to Austin this weekend. As always, we had a great time. Stayed with our friends Adam and Rita, who found out Sunday that they are going to have a new baby girl!! better work on that name ;) The weekend was jammed packed. Saturday I did a COLD morning ride w/ATC, and as always the pace was fast and furious. At the end I turned off and finished off the ride going through Westlake. It was one of those rides, where if legs permitted, I would like to ride all day. The weather was perfect and Sarah and I enjoyed breakfast outside at Austin Java, where I got a huge blueberry banana pancake. Sarah commented that you know you’ve been in Houston too long when everyone looks so skinny, friendly, and has a pet dog. Later Sarah and I went and walked around Second Street. I went by Mellow Johnny’s garage sale and picked up some awesome deals. And of course, no trip to Austin is complete without a run around Town Lake and a visit to Whole Foods. Then it was back to Houston to get ready for the week. Congratulations to all Ironman FL and Oilman finishers. I guess now triathlon season is officially over for everyone and it’s time for the offseason.

2011 Triathlon Photos

2011-10-30T13:29:00.001-07:00

These are all the photos I have of my 2011 season. Hope yall enjoy.
2011 Triathlon Photos

How to Learn from your Triathlon Season

2011-10-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

I got this off of the Active website and found it very helpful for me as a way to look back on my season and see where I need improvement and where I achieved my goals. I suggest that anyone who has just finished their season complete this form so that you can learn from your season and have an even better season next year. Here is the list.
In hindsight, were your season goals clear and attainable?
- What were you most proud of this season?
- What would you like to duplicate next year?
- What frustrated or disappointed you the most this season?
- What do you not want to happen again next year?
- What did you learn by going through these experiences?
- What decisions did you make that were empowering for you?
- What habits seemed to hold you back from achieving your potential?
- What decisions should you make in order to have your best triathlon year ahead?
Remember, for maximum impact, take you time and answer all of these in writing. Give credit where credit is due. You may not like some of the answers you come up with but it may well set you free, strengthen your inner game, and keep your motivation high to stay fit in the offseason and be at your best when the new triathlon season returns. You'll be glad you did: Your body, mind and results will prove it.

Video interview of Coach Muddy Waters

2011-10-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

Muddy Waters Video

Longhorn 70.3 Race Report

2011-10-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

Longhorn 70.3 Race Report

            Planned:                  Actual:
Swim: 26 minutes            27 minutes
Bike:   2:16                       2:15
Run: 1:25                          1:25
Total: 4:10:30                  4:10:30

Breakfast – cliff bar, PB, pedialyte, FRS, banana (~550 cals)
Pre-race – powerbar, gu (~320)
Bike – 4 bottles 2 gu brew/2 water/some Gatorade endurance; 4 gu’s, 1 powerbar (~930)
Run – 3-4 gu’s and 1 bottle of GU brew w/water at each aid station (~500)
Post race – veggie burger with pickles (LOTS of pickles), tecate beer, and blue bell ice cream (who knows)

Race
Warm Up – This is why sometimes you need someone with you in the mornings. As I was getting ready to hop in the water for the swim warm up I realized that I was still wearing my wedding ring. I ran up to where the morning drop bag station was only to discover that they had taken my bag! So I asked one of the volunteers to please take my ring and put it with my bag. I had no idea if I would ever see my ring again, but the volunteer guaranteed me that he would find my bag. Sure enough, I could hardly believe it, but after the race I found my ring in my bag! What an amazing volunteer. Note to self: take off ring the night before.
Swim: There is nothing more intimidating than getting ready to start your first pro race when the announcer comes on and starts listing off some of the star athletes, which included the 70.3 World Champion, the WTC European Champion, the past winner of the Longhorn 70.3 race. Way to get the nerves going. Well, there was no avoiding the start, but it was actually a surprisingly clean start. I think it quickly split into 2 swim groups, and after the first turn, it split into 3. I found myself right in the middle of the third group, and stayed there until we finished.
T1: My legs felt like bricks were attached to them as I tried to run up the hill to T1. Luckily I was able to quickly strip out of the wetsuit and hop on the bike, gaining two spots in transition.
Bike: Right from the get go, it was fast. My legs still felt like they had some cobwebs in them, and I was having a hard time finding my rhythm. At mile 10, a group of riders bunched up and we rode in a semi-group ride for the next 40 miles. I don’t know if it’s always like this for a pro race, but I was a little shocked at how close some of the guys were riding.
T2: Uneventful
Run: I had my race plan in my head, and I was determined to nail it. The first loop, it was hard to hold back and not attempt to chase down the two runners 30 ft ahead of me. I gained confidence when at mile 3 I realized that they were not pulling away from me, and by the 4^th mile I had passed one. As I came back to T2, the crowds and the cooler breeze refreshed and energized me. The second loop felt good as well, and I passed the second runner, but I also got passed by another runner. The third loop was where it got tough. I was tired of eating Gu’s, sick of my drink. All I wanted was to hold my pace and finish. I could feel my legs wanting to cramp up, but I kept pushing.
Finish: The finish for the race is so unique as it is in a stadium full of people. It was one of the most amazing experiences to hear the announcer shout my name as I crossed the line stating that I was 8^th overall and the 2^nd American to finish the race (later I found I was 9^th and 3^rd American to finish, but still). Afterwards I went to medical for some ice bags and then a massage to help with the cramps. Followed by a veggie burger w/pickles, coke, chips, and ice cream! Yumm. Makes it all worth it.

Final Thoughts: Given my training, school, and expectations, I did everything I knew I was capable of out there. I just wanted to say thanks to my teammates at OnUrLeft, my awesome coach, and friends over at Austin Tricyclist that helped me put it all together for one great race. And a very big thanks to my wife for letting me live my dreams and being so supportive of all my endevors. Going forward, I know that with the right training, education, and support that I am still capable much more. But, for now, it’s time for some much needed RandR, time w/the wife, friends, and family, and start recharging my batteries for next season.

Longhorn Race Goals

2011-10-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

I believe it’s important to say your goals out loud, but since Sarah’s eyes start to glaze over when I start to mention race times, I’m going to say it here on the blog. Let me add that this is an ambitious race goal, and if I do hold this pace, it would be a new PR by ten minutes. I would normally say that unless you are just beginning in the sport, you usually don’t see that amount of time loss over a season, but I feel that this has been one of the best or most consistent race preps I have had for a race of this distance, so why not be ambitious. It will also be my first time racing with the pros that will be out there racing against me and pushing me on. That being said, I need to remember to stick to my own race plan as long as possible, and race my own race. Thanks to everyone for all the support and encouragement this season, please wish me luck.

Swim: 26 minutes – (1:13/100yds)
T1: 2:00 minutes
Bike: 2:16 – (24.7 mph)
T2: 1:30
Run: 1:25 (6:29/mile)

Total: 4:10:30

The Warm Up

2011-10-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

Fellow OULers Harvey Schnitzer, Jussi Thomas, myself, and Emily Sattler

Top 3 Guys (ironically in order) starting from left to right.

Longhorn 70.3 is officially 6 days away. Although I have 2 tests this week and a full appointment schedule, all I can think of is the race. This past weekend was TriAndy’s Tri, which is a super sprint tri down in Sugarland, TX. It was the same course as the race in July, except w/a lake swim instead of a pool swim. My goal was to break the 13 year course record, which I was only 20 seconds off of in the July 101 degree heat, so I was pretty sure I could do it. Turns out this race attracted several competitive triathletes. I was surprised to find myself among a pack of swimmers in the swim, coming out of the water in something like 5^th or 6^th place. Like always, once on the bike I quickly took the lead, but was unable to shake Bradley P. and another racer whom I did not know. The 3 of us continued to rotate throughout the bike course, and we all came into transition at exactly the same time. It felt like I was in an ITU style race, and I knew at this point that this was going to be a close finish. As we headed out onto the run I was in second, with 3^rd right behind me. When the 3^rd place runner, whom I later found out was Patrick Daughterty, took over first place I fell in stride behind him. I think, looking back, it would have been smarter to stay on his heel until the very last 100 meters and then tried to out sprint him, but a little past mile two I became impatient and tried to gap him. I put maybe 5 seconds on him but he slowly drew me back in and as we turned onto the final straightaway we were neck and neck. In the end he nudged me out by 2 seconds. Even though I accomplished my goal of breaking the old course record, which I broke by over a minute, this was probably one of the most disappointing 2^nd place finishes I’ve ever encountered. To be so close and yet so far, has just left me wanting more. I’m going to be taking this anger/energy with me to race in Austin next weekend where I hope to have better luck and more patience when it comes to strategy. As a team, I’d say that OUL took home the overall. It was awesome to see some fellow OULers out at the race setting new PRs and winning their AG. Way to go guys. Now it’s time to put the compression socks on, hydrate, recover, and prepare for Longhorn.

Back at it

2011-09-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

With about 4 weeks until the Longhorn 70.3 Ironman, I'm right back into the swing of training. Monday was a rest day, and thank goodness for that. I had meant to come into the school over the weekend to get caught up on lab work, but I ran out of time. So Monday, I was at school from 7-7. The best part of the day was coming home to a home cooked meal (spaghetti w/spinach), prepared by the one and only chef Sarah. After dinner, I was exhausted and ended up going to bed at 9:30, and fell asleep immediately. After my day off yesterday, I've started ramping up the distance of training. My spirit/motivation right now is high, but there are going to be some tough weeks (school and training) coming up, so we are going to take it one day at a time.

Memorial Herman TX3 Houston Triathlon - Race Report

2011-09-25T21:56:00.000-07:00

A year ago today I crossed the finishline at the Houston Triathlon in first, almost 5 minutes ahead of the second place finisher. This year, it was a bit of a different story. With over a 3000 dollars on the line, plus it being the championship event of the TX3 Race Series, this years race drew a much more competetive field of athletes. So when I crossed the finishline in 3rd place, I felt just as satisfied as I did when I came in first the year before. Before I get ahead of myself, let me do a quick recap of how the day went.
The course:
Although the course was similar, there were a few changes. The swim was still 2 loops but instead of swimming in an east to west direction, we swam in a north to south. This was to avoid swimming with the sun in your eyes, but according to some of the other athletes and from looking at the swim times, it may have added an extra 100m to the course. The bike course changed from a 2 loop out and back to a 2 loop course with an interesting 2 hairpin loop within the loop, which meant you had to be able to handle your bike around the sharp corners. Finally, the run course, for all I could tell was the same as last year which included the run up and down Berry Stadium.
The Race:
I've noticed that a race really starts the day before the race, so thats where I'll start this report. After packet pick up and discussing race strategy w/Muddy I headed back home for an early dinner and to prepare for the race. As I'm getting into bed, I realize I forget to print off my VIP parking pass. So I go and print it off, and as I'm doing so I read that it must be on orange paper or else they wont allow you to park. Of course I dont have any orange paper, but I do have an orange crayon. So here I am at 11pm coloring a piece of paper orange. Sarah thought this was very amusing. Then it was off to bed. Race morning I went through my normal pre-race routine and before I knew it I was at the starting line. I got a good draft off one of my pals that I've been swimming with lately, but I could only hold on for about 200m. Then I joined in the first swim pack. I tried to hold on, but by the end of the first loop, I was swimming on my own. I caught one of the later waves on my second loop, which meant I had to bob and weave through the pack, but utimately I got through with little contact other swimmers. I didn't have a clue where I was compared to others when I came out of the swim, and it wasn't until I was leaving T1 that I learned that I was 1:40 off the lead. On the bike, I am in my element. I just put my head down and get to work. I knew there were some strong runners in the field so I wanted to put as much distance between me and them on the bike. On the first lap I gained a minute on 1st. The second loop I was unable to catch 1st, but I ended up leaving T2 only ten seconds back. Those first few minutes on the run were tough. My legs were struggling to turn over, and I was slowly watching 1st place gain some distance between us. Again, I felt myself drawing upon some of my training, putting my head down, and pushing forward. It had been progressively getting hotter, more humid, and windier as the day went on, but for once I felt like my hydration and nutrition were spot on. At mile 5 I got passed by the only person who would pass me all day. This was a real accomplishment for me, since I usually give up time on the run, and I do have to admit that I did take a couple of quick glances over my shoulder the last mile to see if I could see any other runners closing in on me. Thankfully, there weren't and so it was a race to beat the clock. I came in in just under 2hrs. The 3rd place finish put me up on the podium and guaranteed my spot as the overall TX3 Series Champion. This was the first time I got to be up on the podium throughout the whole series, and one of the large novelty checks. In fact, I am still partially in shock of it all, but it just goes to show that in the end hard work and consistency pay off. I was so happy to have Sarah there supporting me, along with my coach, and everybody from OUL. It's really motivated me to train harder and set my sights higher, because you never know what will happen. Thanks again to all the volunteers and OnUrMark and OnUrLeft for putting on such a great race and series, and to all my family, friends, sponsors, and teammates for all the support.
Houston Tri Pics

Chappell Hill Road Race and other close encounters

2011-09-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a crazy blur. It all started well with a fun date night on Friday. Saturday is where everything got crazy. After a great morning run at Memorial Park, I was on my way to swim practice when the person in front of me stopped suddenly. So I stop suddenly, then the car behind me slams into the back of my car pushing me into the car in front of me. Then another car behind them slams into them. Before I know it I am in a 5 car collision on 6-10. Luckily everyone was ok, and amazingly I was able to drive my car home, although it looked like a crushed tin can. I don’t know if I was more upset that I was in the car accident or that I missed swim practice.

That night we packed up sarah’s mustang w/my bike, two bags of laundry, and my backpack (don’t ask me how we managed to cram it all in there) and headed out to Katy. The next morning I headed out to Chappell Hill to race the Cat 5a road race. I had been given the advice from Adam at ATC to just take off at mile 30. So at mile 30 I got a slight lead out and a hill. I attacked hard up the hill and dropped the pack. For the next 20 miles it was an all out time trial to the finish line. At one point I built up a 1:15 lead, but as we turned back towards town there was a strong headwind where I lost ground. At 5 miles to the finish line my lead was down to 45 seconds. I just put my head down and kept spinning my legs until I made it across the finish line only 22 seconds in front of the pack! I was pumped. This was my first road race win. Hopefully now I can cat up to a category 4. I also want to say congrats to the ATC Women's Cat 4 team. Good job out there, I know it must have been hot. After the race I did the typical triathlete at a road race thing and went for a run. Then it was time to head back home for a big lunch and a nap. In the end, it turned out to be a good weekend.

A Week of Firsts

2011-08-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

First week of school: I cant tell you what a great feeling it was starting my 3rd year in dental school. It felt like I had finally climbed over the hump and was now on the downhill side. This was all very short lived. That afternoon, we had a class meeting with all of our clinic professors that quickly burst my bubble and made me realize that this was not going to be an easy year. The school had a disappointing Western Regional Boards Exam, with only 75% of the seniors passing, and a ton of the previous 3rd years not finishing their requirements to be seniors. In fact, they had to hold back 5 students (almost unheard of) b/c they were so far behind in their clinical experiences. So, this year the professors completely revamped all the requirements, adding more requirements and less leeway if you do not finish, in order to pass the year. So, they definitely put the fear factor into me and I'm going to have to work my but off to get it all done by the deadline May 12.
First week of training: Not only was it my first week of school, but it was also my first week of training w/Muddy, and he wasted no time trying to crush me. With the Houston Tri and Longhorn 70.3 he's started prepping me for racing with the big boys out there. I'm looking forward to see what we can do with the rest of my season and ready for next year.
Clear Lake International Tri: 1st Overall Male! After my first week of training/school I was beat and on the edge of not racing this race, but a last minute conversation w/Muddy I decided to just go out and see what I had. My legs defininitely felt the effects of the training and I just felt flat on the bike and the run. It didn't help that both the bike and run were long, windy, and HOT. My favorite part of the race was getting to meet and compete w/the legondary Dave Scott! I am excited to now say that I have beat Dave Scott in a race, but to be fair, this guy was winning ironmans when I was still in diapers. He was real nice and laid back. I wish I would had more time to talk to him and learn from his expierences. It was also fun seeing everyone out there from OUL and HTRC (thanks for the ice cold water from the supersoakers, I looked forward to it each lap).

Bridgeland Triathlon Race Report

2011-08-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, even w/temperatures expected to be above 100 degrees, almost 1400 people came out to race in the 3rd annual Bridgeland Triathlon. This is a sprint tri consisting of a 500m swim/13.5mile bike/3.65mile run. The race director Aaron Palian, head coach of OnUrLeft, along with the guys over at OnUrMark put on one of the best sprint races in the state. Everything from the expo to the rewards, finisher medals, and post race activities were 5 star. They accounted for every little detail and made this race a huge success by appealing to everyone from the 1st timer, to the elites, and the spectators. Before I go through my race report, I just wanted to say thanks to all the volunteers, OnUrLeft, Austin Tricyclist, and Sarah for all the support and encouragement over the year. I read a quote I really like the other day saying that when you look back on your life in 30 years, you wont remember the all the accomplishments you had, but the relationships you developed from them. So even though I didn't place where I wanted to, I raced the race the way I wanted to and got to build on my relationships within the triathlon community. Now time for the race report:

Race morning started at 4:30am w/some granola, a banana, coffee, and water. I did a light 10 minute jog to warm up and then about 5-10 minutes of swimming before the start. I also took in one of the gatorade prime packets 20 minutes before the race start.

Swim: With water temps in the high 80s the water was even warmer than the outside temps, and was so muddy I literally couldn't see past my goggles. Other than that the swim was great. Just a straight shot w/a slight 45 degree turn to the swim exit. The swim started off with some slight jostling and I got kicked twice probably in the 1st 200m but after that I was able to hold and draft to the person in front of me. I came out in 6 minutes and 59 seconds (one of my best 500m swims).

T1: probably lost a few seconds more than I should have in T1 as I saw some competitors pass me as we headed out onto the bike. Where I then had some trouble getting my feet into my shoes.

Bike: I knew I would have some work to do on the bike and my main goal was just to crush it. Once my feet were in my shoes, I was off. At the first turn around the 2nd place guy was probably 20 seconds back, and at the second turn around I was happy to see that I had put close to a minute between me and the next racer. I finished the bike course in 29:23, which was 30.4 mph. I felt good on the bike and felt like I could have held that pace (or at least close to it for an olympic distance). I really liked my new profile design aero bottle from Austin Tricyclist store. I think it helps. I had Hammer heed on the bike (probably 1/2 a bottle).

T2: Again, I think I could work on my transition time, but I was in and out of T2 with no other racers in site as I headed out on the run.

Run: I've been working on trying to get my turnover quicker and be able to hold a faster pace coming off the bike. As I came up to the 1 mile marker, my watch read 5:17. I was happy with this, as it was even faster than I had planned. Mile 2 it dropped to 5:34, but I was still positive b/c I felt i could hold this pace for the rest of the race and would finish on the podium. Little did I know that behind me were some amazing runners. As I got close to mile 3 I was quickly passed by 2 runners working together. Looking back I should have tried to hop on to their heels, but I didn't. Then, a little past the 3 mile marker, another runner passed me and the 2 other guys in front of me. He went on to win by just 15 seconds in front of second place, and me in 4th just around a minute back from 1st place.

Post race comments: Looking back, I would not have changed my race strategy, but I wish I had known that there were some fast runners in the mix. I think mentally I thought I had won it on the bike and just had to hold on w/a decent run. Also, when I think about it, this race was meant for runners. With such a short swim and bike, they could bluff their way through the swim and bike and still have enough time to make it up on the longish run (for a sprint). In the end, I was the better swimmer and biker, but wasn't able to close it out with the run. It's an important lesson to learn who your racing and what there strengths are. Now its time for recovery and build up to the Austin Tri! Can't wait.

Hard Days and Good Nights

2011-08-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

You know its interesting how you never realize how busy your life is until you are free from all responsibility and distractions. Being at the lake for a week has giving me the chance to relax, train, and unwind. The week wrapped up with about 20hrs of solid training. During the day I consistently pushed myself to the brink of total exhaustion, then recovering for the next day where I would do it all again. But in that down time, i had the chance to read a book w/my feet in the hot tub while watching the sun set and the stars come out. I also visited relatives from out of town, ate my favorite meal at camp, and even did a little fishing. To me, this is what a vacation is all about, the only thing I'm missing is someone to share it with, but sometimes its good to have some alone time.
In other news, I'm excited to announce that for the first time in my triathlon career I have a COACH! His name is Muddy Waters. Here is a link to his website: http://www.coachmuddy.com/home
I'm real excited to start working with him and hope that together, we can reach my full potential. FYI, raced Bridgeland Triathlon today. Came in 4th Overall w/the fastest bike split (30mph for 13.5 miles). Felt good, but there was some tough competition on the run. Will post a race report tomorrow.

Welcome to the hill country

2011-07-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

Good morning inks lake. The Tour de France may be over but the Tour de Hoover Valley has just begun. Now that school is out I've escaped to the lake house for a week of relaxation, sleeping late, and soaking up the sun... Well sorta. If by riding 88 miles is your definition of relaxation and 7am is your definition of sleeping in then this is the vacation for. Oh, don't forget your in a cabin that's only got ac in one bedroom, no tv, and one awesome hot tub. The forecast for the the week is calling for sunny skies with highs in the 100s. Throw in some tough hill climbing on the run and bike, and lake water that's feels like a bath tub and you got all the ingredients for heat exhaustion. At least I've come prepared with pedialyte, coke, Gatorade, and plenty of water. Still, all this beats studying or dealing with patients, so for the time being I couldn't be happier (unless Sarah was with me). Here's to a great week of training and hopefully no heat stroke.

Felt like getting thrashed

2011-07-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

Getting thrashed is like getting drunk, only it's from working out not drinking. It had been such a horrible day prior to my workout. First, I took my dental boards exams, and left the exam feeling like I didn't know anything. The only thing that makes it worse is that I won't know how I did for 3 weeks. Then, on my way home I get a ticket for, of all things, unsafe lane changing. Stupid cops have nothing better to do than sit at the 59 and 610 exit where it goes from 3 lanes to 2 lanes, to 1 lane. I was trying to get over and went across the white line, you know the triangular space when 2 roads split w/the water barrels in the middle? Well, of course there were 3 cops just sitting there pulling over people who crossed the white line. Stupid cops. Arrgh. I really had to hold my tongue when I got pulled over. Man it would have felt so good to give that cop a piece of my mind, but I probably would have ended up in jail. So I bit my lip and drove off with steam coming out my ears. When I got home Sarah had made me a sweet treat of chocolate pudding, oreos, and gummy worms to cool my temper. I'm so lucky to have such a great wife (Happy 4 Year Anniversary :)
Now, back to the getting thrashed, that night I went to a trainer group ride w/OnUrLeft which is where I blew off the rest of the anger that was still boiling in my stomach. After the ten minute warmup, I don't think my heart rate dropped below 155 for the next 50 minutes. Then I did a 3 mile brick run holding 6:10 pace. It was one of those days where the harder/more pain from the workout the better I felt. I could just feel the stress and anger from the day slowly draining from my body, leaving me relaxed and free. And that is what getting thrashed is all about.

Sugarland Tri

2011-06-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

I went out today and raced the Sugarland Tri to get an idea of my current fitness level. It was a 300m swim in the pool, 10 mile bike, and a 5k run. I had never done a pool swim and thought that it would take away from the actual triathlon feel, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. The whole race was just one big hammer fest. Going into the race I knew that my swim was feeling like the weakest of the 3 sports, but with only 300m I was able to bluff my way through it. Coming in off the bike I had one of my first spills on the bike. As I came into T2, I was going way to fast and when I tried to slow down, my foot slipped off my shoe, and down I went. The bike went up in the air, but luckily one of the volunteers were right there and caught it mid-air (so no scratches). I managed to only get a few scrapes. On the run, my legs felt heavy. Too heavy. I was able to put 30 seconds on the closest competitor, Bradley Piagie, to take the overall. It felt good to have the win, but I was actually disappointed with my results. It's hard to fully judge my fitness with such a short race, but I can tell that my swim and run are where I should be focusing. The bike split was good, but I want to know if I could carry that speed over to an Olympic tri. Next week I am doing a 35m mile TT in LA, which will help me judge that. I have another month of mostly training, before I start racing more often. So July will be a big training month. I'd be open to advice on how to improve my turnover for a quicker run and swim tips on how to bring down my 1500 swim time. Thanks. FYI looking at getting a coach for the next year, will find out later this week if we are going to make it happen.

Goals

2011-05-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

Short Term:
1. Have the fastest bike split at all my races
2. Find a coach, or someone to work with to establish a training plan
3. Race more with a focus on the Olympic/Half-Iron Distance
4. Run a sub 35 minute 10k off the bike

Long Term:
1. Finish top 5 at an Ironman 70.3 and/or 5150 and qualify for the national championship within the next 3 years.
2. Continue to be more involved in the Tri community
3. Remember to save time for fun

Going Pro

2011-05-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

I am excited to announce that I am officially a pro triathlete! I qualified with my third place overall finish at the Kemah triathlon. At first I didn't even realize that I had qualified until someone told me. Even then I had to check, and double check the qualification standards and sure enough I had qualified. I wish I could say that turning pro would just instantly make me a faster athlete, but I know that I am going to work even harder, and be even more dedicated than before if I want to be competitive.

My decision to go pro was a mixture of reasons. The first was for more competition. While I know that there are faster age group athletes out there, I feel like right now I do not have the time/funds to travel to the regional/national age group championships to compete, but as a pro I can compete with some of the best athletes in the world all within driving distance. The second reason is I decided to get my pro card is definitely to get faster. The prospect to be able to see the people I am racing against in real time, hopefully be able to hop on with the faster swim pack, and then have that higher level of competition pushing me out on the race course are all reasons I believe that racing with the pros could help me get faster. The final reason was best stated by a friend of mine who said that "20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do." So with that, I am going pro and not looking back.

Cyclops Fluid 2 Trainer

2011-05-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

After 3 years my faithful training partner, a Blackburn magnetic trainer, finally gave out on me. I knew that it had been getting progressively louder in the past few months, but when you still hear the trainer w/headphones and music blaring it’s time to get a new one. It literally sounded like a freight train going through my living room. So, I decided it was time to put the old trainer to rest and get a new one. While I like the magnetic trainer, I had my sights on a fluid trainer. After looking at the Kenetic Fluid trainer and Cyclops Fluid trainer, I chose the Cyclops primarily b/c it was much cheaper, yet still very high quality.

After a quick assembly process I couldn’t wait to hop on my bike and take it for a test spin. Right away I noticed that the resistance on a fluid trainer was much higher than on the magnetic. The biggest difference between the two is that whenever you start pedaling faster on a fluid trainer, it automatically gets harder. On that first ride I was barely able to spin in my easiest gear. Well, turns out I had put the tire resistance way too hard. The next ride I had it dialed in better and was able to try a range of speeds. One of the coolest things about the trainer is that it can actually stimulate hill climbing, which is something that the magnetic trainer could never do, and of course, it is much more quiet than the magnetic. Overall, I really like the trainer and am looking forward to really putting in some good hrs on the trainer (I’m probably one of the only cyclists that enjoys riding on a trainer, ha)

End of Spring Semester 2011

2011-05-09T23:22:00.000-07:00

It’s been a long spring semester, but it’s finally over! I just took my last final (8 in total plus 4 practicals) and now I plan on celebrating by going for a swim, then a mountain bike ride at memorial park, and top it off with an easy trail run. Well, at least I got through the first 2. Then I headed over to St. Arnolds Brewery for the monthly Houston Racing Triathlon Club Meeting, where there was free beer and pizza. Pretty hard to beat that! There is a reason that I don’t call this the end of my second year of dental school. This summer is going to be a full schedule, with classes and clinic all of June, and then I’ve got to study my a** off in July for the first part of the Dental Boards. This 9 hr test encompasses all of the “basic” science course we took the first two years of school. My exam date is July 20th. That gives almost exactly 2 weeks once I am out of school to study for the exam. My plan is to wake up every morning at 6, swim from 6:30-7:30, come home and brew some coffee for a morning study session from 8-12. Have a lunch and a short nap, then hit the books again from 2-6:30. Then do an evening ride or run, followed by dinner and another hour or so of review questions over the material that I studied that day. After the exam, I will officially consider myself half-way through with dental school and will head up to the lake to do a week training camp to get ready for a busy fall race season. For now, all I can say is thank God finals are over and lets move on.

Kemah Tri, Lonestar 70.3, and fishing

2011-04-19T11:06:00.000-07:00

Cross Fit Endurance

2011-04-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

So, in an attempt to build some muscle, prevent injuries, and hopefully get faster I'm incorporating some weightlifting into my weekly routine. 1-2 days a week will be crossfit endurance WOD or some variation, the other day will just be a full body workout on machines at the gym. Then Tues and Thurs I'll be doing at home yoga for 15-20 minutes. Yesterday was the first day that I had lifted any weight in a little over 2 weeks, and I am so sore today. Here is what I did:
this took me a little under 30 minutes at home w/only 15 lb weights and a chair
50 jumping jacks
3 minute wall sit
pushup/burpees (9/1, 8/2, 7/3, 6/4, 5/5, 4/6, 3/7, 2/8, 1/9)
pistol squats 3x(8 reps per leg)
2x15 (dips, curls, shoulders)
50 jumping lunges - as fast as possible
30 pelvic thrusts (10 single leg, 10 both legs)
Here's the crossfit endurance website to check it out if your interested
http://www.crossfitendurance.com/

Galveston 70.3 Race Report

2011-04-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

This was sent to me to try as a new format for my race report. It's kind of in a Q and A format. So it's more detailed and technical than my previous race reports.

1) Race Name: Memorial Herman Texas Ironman 70.3 (aka Galveston 70.3)
2) Race Date: April 10, 2011
3) Race Location: Moody Gardens, Galveston, TX
4) Race Start Time: 7:00am pro start; 7:15am wave start
5) Race Weather: the morning was Windy and then very sunny in the afternoon rising up to the low 90’s; very humid all day
6) Race Length: Half Ironman
7) Overall Course Difficulty: deceptively easy; it was flat but very windy, humid, hot,
8) How many times you've completed this race: 1st time
9) Hours of work (office) the week of the race: 40 hrs of school/studying
10) Hours of sleep (average) per night the week of the race: 7hrs
11) Water intake (average) per day leading up to the race: well hydrated going in
12) Calorie intake (average) per day leading up to the race: 3400 cals the last 3 days before the race
13) Calories burned (average) per day leading up to the race: 2000-2500
14) What you did (activities other than your workouts) the 2 days leading up to the race: drove down to Galveston and did some fishing on Fri/Sat, watched TV, cleaned the house
15) Meals the day before the race:
Breakfast: fruit, oatmeal, PB, orange juice
Lunch: cliff bar, Gatorade, chips, applesauce,
Dinner: spaghetti w/spinach, mandm’s
16) Sleep the day before the race: went to bed at 10:30pm
17) What time did you get up the morning of the race? 4:30am
18) How much fluids did you intake the morning of the race prior to start? 1 bottle of water, can of FRS, half a bottle of gatorade
19) What did you eat and how many calories the morning of the race prior to the start? Oatmeal, PB, banana, cliff shot blocks (600 cals)
20) What did you do to warmup? Light stretching before the swim
21) Describe the way the swim was run.... Waves? Time trial? Crowded? Wetsuit?
the swim was a trapezoidal shaped swim. Deep water start. Waves going every 5 minutes. Water temp was probably around 76-78 so it was wetsuit legal for the AG. I didn’t think the swim was crowed
22) How was the swim? I started on the far right side of the bouys so that it was more of a straight line swim for me. Right from the start my plan was to push hard until the first turn and then settle into my groove, and then pick it up again the last 400m. I ended up really getting out in front of our age group pack and instead of really trying to push it at the beginning, I hopped on and drafted behind another person, but at the first turn bouy I lost him. The rest of the way I focused on sighting and keeping my arm turnover high. Towards the end the wind also started to pick up and was directly in my face making it hard to sight b/c I would always swallow water. Overall, it was a good swim. I think the distance was accurate, and my time is what I expected right at 28 minutes.
23) How was your T1? Decent, I used the wetsuit strippers which helped a bunch. I had a long run to the bike but I found it quickly and was out fairly quick. The wind had knocked my helmet down so it took me a minute to grab it off the ground. Next time I need to make sure to secure it to the bike so it doesn’t surprise me like that again.
24) How was the bike? Headwind? Crowded? Bad/Good road? Use race wheels? The bike was good. There was a strong headwind until we turned onto the sea wall, then it was a huge cross wind that by the turnaround was mostly a head wind. The whole 1st half I focused mainly on keeping my cadence at around 90rpm and taking in LOTS of food. I got to the turnaround at 1:15 which I was disappointed with at the time b/c I was aiming for 1:10, but with the tailwind on the way back I made up the time and rode a 1:05. The roads were smooth. Used my American classics 58 (similar to the zipp 404s) which I really liked but I think it would have been nice to have a deeper wheel in the back.
25) How as your T2? Faster or slower than T1? Were you under a minute? I came in and couldn’t find my spot to rack the bike, which cost me a few seconds and slowed me down. I also put socks on before my shoes. I really was not happy w/T2.
26) How was your run? Hot? Humid? Cramps? Did you concentrate on form? The run was HOT, Sunny, and humid, with very little shade. It was 4 loops of 3.4 miles each, which made for great spectator support. I never felt like I was all alone out on the course. I told myself to take the first to laps slow, and then try to push it on the last two. I ended up drafting on the second place pro for most of the second loop which really helped take my mind off everything and just “follow the leader.” Towards the end of the second loop he started to pick it up so I dropped back. The rest of the run I had a hard time pacing myself b/c my watch was acting up so I didn’t know how fast I was running. The last loop was really tough mentally and I just had to focus on putting one step in front of the other. My goal was not to walk, which I didn’t but it was a much slower loop than the rest.
27) Did you really push yourself? Remember for some of you it was a training race but for those it wasn't I need to know your level of fatigue.
I held back on the bike, but tried to push it on the run and the swim. I’ve never had a good half-ironman run so I thought that by taking it a little easier on the bike would allow me to run faster. In retrospect, I think I could have pushed harder on the bike and my run would still have been the same. After the run, i felt fatigued and weak. So I went to the medical tent. At first they just layed me down on a cot but they took my BP and it was 90/60 so they were worried so they started me on an IV. I vaguely remember this as I was so tired, but after two IV bags I felt 100% better. That stuff is awesome!
28) Was this a PR? Yes, by about 45 seconds, but it was on an easier course, but hotter and more humid, and windy
29) Was this harder than last year? N/A
30) Go through your nutrition from the race step by step on the swim bike and run.
Pre swim: 100 cals of cliff shot blocks 20 minutes before race start
T1: water
Bike: total cals - 1220
1st hour: 360 cals of accelerade, 100 cals of half a powerbar, 1 ½ bottles of water, 100 cal gu gel, 100 cals of cliff shot block
2nd hour: 120 cals of Gatorade (1/2 a bottle), 240 cals of powerbar, 1 bottle of water, 1 salt tab, 100 cals of cliff shot block, 100 cal gu gel,
Run: 2 gels, 1 salt tab, Gatorade, water, and coke
31) Were there circumstances that kept this year slower/faster than last year? Flat tire? Medical problems? I cant compare it to last year but I think one of the largest circumstances that kept my time slower than I was hoping for was the weather and just my training. I needed some more long runs, tempo/brick workouts
32) How was your overall experience? I had a great time overall
33) Will you do it again next year? It was very good race and if cost or scheduling weren’t an issue I would definitely do it again next year.
34) List 3 things you think you did VERY well. Pace well on the bike, nutrition on the bike, sighting/good swim
35) List 3 things you need to work on for your next race. Speed/endurance on the run, more interval swim training, get faster at transitions
36) What is your next race? Bridgeland in Aug

Memorial Herman Texas Ironman 70.3 Blog Updates

2011-04-11T06:27:00.001-07:00

Since Sarah couldnt make it out to the race I'd like to think she was glued to her computer all morning watching the race stats. Here were just some of the blogs on the ironman website posted yesterday.

These are the top age group men's swim times so far: 1 25:23 270 Murphy Halasz Austin TX USA
2 27:34 2:12 232 Brandon Brickley Round Rock TX USA
3 27:49 2:27 146 Cliff Adlerz Franklin TN USA
4 27:55 2:32 187 Stephen Sponagle Laguna Niguel CA USA
5 28:12 2:49 206 Tommy Elder Houston TX USA
6 28:14 2:51 264 Grant Glauser Houston TX USA
7 28:29 3:06 113 Sebastian Haynes San Angelo TX USA
8 28:34 3:11 134 Christopher Scruggs Houston TX USA
9 28:35 3:12 98 Sean Benton San Antonio TX USA
10 28:39 3:16 138 Todd Teren Houston TX USA
Keep in mind this could change over the next hour or so - there are 20 age group waves today!

The weather for today's race should be pretty good, according to the weather man here in Galveston. Right now the temperature is 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 C) and the expected high is going to be 78 F (26 C) (ya right, it was much hotter). The wind is coming from the south south east, at about 20 mph (32 kph), but we're experiencing gusts of up to 25 mph (40 kph). That's supposed to "calm" down to about 21 mph (34 kph) - in other words, we're in for a windy day. The pros were having a rough time this morning keeping their bikes straight in the racks - just about all of them have either a disc or really deep-dished wheels, so their bikes are acting just like sails in these high winds. It will, for the most part, be a cross wind out on the course, though, so we still could see some fast bike splits.

The top age group men's finishers: 1 4:07:29 681 Adam Webber Denver PA USA
2 4:08:47 1:19 651 Chuck Sloan Tulsa OK USA
3 4:09:43 2:15 642 Sean Schnur Houston TX USA
4 4:10:22 2:54 2085 Joe Thorne Austin TX USA
5 4:14:18 6:49 558 Brandon Jessop Lakewood CO USA
6 4:15:20 7:52 2107 Fernando Alfaro Panama PAN
7 4:15:41 8:13 524 Thomas Gerlach Tucson AZ USA
8 4:19:09 11:41 264 Grant Glauser Houston TX USA
9 4:22:10 14:42 512 Jason Erickson Dallas TX USA
10 4:25:26 17:58 289 William Martin Madison WI USA

1Lieto, Chris26/1/139/MPRO00:23:3902:02:1501:16:5603:45:37
2Henning, Rasmus3/4/236/MPRO00:22:2002:07:1201:14:4703:46:47
3Odonnell, Timothy8/13/331/MPRO00:22:4102:11:2801:12:2003:48:16
4Bozzone, Terenzo9/3/426/MPRO00:22:4202:06:5601:18:1103:50:00
5Van Lierde, Frederik7/2/532/MPRO00:22:3902:05:4601:19:4903:50:54
6Albert, Marko2/8/632/MPRO00:22:1802:09:5201:16:4603:51:26
7Kienle, Sebastian33/9/727/MPRO00:26:3002:05:4601:17:0603:52:03
8Schildknecht, Ronnie29/5/832/MPRO00:25:0102:04:3301:21:2703:53:33
9Major, Jozsef41/12/932/MPRO00:26:4602:06:2501:18:3503:54:55
10McDaniel, Joe19/14/1029/MPRO00:23:2002:10:3001:18:5503:56:09
11Kahn, David5/25/1128/MPRO00:22:2902:16:4101:14:5503:56:39
12Lieto, Matt28/10/1233/MPRO00:25:0002:07:1601:21:5903:57:00
13Guillaume, Romain18/11/1326/MPRO00:23:0502:09:4301:22:3403:57:40
14Zeebroek, Axel4/16/1433/MPRO00:22:2202:12:3601:20:4203:58:12
15Aigroz, Mike--/--/1534/MPRO00:00:0000:00:0003:58:2203:58:22
16Anderson, Gavin6/23/1633/MPRO00:22:3802:16:1101:20:0104:01:35
17Matthews, Paul12/7/1728/MPRO00:22:4502:08:3401:28:2304:01:49
18Schmoll, Daniel14/17/1829/MPRO00:22:4902:12:3501:23:3904:01:55
19Russell, Matthew43/28/1928/MPRO00:31:4602:12:0001:15:2304:01:58
20Brader, Christian38/19/2031/MPRO00:26:4202:10:4201:21:4304:02:26
21Goehler, Rene21/27/2131/MPRO00:23:3002:18:3701:19:4904:04:29
22Cigana, Massimo34/22/2232/MPRO00:26:3502:11:0201:25:5604:06:34
23Lovato, Michael20/6/2338/MPRO00:23:2002:06:0701:34:2604:06:34
24Furtado, Raul35/26/2432/MPRO00:26:3702:13:3301:23:3504:06:38
25Poulsen, Brent25/32/2529/MPRO00:23:3702:22:3501:18:2204:07:24
26Webber, Adam1/1/130/M30-3400:24:1902:13:2601:26:3304:07:29
27Daerr, Justin36/34/2630/MPRO00:26:3902:20:0701:17:4304:07:49
28Minnema, Jimi42/33/2733/MPRO00:29:5902:16:1901:18:2304:07:59
29Elliot, Lewis39/24/2831/MPRO00:26:4202:12:1701:26:2704:08:18
30Sloan, Chuck9/3/234/M30-3400:28:1102:17:0100:19:5404:08:47
31Schnur, Sean37/5/332/M30-3400:32:2602:16:1700:19:3704:09:43
32Thorne, Joe11/4/127/M25-2900:29:5402:23:1901:14:1004:10:22
33Duff, James24/21/2933/MPRO00:23:3502:13:5901:30:1104:10:36
34Young, Dantley40/31/3027/MPRO00:26:4402:18:0401:24:5004:13:05
35Jessop, Brandon39/6/432/M30-3400:32:3002:18:4700:20:2804:14:18
36McMillian, Jason3/1/138/M35-3900:27:0902:18:2100:22:4704:14:39
37Alfaro, Fernando1/2/237/M35-3900:26:4502:22:0000:21:2504:15:20
38Gerlach, Thomas11/4/530/M30-3400:29:0602:18:4900:21:4004:15:41
39Everett, Kevin22/15/3136/MPRO00:23:3302:11:2101:38:5504:16:30
40Quezada Ruiz, Sergio31/35/3243/MPRO00:26:2702:22:4101:24:5904:17:30
41Neill, Mike37/29/3339/MPRO00:26:4102:17:4501:30:4904:18:30
42Glauser, Grant4/--/227/M25-2900:28:1400:00:0004:19:0904:19:0943Flanagan, John1/--/3436/MPRO00:21:2300:00:0001:30:5604:19:50
44Kilshaw, Stephen30/30/3527/MPRO00:25:5402:18:2601:32:4604:20:00
45Erickson, Jason2/2/632/M30-3400:26:0202:17:4401:34:3804:22:10
46Shearon, Jonathan27/8/731/M30-3400:31:0302:23:0100:22:1904:22:47
47Martin, William6/2/326/M25-2900:28:4002:22:3401:31:2004:25:26
48Fluker, Bryce50/21/426/M25-2900:38:2002:36:0404:25:3504:25:35
49O' Gorman, Ivan60/13/834/M30-3400:35:3702:22:3800:21:0304:26:42
50Carr, Stephen36/16/932/M30-3400:32:1902:28:5400:21:5604:28:32

Q and A with Chris Lieto

2011-04-11T06:21:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday Chris Lieto, pro triathelete, was speaking at the Cadillac Bar in Houston. So I went out to hear what he had to say. The first part of the evening we all got to go stand in line for a chance to meet him and get an autograph. Kind of like visiting Santa Clause at the mall, except this is for adults. So my opening line to him when I got up to the front was, “Hey, we both have something in common, we both got third at the race this weekend.” I know dorky right. Then I proceeded to be an even bigger dork and asked him if I could take a picture with him. Of course he was really nice and said sure, that must explain his deer in the headlights look in the picture. After the picture, he signed a photograph of himself for me that said, “Grant, Never Give Up,” signed Chris Lieto. Let me tell you how cool I felt. Then I noticed that he signed everyone’s photo the exact same. Oh well, so much for being unique. After that we had a 3 course meal provided for free by Memorial Herman who was sponsoring the event. The food was great and while we were eating MH took the chance to explain how they can help athletes get faster by doing lactate testing. Then, the man of the hour, came and spoke. Really he did talk about race specifics or goals that he had, or even advice. What he did was more of a motivational speech. The one part I really liked was he talked about visualizing your dreams, and we did a simple exercise to demonstrate the power of mental focus. He had us all stand up, extend our arm straight out in front of us, and then twist and point as far as we could behind us. Then he had us close our eyes and visualize ourselves doing this, going back to our furthest point, and then beyond that. We did this a few times and then opened our eyes and attempted to twist around again. Not only did everyone pass where they had gone originally, but it just seemed easier. It goes to show you how big of a limiting factor your brain can be. So his overall message was to dream and dream big, then to visualize, and the most important part, follow through with your dreams. Like I said, it was more of a motivational speech but it worked because I left with warm fuzzies in my stomach, or maybe it was the unlimited sopapias, I’m not sure, but either way it was a fun evening that really got me excited for the big race this weekend.

Kemah Tri Photos

2011-04-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

Kemah Tri Race Report

2011-04-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I awoke at 3:30 to make the trip down to Kemah to compete in the Kemah Tri (formally known as the Gateway to the Bay Triathlon). Last year I had a horrible swim and a weak race overall so I was looking for redemption. I went into the race knowing that my off season had focused on swimming and running, but with my hamstring injury I was unsure how well I would be able to run. So like all early season races this would be a good test of my fitness and help me prepare for my 70.3 the next weekend. Overall, I was the 3rd amateur and for the second time in my triathlon career, won some prize money, which is always exciting. Overall, I felt good but realized that running and running off the bike are two different things and I need to focus on the latter. Good to know for later this season. Otherwise I was happy with my results and had a great time. Read below if you want the race details.
Race Start:
Around 6 am the boat shoves off to the race start while jamming Katie Perry’s song “California Girls” which actually got me kind of pumped up for the race. The swim is a point to point from straight out in the middle of the bay to the shore. It was a 20 minute ride to the start, and after that I had another 10 minutes till the invitational wave start. The biggest issue I saw was that the boat captain was worried that everyone would gather on one side of the boat to watch the pro’s take off, causing the ship to capsize. So there were strict instructions for everyone to stay at their designated stations until it was there time to go. Well, I snuck over to watch the pro’s start and lots of others must have as well because I definitely felt this big paddle boat sway to one side as the start of the race got near. Luckily, it didn’t capsize. I’m curious if there were any pictures taken from the water of the boat leaning to one side. The next wave was the pro women, and then the invitational wave. While we were on the side of the boat, holding on with one leg hanging out over the water, I could help but think that this must be similar to someone about to jump out of an airplane. Looking around I noticed that some people had water running out the bottom of their wetsuit. I then realized it wasn’t water! Well, when you got to go, you got to go, so I joined in. Then the countdown started, 10, 9, 8, …2,1 Go! We were pretty spread out so there was not too much contact at the beginning. I settled into my rhythm and started my swim to shore. The water felt good, but there was a side current so that every time I tried to take a breath on my left side I typically ended up w/a mouth full of sea water. Last year it was impossible to see any bouys or sight where we were going, and the RD did a great job of changing that this year. I did a great job sighting and I felt good until the last 400m when I my form started to go and I was having a hard time sighting. At that point I started drafting off the legs of the nearest swimmer and just held on. My time on the swim was 23 something, which was good for me considering that the swim course was a little long.
Next came the bike course. Not much to say about that except it was flat and fast. I really just pushed it hard the whole way with no regards for what came next. This being the first tri of the season I really just wanted to see what my body was capable of. It paid off in a way. I rolled into transition as the first amateur athlete, with a time of 57 minutes on the bike. I thought that was a good time until I saw some of the pro’s bike splits. The fastest was a 52 minute bike split by the eventual winner (and several 54 minute splits). That’s where I need to get my bike times. Anyways, I get off the bike and am quickly passed in transition. I was 15 seconds behind 1st place. The first 2 miles on the run were painful. My leg turnover was slow (that’s what I get for doing ½ ironman bricks), as my legs wanted to ease into the run. At mile 3 my legs seemed to loosen up, but the speed was just not there. I tried to surge a couple of times but each time I got a reminder from my hamstring that I was not 100% and so I couldn’t run as freely as I normally would have. At mile 3 ½ I get passed by the eventual winner hauling on the run. I maintain my pace and just keep my sights on the person in front of me. The last two miles were an out and back over a bridge. On the uphill I start gaining ground on 2nd but just as I get close, he opens up another 15 second gap and I am unable to bridge the gap.
I finish in 2:01:45 seconds. Not bad considering the long transitions and swim, plus a slow run. Overall, I was happy with my time and the fact that my hamstring did not hurt while I was racing although it was tight. Afterwards, I got a massage and post race food and started my recovery for the Memorial Herman 70.3 next weekend.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: oatmeal, PB, banana, and coffee (400 cal)
Pre-race: power bar gummies and water (100 cal)
Bike: Accelerade, Gu x 1 (300 cals)
Run: Cliff shot bocks (2) (70 cals)

And here we go...

2011-03-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

If we go back two months, to mid-January, I felt like my fitness was dead on. I had just run my first 50K and was getting ready to taper for the Austin Marathoni. I was feeling great, and had hopes of transitioning to a fast early tri-season. So I signed up for the Kemah Triathlon and the Lonestar 70.3 Ironman. Sure, enough not even a week later I pull my hamstring. So instead of tapering for the marathon I am “tapering” to recover from my injury. 2 weeks go by before I’m able to run on it again, but during this time I’m swimming, lifting, and stretching to keep up my fitness. Then as I’m starting to be able to run again, I come down with a cold. To make it worse, I went on a business trip which was fun, but stressful. I’m sure it prolonged the sickness since it lasted over a week. Then, after getting back from the trip I was exhausted and behind in school. Luckily it was one week, and then I had spring break to recover and catch up. During the break I had one week of decent training, and attempted to carry it over to the next week. Well, wouldn’t you know it, I got sick again, thanks Sarah ;) So just when I was starting to feel good, the last weekend of what I’ll call cramming training, turned into a recovery weekend. So now, It’s the week of the Kemah Triathlon and a little over a week away from the Lonestar 70.3 Ironman and I only have one long ride of 70 miles, a long run of only 13 miles, a tight hamstring, and still recovering from a second bout of the common cold. And to top it off, I got some blisters on the back of my foot from some new shoes, which were so bad that I had to take a day off from running. Arg, I cant even taper well. So needless to say it’s been a bit of a disappointing early season. If I had known this was coming I would not have signed up for the 70.3, but since I did, I just plan on making the most of the situation, by going out and pushing myself and making sure to have fun. Hopefully my hamstring is fine and my cold doesn’t relapse again. Anything other than that, will just be icing on the cake. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds. Afterwards I plan on taking two weeks completely off from training, well mostly. Can’t wait to bust out the mountain bike and have fun.

Back to the Grind

2011-03-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

Ahh, there’s nothing quite like coming home to a sink full of dishes that is breeding flies and a pile of laundry larger than I remember. After a wonderful week in Austin, it was back to Houston. I don’t know where the week went. I guess that’s what happens when you try to cram as much as you can in a small window of time. The best part, I think for Sarah and me was that we knew that we would get to be with each other all week. So we tried to make the best of it, but of course our we had our energy peaks at different times throughout the week. Early on, I was still wiped out from traveling and sickness, while Sarah was up and energetic, and then by the end of the week we switched. She was starting to catch a cold and was tired. We were going to go camping but its hard when we have the lure of the lake house so close. So we went up there and grilled, fished, and slept. Not much was biting so we just walked around the lake using my “xray” sunglasses to look for fish, and according to them, we caught two huge carp! We also met up with my future business associate and met with her consultant about our future dental practice, which was very exciting. It was definitely done the old fashioned way, meaning we sat and talked over drinks and just got to know each other better. It’s a cool feeling knowing that I already have a job waiting for me when I get done with school. As for the rest of the week, I spent a lot of time swimming, biking, and running. Sarah did a lot of studying, and at the end of the day we were just happy to be together. That I learned was the most important part. It was not what we were doing, but who we were with (which it was just us two), but we had a great time just being together. The countdown has begun for the day that we will move in together again. 49 more days until we officially will never have to live apart again. And on a side note, its 60 days until our cruise!

Spring Break!

2011-03-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

It’s finally here! Oh, I have been looking forward to this day for sooo long. It seems like the last month has just been a whirlwind of tests, meetings, and conferences, and now I have a whole week to do absolutely nothing except sleep, eat, train, and hang out with Sarah. If you back up two weeks, you’ll see why I am so glad to have a week off. As a part of ASDA I got to go to their annual session which happened to be in Disneyland this year. Exciting, but at the same time I was missing two tests and a practical. There were 6 of us going from our school , 2 first years, 3 second years, and 1 third year. Our schedule was to leave Wednesday and get back Sunday. So we knew it was going to be a long week. While I tried to get ahead before leaving, my efforts were futile. I left knowing that the next week I would really have to play catch up. To top it off, just as we were leaving I felt as if I may be coming down with a cold. Well sure enough I got sick, and the time change and traveling didn’t help.
Overall the trip was awesome, except for missing exams and being sick. The first day we got to meet Mickey Mouse and take pictures with him. I tried to have a beer in my hand when I took the picture but his PR man managed to jump in front of the camera before the picture and take my beer. Bummer. The next day we had our keynote speaker from Disneyland come speak to us. The main topic was about the history of Disney, but he also talked about Disney’s vision and what they do to be the best. It was really good and was told in a way that we could take back and use in our practice. I’ll spare you most of it but basically he said to be the best you want to set your sights high and to have everyone take ownership in the company. He went into much more detail but those were the two main points. The rest of the conference we spent electing a new president and passing new bills following parliamentary procedure, which was interesting for about a whole 5 minutes. Friday night we all got to go to Disneyland, but I was so sick/tired that I didn’t even make it for the fireworks. I also hate to say it but I’m just not a big Disney fan. I mean I like the movies and Mickey Mouse, but I don’t really like the theme park. Besides Disneyland, we were “wined and dined” at night by different dental reps that would pay for our entire dinner and alcohol, which was awesome. There was also a vendor fair, which is like a sports expo except with just dental companies, and finally Saturday, was the presidents dance. The theme for this year was 80’s. So as you can imagine there were lots of neon colors, ripped jeans, and workout outfits. It was in the Disneyland grand ballroom. The dance floor alone was bigger than 2 of my apartments put together, and even though there were over 400 students in the room, it was still only half full.
We got back to Houston on Sunday around 3pm. Exhausted and tired I had a rough week ahead of me. It felt like finals. I had 3 exams, 2 practicals, and 1 quiz. It can’t get much worse than that. On top of that I was exhausted from the trip and sick. Somehow, I made it through, although I’m not sure how I did on the exams, and I am now on spring break mode, and I am soooo excited to spend the week with Sarah and training and relaxing!!

Hamstring Strain?

2011-02-15T08:18:00.001-08:00

What's the old saying, "Always listen to your body?" Well, of course it my last push to the Austin Marathon I didn't listen to the signals my body was telling me and ended up pulling my hamstring. Sunday I had gone out and did my 20 mile long run, probably ran it faster than I should have, but I find that throwing in speed work makes the long run go by faster. Then, Monday I did an easy swim and bike and felt fine, I was sore, but that is typical. Probably the first sign I ignored. Tuesday is my speed day and I did a 6x6 min intervals on the treadmill getting progressively faster. It was late at night when I did this workout (8pm), so I had already eaten dinner and wasn't hungry afterwards. This led me to be dehydrated and wiped out the next day. Plus I had an exam the next day, so I was stressed and strung out, but instead of taking a nap, I went out for my planned "easy" 9 mile run. Well, sure enough, 1 mile away from home I feel a stabbing pain right at the back of my knee cap. I think it may be a cramp and I stop and try to stretch it out and then continue. No luck, the pain comes right back. I like to think that I have a high threshold for pain, but I know there is a good pain and a bad pain. This was the latter. So I walk it home and do RICE therapy. I follow that with 2 days off completely. On Sunday I try to run, get 5 minutes in and the pain returns. So I take a whole week off from running. It doesn't hurt when I swim or bike, so I'm switching gears and starting my triathlon training early. After 2 weeks, I am able to bike and swim no problem, but I am taking it really slow coming back to running. It's a bummer since I was really looking forward to the Austin marathon this weekend. So instead of running on Sunday, I will be doing a swim and some yoga. My biggest fear at the moment is that this will ruin the tri season for me, especially since I have two early season tris (GTB and Texas 70.3). After that I'm taking a short break during the summer to start my buildup for the 2012 Texas Ironman.

What it’s like to live in a mansion

2011-01-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to Colorado for the annual American Student Dental Association district meeting, which included representatives from the three Texas dental schools, plus Oklahoma and Colorado dental schools. We were all arriving on Thursday evening in the Denver airport, and then driving to Copper Mountain, CO where we had a 4 story mansion awaiting us. I learned that this house was worth 2.8 million dollars, which I actually thought was kind of low, and could sleep up to 25 people (VERY comfortably I might add). Since each school sent approximately 5 students, so we had exactly the right amount of people. You never felt crowded in the house, but you couldn’t ever be alone. The house was right on the ski slope so we could ski in and out throughout the day. Outside was a hot-tub, grill, and huge patio looking over the bunny slope. When we arrived at the house, I was in shock at how nice it was. From the outside it looked like a pimped out log cabin, and it only got better from there. The first floor of the house was dedicated to an entertainment room, with theater style seating and a projection TV, 2 car garage, and a bedroom and bathroom. The second floor had what I would consider a master bedroom and a sports room. This room had a pool table, poker table, and a wet bar. It was definitely the guys room for the trip. Finally, on the third floor was the main living area, which included the kitchen, living room, study, dinning room, and a locker room to store your ski equiptment. Also on this floor was the bedroom that I stayed in. The room had 4 full size bunk beds, and they all had their own flat screen TV so you could watch TV in bed. As if that wasn’t enough, there was one more floor above the main floor which had another master bedroom and a bathroom that was the size of my apartment. It had a grand bathtub that looked out over the ski slopes, a laundry room, and a huge walk in closet, but the best thing about it was the shower. This was no ordinary shower. First off, it had three different shower heads. One in front of you, one coming down from the ceiling, and then another hand held shower head. On top of that, it had a built in steamer. This turned your ordinary shower into a wet steam room any time you wanted. After a long day of skiing, I would come back and spend a good 30 minutes in here, and when I got out I felt like a new man. This was by far the best shower I have ever had. I was sad to leave, but I guess all good things have to come to an end eventually.

colorado photos

2011-01-24T17:07:00.000-08:00

Short week, long weekend

2011-01-24T06:03:00.001-08:00

After a long MLK weekend of watching rainfall, something we Texans haven’t been able to do very often, I was going stir crazy. Finally on the last day, the sun comes out and it’s time to head back to Houston for a 2 day school week, and then I am off to Colorado for an American Student Dental Association District meeting. I know what you all must be thinking. Colorado, how tough that must be, and it will be. I mean, it’s going to be hard after snowboarding all day to come back to a 4 story house with a hot tub and pool table and try and focus on dental meetings, but somehow I think I will survive. The toughest part is going to be trying to get in my 16 mile run on Sunday. I ran Thursday with my heart rate monitor in Houston, and then I plan on comparing it to my run Sunday to see if there is any difference in the altitude.

Bandera 50K race report

2011-01-09T11:25:00.001-08:00

The first week back to school was an exhausting week. Come Friday, I had run 65 miles, given my first injection, and was feeling swamped with homework. Sarah and I both wanted a nice relaxing weekend, and the last thing I wanted to do was drive 4 1/2 hrs out to Bandera. I was a split second away from not going, but in the end, I made the drive from Houston to Bandera, which turned out to be an easy drive. I arrived right before midnight, but by the time I set up my tent and organized my special needs bag, it was 12:45. I got a good 5 hrs of sleep before I was awaken by the sound of hundreds of cars bringing runners from across the state to the Bandera 100k, 50k, 25k race. I climbed out of my tent to the sun just starting to break over the horizon, and I was instantly glad that I had come. I could tell it was going to be a good day. The 50k race start was about 1/2 a mile away from where I camped, so at 7:15 I made the hike over. My legs felt pretty good, since I had taken the previous day off, but I was still wondering how they would hold up towards the end of the race. The race start had a laid back feel, compared to a triathlon, as people were standing around taking last minute photos w/friends and family and wishing each other good luck. Out of no where we heard the countdown, 10, 9, 8 .. and we were off like cattle being released through an open gate. I tried to maneuver my way to the front while still taking it easy. The first ten miles were going to be the hardest w/the most climbing. We came up to the first climb and I just kept running, everyone else stopped and started walking up the hill, did they know something I didn't? After about 3 minutes into the climb I realized that the reason they walked up the hills is that unless you want to hit AT in the first mile of the race, you better walk the hills. As we crested the top of the hill, I was greeted with panoramic views of the valley below with the sun slowly creeping up over the treeline casting a deep red-orange tint over the entire park. It was an instant reminder of why this is the most beautiful area in Texas. Up and down over rocks, through razor sharp Cati's, and dusty horse trails, the race went on. I carried with me my own water and gels, but at every aid station there were tons of goodies to keep you going. I spent the day munching on oreos, MandM's, and some homemade banana bread. It's amazing how you reach a point where you really don't want to eat anymore, but with 2 hrs left in the race, I knew I had to keep eating and drinking if I was to make it to the finish. So, I kept fueling up. Overall, I was feeling real good and actual run myself into first place by mile 25 (although I didn't know I was in first at the time), but those last 5 miles really killed me. It just felt like there was nothing left in my legs. I could feel my hamstrings starting to tighten up, and I walked/jogged the last few miles in to cross the finish line in 4 hours and 15 minutes (4th place Overall). At half a mile left, there was the last aid station where I was offered a beer, I said why not and had some. Apparently, that was the final draw for my stomach and up came all the oreos, MandM's, and orange Gatorade that I had eaten throughout the day. After the race I went a laid down with my coke and banana bread in my tent and took a nap. The whole time I could just feel the muscle fibers twitching. With rain threatening I decided to pack it up and head back to Houston that night. Overall, it was an amazing race, and I have a new respect for these people who were out there doing the 100k.

New Years Challenge

2011-01-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

To start off the new year, I am running 100 miles in 8 days, capping it off with a 50k out in Bandera Texas. Today is day 4 (Tuesday) and I’ve already hit 50 miles, only 50 more to go. This will be the most I’ve ever run in this short of time, and so far I think my body is handling it pretty well. My calf’s are a little tight, and my joints are a little sore at the beginning of each run, but it quickly fades. I do notice that I have been a little more tired and cranky than usual (but that may be from being back in school as well). Today I started experiencing some of the side effects of the extra miles, I’ve got some blisters on my feet and my toes feel slightly bruised, oh and my nipples have been rubbed raw. I’ve got to remember to put body glide on them before my next run. Surprisingly, my legs have adapted well and I still feel light on my feet and am able to keep a good pace. Of course after this week I’m going to drop the mileage way back down and get back to a more balanced training cycle of swim, bike, run. Well, I’ll keep yall updated on how the week turns out. Cheers!

Welcome Back

2011-01-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

I made it through finals, and now I’m right back at it. I only had two weeks off for break this year and it went by faster than I would have liked. The break started off with a trip to LA where Sarah and I celebrated her grandparents being inducted into the Erath Hall of fame, and afterwards we celebrated with tons of gumbo and drinks. Sarah found a new favorite song and drink while we were there. The song is called the “Wop” and the drink is the “lemon drop.” I think the most fun part of the night was going to a college graduation party out in the country. The party was in a large barn, and everyone was getting down. The best was when Sarah’s cousin started dancing with 2 40 year old blondes. Man, those Cajuns know how to party.
After LA, we came back to Katy and spent the week catching up with friends, going to Christmas dinners, and relaxing. Christmas came and went with the customary excess of food, drinks, and presents, but I’m not complaining (it sure beats being in school). The day after Christmas, my uncle, cousin, friend, and myself all headed up to the Guadalupe river to do some fly fishing. The company had overbooked the cabins so they put us up in a lodge complete with pool table, flat screen tv, and skylights. Outside was our own private inlet where we could see at least half a dozen large trout. It was awesome. The first morning we woke up at 6am to temps in the low 30’s. The water was only a chilly 56 degrees, but there was steam rising off the water because it was so cold out. Rob even had ice forming on the end of his fishing line. After only about 10 Michael caught one of the trout trying to swim uphill with just his bear hands (can you say survivor man). Saddly, after fishing all day that was all we caught until that evening Michael tried casting out with some salmon eggs, and sure enough, within 2 minutes he had another huge trout. That night we built a fire, grilled the fish, watched the bowl game, and drank some 12 year old scotch. It doesn’t get much better than that. The next day, the temps were much warmer and the fish were biting. After only fishing for about an hour, I got a strike, but I failed to set the hook. So I cast the line out again. He took it again and this time I made sure to set the hook. I was in the fight of my life this huge fish. Trying to test me, the fish leapt out of the water, trying his hardest to shake the hook loose. Finally, I let him tire himself out and then reeled him into the shallows where we netted him. He was mine. We left pretty soon after that, but I definitely want to go back.
The rest of the break I spent training, sleeping, relaxing, reading (finished Dan Brown’s Lost Symbols) up in Austin before Sarah and I had to pack it up and head back to Houston. The break kept me so busy I don’t think I was near a computer for more than 10 minutes at a time. So, now I am definitely playing catch up this first week, but it was SOOOO worth it! Hope everyone out there had a great Christmas and a safe and fun New Years.

Are we done yet?

2010-12-08T18:13:00.000-08:00

Oh, the madness. This is me, last night around 11pm trying to stay awake and study on the bike. What, you ask, am I listening to? It’s the Justin Timberlake Pandora radio station, and what’s on TV. It’s universal sports figure skating. Sarah caught me last night and made me confess to my um “secret” indulgences. I don’t care what you say, nothing wakes you up better than a little JT and women’s figure skating. Throw in some spandex biker shorts and you got one delirious dental student. Oh, and it’s only Tuesday, I have a whole week and a half left of exams. Can’t wait to see what next brings. I might stop posting if it gets any worse.

Weekend Preparation for Finals:

2010-12-05T19:22:00.000-08:00

Friday:
- Got out of school at 1pm
- Went to ifly to check out some fly’s for upcoming fly fishing trip
- 3:30 – 5:30: study new pharm material
- 5:30-6:30 swim
- Came home ordered a large pizza, had a coke, and m and m’s. Finished them all off (and was still kind of hungry)and studied all the old pharm material.
- In bed around 11:30
Saturday
- Woke up at 10
- Studied for 2 hrs
- Ran for 2 hrs
- Studied for 4 hrs
- Went to the On Ur Left Christmas party (more about them later)
- Back home at 9 where attempted to study until about 11.
- Couldn’t sleep, woke up and studied till 12:30
Sunday
- Woke up at 8. Hopped on the trainer and rode for an hour while studying powerpoints
- Breakfast: eggs, cheesy grits, powdered donuts, and coffee (black)
- Studied till 4:30
- Swam from 5:30-6:30 (see pic - i'm still studying)
- Dinner and last minute studying.
What a fun weekend of living the bachelor life. Can’t wait for finals to be over and they have hardly just begun.

The Dirty Du

2010-11-21T20:56:00.000-08:00

Thats not a tan line. It's a mixed of dirt, sweat, and pride. Theres a reason they call it the dirty du. Whew! What a fun weekend of camping, running, biking, and getting dirty. This week I coerced Sarah to come out to Rocky Hill Ranch and camp out with me for the annual High Five Dirty Duathlon, which consists of a half marathon trail run on Saturday and then a 5k/12M/5k duathlon on Sunday. Friday night I drove up to the ranch and set up camp so I didn’t have to get up early on Saturday. The trail run was a blast. This was a laid back race and probably and there were probably only 30-50 people doing the run. As the horn went off we all took off in a big bunch but once we hit the trail, we all created one long line of runners. After about the first mile, we split into two groups, the lead group of about 5 people and then another group of about 8 people. I stayed back for the first couple of miles, hesitant to lead for fear of getting lost, but after about 5 miles I was tired of staring at the guys feet in front of me so I took off. I have determined that I love trail running. It’s a combination of speed, agility, alertness, and nature. The whole run I had the best runners high and ended up running into first place by at least 3-5 minutes. That afternoon Sarah and I met up in Bastrop, studied, and then headed back out to the ranch to watch the Bike Tossing event. Well there just happened to be a professional Olympic hammer thrower that was there and lets just say he was AMAZING. He threw father than any other competitor by at least 10 feet. Check out the video to see a 40 lb bike fly in the air for 40 feet, it’s pretty awesome. Afterwards, we sat around our fire pit and talked and caught up with friends, but our adventure wasn’t over for the night. First off, SOMEBODY (not saying any names) forgot the air pump so we borrow one from our neighbors. Then, while filling up our air mattress, I hear the faintest little sound of air excaping from a pin size hole at the end of the mattress. So I’m off on another mission to find some duct tape, and again I was successful at finding it. Lets just say I duct taped the sh*T out of that mattress, but low and behold at around 11 or 12 there was no more air in that mattress, so sarah and I spend the rest of the night on the cold ground. I was so tired it didn’t matter, but it definitely would have been better for Sarah. Sunday morning came too soon, and I was up at the crack of dawn getting my breakfast ready and setting up for the race. I was excited and nervous. I knew I would be in front on the run, which meant that a lot of people would pass me on the bike, and sure enough that’s what happened. I was 5th off the run, but almost instantly was being passed on the bike. Ahh, it brought back memories of my first tri with people zooming by me on the bike. But, in my defense I would say that I held my own out there on the bike. The way I would describe it is that I can do the technical parts but I am slow compared to most riders, but when there was an open stretch I could hammer much better than the other cyclists. I only had to dismount a few times and when I did, other people were as well. Of course there were those times that I over corrected and flew over the handle bars. Another time I ran straight into a tree (my shoulder did a good job of stopping me, at the cost of a nice big bruise). By the end, my hand was numb from grabbing the handle bars so hard, but it was a blast and think I may be hooked on mountain biking. In the end, the final injury count, as of tonight in the shower was 8 bruises, 7 cuts, blisters on my toes, sore hip flexors and lower back, but I would definitely do it all again. I want to just say a quick congrats to Adam and Rita for their Ironman finish at IMAZ. As I write this, even though it’s been a long day for me , its been even longer for them. I just saw them cross the finish line together. Congrats guys!

Putting the call out

2010-11-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

Alright, the time has just about come. Next semester we are starting clinic two days a week. I got the tip from a 3rd year student that this is the best time to get in friends and family. The reason for this is b/c you will come in and get treatment planned and xrayed by one of the practicing dentists here at the school, and will then be "referred" to me. I don't know who needs dental work, but if you do this is the time to get in. Even if you have perfect teeth, I would be able to offer cleanings and dental check ups. In fact that will be mostly what you will get first b/c you have to build a good foundation for future restorations. The advantages of being a patient at the dental school is that the work is very cheap and you will receive excellent quality of care(even though it will be a learning experience for me, the professor will make sure that the work is the highest quality care - otherwise I would fail). The only requirement/downside to being to coming to the school is that there is no free parking and you have to be able to spend the afternoon (1ish-4:45) with me. I'll make everyone the offer that if you don't want to sit in afternoon traffic, I'll treat you to dinner in the rice village (10 dollar maximum - hey, I still have student loans to pay off).

Stolen Logo

2010-11-03T09:19:00.001-07:00

Wow, so apparently The North Face liked my blog so much that they decided to make it their slogan for their company. I feel honored. Maybe I should have gotten it copyrighted. Haha

Mountain Biking at Memorial Park

2010-11-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

Friday I spent the afternoon lost on the mountain bike trails of Memorial Park. I can't believe I have lived in Houston for almost 2 years and never been over here. These are actually some really good mountain biking trails. There is an outer easy 3 mile loop but from there you can take several short cuts and detours through the park that are more technically difficult. At first I was definitely rusty on the trail, but after a few runs I was getting the hang of it. I don't clip in on a mountain bike and don't understand how others do. It seems like every time the trail gets technical, I have to put my foot down to give myself some stability or an extra little push to get over the tree roots. One small problem I noticed was that the mountain bike would not shift gears, so I only had 2-3 gears to work with. After a 2 hour ride I put up the bike and went for a run. It was an awesome day to finish off what had been a busy week. Sarah came in on Wednesday night (great sup rise) b/c she did not have to work on Thurs and she played hookie on Friday. We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing at her mom's house. We had a huge German chocolate cake waiting for us when we got there for Sarah's birthday and we ordered in for Sarah's b-day. My gift to Sarah was,drum roll please, a maid! So worth it according to Sarah. We also went mountain biking together, and then on Sunday we went trick or treating Sunday night w/our godsons. Overall, it was a really relaxing weekend where we caught up on sleep, watching TV, and eating lots of sweets!

Tip of the Hat, Wag of the Finger

2010-10-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

To steal a segment from Stephen Colbert, just wanted to say a few things that I think are doing a good job, and others that are not.
Tip of the Hat
To Starbucks: I showed up there Sunday morning to study. I ordered a coffee and a water, and then realized that I didn't have my wallet. I told the guy I'll just take the water, but he told me the coffee was on the house. Nice, I need to forget my wallet more often.
To playing hookie: Friday I had finished all my lab work and we only had a review class which was optional, so I left for Austin Thursday night and surprised Sarah. It really just started off the weekend great.
To Whole Foods for their awesome vegan chocolate muffins, free food/coffee samples, and great study environment.

Wag of the finger
To Walmart: last week I bought a battery from there for my car. I take it home and put it in and it's the wrong battery. So I just go get one from Autozone, on my way to Katy. Then I try to return the battery to the Walmart in Katy. After 30 minutes of waiting in line they inform me that they do not accept batteries from other Walmart stores! Seriously, I can get an eye exam, do my banking, buy 50 chicken nuggets for 9$ (add 2 large cokes/fries for only 4 more dollars), and do my grocery shopping here, but you cant return a battery from another store. Give me a break.
To Politicians/Lawyers: Sorry if you are either one but I just can't believe some of the shenanigans going on right now. Christine O'Donnell is probably one of the stupidest people ever. She just keeps getting worse and worse. I wish people would step back and actually research the issues. Anyways. That's the end of that little rant. I'm ready for some cooler weather.

Atrial Fibrillation In Endurance Athletes Still Poses Problems For Sports Cardiologists

2010-10-10T21:48:00.000-07:00

Atrial Fibrillation In Endurance Athletes Still Poses Problems For Sports Cardiologists

Is it Friday yet?

2010-10-07T12:40:00.001-07:00

Well it may be by the time I get this posted. It’s Wednesday evening right now and all I can say is, “Wow.” Every semester there is one week (typically midterm) that really hurts your feelings. One that makes you really dig deep and push through the mental and physical exhaustion. This was that week, with 3 tests back to back to back. I didn’t do great, but I survived (with only some minor bruising). It seems like triathlon season ended just in time, because I have been consumed by studying 24/7 for the past two weeks. Ask Sarah, I literally had my notes with me while we were at the movies to read during the previews. So tonight, I am taking it easy, drinking a beer, and watching the 2007 ironman world championship. Any time I watch these races I get a nostalgic feeling. The best way to describe it is like your wedding day, in the sense that this is one of the largest milestones in your life (wedding still tops the ironman, barely) I actually think the two events are very similar. For each one, you start the day nervous; the day itself flies by, and before you know it the day is over and your hungry and tired. Looking forward to the weekend (well, actually I consider thurs, fri my weekend b/c I have a test Monday), but Sarah is coming into town and we are going to relax and study and play tennis. Can’t wait.

Enjoying the simple things in life

2010-10-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

I love Austin. We have been talking about the importance of location when setting up a dental practice, because it determines your quality of life and how happy you are in your practice. Being happy trumps all other things, because whats the point of making more money somewhere else if you are not happy, and to me, I cant imagine living and working in any other city than Austin (definitely not Houston). It's just the simple things that Austin allows one to do on a day to day basis. For instance, last night Sarah and I went out to the Iguana grill and watched the sun set over lake travis while listening to live music and taking tequila shots. This morning I woke up and joined 40 other OCD cyclists for an early morning ride through the hill country followed by a quick visit to whole foods to grab a chocolate vegan muffin (only in Austin) and coffee. The weather was beautiful and the ride was fast, cant get any better than that. At whole foods I sat outside on the patio and studied, and off in the distance, I could hear a random protester out on the street corner yelling about the cost of war and raising money for wounded vets and on the other side of the street corner was a shirtless man playing the guitar for tip money. Then it was back home to spend the rest of the day with Sarah. This year we have really missed being able to come home and have someone there to talk to and confide in. It's these simple things like this that I am looking forward to when Sarah and I move back to Austin and start our lives, careers, and family. Gooo Texas! Beat OU!

Race Report for the Inaugural Houston Triathlon

2010-09-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

Wake up: 4:45 this time seems to work well for me if it is a 7:00 start.
Breakfast: ½ cup oatmeal, banana, and warm tea. I prefer the tea as compared to coffee on race mornings b/c it wakes me up but doesn’t make me jittery. I also ate 100 calorie cliff shot blocks 1 hr before the race

Warm up: I don’t believe in warm ups for triathlons except for maybe a short swim warm up and stretching. So I stretched what I felt needed stretching and did about a 200m warm up.

Swim: The sun had barely come up when the race started. I was starting in the Invitational wave with about 30 other people. We were all on the beach when we heard the countdown, and we were all caught off guard b/c we thought it was a deep water start instead of a beach start. So as the gun takes off so do we as we start running towards the water. The swim was designed as a 2 loop course. My goal time for each loop was 10 minutes for each loop w/30 second run inbetween each loop. I felt like I had a good first loop and as I climb out of the water I check my time and it says 11 minutes. Darn, 1 minute off, so I’ll have to push it harder on the second. Well there were a lot of people on the course by this time and I had to bob and weave my way through the second loop. Kind of frustrating and came out of the water in 23 minutes. Overall, I liked the 2 loop course b/c it was something different from usual and you get a small break in the middle.

T1: coming out of the water I could see second place and take off in a sprint for transition which is over ¼ of a mile away. I make good time and am in and out of transition in 3rd position. This was one area I have really tried to work on. It’s mostly a mental aspect of the sport.

Bike: the bike was a 25 mile 2 loop course that was flat and fast with alternating headwind/tailwind. I caught the two racers in front of me within 2 minutes on the bike and never looked back. It’s funny. I had really been working hard on my swim and run since the Austin Triathlon and hardly biked at all, but somehow my bikin legs felt stronger than ever. I kept telling myself to hold back because I still had to run, but I could have pushed it even harder had I wanted. I knew coming into T2 that I had put in some time on the field behind me but I had no idea how much. I tried some new nutrition on the bike this race. I used the Hammer Perpetum which packs a whopping 200 calories/50 carbs/150mg sodium/5g protein mixed with water. I thought it was actually good in race simulation but it tastes horrible in training rides.

T2: Felt good and ready to get out on the run. It was interesting b/c there was a photographer in transition photographing my every move, which must have kind of funny to him to watch me fumble around as I put on my socks and shoes.

Run: The run was a 1 loop course that ran around the college and towne lake on gravel and sidewalks. I guess the “highlight” of the run was when we run in the high school football stadium and up the walkway to the top of the stadium and then back down, which I didn’t really like because it slowed you down and messed up my running stride. The first part of the run was very fast as I crossed the 3 mile mark in 16:50, but then took almost 20 minutes on the last 3.2 miles. Call it lack of motivation or b/c of having to run up the stadium, but I definitely ran the second half slower. I kept the nutrition simple on the run since it wasn’t too hot out, I drank only water on the course and took a gel at mile 4. I crossed the finish line in 1:59:30; an improvement from the AustinTri by 20 seconds. Overall, I was happy with my race, especially since I won! Very exciting. The runner up was almost 6 minutes back!

Well that’s all for the 2010 Tri season. I was a good racing year. I raced 5 Tri’s and finished in the top 10 for all with 2 wins. Now it’s time for some down time and relaxation before switching over to marathon training for the Austin Marathon. My goals as of now for next year is to try and get faster at the Olympic distance by dropping time on my swim and run. I want to swim under 20 minutes and run sub36 min next year. So I got some work to do. Thanks to Austin Tricyclist for all their help keeping my bike in running order and Aaron w/OnUrLeft for putting on some awesome races this year and picking me up as a sponsor for next year.

No pressure

2010-09-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

I went and picked up my race packet yesterday and was suprised to see that Aaron (race director) had given me the number 1 race number. My philosophy on racing is that you have to finish at the number you are racing or above. Well its kind of hard to improve on 1st so no pressure there. ;) Well lets just say I did not disappoint finishing first in 1:59:30. This is 20 seconds faster than the Austin Tri, but it's hard to compare the two. The second place guy was a good 5 minutes behind me. The race was fun and we had excellent conditions. Race report to follow (probably wednesday afternoon). Till then, go Texans (still upset about the Texas game yesterday, but I must move on).

Not just another run

2010-09-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

Today, like most days I brought my running clothes to school to squeeze in a lunch time run. Tired of all my usually running routes, I set out on a new one. I ended up following the Metro rail train tracks all the way to downtown. I took some detours on some side streets which kept things interesting. For example, you can run down one street and be next to million dollar homes, townhouses, and lofts; then not even a block later your next to abandoned homes and seedy motels. Anyways I make it almost to downtown and decided to turn around. As I'm headed back it starts to drizzle and then pour down rain. This just made the run, and I kept wanting it to rain harder, and it did. I was being pelted by rain and running through puddles of flowing water. It was the most refreshing time I have had on a run in a long time. I decided to run through Herman Park on my way back and do some hill repeats before finally strolling into the dental building soaked to the bone. Man did it feel good. Hopefully the weather is better this weekend for the race.

Feeling the effects

2010-09-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, just looking back on it now, I have done 6 weeks of speed work which has consisted of 3 workouts, 3 times a week in each sport consisting of only speedwork. Since being in school I have focused my training on shorter faster sessions and I think it has made a difference. But now it is catching up with me as my legs are just not recovering as quick as I want them to. It may also be that I am finally into the meat of the semester and pretty much have an exam, quiz, or practical every other day until late October. This means lack of sleep, crazy late nights, and erratic mood swings and states of mind plus an out of wack sympathetic nervous system. To top it off I have a triathlon this weekend. Yea! Throw in a test on Mon and Wed and I'm good to go. Thankfully, after this weekend my tri season is going to come to an end and I'm going to take it easy for a couple of weeks, just focusing on my swimming and then I will switch over to marathon training, for the Livestrong Austin Marathon. I can't wait. Still, I feel pretty fortunate that I am able to manage my time enough to be able to train like I am. I know some people that live on 2-3 cups of coffee a day, red bulls, 5 hour energy, and McDonald's. I thought I was getting bad w/my 1 coffee or coke a day. Looking forward to a semi weekend. At least Sarah and I will be together. Going to watch "The Town" w/Ben Affleck. I hope its good. OK back to studying.

The Austin Tri Race Report:

2010-09-12T09:57:00.000-07:00

Race Time: 1:59:55, I hit my goal of breaking two hours on an Olympic triathlon and set a new personal best by almost a minute. Overall I got 8th, pretty good considering that the top 6-7 were all hard core professional triathletes.

I started out the morning w/a groggy wake-up from my phone. It had been a nonstop weekend and I was looking forward to getting this race done with and enjoy some nice R and R. Breakfast at 4:45 am consisted of oatmeal, banana, and a scoop of almond butter with some warm lemon tea. It was nice not to have to worry about getting my bike packed up, but it sure did make for a PITA the day before.
-Of course, the day before the race the cleat on my bike shoe broke and had to be replaced. Now typically this is not a hard task, but when you haven’t changed them since you bought the shoe and they are rusted and the screw’s were stripped, it’s impossible. George and I spent all Saturday trying to fix them, but in the end, I had to replace the shoes and cleats. Bummer. So much for never racing with something new.

So I arrived to transition at about 5:50, set everything up and did a few stretches and caught up with some local triathlete friends. Personally, I have given up on warming up for triathlons. The only sport I would warm up for would be the swim (which we couldn’t do), because the swim should warm you up for the bike, and likewise the bike for the run. At 6:30 I start putting on my wetsuit and get ready for take off. As I am heading for the launch shute I catch a glimpse of Sarah and steal a kiss for good luck. Then I hop in the water and the countdown begins, 10, 9, 8,,,,2,1, go and we are off. There is a little bit of a shovefest happening in the first 200m but then it clears up and I hop on the feet of someone, but I can tell they are going slower than I want, so I try to bridge the gap to the next person about 10 ft away. I’m able to hold for a while but as the swim continues I slowly fall off the pack. I come out of the water at 21:19. Perfect, now get my bike and be on my way in under 23 minutes. Then disaster strikes, as I’m heading out of transition my shoe falls off the bike. Damn! I lose about 35-45 seconds going back to get it and clip it back in. Then I am off on the bike.

The new shoes feel funny, and climbing up the congress hill I feel clumsy and out of breath. I take the first loop conservative and then really start opening it up on the last two laps. Each lap I managed to be about 20 seconds faster and I end up outsplitting everyone on the bike except for the winner. I roll into T2 and head out on the run in 5th. Sweet.

Right as I hit the run, the sky seems to open up and start raining, which felt great and kept the temps cool. On the run I just wanted to hit my target. 18 min on the first loop and negative split the second loop. Maybe I was a bit too conservative on my running time, but I kept to the plan. Even as people passed me I just kept on trucking at my pace. I ended up getting 8th so there were 3 people that passed me. As long as I broke 2hrs I was happy, and when I turned the last turn, I saw I had 30 seconds to cross the line before the 2 hr mark. So I stepped it up a notch and finished just under. I couldn’t have been happier. I had Sarah and her family there which was nice. It was such a great race. The competition just keeps getting tougher which I like, but it still has that local feel to it. Afterwards, I got my post race massage and spent the afternoon mingling with others. Overall it was a great day, and to top it off, for dinner I had TX Chili parlor with a couple of magnums. Doesn’t get much better than that, plus a week off from school.

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

Last year I started the tradition of inviting my in-laws up to the lake for labor day. It's always a fun filled and busy weekend. Of course, I did not get out of school until 5:00pm on friday and to make things worse, I lost my loops right before I was about to leave. Loops are the magnifying glasses that dentists wear to see better in the mouth and are worth aprox 1,100 dollars. So I was freaking out all day trying to retrace my steps. Luckily the security gaurd found them and turned them into lost and found. whew! Crisis one averted.

So off to Austin I headed around 8:00 on friday. Met up with Sarah that night and then did the Saturday ride the next morning. After the ride, the weekend was non-stop fun and adventure and romen. We all meet up with her mom and sis for lunch at NxNW (no nephews this year) w/Kevyn. We then take them to tiff's treat for desert. Then its on to the lake house, stopping at HEB to stock up on the goods (ie: romen). I had forewarned everyone that the AC at the lake was broken so we were going to be roughing it, but crisis #2 was averted b/c the weather was so perfect. We got to the lake and had a cool breeze, and everyone just relaxed, napped, and read magazines. That evening we went down to the lake and did some fishing, canoeing, and watched the sunset. It was so relaxing and peaceful, and the hot tub was the perfect temp (108) Then that night we grilled burgers outside while watching the stars come up. We then ate out on the porch where sarah got eaten alive by mesquitos. We then watched as someone down at the lake shot off leftover fireworks. The evening could not have been any better (well, maybe if I had caught a fish).

The next morning we slept in (until about 9: another joy of not having the nephews around to keep us up all night like last year) and did more fishing, canoeing and read more magazines. What more could you ask for. Ella continued her task of eating as much romen as possible and had her 2nd package of the trip. I went for an early morning swim, and like i always do when I swim, I took my ring off and set it down on the canoe (here comes crisis #3). BIG MISTAKE! I forgot to grab it before everyone climbed into the canoe, so goodbye ring #2. My first one lasted about a year, this one lasted about 2 years, hopefully the next one will last about 4. After a good breakfast of eggs and biscuits, I headed back to Austin to check in for the triathlon on monday. That night we all met up for dinner at Olive Garden for unlimited pasta and breadsticks. So good! I always fill up on the salad, I think everyone did b/c by the time our food came we hardly ate any of it. We then spent an hour at blockbuster trying to pic a movie and then headed back to the apartment. Overall the weekend was a great break from the daily grind and could not have asked for anything better. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Fall Break

2010-09-09T09:07:00.001-07:00

So, we just finished our 4th week of school which consisted of 2 practicals and 1 exam, in Pharm no less. Now I am off to Austin for the week for fall break. We get this every 3 years because our school is hosting the dental rebs, which is the final exam students must take to be able to get their license to practice in the state of Texas. It rotates between the three dental schools in Texas, so this year it's our turn to host it. I have no complaints, it will be a good chance for me to catch up on rest, studying, and some long training.

Mocha Mondays and other adventures of dental school

2010-08-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

As I start the third week of dental school, I can’t help thinking that third times a charm. The past two weeks I have had major sleep issues (or lack of sleep), which has resulted in me falling asleep at 6 in the evening and sleeping until 6 the next day. The first week I made it to Tuesday before I crashed. Last week I made it to Thursday. Hopefully this week I can go the full week without a drop in energy. Part of it comes from not going to bed on time (goal number 1 this week).

This semester, Mondays and Wednesdays are my long days consisting of lectures from 8-12 and then lab from 1-5. To help the day not feel so bad, the B-team meets up for coffee on Monday mornings to discuss the upcoming week and get ready. It’s just a nice relaxing way to ease into what’s sure to be a busy week. Tuesdays are one of my favorite days of the week. I get out of class early (4ish) and come home to where I do and 1 hour power session, which consists of a 30 min interval bike followed by a 30 min brick run complete w/intervals. This high intensity session mimics race conditions and beats the snot out of me, all in an hour. I have attempted to do this on Thursday’s as well, but w/tempo workouts, but so far by the time Thursday rolls around I am too tired. Hopefully this week is different.

Other cool things about this semester, we have a week off for Labor Day, so I'm heading up to the lake w/the inlaws and then racing the Austin Tri. Next, I have a cavity that needs to be filled on the Tuesday afterwards (ouch). Lets call it payback for all the fillings I will do in my lifetime. This semester we also give our first injections and "learn" to take xrays. Besides the sleep everything has been going well, but next week is when the semester really starts. We have 2 practicals and our first exam. I hate the begining of the semseter. It's like the start of a triathlon. Your nervous if you have trained enough for the race, and it feels like the pressure is on to perform, and just like in the race, it's either sink or swim.

Fall 2010 Goals

2010-08-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

• Daily Goals:
o In bed by 10:30 every night
o Review each subject the night after class and look at the next day’s syllabus
o Stay caught up w/lab work
o Focus on the goal at hand
 Refrain from checking emails/surfing the web/watching TV (<30min/day)
• Semester Goals:
o Continue training w/max workout time of 10 hours per week
 Fast and short sessions
o Start strong; ask for help when needed or to clear something up
o 80 or above in every class
o Focus on the task at hand
• Remember:
o School First
o Health and family second
o Training and racing third

Welcome Back

2010-08-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

Saturday I woke up early and did my last ATC ride. Sarah and I then went and ate lunch at whole foods and then I packed up and headed back to H-town. As I neared my house I put my blinker on indicating I wanted to switch lanes, and the car 20 feet back accelerated up and blocked me from getting over. I couldn't’t help thinking, “Welcome back to Houston.” Sunday was a great day. I woke up at 4:30 to head out to the Bridgeland Triathlon. It was a 500m/14m/3.5m (sprint) distance race. I used to think that Houston was not a very competitive city but not anymore. There are several fast, upcoming triathletes all about my age, racing all the local sprint/Olympic distance races. As we lined up in the man-made neighborhood lake I had butterflies in my chest. Earlier in the week I had suffered from some minor heat exhaustion and I had not felt 100% the past few days so I was not sure how I would fare with the lukewarm water, humidity, and intense heat that was getting worse by the minute. Just as I was thinking about how this race might be a bad idea, the gun went off. I came out of the water 3rd. Gained ground on the bike w/the fastest overall bike split. I started off the run 30 seconds back from the leader and minutes away from anyone else. I knew I didn’t have the legs to catch 1st place, so I cruised in the run for a 2nd place finish. The rest of the day consisted of a nap, dinner, and movie. I was happy and looking forward to stepping up the training for the Austin Tri and Houston Tri. Then Monday rolled around…

The first day back was a depressing feeling and it was only made worse by realizing the amount of work that is going to be required this semester. Gone were my dreams of stepping my training and hopes of possibly doing the Longhorn 70.3 (still secretly there, but very doubtful). The first day back to school was not a welcome back, but a mere continuation of last semester. The day started with lectures all morning and then drilling and filling in the afternoon. Afterwards I was exhausted, but the day was not over. I went home and ate my leftovers and then headed back up to school to organize my 5,000 dollar 2nd year kit. The day left me with mixed emotions of tiredness, anxiety, and excitement. Hopefully I will be able to establish a good routine and still be able to train and have some sort of life, but from what everyone tells me, this year is the hardest, so it’s time to put my head down and start the hard work.

Where have I been

2010-07-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

Well, this has been the continuation of a great summer. After 2 weeks of camp at Camp Longhorn, I came back to Austin to live with Sarah and work at the dentist office that I worked at before starting school. Since then, time has just flown by. Each weekend brought a new adventure for us. First, we went down to Houston for Sarah's friends wedding and went bass fishing with my grandfather. It was in a stocked lake in between the 17th and 18th holes in River Oaks Country Club. The bass in the picture is one of the smaller ones that we caught throughout the day. Then the next weekend we drove to Louisiana for the 4th of July. On the way there we got caught in a S*#@! storm of rain and car wrecks. It took us over 3 hours just to get out of Houston. There were 3-4 wrecks, one in each lane and they closed I-10. It was a nightmare, but once we got to LA all was good. I participated in the annual 4th of July 5k, and came in 3rd. I'm telling you that this is one of the best undiscovered 5k's that I have ever run, and there is always good competition. It's a fundraiser for the local cross country team, but the winner is always a ringer from out of town. For the past two years I have ran it, the winner has been a track runner from LSU. The past week, I played hookie from work and went with some George and Adam out to Bandera to put in some heavy mileage on the bike. We were put up by our friends in a nice house, this is a view from our balcony. Over two days we rode about 160 miles, played lots of spades, and drank a fair amount of wine. After that it was off to the Lake to get ready for the Marble Falls Triathlon. I ended up winning overall, only my second triathlon to ever win. It was a fun race with lots of hills and plenty of sunshine. I got this huge plack for winning, that I plan on hanging in our bedroom to annoy Sarah every time she sees it. JK, its our 3 year wedding anniversary this Wednesday. Well, there are 3 more weeks until school starts. Two of those weeks I'll be here in Austin and then it's back to Houston :( I guess I knew this was coming, so I'll just have to make the best of these last 2 weeks here in town.

ah, welcome home

2010-06-01T18:45:00.001-07:00

Not even a day after we got back from Tennessee, Sarah and I packed up our cars and headed to the lake house. Along w/Sarah's sister Ella, we were in for a weekend of relaxation, wine tasting, and fishing. It was one of those great weekends at the lake where magically, everything is working. This may be due to the fact that Dad had been up there the last two weeks getting the house summer ready. We only missed seeing him by a few hours. I know this because the hot tub was still hot when we arrived at the house. Of course, since he doesn't answer his phone we did not get the chance to meet up with him.
There are some times at the lake where you do nothing and other times where there is just not enough time to do everything you want. Saturday, I spent the morning cycling while Sarah and her sister slept in and did some tanning. Then we went fishing where I proceeded to catch 3 perch and Ella caught a tree (and some fish). Then we went to Pissiosas winery, but of course, as usually there was a hitch. Normally, its Sarah who forgets her ID, but this time she forgot her sisters ID. Luckily, due to some smooth talking on my part, we were all able to do some wine tasting. Afterwards, we headed to see a movie in marble falls and do a walmart run.
Sunday was another lazy morning and then a long night of hanging out with the Conditts. We tried to go to another winery with them, but it turned out they were no longer producing wine, so we opted for dairy queen. After a tasty blizzard we went fishing at my grandmothers lake house, where we all caught some massive perch. Everyone caught a fish (except for Andrea, next time). Then we had a wonderful dinner, during which Sarah played historian trying to gain knowledge of our family history. We ended up talking until midnight!
The next day we got a late start, but around 10 went for a walk to church mountain. Before we got out of the neighborhood we saw a sign that said free, please take on 4 practically new rockers. These were perfect for our porch so we came back and picked them up and placed them on the porch. Then we all went down to the lake and went over to do some cliff jumping at devils waterhole. I went immediately to the highest ledge and jumped and then came back and played lifeguard for Sarah and Ella jumping from the kiddy ledge. After a long build up, they finally jumped. When we got back to the house it was time to go home. Ella and I dropped Sarah off in Austin, and then continued on to Katy. I ate dinner w/Sarah's mom and didn't get home until about 9:30. I unloaded everything from the car, took a bath, and then exhausted from the sun, went to bed. Overall a great weekend continuation to an epic summer.

No Road Trip is complete without a stop at McDonalds

2010-05-27T09:37:00.001-07:00

Tuesday morning, we woke up at 6:30 am, loaded up the RV, Sarah and I hoped in the back and got ready for a nine hour drive to Brandon, Mississippi to visit Sarah's Aunt and Uncle. There house is right on the golf course, and there are strict neighborhood regulations that would not let us park the RV on the street (even just for the NIGHT)! So at first we were going to try and pull the RV into their neighbor's (who were out of town) U-shaped driveway. I got the RV halfway up the driveway before I realized that this was not going to work. On one side the RV was about to collide w/an oak tree and on the other side was a giant bush. The truck itself was being lifted off the ground b/c the trailer was so off balance, so I had to put the truck in 4 wheel drive just to get it out of the driveway. This consisted of running over the bush and trimming a few limbs off the tree. After this fiasco, we decided to just park it at the clubhouse for the night. So, now I have been in the car for almost 10 hrs and my nerves are on end. So, I go for a run around the golf course, which turns into a tempo run.

The next morning we leave for Louisiana and then on to Houston. Just outside of Beaumont, we stop at McDonalds for lunch. I cant remember the last time I went to McDonalds, but some things never change. The greasy smell of fries, the grimy floor, and giant outdoor playground, on the other hand their menu has changed. It's kind of ironic that places like McDonald's or Walmart, are places I try to avoid at all costs, are probably some of the most attentive listeners to what the public wants. For example, I think McDonald's probably has one of the healthiest fast food menus (except for subway), and Walmart carries one of the largest selection of organics. Now this take away from the fact that you can still get your days worth of calories in one meal at McDonalds or that Walmart is using some sort of illegal workers to bring you the cheapest prices, I'm just saying that they are not all bad.

When we finally made it home it felt good to be out of the RV and unpack and unload everything for the last time. It was a great trip, and would definitely go back in the future.

Fly Fishing and Cycling in the Smokys

2010-05-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

There were 2 things that I really wanted to do when I came to the Smoky Mountains. The first was backpack along the AT, and the second one was fly fishing. Sarah decided not to go, so Lottie and Michael said that they both wanted to fish w/me and Mom and Pop just came along for the views. Since none of us knew what we were doing, we hired a guide to show us how to do it. First we had to get outfitted. So Michael and I chose to do wet wading, where you actually get wet, and Lottie donned the full waders in order to stay dry. The funny part was that she fell on a rock and all the water rushed into waders soaking her from head to toe. In fact, she may have spent more time crawling through the water than fishing. Next, we drove up a small dirt road and parked right next to a quick flowing stream. The guide was very nice and explained to us everything we needed to know about fly fishing. For example, you approach from downstream b/c the fish are looking upstream. Second, you want to cast right at the spot where the white water flows around a rock and then turns into a small ripple. This is the spot where the trout like to wait for a fly to land and then go up and eat it. The stream was full of rainbow trout, and by the end of the day I was catching one probably every 5 minutes, but most were too small to keep. They had to be at least 7-8 inches to keep. In the end I caught 3 keepers. Before we left he showed me how to clean the fish (even though I already knew how, I just thought I would watch). After we gutted them, he would cut open their stomach to see what they were eating and then base his fly selection on what they ate. Pretty smart. I had so much fun, we were out there for 5 hours but it seemed like only one. There is nothing more relaxing than standing in the middle of a river with not a worry in the world. That night we took the fish home, seasoned them with some special spices and grilled them on an open flame. I don't usually eat meat, but for this I made an exception. The fish was so tender that you could literally just pull the all the bones right out, and the meat just melted in my mouth. By far some of the best fish I have ever had!

The next day was our last day, and we planned on just relaxing and enjoying our last day. I awoke early to head out for a ride. Cycling in the Smoky Mountains is like nothing I have experienced before. The climbing was just amazing. I would spend 30 minutes climbing a hill and then turn around and cover the same ground in less than 10 minutes. Going downhill was almost harder than the uphill b/c I was holding on to the breaks for dear life. The scenery consisted of green trees and flowing rivers along every road. Nothing is more motivating than a change of environment for training, and I can not wait to get back and start a regular training schedule again.

Smoky Mountains part 1

2010-05-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

Pictures from road trip, Gatlinburg, and backpacking trip

smoky mts part 2

2010-05-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

Pictures of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Biltmore Mansion, and fly fishing.

Good Morning from Asheville, NC

2010-05-24T11:07:00.001-07:00

Yesterday all 6 of us piled into the dodge and drove to Asheville, NC. It was advertised to Sarah and I as "only an hour away," by somebody, I wont say names (Lottie), but we decided to take the scenic route through the blue ridge mountains. This road takes you up, over, and through the Smoky Mountains with beautiful mountain top overlooks, numerous waterfalls, and lots of twisty, narrow roads. These types of roads are always nice for the first 15 miles, but just drag for the next 60 miles. It didn't help that every 5 minutes we had to stop and grab a picture. At one point the fog was so heavy that we couldn't see more than 20 ft in front of us. Sorry, I should say pollution, seeing as most of the fog is actually smog from Kentucky. Then the road was closed and we missed the detour road. So after about 6 hours of being in the car we finally made it. I have to admit that I wasn't looking forward to coming to Asheville, but once we were there I was so glad I did. Downtown Asheville is a happening place very similar to Austin, just not as many condos and much smaller. It is a small college town full of young students, hippies, and chic shops, dive bars, and tons of vegan/vegetarian restaurants. For dinner we ate at a place called bistro 1862. This was by far the best meal I had all trip. This morning I woke up at 6 and had the urge to go for a run. This was one of those runs where I ran for an hour and a half and it felt like maybe 20 minutes. I ran through downtown, their medical center, and through an edible garden that had cherry trees, blackberries, and apples all starting to bloom. I even ate some cherries right off the tree. When I got back to the hotel we all went to go eat at the corner kitchen where we had cheesy grits, waffles, and hot chocolate. Then it was off to the Biltmore Mansion for the day.

Backpacking the Smokies

2010-05-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

It's the Hilton of the smokies, is how the hiker I passed by the guy explained the Icewater springs shelter to me as I climbed a gnarled tree branch laden trail along the side of a cliff. I had just left Sarah at New Foundland Gap and had 3 more miles to go to make it to the shelter for the night. 3 miles may not sound like a lot, but after hiking 11 miles earlier in the day w/a 30 lb backpack, you just want to be at the shelter. I left NG at 6:10, sunset was at 8:30, so I had to book it if I wanted to make it to the shelter w/time to set up camp. At a little past 7, I saw the sign for the shelter. As I descended down the small trail, a wave of fog/pollution started to seep through the trees and eventually shroud everything in a blanket of mist leaving visibility only about 10-12 ft. When I arrived at the shelter, there were 3 other guys there, a couple from Florida, and a man nick named "Chainsaw" that was hiking the whole Appalachian trail. Why do they call him Chainsaw you ask, well at night he snores so loud and continuously that it literally sounds like a chainsaw (believe me, it's an appropriate nickname).

I quickly made my bunk in the shelter (as far away from Chainsaw as possible) and made my freeze dried meal of veggi chili and black beans w/brown rice. Yumm! It far surpassed my expectations, and washed it down with a little bit of wine and freeze dried smores for desert. While I was eating dinner some of the guys built a campfire which is not an easy task since most of the wood is really wet, but they were able to get the wood burning and made our fire from the previous night look like child's play. The fog that night became so thick that I was unable to tell the difference between the smoke from the fire and the fog. At around 10 we all turned in for the night. It was definitely colder than the first night, but I was able to use my under armor gear along w/2 heat warmers which acted like a heater for my sleeping bag. In fact, I got so hot I had to unzip the bag. I slept so well that night, and awoke in the morning to the sun rising up over the mountains to my east casting deep reds and purple rays that filled the sky.

I broke camp about 10 and headed off to Mt. Le Conte where there is a lodge, and then down to the trail head following Rainbow Falls Trail. Surprisingly, this turned out to be the most beautiful day of hiking. It was a pretty steady climb to the top of Mt. Le Conte, with some steep drop offs on either side of the trail, and at one point I had to cross a rock ledge holding on only to a metal cable. A mile from the lodge, there was a trail spur that went to an outcropping called Myrtle Point. This offered the best views of the entire park. I was even able to see all the way down to the town of Gatlinburg. When I arrived at the lodge I paid 3 dollars for an unlimited glass of the best tasting lemonade you could ever have and another dollar for a no bake chocolate peanut-butter oatmeal bar. Then I went out on the balcony and ate my lunch and just took in the beautiful views of the forest. I really didn't want to leave, but if I was going to meet Sarah at 4 I had to push on. If I could have, I would have stayed there for the night. I was tired and didn't want to move, but the nice thing was that Rainbow falls was all downhill. The waterfall is one of the tallest in the park and allows for a great picnic spot, or just a nice place to lay on a rock and listen to the water crush over the rocks. I ended up meeting Sarah about 20 minutes from the trail head (they had gotten a late start and had brought no water w/them). Luckily I had saved some of my lemonade from the lodge for Sarah, who drank it down like a survivor of a ship wreck. Coming to the end of the trail was bittersweet. I enjoyed the trip so much I didn't want it to end, yet at the same time, I was tired, sore, and looking forward to a warm bed and a home cooked meal.

From Sarah (a.k.a. Bear Grylls)

2010-05-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

The last 2 days, I hiked 22 miles in the Smoky Mountains- Bear Grylls style. This was the most I’ve hiked ever! Grant and I started the morning by going to this AWESOME pancake place in Gatlinburg. It was absolute heaven because everything was home-made. The hot chocolate was out of this world…we got an extra one! I ordered mixed berry crepes with ricotta and cream cheese inside and whipped cream. Mick got buttermilk pancakes with eggs. It was the perfect super breakfast for what we were about to do.

We drove 10 miles to the beginning of our hike on Little River Trail. (2,000 ft. elevation) The trail was wide, gravel, and great for day hikers. The trees and streams followed us everywhere. 3 miles later, we lost all the day hikers and went deeper into the forest where the “real” backwoods hikers go. This was my absolute favorite part. For 5 miles, I felt like I was in “Twilight.” The trees were sooo tall and there was so much shade. The weather was perfect. Not too cold and not too hot.

Then, we entered the Goshong Trail (a.k.a. “hell” but we were unaware of this at the time). We had two super adventures back to back and had to cross two stream/rivers. There was no trail and only water and we didn’t want to get our shoes wet so we took them off and “forded the river” (like in Oregon trail…ha ha). It was dangerous because if you lost your footing, you could be swept into the rushing water below. I knew the water would be cold but when I put my first foot in there, I absolutely froze inside. It was the coldest water I have ever been in. Total hypothermia. My feet were immediately numb and I hadn’t even got both feet in yet. Mick took off his pack and came back to help me. I was trying SO hard to ignore my burning cold feet. Afterwards, (post-shock), I thought it was exciting.

Then, we had 4 miles left to our evening cabin (at above 6,000 ft.). We knew it would be strenuous but I wasn’t expecting a “strenuous-welcome-to-death-trail.” It was all uphill. I don’t know exactly what the incline was but I would guess 10-15 (like on a treadmill). All of a sudden, I started losing my balance on the rocks and got real wobbly. My strides turned into baby steps and at one point, I asked Grant, “Is this tree moving?” I had officially hit “the wall.” I had heard marathoners talk about this but I didn’t realize it would happen to me on this hike. Grant came to the rescue and pulled out a chocolate (yum) GU, which I had never had before. 5 minutes later, I felt sooo much better. The caffeine and electrolytes brought me back.

We finally arrived at our cabin and saw some others making a fire. Some were from San Marcos, TN, Michigan, and Georgia. One guy was doing the entire 3 month long Appalachian Trail…from Georgia to Maine. After sitting by the fire (wishing I had marshmallows) and talking to the others, we realized we took the hardest trail possible in the national park. No one else takes that trail. Hm, no wonder we didn’t see anyone else. (He he.) Leave it up to Grant to take us on the craziest trail possible. At first I felt like a wimp for hitting the wall on the Goshong Trail (because Grant is a freaking endurance machine), but after talking to the others, I felt much better. (He he.) We ate dinner and had brownies for dessert and they were super yummy. The only thing that was missing was hot chocolate (I’ll have to remember that for next time). There were HUGE deer about 10 feet away from us. They were so pretty. At night, the smoke/fog rolled in. Mick had to hang our backpacks on a 20 foot rig so that the bears wouldn’t sniff our food and come get us.

We went to bed at 10 and I was completely freezing! The temp was 51 then. I just couldn’t get warm! I had on underarmor leggings and a top plus a jacket and fleece pants on top of that. I also had my hoodie and gloves and socks. I kept shaking my little warm pack by my side. I ended up falling asleep but woke up tons of times to whisper to Mick, “I’m cold.” After waking up to use the bathroom twice (yes, in the freezing cold forest), I jumped into Mick’s mummy sleeping bag…he had no shirt on and he was on FIRE! I was so confused. He actually said he was hot while my teeth were chattering. We made so much noise moving around and trying to get me warm. This other man was snoring the whole night so I didn’t feel as bad. He he.

The next morning, Mick woke up at 8 or 9 am (while I played dead under the sleeping bag). I couldn’t move I was so cold. Finally, after slowly maneuvering out of the sleeping bag and into my day clothes, we left for our next hike at 10 am. We started with a 3 mile uphill hike to Clingman’s Dome, the highest mountain in the national park (over 6,000 ft)! Grant loved smelling the “Christmas trees.” At the top of the mountain, it was actually hard to see the aerial views because of the “smoke.” We actually found out (sadly) that the majority of the “fog” is actually pollution because the pollution smoke from nearby states (especially Kentucky for some reason) gets blown to the Smokies and stops there because the mountains are so high. That sucks. So, you think you’re looking at all this fog, but 90% of it is really just pollution.

Suddenly, I started taking baby steps again and the rocks started “moving” again. I decided it might be best for me to slip out early and end my trip this evening. My muscles were so sore. We called my mom and she agreed to pick me up later in the day. I felt so bad because I didn’t want to disappoint Mick, but he said it was ok. I would rather end my hiking adventure with a bang, instead of exhausted and grinchy. However, we still had an 11 mile hike to go so I wasn’t getting out too easy. The rest of the hike was in the 5,000 ft. elevation range. We stopped for a nice lunch and I stretched whenever I could. I was wearing my regular jogging shoes, so unfortunately, my feet started killing me. But I wouldn’t give up.
Finally, at 6 pm, I was home-free and arrived at Newfoundland Gap where my mom picked me up. We emptied some of Grant’s backpack load and I kissed him goodbye. He had 3 miles left before he arrived at his final evening shelter.

I came home and went straight to the hot tub. Unfortunately, it was about 100 degrees….nowhere close to the usual 110 degrees that the Glausers are used to. So, after waiting awhile for it to heat up, it still wasn’t hot enough so I just opted for the shower instead. My mom made me a huge home-made hamburger and it was totally awesome. I went to bed and missed my hiking buddy so much.

This morning, I woke up in a nice warm bed. I turned on the computer and found out that the Suns lost their second game to the Lakers. Grr. Later today, I am going to hike 6 miles to meet Mick at Rainbow Falls (a big waterfall) and then we are both done with our hiking trip! I will have to think of something yummy to bring since he will probably be tired…maybe a Snickers? Tonight, we are making tostadoes…yum. Overall, it was the coolest, most Twilight-beautiful, most challenging, ice-cold water, no bears, exhausting, and exciting hiking and backpacking trip yet. :)

Why do they call the smoky's smokey

2010-05-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

Since arriving in Gatlinburg, we have been under a shroud of smokey fog and rain with light patches of sunshine intermittently thrown in there. It never gets above 80, but the humidity can be similar to Houston. I went biking today and passed through rain clouds to fog to sunshine and back to rain. The truth is you never know what the next bend will bring. What you can count on is that it is almost guaranteed that it will rain, but it is never a hard rain. Just a light misty rain, and afterwards when the sun comes out the steam and the smoke starts to form. Hence the name the Smoky Mountains.

Welcome to Gatlinburg

2010-05-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

We left the foxes behind, and headed four hours north to Gatlinburg. Unfortunately, we had to stop at a gas station and made a couple of wrong turns. Sooo, 5 hours later we arrived in Gatlinburg. This was the birth place of Dolly Parton, home to Davy Crockett and Sam Houston, and is also host to the National Tea Party Convention on May 21-22! There is a stark contrast between the beautiful green scenery and the tourist nightmare they call main street, which reminds me of the strip at Las Vegas or the boardwalk at South Padre, take your pick. Lining the main street are hoards of t-shirt shops, candy stores, ripley's believe it or not museums, and tons of other places to spend money before entering into the Smokies. When we first arrive at the RV park, I am the privileged one that gets to back the trailer into its tiny driveway that will be Michael and Lotties home for the next week. After a few trys, my head starts to spin about which way is left and which is right, because everything is backwards when backing in the RV. Finally we get it backed in and set up. Luckily, Sarah and I are staying only a mile away at a cabin w/her grandparents. So after we get the RV all set up we head over to the cabin. Its a two bedroom "honeymoon" retreat on the side of a cliff. On the patio there is a hot tub hidden behind green forest. The tub in the master bedroom is big enough for a family of four and has window looking out over the forest. We have arrived home.

After turning up the heat in the hot tub, we took off for the main street and to find some dinner. And where in the world would we end up eating, at the Texas Roadhouse of course. We drive over 1000 miles and are surrounded by tons of interesting new restaruants and where do we eat at, a franchise restaruant. What made it even worse was the hostest when we walked in was seated on a saddle and said "Welcome Yall!" Now, don't get me wrong, the food isn't bad but still. WTF. Oh well, it wont be the last place we eat out.

Gadsden, Alabama

2010-05-16T05:50:00.000-07:00

I awoke on this third morning of our trip at 5:30 am to what I thought to be the cars passing by on the freeway, less than a mile away from where we were camping, but no, it was the sound of hundreds of bass boats speeding off on what the locals call a "fishing rodeo," (aka: a fishing tournament to all of us visitors).
Yesterday was the longest driving day of our trip to Gatlinburg, 8 hours. We left Erath, La at 8 and arrived in Gadsden, Al around 5:30. The trip went by surprisingly fast and with no major incidents. Gas stations were a different story. Each time we pulled into one, Lottie would take it upon herself to direct the traffic, all she needed was to orange cone beams and it would have been official. We got a really dirty look from two hillbillies when lottie told them this was not a parking lot and to move their vehicle so we could leave. Luckily, they were not packing, so we made a quick getaway. We are staying at an RV resort in Gasden called River Run RV Resort, and if you can get passed the fact that the only privacy you have between you and your neighbor is the RV in between yall, its not too bad, plus we are looking out over the lake which is gorgeous. Sarah got very excited as we were pulling in because she saw a fox overlooking the lake. We even managed to get a picture of one before it ran off. haha, were yall fooled. they are cardboard cutouts placed around the camp sites to keep the geese away, but they look extremely realistic.
Last night I slept up on top of the RV in my sleeping bag, underneath the stars. It was one of the best nights rest I have had in a long time. I think that getting rid of the fake light that keeps us up late at night drains us more than we realize, and this morning, after the parade of what must have been 150 boats racing off to catch fish I went for a nice swim in the mirror smooth lake, only thing was I got scared there might be alligators in the lake so I ended up turning around earlier than I would have liked. Well, we are off to Gatlinburg today, cant wait for the adventures that await!

Off to Tennessee

2010-05-14T09:56:00.000-07:00

We are off to Tennessee for a two week rv trip with sarah's family! The morning started kind of rocky, here's how it went. Sarah and I awoke at 7:30 to go work out and pick up some last minute supplies. Lottie's goal was to leave at 11. Sarah and I were completly pack and just had to load up everything into the rv. Well 10:00 brings the first wave of phone calls asking where are we, when are we getting home, and on and on. We arrive home at 10:30 to total chaos. 11 was a joke. Anyways after we packed up the entire house we were close to leaving. I can't remember the law that describes this phenomenon. The fact that we have so much space led to overpacking big time. I brought enough gear to last a nuclear holocaust. After we threw in the kitchen sink we departed Katy at 11:50.

Post school hangover

2010-05-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

So Friday was my last final of my first year of dental school. Lets just say it was a great feeling to be done. To celebrate I went for a long ride (70 miles) and then a brick run for 40 min. This was the longest ride I have done since last August. It was a great feeling not to have to come back and study for the next week. As for the rest of the weekend, I have been so unproductive. I have slept until 11 or twelve, relaxed, read some magazines, and watched tv. Can't wait to get up to Austin for the week and start getting back outdoors.

LAST FINAL

2010-05-07T04:41:00.000-07:00

I can't wait! I'm getting ready to take my last final in T-3 hours. Of course i will be studying my but off until then, but there is no pressure for this test as I have already passed the class. This first year of school flew by. It's amazing how much you can learn if you let it consumer your every waking thought for 9 months straight. Well, It's about time for some deserved vaca time. This is my last free summer and it's going to be a busy one. Next week I will be in Austin, then we're off to Tennessee for two weeks to hike the appalation trail. We get back just in time for memorial day and 1 week of summer school. Then, I get to attend first term at Camp Longhorn, and then the rest of the summer I will be working with the dentist I worked with in Austin and training for Longhorn 70.3! I'll say it again. I can't wait to be done (w/the first year, still have 3 more years :( and supposedly next year is the hardest)!

http://www.nopantsday.com/wp/

2010-05-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

so i have a calender that lets me know what events are going on in Austin. Apparently this Friday is no pants day, so FYI if you see people w/o pants on Friday, it's because it is the official "no pants day." I wonder if bike shorts worn all day would be appropriate.
http://www.nopantsday.com/wp/

finals

2010-04-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

The next week and a half are finals week. Finals remind me of the last mile of a race. Your tired, in pain, and just want to stop, BUT this is the point where you must reach deep inside and draw every last ounce of energy. Instead of slowing down you use this energy to kick it the last stretch and finish the semester/race strong.

Great Expectations

2010-04-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

Today was the Gateway to the Bay Triathlon, and I had a blast. The swim was crazy going out on the boat was so different from your normal swim start. The swim was one of the worst sighting expierences I have ever had. I must have added about 500 extra yards because of a zig-zag line. It was a fast bike split and the run was great, partially shaded and all next to the bay. Overall I had a decent early season race, but I am glad it is over. I have built triathlons up so much in my head that the pressure to do well (win) prevents me from being able to relax the week leading up to a triathlon. I feel like I am on pins and needles, and it is only for triathlons. For my marathon or bike races I look forward to them, enjoy the week before and embrace the spirit of the race. As compared to the start of a triathlon that I dread. It may be the fact there are so many little things to worry about, like getting all your gear ready, going through the check lists and so on, or the difference may be because I go into non-triathlon races with minimal expectations or just the desire to race against myself. I need to learn to apply this to triathlons, because I really love the diversity of the training, and the art of putting them all together. On Saturday I watched my friends from dental school do the sprint, and the joy they got just from finishing the race took me back to the first time I raced and was just happy to see that finish line. Speed can be a blessing and a curse as it puts you in limbo between the joy of just finishing and the desire to go faster. Another quick nib about triathlons, in no other sport (except for cycling) is your equiptment make so much a difference. Luckily I have the awsome support of Austin TriCyclists who are so willing to help me out with everything I need for a race. Thanks again guys. I don't know if it is even possible to compete at the top level without a good set of wheels/bike/wetsuit. So going back to racing, I need to keep in mind going into the following races to find a balance between fun and competative in order to be able to enjoy triathlons like I did at the beginning of my racing career. That is my goal for the rest of my races this year. I want to look forward to them and go in with no expectations and see what happens.

I actually wrote most of this last night before the race and took this advice going into today, and I must say it worked. I had a great time, didn't put any expectations on the race and still came out in the top 5. Not bad for recently recovering from injury and my longest run in the past 4 weeks was 1 9 mile run. (No excuse for my horrible swim - learn to sight).

What it takes to be a patient at UT dental school

2010-04-10T18:50:00.001-07:00

I found this article online about what it means to be treated by a 3rd or 4th year at the dental school. It's pretty interesting, and is a good indication of what to expect if you wish for me to work on you in the near future. :)

First, it is very competitive to get an appointment. Also, we are a comprehensive care school, so you can't just show up to get 1 filling/crown/root canal done. Appointments take time, because instructors check multiple steps and of course we are students who are trying to learn. The cost of work is about 1/3 to 40% off of what a private practice is. The problems is that you pay with your time. Most if not all of the dental students are very understanding to a persons needs. You get numerous inputs on what is the best treatment plan with different instructors based on their different specialties (oral surgery, endodontists, fixed prosthodontics, etc). Patients are required to maintain at least 2 appointments a month and there is a "3 strikes" policy on missing appointments (i.e. miss an appointment completely, >15 minutes late, or cancel within 24hrs). Each appointment usually will take 3-4 hours, depending on the procedure and amount of professors available. The first appointment is a screening including x-ray's and perio evaluation) which will allow us to give you an estimate on total treatment costs. If you don't like what you hear, your not obligated to accept. Wednesday's are a "first come first serve basis" where they take the first 25-30 people. People start show up at the school at between 5-6am. They wait in a line until they open the doors around 7am. They then go through a quick screening, get a pano x-ray, and wait to be seen by a student dentist (patients start being seen around 10am). Well that's what is going on everyday while I sit in class. Sometimes I completely forget that there is actual dentistry being done everyday. I've got to keep reminding myself of the big picture and prepare for the day when I am down there seeing patients.

Update

2010-04-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last blog so let me catch everyone up to speed. After my wreck, I think I had some deep tissue muscular bruising. I didn't go to the doctor, but probably should have. Instead I just didn't run for 1 1/2 weeks. The injury forced me to take it easy, which gave me some extra time to focus on school (smart move). After 2 weeks I am able to run again without pain. the injury forced me to miss the Champions Triathlon. it was disappointing, but at the time, it was not worth risking more injury to my hip. Now I am trying to get ready for the Gateway to the Bay triathlon. I wish I had more time to train for it, school just keeps getting in the way. JK. I've learned to put whats most important 1st and that would be my marriage and school. Saddly, I wont see sarah this weekend because of the triathlon. It will be only the second time that we will go 2 weeks without seeing eachother this whole year. I wish the triathlon was any other weekend, so I could go up to see sarah and go to the bluebonnet festival in Burnet. I've always wanted to go to it, but it never seams to work out. It's always one weekend off.
School update:
At this point, there is only 4 more weeks left. I am experiencing mental fatigue on a daily basis. Good news is I am just about done with gross anatomy. Only 2 more intense weeks, along w/lots of hands on practicals. Translation: I will be busy every day with lab work or studying. Can't wait for the end of school.
Plans for after school:
The weekend school gets out I want to do a test run of my backpacking gear at Big Thicket National Forest, then head up to Austin for the week. After that it will be off to Tennessee for 2 weeks with sarah, her mom and grandparents. We are going to the great smoky mountains to do some backpacking, fly-fishing, biking, and possibly some white water rafting! Following our trip, I have a week of school and then I plan on being a counselor at camp longhorn. Then finish off the summer working at the dental office in austin while sarah is in school.

Training Injury

2010-03-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

Stupid weathermen. Last Saturday I was trying to squeeze in a last minute ride before the cold front came in. Unfortunately, it started raining within the first 20 minutes so I turned around and headed back towards home. As I was approaching the driveway which was wet and slippery. Well, I went down before I knew it and was sliding over concrete and into the grassy curb. I landed right on the hip bone. I immediately put ice on it and took some aleive (sp). I thought that I was fine. A little sore when I bike or swam, but today I tried to run and it hurt, bad. any time i pushed off or landed, my hip hurt. so, i think it may be time to schedule a trip to the doctors to make sure nothing is seriously injured. so, lets hope all is well.

What is a bad day in dental school

2010-03-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was what I like to call a bad day in dental school. I had stayed up late the night before studying for an Oral Histology mid-term test and was feeling pretty good about it and was planning on waking up early to get some last minute studying in. I set two alarms as I always do the night before a test. Well, both alarms did not go off. The first alarm set for 5:15 am was actually set for 5:15 pm! OK second alarm was set for 5:30, but i had not changed it back an hour since daylight savings. So I awake at 6:30, hop in the shower, feed the cat, make lunch, and then as I am making my morning coffee/breakfast i notice that all my clocks say that it is 7:15! T-45 minutes until the test. Freaking out, I hop on the bike and make it just in time. Still groggy, I trudge through the exam, but the day doesn't stop there. In operative, i manage to ruin two teeth preps. Not my day, BUT I can't just go home and call it day because we have another exam the very next day. Even though I got the extra hour of sleep i was exhausted. It took 2 cokes and a shot of coffee that was left over from that morning plus a package of M and M's before I felt alert enough to study. I was up until 1 and back up at 5. I am learning there is no single bad day in school, only bad weeks.

Could be worse

2010-03-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

Gross Exam tomorrow. This is where I will be for the next 3-4 hrs. Left the house this morning when it was still dark and came home when it was dark. Fun day, but overall, the weather was great (for Houston), I got my run in, and got to drill on teeth. I had a great dinner at chipotle and a hard run (4x1600 @ 5:25 min pace) during my lunch break. As a student, I like to complain about how busy I am and the difficulties of school, but in reality life never gets easy. When I graduate, I know I will be just as busy (if not more) than now. So it's important to be happy and make the most of everyday, because I guess it could be worse. Cheers.

Sarah's second day at the hospital

2010-03-10T15:07:00.000-08:00

Hi family!

Today was my second day in the Emergency Department. I have officially fallen in love with the ED. Halfway through the semester, we get to choose where we do the rest of our rotations and as of right now, I'm leaning towards the ED. The best part is that it's so unpredictable and there's always something new around the corner. I'm there from 8:30 to 4:30 and from 8-11 it may be a little quiet but then from 11-2 it's like party time and that's when we get a stroke or MI or something. (Hey, it's Mardis Gras today! he he.)

Today I followed Mark, a CNS who graduated from UT! He is in his 40s and an AWESOME educator. He taught me SO much. He used to be a football coach so that's probably why. He is like me- went to undergrad in something else and then got his masters in nursing later on. He would talk about a patient and then quiz me on what differential diagnoses I would have to rule out, what labs I would order, why I would order each one. I REALLY learn a lot like that.

Second patient was a 26 yo male with smoke inhalation! He woke up this morning and his house was on fire! Luckily, it was mild so we gave him a 100% non-rebreather mask for awhile and then he was discharged. One of the doctors told me that you really need to start worrying if the patient has singed nasal hairs or soot in their throat because then their airways can constrict and they can go downhill very fast and then require intubation.

Last patient of the day was a woman in her 40s with altered level of consiousness. Which of course could be anything- overdose, stroke, syncope, infection, you name it! EMS mentioned alcohol so everyone was expecting intoxication although the EMS also said he found no alcohol in the house...hmm. The patient was arousable (she would open her eyes if you said her name really loud) but other than that, she looked extremely sleepy. She was also incontinent (peeing on herself). The doctor ordered a CBC (complete blood count), CMP (complete metabolic panel), clotting studies, urinalysis, toxicology screen, and CT of the head. It takes about 20-30 minutes to get these results. I had to go to post-conference and was really interested in what happened so right before I left for the day, I went back with my friends and teacher and found out some horrible news.

First, we looked at the labs and everything was normal...strange. Negative for alcohol intoxication and lots of other drugs. Then, we looked at the CT report and BOOM! 6 cm by 4 cm mass in her brain. (imagine how big that is!) After looking at the CT, her ventricles (which should have been midline) were completely shifted to the left. I have copied a 3D image of the ventricles in red and blue.

I'm not exactly sure how much, but part of the brain had herniated (deadly shift of the brain towards the foramen magnum, the hole in the base of the skull where the brainstem is). Like, imagine your brain being sucked down your skull. The first CT below is of a normal brain. The second CT below it is slightly similar to the one I saw. The darkest part in the middle are the ventricles and they usually are midline and look kind-of like a butterfly, but you can see these ventricles are pushed over to one side:

I don't know much about brain herniation but it freaks me out. We have no idea what her prognosis will be. She was actually being taken to our trauma hospital in Austin...Brackenridge Hospital...straight to surgery to try and relieve some of that pressure. My friend, Jonathan, works at the Brackenridge ICU so he's going to tell me how she is doing later on this week. How devastating. It was very difficult for me to meditate and keep calm during yoga tonight because I couldn't stop thinking about her. Her daughter said that she had been a little confused during the week and then this morning, she was out of it.

I think about Matt Chandler's brain tumor and how he had a warning (a seizure) which is way better than waiting until your brain herniates. Like he says, God is good! he he.

It definitely taught me a lesson though as a future advanced practice nurse...it's easy to assume that a patient has overdosed after hearing the word alcohol (from the EMS) but I've learned you really can't jump to conclusions until you get the results. Well, that's it! Next week I will be in the heart failure clinic!

Two days later......
So, my friend told me about my patient who had the brain tumor. She had a craniotomy (removal of the tumor) in her frontal lobe (front part of the brain). They have to send the tumor to the lab to see if it is metastatic (if it may have spread to other parts of the body) but my friend said the report looked like the surgeon got it all. With these patients, the prognonsis is still unsure because we don't know if the surgery would have caused damage to the brain or not. so, only time will tell. :(
Aya

Back to the daily grind

2010-03-09T06:07:00.000-08:00

Well, spring break has come and gone, and it was one for the books. I went from being mentally exhausted to physically exhausted. I didn't realize how much I missed cycling outdoors. It became addicting. Each day I felt better riding on the bike, and after my tune up the bike started acting better as well. The week concluded with some of Sarah's cousins coming in town from Louisiana, and we got to play tourist taking them to all the Austin hot-spots. I couldn't have asked for anything better over the break. My only complaint would be having to go back to school. Switching back into school mode has been difficult. Already the amount of work is piling up. I've got an exam on Tuesday and Friday, so it's back to the same daily grind. The only thing keeping me going right now is the fact that I know the end is near. Only 2 months left until summer break (and our trip to the Great Smokey Mountains)!

Spring Break

2010-03-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

Today is Tuesday, March 2, and it has been a great day. I woke up this morning w/Sarah and dropped her off at the hospital where she is doing rounds in ICU. I am so proud of my CNS. It was so fun dropping her off at the hospital in her white coat! Then it was off to ride some of the hardest hills in Austin, and then a short run. After a demanding morning, I rewarded myself w/some delicious migas and a giant pancake. It's a beautiful day, and all i have planned for the rest of today is some more relaxation, maybe a little bit of studying, and just enjoying the beautiful weather. Man, gotta love spring break.

Sarah's first day "playing" CNS at athe hospital

2010-02-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

I wish I could talk forever about my first day in the ED (emergency department) but I gotta make it short so I can catch up on homework. Every Tuesday from 8:30-4:30, I will be either in the ICU, ED, or heart failure/transplant clinic.

Today was my first day in the ED. My first patient was an 85 yo male with CHF exacerbation (worsening of congestive heart failure) so he came in with severe dyspnea (shortness of breath) that they almost had to intubate him. Luckily, they used a CPAP (continuous pressure...similar to what sleep apnea patients use) and he got way better. I went in with a doctor and an NP student to assess him. He could answer questions but was kinda sleepy. He had edema of his calves and ankles (edema means swelling because of fluid retention which is a major problem in CHF patients). Lifted up his gown to find his testicles were the size of a football, actually bigger. It was fluid filled (called a herniated spermatocele...look it up). The doctor quizzed me and asked me what the rash was between his testicles and skin...I didn't know. embarrassing but no big deal. He had a yeast infection around that area and the skin on his legs were flaking off (imagine mommy's feet but times 10 or 20). It looked like a case of caregiver neglect (he lived by himself but a nurse visited). It was as if he wasn't bathing at all. It's amazing what no hygiene at all can do to your skin. especially for older people. Oh by the way, I got to read his chest x-ray...you could see the fluid in his lungs...we call it "infiltrates bilaterally." I read it in front of my teacher and got that one right (score!).

ED pretty slow...at 12:00 though.....it's stroke time!!! so excited to see this one. (60 yo male). The patient comes in they determine the possibility of a stroke is super high so I follow him straight to the CT (even before a doctor sees him). He gets a head CT which tells us it is not a hemorrhagic stroke (excessive bleeding in the brain). Then, the little machine pushes dye into a vein in his arm which goes into the blood vessels of his brain. This shows whether there is perfusion of the brain (adequate blood flow). Now we are waiting for the radiologist results. (There are two types of strokes: 80% are ischemic and 20% are hemorrhagic). You always rule out hemorrhagic first.

I get to assess him and his signs are classic....right sided facial droop, dysarthria (difficulty speaking) with word salad (saying the wrong words), right-sided weakness. Can you guess which side of the brain was affected? (I'll give you a hint....opposite side!)

I really liked how everyone was patient with him because he could completely understand what we were saying but he was having trouble trying to talk. Can you imagine how frustrating it must be to talk and different words come out of your mouth? very interesting. FYI- left side of the brain responsible for speech.

His wife was sweet. She gave us most of the history. he was normal last night but this morning, he woke up at 9:00 with the slurred speech and weakness and his neighbors called 911.

So, CT results are back and the diagnosis is left-sided ischemic stroke as we expected (ischemic means NO blood flow to a certain part of the brain because of a clot in a blood vessel). I got to see the "dead" area on the xrays. Unforunately, because he didn't react soon enough, we were unable to give him tPA ("clot busters"). The start of stroke symptoms to tPA initiation has to be within 4.5 hours. So, this part of his brain is officially dead. tPA would have dissolved the clot and he may have not lost this chunk of his brain. (he will have to work with a speech therapist and physical therapist in order to regain his normal function). He will also probably be put on aspirin and plavix forever to avoid another stroke (something that I would prescribe as the CNS). The neurologist was nice and I got to go in with him too. For some reason, I think strokes are fascinating. His risk factors for stroke included uncontrolled high blood pressure, ex-smoker, high cholesterol, and COPD. The #1 risk factor for stroke is high blood pressure followed by high cholesterol.

But the rule is....TIME IS MUSCLE. So, Daddy....if you start acting wierd, don't hesitate...call 911. People think strokes aren't as serious as heart attacks but they really are.

Ok, now it's 2:00 and I hear a CODE STEMI!!!! A heart attack is coming from a nearby hospital straight to our cath lab. Is this a lucky day for me or what!?! STEMI stands for ST-elevated myocardial infarction. Mick, once you take patho....you will learn that the serious heart attacks have an elevated line after the QRS wave....we like to call it..."tombstones." (because they look like little tombstones on the ECG...which I know how to read by the way. he he.)

So, my teacher says I can follow the patient and watch the cath procedure! YEEEEEEEEE HAW. (Mommy- this is what happened to Uncle Tommy when he almost died). So, got to see a doctor put a "balloon" into one of the patient's coronary arteries since it had clotted (closed up). He actually had a previous stent from last year that got clogged which is what caused this heart attack. The coolest part was watching the doctor insert dye into the patient's femoral artery which goes directly to the heart and fills all the heart arteries. It's like, the arteries light up black on the "motion-xray". You could see one artery that was light gray and the rest were black. Eventually, the doctor got them all to be black...good thing. It was amazing to see the heart pumping on the fluoroscopy screen and the arteries "lighting up." It's hard to explain what I saw but you could google it I'm sure. Oh yeah, and "door time to table time" is 90 minutes for heart attacks. Once again, time is muscle...we got him at 20 minutes, well under the guidelines.

Finally, i examined a 21 yo male with nausea and vomiting. We ruled out pancreatitis and he went home after getting some hydration. He was actually a pre-pharmacy student at UT so me and him and his mom were talking about Dr. Karboski (my pharm teacher).

Well, so much for a short email. It's so hard to explain all the things that happen in a day. I was exhausted when I got home and slept until 8. I think I need to get some tea in the afternoon. Last night, I prayed to God to help me with confidence. I have all this knowledge in my brain but it's hard for me to get it out. When someone asks me a question, I could easily write it down but I have more difficulty saying it out loud. Hopefully, I will work on being more aggressive instead of passive. I met a resident from UTMB Galveston today who was doing his whole residency in Austin. He wants to be a dermatologist. Otay, that's all.
Aya

Drillin and Fillin...Not as easy as it looks

2010-02-03T20:10:00.000-08:00

So we have finally started drilling. They start you off just drilling some hole on a slab of clay with shapes drawn in it. It's tough but doable. Next, they give you a tooth and tell you to drill according to certain criteria. A little harder, but still doable. Then they tell you to work on the "dummy." This makes it even harder, then finally to top it off, they tell you to drill it upside down and backwards. Usually when you hear this someone is joking with you, but not here. this is just the everyday life of a dentist. It is much harder to do than you may think. We are talking about cavity preps that must be exact down to the .5mm (ie - no room for error). The good thing is that if you mess up, you can always just go buy another tooth, but that won't always be the case. So for now, I would not recommend anyone letting me drill on them. Well, actually all my prep's have been clinically acceptable, so go figure.

why do they do this

2010-01-27T17:15:00.000-08:00

This weekend I will be coming up to Austin and can't wait the past two weeks has been non-stop. This week consisted of an onslaught of exams, projects, and practicals due either on Monday or Tuesday. It started with no weekend and I spent most of that time up at Gross lab looking at dead bodies. Monday morning I had to finish up a wax up of a crown and then my first gross anatomy test. Followed directly by coming home and studying for a physiology exam with an operative practical in the afternoon. After dinner and a drink last night I was out! Anyways, I glad it's behind me and now it's back to the normal. Here are some last pics from the race. there is a pre race, final stretch, and afterwards. You can figure out which is which.

Came across a fun article about diets

2010-01-22T19:16:00.000-08:00

The idea is a guy tried each of the most popular diets in our society over the past year and these are some of his comments about each one. As you know I am vegetarian (going on 1 full year), but he did not try this diet so I will comment about this. I believe that vegetarian and vegan diets are good, but like all diets, they are not perfect. You have to be able to live w/no meat, and watch out for eating too many empty carbs. Overall, it's left me 5-10 lbs lighter than I was a year ago, and much more consistent energy levels. I also don't drink milk but do have occasional cheese/yogurt. I think the overall message of the article is eat lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, organic and natural (non-processed foods: my definition is of this is 5 ingredients or less), but most importantly find something that works for you and stick to it. Would love to hear any comments about what others think of some of the other diets.
click here for the article

Video problems

2010-01-20T21:26:00.000-08:00

Ok, its 11:30 and the video is not working and it is really bothering me, so I decided to go ahead and post this as well. I got asked to write an article about dental school and training, since I seem to be the only student to manage to do both. Here is the article. Enjoy.
Mental Break[down]
Wake up. Brush teeth. Slap on misty green scrubs. Attend class: Oral histology. Physiology. Operative. Ahhh class is over, time to relax or run twelve miles!?! Dental school can be one of the most stressful times in a student’s life. Whenever I’m not in class, I’m probably waxing in the basement, studying for tests, or over at the medical school examining cadavers. This leaves very little time to relax and catch up on sleep, and even less time for relaxation, but it’s important to have some sort of release to prevent a mental breakdown. Although, my release of choice is kind-of unheard of for a dental student – it comes in the form of endurance sports, including marathons and triathlons.

I’ve always had a passion for sports because of the personal challenges they provide. Growing up, ti was tennis but after undergrad I turned to running. When I competed in my first triathlon, I was hooked and was luckily taken under the wing of a local pro in Austin who taught me how to properly train and race. After two years of intense training and racing, I qualified for and raced in the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. Until last semester, I trained on average 20 hours a week, worked full time as a dental assistant, and considered going pro. Of course, that was until I began dental school.

Others warned me that dental school would not leave any extra time for training or racing, but here I am, starting the spring semester of my first year and getting ready to race the Houston Marathon. I’m not training twenty hours a week like before, but by being organized, efficient, and dedicated, I still find time to squeeze in training and occasional races. I prepare meals in advance, wake up extra early during the week, and ride my bike on a trainer while reviewing lectures on my computer. These small changes in my routine have allowed me to maintain my racing speed, even set my sights on a new personal record for the Houston, Marathon, and most importantly continue to relieve stress in my favorite way.

Training for endurance sports while in dental school is certainly a challenge (some have called me crazy), but it has provided me the escape I need to handle dental school. I train to stay physically fit and healthy, refresh my mind, and keep my stress level down. When my concentration starts to dwindle after a long day of sitting in class or studying for an exam, I go for a run and return feeling alert and ready for more. When I sense building around exam time, there is nothing more relaxing to me than to slip on my running shoes and hit the trail or swim a few laps and soak up the sun. Being active gives me a chance to let my mind go temporarily blank and de-stress.

Dental school is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s important to pace yourself, make your health a priority, and take all the opportunities you get to recharge your batteries. Whether it is a night out with friends or an early morning jog, your mind and body will appreciate it in the long run.

Running the houston marathon

2010-01-20T19:13:00.000-08:00

I like this video because even though I am running my butt off and get a new PR, this video shows me clearly being chicked at the finish line. If only there was another mile I definitely would have overtaken her, but for now we will just say she was a professional runner. The race could not have gone any more perfect. The weather was ideal, the course was flat, and nutrition was spot on. My goal time was 2:50 and I finished just under at 2:44:39. I started off conservative, running the first 6 miles around 6:25, around mile 10 I started dropping the pace to around 6:20, and by mile 18 I was at 6:15. the last 8 miles continuously got faster and I finished the last few miles all around 5:55. I felt on fire! Well, at least my legs did, and at the finish line was Sarah, who had just completed her first half-marathon, was there waiting for me. She did her race w/no prior training, boasting a time of 2:22. I'm so proud. Before long she will be out doing some triathlons. A guy can dream right. JK. Sarah and I plan on doing the Austin Marathon next year. Between now and then, I'll probably do the frost yer fanny and gateway to the bay triathlon (check it out Andy Potts and Matty Reed will be hosting competing relay teams at the race and they are auctioning off the relay spots on ebay). Well for now I'm taking it easy until this soreness goes away. then I'm going to hit it hard for the tri-season.

Welcome Back

2010-01-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

Well, I hope everyone had a great holiday break and has made some good New Year's resolutions. Sorry to say, blogging more is not one of mine, but I will try to post more often. I had one of the best 2 weeks away from school that anyone could have. Two days after my last final, Sarah and I hopped on a plane headed for Cozumel. We had an all inclusive beach resort booked for the next five days. We proceeded to spend the next 5 days laying on the beach drinking every type of alcohol that you could imagine. Sadly the wind was so high on the last few days we did not get to go out on the water, but we still had a great time and came back well rested. Christmas holidays flew by and we spent the weekend in Louisiana, and then headed up to Austin. We even managed to make it up to the lake house for New Years, and spent the night making chocolate covered strawberries, shooting off fireworks, and hot-tubbin! Then it was back to school. We just finished our first week and guess what, I got to work on a human cadaver this week. We dissected the back and thorax and I don't think I will ever be the same. Well, I am starting my taper for the Houston marathon next week. I will update next week. My goal is a 2 hour and 50 min marathon, which would be a new PR, but we will see. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and I'll go ahead say, Happy Valentines Day. If the grocery stores can start advertising it I can say it, right?

Cozumel Dec 2009

I Can't believe its over

2009-12-11T16:52:00.000-08:00

Wow, one more final left of the first semester. It's going to be any "easy" one (I think). The past two weeks have consisted of just studying, sleeping, eating, and running. It's funny that in classes like physiology and biochem we learn about what happens to the body under stress, and then when final come around you get to experience it first hand. You know it's bad when the Starbucks lady already has your drink order ready for you when you get in line, but the amazing thing is that I survived! I could probably classify the past 2 weeks as the longest amount of time that I have been under constant stress. Hopefully it gets better each semester, as I now know what to expect. The grades are in and I wont be making any dean's lists but that doesn't matter. I passed everything with and am moving on. This time next week Sarah and I will be in Cozumel for our Christmas vacation. Can't wait.