Nazis and video games...

I think this is probably funnier if you have a working knowledge of what's happening in the video game industry...(be warned, some of the subtitle grammar is appalling...)

Escape from the Rock - June 24th 2007

Escape from the Rock was my "comeback race" in October 2006 after breaking my third left metatarsal in April that year. I really enjoyed the event then so I was looking forward to giving it another go. However laziness post Escape from Alcatraz, gum surgery and some travel conspired to severely limit my training for the three weeks leading up to the race i.e. no running, one swim, and about 75 minutes of biking. Combine that with Escape from Alcatraz taper week and it amounted to a month of relative inactivity. With that in mind, I told myself I would just "race for fun" and not take it too seriously...I'm not entirely sure when that intent evaporated but it certainly wasn't foremost in my mind as I jostled to find a place in the front row for the deep water start...

Swim: Calm waters, clear blue skies and sunshine greeted us in the Bay and the water didn't seem as cold as last year. However (and here's what makes swimming in The Bay "special"), everyone was about three minutes slower than in 2006. It's the combination of tides, channel currents, rainfall, snow melt, winds etc. that really determine when you reach shore. Sighting in the fog-free air and chop-free brine was fine; Aquatic Park's white paint walls beamed like a beacon in morning light and the lead boat did a good job guiding us back to land.

Run #1 and T1: Not many people passed me during the first run but I think that can be attributed to the relatively low participation rate (more below). I couldn't calm my body down enough to risk gulping a goo so I shot my nutrition plan before it even started. :P

Bike and T2: Oh how I like my spanking "new" bike! I was only overtaken when I was eating (normally it's a lot more frequent than that). While doing so on the last of three laps, I accidentally choked down far more than the desired three salt pills and I forgot to reseal the tube so I lost the remainder during T2, leaving none for the run. (Seven races in and I'm still learning noob stuff...). Eating on this bike course is tough. You have two choices; try it when you're cranking uphill and risk upsetting your insides or when you're careering downhill, trying to overtake folks and screaming "On your left!!" while praying they don't swerve if/when they hear you. I chose the former.

Run #2: My stomach was not happy and this time a bathroom break didn't help. My nutrition screwup on the bike didn't help but I think my gut had forgotten what it felt like to run, given my lack of recent practice. Baker Beach's breeze blew my blues away; I felt much better before and after the "sand ladder" (which brought back memories of my recent Half Dome clambering...) and I managed to catch and pass the lead lady (who happens to be fast and cute). Running remains my weakest link.

After all that I finished about three minutes and thirty seconds faster than 2006; total race time 02:38:38.4. My relative placing is a little skewed as the male competitor numbers were down 30% from 2006. I think there were a few reasons for this

• The popular (and less expensive) San Jose Triathlon was the same day.
• San Jose is a USAT sanctioned event and USAT rankings now require entry in three such events, increased from two in 2006.
• Escape from the Rock was only three weeks after Escape from Alcatraz this year. In 2006 there was a four month gap.

The reduced field size meant the run and bike leg in particular were safer and more enjoyable. I just hope the race's future is not jeopardized as a result.

Results. Official photos.

Nice view but it's tough work...

Peter and I hiked Yosemite's Half Dome on Friday June 15th. We left Happy Isles at about 10am (which is much too late, see below) and returned to Curry Village at 5:30pm - 7 hours 30 minutes round trip (the guide quotes a conservative 10 to 12 hours). We made it to the cable climb within just over 3 hours but it took a further 45 harrowing minutes to make the final ascent as it was busy; clinging to the mount face while people all around experienced various stages of panic was not much fun...Seeing and hearing a water bottle escape someone's grasp to slide and scrape its way to freedom - down the mountainside - did not do much to calm collective nerves but a fellow hikers rendition of Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" on the descent helped to lift spirits.

We carried about 170 fluid onces/five liters of water/electrolyte solution but we still ran out about five and a half hours into the hike. The drinking water at the Vernal Falls bridge was a godsend.

If I were to consider doing it again I'd recommend leaving at first light. I cannot imagine how much busier it is at the weekends...I don't think it can be pleasant.

At least two folks on the hike were wearing (white) Team In Training shirts and there was also someone wearing a Wildflower shirt. :-)

The escapade is perhaps best summed up in this conversation snippet, overheard on the summit:
Climber A "Enjoy the view because you might never be here again."
Climber B (laying on back) "You're f**king right about that!"
(then they very kindly took this photo).

Speak no evil

After gum surgery I found myself under orders to avoid speaking, smiling or anything else that leads to facial movement. That pretty much ruled out human interaction for a few days so I relinquished a Tahoe trip for Brian Glover's birthday and the TNT triathlon team post-spring-season party to sequester myself at home with some new Xbox 360 games. I didn't have very high expectations but I was pleasantly surprised.

• Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars
  
  The original games offered some classic moments and it's great to revisit live action cut-scenes. This time round they're a more polished (and slightly bigger budget I suspect) presentation but still offer generous helpings of pig and dairy based produce. TV/movie sci-fi fans will recognize much of the cast (and the series that inspired much of the game's effects). There are even some interesting twists in the storyline(s) (although it doesn't take much searching to find spoilers).
  
  In game, difficulty levels can be frustratingly unbalanced (why no "Restart?" option when a mission is failed??). Building placement could be a little less fiddly too; trying to find a valid spot when only a few pixels make the difference is a little frustrating (especially when the buildings in question are base defenses and your forces are being crushed while you wrestle with the thumbsticks).
  
  To be truly appreciated I suspect it requires a large screen to play on; even sitting just a few feet from the TV I frequently caught myself leaning forward, subconsciously straining to see what individual units were doing or to read text or both. However zooming does reveal an impressive amount of detail. Some later GDI campaign missions in particular are hotbeds of frantic mayhem and movie-esque action. The frame rate tanked in some (later) levels (maybe because there were two AI opponents?) but overall it was pretty solid.
  
  I haven't taken it online yet...Will it be good? Time vill tell...



• Lord of The Rings: Battle For Middle Earth II
  
  aka LOTR BFME II, this was the predecessor to C&C 3 so the control scheme is very similar. It boasts high production values; something it shares with Square Enix's collaboration with Disney for Kingdom Hearts I and II. Perhaps movie studios working with game developers on titles not directly related to movies might be a better idea than direct movie to game ports? At any rate EA and New Line continue to deliver on the Lord Of The Rings franchise (Tolkien just did a somersault on the f-word methinks). Transitions from animated cut scenes to (what looks like) static concept art and back again is a very nice touch.
  
  Sea battles suck - you cannot see enough of the ocean to locate units. However the land based combat (which is the vast majority of the game) works well; units are larger and smaller in number than in C&C3 so it is easier to see what's going on. If you like fantasy-real-time-strategy and enjoyed Tolkien's written work, then you should definitely get a copy. (A new copy only cost me $30 too!)
  
  The online experience was surprisingly good. Finding opponents was quick and painless. Lag was a little problematic but tolerable in bigger battles. After being caught by a few rushes and losing two epic struggles I finally gave in and rushed; it works in Middle Earth too.

28 Weeks Later

(Still) an intense downer. The opening scenes reminded me of everything that the original (28 Days Later) excelled in - a brilliant score, terrifying "infected" and unmerciful violence.

The third one could be quite interesting. :-)

Shadowrun

• It is not groundbreaking; apperently it's CounterStrike++ for the console.
• It is not the prettiest game; many of the environments seem overly angular and some of the animation decisions are questionable.
• It is not worth the high price (on the Xbox 360 at least).
• But it is like crack; even when you get your ass whupped you can always blame it on a particular race/magic/weapon/tech choice and start over - when you win, you're convinced you found the perfect combo and cannot wait to put it together again.

Getting a game started when you're already in a party seems to take too long. This is offset slightly by the fact that you can normally scan your Xbox Live ex-players list and rejoin folks you played with previously.

Escape from Alcatraz - June 3rd 2007

A year later than originally planned, I raced Escape from Alcatraz for the first time on Sunday June 3rd 2007. Helpful currents in the Bay, my newly kitted out bike and awesome support, took me to the finish line in 2:42:18, much faster than I guesstimated - the 7am race start was worth it after all!

Swim: As expected, jumping off the boat was organized chaos; seeing the San Francisco Belle tilt as over a thousand athletes crowded to the starboard side was a sight to behold. The Bay was rougher in parts than I remembered from my two swims in 2006 but the pre-race sighting advice was spot on and there was no fog to obscure the relevant landmarks!

Bike: The course was familiar but much busier than I anticipated. Aside from the usual suspects speeding past, I paced with the same dozen or so folks for most of the bike leg; there were some good back and forth struggles until they all left me for dead after the run start. :P

Run: Calf cramps and stomach issues made life difficult for the first mile and a half. Very vocal encouragement from friends and Team In Training (thank you all!!) was all that motivated me not to walk along Marina Green...A pit stop and some electrolyte tablets before the first climb helped a lot and might have contributed to an amazing euphoria coming down the other side...I'm not certain I packed the correct pills!

As I was gathering my gear after the race, an Accenture employee, who just finished his first triathlon, asked me to take a photograph of him in the transition area. By the time I got him in focus, he was puffing on a cigarette and he said he finished only fifteen minutes after I did!

Results:

• Official Tri-California overall, Male 29 and under age group.
• Accenture unofficial results.

Photos:

• Official.
• Swim exit 1, 2, 3, 4.
• Run out along Marina Green 1, 2, 3 - the face I make when it feel likes my calves are about to explode...the woman passing me finished third in the female amateur division.
• Run out on Baker Beach 1, 2.
• Run back through Chrissy Field - the M-Heart on my race belt is for Myland Hui, one of our Team Honorees.

Video courtesy of Accenture - I cross the finish line at about 2:42.34 on the clock, about 21 seconds into the video clip.

As I crossed the finish line, Groove Armada was playing - "But I feel good. But I feel high." - Why yes, yes I do.