Stumbling on Happiness

Very interesting video on why we have fatter heads. Apparently, it's not just because of the Big Mac.



http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/97

EnduraSport Harryman Results

It was a dark and stormy morning and the fog grew thicker and thicker. Just when the wetsuits were all zipped up and the bare feet churned the sand, the whistle blew: the swim had been cancelled. Big bummer for the first triathlon of the season. My first triathlon with a training program.

But, in case you don't know me well, the glass is always half full. The wicked weather actually made out for an extremely unique experience. I has a transcendental experience, as if I were in the clouds of Kubla Khan. If Coleridge were only a triathlete:

And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing.

And so, in this chasm of thick pants the triathlon set in motion.  The thick fog and the constant drizzle gave an athlete the feeling they were racing in a loud. 

The race was going really well. I decided to wear my HRM but not to use it as a pace setter but to go off of RPE and analyze the HRM later on. My HR was higher than I would have thought I could handle, with an average in the higher 170s and lower 180s. I also hit a new max HR of 195. 

I felt pretty strong on the bike and passed a lot of people which felt good after running pretty slow in the first 1.5 mile run which took place of the swim. After  45 mins on the bike, an official came up to me and asked for my number. She wrote me up for drafting! I was really confused, because for the past couple minutes I had been sitting up, eating a gel, and going uphill at about 15 mph. Last time I checked, that isn't fast enough to catch a substantial draft. Apparently, this lady failed to realize that I was far more concerned with my safety (wet roads, oncoming traffic and sharp corners) to even think about drafting at all. 

All in all, I forgave the official. It's nice enough to have people who care enough and want to help. And, of course, when I still one a trophy for 3rd place in my age group and my place in the age group wasn't altered, the 2:00 min penalty didn't bother.

17th overall - 3rd in Age Group 1-24. Would have been 12th w/o penalty. 

Below are my times. I'm very happy with my transition times. Aaaah, have I mentioned how I love this sport? 

17.Mark Guay            23 M      210  10:01  6:41   23 |  :35    3 |1:27:42 19.8   14 |  :37    7 |  44:39  7:12   22 |2:25:34 02:00

Popsicles, Lollipops and Protein Shakes

So, things have been pretty crazy lately. I knew first-year teaching would be difficult but it was too hard to imagine just coming out of an intense grad program. But now, I realize how strenuous this last year has been. And I came to this conclusion: teaching increases the aging process. Figures estimate that within just five years, I'll look like Gandolf from the Lord of the Rings. That's pretty cool though, because then I'll be able to make dragon fireworks and scare all the hobbits.

Anyway, a couple updates:

1. Most importantly, I got a new baby. Okay, a new bike. Check it out below:


Jamis Xenith T1

Jamis is an up and coming brand in the triathlon world. I suggest giving them a look. There's an insightful review in Bicycling Magazine .

I also joined Full Throttle Endurance, a competitive triathlon club on the Northeast. Haven't gotten to train with them much, but with the few times I have, they seemed like a great team to be on. I'm looking forward toward helping them keep their division title in the USAT club championships.



There's also been this sore throat that I've had for several months now. After watching many episodes of Heroes, I thought maybe I was growing an adaptation to breath fire, but my doctor stunted that hypothesis. Instead, it's popsicles, lollipops and protein shakes for me after the Musselman. I need to get my tonsils removes. Lame!
Make sure to send me Vanilla Ice Cream in August. That's the date of the surgery. For now, the doc suggested a waterpik. So, it seems shooting water at my tonsils will have to suffice for the next couple of months. Thank goodness my doctor is also a triathlete. After telling me the news, "Well, it seems that you're going to have to deal with the pain until after the Musselman. There's no way you're going to want to sit around for two weeks beforehand." By the way, with the waterpik, I've greatly increased me age once again. Pretty soon gray hair and a wizard stick.