Last night, I lost my virginity...,

Last night I lost my virginity. For those of you who know me well, I can hear you laughing. But it's true. I lost my E-bay virginity. I had never bid on anything and last night, I did it for the first time.

And lost. It's okay. I don't think she meant to hurt me.

I found a set of aerobars and watched them all day. I discovered that you can ignore the bid cycle up until there are about 30 seconds left. Then-it's game on. Wow. The price climbed $40 in a matter of seconds. What was a deal became overpriced. I was disappointed. But, I'll try again tonight. Thank God the site is blocked here at school. Otherwise, the kids may not learn anything other than a few expletives and some random literature.

The whole idea of e-bay is fascinating. Charlotte has won several times and saved tons of money. I think I could literally buy everything I needed to survive off of the site. It seems as though I heard or read about someone actually trying that. My training partner Dave has scored much of his tri gear on e-bay. I suppose now it's my turn.

I could use a new crankset, some carbon aerobars, and a set of Mavic wheels. I really don't want to pay more than about a $100 for the lot. There has to be a bargain out there somewhere.

Tonight in school, we finish Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy. If you've never read Conroy, you owe it to yourself to read at least one of his novels. Rich in imagery and detail, Conroy forces me to confort my Southern roots and focus on the real issues that color our society. More than Grisham or Baldacci, Conroy has staying power. His sentences resemble Rubik's Cube in their complexity and structure. Good stuff. Really good stuff.

My shoulder is trashed. I'm beginning to think that Gulf Coast just might not happen. That, my friends, ain't good news.

10 miler today-Shoulder is becoming problematic

Today was just a nasty day. Windy, cold, wet, and I had to run. Of course, I should say, I was blessed to be able to run, right?

I went to the Roswell Park where I run and did the work. Yuck. Cold and nasty. It was also the first time in a while where I ran without pain meds.

Stupid.

The shoulder is frigged. Screwed. Doesn't work. I can't wait to swim the 1.2 miles for Gulf Coast or even the 600 meters at Tanner. How am I going to swim with one arm?

Maybe I'll just ride the current or .....,grab an ankle.

I think I'll take tomorrow off and then hit it again on Tuesday.

Boy, the weather guys got today wrong...,

Wow. What a day! Beautiful weather, perfect temps-had to go outside and play a bit. Oh yeah-the shoulder.....,

I met up with Dave at the Comet and we headed out. I had taken 800 mg of Motrin and a Tylenol #3 so life was pretty rosey-for a while. We hit Floyd rd, did the u-trun and pointed our bikes towards Rockmart. I was in the 140s for HR and actually felt good about being there. In the early season, it's about base. Anything over 138 and fire rains down from heaven. But, Gulf Coast is near and I gotta really ride now that the swim will totally suck. So, I push. Dave had no idea what I was doing. He pulled up and asked me if I was on a mission. Whatever.

The ride was really good. Had some wind but that's just part of it. At one point, Dave and I were racing uphill (on the Comet, that's a misnomer) and maintaining a speed of around 25 mph. Good times. I broke first or should I say-my shoulder was hurting pretty bad by this time. Dave never looked back. He is going to kick some SERIOUS ASS at GC this year. I fully expect him to be low 2:00s, maybe sub 2:00. He can really move on the bike.

I caught him at the tunnel and we turned around. Coming back, the shoulder hurt but I wanted to get home. We got passed by a skinny roadie type and Dave had to go. See ya!

Great day of training. About 52 miles or so. Felt good. At least I know the shoulder will survive the bike and run.

Tomorrow, I'm going to Kennesaw Mtn for 11 miles. Should be a great day for a run.

Percocet Flavored Running

Yep-the shoulder hurts. Not a pain that's unbearable but a dull throbbing and general weakness in the joint. It's enough to make me pay attention to it. If one does endurance sports long enough, you learn to deal with aches and pains. I can't ignore this one.

I've been taking pain meds and trying to run. I tell you, you just haven't lived yet until you've run 6 miles in a Percocet haze. The Mp3 player becomes your best friend, especially when Eddie Vetter is blasting out "Hard Sun." So, today is going to be different.

No pain meds. None.

We'll see how that goes. I don't want to lose fitness and I need to be in the pool. I just can't figure out how to swim with one arm. Maybe they'll let me wear a water wing for that side.

MRI on Thursday. Hopefully it will just show a strain and nothing The pain is really starti ng else. I've still got time to salvage the swim if the diagnosis is positive.

Hopefully.

Update: The pain is starting to impact my ability to sit still and concentrate. I may not be able to go without some form of pain med today. Damn-it hurts.

Diagnosis: Possible torn rotator cuff

I'm pissed. Really pissed.

Can I swim 1.2 miles with a torn rotator cuff? Without drowning? Maybe. I don't know. Goal#1 should be to get my arm over my head (that'll help...,)

I'll medicate and still do the bike and run. I think I'm fit enough to get through the swim (it won't be pretty) but I'll get through it.

I just don't know what else to say........................................,

Mean Old Injury Bug

Damn. I thought I was bulletproof.

Not.

Eight years ago, I fractured my collarbone and separated my shoulder while playing co-ed soccer. It never healed correctly and I just dealt with it.

Five years ago, I was involved in a car accident where I separated the shoulder again. The healing went poorly.

Fast forward to the insanity known as training for an Ironman. I stressed the shoulder constantly and it stayed sore throughout the training regimen.

Last night, it finally showed its ass. I was doing intervals and something went pop.

Not good.

Now, I can't pick up a coffee cup without pain. The thought of swimming makes me cringe.

Can I breaststroke the swim at Gulf Coast?

Cold Ride

Today was one of those weird days. It looked warm, should have been warm but stayed cold. And windy.

Damn windy.

Dave started at his usual "this is really a good pace" blazing speed and I took up my position on his Lycra-covered ass. The first 20 were fast and then the work began. Maintaining pace and HR became an issue.

Did I mention the wind?

Anyway, we rode 64 good solid miles. Felt good but I was really glad to get off the bike.

Really glad.

Thought oh so briefly about running, got over it and came home. Good ride.

Did I mention the wind?

Good Friday

I went to church last night and again was reminded that every Christian has to have a "Good Friday." I once heard this day referred to as Christianity's Ground Zero. How perfect is that? You know the Easter story and I'm not one to preach or to push an ideology but I encourage you today to take a moment.

Just a moment.

And think. Hard.

Yeah-I guess everyone has to have a Good Friday to get to their Easter.

Peace,

Michael

Crazy Week

For those of you who have kids in high school, you know what this week was: GHSGT. For those of you who don't have kids, here's the deal: Georgia, in its infinite wisdom, decided that all students should be able to pass a series of standardized tests covering the alleged curriculum found in the Georgia Performance Standards. They (the students) start taking these exams in their 11th grade year. These exams run concurrent with the EOCT (End of Course tests), SAT, ACT, ASVAB, and whatever else the government can line up for you and your kid. At first glance, it seems like a good idea. All students should be required to demonstrate mastery of core subjects. What if your kid has test anxiety? What if your kid had a lousy Science teacher (Science is the hardest-74% failure rate 1st time test takers)? What if you moved into Georgia from another state in your kid's junior year because of a job transfer? My point is there are no waivers, no breaks-nothing. It's pass or fail. If they pass, super. If they fail, they try again. And again. And again. What if they never pass the exam? They don't walk and they don't graduate. Imagine a kid with a 4.0 who is LOUSY at taking standardized tests. Imagine that kid not getting a diploma; instead he gets a Certificate of Attendance. Which is worthless. Even more so than a G.E.D

This was the week. Kids came to my classroom with vacant stares and generally pissed off. Nothing got done. My classroom was a crucible of stress, tempers, and haggard students.

I ran 9.5 today and it was glorious. I turned my music up really loud (like the kids) and just hauled ass.

I'm glad tomorrow is Friday.....,

Custom Ordered Day

Wow. What a day in Atlanta! It was just about perfect. I rode 52 strong and steady listening to soem really funky music Charlotte loaded on the Mp3.

Felt good. Ready to kick some ass at GC...,

Stormy Ride

Last night, I was pumped. I washed my bike, lubed the chain (not a metaphor), and packed my bag for a solid ride on the SCT. I have taken the last two days off because I was tired and just over it-Gulf Coast be damned. So, I was looking forward to doing some miles.

Rain. Thunder. Wind.

Super.

As I sit here writing this, the sky is exploding and my house shakes. The dog is whining and I'm thinking really seriously about going back to bed. Then-I think:

What would Reger do?

So, I'm going to put on my thinnest pair of shorts, wrap my head in aluminum foil, and go ride in this soup. Not.

Clearly, a ride is not smart this morning. Maybe this afternoon.....,

The issue of blogging and voice is making its rounds at my school. Voice is almost impossible to teach a kid but relatively easy to uncover in one's writing. For many of us, writing is something that we have to do, it's not something we enjoy. I have always enjoyed the crafting of words and the nuances of language.

Blogging, however, is something that is really intimidating to me as a writer. Reger makes a good point in that to effectively blog, you have to be willing to let people in because at heart, most people are voyeuristic. We like to peer into the lives of others and see what they have to offer this world. I'm working on that. Microblogging appeals to me in that narrative writing is perhaps the most effective writing. CNN is making millions from I-Report and news organizations are now requesting that the public essentially do their job for them by posting pics and accounts of events formerly only covered by reporters in the field.

So, voice. Stephen King has it. Grisham had it (the first book). Sebastian Junger really has it. In King's book, Memoirs on Writing, he says voice is a manifestation of the soul. It's only present when all other conventions are stripped away. Yeah.

Where the heck did that come from?

Tired

Have you ever been so tired that you just want to sit down and sleep somewhere? I ran 3 miles tonight and just feel like I ran a marathon. Overtraining will get you everytime.

Gulf Coast will either be a really great day or a fast trip to an ER. Hell, I don't know. I'm just living the dream.

Riding in the Cold....,

Okay-admittedly riding in the cold isn't fun but it's great fun to put on that much lycra and polypro and then go sweat like a pig for 50 miles. Good times.

I rode the Silver Comet Trail this weekend. Pushed hard on the way back and felt okay. I'm still not ready for Gulf Coast. My swim sucks (as you know) and the bike is just kinda there.

I did score a new HR monitor from Polar. I couldn't get the damn thing to work so my wife bailed me out. She has the patience and small hands.

Pics and other crap are headed here soon. I'm still learning the blog world.

Sometimes it's about Integrity....,

All a teacher has in todays' world is integrity. It is an insult to the soul when you are asked to compromise that integrity, regardless of the reason. Somedays, the classroom is not so appealing....,

A Day in the Life of a Teacher

For all those who have been there....,

So, this morning my class was giggling. This is always worrisome to a teacher but I thought it was the rain and hormones. I could not have been more wrong. Just before class, I went to the bathroom. I noticed a different feel on my zipper but never checked to make sure the barn door was closed. Alas, my zipper was broken and the world knew my business. I, being the clueless type, walked around my classroom, totally oblivious to the fact that my zipper was gaping like some lewd clothing monster. More giggles. More being clueless. The class ended and I went the restroom (I have to pee when a bell rings). I quickly discovered my wardrobe malfunction. I borrowed two large safety pins and tried to repair the damage amidst more laughs from the front office staff. I immediately stabbed myself with the safety pin by pinning my thumb to my crotch. Clearly, this was not a solution. I could not get the safety pin to close the gap so I yanked out my shirt and covered the now obvious gap. This is a clear signal to everyone that my zipper is broken and I am an idiot. Jeez-it's only first period.

Swimming Woes

So, I went to the Y last night to give this workout a try. A little warm-up of 200 yards then 6X50 yards all out. At the end, I am convinced the lifeguards thought I was drowning. Form went to hell, I was gasping, and all I wanted to do was get out of the damn pool. But, progress was made.

You see, I hate swimming. When I was a kid, I wore coke-bottle glasses so going to the pool meant being blind for an afternoon. So, I learned to hate it. Unfortunately, as a tri-guy, you gotta swim to get to the bike. So, I swim. Slowly and inefficiently. I've bought the DVDs and had myself videotaped (ugly) but nothing beats the pure misery of a hypoxic workout.

Tonight brings 2000 yards. I'm going to try 4X500 sets with 1 minute rest between each set. Who knows? Maybe I'll learn something...,

Just getting started

Okay, so here I go. I'm a huge fan of Joe Reger's blog and he got me motivated so I'm going to give this a shot. Let me know if you read this thing and see what you think....,

Maybe I'll post a paper or two to give the readers an idea of who I am and what drives me to be what I am.